Page 29 of One Little Kiss

As luck would have it, Lanie told the truth about my hours, and hiding out in my private villa made it much easier than I imagined.

CHAPTER8

COLTON

“Where are you going now? We’ve barely seen you all week.”

My shoulders slump at Halton’s words. I was hoping to sneak out before anyone noticed I was gone.

“Ah, just for a run.”

“Bullshit. Rodrigo said he’s been driving you to scour neighboring pool clubs every day. Who are you searching for?”

I grip the back of my neck, and my brother smirks. It’s a tell for the both of us, a nervous habit we picked up from our father. “Fine. There’s this girl.”

His eyebrows raise and a knowing smile shows off his sparkly white teeth that I want to knock out. “The girl from the airport?”

“How—”

He shrugs. “Loch told Rylan you gave up a hotel room to spend time with someone at the airport. We were shocked you didn’t take her back to the room.”

“Whatever, asshole. She’s not that kind of girl.”

“No, seems like she’s the kind of girl to ghost you.”

“Fuck you,” I growl. My spine goes ramrod straight and my fists clench at my sides.

He holds up his hands at my harsh tone. “Colty, I was just teasing. Why are you so worked up about this girl?”

Roughly, I tug on the ends of my hair before raking my hand through it a few times. “I don’t know, Halt. She … there was just something about her. Something … real. And I’m worried about her. We made a plan to meet at customs and she didn’t show. Something isn’t right and I don’t know how to fix it.”

“So, you’re spending your vacation searching high and low for a woman you know nothing about?”

“That’s just it. She doesn’t feel like a stranger to me. She feels like … more.”

His brows shoot to his hairline and his mouth gapes open.

“Just, never mind. Forget I said anything.”

“Colt, if this—”

“Just leave it, okay?

He claps me on the back. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but you’re probably better off. You waited; she didn’t show. You deserve better than that. There’s a woman out there for you that will make you her whole life.”

He means well, and he’s probably right.I’m not ready to settle down, anyway. That’s what I tell myself for the rest of the trip, and into the months that follow, but my heart knows it’s a big fat lie.

* * *

One Year Later

“Why are you on my sofa? Again,” Halton grumbles, handing me a beer.

“My house isn’t done yet.”

“It’s not done yet because you’re dragging your feet picking out shit for it.”

We all had houses built on the backside of GG’s mountain. It was part of our grand plan to save her ski lodge from the piece of shit Macomb a couple of years ago. They finished Ashton’s first because it’s the farthest up the mountain and outfitted like Fort fucking Knox. Slowly, all my brothers’ and adopted family’s homes went up. Some of us are here full time, like Easton and Ash, and some of us come and go.