Dark Sexy Knight (A Modern Fairytale) (19 page)

“This isn’t what I expected.”

He nodded. “I know.”

“It’s so . . . loving. It’s normal. Like, not normal, but, you know, safe. And nice.”

“Nice places do exist, Verity.”

She still seemed uncertain when she asked, “Can I meet Melody?”

“Come on.”

They walked up the stairs, and Colt turned left, stopping in front of Melody’s apartment. “Ready?”

For the first time since arriving at Bonnie’s Place, Verity smiled at him. A real smile, boundless and warm. “I am.”

Because Mel would be awake, he didn’t use his keycard—he knocked, and, as though she’d been waiting right behind the door (which was probably true), Melody whipped open the door, her face split into a beaming smile.

“C-C-C-Colton! It’s zoo day!” She reached for his waist, wrapping her freckled arms around him.

Colt grinned down at his cousin’s strawberry-blonde head, wrapping one arm around her and still holding Verity’s hand in his. “Sure is!”

Mel leaned back, clicking her teeth together with excitement as she spied Verity. “Who are you?”

“Verity,” she said, dropping Colt’s hand and offering it to Mel.

Melody looked up at Colt.

“She’s a friend, Mel. A really special friend,” he explained.

And just as he’d known she would, Melody completely ignored Verity’s outstretched hand and threw her arms around Verity’s waist too.

What he didn’t know—what he hadn’t known in so long, it took his actual breath away—was the sort of happiness he felt watching his cousin hug his girlfriend. And when Verity looked up at him over Mel’s head and smiled?

Fuck if he didn’t have to turn away.

His fucking eyes were burning.

All things considered
, thought Verity after they’d dropped off Melody at Bonnie’s Place at six o’clock that evening,
the day went very well.

Yes, Ryan had gotten a little too excited about his Dippin’ Dots ice cream and dropped the cup on the ground, sending the small balls scattering. But Colton simply bought him a second cup and told him not to worry about the lost one, which banished the tears from his eyes.

And yes, Melody had gotten her period soon after arriving at the zoo and refused to come out of the bathroom stall for a good ten minutes. Thankfully, after some gentle coaxing, she finally confessed to Verity what had happened. Verity bought her a maxi pad from the bathroom dispenser and helped her get cleaned up, earning her a giant hug and an even huger smile.

After visiting the monkeys, but before lunch, they stopped for a water break, and Colton decided to broach the subject of him and Verity dating.

“So, guys,” he started, handing out four bottles of water, “Verity and I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Something nice?” asked Melody, grinning up at him.

“I think so,” he said.

“Colton takes care of us,” said Ryan.

“He’s
my
c-c-c-cousin,” said Melody possessively, clicking her teeth together.

Colton scowled. “Mel, I’ll always be your cousin. But I can look after you and still have time for Ryan too.”

“Okay,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “I like Ryan. He c-c-c-can be your c-c-c-cousin too. G-g-g-good talk.”

“No, he’s not my . . .” Colton pursed his lips and furrowed his brows at her. “That’s not what I wanted to talk about.”

“Artie sprays people,” announced Ryan.

“Who’s Artie?” asked Melody.

“The French knight. Want to meet Éclair sometime?”

“No, Ryan,” said Colton. “No Éclair, remember?”

“Wait, what?” asked Verity. “What do you mean, ‘Artie sprays people’?”

“With the hose,” said Ryan. “And it stings.”

“They hook up the hose to the Slip’N Slide,” offered Melody helpfully.

“What’s a slide’n slide?” asked Ryan.

“Did Artie spray you with a hose, Ry?” asked Verity, stepping closer to her brother.

“It’s a yellow plastic rug that sprays water. And you slide on it.”

“Prickly water?”

“Nope,” said Melody. “Soft water. C-C-C-Colton? C-c-c-can Ryan c-c-c-come for Slip’N Slide day?”

“Did you know about Artie and the hose?” Verity asked Colton.

“Yes, but I didn’t want you to worry,” he said.

“You should c-c-c-come to Slip’N Slide day,” said Melody to Ryan. “Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Colton! You can’t keep things like that from me. He’s my brother!”

“Don’t yell, Ver’ty. Colton protects us. He’s a friend. I need to go to Slip’N Slide day.”

“TIME OUT!” bellowed Colton, his face red and frustrated.

They all stopped talking at once and turned to look at him. Melody’s lower lip trembled, and Ryan’s mouth tilted down into a full frown.

“I’m not mad,” said Colton quickly, giving Melody and Ryan a pained smile. “It’s okay. Everything’s okay.”

“Okay,” said Ryan.

“Thunderface,” muttered Melody.

“Ryan,” he said, “stay away from Éclair like we talked about. I talked to Artie, and Joe’s looking out for you, but it doesn’t help to swat at a hornet’s nest.” He turned to his cousin. “Mel, yes. As long as it’s okay with his sister, Ryan can be your guest at Slip’N Slide day next Sunday. And baby?” he said, looking at Verity with soft eyes and reaching for her waist to pull her close. “I wanted to try handling things with Ryan and Artie. I didn’t mean to sideline you. I just didn’t want you to worry.”

She nestled in his arms because it was her favorite place to be and because part of her loved it that he wanted to look after her brother. But still . . .  “I need to know what’s going on with Ryan. I’m his guardian.”

Colton’s arms around her tightened, and he dropped a sweet kiss to her forehead. “Loud and clear, baby. I’ll keep you in the loop from now on. I promise.”

From beside them, they heard the sound of snickering.

“My c-c-c-cousin k-k-k-kissed your sister.”

“Yeah. They’re in love,” said Ryan matter-of-factly.

Wait, what?

Verity peeked over her shoulder at her brother. “Ryan! What did you . . . I mean, when did you . . .”

Without loosening his hold on her, Colton turned to Ryan. “Do you mind, buddy? If I date your sister?”

Ryan stared at him for a moment before sliding his eyes to Verity. “Colton is our friend. Colton takes care of us. Colton loves Verity.”

“Yes,” said Colton softly. “He does.”

“Okay,” said Ryan.

“Okay with you, Mel?” asked Verity, giving Colton’s cousin a little grin.

Melody beamed at them, then threw her arms up in the air and belted,
“All you need is love! Doo doo doo doo doo! All you need is love! Doo doo doo doo doo!”

As she continued to sing her heart out, earning curious glances from passersby, Colton chuckled softly and leaned close to whisper, “Did I mention Mel loves the Beatles?”

“Does this mean she approves?”

“A hundred percent,” he said, nuzzling her ear.

Verity settled into his arms, resting her cheek on his chest, under his chin, as a very enthusiastic Melody serenaded them and Ryan rocked back and forth in tempo as she sang.

From then on, the day was practically heaven.

Ryan and Melody ran from exhibit to exhibit, pointing out lazy animals sleeping in the sun, and clapping with shared delight at the meerkats’ antics. When one otter jumped on another otter’s back and started moving slowly but suggestively, Colton jerked his eyes to Verity’s, and she colored with awareness of what they were doing, but Melody pointed at the glass and announced, “Ryan! Look! They’re hugging!”

Disaster averted.

As the day went on, they followed behind Ryan and Melody at more and more of a distance, giving them the freedom to explore as Colton and Verity held hands, saying little, both basking in this lovely day of sunshine and family time.

Only one nagging thought kept the day from being utterly perfect:

Tonight.

Well, more accurately . . . Verity’s worries about tonight.

When she looked at Colton out of the corner of her eye—six foot three inches tall, covered in thick cords of veined muscle with a King Kong cock that she knew all too well from touching it’s pulsing thickness with her fingers—she wavered between feeling excited and feeling terrified about later. She loved Colton and wanted to be with him physically, yes. But despite what her heart wanted, she had eyes too . . . and there was no denying it: he was enormous.

She was five foot four and weighed in at one hundred and fifteen pounds. Small-boned and petite, like her mother, she had small breasts and small hips and, well, gulp, small
everything
. The sex she’d had with Tony and Johnny hadn’t been bad, per se, but it hadn’t been that great either, and Johnny had complained about her being “too tight down there.”

She’d felt Colton’s erection against her belly when they were making out. She’d held his penis in her hand, rubbing it in the darkness of his room as they kissed. He was much bigger than either of the other two men she’d been with, so if she was too tight for one of them . . .

The thought set her nerves on edge, and while she still managed to enjoy the beauty of the day, in the back of her mind, apprehension reigned.

And now, as they pulled out of Bonnie’s Place and headed home, her worries were slowly turning into panic. What if they really didn’t fit? What if he hurt her? Not intentionally, of course, but what if he was just too big for her body? Logic reminded her that her parts were built to accommodate a baby’s head, so it was ludicrous to worry about accommodating Colton, but she couldn’t help it. Logic be damned. She hadn’t had sex in over a year. She was worried.

And yet, when she slid her eyes to him, tracing the strong line of his jaw covered with bristles of blond scruff, his crooked nose and dark blond hair pulled back in a low ponytail, her heart soared and her body flushed with heat and want. They loved each other. They’d figure it out, wouldn’t they?
Oh, please
, she thought,
let us figure it out.

“Melody might be my bester friend than Joe,” said Ryan from the back of the car. “I’m gonna go to Slip’N Slide day. It’s at Bonnie’s Place.”

Verity’s prejudice about group homes had been soundly trounced today, and although she still felt some measure of wariness, she had to admit that, by all outward appearances, Bonnie’s Place seemed to be an idyllic haven for developmentally disabled adults. And Ryan seemed to long to be a part of it.

“That’s fine, Ry,” she said. “I’ll talk to Lynette about you getting Sunday off, okay?”

“Yeah,” he said, yawning. “Sunday off. For Slip’N Slide day.”

He fell asleep in the car, snoring softly until they arrived at Colton’s house twenty minutes later. Colton cut the engine and turned to her.

“You’ve been quiet. Tired?”

She unlatched her seat belt, looking up at him. “No, I’m just . . .”

The words were on the tip of her tongue:
I’m worried about us. I’m worried about how we’ll fit together.
But when she looked into the deep dark gray of his eyes, she couldn’t form the words. All she could see was his love for her shining back. All she could feel was the hope that today was the beginning of something that would last forever. Family. Love. Safety. Home. Happiness. Everything she had ever wanted, served up on a silver platter.

What it boiled down to was this: there was no point in worrying about tonight. She wanted him. And more than want, she
loved
him. Every part of him—big and small, angry and sweet, tender and gruff—made him the person she loved. And love meant accepting all of him . . . no matter what.

“It was a good day, but I want you to myself now,” she heard herself say. “I want to
be
with you.”

He grunted softly, a sound of pain, of frustration, of want. “Verity.”

“Say you love me,” she whispered quickly.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.” She bit her bottom lip. “Is it too soon? For us to be in love? Are we just
calling
this love because we
want
it to be love?”

“It happens all the time in fairy tales,” he said, smiling at her.

She grinned back at him, disarmed. “When do
you
read fairy tales?”

“Ryan isn’t the only one who likes Disney movies. I’ve sat through every princess movie a hundred times with Mel.”

“But this is real life,” she said softly. “We’re not a fairy tale.”

“Hmm.” He leaned closer to her, tucking a long strand of her hair behind her ear. “A knight and a merchant who work at a castle? He saves her and her brother from certain doom, and she falls for him, loves him, gives him something to live for. And soon? He’d do anything for her because he can’t remember what life looked like before she was a part of it. And even if he could, he wouldn’t want to, because he adores her. Because he loves her.
Really
loves her.”

“Colton,” she whimpered, tears filling her eyes.

“Bring on the dragons and demons,” he said, borrowing a line from
The Legend of Camelot
as his palm landed on her jaw, drawing her closer. “I will slay them.”

He kissed the tip of her nose.

“Give me your doubts and disquiet. I will silence them.”

He kissed one cheek and then the other, his eyes sobering a little.

“I can be your knight, Verity. I can be whatever you need me to be.”

His lips brushed against hers.

“Lancelot to my Guinevere?” she whispered, grinning at him, caught up in the sweet, playful melodrama of his kisses and promises.

“Yes, baby,” he groaned, his breath hot against her lips. “Open your eyes and see. This is love. We
are
a fucking fairy tale.”

Then he kissed her, deeply, passionately, a promise of everything that was to come later, stroking her tongue with his own, his lips demanding and hungry, his fingers threading through her hair. His eyes were dark and dilated as he leaned away. “I’ll be waiting.”

Breathless and boneless, she could do no more than nod as she watched him open his car door, close it, walk up the driveway, and disappear into the house.

Open your eyes and see. We
are
a fucking fairy tale.

She leaned back against her seat, closed her eyes, and sighed.

***

Colt shook his head as he walked through the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge en route to his bedroom.