In Too Deep (20 page)

Chapter
40

The last week has flown by in a whirl-wind. I can’t eat a solid meal, I’ve bar
ely slept, I’m on my laptop 24/7 and I respond to my mom’s calls with one-line texts, just to say I’m fine, but busy with school, knowing that if I hear her voice I’ll break down.

Each day I’ve questioned why I’m still here. But if I’m being honest with myself – the reason is Colt. He’s been my savior this week. Making sure I’m eating, keeping me company in the computer lab, listening to my rants about McAllister, who’s
conveniently gone away on business – I think to avoid me and Colt.

Each night I’ve gone to Colt’s
room, where he distracts me with old sitcoms on his computer, and board games from the rec room closet. He’s doing everything he knows how to do to keep me occupied – well not
everything
since I suspect there are extra-curricular activities he excels at beyond Monopoly, yet he hasn’t laid a finger on me.

I even acted like my neck was stiff and sore once from hunching over my computer all day
attempting to entice him into giving me another massage like he did in the lighthouse, but this time, he just clenched his jaw and asked if I needed another Diet Coke. When I’d said sure, he’d darted out of the room like there was a fire.

He’s beyond frustrating. I have no clue what he’s thinking most of the time. But then yesterday he surprised me by asking me out again. I’d figured he’d chalked up our one and only date as a complete failure, so was I thrown off when
he asked.

Then he’d promised there’d be no contact between us and my smart mouth shot off with
out a filter as usual. I’d certainly caught him off guard, in a good way, judging by the look on his face.

I head to my room to get
ready and solicit MJ’s help again with my hair and makeup.

“I thought you said the first date sucked?”
she asks, squinting at me.

“I thought it did
.”  But looking back with a clear head, without the scent of Colt and the crashing waves filling my senses, I recall details I’d missed in the moment. The low groan in his chest when I kissed him back.

I want to kiss you. In fact, I want to do much more than just kiss you.

Colt had been protecting me. From what?

Oh
.

From himself.
  From the way he normally uses girls.

But what did that mean? That he liked me
only as a friend, and not on par with the type of girls he messes around with? Or was it that he liked me much more than a friend – above being treated with the carelessness he afforded the other girls? God this was confusing.

“What?” MJ asks, stopping mid-brush stroke meeting my eyes in the mirror.

“I can’t tell if he likes me.”

She snorts. “He likes you, Taylor. That’s what I’m afraid of.”

She continues brushing my hair while my stomach twists uncomfortably into knots.

Why is Colt interested in me? Is he waiting
for my eighteenth birthday? I watch my reflection in the mirror. Even though I’m not exotic or beautiful, my skin is clear, my eyes are bright and I feel pretty. And I’m smart and good with computers. But there’s something deeper at work between Colt and I. Aside from physical attraction and chemistry, he likes me because I stand up to him and call him on his bullshit. That was something new for him – he’d never been with someone like me before. I was like a new color in his box of crayons. The thought both intrigues and depresses me. I like thinking I’m something different, something good for him, but I hate knowing he’ll pick another color when he gets bored.

MJ waves her hand in front of my face, snapping me back to reality.
“Earth to Taylor.”

“Sorry.
Just trying to process all this.”

She shakes her head. “
Well process it while putting this on.” She offers me a black halter top of hers. “It’ll look great on you.”

I slip it on, along with my favorite jeans, dressy sandals and grab a light weight sweater for later just in case.

Would I ask him to kiss me tonight? Was I brave enough to handle everything that came with it? Would Colt’s delicious attention be worth my inevitable heartbreak once he was through?

I meet Colt out front where his BMW is parked in the gravel drive. He’s
leaning against the side of the car with my door already open. He’s dressed in jeans and a fitted black T-shirt, his hair deliciously disheveled. He looks gorgeous of course. And when he spots me, a satisfied little smile crosses his lips.

When I approach the waiting car door, he leans forward coming in toward my cheek. I hold up my hand, stopping him. “Ah, now, Colt.” I shake my head. “No physical contact. Your rule, not mine.” I keep my face completely composed but my voice drips with sarcasm. I slip past him, sinking down into the inviting leather seat.

The look on his face is
priceless. Surprised, playful, and… determined.
Bring it.
I hear his low chuckle just before he swings the door closed.

He gracefully sinks into the seat beside me, but instead of starting the car and pulling away like I expect, he turns to me and treats me to one of his heart-stopping smiles. His eyes travel over my exposed skin and my bare arms break out in chill bumps under his steady attention.

Oh God, help me…

In no rush, he reluctantly pulls his gaze from me and starts the car.
Then he hands me his mp3 player and hits the gas, pinning my back against the seat as he speeds away.

“Hopefully you’re not too hungry. We have a bit of a drive
ahead of us.”

I’m intrigue
d. I look over at him curiously, wondering what he has planned.

“I think I can hang in there for a little while.” I settle back against my seat,
studying him from the corner of my eye. Oh this boy does bad things to me. My stomach clenches in anticipation of later, wondering who will crack first with this no contact rule.

Chapter 41

I’d almost blown it already when I bent down to kiss her cheek. And of course Taylor
called me on it. I chuckle to myself. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to leave everything up to her. I’m going to have a hard time keeping my hands to myself tonight. I grip the steering wheel harder and floor the gas.

After a little while, we settle
into the drive. Taylor flips through my music, playing an eclectic blend to show off, or possibly mock, my diverse tastes, everything from classical to jazz to pop to old school rap.

“So have you decided what to do?” I ask, unable to
hide my curiosity any longer.

“About?” she prompts, looking up from the mp3 player.

“Whether or not you’re going to stay here?”

“Oh.” Her chin drops.

It’s a strange reaction. Is she afraid to tell me something?

“For now.
I can’t leave before I know more and, I guess like you, I’d rather be here keeping my eye on McAllister than to run back home. But I can’t imagine ever doing another assignment he gives me.”

I breathe again, reli
eved and still worried about her too.

After
about fifteen minutes, Taylor grows restless. “So how long of a drive do we have and where exactly are you taking me?” she asks, shifting in her seat.

“It’ll
be about an hour. We’re going to my house.”

“Your house?” she looks up at me expectantly.

“Well, my father’s house, I should say. He’s away on business right now though, so we’ll have it to ourselves.”

“Oh.” She pouts out her bottom lip and I grip the wheel tighter, forcing myself to concentrate on the road and not her full mouth.

“I’m going to cook for you.”

“You cook?” she asks,
her voice full of surprise.

I nod, smiling. “Not much anymore, but yes.
”

She smiles, inspecting me like she’s weighing each new thing she
learns about me. “Did your mom teach you?”

“Yes, and Mrs. Lee,
our housekeeper, and my nanny growing up. She still works for my father and though she won’t be there tonight, I instructed her to shop for everything I’d need to make you dinner.”

She flushes and looks down.

I wish I knew what she was thinking.

“Thank you. That sounds…
nice.” Her voice is soft, just audible over the low music.

Or we could forget about eating and go straight to my bedroom. Or the hot tub. I accelerate, pushing the car faster.

After crossing through the gated entrance, I make my way down the private drive leading to the house.

Taylor leans forward in her seat to look at the houses we occasionally pass, each allocated a large plot of land and standing as impressive as ever.

I haven’t been here in over a year, preferring to stay at the school during breaks rather than here where it feels dead and cold. But on the plus side, it was somewhere I would have Taylor all to myself.

Chapter 42

I can’t believe this is where Colt grew up. His house is a mansion.
Literally. He pulls into a long driveway, the house not yet completely in view from the well-manicured landscaping. The driveway is brick and he continues past the front of the house and the rather impressive circular drive with a fountain in the center, and parks behind the house in front of a four stall garage. I’m still in shock when he exits the car and strolls around to help me out.

The house looms in front of us, broad, two
stories, Cape Cod style with pale blue clapboard siding, slate stonework and white shutters. It’s beautiful.

He leads me through the back door into a mud room with row
s of pale wood lockers and various baskets and benches for storage. It looks like a home organization catalog.

He gives me a tour of the first floor while I struggle to keep my jaw from hitting the floor. Large living room, office, family room, formal dining room, a sitting room that he calls a
parlor
and rolls his eyes, a library and a foyer that could hold half my parents’ house, before finally leading me into the kitchen.

There’s a rustic wood island in the center with six stools
. The rest is shiny stainless steel, marble countertops and rich wood. It’s extremely spacious.

“Have a seat.” He motion
s toward the stools at the island.

I comply, sitting on a stool.

The island is decorated with various bowls and baskets of fruit, whole heads of garlic and fresh baguettes in various sizes.

He grabs a Diet Coke from the fridge and sets it in front of me. I wrap my hands around
the coolness of the can, needing to grasp onto something normal in this museum of a house.

“What are you hungry for?” he asks, surveying the fridge.

“Oh, anything is fine.”

“I told Mrs. Lee I’d make you pasta.”

“That sounds great.”

Colt sets off to work, pulling various ingredients from the fridge and cabinets, a cute look of concentration on his face.
He dices tomatoes, simmers cream sauce and boils pasta.

After asking to help about six times, I relax into my seat and enjoy watching him cook. He gives me little jobs, like tasting the sauce from the tip of a spoon, then smiles at me when I approve.

“So your dad’s away on business?”

He nods tightly.
Okay…so he doesn’t want to talk about his dad.

I stroll over to the built in
cabinets on the far end of the kitchen. There’s a photo of Colt and someone who looks like a younger version of Colt. “Who’s this?” I hold up the photo.

He glances my way.
“My brother Reis.”

“I didn’t know you had
a brother.” 

He nods. “He’s your age actually
, a junior in high school. He goes to a private school in California though.”

Interesting
. I set the photo down, appreciating the exquisite beauty of the Palmer brothers. Reis is a fraction shorter than Colt, but his face is softer, missing the hardened edge that Colt’s has. It’s nice.

The meal is amazing and after dinner, I offer to wash the dishes, but he says we can leave them in the sink and Mrs. Lee will be back in the morning.

Hmm. A whole night ahead of us. Alone. With Colt. And the no physical contact rule.
Crap
.

After dinner he gives me a list of options for what we can do. Movie theatre (they have one in the house!) swimming pool, hot tub, billiards
or card games.

“What would you like to do?
” he asks, prompting me to decide.

“I think I
’d like to see your bedroom.”

His eyebrows lif
t in surprise at my boldness, then he leads me up the winding staircase without a word. We pass by several doors to well-appointed bedrooms and bathrooms until we reach the end of the hall. He pushes open the door.

His room is large, and spotlessly clean
– thanks to Mrs. Lee, I presume. The walls are dark blue, as is the thick carpeting, and the furniture is all matching pale wood.

There’s a guitar and an amp in the corner, a
nd a couple of lounge chairs in front of a large TV with a video game console.

I can’t really picture a younger Colt hanging out here playing games with his friends. I can’t imagine him carefree and relaxed letting off steam like a normal teenage boy. It’s much easier to imagine Colt fighting shirtless in a barn,
practicing martial arts and going toe to toe with McAllister. I flush at the thought. Colt plus testosterone does funny things to me.

I realize I’m being quiet and Colt’s standing beside me, watching me.

“There isn’t much to see up here,” he says like he wants to leave, like he wants me to choose one of the pre-approved activities he suggested earlier. I wonder why.

I wander over to his TV and pick up one of the video games. “We could play…” I smile.

“I suck,” he admits, coming closer. “You’d probably kick my ass. Reis always does.” He takes the game and sets it down again.

I make myself comfortable on one of the big arm chairs. After a second, he does the same, sitting down next to me.

“I haven’t been here for a while.” He looks around. “I haven’t been home much in the last three years since I started at Wilbrook.”

It’s surprising because the school’s only an hour from his house.
“How come?”

“I guess I just don’t really like being here.”

“Oh. Well we can go. If you want to go do something else, I mean.”

“No. I like being here with you.” He glances over at me. “I’ve never had a girl in my room.”

Whoa. That’s a shock. “Never?”

“Nope.
This is a first for me.” He reaches over, taking my hand.

I summon up my courage.
“So why am I here, Colt?”

He meets my eyes.
“Because I like you, Taylor.” He squeezes my hand.

“A
re you going to stay at Wilbrook?” He releases my hand. “It would be extremely dull without you and Pennsylvania is really far away.” He frowns.

I shake my head, not ready to answer his question yet. I need some answers of my own
first. “Oh, I’m sure once I left, there’d be a steady stream of girls lining up to step in and take my place.”

He face gets serious. “No one could take your place.”

Oh wow. He is so hot right now. Breathe Taylor.

“Come here.” I pull him up from the chair and lead him to the bed.

Colt sits down next to me, our legs nearly touching. Apparently he’s taking the contact rule seriously. He’s beyond frustrating.

“Do you enjoy torturing me, Mr. Palmer?”

A smile creeps onto his lips, making them curl deliciously into a grin just millimeters from mine. “Not particularly.”

“Then what are you waiting for?”

“I promised you I wouldn’t touch you again unless you asked me to.”

Good Lord, he wants a formal invitation? He’s torturing me. Well two can play at this game. And I plan to win.

I stand up from the bed, and turn away from him. “Okay, I’ll send you an Evite later from my computer.”

He narrows his eyes,
then lunges for me, locking me in his arms. “Get over here you evil little thing.”

He holds me tightly against him, pulling me onto the bed. He looks down into my eyes. “Tell me what you want,” he whispers near my ear, breathing against my hair.

“You.” My body trembles and I cling to his biceps for support, melting at the heat between us.

“Tell me,” he coaxes.

How can I tell him? What can I say when I’d promised myself that the next time I gave away my heart, and all the rest of me that it’d be for love. I’m not sure how I feel exactly, but I know I’m falling for him.

He tilts my chin up, forcing my mouth flush with his. “Taylor?” he whispers against my lips.

“Kiss me,” I command.

He processes my request, grinning ever so slightly,
then buries one hand in my hair, gripping the back of my neck to pull me in closer. He takes my mouth with his. The kiss is better than I remember. I relax into him, letting him answer all my fears the way he knows best.

He deepens the kiss, moving his tongue against mine and I happily obey, tasting, teasing along with his expert mouth.

Colt caresses my jaw, moving slowly, deliberately, being the gentleman he’s promised, until I inadvertently let out a little gasp. Then he responds like a match struck, a low growl rumbling through his chest while he pulls me up onto his lap.
Whoa
.  

We continue kissing, me in his lap and I run my hands through his hair. He grips my waist, pressing me into his lap.

Colt’s kisses do insane things to my body. My heart is pounding and I’m flushed all over. In the chaos of this moment, suddenly I’m stuck by a thought.  He’s too good at all this. The way his hands cup my behind, his thumbs kneading into my lower back, then slipping just under the waist band of my jeans. His experience at all this is evident. And suddenly I feel inadequate. But then Colt groans against my neck as he trails damp kisses across my throat and a fullness swells inside me knowing I have the same effect on him.

Several minutes later, we’re both out of breath, our cheeks flu
shed and our lips swollen. I lose myself in Colt, all common sense, all self-preservation flying out the window.

Colt pulls back from kissing me cradling my face in his hands.
“You. Are. Driving. Me. Insane.” He groans, a deep animalistic sound in the back of his throat.
Holy crap
. It’s incredibly sexy and makes me feel powerful, desirable.

“I’m sorry.” I look down, unsure what to say next. I watch him while my heart slows, wondering where this could possibly be heading.
My mind flashes a neon sign that says
Heartbreak City.
I ignore it.

“It’s okay,” he says. “There’s no rush.” He smiles lightly at me and his reassur
ance is all the encouragement I need.