Surrender To Sultry (6 page)

She plucked a strawberry from the fruit tray and shoved it in her mouth while Colt
sucked fudge off each of his fingers.

“Mmm,” he said, patting his flat belly. “How’s your berry?”

Unripe and way too tart. “Perfect,” she garbled around a bitter chunk. “Think I’ll
have another.”

He caught her wrist as she reached for the table. “First, let’s talk a minute about
your license and papers. Out there,” he nodded toward the lobby, “so we don’t disturb
anyone.”

She shook free from his grasp and rubbed the skin around her wrist to extinguish the
tingling sensation. “There’s nothing to disturb. We can talk right here.”

But naturally, Miss Pru chose that moment to flip on a microphone and ask the crowd
to take their seats. The associate pastor joined her at the head table, clearly gearing
up for a welcome home speech.

Leah gave a resigned sigh. “Fine.”

She stalked into the dim lobby with Colt on her heels. When she reached the barrier
of the double doors and turned to face him, she was surprised to see he’d nabbed another
éclair.

“You’re having
two
?” she asked.

“Hell, yeah.” He shoved half of it into his mouth and spoke with both cheeks full.
“You don’t know what you’re missin’, honey.”

The bastard was rubbing it in, pardon her language. “Sure I do. I’m missing twice
my daily allowance of sugar and saturated fat.”

Still chewing, he shrugged. “You only live once, Angel. Might as well make it count.”

Angel
. The seemingly innocuous nickname made her eye twitch. “Just give me my license.”

“Don’t have it,” he said unapologetically, then gobbled the other half of his dessert.

“Then why are we here?”

“Hmm?”

“You said you wanted to talk about my license.”

“Oh, yeah.” He nodded and licked the chocolate off his lips. “I lied.”

Leah hung her head. She didn’t have the patience for this.

“I just need you to hear me out,” he said, stooping to her height. “Please?”

Leah glanced at her watch. “You have ten seconds.”

“Now, don’t be like—”

“Nine.”

“C’mon, Leah.”

“Eight.”

“Okay, I get it. Just listen—”

“Seven.”

“Damn it,” he snapped, dragging one hand through his hair, “I need to apologize, and
it’s gonna take longer than ten seconds!”

His booming voice caused a few heads to turn in their direction. After placating the
onlookers with a repentant wave, he gripped Leah’s upper arms and backed her toward
the corner and out of view.

She shrugged free and held her ground, refusing to let him trap her. “I told you before,
you don’t have to apologize. I forgave you a long time ago.”

He made a disapproving noise, half grunt, half snort. “There you go again with the
lies.”

“It’s no lie. I couldn’t hold on to that anger. It was making me crazy.”

He seemed to turn that over in his mind, then conceded, “Okay, maybe you
think
you’ve let go, but you haven’t.” He shook his head and pressed a quick palm over
her heart. “Not really. Not deep down.”

She backed away from his reach, cornering herself. “Don’t pretend to understand how
I feel.”

“It’s common sense.” With one step, he closed the distance between them. “I screwed
you over, hard. You wouldn’t be human if you weren’t still pissed.”

She didn’t want to hear this, didn’t want to dredge up those old feelings. “I’m not—”

“You know the difference between men and women?” he interrupted. Without giving her
a chance to supply the obvious explanation, he said, “When guys get angry, we go a
few rounds, and we’re buddies again five minutes later. But not women. Y’all pretend
like nothing’s wrong, and you stuff that anger down so deep, it settles in your bones
like a cancer.” He held up one fist and flexed it in demonstration before pointing
to the smooth edge of his jaw. “You need to get the poison out, honey.”

“Are you suggesting we fight?” This was crazy, even for Colt.

He drew back as if offended. “Of course not. I’ve never hit a girl. I’ll give you
a freebie.”

“A freebie?”

“As many as you want, wherever you want.” Quickly, he clarified, “Just not below the
belt. I might want kids someday.”

Leah’s stomach lurched as if he’d taken a free shot of his own. Her gaze dropped to
the tips of his boots. She had no right to look him in the eyes.
You
already
have
a
child
, she wanted to tell him.
But
he’s someone else’s son now, and I can’t give you another
. She’d already delivered a fatal blow, straight to Colt’s heart. He just didn’t know
it.

Her voice sounded small when she said, “I’m not going to hit you.”

“Yeah, you are.” Blocking her escape route, he braced both hands against the wall
on either side of her body. “Remember why my folks sent me to live with my granddaddy?”

She nodded, trying not to show how much his closeness unsettled her. “They busted
you for joyriding in a stolen pickup.”

“That’s right. They thought my friends were a bad influence, and a change of scenery
would fix me. But they were wrong. And here’s why.” He leaned closer as if to share
a deep, dark secret with her. “An asshole in Oklahoma is still an asshole in Texas.
I wasn’t interested in changing, and when I got here, it didn’t take long to find
my own kind.”

“Tommy Robbins.”

“Yep.” He pulled back to give her some space, but didn’t move aside. “The first thing
I did was brag about what a badass I was—how I could lift as many skirts as cars.
That’s when Tommy threw down the gauntlet.”

Leah didn’t want to hear any more. She pushed against his chest.

“Nail the preacher’s unattainable little angel,” Colt continued, unmoved. “I accepted
the challenge. I told him I’d have your panties off in less than a month. And I did,
didn’t I?”

“Stop it.” She tried ducking under his arms, but he anticipated each move, stepping
aside to block her. “Let me go.”

“I still remember the day I announced my victory.”

Leah’s face flushed with anger. She pushed against him, harder, but it was useless.
He towered over her, asserting his dominance like the bully he was.

“I pulled Tommy aside in the locker room,” he went on, “then told him I banged you
in my granddaddy’s shed.”

“That’s enough!”

“I had you wide open, literally begging for it.” He closed his eyes and used a breathy
voice to mock her. “
More, Colt. Please! Oh, god. Don’t stop!
”

“Shut up!” She pounded one fist against his stone chest. “I mean it!”

“You were moaning like a wildebeest,” he taunted. “And I reenacted all your little
noises for Tom. He thought it was hilarious. I had him rolling on the floor.”

Leah’s pulse hammered in her ears, her body tense and feverish.

“After I left for my next class,” Colt said, “the bastard stood on a bench and announced
it to the whole football team. Didn’t they cover your locker in condom wrappers the
next day?”

Yes, they had. And every day afterward.

“Then your youth group found out and quit talking to you.” He snorted a dry laugh.
“I’m surprised they didn’t stone you in the parking lot.”

Did he really think this was funny? She’d given Colt her love—her body—and in return,
he’d made her the running joke of the county. Leah decided she
could
hit him. She tensed her arm, pulled back, and slapped him across the face with a
satisfying
thwack!
that stung her palm like a fistful of nettle. The force of the blow turned Colt’s
head, and as soon as he righted himself, she slapped him harder, with all her weight
behind it.

He let out a low whistle, then rubbed his cheek. “Felt good, didn’t it?”

Leah hesitated a few beats, her breathing choppy, heart pounding, before she admitted,
“Yeah, kind of.”

“Wanna do it again?” he offered.

She shook her throbbing hand and flexed her fingers. “No, I’m done.”

“You sure?”

“Mmm-hmm.”

“Okay.” He unsnapped one of the compartments on his utility belt and produced a pair
of handcuffs, then made a
turn
around
motion with one finger. “In that case, I’ll go ahead and take you in now. You’re
under arrest for assaulting an officer.”

“
What?
” Surely he didn’t mean it. “Is this a joke?”

“’Fraid not, honey.” He took her by the shoulders and rotated her to face the wall.
When she stiffened and jerked from beneath his touch, he warned, “Don’t make me add
‘resisting arrest’ to the charges.”

“You’re serious?” she asked. “You’re really going to do this?”

“Sure am,” he drawled. “Now be a good girl and put your hands behind your back.”

“I changed my mind. I want to hit you again.”

He laughed while gathering her wrists. “Too late.”

“This is low, Colt, even for you—and that’s saying a lot.”

Instead of answering, he fastened the handcuffs with a tenderness that surprised her,
leaving the metal shackles so loose they fit like bracelets instead of restraints.
Then he pressed a palm against her lower back and guided her outside to his cruiser.
The crisp night air helped clear her mind, but didn’t do anything to dispel the heat
from his possessive touch. She hated herself for reacting to him. He’d just tricked
her—again—and
still
her tummy fluttered with desire for this toxic man. Clearly, she needed therapy.

When Colt unlocked the front passenger door and held it open for her, she glanced
at him in confusion. “Aren’t you going to put me in the back?”

“Of course not,” he said, disgusted. “The seat’s made of plastic so we can hose it
down. It’s nasty and uncomfortable as hell.”

Supporting her elbow, he helped her lower onto the front seat before closing the door
and sauntering around the front end to join her. She thought it strange that he didn’t
fasten her seatbelt, nor did he start the car once he’d taken his place behind the
wheel. Instead, he just sat there and fidgeted with his keys. If she didn’t know better,
she’d think he was nervous.

“What’re we waiting for?” She shifted to the side to take the pressure off her bound
wrists, bringing her within inches of Colton’s thigh. No matter what she did, she
couldn’t escape him. Even the cruiser smelled of his coffee and aftershave, an intimate
mingling of scents too homey for her liking. “Isn’t this the part where you humiliate
me in front of the whole town again?”

“No.” He stared out the front windshield, expression unreadable. “This is the part
where I explain myself.”

“Enough with the games. Are you arresting me or not?”

“That’s up to you.” He turned to face her, the creak of leather amplified by the darkness.
“I can take you in, or you can sit here and listen to what I have to say.”

“And then you’ll let me off?”

“Scot-free,” he promised, holding up a solemn hand.

“All right, then.” She’d listen, but it wouldn’t change anything. “Get on with it.”

“Just simmer down a minute.” He huffed a sigh as if she’d done something wrong instead
of the other way around. “I’ve had ten years to rehearse this, but it’s not easy getting
it out.”

He paused for a few moments, running his fingers along the edge of a laptop computer
attached to the console. An outbreak of applause from the fellowship hall punctuated
the silence and seemed to spur him into action.

“What I said back there,” he gestured toward the church, “about not wanting to change
when I came to live in Sultry Springs…”

She nodded for him to continue.

“That wasn’t the whole truth.”

Leah rolled her eyes. “How shocking.”

“New rule,” he said with a warning glare. “You don’t get to talk.”

Ignoring the urge to thrust out her tongue like a six-year-old, she returned his glare
with twice the fire and clamped her mouth shut with an audible snap.

“Damn it, this is hard for me.” A frustrated groan rumbled from his chest. He took
a moment to calm down, and when he finally continued, he stared into her lap. “I
did
want to change, but not until the day I met you.”

Leah didn’t believe that, but she played nice and kept quiet.

“You were so damn beautiful,” he told her, “and you were so
good
. It’s like you had this light inside you, and I thought if I could be with you, it’d
make me good too.” He paused and shook his head absently. “By association, or something.”

The sadness in his voice softened Leah’s heart by a few degrees. She’d always hated
the way Colt had put himself down. Despite her best efforts, she’d never been able
to convince him he was more than a “stupid delinquent.”

“I wanted to change for you,” he said. “But I didn’t know how. So I fumbled along,
half-assing it, letting my friends think you were just another score.” He glanced
up and met her gaze beneath his long lashes, eyes dark with a sincerity that made
it hard to breathe. “But it was never like that for me, not for a second. I loved
you. I want you to know that.”

Now it was her turn to look away. Unable to bear the intensity behind his eyes, she
stared blankly at the tiny cherries dotting her dress. If he hadn’t cuffed her, she
would’ve run. She didn’t want to hear that he’d loved her. It was easier believing
he never cared.

“And that day in the shed,” he continued, “I want you to know that had nothing to
do with Tommy. I needed to be with you. It wasn’t just teenage hormones or plain old
lust. I needed you. It was like…” He sighed in frustration, splaying one hand as if
to communicate what he couldn’t say. “I can’t make you understand, ’cause I don’t
even get it.” Quickly, he added, “But that doesn’t excuse what I did. I knew you wanted
to wait for marriage, and I seduced you anyway. It was wrong of me to take that from
you.”

With one gentle hand, he cupped her chin and tipped it up, forcing her to take in
his beautiful face, his eyes heavy with contrition. In a voice so sincere she almost
couldn’t stand it, he told her, “I’m sorry for that.”