I
pulled off the main road of Paige’s home and slipped my truck into
park. An overwhelming sense of relief filled me when I saw she’d
made it home safely. All the lights were off, and nothing seemed to
be out of the ordinary. Except the lonely ache I felt inside. I’d
barely ate or slept in four days. But in this moment, I just wanted
Paige, nothing else mattered. The thought of her sleeping alone in
her bed without me combined with the desperate need to feel her body
against mine had me slouching forward and resting my forehead against
the steering wheel. I closed my eyes briefly, and muttered, “Don’t
do it, idiot,” as I fought the impulse to go to her. I could
practically feel her heart beating—her soul calling to mine—I was
that connected to her. I was a starved man, yearning to have her in
my arms. Before I was able to stop myself, I was striding across her
front lawn, feeling an internal pull to be with her. I went around to
the backside of the house and tapped on her window. While standing
there my attention fell to the grass, and all of the reasons why this
was a bad idea oppressed me. I shouldn’t be here. Staying away from
Paige was the only way I could protect her. I couldn’t let Hank see
how deeply mine and Paige’s love went for one another, or he could
possibly take his animosity for me out on her. And if Hank hurt Paige
in any way, it would be game over—there was no telling what I would
do. She was my weakness and my strength all rolled into one, right
around my heart. Just as I was about to walk away and let Paige be, a
dim light flickered on. The white curtain covering the window pane
was drawn to the side, and I lifted my gaze. Paige stood before me
staring through the clear glass, dressed in a long white tee. The
conflicting emotions in her beautifully brown eyes reflected the way
I felt inside, and it caused my heart to thump unevenly. She lifted
the window and then leaned forward while wrapping her fingers around
the window frame, peering down at me. “Colton,” she breathed my
name, and I was uncertain if it was meant as a greeting or a
question. “Can I come in?” I queried, getting straight to the
point before I came up with reasons to force myself to leave her be.
“Yes.” She stepped aside. I braced my palms on the bottom ledge
and hoisted myself upward. My right shoulder hit the window framing
as the upper half of my body made it inside her room. I hadn’t
crawled through this window in ages, but the damn thing seemed
smaller. I lowered my feet to the ground and stood tall before
briefly turning to close the window at my back. When I faced the room
again, Paige was at the edge of her bed. She sat down and nestled
herself under the comforter. When her eyes met mine, she grasped the
corner of the blanket and lifted it as though a silent invitation.
Without a single sound, I slipped off my boots and went to her. Once
climbing in next to her, she let the comforter gradually fall over me
and stretched over to the nightstand where she turned off the light.
Then, she settled back down on her right hip, her back toward me. I
could feel her hesitation as she tried to distance herself from me.
To feel that kind of uncertainty pouring out of her was the same as
someone cracking open my chest and grabbing ahold of my heart. But in
truth, I couldn’t blame her for feeling this way, because it was my
fault for being hot and cold all over the place. It wasn’t fair to
her. Desperately craving her warmth and needing to know that we were
okay even though it was wrong of me to do so, my arm came to the
center of her stomach, and in slow motion, I hauled her into my
chest. She didn’t fight me. I outstretched one arm above her head
and rested my cheek on my bicep while scooting closer till my nose
rested against her hair, so I could inhale the sweet scent of her.
With my other hand still at her center, I began to methodically rub
tiny circles on her abdomen with the pad of my thumb. Her breathing
increased with every full loop. My eyes began to fall heavy with the
weight of the last few days. I was so damn tired, but lying here with
Paige—just like this—was all I ever wanted. “Colton?” she
asked suddenly out of the blue. “Yeah?” Her hand came to my wrist
and she caressed it softly. “What are you doing here?” Paige
couldn’t have asked me a tougher question, and I bit back the
defeat I felt inside. I didn’t hold the answer she was looking for.
Instead, I made light of the situation, hoping to make her smile.
“Sneaking in your window. Which shrunk drastically in size over the
years, by the way.” A quiet laughter seeped out of her, and I found
myself genuinely smiling for the first time in days. She rotated to
face me and set her hand on my chest. “It didn’t shrink. You
have—” She skimmed her palm across my chest up to my
shoulder—“broadened, so you don’t fit through it as well as you
used to.” “Maybe,” I grinned mischievously. In that instant, so
many childhood reminiscences with Paige flashed through my mind, all
of them filling my soul with sense of peace. As a teen, there had
been countless nights where I longed to see her so I’d go to her
house and knock on her window. Paige would come outside, and we would
lay in the grass for hours, watching the stars. Even in the midst of
my darkest days, those memories could bring a smile to my face. It
was her that kept me going. An unexplainable calm tranquility settled
over me at having Paige’s body pressed against mine. She gave me
hope I’d find myself again, and she made me believe someday I could
let go of the hate and revenge I carried inside of me. A profound
tiredness took over me from the build-up of the past several
happenings, and I was losing the will power to keep my eyes open.
Paige rose her hand to touch my cheek, caressing it. Her skin was so
soft. “Colton?” she repeated my name, softer this time. I gazed
down at her. “Yeah?” The movement of my thumb paused on her
stomach from the intensity burning in her eyes. “You know that’s
not the answer I was looking for…” “No, it wasn’t,” I
agreed, knowing she deserved an honest explanation. “I don’t know
why I’m here, only that I didn’t have the strength to stay away,
so please, just let me hold you.” “Okay.” She set her finger on
my lower lip and gently ran it back and forth. Then, she leaned in
and softly kissed the corner of my mouth. “Goodnight, cowboy.”
“Night,” was all I had time to say before sleep carried me away.
Colton
Kingston’s livelihood has been reduced to a pile of black ashes by
a tragic act of arson. After sending away the woman he’s loved
since the tender age of five, a dark hateful revenge threatens to
overtake his heart. Colton knows pushing her away is the only way he
can keep her safe. Paige Summer’s has endured her fair share of
obstacles in the past, and refuses to give up on Colton and the life
they share together. As interferences try to tear them apart, Paige
is determined to stand by Colton’s side and remind him of their
love and its strength. But at every turn, tragedy continues to strike
and more devastation falls upon them. Will Colton and Paige’s love
be boundless? Or will revenge conquer their fate?
Alicia
Rae is a Contemporary Romance Author who lives in Dekalb, Illinois,
with her husband and three beautiful boys. Alicia has a passion for
reading all types of romance, writing to bring a story to life, and
photography. Thank you to my dear sister, Kels, who showed me a few
years ago how much I truly missed reading. And to my loving husband,
for not throwing away my Nook, and planting the seed of writing in my
mind. I am forever grateful. Xo Readers, words cannot thank you
enough for supporting me along this incredible journey. I hope you
enjoy my novels as much as I do writing them. I thank each and every
one of you. Believe in yourself and follow your dreams...
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I adore today's cover photo and colors. Perfect for the spring time!
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