Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 67432 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67432 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
“Ready to hit the hay?” I asked, grabbing Colton’s hand in mine. “You must be exhausted after rescuing us all from being held hostage.”
Colton cocked his head, smiled at me. I saw a mixture of the old Colton and the present Colton staring at me. Was that what made second chances like ours so special? I could see his past and could now envision his future with me, all wrapped up together in a sparkling bow. “I kind of want to walk around a bit, actually. I’m a little too hyped up right now.”
“Let’s explore, then. There’s still an entire section of this villa I haven’t seen yet.” I squeezed Colton’s hand in mine. His grin was wide, dimples making tiny craters in his cheeks. I couldn’t stop myself from leaning in and stealing a kiss. His smile only grew wider against my lips, his hand resting on my chest, right above my heart.
Good. He’ll feel the beats that are for him.
We separated when a cough from the doorway startled us. I turned to see Colton’s grandmother, Macy, wearing black-and-white polka-dotted pajama pants and a Lady Gaga T-shirt. She had two bowls of ice cream in her hands, her thin eyebrow arched as she looked at us. “Sorry, boys, didn’t want to ruin the moment. I just was wondering if you two knew what all that commotion was about earlier? Luna and I were outside.”
“Oh, Jen spotted a huge tarantula, so I came and relocated it.” Colton’s cheeks had a rosy pink blush to them, likely from being caught by his grandma with his tongue down my throat.
“A tarantula? Oh, don’t tell Luna, then. She’ll be on the first flight back home.” She shook her head and looked around the room. “Where exactly did you relocate it, Colt?”
“I could only get it past your guys’ bedroom door before I had to let it free.”
“Colton Richard Martin Conners, don’t even joke around like that.”
Colton and I both started to chuckle, Macy joining in the laughter before shuffling away in her slippers, calling a “good night, bastards“ over her shoulder.
I looked back to Colton. “I didn’t know you had middle names.”
“I don’t,” he said, starting down the hallway that wound around the kitchen. “My grandmother just loves throwing random names in whenever we would get in trouble with her.”
“Gotcha,” I said, laughing some more. My eyes dropped down to Colton’s juicy butt as he led the way down the brightly lit hallway. I tried not to be fixated by his apple bottom, but it was hard—pun fully intended. Especially now that we were officially official. I wanted to grab his hips and pull him back onto me, kissing his neck and pressing him up against the wall so he could feel just how excited I was at being official.
“Have you checked out the library?” Colton asked over his shoulder. I dragged my gaze back up to his.
“No, I haven’t yet.”
“Oh, you’ll love it. Come, it’s this way.” Colton continued through the villa. We passed a couple of bedrooms, one of them with loud hip-hop music coming from under the threshold. There was a study and two offices, along with a spa-like bathroom that I made a mental note of to come back to. I had to give that rainfall steam shower a try.
We took a right through a set of wide double doors and stepped into the library, entering a book lover’s paradise with a giddy feeling in my gut. Maybe it was the residual adrenaline working its way through my system after that tarantula encounter, or maybe it was just the simple fact of being here with Colton—my boyfriend. I could hardly even believe that was a real thought. That we were actually a real couple. It felt so freeing, being able to express myself to Colton and having those emotions reciprocated right back.
Why hadn’t I done this sooner?
The library room was massive, with six long bookshelves placed strategically throughout the circular space that gave the illusion of being surrounded by a never-ending collection of books. The walls were covered in a rich green wallpaper with flowers printed throughout, stretching all the way up to the domed ceiling. There was a nook with the comfiest-looking maroon couch I’d ever seen, an antique floor lamp set behind it, a window above it. Colton went and opened it, allowing a gentle breeze to drift into the space.
I immediately got lost looking through the different spines, seeing the different kinds of books that had made this library their permanent home. I saw a few genealogy books, some history books, a couple of thrillers, and an entire section of spicy romance. There was another shelf dedicated to the sciences and another shelf that appeared to hold just the classics, bound in sturdy leather. Colton came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and resting his head against my shoulders.