Page 24 of Covered in Coal

“Huh?”

“You said he owns a coal company. Which one does he own?” Bill thinks for a second before answering.

“American Heritage Coal Company, I think is the name of it.”

My eyes flick up at Bill. Where do I know that name from? I chew on the inside of my lip, pressing my memory for American Heritage Coal Company. Bill and Colton continue to talk, and I continue to think. It isn’t until I hear the son of a bitch’s name that I put two and two together.

“Drew wants to buy five new trucks instead of repairin’ the trucks we already own. Dumbass doesn’t realize them Peterbilts cost a shit load of money. Money the company just ain’t got.”

“Damn, just fix your trucks and don’t worry about what he wants. Put your foot down. As long as your haulin’ coal and the company ain’t sufferin’ financially, I don’t see what the problem is,” Colton says.

“Hell, I wish it was as simple as that. Bastard owns half of Dalton Trucking. Neither of us are gonna budge on our decisions, so I don’t know what the hell’s gonna go down.”

“I’m sorry. Who’s Drew?” I ask, trying to appear innocent to the conversation.

“Drew Varney. When Big John died, Drew bought his partnership in Dalton Truckin’. He’s a first-class prick, thorn right in my damn side.”

“The name seems familiar. But I can’t place a face.”

“Well, sweetheart, the name should sound familiar. He’s workin’ his way into the coal business. Hell, he’s only twenty-nine and already owns two mines and now half of my damn truckin’ company. Hell, don’t tell me you don’t know who your competitors are!” Bill says with a scowl.

“Do you know how he came to purchase Daddy’s partnership in Dalton Trucking?”

“That son of a bitch James McCoy handled all the legal shit. Never did like that snake. I had the option to buy Big John’s partnership, but that was a hell of a lot of money.”

That son of a bitch! I knew that James McCoy had some knowledge of Drew Varney. He has to know more about the connection between Daddy and Drew. I ask Bill a few more questions over dinner about his partnership with Drew and American Heritage Coal Company. Colton begins to sense my interest, so I change the subject before he gets suspicious. I don’t really gain much insight, but I have a gut feeling there’s more to the story than what I already know. It’s best that I keep everything to myself until I know exactly what I’m dealing with. Damn, I hate keeping secrets. It seems as if that’s all my life has ever been built on, frickin’ buried secrets that eventually rise to the surface and evoke ten kinds of hell.

Colton and I spend the remainder of the evening with Kylee Jo, playing the Nintendo. After she has had a bubble bath and is snug tight in her Beauty and the Beast jammies, she picks out a book for Colton to read to her before bedtime. Climbing in the bed beside her, he snugs her tight to his side and begins to read Goodnight Moon. As the words slide from his tongue, Kylee Jo’s eyes fall heavy as she drifts off to sleep. Colton closes the book, then slides off the bed, kissing Kylee Jo goodnight. “Love you, princess. Always and forever,” he whispers in her ear. My heart melts each time I see these two together. Colton is exactly the kind of Daddy I always expected him to be.

He pulls me through the house behind him and tells his parents good night and that he will be by in the morning before work. I scrunch my forehead in confusion as I say goodbye to Emily and Bill before Colton wraps his hand around my wrist and pulls me outside. “Uhm, where we goin’?”

Colton laughs. “I told you; you’re stayin’ with me tonight.”

I follow behind him as he walks across the driveway to the steppingstones that conjoin two houses. His house? He pulls me up the steps, and I wait while he unlocks the door and steps aside, letting me enter first. I pull my shoes off and look around. I didn’t know he had his own house; I thought he still lived with his parents because Kylee Jo stays there. I am relieved, however.

Colton’s house is nothing like his parents huge two-story brick home. It is a gray double wide with black shutters. There is a large front porch with a white porch swing. Inside is an open floor plan. The living room is manly, with a large black leather sectional, a black leather recliner, and a seventy-inch flat screen TV. The walls are painted a soft gray, with several deer heads decorating the room. He was always a proud hunter.

The kitchen has wood plank walls, stainless steel appliances, and an island in the center, with four bar stools for extra seating. The dining area has the same wood plank walls and a small dinette set. I walk down the hall and find three bedrooms and a bath.

The first bedroom I come to is obviously Kylee Jo’s as the walls are hot pink and decorated with black stars, music notes, and scrolls. She is such a little rock star. The next room is set up as a home gym, complete with a treadmill, heavy bag, and Bowflex. So that’s how he keeps his delectable body so cut and defined. The final room has toys scattered from wall to wall, everything from Barbie to My Little Pony. It kinda looks like Toys “R” Us vomited in here. I look up to Colton with a scrunched expression on my face.

“Where’s your room? Please don’t tell me you sleep on the treadmill!” I laugh. Colton smiles at my joke, as he wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me close to him.

“In a hurry to be in my bed, are ya?” he asks, and I can feel his hardness pressing into me. Heat rushes up my neck and into my face at his closeness.

“Don’t press your luck; just curious where I’m sleeping tonight,” I say, twisting from his embrace. I pad through the hall, and he’s on my heels in seconds. He grabs me by the hips and thrusts me against him.

“Don’t walk away from me, darlin’,” he whispers into my ear. Oh my god, the heat of his breath, the feel of his hardness pressing into my ass. I’m about to come undone. He wraps his arms around my waist and tosses me over his shoulder. With a swat on my ass, he laughs.

“Colton Weston, put me down now; what the hell are you thinkin’?” I shout at him, trying to hide my laughter.

“I told you, Carly Jo, don’t ever walk away from me. Now you’re gonna pay for that, baby.” He chuckles a husky laugh. I huff at him, trying to make him think I’m annoyed, but oh hell, being tossed over his shoulder is so damn sexy!

He opens a door on the other side of the living room, then kicks it shut behind him and tosses me down on a king size four-post bed. Pressing up on my elbows, I scoot up the bed and away from him. “Woman, don’t be tryin’ to play hard to get. I’ve gotcha right where I want ya, and you ain’t goin’ anywhere, ever,” Colton says as he wraps his hand around my ankles, pulling me back to him at the end of the bed.

He kicks my legs open with is knee, as he places his hands on the mattress at the sides of my head. He crawls up my body and kisses along my neck, up to my lips. He licks my lips, begging for entry, and I comply. How the hell could I say no to Colton Weston? Ah hell, he is ten kinds of sexy. His kiss is so intoxicating. My sex clenches, consumed with wet heat at his touch, reminding me just how sore he made me. He licks my lips and pulls them gently between his, sucking the air right from my lungs. He kisses down my jaw to my neck and licks along my clavicle.

“Colton, are you trying to make me your sex slave?” I ask, panting between his kisses. He laughs.

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