Page 17 of Hating the Book Boyfriend

"Yeah, okay." I nod and hurry into the store to return the key, and leave my number with the attendant before my brother and Kieran get a chance to protest my decision.

As I walk up to the truck I hear Archie saying, "A dog? JoJo would find a stray to bring home. Remember that time she rescued that cat she thought was stuck in the neighbor's rose bush? We started keeping Benadryl all over the house after she broke out in that rash from the thorns."

Kieran chuckles a little, but not Colton. "Well, there was no rose bush this time. Just this dirty mutt. Can we put him with the horse?"

"We aren't putting him with the horse," I assert, leaving no room for argument. "The dog is already clearly traumatized. It's shivering and submissive. Trailering him with a horse will only cause the poor guy more stress. If we can't take him in the truck, I'll hang back and call an Uber or something."

"Hey, no one said anything about not giving him a ride. Relax, JoJo," Archie says as he opens the tailgate and pulls out a sleeping bag. "I'm just going to put this down on the backseat. Easier to clean this than upholstery. If anyone's getting a cab, it's Callahan. This is going to be a tight fit. The two of you were already practically sitting on each other."

"I think I can survive twenty minutes," Colton grits out breathlessly as he readjusts his hold on the dog. The dog isn't small. He's at least sixty to seventy pounds, and from how he's holding him, I can confirm the dog is indeed a boy. "Just lay down the damn bag so I can set him down."

"Done."

Colton sets the dog down on the bench seat in the back of the cab, and the dog quickly curls himself back into the same ball he was in when we found him behind the gas station. "Archie was right about the space. There is no room for the two of us with the dog," I say.

He leans over my shoulder, his hand lightly gripping my hip, sending a shiver straight down my spine as he examines the space for himself. "You can sit on my lap. It's all back roads on the way home. We'll be fine."

"Wait a minute," Archie protests from behind. We both turn toward him, and he places his hands on his hips, his eyes flicking between ours. "Are you comfortable with that, JoJo?"

Colton rubs his jaw before dropping my brother's gaze. I can tell my brother has him feeling some type of way. The past forty-eight hours between us have been a lot. We're both out of sorts. So, I answer. "It's fine. Like Colton said, it's only twentyminutes." Without another glance or word Colton hops in the truck as though he wants to put this entire altercation behind him and Kieran climbs into the front seat. Archie's eyes slightly narrow and I can't help but think he's going to say more on the issue, and make this awkward situation more uncomfortable but he doesn't. Instead, he walks around the truck. When I turn back to Colton, he holds out his hand for me. "Will you stop?"

"Stop what?" he asks as I ignore his hand and grab the handle above his head to help myself up instead.

"You know exactly what," I say as I sit on his lap a little harder than necessary, making sure he feels all my weight. If he's determined to make me uncomfortable, I can do the same.

He lets out a winded breath from the force that tickles my neck. "I'm not sure what you're playing at Posey, but I can assure you, this…" His hands grip me low on my hips as he leans in, his mouth a hairsbreadth away from my ear. "This will get you nothing but trouble."

My breath hitches in my throat, our position and his words stealing my rational thoughts. Right now his words sound like something I want, but that can't be right. This has to be some kind of fuckery, a payback for helping myself to his room. I reach for the door and pull it closed as his hands fall away.

"I never said I was playing games. That's your job," I mutter over my shoulder before facing forward, my eyes connecting with Archie's as I do.

"Are we ready?" he asks, his eyes locked hard on mine.

My brow furrows slightly, hating the weight of their judgment. I look at the dog beside me and see that he's settled. "Yep, we're ready."

Archie puts the truck in drive, and as we pull out onto the highway, Colton's hand again finds my hip, this time on the right side. The side he knows Archie can't see. "I don't play games. You've never been a game."

I discreetly readjust my position so as not to draw Archie's attention, and when I do, I feel Colton tense beneath me. "Stop it," I hiss under my breath.

"What if I don't want to?"

I subtly shift in his lap, grinding back. "I can make this ride equally as uncomfortable."

"Good." His knees spread, and since my legs are rested atop his, mine do the same, putting a bulge, I remember all too well right where no one has been in far too long. Then he's back in my ear, his fingers digging into my hip bone. "Maybe I want to remember what I forgot."

"What if I want to forget?"

"Then tell me to stop."

I don't tell him to stop. I can't. He feels too good. Too many things in life are mediocre. This might be madness, but there is also reason in madness; it doesn't matter that I haven't found it.

CHAPTER 11

Colton

"So, are you ready to talk about why you're really here?" Archer asks as he experiments with a new small batch of beer in the kitchen. "It's been two weeks, and while I don't mind the extra hand around this place, I know my couch is a far cry from the life you have on the East Coast."

I knew this talk was coming; honestly, it's probably time I have it with someone. "Did you see the news over the summer?"

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