Page 118 of Call Back

He nodded.

“No. I’m not staying with Brady anymore. I broke up with him last night.” What would Colt think of that? I started to pull my hand away.

His grip tightened. “So? I’m sure he’ll still let you stay with him. Guys like Bennett have an inherent need to protect people. He’ll still protect you.”

“I can’t stay with him now.” I looked down at our still-joined hands. “It feels like leading him on. Before . . . I wasn’t sure what I wanted.” My gaze lifted to his face. “Now I am.”

Recognition flickered in his eyes, even though I hadn’t intended to give him the message I’d just conveyed. I suddenly felt exposed and vulnerable, more vulnerable than I could ever remember being with anyone, but equally exhilarating and horrifying was the realization that I’d opened myself up to Colt Austin.

He quickly shuttered his emotions and his eyes darkened. “This is about keeping you safe.”

If he was talking about my heart, he wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t already know, yet here I was, holding on to his hand for dear life, ready to jump headlong into danger.

“I’ve spent the last ten years trying to be safe, and all it ever brought me was loneliness.” It was true. Not only had I run away to save my life, I’d walled up my heart to avoid getting hurt. Only, I’d still been hurting all along. “Maybe it’s time to stop trying to be so safe.”

He shook his head, an internal war waging in his eyes. “Don’t be stupid, Maggie. The whole reason I’m going after the gold is to keep you safe.”

“Not the whole reason . . .” I said in a teasing tone.

When he didn’t answer, I knew I was making the right decision. He was fighting this just as much as I had been.

I clasped his hand with both of mine. “For the first time in a long time, I’m ready to live my life, Colt. We’re so much alike, you and I, and I think you’re ready to live your life too.”

His face was blank, but his eyes gave his indecision away. “You’ll regret it.”

“Like the woman who hurt you before?” I asked. “Maybe, but I’m willing to take the chance.”

“Maggie, you don’t—”

I leaned forward and kissed him, my lips soft and gentle. He’d been on the verge of saying something, so his mouth was still forming the word, but it only took him a second to shift gears.

His free hand lifted to my face and he took over, deepening the kiss in a show of PDA I wouldn’t usually embrace.

But I didn’t care. I forgot where I was. I forgot that a killer had put me in his sights. I forgot that Belinda was mad at me and that Momma was dying and that my acting career was in the toilet. Right here, right now, there was only Colt. And this felt so, so right.

A throat cleared next to us, and our waiter laughed. “Here’s your breakfast.”

I sat back, slightly embarrassed, but more worried that I’d caught Colt by surprise and he would put his guard back up.

The waiter set our plates on the table as Colt watched me in wonderment, as though he couldn’t believe what had just happened.

A warm smile spread across my face, and he smiled back with twinkling eyes.

He looked . . . happy.

Even though my life was tangled up in horror and confusion, I felt good—elated even. It didn’t matter that it didn’t make any sense. I was tired of ignoring my emotions or forcing them to make sense. For the first time, I was going to just feel.

Colt picked up his fork, his gaze still on me, but it turned more serious. “Okay, so you know this means you’re coming with me to Chattanooga, right? I’m not leaving you by yourself with a serial killer on the loose.”

No matter what was happening between Colt and I, the outside world still needed to be dealt with, but staring at him now, I didn’t feel so alone. “Yeah. Is there a plan?”

“Not really. I found out the place belongs to Lopez’s secret boyfriend, and his boyfriend died a couple of months ago. The house is currently unoccupied and in probate, but rumor has it that Lopez still went there often.”

“Do you think Lopez killed him?”

“He had a heart attack playing tennis. But a logical leap.”

“We’re just dropping by the house in broad daylight?”

---