Page 146 of Things Left Unsaid

I hate how easy it is to fall into old habits with him. But Colt hasn’t changed. He’s quieter, and oddly stoic for such a young guy, but his inherent sense of honor and decency are as strong as ever.

It’s more attractive than that pretty face of his.

And honestly, he’s so pretty it’s a crime.

“Tried to blackmail me into compliance. Said he’d spread gossip in town.” Checking my blood sugar, I snag a granola bar. “He might.”

“Let him. Leave this with me?—”

“No! You don’t have to do anything.”

“He needs to be dealt with.”

“Don’t make me regret sharing this with you.”

A soft growl sounds in my ear. In comparison to Clyde’s, it sends shivers down my spine. “If he contacts you again, you’ll tell me immediately.”

“Of course. I was going to call you but you rang first.”

“You were?”

“Yes.”

“I could kill him for triggering that alert.”

“Hormones,” I say lightly then bite into the bar.

“Were you stressed before?”

“No.” Work rarely stresses me out. “I overreacted.”

“You didn’t. He’s an asshole. If he threatens you?—”

“You’ll be the first to know.”

“I don’t like having my hands tied,” he warns.

A smile dances on my lips. “I already knew that wasn’t your kink.” I can’t regret saying those words, not when he sputters in my ear. Grinning at finally getting the upper hand, I murmur, “I’ll speak to you later.”

And that’s the second Korhonen I hang up on in less than ten minutes.

This time, however, my smile curves into a grin.

My heart’s stopped pounding and the unease in my core has shifted into something else.

A mental picture of Colt tied to my headboard forms of its own volition.

Yum.

Colton

LATER THAT DAY…

“How’s the construction on that new bunkhouse?—”

Before I can finish the question, Theo rasps, “Bea’s in the hospital.”

No way in hell did I expect that to be his answer. Gaping at the stretch of land ahead of me, I try not to lose my shit. “Marvin?”

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