Page 24 of Tempted By the Alpha Outlaw

“So what?” he says. “You had to sneak boys in through the window like the old days?”

I choke on a laugh, startled by his bluntness. “What? No!” My cheeks burn as I glance over at him, but he’s watching me with that crooked smirk, like he’s enjoying watching me squirm.

“No?” he presses, his voice low and teasing. “Not even once?”

I shake my head, hating how warm my face feels. “I’ve never…I mean, there’s never been anyone to sneak in.”

That catches him off guard. “Never?”

I don’t know why I answer him, why I let the words tumble out before I can think better of it. “I’ve never even been kissed,” I admit, the words feeling impossibly loud in the quiet night.

Colt stops walking, turning to face me fully, and the shift in his posture sends a wave of heat through me. His gaze locks on mine, and I feel exposed, like he can see right through me.

“You’re serious,” he says—like he can’t believe it.

“Yes,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest like it might shield me from the way he’s looking at me—intense, like he’s trying to figure me out. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

“It is,” he counters, stepping closer, and I’m suddenly very aware of how tall he is, how broad his shoulders are, how he’s crowding my space without actually touching me. “You’re telling me no one’s ever been lucky enough to kiss you? Not once?”

I can’t tell if his tone is teasing or something else entirely, but the way my stomach twists has nothing to do with embarrassment anymore. “It’s not about luck,” I mumble, glancing away, but his presence is impossible to ignore. He’s too close, his scent—dark chocolate, too delicious—wrapping around me in a way that makes it hard to think straight.

“You know,” he says slowly, his voice dipping lower, “if you ever wanted to change that…I’d be happy to help.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask.

“It means,” Colt says, his lips curving into the faintest smirk, “I’d love to be the one to fix that.”

My heart stutters, and I feel like the ground’s been pulled out from under me. “What?” The word is barely audible, but I can’t seem to say anything else.

His expression doesn’t waver, and the way he looks at me sends heat racing through my veins. “You heard me,” he says simply.

I don’t know how to respond, don’t know how to handle the way he’s unraveling me with nothing but his words and the way he stands too close, too still. My mouth opens, but nothing comes out, and I hate that I can feel my cheeks burning again.

Colt leans in just slightly, enough to send a shiver of awareness down my spine. “Say the word, Magnolia,” he murmurs. “And I’ll kiss you right now.”

I can’t breathe. I can’t think. Every part of me is screaming to close the space between us, but all I can do is stare at him, my heart racing so loud I’m sure he can hear it.

And then, just as quickly as the moment came, it’s gone. Colt steps back. “But maybe I shouldn’t,” he adds, his tone lighter now. “Your folks are probably waiting, right?”

The mention of my family snaps me out of whatever trance he’d pulled me into, and I blink, my thoughts scrambling to catch up. “Yeah,” I say, my voice shaky. “They’re probably wondering where I am.”

He nods, his smirk returning. “Better not keep them waiting,” he says, falling into step beside me again.

I’m hyper-aware of every step he takes beside me, of the way his presence fills the space around us, crowding out everything else. My head is spinning, my thoughts a chaotic mess as I try to figure out what’s happening—what this is.

“Is there a reason why not?” he asks suddenly.

I bite my lip. “Why not what?”

“Why there was never anyone?”

My pulse ticks up again, thrumming a drumbeat in my chest. “I um…I just never liked anyone that much,” I tell him. “I’ve been busy, distracted. Helping with my siblings, with the school…I guess, why would I? And my parents, they’re protective. They’ve been through a lot. We all have. I think they just want to make sure I’m safe.”

He hums, a sound that’s neither agreement nor argument, and it sets me on edge. “So they’re why you’ve never?—”

“It’s not just them,” I cut in quickly, suddenly defensive. “I mean, yeah, they’re a part of it, but it’s not like they were standing at the door with a shotgun, chasing people off. It’s…it’s me too.”

Colt’s pace slows, just slightly, as if he’s giving me space to catch up with my own thoughts. “How do you mean?”

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