Page 17 of One Night

My heart squeezes and my stomach churns.Why am I such a terrible person?

“Love you too, Dad. Thanks for stopping by. I’ll talk to Daphne tomorrow and find out more about the dog thing.”

He nods, shakes Colton’s hand, and steps back out into the night, leaving Colton and I staring at each other once again. Except this time, the truth is clearer than it’s been all night. This thing with Colton can never be a one-night event, not even under the best of circumstances. There’s always going to be electricity between us, an undeniable chemistry, a reason to need him, to want him. There’s a pull that I can’t deny.

“What are you thinking, honey?” He brushes a strand of hair out of my vision and lifts me back up onto the dining room table as he pets my face.

“I don’t know what to think. I can’t lie to my dad, and I don’t want to disappoint Ellie. I don’t understand why you’d be into me over the hot mom, and I don’t know how we make any of this work, but also… I want you to bend me over and take me again.” I pant as I speak, unable to make eye contact. “Maybe we should sleep. It’s… yeah. We should sleep on this.” I wiggle off the table, but he grabs and pulls me back in place.

“Not a chance. Sleep isn’t gonna make this go away. I need you, Nora. Your dad is gonna have to come to terms with that, and the mom earlier is just a lady. I only seeyou.I only think aboutyou.I only fantasize aboutyou.I only wantyou.” He brushes his square hand down over his beard. “Do you know how many nights I spent jerking off to thoughts of you in your bathing suit last summer at the lake? It’s a sickening number of times.”

My cheeks turn pink, but my panties are soaked again.

“Aside from all that, you’re exactly what Ellie needs. I’m not letting you walk away from us, Nora.” His gaze holds focused on mine as my phone vibrates on the table behind us. It could be my father letting me know he saw the energy between Colton and I. It could be my sister calling to avoid another lonely night. It could be the lottery calling to tell me I’ve just won ten million dollars.

Right now, none of it matters. I’m stuck, unable to move, my gaze locked on Colton’s, my heart pounding with his.

“What do we do from here?” I whisper, leaning ever so slightly closer to his lips.

His hand digs into the back of my hair gently and he pulls me close. “I think we let this happen and see where it goes.”

“Yeah?” My tone is low, and our lips are brushing against each other’s.

“Yeah,” he repeats with a groan. “That’s the only way, honey. You and me. Nothing else matters.”

I swallow hard and crush against his mouth, kissing his lips with fervor until I’m dizzy with desire and we’re stripping each other down again.

If someone had told me one night would change my life, I’m not sure I’d have believed them. But as I stand at the helm of desire, I know nothing will ever be the same again. A fire has started, a blaze has consumed me, and I’m desperate to keep burning.

Epilogue

Colton

One Year Later

I hammer Nora’s little pink sign into the yard and stand back to check that it’s even. We’ve been working for the better part of the year to get her massage therapy business off the ground. At first, we thought it made sense to open a spa in town. Then, we thought of working with the inn on Main Street but ultimately decided that a little parlor right here at home was the way to go.

“What do you think?” I ask as she snuggles into my side, rubbing her hand over her expanded stomach. “Straight enough?”

“I love it! Thank you for building all this for me.” She’s thanked me half a million times over the last few months, but it’s me who should be thanking her.

“You’re carrying our baby, you adopted Ellie as your own, and you cook and clean for us. You do everything, honey. I don’t deserve you.”

She turns her body toward me and stares up into my eyes. “Youdo physical labor all day to keep us fed and warm, andyoustill found time to build the shop for me. So, I’m gonna be thankful.” Her voice turns playful as she says, “Probably forever, really.”

“I’m just glad you found a niche that didn’t mean you’d be touching other men. A women’s massage center was a good idea.”

“Thanks!” Her tone is perky and sweet. “I’ve already sold out of monthly memberships, so I think once I get the ball rolling, I’ll do pretty well.”

A loud pickup truck climbs up the stone driveway, and we both turn to see Nora’s dad bumping up the way with Ellie giggling in the passenger seat. She hops out and runs toward us the second the engine turns off.

“Mom, Grandpa took me to the playground, and they’re almost done, finally! Mrs. Robinson said they only have two slides left to put in, and… oh! There’s gonna be a fishing tournament there this weekend. Grandpa signed me up! Can I go?”

“Of course you can go!” Nora squeezes Ellie against her stomach and kisses her head gently. I love seeing the two of them together. They’ve gotten so close over the past year. It’s almost like Nora was always Ellie’s mother. “Why don’t you get cleaned up and we’ll make dinner together. I got the stuff to make Dad’s favorite.”

“Lasagna!” Ellie grins. “You make it so much better than Becca’s mom.” We haven’t seen much of her lately, which is a good thing if you ask me. “You found the secret ingredient that makes it like Dad’s grandma.”

“Thank you, baby. Go get cleaned up and we’ll get started!” Ellie nods toward Nora and runs into the house with a bounce of excitement. She’s really come out of her shell since Nora got here.

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