Page 43 of Untamed

Her eyes shutter, before she meets my gaze. “I…” she starts before trailing off.

Shaking my head, I say, “What’s wrong, Sunshine?” My lips move to her ear, my voice a growl. “Talk to me. What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours.”

She sighs, her eyes bouncing between mine. “Nothing.”

My eyes narrow. I know she’s lying to me. I just don’t know why. Mila is tense and she needs to loosen up. So, I do the only thing I know will achieve that. With a possessiveness I didn’t know I was capable of, I press my lips to hers.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

MILA

Colter’s lips smash to mine in a bruising, possessive kiss.

The sheer force of it catches me off guard, stunning me, and my knees buckle. His arms tighten around me, steadying me and preventing me from falling to the straw beneath me.

“Colter,” I gasp, a soft whimper escaping my lips when he bites down on the sensitive flesh.

He breaks the kiss, tearing his mouth away from mine. The wild look in his green eyes has my heart pounding in my chest. He stares at me expectantly, his voice a low, gravelly rumble when he speaks. “What’s going on?”

I drop my eyes to the ground, chewing my bottom lip, but Colter won’t let me break our connection.

His fingers find my chin, gently tugging until I have no choice but to look at him. “Sunshine?” The pet name he’s given me is a whisper.

I sigh. “Nothing.Everything.”

I know it makes no sense but it’s the best I can offer.

He shakes his head, annoyed, with a hint of vulnerability flickering in his eyes. I hate that I’m responsible for that look. “Nah. I won’t accept that. Fucking answer me, Mila,” he barks impatiently.

I startle; my throat suddenly dry. I’m not scared of Colter, not at all, but I am scared of the emotions he stirs up inside me. “Not here. Let’s go to the loft.”

His jaw tightens, but he nods and turns, his body rigid with tension as he heads out of Clover’s stall. I sigh, nuzzling my face into Clover’s neck, and inhaling his calming scent, before murmuring a quick goodbye. I step out of his stall, push the bolt into place and follow a brooding Colter up to the loft.

His guitar is slung over his shoulder, the steps creaking under his weight as he makes his way up the stairs. The tension radiating from him is tangible, but I know I only have myself to blame. Colter isn’t stupid. He knows I’ve put distance between us today. I can only imagine how he feels after everything he’s risked by being with me.

I slap my palm to my forehead. Jesus, I’m such an idiot. I’ve acted like an immature brat, without consideration to how Colter would feel. My frustrations over school, my argument with my father, then having to hear and see Mona fawning over the man who is taking up every little bit of space in my head, pushed me over the edge. My feelings were valid, but I see now, I could’ve handled things better.

Climbing the stairs after him, I release a breath just before stepping inside the small room. Colter sits on the couch, his expression blank as he watches me. My stomach somersaults at the sight of him, at the declaration he made in Clover’s stall with that kiss.

“You’re mine.”

I chew my bottom lip. Maybe I let my insecurities get the best of me and I don’t need to worry about the Mona’s and Dulcie’s of the world. I see now, they are the least of our problems. I might be jealous that they could be with Colter freely, out in the open, but they don’t matter. Colter wants me despite our tricky situation. I’m the biggest threat to his job, and at the end ofsummer will be leaving town to go to school in a different state, and still he chose me.

But what does this all mean?

Where does it leave us?

I’m probably getting ahead of myself, but they’re questions I desperately want answers to.

“Talk,” he demands, breaking me from my racing thoughts.

I clear my throat, trying to stall the conversation. A smile curves my lips. “Thank you for the sunflower.”

He narrows his eyes. “You’re welcome. Now talk.”

Sighing, I close the door behind me and move to the couch, taking a seat on the opposite end and getting settled before I open myself up to him.

Then I tell him everything. About my parents and how they aren’t supporting my wishes. The pressure they’re putting on me regarding school. How they’re all but forcing me to go to USC. That it’s not what I want. That I’d prefer to take online courses and stay on the ranch. I take a breath when I get to the parts about us. And with every word out of my mouth, my cheeks heat, and I realize how stupid I sound. But I push on and tell him about my insecurities. My jealousy when I saw Mona fawning over him and what she told me. I tell him that his life would be easier if he were pursuing anyone else but me, and I explain how guilty I feel, for putting him in this position where he could lose everything. And then my voice lowers to a whisper when I tell him that, despite all the obstacles in our way, I don’t want this thing between us to stop.

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