Page 80 of Saddled in Secrets
Which is fair. The weight of his secrets far outmatches mine. But that doesn’t stop me from fiddling with the coping mechanism he displays.
“Does it work?”
“Not until I tried it with one of yours.” His deep inhale tells me there’s more to it. “Your hair was in a braid when I first saw you. I had this unexplainable urge to take it out, let the length fly free. That was very symbolic for me. And then, as if you’d heard me, you left an elastic in the barn. It was like you were giving me permission to use it to chase off my demons. I’ve kept one of your hair binders on my wrist ever since. Whenever I feel the need to snap it, I’m reminded to be the man worthy of you.”
Unshed tears blur my vision. There’s a noticeable pitter-patter in my heart that can’t be ignored. I can actually feel my guard crumbling into dust. My palm slaps my chest, making sure I’m still in one piece.
“Oh, no.”
Colton’s entire body goes rigid. “Was that too much?”
“If you’re referring to the feelings I’m catching, then yes.”
The tension seeps from him in a low rumble. “You’re thinking about loving me?”
I fan my watery eyes. “Something like that.”
His palm roams the expanse of my stomach, traveling upward to cradle the hand I still have resting over my heart. “Trust in me, baby girl. I want to spend my life making you happy.”
“Uh-huh, that’s becoming clear.” I sniffle and wipe at my cheeks. “But are you happy?”
The hitch in my voice has him flipping me around to face him. “Why are you crying?”
A choked scoff dribbles from me. “I’m not.”
“Did I upset you?” Those bottomless blue eyes dig deep, peeling away years of avoidance and indifference. “Tell me how to fix it.”
Affection threatens to burst out of me in a rainbow of glitter and fairytales. “Could you maybe get me a tissue?”
Colton twists to grab the box on the nightstand. The swiveled motion puts his back to me. That’s when I notice another tattoo. Down the center, from nape to pelvis, is a detailed design of a crooked spine.
I sit upright to get a better look. My eyes widen at the recognizable shape. It’s double curve scoliosis—the same type I suffer from.
“Is that…?” My voices fades into a tremble.
“Yours,” Colton confirms. “It’s from your latest X-ray.”
I reach out with a shaky hand and trace the dark ink. The piece is massive, impossible to miss unless I’m under the influence of a very pierced penis. How I didn’t notice yesterday is almost alarming. But now, it’s captured my undivided attention.
“This is stunning,” I murmur while admiring the quirky vertebrae. “You make scoliosis look very sexy, Stalker.”
From over his shoulder, his gaze finds mine. “You do that all on your own. I just stole another piece of you to carry around with me.”
“Why did you choose my spine?”
“Aside from the obvious, it represents strength. You don’t let anything stop you. Even when you’re in pain, you don’t quit pushing. It’s perseverance and grit, which can’t be bought. Those thrive inside you. I feel that mantra in the depths of my soul.”
A fresh wave of adoration for this man crashes over me, stealing my voice for a moment. “Um, wow. Your perception of me is rather badass.”
His chuckle is gravelly. “That’s what you are. My unbreakable princess.”
“More of a stubborn brat, but I’ll accept an upgrade.” My mouth meets his tattooed skin, pressing kisses along the S-shaped bend. “What do you tell people when they ask? It’s not easy to hide such a large dedication.”
He twitches under my soft touch. “Anybody that sees me without a shirt on is a guy who knows better than to fuck with me.”
“Hmm,” I mumble into his shoulder blade. “Do your men know how you feel about me?”
Colton’s hand rests on my thigh, carving an upward path to my ass. “You’re not my dirty secret, baby girl.”
