Page 55 of Brim Over Boot
It takes concerted effort not to laugh.Fuck. Since when do I find Colton goddamn Darlingamusing?
“Fine,” I mutter, drawing him forward. Colton tenses when I bite his lip, but then he’s melting into my touch, a heady fucking thing a guy could get addicted to. I draw back, enjoying the slow blink of his eyes as they reopen. “You’re welcome.”
Colton elbows me off of him, and, this time, I do laugh. He shakes his head, looking around as if trying to figure out where he is or what he’s supposed to do now.
“Door’s that way,” I tell him.
He flips me the bird before heading off, grumbling all the while.
“See you at home,” I call.
He doesn’t deign to give me a response, but his frustrated yell is music to my ears.
Chapter 17
Colton
‘Comeon,’Isignquickly to Remi, finding him still out on the dance floor.‘We have to leave.’
He looks concerned but nods immediately. “Gotta go,” he appears to call to the guy he’s dancing with. He pats him on the chest before heading my way. Remi doesn’t notice the guy’s confused questioning at his back.
My brother’s hands cut swiftly through the air as he approaches.‘What’s going on?’
I just shake my head, waving him toward the door, needing to escape as quickly as humanly possible and praying we don’t pass Noah in the parking lot.
The air outside is like a shock to my overheated system, even though I’d only been back inside for a couple minutes at most. I scan the area quickly, ridiculously relieved when I don’t spot a certain small-town farrier I can’tbelieveI ran into all the way out here.
Except—it’s not that preposterous, is it? This is the closest gay club to Darling unless, maybe, you cross up into Canada. If Noah was looking to test out his attraction, same as me, it makes sense that he’d come here.
A stone fills my gut.
Was he attracted to other men? Did he…likethat guy touching him before I came along?
I dismiss the hypothetical outright, not willing to entertain notions of Noah fucking King and the men he might be attracted to.
He’s attracted to you,a little voice inside my head pipes cheerfully.
I swat the thought away.
Remi catches up to me as we reach the truck. He turns his processor back on, blinking a couple times as he acclimates before asking, “What’s wrong?”
I tug the driver’s side door open, and Remi gets in opposite me. “I just… I needa go.”
“Okay,” Remi says slowly, the word nearly swallowed by the turn of the engine. “Care to share why?”
I bite my lip, looking behind us and easing out of the parking spot. I startle when Remi’s fingertip touches my neck.
“Holy shit,” he says, tone shifting from concern to bemusement. “Were you making out with someone?”
“What?” I nearly screech, rubbing the spot on my neck before putting my hand back on the wheel. I get us safely out onto the road. “No, I…”
“You have a hickey,” he states plainly. “Who was he?”
“It’s nothing,” I answer. “It was no one.”
When I glance over, Remi’s wearing an incredulous expression. “Really? ’Cause you didn’t have that when we went inside the club. So unless you’re going to convince me a ghost was snacking on your neck, try again.”
I groan. “Really, it was no one. Just…some guy I met.”
