I shrug my shoulders and give her a tight smile. “What can I say?” I tell her, grinning as I used Colton’s exact words that he’d said to me this morning. “These are Colton’s little sisters. I have to play this smart. Now, unless you’re ready to tell me all about how Hendrix’s father was trying to sweep you off your feet on Saturday night, then I better go. Milo should be here any minute and I don’t want to be late.”
Mom’s lips press into a tight line as she steps back, giving me room to walk past her. “For the record,” she says. “He wasn’t trying to sweep me off my feet. We were just two people having a nice time together.”
I raise my brow and together we walk through the pool house. “Uh-huh.”
Mom shakes her head, not ready to get into this with me. “Get out of here, trouble maker. I’ll see you after school.”
With that, I walk out towards the main house, looking back over my shoulder and blowing my mother a kiss. “Love you,” I tell her with a cheesy grin. “Try not to fall for any other rich eligible bachelors while I’m gone.”
Chapter 4
I’m halfway down the massive front steps of the Carrington mansion when Milo’s shiny Aston Martin comes to a stop at the bottom. He looks up at me through his tinted window and I give him a beaming smile that feels more than fake on my lips.
I continue down to him and as his window slides down, a familiar voice sounds from behind me. “Jade.”
I stop halfway down the stairs and turn back to look up at Colton, having to shade my eyes from the bright early morning sun that stares directly into my eyes. “Yeah?”
Colton’s gaze flashes down to Milo, and he lifts his chin in greeting before glancing back at me with a strange wariness in his eyes. “I, uh … checked on that thing,” he says discreetly.
I raise a brow, my interest more than piqued. “Yeah?” I question slowly, feeling my heart beginning to race in my chest. I hold my breath, anxious to hear what he has to say. His response could change it all. It’s one thing beating a man to near death but actually killing him? Fuck, I know I’ve dreamt about taking his life over and over again but actually doing it? That’s a dark road, one I’ll never come back from.
“It’s wounded,” he says. “But it’s going to be okay.”
A weight lifts off my shoulders and for the first time since running out of that stupid little dungeon, I feel myself able to take a deep breath. Is what I did okay? No, not by a long shot but can I live with the fact that all I did was hurt him? Hell yes, I can.
I let out a shaky breath, not really knowing what to say but as I glance back up at Colton to find his lips pulling into an encouraging smile, my world finally begins to fall back into place. “There’s my girl,” he murmurs from the top of the stairs. “I’d thought I’d lost you for a while.”
His eyes are warm and fuck, I’ve never seen them so full of love. Just like that I know that no matter the outcome of what happened to Jude, Colton wouldn’t have looked at me any differently, and honestly, I don’t know whether that’s a good thing or not. But for now, it’s so much more than I could have asked for.
I smile up at him. “Is it wrong that I kinda want to celebrate? I mean, that’s kinda twisted, right?”
“So fucking twisted,” he laughs before spreading his arms wide. “My offer still stands though. If you want to stay here, I’m more than happy to spend the day helping you celebrate.”
I roll my eyes and walk down a few more stairs before glancing back over my shoulder. “I told your stubborn ass already, I’m going to school to play damage control from your sisters and there’s no changing my mind.”
“Have it your way,” he says darkly. “But just know, my offer won’t last all day.”
“Bullshit,” I grumble, skimming over the fact that he didn’t call me out on my comment about his sisters, and didn't even try to deny it. We both know it’s going to happen so there’s no point pretending that it won’t. Though, the fact that he also didn’t warn me to play fair also speaks volumes. “You and I both know that you’re going to spend your day thinking of all the ways you can torture me for turning you down and when I finally get home from school this afternoon, you’re going to be more than ready to go.”
Colton scoffs and takes a step back toward the open front door. “Get your ass to school, Jade.”
His lips pull into an affectionate smile and for the first time since that stupid dungeon, I feel myself actually giving a real smile, not the fake one I’ve offered everyone else, but a full-on, beaming one that comes straight from my heart. “I’ll see you later.”
Colton winks and with that, turns on his heel and stalks back inside his overgrown mansion. I look down at Milo and find my pace picking up, suddenly feeling a million times better. I have a renewed energy to help me through the day and I’m sure as hell going to need it.
“What the hell was that about?” Milo asks through his now open window when I finally reach the bottom step.
I skip around to the passenger’s seat and pull open the door. “Oh, nothing,” I say, glancing away and refusing to meet his eyes. Knowing he’s too curious for his own good, I give him a
