ALEXIS

“YOU ABOUT DONE IN there?” Colton asked, pounding a fist against the bathroom door.

Lathering up my loofa for the second time, I began scrubbing over my skin again. “Be out soon,” I shouted back, making sure to scrub extra hard in all the important parts...under my arms, my breasts, between my legs, you know...just in case. A girl had to be prepared. Finally satisfied that I was not going to get any cleaner, I dried off and sat on the edge of the tub, where I smoothed on some of my favorite lotion: Be Enchanted from Bath and Body Works.

“Come on, Al,” Colton griped through the door as I was finishing up with my teeth.

After running a quick comb through my tangled hair, I turned the knob and was nearly knocked on my ass when Colton came tumbling toward me. He must’ve had his head resting on the outside of the door.

Colt, who was always quick on his feet, managed to grab hold of the counter to stop his fall. His other arm wrapped around my waist, effectively stopping mine as well. Instinctively, my hands latched around his neck. Colton held me at an awkward angle. His face mere inches from my own. He smelled of man soap and mouthwash. I felt each heavy breath he released ghost across the side of my face. Our eyes were fixed on each other, swirling with a mixture of relief and lust. My heart was close to leaping out of my chest with desire.

“Fancy meeting you here,” Colt teased. He lifted my body, as if I weighed no more than a ragdoll, and sat me on the counter while positioning himself between my parted legs. I felt the rough pads of his fingers trace a path from my ankles to the sensitive skin behind my knees. At the same time, Colton trailed his nose over one of my shoulders, up the curve of my neck, and along the shell of my ear, sniffing lightly. Goosebumps broke out over every inch of my skin. “That smell,” he groaned. “It’s been taunting me since the day you got here.”

“C-Colton,” I mewled. My head rolled back as my hips began rocking into his waist. It felt like I would explode with how badly I wanted him. It was as if the oxygen had all been sucked from the room and I needed him just to breathe air into my lungs.

Colt squeezed both of my thighs, resting his forehead against mine. Letting out a frustrated sigh, he gripped my hips, stilling my movement.

I buried a hand into his hair, tugging until his eyes were on mine. The pained expression he wore seared my heart. Colt swallowed, then his tongue darted out to wet his lips. “I’m overwhelmed,” he admitted, breathing heavily. There was a steady tick in his jaw.

I understood his hesitation because I felt it too. Desire was like a wildfire rushing through my veins, but along with it was an almost crippling fear. There was a line that we’d drawn so long ago and that line we were now on the verge of crossing served to protect a friendship we valued above all else. I’d always known that if I’d ever allowed myself to become intimate with Colton Fowler, there would be no going back. I could see it in his eyes that he knew it too.

“Just kiss me,” I whispered, running my hand through his hair and trailing it down to the middle of his back. “We’re going slow, remember?” I smiled at my boy, nipping at his chin playfully.

Colt nodded, nudging my nose with his to position my face just the way he wanted it. His mouth hovered above mine, and I could hardly breathe. As my lips parted, he dove inside, slowly mating his tongue with mine. The sensation was nearly too much. But then every experience with Colton had always been more. Every glance, every word, every touch. In the back of my mind, I knew that whatever he and I were doing with each other would either be the best thing to ever happen in our lives or the catalyst that would finally destroy us.

Just as things started to get a little heated, Colt pulled away, resting his hands on the counter on either side of my body. His green eyes bore deep into mine, his chest rising and falling rapidly with exertion. “Go wait for me in bed?” he rasped. I fell in love with the rough, gravelly tone of his voice. The helplessness in the way he was looking at me at that moment. It felt amazing to finally hold some power over this man who’d somehow always been right by my side yet so far out of reach.

“Okay,” I whispered. My head was spinning so fast that I had to grip the edge of the counter to keep from falling over.

Colton shifted, adjusting himself. The movement drew my eyes to the massive bulge in his shorts. Holy shit. I knew that I was staring, but couldn’t seem to look away. I heard a low throaty chuckle...felt his finger once again, lifting my jaw closed, and turning my face to meet his.

“Just say when,” he taunted, waggling his brows.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” I shot back as my head moved slowly from side to side. It was no surprise that he was big. After all, I’d been feeling that monster poking me in the back for as long as I could remember, and even got a glimpse or two the other night. But to be that close, beneath the fluorescent lights and not having to avert my eyes, I was completely in awe of just how big. Without thought, I reached out and began feeling him up. It had to be at least ten inches in length, I mentally calculated, and thick as a fucking tree trunk. It was hard. So fucking hard. The butterflies were back, and it seemed they’d decided to set up permanent residence in my vag.

Colton hissed, and his hand came down on top of mine, effectively trapping it against the steel rod in his shorts. It was then that it dawned on me...what I was doing, and I felt my face flush with embarrassment. I swear I must’ve been in a trance. “When?” he asked, toying with the band of his shorts.

“Nuh uh.” My eyes widened as I began shaking my head back and forth, swallowing down the huge lump that had formed in my throat.

Colton bit down on his bottom lip, dipping his eyes toward the bathroom door. “Go to bed, Allie,” he rasped before clearing his throat. “I need a cold shower.” Colt released the hold he still had on my hand and scrubbed at his jaw. I yanked mine back, nodding as I began walking backward, my eyes trained on Colton’s dick the entire way.

Collapsing on the bed, I ran a hand lightly over the peaks of my breasts and slid the other into my panties. My neglected body spasmed on contact. Colton. Colton. Colton. I moaned his name over and over in my mind as I attempted to relieve the arousal that had me on the verge of tears. My body shook, exploding almost instantaneously. As I came down from the last wave of pleasure, my eyes fluttered open to find Colt lurking in the doorway, paralyzing me with the heat in his stare.

I tried distracting myself by staring at the shadows dancing on the wall above his head. But they disappeared, and the room was bathed in complete darkness as Colton’s hand reached behind him into the bathroom, flipping the switch. Tears sprang to my eyes. I couldn’t believe he just saw that. Seconds later, the bed dipped with his weight as Colton climbed in beside me. My heart pounded against my ribcage at a furious pace. My throat went dry. I was on my back, gazing up at the ceiling, fighting back the urge to cry, and he on his side with his head propped on a hand, staring down at me. Our eyes locked and my pulse sped up. I would have absolutely died of mortification if he so much as smiled.

“Colton,” I whispered, my voice shaking with want. Could he hear the desperation? Did he have any idea how badly I needed for him to put his hands on me? God, I hoped so, because I didn’t think I had it in me to say the words.

“Allie,” he answered, trailing the back of his hand along the side of my face. I felt the hairs on the nape of my neck rise as Colton traced a thumb over my lips, down my neck, along the V-neck of my shirt. Goosebumps broke out across my skin as he then took the hand that I’d just used to get myself off and lifted it to his mouth, sucking the tips of each of my fingers individually. I’m fairly certain I came again. “So good,” he moaned before feathering kisses along my collarbone.

Colton moved lower, skimming his thumbs lightly across my breasts, sending a jolt of electricity straight to my core. His full lips brushed mine in a whispered kiss. White hot need heated my blood. His warm tongue touched mine, and I dissolved into a puddle beneath him. Colton groaned into my mouth, deep and throaty.

His kiss was mint flavored. Delicious. I wanted to eat him. To drink him. To lose myself in that moment, never to be found.

“Shhh.” Colt licked his lips, and I felt a hand slip beneath the hem of my shirt. My body jerked in surprise as his fingers splayed across my middle. His skin was so warm against my own. When Colton brought his lips back to mine, it was with renewed hunger. The scruff on his chin scratched my skin as he devoured my mouth. I couldn’t have cared less if he rubbed me raw, just so long as he never stopped kissing me.

“Wake up, Al.” I felt his fingers dancing across my back before a gentle tug on my ponytail whipped my head back. I tried to open my eyes, but the light was blinding. Squeezing them shut tight, I grabbed the pillow from beneath my head, pulling it over my face.

“Go away.” His laughter was infuriating...and also wonderful. Oh, how I missed being woken up by this frustrating boy. He always was an early riser. I, on the other hand...not so much. “Too early, Colt,” I grumbled, curling up tighter into the blankets.

Before I knew what was happening, the comforter and pillow were lifted off my body and thrown across the room. “Get up,” he instructed, walking over to the closet and pulling one of my Texas State tees from a hanger and tossing it to me on the bed. Then he moved over to his dresser, opening the drawer, which housed my shorts and lounge pants. He hummed as he rifled through my belongings as if he did this every day.

“What are you doing?”

A pair of black running shorts flew over his shoulder, landing on the bed beside me. “Get dressed...and hurry...I wanna take you somewhere.” I started to protest but forgot everything, including how to breathe, when he flashed his pearly whites my way. It was unfair how gorgeous he was, and boy did he wield it like a weapon.

I brought both fists to my eyes, rubbing the sleep away. After a yawn that could have woke the dead and a good long stretch, I gave him my full attention. “Why are you picking my clothes? And where are we going that has us dressed for the gym?” Honestly, I didn’t care where we were going because Colt looked amazing in his dry-fit Under Armour top and matching shorts. He had a sweatband around his head with his curls flopped over in the most adorable way. Even his tennis shoes coordinated with his outfit. I swear he had fifty pairs. I’m not even exaggerating. I’d never known another man with as many shoes as Colton Fowler.

Colt flopped down onto his stomach beside me on the bed, propping his chin in both hands. “We’re going on an adventure.”

“Where to?”

“It’s a surprise.” I felt the sting of his hand as it connected with my ass. “Put your hair up. Don’t waste time with makeup.” Colt glared at me as I tried to refrain from rolling my eyes. “I mean it, Al. We have to get moving.” His nose scrunched. “Do spend a few minutes with the toothbrush, though.” His fingers pinched his nose, and he cringed.

“Dick,” I mumbled, my ass still burning a little where he’d just slapped it. Oddly enough, I wanted him to do it again. What the hell was wrong with me? I cupped a hand over my mouth, huffed into my palm, and then cringed. Morning breath to the tenth power. Snatching up the clothes, I scrambled out of bed and made a run for the bathroom.

“It’s three in the morning!” I screeched, finally noticing the time on the bathroom clock. Was he insane?

His answer came from just outside the door. “It’ll be worth it. Trust me.”

“You know how grouchy I get without my sleep,” I warned, pinning my hair up in a knot on the top of my head. I’d only got three hours, and it showed in the bags under my eyes and the paleness of my skin.

“I’ve got a cup of coffee waiting for you, princess.”

“Thanks,” I answered, pulling out my Caboodle from beneath the sink. I knew he said no makeup, but I couldn’t leave the house in this condition. Ignoring his huffing and puffing, I worked at lightning speed, applying a quick layer of concealer, powder, and mascara.

Colton gave me “the look” as I came out of the bathroom, clearly unimpressed. “Can’t you ever just do what you’re told?”

I grabbed the Yeti cup from his hand, taking a long swig then moaning with satisfaction. Perfect. “Is that a serious question?” I asked, setting the coffee on the dresser behind him and using his shoulders to balance myself as I hopped around, sliding my feet into my Nikes.

“Guess not,” he answered upon seeing the daggers I was shooting his way. “Let’s go.”

“This better be good, Colton.”

“You woke me up in the dead of night to go traipsing in the woods?” By that point it was 4:30. I’d been awake for over an hour and was only giving him a hard time.

Colt shrugged his broad shoulders, giving me a sexy little smirk. “Unless you’re too scared...”

He knew I couldn’t refuse a dare. “Never,” I growled, running ahead of him. “Eat my dust.” Colt stayed a step behind, allowing me to lead the way. It was eerily dark, and to tell the truth, I was a little afraid. I’d never have admitted that to Colton, however. I had a reputation as a badass to uphold. But then something howled in the distance, and every hair on my body stood on end. Stopping abruptly, Colt slammed into my back, but unlike the last time, there was nothing within reach to stop our fall.
“Shit! Are you okay?” Colton lifted onto his knees, rolling me over to my back.

I nodded, my heart racing. There were rocks digging into my back and twigs sticking out of my hair. As uncomfortable as it was, I never wanted to move from that spot. With Colton hunched over, running his hands over my body. Looking at me like I was the most precious thing in the world to him. His concern made my heart dip.

“Yeah,” I breathed heavily. “I, ummm...I heard something.”

The left side of his mouth curled. “Did you?”

“Are you sure we’re allowed out here right now, Colton? Are you going to get me arrested?”

His tongue darted out, rolling over his top teeth. “Technically...no. But—”

I felt my eyes widen. “So, we’re trespassing?”

His hand rubbed across my forehead, moving the hair from my eyes. “No, Bonnie, I”

Lifting a hand to his face, I traced his bottom lip, cutting him off. “Cuz, that’s kinda hot, Clyde,” I rasped, chewing my lower lip.

“What is? Breaking the law?” A laugh rumbled from deep in his chest, echoing through the Hollywood hills.

“Mmmhmm,” I moaned, gazing up into his smoldering stare.

Colt went quiet, dipping his head to brush his thick lips over mine. His nose bumped my nose and then his mouth was back on mine, his hands were cradling the sides of my face. His fingers massaged my scalp while his thumbs softly rubbed over my jaw.

A knot formed in my stomach. My hips lifted from the ground, rocking into his. I could feel him hardening with every thrust, and I was so hot. Panting into his mouth, I gripped two hands full of his hair and pulled. I wanted him. All of him. I was desperate for him to ease the throbbing between my legs. To feel how wet I was for him. To see how crazy he made me.

Something about being out there in the open. The fear of being caught...it had turned me into a wanton hussy. Fuck taking it slow. I wanted him to rip my clothes off and make love to me right now.

“Allie,” Colt moaned against my lips. His hands tensed in my hair, pulling. It’s like there was a direct connection from my roots to my sex because that little move had me trembling with need.

“Colton...don’t stop...Please.”

His brows dipped. I could see him wrestling with something in his mind, so I reached between us, palming his erection. Trailing my hand up and down softly, loving the feel of him twitching in my palm in response.

His hands went to his waist and victory was within my grasp. Colton gripped the band of his shorts, and just as he was about to free his brilliant cock, a bright spotlight shone down right on us.

“What the?” Colton jumped up, grabbing my hands and pulling me to standing. I had no clue what was happening. Desire muddied every one of my thoughts. Had we been caught? Where was that light coming from?

Both of Colton’s hands went into the air with his middle fingers extended, and then he folded in half, laughing.

What was happening? “Are we going to jail?”

Colton’s laughter only intensified, so I kicked him in the shin, because desperate times, right?

“Ouch, Alex!”

“What’s so funny?” I demanded, crossing my hands over my chest.

He cleared his throat. “What I was saying before you distracted me being all sexy and shit...” He raised his right brow. “Is that my buddy, Wyatt, works here and let us in thirty minutes before they usually open so we could make it up the hill in time for the sunrise.”

Poking my bottom lip out, I frowned. “So, we’re not outlaws?”

He snorted. “Not hardly.”

“Some friend.” I harrumphed, turning to head back up the winding path. “Cock-block,” I muttered under my breath. Colton must’ve heard because his maniacal laughter followed behind me. I’m glad he found this funny because I was going to die of blue clit.

“You wouldn’t happen to have a cigarette?” I asked, peering at my best friend over my shoulder.

“You don’t smoke, Al.”

I let out a loud sigh. “I know.” But fuck if I didn’t need that cigarette something fierce.

The hike was steep and rocky. Thankfully, Colt and I were both in pretty good shape and made it without any issues, but we were both panting by the time we reached the top.

“Just there to the left,” Colt instructed, placing a hand on the small of my back as he guided me to the right spot. “There,” he said, shining his flashlight into a small clearing. Right near the edge of a cliff was a pine tree sitting all alone. It felt like we were cut off from the rest of the world. The feeling was so out of place in the middle of such a busy city.

“It’s beautiful. What is this?” The sky was just beginning to lighten to a deep purple. From here we could see out over the Hollywood hills. It was breathtaking.

“Come on.” His knuckles rubbed up and down my back a few times before he took my hand. I followed him to the tree where he pulled out a tin box. It was army green and inside were a couple of notebooks, various trinkets, and a shit ton of business cards. We sat side by side on a large boulder and Colt pulled out one of the books, opening to a page in the middle. The entries were dated from 2007 all the way to the present.

“Is it a journal?”

“Yeah, sort of. There was a fire in the hills back in 2007. This tree was the only survivor. People started hiking up here to visit the tree as sort of a good luck omen. Someone along the way nicknamed it The Wisdom Tree, and it stuck. This tree even has its own Instagram page.”

Colt held the flashlight over the book as we read through page after page of entries. Some visitors simply recorded the date of their visit. There were lots of short poems and some very profound words of advice. It was especially neat to see the ones who came back multiple times. We even found a few suicide notes that were obviously jokes. One was signed Pauly Shore. It was one of the coolest places I’d ever been. I felt like we were part of some secret club. “This is amazing.” I looked over to my best friend with his big goofy smile and fell a little more in love with him. “We have to write something...”

Colt took the book and pen from my hand. I watched over his shoulder as he wrote. “I’m here today with my best friend, Allie, and it’s really sort of perfect. This tree has withstood the unimaginable, and like this tree, I know that no matter what figurative fires life throws our way, we’ll come out standing. July 14th, 2017. Colton Fowler.”

I nudged him with my shoulder. “Well, aren’t you a surprise.”

“Hey. I can be a fart smella when I wanna be.” He was a smart fella all right. “Here,” he said, passing the journal. “Your turn.”

“Go away,” I said, shooing him with my hand.

Colt glared at me. “You read mine.”

Shrugging, I gave him a little shove. “You let me.”

“Do I get to read it when you’re done?”

I thought for a brief moment on how long would be a reasonable amount of time for us to figure things out. “Nope...six months.” By then if we hadn’t got our shit together, we were never going to.

Colt stood, dusting off his butt, right into my face. “Fine,” he said, laughing as I wiped dirt from my face. He walked around to sit on a rock on the opposite side of the tree, facing out over the hills. “Don’t take too long. You don’t wanna miss this.”

After packing the journal back into the metal lockbox, I crept over to where Colt sat. “Rahh!” I shouted, clawing his sides with both hands from behind.

“What the fu—” He shot a foot up into the air and immediately I realized what a bad idea that was. Visions of Colton tumbling to his death flashed in my mind.

“Sorry,” I screeched, grabbing the back of his shirt. He was in no danger of falling. Thank God, he jumped up rather than forward.

“Damnit, woman. You tryin’ to kill me?” he teased, pulling me around to sit beside him, with his arm wrapped around my shoulders.

I shrugged, snuggling into his chest. We were both quiet for a few minutes, taking in the scenery, when my body began to tremble with laughter.

“You okay, Allie?” Colt asked, moving to see my face. “Are you laughing or crying? I can’t tell.”

“You sh-should have seen your face,” I choked out between guffaws. “I got you so good.”

The next thing I knew, I was being lifted into Colton’s lap, and his lips were on mine, properly silencing me. My body was a livewire any time we touched, and this time was no exception. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to the intensity, or that I even wanted to.

Long minutes passed before Colton pulled his lips from mine. “Look, Al,” he whispered, pointing toward the horizon where the sun was just beginning to peek over. Orange beams kissed the treetops, and instantly a chorus of birds started to sing. Nature’s alarm clock was truly majestic.

“Wow. It’s so beautiful, Colt.”

Colt’s lips pressed a kiss to the bend of my neck, and his arms tightened around my middle. “You are beautiful. I love you, Alexis Mack...”