Chapter 20

The Hotel Olympus was sitting near the beach where they would be doing their first LA concert in two days. After the sing-along on the bus, things quickly became dull. Colt retreated into his dark mood and Chelsea … her heart began to develop a dull ache. The longer he stayed behind the curtain on the bus, the more she felt his rejection.

He’d asked about whom she was with at the hotel in Missouri, and then he seemed angry that she did not tell him. He had not spoken to her since.

The hotel suite was a similar setup, except that this one had the living room opening up to a balcony on the 7th floor. There were two suites and two rooms occupied by the band with adjoining doors. They almost occupied the entire half of their floor. As for her, she locked her door from the inside and only opened it when she was entering Colt’s suit.

The place seemed empty as she entered. One of the doors was ajar. It was Mike’s room, and it was empty. She knew Reid was at the concert venue getting things in order, so the band must be at practice. She breathed a sigh of relief that she didn’t have to encounter ‘Mr. Bad Mood’ today. She drew up her chair to the tiny desk near the curtains of the window and switched on the laptop.

She’d tried one of the outfits from the hotel boutique that Mariska picked out. It was a peach skirt and softer shade sheer top. It fitted her curves too well. As she sat, the skirt rode up her thigh a couple of inches. This irritated her.

“Darn it,” she grumbled, trying to pull the hem close to her knees.

The sound of a door opening startled her, and she whipped her head around to see Colt standing at his door. His eyes cruised her from her neatly brushed hair, which fell carelessly beyond her shoulders, down to her breasts rising and falling with each breath she took.

His eyes lingered there a moment, and heat began to make its way up her neck, scorching her cheeks. He continued his perusal, traveling over her hips, coming to rest for a few seconds on her thighs. She was certain he was mocking her skirt. But when his eyes went lower, she was not so sure.

“I’m going out,” he said in an undertone.

She stood and moved quickly towards the front door. “No, Reid said to make sure you don’t leave without me. He says …”

“Out of my way.” He sidestepped her, trying to pass, but she grabbed his arm.

“No!” she said loudly. “Every time you leave on your own, something happens.”

“Let go of my arm, Chelsea,” he said.

“Then I’m coming with you,” she said. Her voice shook a little as her heart was racing out of control. Moreover, her palms, which were gripping him, were quite warm and tingly.

He turned abruptly, yanking his arm from her grasp. The movement sent her reeling, causing her to stumble. Colt reached for her, but not in time. She hit the center table, falling, bruising her shin first and then her derriere.

“Ouch,” she moaned, rubbing her shin.

Colt crouched, concern etched on his face. “Are you okay?”

She raised her pleading eyes to meet his. “Don’t go, please,” she croaked.

His hazel pools seemed like molten fire as they flickered yellow sparks. The way he was looking at her made her self-conscious. She swallowed, trying to still her galloping heart. He inched closer, and she inhaled a shaky breath. Then his hands were on her shin, and his eyes dropped to the spot she had hit.

“How is it?” he asked with a frown.

“F-f-f-ine,” she finally managed to stutter.

She tried to get up, but her ankle felt sore, and she sank back to the floor. Colt cocked one brow, looking intently at her for a moment. Then he slipped one hand beneath her knees and the other around her back, lifting her and gently placing her on the sofa.

He stood staring down at her a minute before his face hardened and he began to walk away. Without thinking, she reached out, grabbing his hand. Her hand fitted in his palm, and the heat of the contact traveled up her arm.

“Let me go,” he calmly said without trying to pull away.

Her heart was pounding, and she liked the touch of his hand as it clasped hers. He was saying that she should let him go, but his hand had grasped hers, and the hold tightened.

“No,” she bravely stated.

He turned, looking down on her. “Why won’t you?”

“Why do you hate me so?” she asked with a slight tremor.

“I don’t hate you,” he replied easily.

“But you …”

“What is this Chelsea?”

“I-I …” she had no clue what she was doing.

“Who was he?” Colt asked, and her eyes flew to his.

“Who?” He let go of her hand and started to move away. She grabbed his hand again. “Please don’t go; I’ll tell you anything.”

He did not seem to believe her. She sat up straight on the sofa and tried to stand, but her sore ankle prevented her. Colt halted. She held his large hand in both her smaller ones. He looked down at his captive hand but did not pull away again.

“Please,” she pled.

This was not her usual behavior. Reid had told her she should keep check on wherever he went, but whenever Colt walked away from her, specifically while on the bus, she felt something stab her chest. When she saw him come out of his room, her heart pumped speedily, but behind that was the joy of seeing him. Then when he said he was leaving, there was a slight pain there.

“Was he your boyfriend?” his tone was acidic.

“No, but don’t get mad. I was only trying to find out what he wanted. That’s all.”

He narrowed his eyes, cocking his head to one side. “Tell me.”

“Carl Benson. He said he needed to interview me, but I knew he was just fishing.”

“What happened? Why did you get sick? Did he say something?” he asked, his voice taking on an edge. She let go of his hand and wrung both her hands together nervously. “What are you hiding?”

“It wasn’t Carl that made me sick.”

“Was it something you ate? What?”

“No, nothing like that.”

Colt seemed impatient. “Are you pregnant?” he asked, and she looked at him in wide-eyed shock.

“No!” she said, her voice raised a little. “It was you,” she blurted out. Her hand flew to her mouth. She didn’t mean to tell him that.

“What did I say … or do?” He seemed to be thinking. “I can’t remember.”

“It’s nothing, let it be,” she said in a small voice, turning her face away.

“No, I need to know what I did this time. I know I’m a jackass, but I can’t remember what I did that …”

“The journalist …” She closed her eyes while her breath came in shallow gasps. She waited for him to laugh at her, but he didn’t. Now that she bared her soul, confessing that his flirting upset her, he was silent.

A hand brushed her cheek and pushed her hair back. Her eyes flew open to see his face getting closer to hers. Her back sank into the backrest of the sofa and her lips parted in anticipation of his lips. She had waited, hoped, and yearned for it once more. As soon as his electrically charged lips met hers, all thoughts flew from her brain.

A rush of hot current coursed through her, making her hairs stand on end, almost lifting her from the sofa. His arms wrapped around her and pulled her close. She entwined her arms around his neck, cupping the back of his head. His tongue caressed hers as ripples of pleasure swept them both. Colt growled from his throat as she pressed into him. She had no idea what she was doing. All she knew was that her heart was beating for him … alone.

He broke the kiss and cupped her face lovingly. “You were jealous?”

She stared into his eyes. “Was I?” she asked. She could slap herself for sounding so stupid.

“Yes, you were.”

Her hand unwittingly flew to her chest where her heart was thumping hard against her ribs. It felt quite intense as if something was wrong.

“What is it?”

“My heart, it won’t stop,” she breathed.

Colt chuckled and took her hand, placing it on his chest. “See, mine won’t stop either.”

She could feel the thudding beneath her palm. A rush of heat ran up her face, and she looked away. He chuckled once again, placing a thumb under her chin, willing her to look at him. He kissed the corner of her mouth before sucking on her bottom lip.

His teasing of her lip ceased. “Stay away from Carl Benson. He’s bad news,” he grunted against her mouth.

“I know. I just wanted to know what he was up to.”

“Leave all that to Reid. I don’t want him hurting you,” he said while running his thumb across her lips. “I don’t want anything hurting you.”

She nodded, unable to answer for the lump in her throat. The magnetic field around them was so strong; it was pulling her closer to him. She leaned against him, resting her forehead on his shoulder. She felt safe, but she also felt something that scared her. She wanted more closeness. She wanted to experience what Colt so readily gave to others.

“Chelsea,” he said. His voice sounded strained. “I don’t know how much longer I can stay away from you.”

She turned her face towards his neck. Her lips brushed against his skin. “I don’t want you to stay away from me,” she whispered.

There was a scratching at the door and a voice. Reid was on his phone. Colt straightened and stood. “Later, we talk,” he said before exiting to his room.

She stared after him with her heart in her mouth, wondering what he wanted to say to her. She was excited. The closeness they just shared was intensely intimate. Colt showed her a side of him she never knew existed. He was gentle, and he never went past first base, though she could feel the tension in him. She saw the bulge in his crotch as she went to his room.

“What’s the matter?” Reid’s voice brought her attention.

“Nothing, I just twisted my ankle,” she said, eyeing Colt’s door.

“Why do you keep hurting yourself? Let me see,” Reid said, crouching beside the sofa.

Colt’s door opened. He walked to the small fridge in the kitchen area and returned with an ice pack while Reid was testing her ankle by twisting it. “Ouch,” she moaned.

“I’m calling the hotel medic,” he said.

“Move,” Colt commanded of Reid.

The manager raised his eyes and looked at them both. She could see the suspicion in his eyes. “Did you do this?” he asked. “Why …”

“No, it wasn’t Colt,” she defended him.

Reid looked at her sharply. “Are you certain?”

“Yes,” she said with a smile.

The ice felt cold on her skin, but soon the throbbing and soreness were things of the past. Reid got ointment and a wrap from the medic. Colt took it and rubbed the ointment on, and then he wrapped it nice and tight.

She could see the surprise on Reid’s face as Colt ministered to her. He kept blinking and shaking his head. He would turn away before turning back, and the surprise was evident. It took all her will not to giggle.

Nevertheless, more than her urge to giggle was her need to feel Colt’s touch, his lips on hers. Her eyes settled on his lips. They were full and fleshy, inviting. He finished his task and raised his eyes, catching her staring at his mouth. For a second or two, their eyes locked, and she felt sucked in once more. Reid broke the spell.

“That’s pretty good, Colt. I had no idea you had those skills.”

“Cut it out.” Colt stood and walked to his door.

When he was there, he turned. Reid was still examining the wrapping. Colt winked at her, and her heart melted. What did all this mean? What was going to happen now? It was on that thought that she realized that he’d been jealous all along—with Tony, and when he heard she was with a man on the hotel terrace. He was jealous. Yes, that explained his behavior and the sudden change that he had now. The revelation caused her heart to soar, bringing a smile to her face. Maybe something good could come of this, she thought.