Three
My mouth was as dry as the Sahara Desert.
I rolled onto my back and fluttered my eyelids open. The sun was beaming through the white lace curtains that covered the room’s windows. Realization that I wasn’t at home in my own bed for the last time hit me, but before my heart rate had enough time to spike, I rolled my head to the side and took in a still sleeping Colin sprawled out on his stomach beside me, his mouth barely open as he slept so soundly. I rolled my bottom lip between my teeth to try and suppress the mega-watt smile that was trying to make an appearance, and lifted the heavy comforter to take a peek at the beautiful man beside me.
Gooood morning to me.
A quiet sigh passed my lips as I refrained from snuggling into his side and gripping his perfectly sculpted ass to suggest we go for another round.
I slipped from the sheets and tip-toed throughout the room collecting my things. I threw on my clothes and took one long glance at the beautiful man I was leaving all alone in the almost as beautiful antique king size bed. But before I convinced myself to crawl back into that bed, I stepped into the hallway and quietly shut the door behind me.
“Good morning,” an elderly woman announced as I turned toward the staircase.
“Oh!” I startled. “Good morning.” I gripped my chest and forced a smile.
“I didn’t mean to startle you, darling girl.” Her shaky hand covered her lips to hide her grin.
“You’re fine.” I shook away the nerves and began to descend the stairs.
“That boy of yours is one of a kind.” The lady followed me down the stairs. “He helped me carry in my things.”
“Did he?” I smiled, not wanting to inform her that he wasn’t my boy.
“He did.” She patted my shoulder as we reached the bottom floor. “I didn’t even have to ask, he offered as soon as I pulled up to the curb with my car service. And the other night he sat out back by the pond playing that guitar of his. He looked so sad…probably missing little ole’ you.” She beamed and took my hand in hers. “Hold on to him. Gentlemen like that are few and far between.”
A nervous giggle bubbled up my throat from the lack of knowing what to say.
“I had one that got away over forty years ago and I never found another like him. Regret is a hard thing to swallow, you know.” She gave me a pointed look.
I nodded.
“Join me for breakfast?”
“I wish I could but I have somewhere to be.”
She gave my hand a pat and released it. “Maybe another time, dear.”
“Another time.”
I hated lying to her but the look on her face when I gave her hope of sharing breakfast together in the future was worth it. She was a lonely soul looking for someone to share a bit of her time with. I’m glad Colin was the type of man to help her out.
Sadness pinged deep in my chest at the thought of being a lonely soul myself, but I quickly shook it away as my Uber pulled up to the curb. I took one backwards glance at the large home that held a man I’d just met but wouldn’t soon forget.
Four hours had passed since I left Marlee’s Bed and Breakfast and I still couldn’t shake Colin from my thoughts. Yes, the sex was mind-blowing, but it wasn’t dirty or tainted like you would think a one-night stand would be. I’d never travelled down the one-night stand road before, but I couldn’t imagine them all being as heartfelt and deeply rooted in one’s soul as my night with him had been.
With the last box shoved into the back seat of Eliza, my Ford Edge, I clicked the camera on my phone on and snapped the last picture of the duplex I’d called home for the past nine years. Even though I was leaving the small town in the dust, I wanted something to remember it by. Mainly because if I had anything to do with it, I wouldn’t step foot back in Jonesborough, Tennessee without one helluva good reason. I adjusted my rearview mirror and put Eliza in drive. It was officially time to get the hell out of Dodge.
I’d planned on leaving before the sun broke, but my night with Colin had taken my path on an unexpected turn. I bit my bottom lip at the thought of his name. My skin prickled from the wind blowing through the front windows as I remembered the feel of his hands exploring my body. He sure knew how to make a girl feel wanted, which was something I hadn’t felt in far too many years.
The very last red light in town caught me, leaving me staring down the road that separated The Lounge and Marlee’s. A bit of disappointment fluttered in my chest as I tried to find Colin’s Jeep in the parking lot but came up empty-handed. I knew he was headed out of town, to where, I had no idea. Hell, I couldn’t even tell you where he was from. I couldn’t help the thoughts that were clouding my mind.
Was he pissed that I’d left without waking him?
Did he regret last night?
Would I ever see him again?
I shook my head and pulled my sunglasses from their resting spot in the cup holder and slid them on. The sun peeked from behind the large cloud that had been hiding it. The day was going to be beautiful, the weatherman had announced on the local news this morning. It was almost like Jonesborough was as happy about me leaving as I was.
The light turned green and I watched as the Jeep I’d been looking for pulled up to the curb in front of Marlee’s and Colin stepped out of the driver’s side, his chocolate hair a mess like he’d just rolled out of bed. A navy blue shirt stretched across his broad shoulders with a pair of dark wash jeans perfectly fitting the curve of his ass.
Loud honking startled me as I realized I’d sat through the entire green light. Colin’s attention swung toward my vehicle and I slouched down, hoping he wouldn’t notice it was me. As much as I’d love to pull in that parking lot and follow him up to his room, the stars just weren’t aligned for that to happen. I glanced in my rearview mirror to find the person behind me throwing their hands in the air and most likely rambling off a few choice words. I held my hand up to apologize.
“Yeah, yeah…sorry,” I mumbled to myself.
Colin grabbed what looked like grocery bags from the back of the Jeep and started up the walkway when that same elderly lady from this morning came out to meet him. He bent forward and kissed her cheek which had her beaming from ear-to-ear. There was no way they didn’t know one another. That or he was truly a gentleman.
Had Colin been in town before?
Why would he have grocery bags?
“Aw, come on!” the person in the car behind me yelled as they laid on the horn again.
“Son of a…” I jumped and stomped on the gas.
So much for wanting to stay under the radar.
My face heated from embarrassment instead of the sunshine beaming through the window. But instead of taking another glance in Colin’s direction, I sped down the road like a bat out of hell, praying there weren’t any patrolmen around.