Page 24 of Blue Norther
“I’m sorry I was so on edge when I got here,” I said to Colt as I walked out the front door. “I know I need to face the fact that what happened in New York was scary and dangerous. I just…I’m trying to hold it all together on my own. Anyway, thank you for having me over.”
“I want you to stay.” Colt leaned against the doorway and reached for my hand.
“I don’t have a change of clothes,” I teased. “I wore this to look nice, not to sleep in.”
His eyes traveled down my body, then back up to my face. “You do look nice, Vi. I haven’t said it before now, but this pregnancy really suits you.”
I could feel the heat hit my cheeks before my heartbeat thundered in my chest.
“Thank you.” I looked over my shoulder at my car. Yeah, it was time to get out into the cool night air. Otherwise, I was going to cave.
“Look, I don’t like what you told me this morning. I can’t get those messages out of my mind.”
I looked down at the place where our hands connected, truly surprised I couldn’t find the energy to pull away. “They didn’t follow me here. And worst case, you’re just five minutes away if I need you.”
“A lot can happen in five minutes, Violet. Please.”
I pulled my hand away from his. “I need to go. Thank you for dinner.”
“Wait.” His command had me frozen in place. “Give me your phone.”
“What?”
“Your phone. Let me see it so I can give you my number. In case you need to call me.”
I grabbed my phone from my pocket, making sure to unlock the screen before I handed it over.
He held it out at arm’s length. which made me smile. Until his eyes went wide and he handed the phone back.
“Everything okay?” I asked, confused by the shock I saw written on his face.
“You still have my number in there.”
“Oh. I thought maybe you would have changed it.”
He shook his head. “Nope. Still the same as it always was.”
“Good. Mine’s still the same, too.” I had no idea why I offered that information to him.
“Is that an invitation to call you?” The smallest hint of a smile tipped the corner of his mouth. I needed to look somewhere else, but my eyes were glued right on his lips.
“If you ever need to, sure.”
He took a step closer to me. I closed my eyes, waiting for what he’d say next.
“What if I want to…maybe just to check on you? To say good night, or good morning?”
I shook my head, the smile back in place. “We can say goodnight right now.”
“Mm.” He leaned back against the door frame and sighed. “Goodnight, Violet.”
“Goodnight, Colt.”
Colt
My hand slapped at the buzzing sound coming from the night stand. I loved my job—truly, I did—but if a deputy was calling to tell me there was some big after-hours issue when I’d just managed to finally fall asleep after that dinner, I might throw my badge out the window and set my uniform on fire.
I could still smell Violet’s amber and honey perfume. It was like the second she walked into this house, it pulled the essence of her everywhere. She’d only been downstairs, but I would have given sworn testimony that she’d laid her head down on the pillow next to me with how I could still smell that damn intoxicating scent.
