She lifted up and turned her back to the bar. Reaching out a hand, she curled it around his neck.

“Promise, it isn’t hard,” she whispered, let him go and went back around the bar.

He was looking up at her when she’d touched him which left him facing the room when she walked around him.

She might as well have grabbed his crotch and stuck her tongue down his throat. He even saw Lanie Gilbert pulling her cell phone out of her purse.

He didn’t care about that either.

In all his years with Melanie, much as he loved her and he did love her, he never headed home knowing she would help him leave behind his day.

A couple of days with Feb and that was a given.

Colt turned from the bar to take a pull off his beer and watch Feb wash glasses in the bar sink.

Fifteen minutes later Darryl delivered Frank’s famous fried tenderloin on a sesame seed bun and fries.

And Colt ate it without muttering a word while he watched Feb’s shoulders shaking with silent laughter.

* * * * *

Colt was right.

February Owens was the kind of woman who’d sit on your face and f**king love it. She was the kind of woman who’d suck on your c**k and get off on it. She was also, he discovered, the kind of woman who’d do both at the same time, and come while doing it.

He didn’t have the chance to try her on all fours because, the second time he made her come, he wanted to watch.

So he did.

After they were done, he took the time to use his c**k to memorize her tight, wet pu**y yet again at the same time using his tongue to taste the silver at her neck. He liked the sharp, cold, metallic tang of her silver mixed with the salty, warm taste of her skin. It was pure Feb, contradictory and addictive.

Then he pulled out, rolled off, turned out the light, settled on his back and tucked her into his side.

Regardless of the fact that he now had a newly painted guest bedroom with bed, dresser and a huge print of a f**king basket of flowers over the bed, Jack and Jackie had made it clear they didn’t intend to be the third and fourth wheel while Feb and Colt were exploring their new situation. Colt brought Feb home early because the crowd got light and Morrie declared he and Darryl could handle it and they found the RV gone and a note saying they were moving into Morrie’s apartment for the time being.

Colt could live with that, Morrie’s place was far more secure than an RV.

“You tired, baby?” he asked.

“Mm,” she answered and he had no f**king clue what that meant.

“You seem okay with all of this,” he noted.

She tensed against him and he used his fingers to draw patterns on her hip, giving her time, waiting, feeling the tension drift away.

“I’m scared as shit,” she finally whispered, again sharing instead of holding it in.

“Far’s I know, Feb, only folk who can turn back the clock are in movies.”

He listened to her take in a heavy breath.

Then she let it out and said, “That’s true.”

“Gotta live life lookin’ ahead, you keep lookin’ behind…” he let that hang and she nodded against his shoulder.

He decided to give it to her and see where she went with it. “I’ll make it clear right now, honey, I like the idea of looking ahead at life with you.”

“Colt –”

“I thought I was Alec in this bed,” he meant to tease but she lifted up and looked at him in the dark.

“Yeah,” she said softly, “but it was Colt just said that to me.”

He felt that warmth spiral in his chest, wrapping his innards so tight, for ten full seconds he found it difficult to breathe.

Then she dropped her head and he felt her slide her nose along his jaw before she settled back into his side.

“You with me on this?” he asked.

Her arm around his stomach got tight. “I’m with you,” she whispered.

He closed his eyes and his arm around her waist gave her a squeeze.

After awhile she asked, “Was that our talk?”

“Most of it, yeah.”

“Does that mean I don’t get Costa’s?”

Colt was tired, it was after midnight, there were always bad guys to catch and that was his job.

He still burst out laughing, turned to Feb and awhile later he learned he was right about her letting him do her doggie style, he was right she’d want more of it and he was right she’d beg him to f**k her harder.

And she got off on that too.

Chapter Eight

Colt

I realized my mistake the minute I hit the kitchen the next morning.

I shot my wad too early with the frittata.

I should have saved it for something special. Our first week anniversary at least.

Not the first morning after.

Now I didn’t know what to make Colt for breakfast. Especially not after a night where he gave me three more Colt-induced orgasms. Three. I didn’t have to help at all, not even guidance with my hand or tilting my h*ps in a non-verbal cue or full-on verbal direction. Nothing.

The man knew what he was doing.

And a man who knew what he was doing deserved a good breakfast.

That man being Colt, looking like Colt, having a body like Colt’s, keeping me safe at the same time he could make me laugh, deserved a great breakfast.

As I searched the fridge and cupboards I saw Mom had shopped for Colt like she was fully stocking Julia Child’s larder. I concocted a recipe and went for it when I heard the shower switch off.

As I cooked, I thought of the day before.

Yesterday had been my first fun day in a long time. After making that list, calling Colt and handing it off to Mom suddenly I felt carefree. This was weird considering a psycho was on the loose, but it was true.

I had a bounce in my step and everyone could see it. Mom and Dad were obvious about being pleased as punch. Morrie eyed me all day, smiling slow and shaking his head knowing we didn’t have to have that talk about Colt and glad of it. Even Joe-Bob took one look at me and grinned huge.

I called Jessie before I did my yoga and sent her on a mall trawl but gave her specific directions. It had to be an outfit February Owens would wear, not Jessie Rourke. It had to look like I cared, but wasn’t trying too hard. And it had to be fit for a first date.

Jessie was beside herself with glee and called from practically every store she visited at the Fashion Mall at Keystone at the Crossing to tell me how her crusade was going. Then she came in the bar carrying a million bags and Mimi in tow and we went to the office and I tried them all on. Most of them were Jessie Rourke outfits (which meant she took them home with her). But she hit the nail on the head with the jeans skirt, boots and tight shirt. Perfect.