“You know, every couple of years, you’ve crossed my mind. That’s the damn truth.” His eyes met mine and held. “It was always unexpected. Never unwelcomed. Did you think of me?”

“Yes. I’ve thought of you,” I whispered.

His grin turned smug. “Hell yeah.”

Stunned by what he was admitting, it still didn’t make sense. “I’ve seen you around town, Colton, since I moved back. At the store or the movies.” I left out the part that he was with someone else because that was irrelevant. “You never noticed me then.”

“Then I’m a fucking idiot if that’s true.”

I blinked and my gaze centered on his well-formed mouth. What did his mouth feel like? Was it hard? Soft? A mixture of both? And what did he taste like? I bet a marvelous mix of coffee and man. “Colton—”

“I should’ve noticed you. Damn, I hate the idea that I hadn’t.” Sincerity filled his tone. “I notice you now, Abby.”

My heart started tripping all over itself. “This doesn’t seem real.”

A chuckle rumbled out of him. “Why not?”

“Because these things don’t happen in real life,” I told him, leaning back and needing the space before I decided to find out exactly how his mouth felt and what he tasted like. “They don’t.”

His brows knitted together. “This is happening. It’s real life.”

“You are not getting what I’m saying.” I drew in a deep breath. “Extremely gorgeous men like you—”

“You think I’m extremely gorgeous?” His grin reappeared and so did the left dimple.

I shot him a bland look. “Like you don’t know that. And see, that’s the thing. You’re the gorgeous, confident cop and I’m not the worst thing walking on two legs, but I’m not the type of woman who snags the interest of a guy like you. That only happens in books.”

He stared at me for a moment and then he shook his head. “First off, what the hell do you mean by woman like you?”

“Do I really need to spell it out for you?”

His eyes narrowed. “Yeah, yeah you do.”

Frustration rose, racing across my skin like an army of fire ants. He couldn’t be serious. “I don’t look like the woman I saw you at the movies with. She was a tall, thin beautiful blonde. No one in this world would describe me as that beautiful woman with the hot guy. They would be like, wow, he’s really with someone quite average. And I’m totally okay with being that average chick. I know what I am, so this doesn’t make sense. I mean, unless you’re just horny and want to get laid and you have no other prospects at the moment, then that makes more sense, I guess.”

He opened his mouth, closed it, and then tried again. “If I’m horny and want to get laid?”

Yeah, I sort of couldn’t believe I said that myself.

“Honey, how old do you think I am that all I’m about is getting laid?” he asked.

“Well, I mean, I get horny and want to get laid too, and we’re roughly the same age.” I really needed to shut up. “All I’m trying to say is that it’s human nature.”

“Human nature?” His blue eyes brightened as he laughed under his breath. “Can I just tell you that I’m thrilled to hear you get horny, and honey, you want to get laid, I’m your man, but you don’t really know me, Abby.”

I was still stuck on him being my man if I wanted to get laid, and boy, did I ever want to get laid. Hadn’t even really considered it seriously in the last four years. No guy had sparked my attention, but right now? An ache had already blossomed and my breath came in and out in little shallow bursts, a reaction just to the mere idea of sleeping with him.

“And we’re going to change that,” Colton said. “You and I are going to get to know each other in a way that’s long overdue.”

My breath caught as a tight shiver coiled. “We are?”

That half grin did crazy-insane things to me. “Oh, we are. You know why? Because we got a second chance to do so and we aren’t going to miss that, are we?”

I couldn’t look away. “No?”

“That’s right.” Lifting his arm, he cupped my cheek with his hand. “Here’s an important piece of information about me. If I’m looking for just a lay, I’m not going to bring that woman crepes in the morning or fix her window. And I’m sure as hell not going to risk my career to just screw around with a witness. If I’m going to take that risk, it’s going to be worth it.” His thumb dragged under my lip, causing me to suck in a shallow breath. “And honey, I have a good feeling, you’re worth it.”

Before I could respond, before I could say anything that would probably ruin everything he’d just said, he slipped that hand along my cheek, his fingers tangling in my hair as he leaned in, forcing his knee between mine. I took a breath. My heart beat. All I saw was the blue of his eyes.

And then Colton kissed me.

Chapter 8

Every enjoyable, exaggerated thing my authors have ever written about being kissed was totally true, and it had been so long since I’d been kissed that I’d forgotten that.

The moment his lips touched mine, my body flushed hot, and it was a gentle kiss, nothing more than a light sweeping of his lips across mine—once and then twice. As if he were slowly mapping out the feel of my lips, he took his time familiarizing himself.

And then he caught my lower lip between his, creating a mad flutter in my stomach. The hand on my cheek shifted and his long fingers cradled the back of my head as he lifted his mouth from mine. His eyes burned a blue fire. There was a questioning in his gaze, and when I didn’t pull away, his hand tightened.

Colton kissed me again, full on, and his lips were an amazing combination of soft and hard, satin stretched over steel.

My hand fell to his chest and the other to his knee as I felt the tip of his tongue tracing the seam of my mouth. My lips parted, and that kiss deepened. I tasted the coffee on his tongue and I knew he tasted me.

At first, I didn’t really move. I let him lead the way, take that kiss in a direction that caused my blood to simmer, but when his tongue touched mine, it was like I woke up. My senses came alive. Every nerve ending in my body fired all at once.

This…this was what I had been missing.

Tilting my head to the side, I slipped my hand around his neck, anchoring his mouth to mine. I kissed him back, devouring him.