It only takes a handful of seconds to catch up to Britt on the walkway. As soon as we reach the apartment complex, she hits the code on the keypad and the door buzzes, allowing us entrance inside the building. There’s a small group of girls chatting in the lobby. They flick disinterested glances at us as we walk by.
As soon as recognition sets in, their eyes widen with excitement.
“Hey, Colby!” one of them calls out.
I wave as Britt presses the elevator button and taps her foot impatiently. The last thing I want to do is give these chicks the green light to proceed. The pretty auburn-haired girl will latch onto the flimsiest of excuses to escape my evil clutches.
I’m bound and determined not to give her any.
Just as one breaks free from the pack and saunters over, the elevator dings and the metal doors slide open. I hustle Britt into the car before the chick can reach us.
Crisis averted.
A second later, we’re closed inside the car together.
She leans against the far wall and stares at me. “You could have stayed downstairs and talked to your friends.”
“They’re not friends. I don’t even know them.”
With a jerk of her brow, she gives me a disbelieving look.
“It’s true.”
“It doesn’t really matter.”
Before I have a chance to respond, the car doors are sliding open and dumping us on the third floor. Britt slips out as I trail behind her. It feels as if all the painstaking progress I made earlier has been wiped away.
What can’t be denied is that the more this girl holds me at a distance, the more I want to break down her walls and discover what makes her tick. I’ve barely scratched the surface and already I know that she’s unlike anyone I’ve ever met.
I’m so lost in thought that I nearly crash into her when she grinds to a halt in the middle of the hallway.
“What the—”
My voice trails off when I get a good look at the couple making googly eyes at one another outside the apartment next to Britt’s.
“It’s official. You’ve been replaced,” I whisper against her ear, seizing upon any reason to invade her personal space.
She twists her head just enough to meet my gaze. “It would seem so.”
Without breaking eye contact with Maddie, Lance pops open his apartment door before ushering her inside.
“Well, damn. Looks like we won’t be having that little chat,” I say with a heavy sigh.
“I think he’ll be fine. Lance has a good head on his shoulders.”
“With a forty-year plan that includes APRs and becoming a land baron? I suspect you’re right about that.”
A chuckle slips free from her. “If anyone will achieve his goals, it’ll be Lance. We’ll be reading about him in Western’s alumni magazine ten years from now.”
“True that.”
Britt stops in front of her door before swinging around and pinning me in place with her steady golden eyes. “This is me.”
My gaze stays locked on hers. I couldn’t look away even if I tried. “From all my previous stalking, I’ve already surmised that.”
A chuckle escapes from her as she shakes her head. “Creepy.”
“Romantic,” I correct.
She clears her throat. “I’ll make sure to tell Lance the next time I see him that I arrived home safe and sound.”
“Excellent.” When I step closer, challenge sparks in her honey-colored depths as she tilts her chin just a bit to maintain eye contact. Britt is tall for a girl, but I still have a good six inches on her. “I had fun this afternoon.”
There’s a beat of silence.
Then another.
She flinches when I slip my fingers beneath her chin and angle it upward. “This would be the part where you agree.”
Tension fills her muscles. “Is it?”
“Pretty sure.”
It takes a moment or so before she reluctantly admits, “I had a good time.”
My lips lift into a genuine smile. “Was that really so difficult?”
“You have no idea.”
“Oh, I can imagine, firecracker. You’re dead set on fighting this.”
“And what exactly would this be?”
“You and me getting to know each other better.”
I draw closer until I’m able to feel the warmth of her breath feather across my lips. The sensation is dizzying. It takes effort to keep from devouring her the way every instinct is clamoring for me to do.
“It’s a bad idea,” she whispers.
“You think so?” My cock stiffens as I consider closing the distance between us just enough for my lips to drift over her cupid’s bow of a mouth.
“One hundred percent.”
Her breath turns labored as I ghost over her lips, never quite touching them. It’s so tempting to take her the way I want, but this needs to be her decision.
I’ve never forced a girl to do anything, and I refuse to start now.
I press against her softness, caging her in against the door.
Britt is slender but curvy.
It’s a wicked combination.
The most surprising part is that I don’t think I’ve ever been more turned on than I am at this moment.
And we haven’t even kissed.
Yet.
We’re so damn close.
There’s only a millimeter of space to separate us.
My body goes on high alert, waiting for the slightest signal to take this further.
I have the sneaking suspicion that I could explore her mouth for hours and it wouldn’t be nearly enough.
Just as I lose my internal battle, her apartment door springs open, and she staggers backward across the threshold. We stare from across the space that now separates us.
Shock colors her expression as her shaking fingers rise to her lips. “I should go.”
The magnetic pull between us is almost too much to bear. I want to leap forward and detain her. The last thing I want is for her to disappear inside the apartment. Instead, I force myself to remain frozen in place.
It’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.
“All right.” My voice comes out sounding more like a feral growl.
She takes a tentative step in retreat. It’s as if I’m a wild beast she needs to tread carefully with.
“Night, Colby.”
Before I can force out a response, the door is slammed in my face. For a second or two—hell, it could even be longer—I stare at the thick wood, silently willing her to open it again and let me in.
That doesn’t happen.
I haven’t even tasted this girl yet, and already, I know that one kiss won’t be nearly enough to satiate the deep well of need that now churns within.
I want more.
I want everything she’s willing to give.
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