The Girl Next Door
The Boy Next Door Chapter 21

It takes effort to jolt myself out of those insidious thoughts. For as long as I can remember, Colton has had this kind of effect on me. I lose all conscious thought when he's near. I'd hoped my year spent in London would help me to forget about him-or, at the very least, get over him-but that doesn't seem to be the case. When it comes to Colton Montgomery, my heart and body have a mind of their own. With punishing force, I crush the fragile emotions attempting to take root inside me.

Never

again.

I will never willingly give my heart to another man who is unable to hold it carefully in his hands.

You know that saying-when someone shows you who they are, believe them?

Yeah...I need to take that more seriously.

Fool me once, shame on you.

Fool me twice and I deserve everything I get for being a dumb a*s.

I'll be damned if I allow Colton to ruin this night for me. He no longer has a place in my life. He made sure of that when he dumped my a*s and walked away.

"You don't get to tell me what to do," I snap before turning my full attention to the guy behind the long stretch of counter. The hunky bartender's gaze bounces cautiously between us.

I grit my teeth, hoping my ex-boyfriend will slink off and stop trying to c**k block me.

"Hey, Shane," Colton says. "How's the knee holding up?"

"It's better. Had surgery on it in May and have been rehabbing it ever since." He adds, "Pretty sure my football days are over."

"That sucks, man."

I press my lips together until they feel bloodless as Colton commiserates with my potential one-night stand. Although, the chances of that now occurring have dwindled into the single digits. Hunky bartender shrugs. "It is what it is."

"Truth," Colton agrees.

This is the point where I wonder if they'll take a moment of silence for Shane's knee.

Instead, the bartender slants a tentative look in my direction. "Is she with you?"

I open my mouth to tell him that I'm my own person and can answer that question for myself when Colton beats me to the punch.

"Yup."

Is he being serious right now?

We aren't together.

We will never be together again.

"Got it." Hunky bartender doesn't bother to spare me another glance. All flirty banter has now ceased. "One bottle of water coming right up."

My mouth hangs open. Before I can gather my wits, a bottle is placed in front of me and then he's moving on to greener pastures. Or, in his case, readily available one-night stands. All possibility of losing myself in him tonight have been blown to s**t by my ex. The big jerk. Anger bubbles up inside me like a geyser.

Who the hell does he think he is? He can't just saunter in and ruin all my plans for the evening. He wasn't even invited here! It's a struggle to keep all of my emotions in check. The last thing I want is to lose my s**t and create yet another spectacle. Been there, done that.

A few apartment residents still give me side eye when our paths cross in the lobby or elevator. I've now been dubbed the psycho chick who should be avoided at all costs.

When I finally have a thin veneer of civility in place, I growl, "What are you doing here?"

Colton shifts his stance, angling closer. Too close for comfort. "I came to see you."

"Why?" Why would he bother? Didn't I make myself perfectly clear the other day?

"I hate how things were the last time we ran into each other. I don't want it to be like that between us."

A gurgle of disbelief bubbles up in my throat as my eyes widen. "Did you really think it would be any different?"

Guilt flickers across his expression before he plows his fingers through his blond hair. "I don't know. Maybe I'd hoped that enough time had passed, and we could start over. Maybe even be friends."

You know what I think?

That he's lost his damn mind. A year isn't nearly enough time to dull the pain he carelessly inflicted. I had loved him with all my heart, and he'd stomped it to smithereens as if I hadn't meant anything to him. The truth is that I probably hadn't. Him settling down had been an experiment. An epic failure, at that.

Why bother pretending? So he can feel better about himself?

No, thanks.

Hard pass.

"You and I will never be friends." Needing distance between us, I take a hasty step away. I'm not usually one to retreat from a skirmish, but in this instance, it's all about self-preservation. I'm making a tactical decision. The sooner I get away from Colton, the better off I'll be. The sight of him dredges up unwanted emotions inside me.

That's the last thing I need.

Just as a breath of relief slips from me, Colton's hand shoots out. His fingers wrap around my forearm, halting me in my tracks, making escape impossible. His touch sends a jolt of electricity sizzling through my veins.

There used to be a time when I melted beneath his hands. Honestly, all he had to do was flick those gorgeous blue eyes my way and my insides turned to jelly. It takes every ounce of resolve to fight the attraction and remain strong. Even though I'm trembling inside, I'll be damned if I give him the satisfaction of seeing how easily he's able to affect me.

Still.

Still!

It's disheartening.

Colton's tongue darts out to moisten his lips and my core clenches in response. Do you have any idea the amount of pleasure he's capable of giving with that mouth? My guess is that he took the year I was gone to further hone those skills. That disturbing thought is like a bucket of frigid water dumped all over my libido.

"Lys, please?" He tilts his head, gaze boring into mine. "Can't we hash this out?" He tugs me closer, reeling me to him. "Maybe come to an understanding we can both live with?"

No.

Absolutely not.

After the way he threw our relationship away like dirty Kleenex, it's demoralizing to realize how much I still want him. I need to cut this off at the knees. I'm all too aware that conversation has the potential to lead to other things and I can't take a chance of getting sucked back into his orbit. "There's nothing for us to discuss. You broke up with me sophomore year." I throw in a careless shrug, wanting him to think that I'm indifferent. "We've both moved on."

If only that were true.

Emotion flares in his eyes. He pulls me so close that I have to crane my neck in order to meet his gaze. "You sure about that?" Tension ratches up in the air. "Because it kind of feels like there might be unfinished business between us."

"There is absolutely nothing between us." I gulp down the rising emotion attempting to break loose. "You made damned sure of that."

A soft puff of breath leaves his lips as sorrow fills his eyes. "I'm sorry, Lys. I got scared and hurt the one person I shouldn't have."

No.

No, no, no.

I refuse to listen to his bullshit excuses. More than that, I won't allow him to burrow beneath my skin again. He had his chance, and he blew it. Spectacularly.

It takes all of my strength to twist out of his hold. Relief floods through me when his hand falls away, plummeting back to his side. Mindful that he could spring forward and detain me at any moment, I take a tentative step in retreat. When he remains still, eyes locked on me, I take another. And then a third. The more distance I'm able to put between us, the better I feel.

"It doesn't matter. None of it does." Even though my whispered words are drown out by the music and chatter that surrounds us, I know he hears them.

Before he can take up any more of my time, I swing away, shoving my way through the press of bodies. I need to get as far from Colton Montgomery as possible.

But will it be enough?

Somehow, I don't think so.