The Girl Next Door
The Boy Next Door Chapter 31

On wooden legs, I force myself to the table and awkwardly take a seat on the chair. My fingers fidget restlessly in my lap. Colton returns with two glasses of red wine before offering me one. Once I have mine in hand, he raises his glass and offers a toast. "To new beginnings."

Another burst of nerves explode inside me. With stiff lips, I echo the sentiment and raise the glass to my mouth before gulping down at least half the contents. If this behavior continues, I will never make it through the night.

If he notices my unease, he refrains from commenting. Instead, he returns to the kitchen and brings out a colorful looking salad filled with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and croutons before doling out our servings. There's a bottle of Italian dressing already on the table. I pour just enough to give the greens taste. Normally, I try to eat carefully. What I've discovered over the years is that there is no way to hide a few extra pounds in a skintight leotard.

As much as I hate to admit it, if the dinner Colton made tastes half as good as it smells, I'll be going back for seconds. I haven't had this dish since I left for London. As delicious as the food was across the pond-hello, fish and chips with malted vinegar-I missed a few favorites.

And this was definitely one of them.

Colton keeps the conversation flowing, peppering me with questions about my study abroad program. As I finish off the salad, I lift my glass to take a sip and realize it's empty. He quickly refills it without asking. Oh God, I really shouldn't.

While I silently debate a second glass, Colton brings out the main dish along with a plate filled with buttery-looking garlic bread. It's become my nemesis because I love it so much. Carbs and dancing don't mix. Well, they do because they give you energy which is needed to dance. But processed carbs are a big no-no. That being said, it doesn't stop me from grabbing a slice oozing with butter and herbs and placing it on my plate along with the chicken dish he serves.

I haven't even taken a taste yet and already my mouth is salivating.

"Be honest, did you really cook all this?" I'm replaceing this scenario a little difficult to wrap my head around. The Colton I remember never went out of his way for a girl. The truth is that he didn't need to impress the female s*x, they chased after him regardless. All he had to do was sit back and soak up the adoration. And yeah, I was right there, in the thick of it all, vying for his attention. Even when we dated sophomore year, girls continued to hang on him. They propositioned him. Even now, I've seen for myself that his fan club has grown in size. So why is he bothering with this?

Why is he bothering with me?

"I did." His gaze stays locked on mine from across the table as he takes a sip of his wine.

Unable to hold the intensity of his gaze, mine drops to his lips as arousal explodes in my core where it settles uncomfortably. I shift on my chair. It does nothing to alleviate the growing tension.

"Lys."

I blink out of the daze and glance at him. What I replace smoldering in his blue depths only adds to the growing tension brewing inside me. I've had too much wine and not enough food. That has to be the problem.

As I reach for my fork, he extends his hand across the table, laying it over mine. Awareness crackles in the air between us. "I'm trying to be good here, Alyssa, but when you stare at me like that, it makes me think you want me as much as I want you. I'm trying to take this slow and prove that I'm not the same guy I was before." He pauses. "But you're making that awfully difficult."

All of the saliva in my mouth dries. I tell myself to look away but can't do it. Colton Montgomery is like the sun. And I replace myself pulled into his gravitational force even though I've done everything in my power to avoid it.

"Do you want a water to drink?"

"Yes, please." My voice comes out sounding more like a croak.

As soon as he disappears into the kitchen, I drag a hand over my face and order myself to pull it together. Barely do I get a chance to huff out a breath before he's returning and handing over a bottle. With trembling fingers, I twist the cap off and guzzle down half of the cold liquid. It does nothing to alleviate the fire burning inside. Any moment, I'll go up in flames and there's not a damn thing I can do about it.

How can I put Colton in my rearview mirror and move on with my life when he's doing everything possible to pull me back in again? This would be so much easier if he was the jackass who broke up with me in a text. He's trying to chip away at the walls I've erected and if I'm not careful, he'll smash right through them.

By the time I finish my chicken parmesan and set down my fork, I'm a jittery mess and sliding headfirst into a food coma. I need to get out of here before my resolve softens.

"Thanks for dinner." I wave a hand toward the table and my demolished plate. "This was amazing." Who knew that Colton Montgomery actually had mad culinary skills? If the word got out, he'd be even more of a hot commodity than he already is. "Thank you for agreeing to come over."

I jerk my head into a nod and rise from my chair. "I, ah, should-" go before anything happens.

With stealth-like grace, he pops to his feet. One step is all it takes to close the distance between us. "Don't go just yet. I have dessert."

I shake my head, tempted to make a mad dash for the door. "I couldn't possibly eat anything more. I'm stuffed."

"Fair enough." His fingers swallow up mine as he takes my hand. "How about we watch a movie, and we'll have dessert in a little bit?"

No way. That's a terrible idea.

He sweetens the deal by saying, "I'll even let you pick out the movie."

Say what now?

I hate to admit just how tempting the offer is simply because when we were together, I had to force Colton into watching a rom-com or anything sappy. I'm sure you can imagine what I had to promise in return...

I narrow my eyes, deciding to test the waters. "Amy Schumer has a new one out."

His jaw ticks as he sucks in a sharp breath before steadily releasing it back into the world. "Amy Schumer?"

My lips tremble at the corners. "That's right. I remember how much you enjoy her as an actress."

Even though he remains silent, I can see that he wants to argue with me about enjoying her movies. With any luck, he'll turn me down flat and I can scamper back to my place.

"Okay," he says with a shrug. "We'll watch it."

Well damn.

I glance at the couch and realize I've made a tactical error in judgment. Unfortunately, it's much too late to back out of it now. Plus, I've wanted to watch this movie and haven't had the time. School and dance have kept me busy which is good. Less time to dwell on Colton. I almost wince at that unchecked thought as it pops into my head.

Reluctantly I grab my bottle of water and beeline to the overstuffed chair in the corner while Colton runs the plates to the kitchen.

This seems like the safest option. I'll be an island onto myself. As I nestle onto the chair, I'm actually feeling pretty proud of my strategic maneuver. I've beat him at his own game, and I get to watch a movie I'm interested in. Seems like a win-win to me.

I keep my face carefully blank as he saunters into the living room. He'll be forced to sit on the couch all by his lonesome. I'm sure he wasn't expecting that.

Ha!

I'm tempted to crow-checkmate but keep my giddiness to myself.

Instead of heading to the couch like I expect, Colton stops in front of me. I'm about to ask what he's doing when he leans down, slides his arms around my body, and scoops me up. A yelp of surprise escapes from me as he settles on the chair before resituating so that I'm snuggled against him.

This is definitely not what I had in mind.

"Good choice." Humor simmers in his deep voice as he grabs the remote off of the small table beside him. Unsure what to do, I remain stiff as he cues up the movie.

And here I'd thought I had outsmarted him.

Turns out he's the one who outmaneuvered me.

"Relax," he whispers as the opening credits flash across the screen.

Yeah...easier said than done.

How can I relax when he's stretched out beneath me?