Filthy Beautiful Lies(#1#2)

SophieText property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I saunter toward the bed wearing only a pair of panties. Call me crazy, but there’s something I love about knowing that I tempt him, but he won’t act on it yet – for whatever reason.

But rather than watching me from the bed, like I expected, Colton’s staring down at his phone.

He’s frowning. And considering how hard I just made him come, I’m clueless about his foul mood.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, crawling up onto the big bed beside him.

He sets down his phone and his eyes lift to mine. “One of my stocks is tanking,” he says.

He’s lying. He wasn’t checking his stock performance. Before the screen went dark on his smart phone, I could see that he was texting with someone, his fingers flying over the keys as anger boiled up inside of him.

I let it go. Whoever it was, it’s not something he wants to talk about with me, and considering the progress we’re making, I don’t want to ruin it. Of course I’m undeniably curious about his past, but for now, I have to accept the pieces of himself he’s willing to share.

Colton

“I need to go to New York – take care of some things,” I say to Pace in between reps.

I move away from the bench and wipe my brow with my towel. Pace takes a seat, gripping the bar with a confused look on his face. “Tell me this has nothing to do with seeing Stella.”

“We both know I need to take care of this mess between us. This has dragged on way too fucking long.”

“It’s a bad idea, Colton. You never had any restraint where she was concerned. I just don’t want to see you dragged back into something you worked so hard to untangle yourself from.”

He’s wrong about one thing – I’ve never untangled myself. “That’s what this trip is about – I promise you that. Closure. Once and for all.”

He lays back and I hand him the bench press bar. He pumps out fifteen reps, puffing out slow, even breaths. “And how many times over the past year have I heard that?”

He’s right. I had let her get to me – to suck me back in, but this time felt different. This time I have Sophie in my life. It might not be much, but I have something on the horizon with a beautiful, sweet girl. And my damn moral compass won’t let me pursue her the way I want until I’m free of the mega-beast.

We move onto squats, but he’s still eyeing me curiously. “Are you taking Sophie with?”

“Fuck no. She doesn’t know anything about me and Stella, and I prefer it that way. I was actually going to ask if you’d stop over, keep an eye on her.”

“Don’t trust her alone in your house, huh?”

“No, nothing like that. I just don’t want her to get bored.” She’s working with Kylie now, but I know from experience evenings can be hard all alone in that big house.

“You got it, boss.” Pace grins at me, a goofy smile that instantly tells me all the ways he plans to entertain her. It makes me want to pummel him. Christ, I need to get my head on straight. I just need to get through this unpleasant task in New York … then I figure things out with Sophie.