Charming Colton Read online

  I cut him off again. “Dating is a strong word. We’re friends. We…scene together at the club. We’ve had coffee and a few drinks outside of the club.”

  “Oh.” He looks a bit shocked.

  I smirk. “You don’t think men and women can be friends?” I joke.

  He chuckles again. “You really want my opinion on that issue?”

  I pull my legs up and wrap my arms around my shins, leaning my chin on my knees. I feel less angry now that I’ve eaten. “Sure. Why not?”

  His smile melts me as he stares at me before answering. “I think women think they have male friends. But most men are not on the same page. They just play along. But even if you’re right, even if some men can be friends with women, Owen doesn’t think you’re a friend.”

  I wince. “It’s unnerving enough to realize you’ve kept such close tabs on me that you know who I spend my time with, but how the hell have you been close enough to know what Owen thinks about me?”

  He shrugs. “I can’t know for sure, obviously. Just a hunch.”

  “But your hunches tend to save lives,” I point out and then stiffen as I drop my knees and plant my feet on the floor. “Is Owen a suspect?”

  He cringes a bit. “Suspect is a strong word.” He uses my own words.

  I roll my eyes. “Jesus. You think Owen might be planning to kidnap me?” I shake my head. “No way. He’s a super nice guy. I don’t believe it for a minute.” I glance away, remembering that Leah doesn’t really care for Owen. Shit.

  “Look, I have no idea. I’m not ruling anyone out.”

  “What about the guy you think is following me? Is it Owen?”

  “No. This guy is larger. Built. Stocky.”

  No way he can mistake the stalker for Owen then. Owen is slender.

  “I do think it’s possible whoever is keeping tabs on you has infiltrated the club. It’s logical. Maybe he or she isn’t the kidnapper, but someone positioned to watch you. I can’t know for sure.”

  I can’t process all this. It’s overwhelming.

  “I’m just saying, I don’t want to disrupt your life. I’ll try to stay out of your way. If you want to have coffee with Owen, go ahead.”

  “And you’ll what? Sit with us like a bodyguard?”

  He shakes his head. “No. I’d stand discreetly outside.”

  I groan. “And after you visit the club Friday night, you think he’s not going to recognize you?”

  Colt rubs his hands on his thighs. “I can be as discreet as you need me to be, Eve. I can even be disguised. Owen won’t know I’m around.”

  I sigh. “I don’t like lying to people. I’d rather not go anywhere until this is over anyway. I’m freaked out. Work. The club. That’s it. And honestly, I’m leery about the club.”

  “I promise you’ll be safe there.”

  I glare at him. “Safety isn’t my concern inside the club.”

  “Okay. What is?”

  “There’s not a chance in hell I can relax and be myself with a bodyguard lurking around.” I’m really starting to hate this arrangement. This man is going to put the kibosh on every aspect of my little space.

  “Let’s see how it goes with Davis and Britney tomorrow night. Maybe you’ll feel more comfortable after I have some exposure to BDSM.”

  I shake my head. “You have no idea what you’re about to experience, Colt. Not even close. Whatever porn you’ve watched that makes you think you know everything about the fetish world has seriously misled you. Trust me.”

  “Okay. I won’t deny you have a right to be apprehensive, but give me a chance. I don’t want you to change your routine. If there’s a possibility Owen is involved or even whoever is following you, they might act sooner than planned if they think you’re behaving out of the ordinary.”

  “Fine.” I push to standing. “Are we done here? I need some time alone.”

  “Yes.”

  “Guest room is the first door on the right. Guest bath is on the left. There are clean sheets and towels. Do you need anything else?”

  “Nope. I’ll be fine.”

  “Good. I’ll see you in the morning then.” I flee the room without another word. The man confuses me. I don’t want to talk to him anymore. He’s charming and funny and endearing and sexy and so very much not a Daddy. Right?

  Chapter 6

  Colton

  * * *

  I watch Evelyn, Eve, leave the room as though it were on fire.

  She’s an enigma. That’s for sure.

  The Eve I’ve been following does not give off any vibe that she likes to pretend to be a child. She’s professional, well-dressed, and completely put together from head to toe.

  The Eve who spent the last hour with me was transformed. I get the feeling she hasn’t let her hair down quite as much as she would have liked to if she were alone, but she did make me do a double take.

  I can’t totally fathom what it means to be a little, but I’m trying. Does she slide into that role here at home when she’s alone or is it something she does only at the club?

  Shocking me further, the thought of that gorgeous woman fully relaxing, even if it’s to pretend to be younger, is oddly appealing. I’d like to see it. I got a glimpse, but it wasn’t enough.

  I actually feel kind of empty now that she’s left the room. As I head for the guest room to drop my bag on the bed, I hear the bath running in the master bathroom. Good, she’s taking a bath. That will relax her. And I’ll try not to wonder what she looks like when she’s leaning back under the bubbles.

  I hate that I wanted to fist pump when she told me she and Owen were just friends. I wasn’t kidding about Owen. No way does he agree with her. Either that or he’s incredibly good at grooming the women he lures in before selling them.

  In all honesty, Owen is not an incredibly likely suspect for several reasons. One, he has been openly carrying on a relationship with Eve—romantic or otherwise. He would be questioned if she ever disappeared. A lot of people know he’s been seeing her. Everyone at the club.

  Two, if this was his usual MO, other disappearances would be associated with him too. They aren’t. I’ve pulled every detail about Owen Karplus. Graduated from the University of Seattle, bought this bar from the previous owner five years ago, up to his eyeballs in debt. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. But I don’t want to spend much time dwelling on him. He’s that unlikely.

  I also don’t want Eve to change her plans from seeing him because, like I told her, I’d rather she not break from her usual routine.

  Eventually, we will have a problem on our hands. I get that. She’ll need to explain my presence in her life. She might even need to pretend she’s dating me at some point, but we’ll cross that bridge later. She’s not going to like the idea.

  I grab my toiletry kit and head to the guest bath to brush my teeth and use the toilet. Back in the guest room, I only shut the door long enough to change into flannel pants. I consider putting on a T-shirt just in case I run into Eve in the hallway but decide against it. Even the pants are more than I prefer to wear to bed.

  I open the door before pulling the covers back and dropping onto the bed with a heavy sigh. This is one of the weirder assignments I’ve been on in a long while. I’ve done some crazy things undercover, but I don’t usually move in with women to protect them.

  I cringe as I remember Eve’s frustration about being used as bait. To an extent, she was right. If I really wanted to keep her as safe as possible, I could put her in protective custody. I need her to be safe, but I also need to catch the assholes who are trafficking women.

  The apartment goes silent after a while, and I close my eyes, though sleep is not going to come quickly. My mind is racing. I want to know more about the mysterious woman in the other room. I’m drawn to her.

  I hate that she’s embarrassed to share her kink. I don’t fully understand it, but I will not let myself flinch or judge her in any way. Everyone deserves to enjoy life to the fullest, no matter what that might loo
k like for them.

  The concept of pretending to be little eludes me. I can’t wrap my head around it. Does she dress young? Talk in baby talk? Play with toys?

  Based on the contents of her fridge, I know she eats strange things. I tried not to dwell on what I saw or stare very long, but the woman has juice boxes, cheese sticks, and sliced apples in her fridge. To name a few things. What stands out more is what she doesn’t have.

  What on earth does she mean that she drinks soda and coffee but not at home? Though she told me where the coffee maker is, I wonder if she has actual coffee to put in it. Guess I’ll find out when I rummage in the morning.

  Tomorrow I will watch her like a hawk when she leaves for work. I really want to know who is also watching her. It makes my skin crawl. Is there any chance I’m mistaken? Doubt it. My gut tells me the larger man in the ballcap who walks away from the curb when she leaves the parking garage is stalking her.

  I need to catch him. Hell, I need to get a picture and have my boss run him through facial recognition software. That’s going to be my primary goal for a while.

  It takes forever for me to fall asleep, and seems to last only five minutes before a scream yanks me fully awake. I jump to my feet, yank my weapon from the outside pocket of my bag, and rush toward Eve’s bedroom. I doubt I’m going to need to shoot anyone, but instinct forces me to be prepared.

  I don’t even knock before I yank her door open, keeping my gun at my side. A glance around tells me she’s alone. My heart is racing as I realize she’s probably had a nightmare.

  She’s breathing heavily as her gaze comes to me. The bathroom light is on, the door ajar, bathing the room in enough light to see clearly.

  “You okay?” I ask as I approach. I try to keep the weapon out of sight, but she sees it and her breath hitches.

  “You have a gun.”

  I set it on the bedside table as far away from her as possible. “Yeah, it’s part of the job description.” I try to sound light. I’m unable to resist stroking her cheek as she tips her head back and looks up at me with her doe eyes. Her hair is a tousled wavy mess that looks sexy as hell. I force myself not to smooth it from her face. That would be far too intimate. “Bad dream?”

  She shrugs. “I don’t remember.”

  The blankets have dropped to her waist, and my gaze wanders to the tight pink tank top she’s wearing. The outline of her breasts is obvious, her pert nipples standing out. They’re just the right size. Not huge, but not small either.

  When I realize I’m still cupping her cheek, I release her. “I’ll let you get back to sleep.” I start to reach for my weapon, but she grabs my wrist, making me look back at her.

  She licks her lips. “Remember when I joked about you sleeping in my bed?”

  I nod slowly. No. No no no no no.

  “Would you? Please? I can’t relax. I’m scared.”

  I nod again because what the hell else am I going to do. Without a word, I snag the gun, take it with me to the other side of her bed, and drop it on that nightstand instead. Afterward, I lower myself onto the bed, on top of the covers, not touching her. I’m flat on my back when I turn my gaze her way. “Better?”

  “Yes. Thank you.” She slides back under the covers, curling onto her side, facing me. When she reaches out a hand to rummage under the blankets, I stiffen, uncertain what she’s doing. But a moment later, her hand lands on the slight bulge under the covers between us, and she tugs something to her chest.

  I catch a glimpse of white fur and something colorful. A rainbow? Oh, yeah. A unicorn horn. I can’t help but smile as Eve settles down next to me. Her eyes are closed and she burrows deeper. She smells like vanilla, which must have been her soap or lotion.

  I want to reach over, drag her into my arms, turn her to her other side, and spoon her. She wants to be comforted. I could do that. But I won’t. Good God. Of course not. I’m not here to hold this woman while she sleeps. I’m here to protect her.

  Suddenly, I remember what Davis said yesterday when I spoke to him. About Eve looking much younger and innocent under the professional façade. Now I know what he meant and why he’s seen her like this. If she attends the club as a little, everyone at Surrender sees her as innocent and young.

  I swipe a hand over my face and sigh louder than I mean to.

  “I’m sorry,” she murmurs without looking at me. “You don’t have to stay if you don’t want. I’m being ridiculous. It’s improper of me to ask you to stay in my bed.”

  I roll onto my side, facing her, and reach for her to follow my earlier instinct, easing a lock of hair from her forehead. “It’s fine,” I whisper, my voice sounding more gravelly than I expected. “I’ll be right here. Sleep, Evelyn.”

  Her breath hitches.

  “Shit. Sorry. I forgot. Eve.”

  She shakes her head, still not tipping back to look at me. Her face is halfway under the covers anyway. “I don’t mind,” she murmurs.

  I’m not sure what to make of her response. She’d been so adamant earlier.

  I can’t stop touching her, mostly because it’s calming her. Her breathing slows down as I stroke her forehead and then slide my hand down to her shoulder. An odd protective instinct rises in me. She’s not like any woman I’ve ever dated. In fact, she’s not even like the woman I met earlier this evening in the club, nor is she like the woman I’ve been following for two weeks. The one who looks like nothing would ever rile her up. The professional version of Eve in the pencil skirts and heels. The one who must make everyone she encounters at work nervous.

  This is another Eve. Her little? Seems reasonable. In which case, I know I’m cramping her style for sure. She obviously likes to drop her adult self at the door when she gets home and unwind in a different kind of mindset.

  It’s…cute. In no way am I taken aback. In fact, she’s bringing out a protective instinct in me. I vow once again to be open-minded no matter what I learn about her in the coming days. The last thing I want to do is hurt her feelings or insinuate she’s not exactly perfect the way she is.

  I don’t know when I fall asleep, but the next thing I know, I’m on my back and my arm is around Eve’s shoulders. She is snuggled up against me, her cheek in the crook of my arm. She’s dead asleep and I don’t have the heart to dislodge her.

  I’m smiling as I fall back into slumber.

  Chapter 7

  Colton

  * * *

  I awake slowly to the smell of coffee, wondering how that’s possible since I obviously am not up yet to make it. It’s not until I open my eyes that I remember where I am and startle.

  Eve is sitting on the edge of the bed on my side. She’s dressed for the day in another high-power, chew-them-up-and-spit-them-out outfit. And bless her, but she’s holding a mug of coffee.

  I push myself to sitting and glance at the clock on her side of the bed. “Shit,” I mutter, wondering how the hell I slept this late, including through her getting ready which surely happened all around me. “Sorry. I never sleep this late.”

  She smiles and hands me the coffee. “I figured.”

  I take the warm mug and blow on the edge before taking a sip. “Mmm. Bless you. I wasn’t sure you even had coffee in the apartment.”

  “I do. It’s in a drawer next to the stove.”

  “But you don’t drink coffee…” I’m trying to remember her exact words from last night.

  “I drink coffee. Two cups every morning. After I get to the office.”

  “I’d never make it to the office, or the shower for that matter, until I’ve had at least half of the first one.”

  She shrugs.

  “Give me ten minutes to shower and get ready?”

  “You have plenty of time. No rush. Oh, and you might want to use my bathroom. The shower head in the guest bathroom is so low you’ll have to duck. Mine is higher, more powerful, and larger.”

  “Okay. Thank you.”

  She stands and heads across the room, talking over her shoulder. “I’ll ju
st grab my lipstick and get out of your way.”

  Damn, she is totally ready. Makeup. Hair in that bun again. Fucking legs that go on for days in those heels. Her ass makes my cock hard, tenting the front of my flannel pants. I jerk my gaze back to the coffee, willing my dick to stand down.

  Who the hell is this woman and who was the woman who slept with a stuffed unicorn and snuggled up against me?

  Eve leaves the room, shutting the door behind her. When I tug back the covers, I find the unicorn deep under them. I smile. It’s indeed a fluffy white ball of soft fur with a rainbow horn. If I found this in any other woman’s bed, I’d be concerned, but the version of Eve who slept with that stuffed animal was adorable, so I’m not going to judge her.

  I’m ready as promised in ten minutes, having used Eve’s shower then switched to the other bathroom to shave and brush my teeth. Standing at her vanity and spreading my things out in her space seems too intimate.

  Eve bustles around the apartment doing I have no idea what until the moment it’s time to leave. That’s when she takes a deep breath and meets my gaze. “Kinda freaking-out here,” she declares.

  I slide my hand up her arm to her shoulder—knowing every second that I shouldn’t have touched her. “You’ll be fine. I’ll walk you all the way to your car and make sure you are in safe and the doors are locked before I go get mine. When you pull out of the garage, I’ll be on your heels.”

  She nods. “Okay.”

  “When we get to your office, I’ll wait in my car until I see you go safely inside. Got it?”

  “Yes.” She nods definitively. “I’ll be fine.” She repeats my words.

  “You will.” God, I hope so.

  I do exactly as I’ve explained and follow her in my car until she’s safely at work. Only then do I breathe easier. I don’t pull away just yet. Instead, I scan the area for a while, watching for the man I’ve seen outside her apartment. So far, I’ve only seen him on foot. I’m hoping to catch him in a vehicle eventually.