11. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

RILEY

C olton's hand was a comforting warmth around mine as we walked hand and hand around Oakville's ‘downtown' Sunday morning. It felt like people had paid more attention to us at Daisy's Diner than their own meals while we ate brunch. Colton had apologized when we sat down but there was no avoiding it. Welcome to small town living. Plus, he hadn't made it to the grocery store this weekend as I had surprised him. In fact, we barely left the bed all weekend we had been so immersed in each other.

Colton squeezed my hand and I looked up at him. He smiled softly at me and my stomach fluttered. I wasn't the swoony type but Colton had been nothing short of perfect this weekend. Even the ache between my legs was perfect although I held in a slight wince as we stepped off a curb.

"Maybe we should skip hiking this afternoon," Colton suggested, concern furrowing his brows. I wasn't used to someone paying this close attention to me. I didn't know what to do with these new feelings .

I rolled my eyes. "I'll be fine. I'm not the first woman to be sore from sex and I want to see more of the area."

Colton tugged me closer so he could wrap an arm around my waist. "I know you're not, but you're my girlfriend. Worrying about you is part of the job description."

I blushed but didn't have a response. We hadn't had an official conversation about labels but Colton had started calling me his girlfriend and I didn't hate it. So that was something. It still felt like a dream sometimes. Like he was a dream, or a figment of my imagination. He was definitely a man written by a woman, that was for sure.

"I'll be fine though, seriously. You said the hike was easy." There were two trailheads that we could take to get to the waterfalls at the lake. One was a more strenuous six mile hike but the other was an easier two mile hike.

Colton led us into the corner grocery store. We grabbed a few snacks for the hike and he grabbed the groceries he was going to need for the week. We rounded one of the aisles and ran into a familiar face.

"Hey Justin," I greeted, Colton still turning the corner behind me.

Justin looked up from placing a box of pasta in his cart. "Colton, Isl– Riley. Doing some grocery shopping?"

Colton slung an arm around my shoulders. "We are. We're headed out to the lake later to hike to the falls."

"That sounds fun," Justin said. His tone almost seemed wistful. I knew from my conversations with Colton over the last few weeks that he and Justin usually hung out every weekend but since I was here, I was throwing a wrench into their plans and I felt a little guilty.

"You should come with us," I offered.

Justin's eyes widened and he looked at Colton. "No, you two should spend time together. "

"I insist," I said firmly. "I know I'm getting in the way of guy time this weekend."

"You're not getting in the way of anything," Colton said slowly. "But if you're good with it, Justin, you should come."

Colton and Justin exchanged a long look, speaking a secret language with their eyes before Justin nodded.

"Okay, you're going to Cumberland?"

Colton nodded. "At one."

"We'll pick you up." I said before Justin could offer to drive separately. I appreciated he was trying to respect our time together but I didn't want to come between the two of them. Well, at least not that way… Stop it . I scolded my brain. I had read one too many romance books lately.

"Besides," I added. "I need to start hearing some of those stories. Colton's a little perfect and I'm beginning to think he's a very good robot." I said this last part in a stage whisper and the corners of Justin's eyes crinkled.

"He is pretty perfect," Justin agreed solemnly, a twinkle in his eyes. "But I think I have some stories. Starting in the third grade…"

"Alright, that's enough of that," Colton cut in but he was grinning. "You two will have plenty of time to gang up on me later. We'll pick you up at one."

Colton ushered me down the aisle and I laughed. I turned my head over my shoulder and saw Justin staring at me with a strange look on his face. I winked at him just as we turned the corner and I saw a smile on his face right as we turned the corner. By the time we finished in the dairy section, Justin was gone.

"Thank you," Colton said softly as we got the groceries stowed in the back seat of his truck.

"For what?" I asked, taking his hand as he helped me into the front seat. I needed a freakin step ladder for this thing.

"For inviting him. If you don't want to…"

I placed a finger on his lips to get him to stop talking. "I meant it when I invited him. You two are best friends. I don't want to come between that."

Colton's eyes softened and his lips curled into a grin under my finger. "You're pretty perfect too, did you know that?"

I rolled my eyes. "Not even close."

"Well, I disagree. And as a good boyfriend, it's my job to convince you." He pressed a sweet kiss to my lips and we headed back to his house to pack.

I insisted the dogs come with us as well after learning they loved hiking and the smile on Colton's face had me both wanting to melt and to hide. I got the feeling that his past girlfriends maybe didn't like his dogs that much. I couldn't picture Doris liking the exuberant Maggie or the silent shadow Rex but I loved them. I had a dog in college, Stella, who got me through my twenties. She sadly passed away four years ago and I hadn't gotten a dog since.

When we arrived at Justin's house, I hopped out and crawled into the back seat while Colton went to knock on Justin's door. He lived in a duplex a few streets over with neatly trimmed bushes under the bright yellow shutters. It wasn't the house I pictured the dark bad boy living in but I shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Well that was a lie, I judged a lot of actual books by their covers but you get the expression.

The dogs showered me in love as I got myself buckled into the back middle seat. Rex plopped down in the seat next to me, laying his big head in my lap as Maggie alternated between shoving herself into my side and looking for Colton. The guys came down the pathway together and I admired the two of them side by side. Colton was in a white shirt and tan cargo shorts, his blond hair shining in the sun. Justin was in a black shirt and black cargo shorts. Justin was only an inch or two shorter than Colton but Colton's broad shoulders dwarfed Justin's more slender frame. It was like day and night, ying and yang, and I could see how well they fit together .

Justin opened the back door and his eyes widened when he saw me sitting there. "Riley, you can sit in the front," he said, frowning.

Colton opened the driver's door and nodded when he heard Justin's words. "That's okay," I said. "You have longer legs than me and besides, I get doggie cuddles if I sit back here." To punctuate my statement, Maggie licked my chin and I laughed.

Justin waited a beat longer as if he was making sure I was really sure and I nodded. He gently shut the door and opened the passenger door instead.

"So Colton said you all go to the lake a lot in the summer?" I asked as we started driving.

Justin nodded, twisting slightly in his seat so he could see me better. "We do. Did Colton tell you about our boat?"

"He did. He said you all were getting it out soon?"

"We are. Cumberland is a nice lake and Laurel Lake isn't too far either."

"Riley's somewhat of a lake expert," Colton said and Justin arched an eyebrow.

I laughed and shook my head, scratching behind Rex's ears. "I wouldn't say that. But I enjoy being out on the water. I'll have to see if what you guys call a lake is really a lake or just a large pond." I sniffed and lifted my chin but my voice was teasing.

Justin laughed. "Spoken like a true Minnesotan."

"You betcha," I said, exaggerating the accent and both men laughed. My core clenched. Fuck, that sound had no business being as sexy as it was. Individually both men were dangerous but together they were lethal.

The drive passed by quickly, the three of us falling into easy conversation. Justin was more reserved for sure, but he was starting to relax around me. When we got to the parking lot for the trail area, Maggie started whining and Rex sat up, his busy tail thumping at the door. I hopped out of the truck when Colton opened the door, grateful that I brought my tennis shoes on this trip. If hiking became a regular activity, then I would have to invest in some actual hiking shoes like the ones Justin wore.

Colton clipped leashes on both dogs and offered Rex's to me. Justin swung the second backpack Colton had brought up on his shoulders before I could, clipping a metal water bottle to the strap. He smirked at me and I smiled, shaking my head at him. If he wanted to carry the backpack, I wasn't going to fight him for it. "Do you have a water bottle?" His eyes narrowed on my empty hands

Colton reached into the truck and pulled the two water bottles out of the console and passed one to me. I took it but didn't take a drink out of it. Justin narrowed his eyes at me and I shook my finger at him. "Don't you start on me too. Colton's already nagged me about drinking water today."

"That's because you don't drink enough of it," Colton grumbled. "You cannot survive on coffee alone."

I sniffed. "Wanna bet?"

"Wanna bet Justin's going to take my side on this?" Colton challenged.

I met Justin's eyes and the dark intensity in them had me squirming on the inside. Justin screamed dominant energy. I had no personal experience with the BDSM community but I had done plenty of book research over the years for various projects. And I knew from my research that I definitely fell a bit on the brat scale. Okay, more than a bit. But he wasn't my dominant so I maturely stuck my tongue out at both of them.

Colton's own eyes darkened and he stepped closer, dropping his head next to mine. "Careful, baby girl."

I fought the shiver that arched down my spine but I wasn't successful and a small smile played on Colton's lips. I rolled my eyes but raised my water to my lips and took a small sip. "There. Happy?"

"Finish the bottle and then we'll talk." Justin said.

"Not you too," I groaned. "You're supposed to be on my side and telling me stories."

Justin grinned. "Who says I can't do both? "

I groaned again while Colton laughed but took pity on me, waving us ahead to the trailhead.

Rex padded at my side on the wide packed dirt trail, occasionally stopping to sniff. His leash manners were much better than Maggie's who tried to pull Colton from one side of the trail to the other.

The trail is two miles roundtrip and the scenery was beautiful. The sparkling water peeked at us from between the trees and the sunlight filtered softly between the green leaves.

The conversation flowed easily between the three of us and talking with Justin was just as easy as talking with Colton. It was clear that the two had been friends for a long time, finishing each other's sentences and stories but something niggled at me. Rex was sniffing a particularly interesting tree so I studied them from underneath the baseball cap Colton had lent me. Maybe I just hadn't been around best friends like them before but there was a comfortableness between them that flowed more smoothly than I had ever seen before in two friends. Their arms brushed each other as they stopped and waited for me and Rex. Their voices were quiet enough I couldn't hear them but whatever they were talking about had smiles on both of their faces as they stared at each other. They both seemed so different and yet so similar at the same time.

It wasn't long after that the sound of rushing water got louder. The trail opened up ahead and we were standing on a rocky outcropping with a perfect view of the falls. The falls were much larger than I was expecting. I guessed they had to be over one hundred feet wide and at least fifty feet tall. They formed a soft arch as the water roared over the rocks and into the gorge below.

"Wow," I breathed, impressed.

"Still gets me every time." Colton said, taking in the falls himself. "Come on, we can hike a bit closer."

We hiked down along the piles of rocks that lined either side of the falls until I could feel the cool mist on my face. We paused near the edge of the water .

"During a full moon," Justin's voice was loud to be heard over the rushing water, "It forms what's called a moonbow where you can see a rainbow in the mist. It's the only waterfall in the western hemisphere where you can see one regularly on the full moon."

"That's so cool," I said, turning my wide eyes to the waterfall. I imagined it being dark with only the moon to guide our way.

"It really is. You'll have to come for one of those and we can take the kayaks out."

From where I was standing, I could see Colton's eyebrows go up at Justin's offer. Did he not want to do that? Or was he surprised Justin was offering? I wasn't sure but I smiled warmly at Justin. "I would like that."

We hiked around the base of the falls a bit longer and let the dogs do their share of exploring before hiking back to the truck. Justin took a drink of water from his water bottle and eyed me meaningfully. I debated not drinking just to prove a point but I was thirsty so I crossed my eyes at him while I took a drink. He laughed but his eyes darkened so I wasn't sure if he was enjoying my sass or not. I should probably tone it down. Didn't want Colton's best friend thinking I was a spoiled brat.

When we dropped Justin off, Colton invited him to join us for dinner but Justin declined. "Enjoy your time together," he said, leaning against the door of the truck after he helped me into the front seat. "Drive safely tomorrow, Riley."

"I will," I promised. "Take care of Colton while I'm gone? And don't think you're getting out of telling me stories the next time I see you."

Justin laughed. "I'll remember that."

"See that you do," I teased him.

Colton grilled us steaks for dinner while I took a shower and changed into comfy clothes. I hesitated over my suitcase for a second before I snagged one of Colton's shirts out of his drawer. It was large and looked more like a t-shirt dress than a shirt but it smelled like him. And as much as I wanted to be a strong independent woman, I liked the way he smelled.

I could tell something was on Colton's mind but it wasn't until after dinner when we were snuggled up on the couch, that he spoke.

"This was good right? Like you had a good time?"

I shifted so I could lift my head off his chest and look at him. Where was this coming from? And more importantly, where was this going?

"I did," I said. "I had a great time."

"Good," his eyes were soft as he looked down at me. He pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead. "Do you think you would consider staying for longer next time? I know I said we could alternate but busy season for us is ramping up with the warmer weather approaching and I'm not sure I can leave the crew a man down."

I rested my cheek on his chest as I thought about it. I really didn't have a lot holding me in Minnesota. My parents lived five and a half hours away and my younger brother and I weren't really that close. The only friend I really had was Ryan and he worked for me. But at the same time, wasn't this all moving a little fast? I mean we were both adults but still, it felt fast. But he wasn't asking me to move in, just to stay a little longer.

"I think I could probably swing a week. Maybe two weeks if you don't get sick of me before then." I lifted my head back up so I could see his face.

"I don't think that's a possibility, baby girl, me getting sick of you."

"Never say never," I said lightly. I liked spending time with Colton. Well, I more than liked it. But this relationship thing was still very new to me. And a long-distance relationship was even newer.

"I'm pretty confident but I'll prove it to you." Colton promised. "Just let me know what you need. I'll have to work during the day but I know you're on a deadline as well. "

"I am," I said slowly. "I don't think I have any events for the rest of the month but I'll have to check my calendar."

"Check it and then let me know," he placed another kiss on my forehead. "And I'll pay for your next plane ticket."

"You don't have to do that."

"I want to," Colton was firm and I conceded.

"Okay," I said, laying my head back on his chest. He shifted so he could pull me closer and I enjoyed the sound of his heartbeat underneath my ear. We might not have all the answers yet, but it was beginning to feel like we were building something real. And that was terrifying.