Chapter 7

CHAPTER

SEVEN

"You look like shit."

Colton took the cup of coffee from Tony's hand as his PR manager walked into the suite.

"Thanks." The words came out through gritted teeth.

It was all Colton could do to be polite when the only thing he wanted to do was put his fist through the wall. They were two hours until wheels up for the stunt. Tony and his team had already been in and out of the suite a dozen times, running around handling last-minute PR stuff.

That was normal—almost part of Colton's process. The more everyone buzzed around him before a stunt, the calmer and more focused he became. He preferred the chaos.

Tony had already warned Colton that it was pretty much a mob of fans down in the lobby area and not to go down there unless he wanted to take time to talk to them.

He didn't. He didn't want to talk to anybody.

He shouldn't feel betrayed that he'd woken up to find Ella gone after their lovemaking. He'd had plenty of casual encounters with women over the years. Sometimes when the sex was over, it was just… over . With a hug and a kiss, Colton was gone. No promises asked; none given .

Hell, he made it a normal practice of going to women's places rather than having them come to his, for multiple reasons. He wanted them to feel safer and more comfortable. But also, because he wanted to have as much control over egress as possible—easier for him to leave than to make someone else go.

He always tried to be respectful of women, even his casual rendezvous. Just because he wouldn't be having a relationship with someone didn't mean that person didn't deserve consideration.

And hell, more than once, he'd left an encounter with a woman very clear that he hadn't been much more than a trophy for her. Something she could brag about to her friends.

He had not even considered that would be the case with Ella. Maybe Lincoln had been wrong and she didn't have a crush on him at all. Maybe she'd just wanted to have this notch in her belt.

What was truly surprising was how disappointing that was.

He'd been telling the God's honest truth when he said he was perfectly fine just talking last night. Hell, he would've been more delighted spending a night talking and laughing with Ella than all sorts of sexual gymnastics with a stranger whose name he wouldn't remember in a couple weeks' time anyway.

He hadn't expected sex, but he certainly hadn't been disappointed when things had gone that way.

Who was he kidding? His mind had been damned near blown by the chemistry between them. He'd definitely planned for a round two. And maybe a three, four, and five.

Only to reach for her after he'd woken up to find their encounter obviously hadn't meant anything to her at all.

He had to stop himself from crushing the coffee cup in his hand.

Tony walked back over to him after talking to a few members of the team. "Hell, Colton, we're going to have to put some fucking makeup on you. Nobody wants to see their favorite action hero looking like he's just coming off a three-day bender."

Colton rolled his eyes. "Pretty sure I'm wearing a helmet, so I don't think we have to worry about that."

But Tony was right. He did look like shit .

He didn't care.

Tony was wise enough not to argue the point and returned to his team. Colton didn't get testy very often, but when he did, his crew knew to give him some space.

Colton nearly growled when there was another knock on the door. There were too many fucking people in here already. Tony shot him a wary look and answered it.

"Enter at your own risk," Colton heard Tony mutter.

Bear just chuckled and walked directly over to Colton. "You look like shit."

"So everyone keeps telling me."

Bear's grin didn't falter. "What's the matter, asshole. Nervous?"

Colton took a sip of coffee, forcing it down even though it was lukewarm. He poured the rest into the sink. "Can I ask you a question?"

"As long as it has nothing to do with the trajectory of that mountain you're about to go down. I know nothing about that."

"What do you know about Ella O'Conner?"

Bear blinked like he couldn't quite understand the question. "The woman we've both known since we were in diapers? What do you think I know about her that you don't?"

"I don't know. I just…" He scrubbed a hand down his face. What info was he trying to get from Bear, exactly? He didn't want to explain what happened with Ella.

"I saw you talking to her last night. Good for you."

"Does she… talk with a lot of guys, do you know?"

"Pretty sure Ella is particularly interested in talking to just you." Bear's eyes narrowed. "Did something happen?"

Yeah, I finally felt like I really connected to a woman, with bonus points because she's someone I've known for years. We had ridiculously fabulous sex, but then she snuck out while I was sleeping, and now, I'm pissed.

"Lincoln mentioned she had a crush on me."

Bear raised an eyebrow. "You weren't aware?"

"Were you? "

"I think the whole town of Oak Creek has been aware of it for some time."

Colton shook his head. "Well, the whole town of Oak Creek may have been mistaken."

"What makes you say that? Something did happen last night, didn't it?"

This definitely wasn't the time to get into it. Maybe in a decade or two. "No. She just let me know in no uncertain terms that she wasn't interested in anything real with me. Let's just leave it at that."

For a moment, Bear looked like he was going to argue the point, then he glanced around before leaning back against the kitchen counter and crossing his arms over his chest.

"So, is this stunt of yours still going down in a couple hours?"

Colton nodded. "Of course. Why wouldn't it?"

"I'm no expert at stunts, but I am your best friend. Either get your head in the game, or call this thing quits and reschedule. What you're doing today is too dangerous to be thinking about a woman. Even someone as amazing as Ella—for good or bad reasons."

"I'm fine." And even if he wasn't, he wouldn't let the situation affect what he was doing today.

Bear took the slightest step closer. "You may be fine, but look around you—your entire team is feeding off your energy, and not in a good way. This stunt is dangerous for you, but it's also dangerous for them. You need to be the leader they need right now."

The words were soft enough that nobody else could hear them, but Colton knew his friend spoke the truth. Shit. "Yeah, you're right. I'll pull it together."

"Good, because I just talked to my brother, and he says that conditions are damn near perfect out there for the stunt today. He can't wait."

Colton pushed off from the kitchenette counter. "You hear that, everyone? Our helo pilot says that it's looking right as rain out there. Or snow, as is the case. Who's ready to give everyone the show of a lifetime? "

Cheers erupted throughout the suite, and the tension was broken. Bear had been right—Colton had been bringing the team way down, and he hadn't even realized it.

He looked over at his friend. "Anybody ever tell you you're pretty fucking smart?"

Bear blew a kiss at him. "Every damn day."

Colton actually had already talked to Derek twice this morning and knew about the weather conditions. Yes, he was upset about what had happened with Ella, but he wasn't so far up his own ass that he was willing to risk his life over it. He was still taking the stunt seriously. And it was now time to give it his undivided attention.

Disappointment that the first woman he'd felt a real connection with in a long time didn't feel the same would have to wait. No more thoughts about her soft curves or those sexy-as-fuck sighs she'd made.

Now was time for the stunt only.

The weather was perfect. All equipment had already been double-checked. The team was ready and itching to get going.

All that was left to do now was to go out there and do what Colton Harrison did best:

Cheat death.