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Too soon they arrived at the grocery store. Milo usually liked going to work to get away from his uncle. But now he sat there wishing he could stay with Colt for a few more hours.
“Let me drive you home after work. You shouldn’t be walking those back roads.” Colt’s gaze made butterflies erupt in Milo’s stomach. The thick lashes only made his eyes appear more seductive.
Shoving those thoughts aside, Milo concentrated on Colt’s offer. He didn’t want Colt to see the sad state of his house. He also didn’t want Eric knowing about Colt. His uncle didn’t care that Milo was gay, but he had a tendency to embarrass his nephew in front of others.
“My coworker gives me a ride home,” Milo lied. “I’ll see you Tuesday.”
He reached for the handle as Colt said, “Call or text me when you get home so I know you made it.”
With a nod, Milo jumped out and headed inside the store.
Chapter Four
Sunday night and Monday morning Milo and Colt had exchanged numerous texts. Every time Colt’s phone chimed, he’d grabbed it to see what Milo had sent him.
He’d never been eager to receive a text in the past, but now Colt looked forward to reading everything his mate sent him. Then Monday evening, nothing. Milo hadn’t sent a single text. When Colt tried to call, it had gone straight to voicemail.
Being away from his mate for two days had killed him and made his wolf snarl, but Colt kept telling himself that Milo had probably fallen asleep after a hard day’s work. Unfortunately, the longer the silence dragged on, the more doubt and anxiety crept into Colt’s mind. He tried to push it away, but that feeling he’d had since childhood of not being good enough to be loved by anyone dug its claws into him. Was Milo really asleep, or had he finally realized that Colt wasn’t worth his time? The fear of rejection and insecurity battled against the hope that had blossomed inside Colt when he was with his mate.
That was any preternatural being’s worst fear. Their mate rejecting them. Compound that with Colt’s lack of self-worth and it was a recipe for spiraling into darkness.
“Pull your shit together,” he murmured to himself. “Don’t let those thoughts control you.”
Although they hadn’t set a time, Colt was parked in front of the diner, waiting and watching for his mate, wondering if Milo would even show. If his mate couldn’t make it, why hadn’t he texted Colt to tell him he wasn’t coming? When they’d met on Sunday morning, in his opinion, they’d had a good time. Milo hadn’t acted as if he was put off by anything Colt had said or done. His mate’s texts and been sweet and funny, making Colt constantly smile.
“Stop overthinking things,” he said to himself. “He’s not rejecting you. He just got caught up in something and wasn’t able to contact you.”
Too bad Colt wasn’t convinced. His mind kept going back to that comment he’d made about his mom to Milo the night of the reception. But if that had scared his mate, the guy wouldn’t have given Colt his number.
He tried to call Milo again, but the call went to voicemail. Snarling, he tossed his phone onto the passenger seat. After the shit Colt had done when he’d fled from home, he would deserve his mate ghosting him.
Those first twenty years had been an especially dark time. Colt had done some things he wished he could take back, fucked over people who hadn’t deserved it. He’d gambled, drank, fought, and spewed hatred and misery everywhere he’d gone, unable to break free of the chaos inside his head.
It was as if his life had been cursed from the womb, and Colt couldn’t understand why. He didn’t believe in reincarnation, but maybe he’d been the worst piece of scum in a past life and he was paying for it in this one.
All he wanted to do was see Milo, to talk to his mate, to hear his voice again. Colt scrubbed his hands over his face, and then watched the people on the street as he wondered where Milo was.
Maybe fate had decided Colt should spend the rest of his long life alone and that Milo was dodging a bullet by kicking him to the curb.
When his phone chimed, Colt snatched it off the seat, nearly dropping it as he checked his messages.
It wasn’t Milo.
It was Hayley. Clearly, he hadn’t taken Colt seriously when Colt had ended things.
Tossing his phone aside, he didn’t even bother to read the text. Hayley wasn’t who Colt wanted to hear from. He honestly wished the guy would leave him alone.
When three o’clock rolled around and his mate still hadn’t shown up at the diner, Colt started the engine and drove home. He should have at least followed Milo home Sunday night so he knew where the guy lived, but that had felt too damn creepy, and he’d been determined to respect Milo’s boundaries.
Colt wasn’t trying to turn into a stalker. That was some shit Hayley would have done. Colt had told himself that he would see him on Tuesday, but that hadn’t happened.
After parking behind the house, Colt stormed into the kitchen, his mood so foul that he didn’t need to be around anyone right now. The last thing he needed to see was Kellen and Atlas making out. Atlas was sitting on the edge of the island, his legs wrapped around his mate as they deep throated each other’s tongues. It was a glaring reminder that Colt’s world felt like it was crashing down around him.
“Keep that shit in the bedroom,” Colt snarled as he grabbed a bottle of water then slammed the fridge door. “I don’t want to use the same counter his ass has been on.”
Kellen growled as he pulled away from Atlas. “Disrespect my mate like that again and—”
“What?” Colt held his arms out wide, unable to rein in the all-consuming pain that was eating him alive. “You’ll beat my ass? I’m not feeling very nostalgic right now.”
