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He wasn’t in uniform tonight. He wore dark-wash jeans with a black T-shirt that stretched over his pecs and biceps. I wanted to push up his shirt and feel the warmth of his skin, trace the ridges of his muscles.
Sophie smiled at him. “We were just talking about Remi breaking into the bodybuilding world with protein shakes.”
“Do you lift weights when you work out?” I asked, fairly confident I knew the answer.
“I do.” His bicep flexed. “I can help you if you’re interested.”
Recovering from my initial shock at seeing him smile, I drew on my flirtation skills. “Want to be my taste tester, then? I need to test whey protein in my recipes.”
He smiled a second time, sending all the air out of my body. “I’d be happy to.”
I struggled to suck in a breath while the conversation went on around us. I couldn’t seem to look away from him.
Colton moved until he stood close to me, a hand on my elbow.
I felt that touch through my whole body, tingles erupting from the spot. “What do you need from me?”
A long, hard fuck against the wall.
His eyes widened as if he could read my mind.
Tearing my gaze from his, I focused on what we were discussing. Whey protein. Taste testing. “Let me work on my recipes. When I have something to try, I’ll let you know.”
“Need help with the recipes themselves? I have some experience making protein shakes. They’re not as good as the ones you sell, but I know which ratio works best for flavor.”
“You’d do that?” Wasn’t he busy with his job and whatever else he did to fill his time? I had no idea what that was besides working out, and suddenly, I was curious.
“It’ll make it easier, won’t it?”
I nodded, the movement feeling stiff and jerky. I tried to relax the tension in my body, but it was no use. Colton’s proximity had every nerve on high alert.
“Let me know when.”
I sipped my drink, trying to settle my racing heart. “I usually work on new recipes after the shop closes at six.”
“I’ve been working the day shift this week, so that works.”
“Really?” Was he doing this out of that same obligation to my sister? Or had we finally turned a corner where we could call each other friends?
His fingers tightened around my elbow. “I’ll be there.”
My usual distrust of people being there for me flared to life. I’d have to wait and see if he followed through. No matter how steady my foster-turned-adoptive parents were, I always waited for them to decide that taking on two little girls from a rough situation was too much. That I was too much.
Delilah had settled in quickly with our parents. I had not. I did everything I could to be good and act like I was fine when I was anything but. I was dizzy with stress and anxiety. Fearful of being left at a social worker’s door again. Thankfully, no one noticed.
“If I say I’ll do something, I will.”
The room fell away, and there was just Colton standing in front of me, his fingers gripping my elbow with concern in his gaze. “Okay.”
That familiar pit in my stomach was still there, but there was hope, too. That Colton wouldn’t disappoint me.
He nodded, raising his voice for the group but keeping his gaze on me. “I’ll get back to my friends, but it was nice to see you, ladies.”
My friends said good-bye, and I watched him walk away, leading his coworkers to a high-top table by the window.
Sophie moved closer to me, lowering her voice. “What was that about?”
I kept an eye on Colton as he talked and joked with the guys. “He’s going to help me with my recipes.”
