Page 20 of Merciless

Charlotte shrugged. “Just thought Beth deserved something pretty.”

“Thank you. She always loved you,” I said with full sincerity. “Who were you visiting?”

“My dad. He passed three years ago in a car accident.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.” Man, I’m an asshole.

She waved a flippant hand in the air. “Usually, I’m okay. Time has helped heal a lot. But occasionally—especially on holidays—I miss him terribly. So much so, I can’t think straight. Hence why I was in a cemetery at the dead of night.”

I chuckled at her choice of words before she switched up on me.

“What about you, Colton Richards? What brings you back to this place after so long? And don’t lie and say it was just to pop in and say hi to mummy dearest.”

I cringed at the last name, my thoughts diverting back to the man who gave me that title. “I came to see my dad…” I shook my head, trying to dispel the sudden mist obscuring my vision. My throat closed up, unable to tell her the full extent of my suffering.

Charlotte considered me then, really looking at me, and soon found the underlying meaning beneath my words. Somehow, she understood, slotting the pieces together from my fucked-up past.

She leant over the bench and placed her hand over mine, then squeezed lightly. I’m here, her touch said. I’m sorry, is her eyes conveyed.

In that snapshot of time, we shared a moment—something that was altogether ours.

Sure, I had friends. People who were there for me, supported me. But this was different.

Charlotte had felt loss, and she fully understood the grief I had experienced and still went through on a daily basis. She understood because she lived with those demons herself.

Warmth spread through my chest as the acceptance I desperately sought was found in the woman before me. For the first time since my mother’s death, I no longer felt alone.

Chapter 13

COLTON

After we ate, I was adamant about cleaning up while Charlotte prepared for bed.

It didn’t take long for me to hear the shower cut off, and when she returned to the living room with a towel twisted around her wet hair, my gaze unintentionally tracked up her frame. She wore a silk camisole set that teased me to approach and feel the soft fabric, to run the thin material between my fingers and dig beneath.

As if I weren’t overheating enough, my focus caught on a single drop of moisture that escaped down the valley between her breasts, which nearly had me hyperventilating.

I abruptly cleared my throat and averted my gaze. You fucking pervert.

Charlotte had invited me into her safe haven, and she was one of the kindest souls I’d ever met. And there I was fucking thirsting over her after she had opened her home to me. You’re not a dirty, rotten pig with no morals like your father! Get your shit together, Colt!

The mini pep talk helped somewhat… until light fingertips skirted along my forearm, dragging me back down.

“The shower’s free,” she said, all innocent. I jolted out of reach and raced inside the bathroom, locking the door behind me. Why am I such a damn weirdo?

I stared at my reflection in the mirror, layering on a serious expression. I had to take advantage of the solitary reprieve and recalibrate my hormones, starting with an ice-cold shower.

There was no way I could fuck Charlotte, despite every cell in my body screaming out for hers. I can’t.

When I finally found the courage to re-enter the common area, Charlotte had set her couch up into a makeshift bed for me. With a yawn and a tired goodnight, she left me to my devices, returning to her bedroom.

Flopping down on the sofa, I was already overheating. Ripping off my black singlet, I remained in my grey sweatpants, tossing and turning for a comfortable position, which seemed impossible.

It wasn’t the couch itself, though it was slightly too short, but the cushions were soft and snug. It was my mind that was the problem. Despite the time striking 2 a.m. and my bone-deep exhaustion, all I could ruminate on was the negative.

Mum. Dad. Eloise. Nikita.

Why can’t I go back in time when everything was simple, when I didn’t have these extra burdens weighing me down?