Eliza Jane - Tempted

He’d been getting love and attention the only way he knew how – by sleeping with anything that moved. It was sad, but on some strange level, I understood. Colt had spent many years feeling unloved and not capable of returning love. But I knew he’s capable of more. And I know he wants to change. That’s why tonight, having his past stirred up and brought to the surface sucked.

He shifts on the bed so he’s facing me. His eyes are soft and pleading. “And then I met you. And you were everything I never had. Challenging. Smart. Beautiful. Sassy. I wanted you. But it was weird, because I wanted more than just sex with you. I liked being around you. I was sure I was going to fuck it up somehow, but thank God, you saw through all my bullshit and gave me a chance.”

I smile lightly at him, trying to be encouraging. As mad as I was, am, at him for tonight, I like that he’s opening up to me.

He takes my hand again and this time I let him.

“You are everything to me. Please forgive me Taylor. I promise that is all in my past. A past that I hope we can just forget about.”

I knew it would be impossible for me to forget. Especially now that I know the number one hundred and forty four. God golly. I place my palm on his cheek with its rough stubble. “I can’t forget, Colt. But I can try to forgive the mistakes of your past. I’m not going to lie and say I won’t get jealous sometimes. But I trust you.”

He closes his eyes, and takes a deep breath, relieved. “I don’t deserve you.”

I press a soft kiss to his lips while his eyes are still closed. “Then I guess you’ll just have to work harder to make it up to me.”

Colt left early this morning to go pick up his brother Reis from the airport. After lunch, I’m passing through the foyer, enjoying the last of my leisurely days before classes start up again tomorrow when I spot them.

I stop suddenly. Colt’s back with his brother Reis. They stand in the foyer, wrestling in the suitcases.

Colt grins when he spots me. “This is my Reis.” Colt gestures to the look-a-like standing next to him. Reis stands a half inch shorter, his hair is messy just like Colt’s, but sandy brown, lightened by the California sun. Other than that small difference, he and Colt are damn near identical. Same strong jaw line, straight nose and hazel eyes framed in dark lashes. Colt places a hand on my shoulder, interrupting my inspection of Reis. “This is my girlfriend, Taylor.”

“Girlfriend? Well done bro.” Reis smiles crookedly and leans in toward me, taking my hand in his. “Nice to meet you, Taylor.”

“You too,” I choke out. Why am I so thrown off? So he looks like Colt? Big deal.

Colt glances down at his watch. “I’ve got to get some work done. Sorry, but Taylor, would you mind showing Reis around a bit and keeping him company for a few hours?”

Reis grins at me.

A few hours? I look down at my shoes. “Uh, sure.”

“That’s okay, I’m pretty tired from travelling. I’d actually just like to take a shower and rest for a little bit if I could.”

“Oh, of course,” Colt says. “In that case, just show him to my room, Taylor.” He pulls his keys from his pocket and works a key free from the set. He hands it to Reis. “Keep it. I have another.”

Colt snakes an arm around my waist and pulls me in towards him. I stumble, losing my balance until I’m against his chest. He leans down and plants a quick kiss on my mouth. “Come by my office later. Okay, baby?”

I nod and kiss him again, but pull away quickly since I sense Reis watching me.

“It’s good to have you back,” Colt says to Reis, patting his shoulder.

Reis is quiet, his eyes still on mine.

Colt takes off in the direction of his office leaving Reis and I standing together in the hall. I begin walking to the stairs and Reis steps in line beside me.

“So what’s your special talent?” he asks with a mocking tone.

Is he jealous that he didn’t have a talent that qualified him to go to his Dad’s school? “Ah, I’m a hacker.” I don’t bother try to rephrase it anymore. I guess that’s what I am.

He nods. “That’s cool.”

“What about you?” I ask. “Any special talents?”

“Unless being a forward on the soccer team would qualify me, then no.”

We reach the second floor and I stop in front of Colt’s door. “This is his room.”

Reis stares at the door. “It’s a definite improvement from the last time I visited – he was still in the dorms.”

Sometimes I forget that Colt used to be a student here. He seemed so confident and in control, especially now that he’s running the whole place. His confidence is sexy, but I didn’t like that he rarely had time to hang out with me anymore with his new workload.

Reis makes no move to unlock the door, and instead turns to me, leaning casually against the wall to study me. “Colt’s never had a girlfriend as far as I know. And you’re not his usual type.”

There’s so much I want to inspect in his comment, but I prioritize. “What do you mean not his type?” I’m terrified he’s measuring my looks against people like Bria and Samantha, the gorgeous girls Colt’s been known to go for.

He looks me up and down and seeing the hurt on my face, he steps closer, his hands raised in a gesture of innocence. “Oh, no. I didn’t mean it that way. You’re hot, so I can see why he likes you. I just meant – you’re younger. He doesn’t normally do younger.”

“Oh.” I guess he’s right. Colt’s always had his eighteen and older rule. I blush knowing that Reis thinks I’m hot.

“And you’re kind of a shrimp.” He pats the top of my head, drawing attention to my height – which clocks in about a foot shorter than him and Colt.

I roll my eyes. “You’re just as charming as Colt, aren’t you?”

He chuckles. I think he secretly likes that I just compared him to his older brother.

“Come on, Shrimp. I need you to show me around.”

Reis slips the key into the lock and holds the door open for me. I hadn’t planned on staying, but I step through. I’ll give him a quick tour so I don’t seem rude. I point to things as we progress through the room. “Seating area. Computer.” I motion to Colt’s sofa and desk. “TV.” I pick up the remote, handing it to Reis as I go. He sets it back down.

“Uh, bed.” My cheeks flamed pink against my will. Reis grins. He smiles easily and often, not like the usually serious Colt.

“So I guess that pretty much completes the tour.”

“Shower?” Reis turns to face me, cocking one eyebrow.

“Oh, right.” I point to the door at the end of the room. “His bathroom’s through there. There should be some towels in the cabinet.”

Reis stands solidly before me. “Well unless you care to join me, I guess that’s it then.”

Join him? In the shower? I attempt an awkward laugh, hoping he’s kidding, but his face is serious. “I’m good, thanks.”

“Knock, knock,” MJ calls, pushing open Colt’s door. Whenever I’m not in the dorm or the computer lab, MJ knows I’m most likely in Colt’s room.

I step back from Reis, thankful for the reprieve from the intensity between us. “Hey MJ.”

Reis grins looking between MJ and I.

“I figured you’d be in here,” she says.

“This is Colt’s brother, Reis. He’s just moving back from California and I was showing him around.”

Reis extends a hand towards MJ, and she places her hand in his. “MJ,” she says, introducing herself while her hand remains locked in his.

Reis is completely at her mercy, taking in her smooth honey-colored skin, chocolate eyes and brilliant smile all in an instant. The way she straightens her shoulders and pushes her chest forward tells me that she’s into him. Which is strange, because she’s so anti-Colt and they look so much alike. He doesn’t shake her hand, he just holds it, releasing it almost reluctantly a moment later.

“Well I was just leaving,” I say to MJ, interrupting the unspoken reverie between them.

“And I was just about to shower. If you care to join me.” Reis tips his chin toward the bathroom, but his eyes rest on MJ.

I stifle a cough. “Um, no. Come on.” I pull MJ by the arm. She doesn’t say anything, but I can tell she considered it for a second. “MJ,” I scold under my breath, pulling her to the door.

“So I guess that’s a no on the shower?” he calls.

I slip out of the room as quickly as I can, towing MJ behind me. I hear Reis chuckling from the other side of the door.

What a little shit! He only did it to get a rise out of me. I stalk away, needing to blow off some steam and keep my distance from Reis.

Colt

I check my email for any new cases, find one and assign it out to a field agent, then check in with Vera. All the first years are set to arrive today. Vera will be busy. We have a new class of seven students starting. It’s the smallest class we’ve had in several years, but I’m new at all this and don’t have all the connections my dad did to recruit new students.

Then later I need to drive Reis home. Mrs. Lee has him enrolled at a local public school. Neither of us has ever gone to public school, and I know he’s pissed. But he can’t go to school here. It wouldn’t make any sense. He needs a regular high school experience, soccer, getting ready for college – not following in our dad’s footsteps, like I’m doing.

I figured it’d be good to have Reis close by, but I didn’t like the way he’d looked at Taylor this morning. His eyes roamed her body, moving from her hips, back up to her face, then resting on her chest. I wanted to thump him upside the head, but it’s his first day back, and he’s my brother so I let it slide. Sending him off with Taylor was the last thing I wanted to do. I’m craving alone time with her, and wish I could hang out and not have to worry about running this place. When I was an instructor showing up for classes two hours a day, and taking on the occasional assignment, I never realized how easy I had it.