Resisting the Alpha Triplets by Cara Anderson

Ch. 14 Leave Me Alone

Mallory’s POV

My mind was completely blank. All I could do was taste and feel the man holding me in his arms and kissing me passionately. It felt like his hands were everywhere at once, roaming my curves, and he tasted like dark chocolate and cherries. I never wanted it to end.

An echo of a memory broke through, of this same man touching me intimately. But that had been a fantasy, and this was…so much more. It was full of fire and lust and passion and need. I’d never been kissed like this before and it terrified me that I might never be again.

When Colt finally pulled his lips from mine, I whimpered quietly at the loss. He chuckled softly before moving on to kiss the sensitive spot behind my ear, then nipped and sucked his way down my neck to my shoulder. I knew he was leaving marks but I would worry about that later.

It never even crossed my mind to refuse when he returned his lips to mine and slid his hands under my thighs to lift me up and wrap my legs around his waist. In fact, I was so lost to the feel of his silky tongue sliding against mine and the way his hands massaged the flesh of my ass, it might never have occurred to me to stop at all if it hadn’t been for my mom.

“Oh! Sorry, don’t mind me!” My mother trilled, having walked up behind us unnoticed.

“Fuck!” Colton mumbled under his breath, immediately setting me down and stepping away.

“Colton?” Mom asked in confusion now that she could see his face and realized not only that he wasn’t Nathan, but that he was kissing me and not Darcy.

“Um, hi Maeve!” He said, waving feebly. “I just came by to talk to Mallory for a minute. I won’t stay long.”

“You can stay as long as you like, Colton. You know you’re always welcome here. I was just going to run to the store anyway.” she announced, grabbing her keys from the hall table and squeezing past us through the front door.

“Um, would you like to come in?” I asked Colton after my mother had gone.

He seemed conflicted and I could have sworn his eyes held a hint of regret, but he nodded and walked past me into the house. I followed him in but when he halted in the living room, I kept walking into the kitchen. My mind was whirling as I tried to make sense of what had just happened between us and I needed a minute to myself.

“I’m grabbing a soda. Do you want something?” I called to him, hoping to buy some time.

“No.” He answered gruffly.

I made a point to clink glasses and close cabinet doors loudly so he would think I was busy and not just hiding from him. Why did he kiss me? Why did I let him? Why did I want it to happen again? Did he want it to happen again? I needed answers to all those questions but I had none.

Before Colton knocked on my door, I’d spent the whole evening berating myself for my disloyalty to Nathan. Between kissing Cary, masturbating to thoughts of Colt and not even considering him once during my conversation with the triplets earlier, I had officially become the worst girlfriend on the planet. Colt had been right to call me a hypocrite and the guilt I felt was consuming me.

All it took for that guilt to completely vanish was one look from Colton. For a fraction of a second, before his lips met mine, there was a look of desperation in his eyes. It was a look that said “if I don’t kiss you now, I might die” and I was powerless against it. I wondered if he could read the same emotion reflected back in my gaze.

Deciding the only answers I would get today were the ones he could give me, I grabbed my glass of Coke and headed back to the living room. The urge to stop at the liquor cabinet and add a little Jack to my Coke was strong, but I resisted, assuming I would need a clear head for the coming conversation. When I walked into the room Colt was pacing but turned to face me when he heard me enter.

“I love Darcy!” he blurted out without warning.

“O-, okay.” I said, taken aback. “Do you want to sit down?”

I was more confused than ever. I had no idea where he was going with that opening line but I knew I needed to sit down for it.

“No, I don’t want to sit down!” He huffed, running his hand through his sandy blond hair.

“Why are you here Colton?” I didn’t even try to hide the exasperation in my tone.

“I came here to tell you that what my brothers told you today, I’m not a part of it. I don’t want you. I want Darcy. I made her a promise and I’m a man of my word. I don’t break promises.” He spoke with a conviction that contradicted his recent actions.

“So you thought coming to my house and kissing me senseless in the doorway was the best way to get that message across?” I teased, raising one eyebrow in question.

“No! I don’t know why-, I didn’t mean to-” He stumbled over his words, struggling to explain himself.

“Take a breath, Colton.” I said, taking pity on him. “And for Goddess’ sake, will you please sit down.”

He nodded, then took the chair across from me. He was twisting his hands in his lap nervously and his internal struggle was written all over his face. I just wished I could understand what it had to do with me.

“I just needed to make things clear between us.” He started again. “I can’t tell my brothers what to do or how to feel about you. And if you want to throw away your relationship with Nathan for the two little manwhores, that’s on you. But I can’t have you doing anything around me that could make Darcy uncomfortable.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” I bit out. I did not like what he was insinuating.

“I saw you climbing all over Cary the other night. If you were willing to do that before they announced their intentions towards you I can only imagine what might happen next. I just don’t want you to think you can try that with me. I won’t have you disrespecting my relationship with Darcy that way.”

“Are you fucking for real?” I shouted at him, shooting out of my chair angrily. ” How fucking dare you! You come to MY house and YOU kiss ME, then dare to lecture me about respecting Darcy!”

I was screaming in his face and jabbing him in the chest with my finger while he stared back at me. I could tell he was angry by the way his face was turning red but I was nowhere near done!

“I’ll be the first to admit that I have made mistakes, but until today, none of them have involved you. I have never once behaved inappropriately towards you. I never whispered innuendos in your ear at training while touching you unnecessarily. YOU did that! I even offered to remove myself from the situation but YOU wouldn’t let me. And I certainly never came to your house and came on to you. Oh right, You did that too! Who the fuck do you think you are?”

“Don’t act like you didn’t enjoy the kiss. I could tell you did! I could smell it! You kissed me back Mallory so don’t act like it was all me!” He railed at me.

I was so done with him. Maybe this was meant to happen, I thought to myself. Maybe it was the push I needed to get over whatever was drawing me to him and his brothers. But after today, I would not be going anywhere near the Collins triplets if I could help it.

“Trust me Colton, “I said with a deep sigh, “the next time Darcy feels disrespected, it will have nothing to do with me. Now please get the fuck out of my house and leave me alone.”

“Fine!” He barked then stomped toward the door before stopping to look back at me. “I know you feel something for me Mal. I saw it in your eyes when you walked in my office earlier today and I felt it when we kissed. Lie to yourself all you want as long as it doesn’t hurt the people I care about!”

Then he walked out the door, letting it slam closed behind him before I could say another word.