The Bad Boy's Redemption by Lili Valente, Jessie Evans Page A

could feel every ripple as she pulsed around him, he lost track of his original intention.
    By the time he came, clutching her to him, burying his face in her hair and inhaling the sweet smell at the curve of her neck, all he could think about was how beautiful she was, how perfect she was, and how all he wanted to do for the rest of his life was be buried inside her, making her feel good, making her sob his name the way she was right now.
    “Oh my God, Colt.” She sucked in a breath as she shook her head back and forth. “Oh my God.”
    “Good?” He smoothed her hair to one side so he could kiss her shoulder.
    She sniffed and shuddered in his arms, but didn’t reply for a long moment, a moment in which a car drove by outside, its headlights momentarily illuminating Olivia’s tear-streaked face.
    Shit.
    She was crying and he could guess the reason why.

CHAPTER TWO
    Colton
    Heart clenching in his chest, Colton pulled out, his gut clenching as he realized he must have hurt her.
    “I’m sorry, Liv,” he said, turning her gently around and pulling her into his arms. “I’m so sorry, baby, I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
    “You didn’t,” she said, pressing closer to his chest. “Not at all.”
    He smoothed her hair away from her face, but she didn’t look up at him and another wave of self-loathing coursed through him. “No, I took things too far. I should have made sure you were up for a little rough stuff before I went there. I’m an asshole.”
    Finally, she looked up, the tears in her eyes breaking his heart even when she smiled through them. “You’re not an asshole, Colt, not even a little bit. You’re the complete opposite, actually.” She swallowed as she swiped the tears from her cheeks. “This has nothing to do with you. I mean, it does have to do with you, but—”
    She broke off with a sigh as she tugged her bra back into place. “I don’t know. I’m just…confused.”
    “Yeah, me too.” He winced as he tucked himself back inside his pants.
    It had nothing to do with him?
    What did that mean? Was she upset about some other guy?
    Wishing she was with him instead of Colt?
    “I’m sorry.” She crossed her arms across her stomach with a soft laugh. “I guess that’s about as clear as mud.”
    He ran a hand through his hair, torn between pulling her back into his arms and reaching for his coat and excusing himself before he made this any worse. He’d just been trying to give her what she wanted—hot sex with no emotions involved—but he’d failed miserably. Where this woman was concerned his emotions were clearly beyond his control, and instead of giving her a good time, he’d made her cry.
    And now he felt like shit. Absolute shit.
    “Do you want to come upstairs?” Olivia asked, surprising him. “I’d rather not be alone right now if that’s okay. Maybe we could just hang out in bed and talk for a little while? Or something?”
    “Sounds good.” Relief coursed through him. “But you’ll um…have to put on some pajamas, so I don’t get distracted.”
    A smile trembled across her lips. “Done. As long as you agree not to rip them off of me. I’m more attached to my pajamas than I am my underwear.”
    He nodded. “Agreed.”
    She pressed up on tiptoe, dropping a light kiss to his lips that made his heart do strange things inside his chest. “Thank you.”
    “For what?” he whispered, bringing one hand to cradle the back of her head. “Making you cry?”
    “You didn’t make me cry. You could never make me cry.” And then she took his hand and started toward the stairs.
    Colt followed, wondering when being led to bed by a naked woman had become such a complicated thing.
    And when had he become so concerned about Olivia’s happiness that he would rather stay and let things get complicated than tell her goodbye.

CHAPTER THREE
    Olivia
    Everything was a hopeless mess.
    Everything was also exactly, one hundred percent wonderful.
    The fact that two such absolutely