▄︻デ══━一 COLTON HAYES💥I knew this was a bad idea.But when Vanessa lifted her eyes to mine, half-lidded, her lips swollen from the way I’d already kissed her, I didn’t care.I tipped her chin up with two fingers, my thumb skimming over the curve of her jaw.“Sure about this, darlin’? We won’t be able to turn back from this.” My voice was rougher than I meant it to be.She swallowed, then nodded. But it was the way she looked at me—like she was already gone—that sent something sharp cutting through my ribs.I kissed her slowly at first like I had all the time in the world. Like I wasn’t already unraveling from the feel of her against me.But then she made this quiet sound—half a sigh, half my undoing—and suddenly, slow wasn’t an option anymore.Her hands slid into my hair, tugging me closer, and I pressed her back against the door, molding myself to her inch by inch. I wasn’t sure who was chasing who at this point—only that neither of us wanted to stop.She tasted like whatever cheap
▄︻デ══━一 COLTON HAYES💥I didn’t move for some time. I think i must have drifted off thinking because it doesn’t feel like I’ve been asleep or awake and yet the clock says it’s two hours from six am.The room was dim, the only light coming from the sliver of dawn trying to creep through the curtains. Outside, the ranch was quiet, the world still caught somewhere between night and morning. Inside, the warmth of her body still lingered against mine, her slow, steady breaths the only sound filling the silence.Vanessa was still asleep. Peaceful. Oblivious to the storm rolling through me.I should have gotten up by now. Slipped out of bed, gotten dressed, gone about my morning like I always did. But I didn’t. I just lay there, staring at the ceiling, feeling the weight of last night settle into my bones.And hell, I could still feel her.Not just the way her body had fit against mine, the way her lips had tasted, or the softness of her skin under my hands. No, it was something deeper than
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the cold.The space beside me was empty. The sheets were rumpled, but the warmth was long gone. I blinked up at the ceiling, my body heavy with sleep, but my mind was already racing.He left.I should’ve expected it. Hell, I should’ve wanted it. That’s how this worked. No strings, no attachments, just a good time and a clean break. That was the rule. My rule.So why did my chest feel tight?He left his own room, before i woke up. Should i be charmed?I swallowed hard and sat up, running a hand through my hair. The room was dim, the faintest hint of morning creeping in from the edges of the curtain. I let my eyes roam over the space—his space. The scent of him still clung to the sheets, and I hated how much I noticed.Pulling the covers off, I swung my legs over the side of the bed, my bare feet pressing into the hardwood floor. My clothes were scattered from the night before, a careless trail leading back to wh
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★I sat cross-legged on the bed, my laptop warm against my thighs, fingers hovering over the keyboard.Focus.I needed to.Breakfast had been a mess. Awkward silences stretched between bites of food, Ross flirting like nothing was weird, and Colton… watching me. His eyes had burned into me from across the table as he could see straight through my attempt to act normal. I had tried—really tried—to flirt back with Ross, to play along like I always did. But my mind was tangled in knots, and my stomach had felt too tight to eat much of anything.And then I ran.Okay, not literally. But I might as well have. A half-baked excuse about needing to write something for my blog, an awkward smile, and I was out of there before I could make a bigger fool of myself.Now, here I was, staring at a blank screen, willing myself to think about anything other than the way my chest had ached when I woke up alone.I took a deep breath, rolled my shoulders, and finally let my fin
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★I stared at my phone after ending the call with Rachel, tapping my fingers against the back of it. My stomach twisted as I debated what to do.I knew I should call Ezra, check-in, and see if there was anything I could do to help. But the truth was, I already knew how that conversation would go.Ezra was done.Still, guilt pressed against my ribs. Rachel had been my best friend for years. And Benny—God, Benny was my favorite person in the world. He did not deserve to be involved in this mess. He did nothing wrong. I know the same could be said for Ezra. He’s reacting accordingly.With a sigh, I called Ezra’s number and pressed the phone to my ear.It rang twice before a tiny, excited voice answered."Aunt Nessa!"A smile broke across my face immediately. "Benny-boy!""You called me!" he giggled."Of course I did! Who else would I want to talk to?"He gasped dramatically. "Not my dad?"I laughed. "Well, maybe. But mostly you. What are you up to, huh?""I’m p
▄︻デ══━一 COLTON HAYES💥After the awkward breakfast, and seeing the woman i had slept with the night before... i decided to tackle my task for today without worrying much about the mistakes i made last night and this morning.The barn smelled like hay, leather, and the familiar musk of horses as I pulled the heavy door open. The early afternoon sun streaked through the slats in golden beams, dust swirling in the warmth. I was here to check on one of our mares, Daisy—she was due to foal in a few weeks, and I wanted to make sure she was comfortable.Ross, of course, had followed me, boots crunching against the dirt as he sauntered in like he had all the time in the world.“You know,” he started, dragging a hand through his already-messy dark hair, “I was thinkin’—Vanessa’s kinda cute. Let’s be honest, cute doesn’t cut it. She’s gorgeous.”I didn’t respond. Not because I hadn’t heard him, but because I was already expecting this conversation. Ross flirted with just about anything with a h
▄︻デ══━一 COLTON HAYES💥 I didn’t want to let go.But I had to.Vanessa pulled the oversized shirt tighter around herself, her fingers trembling as she worked the buttons. Her hands weren’t steady—hell, she was barely holding herself up. Her knees were pressed into the dirt, her breath ragged, her throat working through another coughing fit. I clenched my fists to keep from reaching out again, from gathering her against me like I had when she stumbled out of the fire, covered in soot, blue fur shifting back to bare skin before my eyes.I had never seen a wolf like hers before. Never seen a color like that, never seen anything like her.Not that it mattered right now.I finally turned my attention to Darcy instead, kneeling beside her and pressing my fingers against her throat. She was covered in ash and debris, her face slack, lips slightly parted, but I still felt it—the faint but steady thrum of her pulse beneath my fingertips.“She’s alive,” I muttered, relief loosening something in
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★I wasn’t expecting to open with Colton rushing towards me before I could even finish shifting back to my human side.Not after the way the morning started, with awkward glances and unspoken tension. Not after I’d spent the whole day trying—and failing—to push him out of my mind. Not after convincing myself that his absence in bed hadn’t meant anything- okay, I didn’t convince myself but I was going to.And yet, here he was.Standing in front of me, arms crossed, golden eyes sharp as he assessed me. His jaw was set, but there was something else beneath the rough exterior—something I couldn’t quite name.“You’re not walking back alone,” he said, his voice low and firm. The doctor had discharged me, a nice man by the name. Introduced himself to me before he rushed off to do other things.I frowned, shifting slightly on the cot I was sitting on. The medical room in Reaves’ basement smelled like antiseptic and burnt wood, a reminder of the fire that had nearly
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★It was buried.Like someone had wanted it to be.I’d been combing through articles for hours, the motions mechanical now, almost numb. My mind was on autopilot—just picking through keywords, cross-referencing names, digging into obscure land deals that didn’t make sense, tracking down vague, half-mentioned connections between people who seemed irrelevant at first glance. The rabbit holes I’d gone down had been endless, some of them leading nowhere. But I couldn’t stop. I had to find something. Anything besides what I found about the drug dealer. Still, I wanted more details. My eyes were aching, and my fingers were numb from tapping the keys. I was running on nothing but cold coffee and the burning need to dig deeper. I had spent the better part of the morning and afternoon chasing down leads that now felt pointless. But then… I found it.It was another old article, buried under thousands of newer headlines, hidden like someone had intentionally tucked i
▄︻デ══━一 COLTON HAYES💥 I stayed long enough to make sure they both ate. Ashley had come down minutes after I'd urged Samson to bathe and dress in something else. He didn't need my judgment and neither did she. Didn’t matter that it was just eggs, pancakes, and the last of the sausage from the freezer. I stood in that damn kitchen like a drill sergeant, arms folded, watching Samson poke at his plate like food was something foreign. Ashley sat across from him, silent, her eyes rimmed red but dry now. She wouldn’t meet my gaze. I didn’t ask her to.I didn’t ask them anything.I just waited, and eventually they started eating. Slowly. Quietly. But they ate.That was enough for now. They drank some juice and told me they'd be staying indoors for the day. Well, not Ashley. Catia was coming to take her to her place so she could be away from Samson.Once I was sure they wouldn’t go back to bed hungry, I stepped out and headed down the porch stairs. The air was already thick with humidity, t
▄︻デ══━一 COLTON HAYES💥 The water ran hot over my shoulders, and for a while, I just stood there, letting it scald the edges of everything I didn’t want to think about. My hands braced against the tiled wall, breath slow, heavy. It didn’t do much to rinse away the ache in my chest—but it helped. Just a little.It was easy to smile around Vanessa, but away from her, my brain was starting to think again. I'd love to have my ability to think fucked out of me. When Vanessa and I have sex, I can only think about her. I do love just thinking about her. It's better than thinking about all the problems in my life. By the time I dried off, dressed, and placed my hat over damp curls, the morning had already fully settled in. Vanessa hadn’t moved from her spot in bed when I peeked into the room again—still buried in her research, sharp as ever, focused like she was stitching the world back together with a single thread. She didn’t even look up when I asked her if she'd need my truck to go into
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★I barely noticed the time passing.The world had narrowed down to my laptop screen, the dull hum of its fan, and the occasional click of my nails against the keys. Morning light had crept in slowly through the window, shifting from gray to gold while I chased paper trails and public records down digital rabbit holes. Every tab I opened spun into another, and another—property deeds, business filings, court case summaries, suspicious shell companies that seemed to tie back to a single name again and again.Alina.She was careful. Calculated. Her name was rarely listed, but the fingerprints were there—metaphorically speaking. I was stitching together something ugly. Bigger than what Colton had suspected. It wasn't just a bad deal gone personal. She was tied into something far-reaching. And worse—she was good at hiding in plain sight. I didn’t have the full picture yet, but I had the edges. And the more I found, the more certain I became: this was more than r
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★I woke up warm.Not just in the way that meant the blankets were doing their job—but in the way that made my chest ache. Like a fire had settled there overnight. Slow, steady, and kind.Colton's arm was wrapped around me, his hand resting just below my ribs, his body curled into mine like he always belonged there. My cheek was pressed against the solid muscle of his chest, and I could hear his heartbeat—slow, even, completely at ease.It made me want to cry. In a good way. Maybe. This must be the good thing about having a partner. You're never truly alone. And if you want to be alone, you can. Take a moment to yourself. It works if you have someone who understands. Do I suddenly believe love strengthens and fixes everything? No. Heck, who knows if our relationship would stand the test of time. Who knows how this might end? In an affair? God I hope not. If Colton suddenly decides he's actually found his Mrs right, I'll kill them both. I nestled closer t
▄︻デ══━一 COLTON HAYES💥 I must’ve misheard her. No way she just said—Vanessa narrowed her eyes like she could feel my doubt. “I’m in love with you,” she said again, firmer this time. “I am. And when you said you wanted more than casual... well, I want that too.”My heart damn near leapt out of my throat. My wolf—usually quiet and brooding—sank somewhere warm and content like he’d finally been fed after starving.She said she loves me.I stared at her, stunned into silence for maybe the first time in my entire life. Vanessa. The girl who ran from any emotional talk as if it were fire. Who flinched at the mentions of true love, side-eyed people talking about mates and marriage, ducked out of the room when things got too real—just said she loved me. Out loud. On purpose.And she hadn’t even looked away. She stood there, her chest rising and falling like she was bracing for something, arms crossed like she needed to hold herself together. But she was still standing, still meeting my eyes
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★I could have gone to my bedroom to take this call, but I didn’t want to go that far.. I stopped in the hallway, just out of earshot. I’m not the type to run from my problems. Hell, I run right into danger, that’s just who I am. But I’m avoiding the main conversation with Colton. I want to have it. I want to talk about it. I want to say, yeah, I want more than casual with you, too. I want more, I love you. I don’t know how or when I fell for you, but it kind of just happened. However, I cannot throw my whole life away. Long distance won’t work for us.... i mean, fuck, why am i even thinking about this?I brought my eyes back to my phone.The number was unfamiliar, but I answered it anyway, partly because I needed a distraction and partly because a flicker of dread told me who it might be.“Hello?” I said cautiously.There was a pause. Then a shaky inhale.“Vanessa?” a voice I hadn’t heard in days, maybe weeks, not in person, not like this. But I knew it i
▄︻デ══━一 COLTON HAYES💥 After a moment of watching the lake, each of us silently making a plan in our heads, we decided to return home.We didn’t say much on the walk back. Vanessa kept close, her steps quiet but fast to keep up with mine. The storm had left behind a world slick with mud and the chill of lingering rain. Trees dripped steadily, and the sky overhead was still a dull sheet of grey, hanging heavy like the grief inside me.By the time we stepped back into the house, I shrugged off my damp jacket and tossed it on a hook. Vanessa followed, tugging her sleeves down her wrists like she was trying to ground herself. The house was too quiet without the family. Too hollow. The air still smelled like breakfast and loss.“Coffee?” I offered, needing something to keep my hands busy.She nodded, and we moved into the kitchen. I prepped the machine in silence, only the gurgling hum of it filling the space between us.“I was thinking…” she said eventually, leaning on the counter, “we s
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★I arrived back at the farm—Colton’s house—just as the sky slipped further into gray.From the second I parked, I knew something was off. The driveway was clear. No voices floated from the porch. No creak of floorboards or clatter of kitchenware inside. It was empty.Too empty.I stepped out of the Jeep and onto the damp ground, the air thick with leftover moisture and the scent of wet wood. The storm had passed, but the rain hadn’t fully let go. It lingered in droplets that clung to the leaves and coated the windows like tears that didn’t know how to fall.Inside the house, the silence clawed at me.“Colton?” I called out, voice echoing just slightly. No response. My footsteps padded quietly over the wood floors as I walked from room to room, scanning for any sign of him.Nothing in the kitchen.Nothing in the living room, either of them.His phone wasn’t on the charger. His keys were gone.A slow panic started bubbling in my stomach.I checked the front p