Breakaway: A friends to lovers romance.

He came back to stand behind me, bending to rest his head on my shoulder. We swayed side to side to the music. His hands were around my waist and mine resting on his. The heaviness the song had brought to my chest started to dissipate. I didn’t need to feel sad any longer. We were here together, and we were figuring this thing out. We were going to be okay.

From there we got our bracelets and went for a whirl on the world-famous waterfront Ferris wheel. The view over the ocean was just breathtaking. “Wow,” I breathed out. My heartbeat quickened.

Colton’s hand came to rest on my thigh and a lump lodged in my throat. He moved a little higher and my body tensed. What was he doing? “Colt,” I rasped as my breath quickened and my head rolled back. “It, umm...” His hand went higher still, slipping beneath my skirt. Oh, dear God, yes. “Wh-what are you doing?” My head was swirling. I could hardly think straight.

“Foreplay,” he rasped, brushing the tip of a finger along the fabric of my bikini bottom. Could he feel how wet I was? Colt began to hum to the tune of “Wild Horses.” Reese Witherspoon’s infamous rollercoaster scene from Fear played on a loop in my mind. He was trying to be funny. Watching that movie together was one of the most awkward preteen memories I had. But, it was really turning me on right now.

“Colt,” I moaned as the video surveillance sign near the entrance came to mind.

“Mhmm?” His finger moved to the elastic at my bikini line, teasing, and I nearly came on contact. The rush of the ride, the thrill of his touch. I was a live wire ready to burst into flames.

“We’re on v-video,” I gasped as his finger dipped inside, grazing over my lips.

My purse landed on my lap. “There.” A chill rippled through me as his tongue traced the shell of my ear. “All better.”

The fact that whoever was watching these videos would have absolutely zero question as to what was going down in this car did cross my mind briefly, but in my pre-orgasmic state, his solution felt adequate—genius even.

“Do you want me to stop?” his raspy voice threatened, causing my anxiety to spike.

I slipped a hand beneath my skirt, curling my fingers around his wrist in a death grip. “Don’t you fucking dare.”

There was a chuckle, then my world faded to black when Colton slid two fingers into my sex and leisurely began pumping them in and out. My body quaked with need as the pad of his thumb began to circle my swollen clit. Each stroke was measured, deliberate. This wasn’t some inexperienced boy. Colton was a skilled lover. He knew exactly what he was doing to me.

“Oh, God,” I moaned, my ass lifting off the seat. The pressure building inside of me was too much. Air. I needed air.

I felt the bite of his teeth on my earlobe, followed by the flick of his tongue. Thrashing in my seat, his mouth covered mine and he swallowed my screams. His other arm went around my waist, stilling my frantic movement and quite possibly saving my life. I was so far gone, there was no room for thought of trivial things like safety. Nothing else mattered but chasing that feeling.

Just as the car made its final descent, Colton pulled his lips away and his forehead came to rest on mine. Our eyes locked, the heat in his stare scorching my skin.

“The control booth is gonna thank you for that little performance.” He smirked. “So fucking hot.”

Shoot me.

My skin was on fire as we departed the ride, and it didn’t have a thing to do with the sun.

Did that really just happen?

We walked for a minute or two in silence before I’d finally worked up the nerve to glance in his direction. Colt stared down at me with a cocky grin. I had an urge to smack him, but in all honesty, he had every right to be proud. If I could spend the rest of my life with his hand in my panties, there would be no hesitation.

“Can we go to bed now?” I whined, teasing-ish.

“How ’bout some lunch?” He rubbed his washboard abs, and as if on cue, it growled. They had a special relationship, those two. I felt my eyes roll.

“Fine,” I grumbled, pouting as I trailed a step behind.

Colt led us over to Marisol, a Mexican restaurant at the edge of the pier. We were seated right away at an outdoor table with a great view of the ocean.

“Mmm,” I moaned, breathing in the fresh, salty scent that hung in the air.

Colt bit his lower lip. “Still thinking about it?” he teased, pressing his first two fingers together while arching them back and forth. His other hand shot up in an attempt to block the chip I threw at his face, and he let out a deep belly laugh.

The sound of his hearty laughter gave me life. I felt the warmth deep in my chest and couldn’t help the big grin that split my face as I stared at my beautiful boy, wondering if I’d ever become used to this. To the giddy elation at finally having his attention lavished on me. To the empty pit in my stomach that was a constant reminder that this could all be gone in the blink of an eye. And if that were to happen...a lifelong friendship would go right along with it.

Gah, I couldn’t think of that right now.

“Maybe just a little,” I teased back, caressing the side of his calf with my foot beneath the table.

Colton popped another chip into his mouth, chewed, and then swallowed. I was mesmerized.

When did swallowing become a sex move? Well, for straight men anyway.

His eyes grew serious. “I can’t stop thinking about it either.” Colton winked, giving me his signature lopsided grin, and the butterflies started up again. It was going to be a long fucking day.

After lunch, we went on to tour the little aquarium. We strolled up and down the boardwalk for hours, listening to various street musicians. Amid crowds of people, we danced and goofed off like teenagers without a care for what anyone thought of us. We were just two crazy kids who may have always loved each other but were finally allowing ourselves the chance to fall.





As we walked the last few paces to the beach house, my body began trembling with nerves. This was it. Tonight was the night, but in the back of my mind was a nagging fear: What if I didn’t live up to his expectations?

“What’s the matter, Al?” Colt asked, pulling me from my thoughts. He was standing in the open doorway, and apparently, I had stalled a good five feet back to stare off into space.

Smiling through my nerves, I shook it off and moved to join him. “Nothin’. I just got distracted, I guess,” I answered, lacing my arm through his. I hoped he couldn’t feel it shaking.

“It happens,” Colt agreed, but his eyes told me he knew better. “Come on. Dinner should be ready.” Colton’s face glowed with excitement as he pulled me inside, shutting and locking the door behind us.

“I thought we were here alone...” Please, please, please tell me we are alone.

He looked back at me over his shoulder with a shit-eating grin. He knew exactly where my thoughts were. “We are alone. I had dinner delivered and set up while we were out.”

“Well, look at you,” I mused, locking my hands around his neck from behind and jumping up onto his back. “All grown up and adulting.”

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