“Mmm. She works hard.” Cat glanced at her watch as Logan studied his wife, a combination of adoration and amusement in his gaze. “Newspaper business at nine-thirty on a Friday night?”
“I don’t know. She didn’t say what she had to do.” And that drove Colin insane, which he figured had been Rina’s point. To build the anticipation between them. That, or to get even with him over leaving her last Saturday, though he had to admit she seemed to be over it.
“She didn’t say why she’d be late?” Cat raised an eyebrow. “Then let me inform you. She wanted to make an entrance.” She nodded her head. “Yep, Rina wants to impress you, so she plans to walk in fashionably late.”
Colin waved a hand in the air, dismissing the idea. “You don’t know Rina.” She was up-front and honest about her intentions, something Colin admired.
“And you obviously don’t know women.” Cat glanced over his shoulder, then leaned forward in her seat, warming to the subject. “Didn’t you read Rina’s column? She talked about sex appeal. She said women like to be noticed and she’s right. Especially in the beginning of a relationship when things are uncertain. No woman wants to be easily forgotten, so it’s important to make that dynamite impression. What better way than to sashay in a little late, looking amazing?”
“This week she said that attitude is equally important,” Logan added.
“You’ve been reading her column?” Colin asked his friends.
Logan nodded sheepishly and Colin wasn’t sure if his embarrassment stemmed from the fact that he was aware of Colin’s intentions for the column or because he’d been caught reading a relationship article.
“All my employees have been reading ‘Hot Stuff.’ Rina’s making quite a name for herself in our little town,” Cat said.
Colin couldn’t help feeling proud of Rina, and wondered if he could use the column’s popularity in his favor, to get the advertiser to extend that January first deadline.
“Anyway,” Cat said. “I think she’s taking her own advice. And you have to admit, it’s a flattering notion for you. A woman wanting to make you sit up and take notice.”
Colin shook his head, disagreeing. “Rina doesn’t have to work to impress me.”
Logan laughed. “Out of curiosity, if she did make an effort, you wouldn’t hold it against her, would you?” He glanced around.
Colin followed his stare and there stood Rina, decked out in a sleeveless red wool dress and matching stiletto heels, doing exactly what Cat had said she would. Making one hell of an impression—on him and, if the other patrons’ stares were any indication, on every male in the room.
He couldn’t wait to see her, and he’d promised himself he’d put the paper out of his mind and just enjoy the weekend. If Rina’s outfit was any indication, she had the same intention. And already his body was reacting to her gorgeous appearance. He wanted her and hoped like hell tonight would be the night.
RINA WANTED to make an entrance. Corinne’s last-minute meeting had helped her do just that. Even better Rina was still riding an adrenaline wave from her boss’s news. Reader reaction to the first few issues of “Hot Stuff” had been phenomenal, surpassing Corinne’s expectations. Giddy with success, Rina was beginning to believe in herself and her ability to make this new career succeed.
She knew her positive attitude transferred into the glow in her cheeks, the straightening of her posture and the excitement rushing through her veins. Okay, so did the anticipation of seeing Colin.
All three people at her table turned her way. Drawing a deep breath, Rina walked over. “Hi, everyone. Sorry I’m late but I had a meeting with Corinne.” She settled into her seat, aware that Colin’s gaze hadn’t left hers. Or rather, hadn’t left her body, which had been her plan.
The fact that he’d brought his friends along told her he was letting her into his life in a way that surpassed the superficial, something she realized she’d needed in order to take that next step with him. He’d accepted her, and that was enough to allow her to act on the desire that had been growing between them.
Colin rose, as did Logan.
“And they say chivalry is dead,” Rina joked. She settled in more comfortably beside the woman who had to be Catherine. Rina had caught glimpses of her rushing around at the Christmas party, but they hadn’t officially met. “I’m Rina Lowell.”
“Catherine Montgomery.”
The blonde, who Rina would love to hate for her beautiful face and perky disposition, smiled, making her feel welcome.
“I’ve been dying to meet you,” Catherine said. “But I was running around like a crazy person at the party. I’m so glad you invited us tonight. And now I guess I should shut up and let you talk.” Catherine grinned.
Rina laughed. “Colin’s said wonderful things about you. It seems like he was right.”
Catherine shook her head. “The man’s a charmer. He’d say anything that suited him.”
Beneath the table, Rina felt someone kick their foot out hard.
“Ouch,” Cat muttered. “Sorry. I have a big mouth. I meant that Colin is a charmer of the best kind. I’m really shutting up now.” She deliberately clenched her jaw tight.
Rina laughed again. “Don’t worry. I know who and what Colin is.” Her gaze met his and the fire she saw burning there warmed her inside and out.
They shared an enjoyable round of drinks and appetizers, Rina learning she could judge a lot about a man by his friends. Whereas Robert’s friends were colleagues, stuffy attorneys more full of themselves than she could bear, Logan was the opposite. Warm and full of fun like his grandmother. In his eyes, Rina saw Emma’s spunk and mischievous nature. She also saw that both he and Catherine cared for Colin, treating him more like family than a friend.
Another half hour later, the check was paid and Colin had moved closer, his thigh brushing her nearly bare one beneath the table. The short dress had hiked up her legs and his warmth caused a sizzling in her veins. She needed him more than she’d ever needed a man, needed to explore this thing between them and let the passion explode.
“Would you like to dance, Rina?” Logan asked. “My wife made me swear I wouldn’t make her spend any more time on her feet than necessary. She’ll be working parties and running around for the rest of the weekend.”
The background music suddenly became clearer, a throbbing beat made more intense by the pulsing inside her body, the longing she felt for Colin alone.
But since she didn’t want to be rude, she agreed to a dance. She and Colin had the night to be together, or so she hoped.
She and Logan moved onto the floor and danced through two songs. Rina enjoyed Logan’s sense of humor and wit. Unfortunately he wasn’t Colin and she wished the last song would end so she could be in Colin’s arms. So he could pull her close enough to feel the heat of his body and inhale the heady scent that aroused her and made her wet with wanting him.
Finally, the music ended and Logan stepped back. “Before we go to the table, I wanted to tell you something.”
“What’s that?”
“There’s something about Colin you may not know. I roomed with the guy in college. He doesn’t bring the women he dates around his friends. Even before Julie, he was wary.”
“Who’s Julie?”
“That’s for Colin to tell you.” Logan winked. “I’m just trying to let you know that you’re special to him.”
“Your wife’s getting jealous,” Colin said, coming up beside them.
Rina glanced back at the table. Catherine had ordered another drink and was talking to the waitress, oblivious to anything happening on the dance floor, making Colin’s claim a blatant lie.
Rina swallowed a laugh because there was nothing funny about Colin’s possessiveness. The emotions said a lot for his feelings, backing up Logan’s claim. “Are you interrupting us for Cat’s sake? Or for your own?” Rina asked, finished playing games.
“I think this is my cue to disappear.” Chuckling, Logan leaned over and whispered in Rina’s
ear. “He doesn’t bring women back to his place, either.” Then he slapped Colin on the back and made his way to the table and his wife, waving goodbye from a distance as he helped Catherine on with her coat.
Alone on the dance floor, Rina looked into Colin’s heated gaze and shivered.
“I don’t want you to be cold.”
“Then warm me,” she said, taunting him. Daring him. Begging him, she thought.
But instead of dragging her into the nearest dark room and having his way with her as her fantasy dictated, he pulled her into his arms. His body aligned with hers, and beneath her dress her nipples puckered as desire licked between her legs and an overall sensual tug of need swamped her.
The dance floor was crowded, but they might as well have been alone as they swayed from side to side. Music beat out a heavy, carnal beat, matching the rhythm quaking inside her.
“Warmer?” he asked at last.
“Mmm,” she purred as his lean, hard body took her on the beginning of what she hoped would be a very sensual ride. She inhaled, savoring the masculine scent of his cologne, letting him seep inside her pores and her skin.
“Rina?”
She tipped her head backward, forcing her heavy eyelids open. “Yes?”
His thumbs brushed over her lips, letting her dampness coat his fingertips. The sensations as he caressed her mouth overwhelmed her and she swallowed a moan.
“Do you want to get even hotter?”
His voice took on a low, husky quality that reverberated over her already sensitized nerve endings. She couldn’t mistake his meaning. She already knew she wanted the night to end in bed.
Meeting his gaze, she nodded, but didn’t feel anything like the courageous wanton she pretended to be. “I want to burn.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” His hand in hers, he led her off the dance floor, silent understanding about what was to come surrounding them.
By driving into Boston with Corinne, she’d left herself free to return home with Colin. On the long car ride, Rina had a lot of time to reflect on the woman she’d become around Colin. She’d never been so brazen before, not in thought or deed. But no other man had ever allowed her such freedom to be herself. None had ever seen her playful side. She bit her lip and glanced out the car window. The white snow in contrast to the jet-black night made her think of the woman she was…and the woman she’d been. These days, she’d returned to being the Rina whose ideal Christmases as a child had been spent playing in the snow, then warming up with hot cocoa at the kitchen table.
Colin respected that woman. Colin, a man who’d taken one look at her outrageous red dress and rather than disapprove, he’d drooled, and even grown jealous. She studied his handsome profile. Just the sight of him quickened her pulse and a ripple of excitement darted through her.
She clenched and unclenched her fists, all too aware of the fact that with Colin, she felt not just accepted, but alive.
One hand on the steering wheel, he met her gaze. Carnal need flared in his eyes and found an answering heat in hers. Beneath her dress, her nipples were hardened peaks awaiting his touch, and inside her panties, dewy desire trickled and her body pulsed with restrained need.
She squirmed in her seat, desperate for a distraction. “Mind if I turn on some music?” she asked.
“My place is closer,” he said at the same time.
They’d agreed to be together. They hadn’t discussed where. He doesn’t bring women back to his place, Logan had said. The beating of her heart echoed in her ears in the confines of the small car. “Is that an observation or an invitation?” she asked, needing to keep things light. Needing an answer even more.
He laughed. “You don’t play games. I respect that about you.” He reached over, his hand touching, then covering hers.
Heat seared her already sensitized skin.
“It’s an invitation,” he said. “One I don’t extend lightly.”
He met her gaze once more, hunger and more than she was ready to deal with shimmering in the darkened depths.
He doesn’t bring women back to his place.
Apparently he did now.
She drew a deep breath before answering. “I accept. And it’s not something I do lightly, either.”
His hand squeezed hers, his thumb caressing her skin, making her burn. He turned off the highway an exit earlier than her own. Two or three short turns later and he drove into a gated town house complex. Lit only by street lamps and the occasional room occupied by a night owl, they were enveloped in a cocoon of darkness that fit the wanton, decadent way she was feeling.
Staring out the car window, Rina couldn’t get a mental image of the development where Colin lived. She’d have a better idea come morning.
Oh wow.
She stepped out of the car and glanced up. When had it started to snow? She’d been too preoccupied with her thoughts to notice. Needing the release, she spread her arms out and twirled around, letting the flakes hit her face and the wind whip around her until Colin pulled her into his arms.
“You’re the ultimate snow bunny.” Serious and intense as she’d ever seen him, he dipped his head for a lingering kiss, one hot enough to melt the snow around them. His mouth sizzled against hers, making her burn. She’d come here for one reason only, and he obviously intended to give her what she desired.
By the time he took her hand and led her inside, awareness and desire had all but overwhelmed her. But she had no reservations, no doubts. She was ready.
DESPITE THE COLD OUTSIDE, Colin burned. He watched as Rina shrugged off her jacket, revealing the sexy dress that had tied him up in knots all evening. He reached out for her coat then dropped it onto the couch beside his. “You know, if it wasn’t for the snow on the ground, we’d never have made it inside.”
“And why’s that?” Mischief twinkled in her eyes.
Sexy mischief he couldn’t resist. “As if you don’t know. I want you so badly, the walk from the car to the house was pure torture.”
She threw her shoulders back and strutted toward him. There was no other word for her deliberately provocative movements. She meant to inflame his senses and she accomplished her goal beautifully.
“Then what are we doing wasting time talking?”
“Damned if I know.” She’d tasted delicious and he wanted more. Reaching for her shoulders, he brought her flush against him, sealing his lips against hers and sealing the inevitable outcome at the same time.
A purring sound rose from her throat and reached inside him. His lips traveled to her cheeks, following a moist path down her neck and pausing to nibble on her bare, luscious throat. He inhaled and smelled pure femininity, pure Rina, and a burst of desire shot through him.
Her head tipped backward, affording him better access, and he took advantage, licking and nibbling at her flesh. “I want to feel you naked,” she murmured. “Skin against skin, I need to know what your body feels like against mine.”
He smiled. This was what he liked best about Rina, the surprises. Demure and quiet on the car ride home, tigress now.
Pulling her closer, he brought her against him. Chest to chest, groin to groin, until his hard erection pressed fully into the vee of her legs, he shut his eyes and savored the intense feeling. “You’ll fit perfectly.”
“Then let’s get naked and see,” she said impishly, a blush on her cheeks and a smile on her face.
He didn’t need a second invitation. He reached for the short hem of her dress at the same time she did and together they pulled the garment up and off. She was a vision in red—red bra, red panties, all sinfully decadent. “I’ve died and gone to heaven.”
“Care to take me with you?”
“Hell, yes.” He was harder than he’d ever been and he gritted his teeth, unbuttoning his denim shirt. But before he could finish, she grabbed on to the material and ripped the shirt down and off his shoulders.
“Slow has its time and place, Colin. But now’s not it.”
He agreed and reac
hed to unhook her bra. If he thought she was incredible in all that lace, she was even more superb without it. Her breasts were plump and enticing, her nipples peaked and ready as she stepped toward him. She let her fingers travel to the waistband of his pants, and next thing he knew, he was kicking the trousers aside.
“Boxers or briefs? I’d wondered.” She bit her lip in intense concentration, gazing downward at his straining erection begging for relief, near to bursting against his boxer shorts.
When she deliberately let her hand graze over the bulge in his pants, Colin’s restraint vanished. Moving quickly, he backed her to the couch, tossed the clothes onto the floor and came down on top of her on the black leather sofa. Her body was soft, supple and pliant beneath his; warm and wet where her damp, dewy essence cradled him in heat.
His mouth met hers, the kiss ravenous, a release of all the pent-up sexual tension they’d been creating all week. She tasted of wine and Rina and he couldn’t get enough. His tongue thrust into her waiting mouth as he mimicked the movement with his hips, jerking forward, getting as close as possible without entering her willing body. That would come.
At the moment, their bodies were in sync, as well as their minds. He opened his eyes in time to see her watching him, eyes glazed with desire and a depth of emotion that would have shaken him if he wasn’t feeling it himself. For days now they’d danced around each other, feeding the mutual need and teasing one another with erotic touches and silent promises. With foreplay.
His body shook with the need to keep those promises now.
Taking him off guard, she wrapped her legs around his back, lifting her feminine mound off the couch and grinding her body in an enticing circular motion against his. The wave beckoned slowly, building to a heated crescendo that could have but one resolution.
No way in hell was he coming without being inside her. Neither, he swore to himself, would she.
“Condoms are in the bedroom,” he managed to say, hoping like hell he wasn’t killing the mood.
“They’re also in my purse on the floor next to you.” Despite the intimacy of their position, a flush rose to her cheeks.
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