She was obviously embarrassed that she’d been so anxious, and the fact that she wasn’t proficient at this made her all the more endearing. He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand, wanting her to know she was special.
“Colin?”
“Mmm?”
“I’m on the Pill and haven’t been with a man since my husband.” She paused, then shook her head. “What I’m trying to say is…I’m safe.”
He inhaled deep. He’d never made love to a woman without protection, never wanted the responsibility a mistake could cause. He’d contemplated the notion with his wife. Marriage had him thinking of family in the traditional sense, but Julie hadn’t been eager to lose her figure. Another thing they should have discussed before tying the knot. After her departure, he’d applauded her selfishness since it left him with no permanent ties to a woman he considered nothing more than a mistake.
Rina was different. In every way. “I’m safe, too,” he admitted.
“You don’t feel safe,” she said, squeezing her thighs tighter, intensifying the spiraling sensations. She lay her head back and moaned, and the thought of being inside her with no barriers between them, nothing except melding flesh, made him burn hotter. To hell with the consequences, with the problems lying ahead of them.
To hell with everything but this. He pulled the thin string holding her panties until the material tore in two, and when the panties joined the growing pile on the floor, Colin saw perfection. Glistening, dewy perfection surrounded by creamy white thighs with a triangle of dark hair on top.
“Sweet heaven,” he muttered. He moved aside long enough to pull off his boxers and drop them to the floor, then noticed she’d changed positions. Against the black sofa, she lay, legs spread wide, waiting. For him.
He came over her, his hands grasping her thighs at the same time his thumbs caressed and parted her silken, damp flesh. Her breath caught in her throat, her pleasure unmistakable.
“This works for you?” He ran a finger over her slick heat, slipping inside.
“Oh, yes.” Her hips jerked upward in silent acknowledgment, taking him in deeper.
At the simulation of sex, a shudder wracked his body, making him feel as out of control as he’d been when he was a teenager. But no, he thought. This was far worse, because no other woman had ever affected him this way.
And Rina hadn’t been with anyone since her husband. The thought both sobered and humbled him. He wanted to give her perfection. He wanted to give her everything he had.
Nudging his erection at her engorged opening, he thrust fast and deep, giving her what he needed, what he sensed, hoped she needed, as well. From her satisfied cry that shook the silent house, he’d been right.
He wanted to savor the moment that had been so long in coming, but they were both too far gone. Her hips gyrated, seeking release, and his body thrust of its own volition, only too happy to comply. Harder, hotter, the slick, synchronized movement between them created not just intense sensation but a swell of emotion he hadn’t been prepared to face.
Though he’d known he and Rina wouldn’t just have sex, the perfection of the moment completely overwhelmed him. But as she repeated her earlier motion, wrapping her legs around his back and nearly lifting herself off the couch, she brought him so deep into her he didn’t know where he left off and she began. And he didn’t want to know.
He only wanted to feel, and when she dug her nails into his flesh and let go completely, Colin felt set free.
CHAPTER EIGHT
COLIN STRETCHED OUT beside Rina, every inch of his lean, hard male body coming into delicious contact with her skin. His fingers tangled in her hair and he pulled her close. After their encounter on the couch they’d moved to his bed, where she’d slept more deeply than she’d ever remembered. Making love to him had been a mind-altering experience, one she was all too ready to repeat this morning.
But not yet. “Tell me about Julie.” Logan had planted the seeds of her curiosity surrounding Colin’s past and Rina wanted to explore them. To know more about this enigmatic man who made her come apart so easily.
He groaned. “Hell of a way to start the day,” he muttered.
Okay, so it wasn’t the best question first thing the morning after, but she’d spent the night in his arms. He’d spent it inside her body. She figured that allowed her some leeway.
“She’s my ex-wife.” He rolled over and propped up on one arm.
The sheet pulled low on his chest and the urge to press her breasts against him and drop this whole conversation was strong. Unfortunately, her curiosity was stronger. “And?”
He met her gaze. “She’s in the past.”
“A painful past?” She probed deeper.
He shrugged. “It only hurts if you care. I’m over it.”
“I should hope so, considering where we are.”
He exhaled hard, and she knew he was going through that frustrating process of male withdrawal. “So why do I have the feeling that knowing Julie’s in the past isn’t enough?”
“Because I’m a woman and I like to push.”
“Even if I’d rather make love than talk?” A wry, sexy smile tipped his lips.
Good, she thought. He wasn’t angry, just attempting to maintain his masculine dignity with stoic silence. She rewarded his patience with her questions with a long, lingering kiss. One that quickly threatened to explode in another lovemaking session, considering they were both still nude. And she wasn’t ready to give up on emotional intimacy for more sex, as much as her body craved him.
She broke the kiss, licking at her damp lips. A disheveled Colin was as devastating to her senses as a well-put-together one. And if the man was going to have this kind of effect on her, she needed to understand all about him.
“Did you love her?” Rina asked.
Colin rolled back and lay a hand over his eyes, resigning himself to talking before any other desires were satisfied. Truth be told, he wanted to confide in Rina, which surprised him, since he wasn’t a sharing kind of guy.
“Not the way I should have. Then again, the feeling was mutual.” Sensing Rina’s gaze on him, he stared up at the ceiling, wanting a clear head when he answered her. “I was a news anchor on a local station in Boston when Julie and I met. We had some things in common and I thought she was a refreshing change from the women who wanted the macho personality they saw on TV.”
“You, macho?” Rina laughed.
“After last night, are you seriously doubting my masculinity?” He pushed her onto her back, straddling her hips.
She sucked in a shallow breath. “Definitely not.”
“So do you want to hear about my disastrous marriage or would you rather repeat some of those erotic positions we tried last night?” He asked, his erection poised at her moist, ready flesh.
She sighed, obviously torn, her wide brown eyes filled with curiosity and desire. He didn’t blame her for either. He wanted equal insight into her past and planned to get it after he satisfied his need for her this morning. He doubted he’d ever have his fill of her completely, something he’d have to deal with soon.
“I want you to talk. I want to know all about you. Then I want to make love.”
“Okay,” he said, resigned. “Julie and I got married. I was working at the network, restless with the job and life, but that wasn’t anything new or different for me.” He’d always been restless, ready to move on. So why wasn’t he compelled to bolt now, when things in his personal life were at their most complicated? He knew the reason lay in his arms, waiting for more answers. “I think Julie sensed my restlessness. Not that it’s an excuse for cheating, but I think she wasn’t any happier than I was.”
“She cheated on you?” Rina asked.
Realizing he hadn’t been clear, Colin laughed. Amazing that she hadn’t jumped to the conclusion that he’d been the one to stray, which said volumes about her faith in him. Unwarranted faith under the present circumstances, but it pleased him anyway. “Yeah, she did. Obviousl
y she wasn’t getting what she needed out of the relationship.”
“Or she didn’t know the meaning of truth, honesty and fidelity,” Rina said in disgust.
Ouch, he thought, taking the direct hit. “I think Julie just wanted me to be satisfied at home and, sensing I wasn’t, she went looking elsewhere.”
“I never realized we had anything so fundamental in common. My husband wanted me to be more satisfied at home than I was.”
“He didn’t cheat on you, did he?” Colin wouldn’t want Rina to suffer the humiliation.
She shook her head. “I think what he wanted was almost worse. He wanted to change me.”
“Foolish man.”
Her eyes shimmered with moisture and happiness. “That’s what I like about you, Colin. You accept me for who I am and respect what I want to do in life.” She shook her head. “For as long as we last, I’ll know you’re not a man who has some wrong vision of who I am or some alternative idea of what I should be doing. You want me.”
Yes, he did. For as long as she’d have him and, he feared, beyond. Colin nudged her legs aside with his and while she watched, he entered slowly. “I want you.” He thrust deep and she took all of him, arching her hips while her body contracted around him, milking him with her tight, wet heat.
She shuddered and sucked in a breath. “I want a man to know me and accept me.”
He withdrew, feeling her swollen and wet surrounding him. “I want to know all of you. Every last thing about you.”
She bent her knees, forcing him to thrust deeper in order to maintain body contact. “I want to know you the same way.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” he asked, and proceeded to know her. Accept her. And she did the same, taking him, accepting every last bit he had to offer.
RINA TURNED ON the shower in Colin’s bathroom. She inhaled the scent of shaving cream and aftershave. Colin’s aftershave. Just the delicious smell was enough to arouse her sensitive body all over again.
As much as she’d like to head back into the bedroom to repeat the experience, she knew she had to shower and let Colin drive her home. She’d called Frankie and left word for her to walk Norton, but she couldn’t be certain her friend had gotten the message. And Norton, the pampered pooch, wasn’t used to being alone overnight any more than Rina was used to spending her nights in a man’s bed.
Any more than she was used to bonding with a man emotionally, and for that reason, her escape home came at the perfect time. She needed space and time to think.
And an hour later, Colin drove her home. He pulled up to the Cape house and she noticed an unfamiliar black car parked in the driveway. “Maybe Frankie’s got company.”
“Frankie, your company?” he asked wryly, reminding her of last Saturday night’s phone call.
Rina grinned. “Frankie, my female friend who lives downstairs.” She’d told him about Frankie over a quick breakfast of cold cereal in his kitchen, where she’d admitted to baiting him last weekend.
“Wouldn’t be unusual for people to have family over during the holidays. By the way, that reminds me of something I’ve been meaning to bring up. And would have if you weren’t so sexy and distracting. Christmas Eve is tomorrow night.” He turned off the ignition at the same time he turned on the charm, treating her to the endearing grin she’d come to know so well. “Did you have any plans?”
Jake and Brianne were coming up from New York tomorrow when her sister-in-law got off from work, and she wanted Colin to meet them. She refused to think about what that meant. Neither did she want Colin to be alone while Joe lay in a hospital bed.
But she wanted to hear his thoughts before she sprang her suggestion on him. “What did you have in mind?”
He twirled her hair around his finger. “I noticed there’s no Christmas tree in your apartment.”
Now that he mentioned it, she’d noticed the same about his condo. “I didn’t want to put one up alone.” Jake would probably kill her when he arrived and discovered she’d neglected their favorite family tradition, but she hadn’t wanted to go tree shopping solo.
“Tsk, tsk,” he said jokingly. “Don’t you think Norton deserves a festive holiday?”
“Norton!” She had to get inside and let him out. Reaching for the handle, she jumped out of the car and ran up the back stairs.
Once outside her apartment, she paused. A pair of women’s slippers sat by the welcome mat in the hall. A pair of wet women’s slippers with gold embroidery that could only belong to one person. Rina crinkled her nose, recognizing that Norton had done his business yet again, this time on Emma’s shoes. Though what Emma would be doing here, she hadn’t any idea.
“Oh, no. Emma? Emma, is that you?”
Colin’s footsteps sounded behind her as he followed her inside. “Emma’s here?”
Rina pointed to the damp slippers. “No self-respecting prowler would wear these or leave them as evidence. Frankie must have let her in.” She ran a hand through her still-damp hair. Colin, macho guy that he was, didn’t have a blow-dryer. “I wonder what she wants.”
He groaned. “Does it matter? We get to be interrogated by the matchmaker the morning after. That’s fun I wouldn’t mind missing.”
“Chicken.” She grinned, grabbed his hand and pulled him inside, surprised when Norton didn’t come bounding toward her. “Emma?” she called once more.
“I’m in the kitchen.”
Rina stepped into the room and found Emma, the sleeves of her silk blouse rolled up to her elbows as she rinsed what looked like a pair of panty hose in the sink.
Norton had obviously ruined them, as well as her shoes. Rina winced. “Hi, Emma.”
“Hello, dear. Your friend Francesca let me in. Lovely girl. Bad date last night and I’m coming up with a list of possible men to help her out.” Emma shut off the faucet and wrung out the damp hose.
“I see you met Norton?” Rina asked carefully.
“Oh yes.” Emma smiled.
“And you aren’t angry?”
She shook her head. “What can you expect when the poor thing’s been left alone all night. You should be happy I don’t report you to the ASPCA.” Her wink made a mockery of her words.
Rina rolled her eyes. Norton was perfectly capable of holding himself for the time she’d been gone. He had an extraordinary bladder. “What happened?”
“He got so excited when I rang your bell. It was about the same time Francesca had come upstairs to walk him, and while she was looking for the leash, he…uh…well, suffice it to say he didn’t quite make it this time.” She lifted her shoulder in the delicate shrug Rina had come to know well. “Anyway, Frankie took him for a walk and she said she’d keep him downstairs for a while. Just in case he had any ideas about repeating himself.”
Rina shook her head. “I’ll pay for your shoes and panty hose.” Knowing Emma’s expensive taste, replacing them would probably set her back a fair penny. But somebody had to pay Norton’s debts.
“Never mind that.” Emma lay her stockings over one of Rina’s kitchen chairs as if she lived there and walked into the living room, expecting them to follow.
Of course, they did.
“You two have some explaining to do,” she said as she turned around and seated herself in the club chair in the corner, holding court in Rina’s house.
Colin walked by and knelt down beside Emma. As he passed, Rina inhaled his masculine scent and her body heated up all over again. The timing was all wrong, of course. As much as Rina enjoyed Emma’s company, the older woman seemed to have taken up residence, hadn’t told Rina what she wanted and didn’t seem inclined to leave anytime soon.
After lifting Emma’s hand in his, Colin placed a kiss on her hand. “You know I adore you.”
Was it Rina’s imagination or did Emma actually blush?
“Of course you do, you charmer, you. It still doesn’t mean you don’t have some explaining to do, keeping Rina out all night.”
“How do you know we didn’t just go for
breakfast?” Rina asked.
“Because you’re dressed like a hot number in wrinkled clothing, which leads me to believe you’ve been out all night. You can’t pull the wool over my eyes. I’m too old and I’ve been around. Now, young man, what do you have to say for yourself?”
Colin laughed. “Only that I adore you.”
Rina walked closer to the chair. “Not that you aren’t welcome anytime, but what are you doing here now?”
“That’s a good question.” Colin rose to his feet and thrust his hands into his back pockets waiting for an answer.
“Honestly?”
Rina threw her hands in the air in pure frustration. “Of course!” she said on an exasperated breath.
“I came to snoop.”
That took Rina off guard. “What?” Last time Emma nosed around, she’d found Stan’s card. This time Rina had nothing to hide.
“I came to have tea, make small talk, excuse myself to go to the ladies’ room and see what evidence you’d left around. Then I realized that you’re my dear friend and such behavior is inexcusable. Not that you’ve been looking out for my feelings, but I certainly look out for yours.”
Rina’s head was swimming. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Turning to Colin, she asked, “What is she talking about?”
He merely shrugged, one eyebrow raised as he, too, waited for an explanation.
“Did you know she’s two-timing you, Colin?”
“What!” Rina and Colin both asked at the same time.
Emma nodded. “She’s giving me competition for my dear Stan.”
Rina blinked. “You said the man’s a lecher. Now he’s your dear Stan? Come on, Emma. What gives?”
“First he sends you flowers.” She sniffed, pulling a handkerchief out of the cuff of her sleeve. “Then he asks you out.”
“He did no such thing,” Rina said, outraged.
Colin coughed, lifting his hand to cover his obvious laughter. The traitor. Rina would deal with him later, but first there was the matter of an outlandish eighty-year-old storyteller to deal with. “Prove it, Emma.”
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