In His Bed

by Pauline Allan

  Colin had to slow his steps. He wanted to run inside and explore every room like a kid on Christmas morning, but sensed how uneasy she must be about the new arrangement. “Sure,” he said and held the edge of the door above her head so she could go through first. Trying to be a gentleman was proving damn hard. All he could do was hope she didn’t turn around and notice the way he was staring as she walked through the open door.

  The inside of the house was amazing. With the style of architecture, he expected to find the pale pinks and greens like at his grandmother’s house, but instead the cozy modern style welcomed him to sit down. “This place is beautiful,” he said as she led him up the wide staircase leading from the foyer.

  “Thanks! Redecorating took a while after my ex left, but I like it. I guess the purists would be upset because I didn’t keep the decor original to the era, but I live here. This place isn’t a museum.” She stopped in front of an open door on the second floor. Focusing on the way her ass swayed as she walked down the hall he almost crashed into her. “Here it is. The bathroom’s down the hall on the right. My room’s on the left and I use the attic for storage. The staircase is around the corner at the end. You’re more than welcome to use it, too. The space is finished. At one time I thought it’d be perfect for a playroom.”

  The crests of her cheeks pinked as she looked away. There was too much history laden in the comment to press for her to open. Instead, he shifted the conversation to make her more comfortable. “This place is amazing,” he said as he walked into the room. The spacious decor was accented by the heavy, dark wood complementing the cream-colored rug in the center of the hardwood floor. “I’ll take it.” He spun around in time to watch her bend over and pick up Charlie. Damn if his cargo shorts didn’t try to split at the zipper.

  “Do you want to see the rest of the house first?” she asked, her gaze snapping just over his shoulder before spinning around toward the doorway. “We can go in the kitchen and get something to drink and discuss the details.”

  He glanced at the mirror above the dresser. His complexion flushed, hands fisted at his sides. There was no willing away the impressive tent stretching the front of his shorts. Holy shit, could he be more of a fucking idiot? Thankful she didn’t look over her shoulder, he said, “That’d be great. We can iron out the details.” He followed her into the hallway then walked into the bathroom careful to keep his hard-on out of her direct line of sight. “Do we share this bathroom?”

  Charlie started to wiggle as Lea placed the dog on the floor. “No. This one’s for you. I have one off my bedroom. My ex-husband wanted to keep everything white in this one. White tiles, white tub and shower—the man was void of color and personality.” Her lips slid into a snarky smile. “Will this be okay?”

  The fact she had a sense of humor about her ex made him relax. When it came to relationships, hate mirrored love and the last thing he wanted was for Lea to have any emotional attachment to the dumb fuck who screwed her over. Even if they never their new found friendship any further, he’d never want her hurt again.

  He followed her out into the hallway, studying the pictures on the walls. After a few moments, the tension in his groin started to ease. Before she turned around, he made a quick adjustment, giving some much-needed room to his softening cock. “It’ll be perfect,” he said. “So, what are the ground rules?”

  She leaned against the wall. “Well, I guess, be courteous. If you get it out, put it away. I go to the grocery store once a week. I can pick things up you like.”

  “I can handle those things. What about rent?”

  She averted her gaze to Charlie who sat on the floor by her feet. “I don’t want to charge too much, because I know you. Well, I kind of know you. What do you think is a fair amount?”

  Oh, hell no. She wasn’t going to cut him a break because of his mom. This endeavor was about the two of them. He and his mother weren’t a package deal. “Treat me like any other person you’d rent to. If I take the room, use the furniture, have my own bathroom, and use of the kitchen and laundry room, then I think seven hundred would be fair.”

  He watched her throat ripple as she swallowed. “You’re crazy, Colin. There’s no way I’m charging you that kind of money. Listen, let’s do this,” she said as she rested her palms on the curve of her waist. “You get everything you listed and you can use the pool whenever you want. How about two or three hundred a month and you mow the lawn.”

  “Mow the lawn?” He smirked. “Like on Saturdays after summer baseball when you’d sit on the porch and watch me?” Her face went from peach to flaming red. Teasing her was going to be too much fun. “That’s doable. I’m sure there’s a lot that needs to be done around here. I can help.”

  “Yeah,” she said, trying to look everywhere but at his expression. “That seems like a life time ago. You’ve...really grown up. I know your mom is really proud of you.”

  “You,” he said, taking the chance that moving a step closer wouldn’t fuck everything up, “haven’t changed since the day I left. I couldn’t wait to come over then. My friends were all jealous because I got to mow your lawn. I believe one of them even asked you to let him mow for less money.”

  “I remember. He never came back after that day.”

  Colin knew damn well why the guy hadn’t returned. Giving his friend a black eye had taught him a lesson. “I know.” A thin piece of silky hair fell from the loose ponytail draped over her shoulder. The urge to slip the satiny strands between his fingers was too much to deny. “I love your hair. I’m glad you kept it long.”

  She didn’t brush his hand away but turned just out of his reach. “We have to keep this friendly. We can be roommates. I have to respect your mom. She’s one of my best friends. I’m sure she’d be appalled to know I started something with her son. Didn’t you get the magazine clippings she sent? You know the expectations she has for you. I’m not part of that plan. Besides, if you’re looking to fulfill the cougar fantasy, I’m not the right one for you. I’m done with games, Colin.”

  That wasn’t what he wanted to hear, but something she didn’t say screamed volumes. She didn’t say she didn’t want him. The barrier she built had validity, but he didn’t want the girls in the magazines. He tossed the pictures in the trash, never giving them a second glance.

  “I didn’t mean to disrespect you. Hey,” he said trying to lighten her unease, “I’ll make dinner tomorrow night. Do you like steak, pasta? I can cook.”

  The way her weary expression lightened made the tension between his shoulders ease. He hadn’t totally fucked up. “I like steak.”

  Charlie’s claws clicked on the floor as she walked around the corner. Colin knelt and picked up the dog to cradle her in his arm. “What about you, Charlie? You like steak? It looks like you’ve never missed a meal sweet girl.”

  Lea moved closer and petted the panting dog. “She’s voluptuous. We like to have our snacks.”

  Colin wanted to solidify one thing, one very important preference he’d always harbored. “I like a woman who can eat. It’s hard to plan a date when you know all the woman’s going to do is have you pay a load of cash so she can push food around on the plate. I like—” When had he ever had a problem telling a woman what he liked? Never. Until now. “I like a woman with curves.” He hated to embarrass her, but he couldn’t lie.

  He expected her to shy away, give him a hopeful glance, but her expression didn’t waver. “There are a lot of men who like full-figured women. Sometimes I think my size is the only reason men ask me out, but it’s nice when someone is genuine and has the confidence to respectfully admit what he wants.”

  He cleared his throat. He couldn’t relate to the guys drooling over her ample chest and rounded hips, but he could understand her frustration. Women his age never hid the fact they liked his body. Hell, at the gym he couldn’t finish a workout without an invitation for a date or a proposition to sneak into the sauna and fuck.

  Two years ago he’d have considered the invitation
, now? No Goddamn way. The air sparked with silence. He leaned through the bedroom door one more time, amazed he’d get to sleep across the hall from her. He’d had one too many wet dreams about this scenario. “Everything looks great. How about I unload my truck then you can show me the rest of the house? I can’t wait to get in the pool.”

  “I usually swim in the evening, but if you’d like to use the pool with a date, I can change my routine. I’m flexible.”

  The only sexy female Colin wanted to see naked in the pool was his new landlady. “I’m not dating right now. Focusing on my career is a priority. Not much time to deal with the drama. Know what I mean?”

  “I’ve decided dating isn’t worth the headache.” She paused. Colin agreed but knew a date with Lea would be worth any headache, like the one he was going to get if his mom found out he planned to ask Lea out. “I can…why are you looking at me like that?”

  Colin suppressed the image of his mother shaking her head at him and said, “I’ll go get my things from the truck.”

  “I can help you bring your things in. This staircase can be brutal to carry things up.”

  “No worries. I can handle it. Pretend like I’m not here. I don’t want to interrupt your day.” He meant it. He could do forty-five minutes of cardio and lift for an hour. The staircase wasn’t going to be a problem.

  “Okay, I’ll be in my office if you need anything—through the parlor and past the French doors.”

  “Sounds good,” he said and opened the screen door. “Oh, how about three-fifty a month? Would that work?”

  She rested her hands on her hips. The way her lips split into a smile made him want to delve in and taste the heat between them. “I think that’ll work.”

  He leaned his forearms on the tailgate of the truck and chuckled, watching Lea follow Charlie all over the yard, checking the flower beds. He studied the landscaping. The lawn had seemed so vast before he’d left for college. Now, much like himself, so many things were put into a different perspective.

  Finally, he had a real shot at showing Lea he wasn’t the young kid she remembered throwing baseballs. He could be the man she needed. Taking risks was in his blood and gambling on his mother’s opinion of his feelings for Lea was a chance he was willing to take.

  *****

  “I’m making a salad,” Lea said into the cell phone. “Colin wanted to make steaks for dinner.”

  Rachel’s sarcastic “Oh...” made her stop the knife from cutting into the tomato.

  “It’s not like that.” She wanted to clarify before Rachel’s dirty mind carried this uncomfortable conversation any further. “He’s Stacey’s son, Rachel, so get your filthy mind out of the gutter.”

  “Uh huh,” Rachel mocked. “So, the fact little ol’ Colin grew up into a hottie-mchottie has nothing to do with how defensive you are?”

  Lea slid the knife through the tomato, hoping to keep her voice even. “The fact he’s off limits is enough to make this conversation absurd.”

  “Listen, I’m not saying to jump into bed with the stud, maybe just have a little fun. I know he’s Stacey’s pride and joy, but I could tell he was into you, Lea. She will understand...I think.”

  Colin walked into the kitchen carrying a handful of plastic grocery bags. “I got potatoes for the grill,” he said then noticed she was on the phone. “Oh, sorry.” He set the bags on the counter and started to unload.

  “Is he wearing those white baseball pants?” Rachel asked, making Lea’s cheeks burn. Being a mature woman, she refused to fantasize about Colin running around in tight baseball pants. Rachel continued, “Please...please tell me he’s wearing those. I can imagine how great his tight ass would look in them. Come on, tell me what he’s wearing, Lea. It’s a bestie code to share hot guy information.”

  She peered over her shoulder in time to see Colin bend over to grab a can of soda from the refrigerator. Damn, she hated feeling like this. The betraying thoughts made her stomach hurt. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” she said, swiping the phone off and getting back to chopping the veggies for the salad. The image crept back into her mind, forcing a fantasy of grabbing his firm backside. She tried to shake the image, but it stuck like epoxy.

  When Colin went on the back deck to put the steaks on the grill Lea took the opportunity to hide in the bathroom and splash cool water on her face. She gazed in the mirror. “Stop this, Lea. Stop it right now.”

  Turning from the mirror, she leaned against the vanity and crossed her arms over her chest. Imagining Colin in her bed, pumping his lean waist to fill her wetness, wasn’t a fantasy she was proud of, but God help her, her mind couldn’t stop going there.

  What would it be like in his bed? Would he be a ferocious lover or take his time and ravish her slowly?

  “Lea?” Colin’s voice raced through her forbidden thoughts.

  “Just a minute,” she said, trying to keep the shiver in her voice from giving away her thoughts.

  “I put the potatoes on the grill. I got a bottle of wine. Ready for me to open it?”

  She turned around and stared in the mirror again—flushed face, eyes dark and somnolent. Get it together, Lea. “Sure, sounds good.”

  She waited a few more minutes, gathered what dignity she had left, and walked back into the kitchen. A glass of merlot sat on the counter, but Colin was nowhere in sight. The last time a man thought to pour her a glass of wine was...well, she couldn’t remember. When she walked out onto the deck, she found Colin by the pool.

  “This is awesome out here.” He knelt and dipped his hand in the water.

  “Thank you. When I got the house in the divorce, I had the patio redone. We used the pool for entertaining my ex’s clients. Now, I like to have the girls over to relax.”

  He stood and went to turn the steaks on the grill. “I’m glad we decided to do this. I’ll be on swing shift for a few weeks so I might not be around a lot.” She tried not to let his comment tug at her already sensitive nerves. “If I took you out to dinner, we could touch base, make sure you’re comfortable with everything. Surely two adults having a meal won’t offend my mother, two friends having dinner together.”

  She had to think fast knowing the invitation’s innocence may have been spun on his part, but not so much on her own. “I’m starving,” she said, and started for the back door. Her avoidance had to be enough to let him know dinner could be misconstrued as a date and they’d agreed going out was off limits. Well, she’d made it off limits anyway.

  He didn’t push the issue further as they prepared their plates. Grateful he could be a gentleman, she had to wonder what would happen if they did go to dinner? Would anyone think anything bizarre? Women dated younger men these days, maybe not as young as Colin, but it happened. Now, being her best friend’s son held another host of issues.

  As he piled the food on his plate, he said, “I rented a couple of movies. One for me, a lot of cars blowing up, and the one for you involves a lot of riding in carriages. The man and woman on the back of the case were kissing, so I figured it would be girly enough.”

  She chuckled. Her thoughts were too quick to image them sitting on the couch, snuggled under a blanket watching a movie. She spoke before she had a chance to filter the ridiculous thought.

  “Sounds great, but I like the action movies, too, so let’s start with that one.” She put a potato on her plate. “You know you can do your own thing. Just because we’re roommates doesn’t mean I can’t disappear and give you time alone down here. I have a ton of work and since I work at home I can always retreat to my office. Like, if you wanted to bring a date over.”

  “Thanks, but this is your house and I’m not about to run you out of anywhere.” He finished filling his plate—an impressive sight, seeing as his waist was smaller than hers. “Want to eat outside?” he asked.

  “Sure.” They sat at the glass top table by the pool. Lea focused on the food hoping not to make a fool of herself by staring at the thickness of Colin’s forearms.

  He played
with a piece of steak. “I don’t date much anymore. It seems women are interested in two things—how much money a man makes and if he’s good in bed. I’m sick of the games.”

  She could relate. “I get it, but it goes the same for women my age. Guys think I should be made of money or I’m a tiger in the sack. The effort they put into finding out those two things is mind blowing—and absurd.”

  “So,” he said, pausing before casually changing the subject, “you work from home?”

  “Yes, I am an editor for The Mobile Times and I’m also a journalist for the paper. I have to make an appearance at the office once a week and the rest of the time I’m on deadlines. I also write articles for different writing journals. I enjoy it. My ex never took my work seriously.” She shrugged off the memory of his chauvinistic attitude and chalked it up to his arrogance.

  Colin stuffed a bite of potato into his mouth. She watched him chew, drank in the way how the muscles in his neck contracted as he swallowed. She couldn’t remember ever finding a man chewing so sexy.

  “I think it’s cool you have a career you’re passionate about. My mom never understood why I wanted to be a cop. I went to college to become a detective. I set a goal and now I’m on my way to achieving it. I’ve always pushed myself.” He looked up from his plate, those shimmering blue irises intensely focused. “I’ve never set a goal I haven’t reached.”

  If ever there was a time to squirm in her panties, the time had come. Could she actually be his goal? Her rational thoughts hoped to hell not, but the other part of her brain—the primal part—desired being his goal. The deep timbre of his voice made her core pulse, leaving her thighs desperate to hold his lean waist between them.

  Stay out of trouble, Lea.

  “That’s admirable.” Maybe she read too much into his statement, maybe it was innocent. Neither of them could be so naive and the statement didn’t feel so guiltless.

  They finished dinner sharing college stories, aspirations for their futures, and a few exciting moments in Colin’s months on the force up north. The way his expression lit up revealed the passion he felt for his job. Now, if she could stop fantasizing about him in his uniform.