Courting Innocence

by Kimberly Dean

  Erin looked into the older woman’s eyes. She needed her experience. Forget convention, she needed her knowledge as a DC madam. Nina knew men. She knew how their minds worked. She’d built a business around meeting their needs inside the bedroom and out of it. ‘What should I do?’

  Nina’s ash-blonde hair swayed against her shoulders. ‘I can’t tell you that. You need to make the tough decisions on your own.’

  ‘What does that mean?’

  Nina folded her hands on her knee but kept her gaze steady. ‘I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but you need to step back and think things through.’

  ‘I have,’ Erin insisted. Thinking was all she’d been doing.

  ‘We’ve been talking for a while now, and I’ve noticed how you dive into things head first. No worries or hesitation.’ Nina let out a long breath. ‘You let yourself get trapped in an unsuccessful relationship before.’

  Erin sat up straight, and her feet went to the floor. ‘My relationship with Colton isn’t unsuccessful. We’re just going through a rough patch.’

  ‘Don’t you want to have your eyes wide open this time?’

  Erin flinched, but then went still. Nina was a straight shooter. Something in her voice resonated, and it made Erin’s insides tremble. ‘What are you saying?’

  Nina sighed and smoothed her dress over her thighs. ‘You worry that slinking around is making you feel as if your relationship with Colton isn’t real. What if it truly isn’t?’

  Erin’s hands turned white in her lap. She wanted to say no, but what did Nina see?

  She had been blindsided the last time.

  ‘I’m not saying you two aren’t meant for each other. You should keep working at it and keep talking to him, but you need to consider the possibility that you built everything up in your heads. You’ve both wanted each other so badly for so long. You fantasised about what it would be like.’

  ‘And we were right.’

  ‘For a while.’ Nina’s expression turned empathetic. ‘But what if you can’t live up to the expectations?’

  ‘We can. We already have.’

  ‘Honey, what if the itch has been scratched?’

  Chapter Fourteen

  It took Erin days to work up to it. A week, really. It had taken that long for Nina’s words to sink in rationally rather than emotionally, and even then she’d still rejected them.

  She and Colton were meant to be together – had been from the moment they’d both laid eyes on one another.

  Yet he was drifting away from her. She could feel it.

  She looked again at the clock on the oven and frowned. She wandered back to the living room and peered out of the window.

  He’d been spending more and more time at the office. He’d taken a new case, and she knew from her gym manager that he was taking steps to deal with the harassment they’d been receiving too. Pro bono. He worked too much, and he’d stopped playing – with her and with Dustin. He’d skipped a basketball game last week, and her brother had not been happy.

  Erin wrung her hands. She couldn’t sit around and do nothing. Tonight, she was ready to take action.

  If she didn’t lose her nerve before he got here.

  Her gaze drifted up towards the second floor, and she ran her hands over the butterflies in her belly. She needed to do something to shake up the control that was choking him. She had to break through the quiet that was becoming pervasive between them.

  He’d liked it before when she’d surprised him…

  ‘Come home, Colton,’ she sighed.

  She fluffed a pillow on the sofa and straightened the ottoman in front of its chair.

  She was getting nervous in more ways than one.

  It was another 20 minutes before she finally heard his key in the lock. After all that time, she suddenly found herself unprepared. She doused the living-room light and found a spot where he’d see her when he walked in. Taking a moment, she shook back her hair. She leaned her back against the wall and lifted her foot to brace against it. Sexily, she hoped.

  When he entered, a chill came with him. It swept across her bare legs and brought goosebumps to her skin.

  ‘Hi,’ she said softly.

  He stopped dead still. ‘Hi.’

  His gaze swept over her hard. It was a good sign. She let her knee sway back and forth.

  ‘Welcome home.’ She didn’t have to force the huskiness in her voice. It was the first time in days that he’d looked at her that way.

  He quickly shut the door and put his briefcase at his feet. ‘You look sensational.’

  She smiled at him. He might have been fighting his attraction to her, but he wasn’t immune. She pushed away from the wall to go to him, and his eyes drifted to her feet. Her shoes were impossibly high, but she’d learned to walk in them.

  She’d learned to do a lot more than that.

  She reached up to push his coat off his shoulders. ‘We need to celebrate.’

  His hands locked into her waist. His fingertips bit, and Erin’s senses sang. She took the opportunity to wrap her arms around his neck and lean in.

  She kissed him passionately, but made herself pull back before he could stiffen. ‘I have a surprise for you,’ she whispered.

  So many things flashed through his eyes: arousal, curiosity and then self-containment.

  She hit the light switch before the last could take hold. ‘I finished redecorating.’

  The floor lamp in the corner came on, together with track lighting along the book case. The room that had once been a perfunctory, drab space was now beautiful, with a grey leather sofa and black microfibre chairs. The colour scheme brought the room together, making it cohesive. Accents in reds and whites made it pop.

  Erin watched Colton as he surveyed the area. He’d seen most of it, but the final pieces had been delivered today. She’d spent the afternoon putting on the last special touches. She’d tried to make it personal, adding things she knew he liked, such as items she’d found in storage boxes under the stairs. Some hadn’t seen the light of day in years, like the Matchbox cars on the shelf on the wall.

  Her heart had melted when she’d discovered those, and she’d known she’d had to use them. They were small and fun. They didn’t take away from the room, rather they brought a part of him to it.

  A part she was trying to find.

  ‘Do you like it?’

  ‘Like it?’ His head swivelled as he took everything in. ‘It looks like an entirely different room.’

  She cuddled against his side. ‘Is that good or bad?’

  ‘Good.’ He looked at the surround-sound system and the ottoman that would let him stretch out in comfort – but then his gaze stuck on the shelf of old toys.

  His jaw worked. ‘A change was needed.’

  She didn’t like the tension she felt in his body, or the way he drew away to hang his coat on a hook.

  She ran her fingers across his jaw. ‘I made dinner, too.’

  She turned and walked back to the eat-in kitchen. Her legs felt the stroke of his hot look as she took her time.

  ‘More surprises?’ His voice came softly from behind her.

  Her skin tingled. It felt good to have his attention again – or, more precisely, for him not to be fighting it.

  She looked over her shoulder before disappearing into the kitchen. ‘You’ll see.’

  She was bending over the oven when he followed her in, and a grunt came from deep in his chest. He let her deal with the hot dish before sliding up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist.

  ‘Aren’t you cold?’

  She leaned back into him. All she was feeling was heat. ‘I’m tired of winter.’

  It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the full truth either. The flirty little summer dress was out of season. It had skinny shoulder straps and a skirt that only hit mid-thigh, but she’d paired it with a short woollen jacket. And the shoes.

  The shoes had just as much purpose as the dress did, but it wasn’t time for that y
et.

  ‘And I felt like dressing up,’ she confessed.

  His hand settled on her bare thigh. ‘I’m not complaining.’

  Erin arched in pleasure as that dangerous hand slid under her dress, but she caught his wrist before he went too far. ‘Will you light the candles on the table?’

  ‘A candlelit dinner?’

  She turned in his arms. ‘I’ve missed you, Colton. I want you all to myself tonight.’

  He ran his thumb across her cheekbone. ‘I know I’ve been busy.’

  Busy, distracted or lost in his thoughts…Erin wasn’t sure what had been going on with him, but she was determined to get him back. ‘I know, but can we have tonight?’

  She looked up at him hopefully until he relented and rested his forehead against hers. ‘I’m all yours, Sunny.’

  The words were right, but the wistful tone was not. Worried, she brushed her lips against his. She had to break through to him tonight.

  And she would.

  Her resolve strengthened, and her feeling of sexiness grew. The dress, the shoes, the man…they were all affecting her.

  ‘Light the fire,’ she whispered.

  A gleam entered his eye, but then it dimmed and a suggestive reply didn’t come. It only made her more determined.

  While he searched for the matches, she dimmed the lights and carried the food to the table.

  ‘What are we having?’ he asked.

  ‘Enchiladas.’ She pushed her hair back. ‘I wanted something spicy.’

  The spark returned to his eyes as she slid into her chair, and it stayed when she crossed her legs. The ankle bracelet was back on her ankle. She knew he’d seen it the moment he’d walked in the door.

  She pointed her toes as he served, stretching her ankle provocatively, and took a slow drink of her Corona.

  ‘How’s the case coming along?’ she asked.

  The candlelight was aiding her in her cause of seduction. The meal felt intimate, and the room somehow quieter.

  ‘Discovery has been more complicated than I expected.’

  ‘Tell me about it?’

  ‘I’m bound by client confidentiality.’

  ‘Just the basics?’ She wanted to learn more about what he did. She’d known the teenager, now she wanted to know the man.

  To her delight, he answered. For once, they shared a meal where the conversation was easy again. Convivial. She giggled when he tried her jalapeno dip and had to grab for his beer. It felt good to laugh.

  She rolled her ankle and saw his eyelids get heavy. It felt good to tease.

  Finally, he sat back, his plate cleaned. ‘Baby, you’ve become a really good cook.’

  The compliment surprised her. She knew her family had always considered her a danger in the kitchen. ‘Am I?’

  He watched her lazily. ‘You’ve conquered the kitchen. What’s next?’

  Oh, if he only knew.

  Her nerves came back. She hoped her other lessons had taken so well. ‘The world. Want to be my accomplice?’

  His expression turned melancholy. ‘I know the case has been keeping me away from…home.’

  He’d been close to saying you, she knew, but his work wasn’t what had put up the wall between them. She let him use the excuse, though, because she knew it was true. If she didn’t watch him closely, he’d work himself into the ground.

  ‘I just want you here when you come home,’ she said softly. ‘All of you.’

  ‘I’m sorry.’

  She laid her hand on his. ‘You’ve been so distant.’

  ‘I know.’ He looked at where she touched him, her fingers tracing his knuckles. ‘Things have been complicated.’

  ‘They don’t have to be.’

  He looked her in the eye. ‘Your family is good people.’

  And there it was, that stupid stipulation that was keeping them apart. ‘So are you.’

  ‘I don’t want to hurt them.’

  But he was hurting her. ‘Don’t you want me any more, Colton?’

  The candlelight danced, and a flame jumped with a snap.

  ‘I want you more than anything.’

  His voice rubbed against her skin like black velvet.

  It was time.

  Her belly squeezed and the butterflies took flight. She took his hand in hers and stood. ‘Then let’s go upstairs.’

  He didn’t resist, and she was relieved. She didn’t want to fight. She wanted to communicate another way.

  She could feel his eyes training on her sky-high heels as she led him up the staircase, but then she felt the charm on her ankle bracelet. It was resting against the soft spot just behind her ankle. The tingle went right up the back of her leg and under the short dress.

  They couldn’t keep denying what they felt for one another, especially not here, in their home.

  She turned on the bedroom light and lowered the dimmer switch as she entered. It kept the mood romantic, but it also lit a new addition to the room. She stepped aside to let Colton take a good long look.

  He stopped in the doorway. ‘Please tell me that’s part of the redesign.’

  Oh, she wished.

  ‘It’s temporary.’ At least for now. She walked to the pole with her steps falling directly in front of one another as she’d been taught. The gait put a roll in her hips that was undeniable, and sensuality took her over.

  ‘I want to show you what I’ve learned at my dance class, too.’ She caught the pole with one hand and swung around it. Her hair tumbled to the side as she looked at him. ‘Still want to watch?’

  He reached overhead and took hold of the doorframe. ‘What do you think?’

  Erin inhaled through her nose and released the breath through her mouth. He looked so masculine and sensual when he did that. It stretched out his tall body and loosened his hips.

  Her gaze dropped to the front of his pants.

  Oh, yes, he wanted to watch.

  Using the strut that seemed only natural in her heels, she went to the bureau. Her phone was on top of it. She tapped it and music played. Closing her eyes, she let it run through her. It was the same playlist they used in class.

  She knew what she was supposed to do.

  She undid the short jacket fastened beneath her breasts. When she took it off, she didn’t feel a chill. The room was already turning warm.

  She looked into the mirror at Colton. He looked restless.

  Planting her hands on the dresser, she spread her legs and dipped into a deep knee-bend. She rose slowly, letting a ripple run up her body that ended with her hips thrust back in a seductive position.

  His stare went from curious to intense.

  The beat of the music became heavier. She faced him with a steady look that was a lot more confident than the nerves buzzing in her chest. She’d never done this for an audience before, but she’d practised in the mirror dozens of times. It didn’t come close to how it felt in real life.

  ‘Dance for me, Erin.’

  The low words blended with the sexy music. She approached the pole again, and the hem of her dress brushed high on her thighs. She’d bought it because it was cool and cute. It was also a tease.

  She stepped around the pole until it was behind her, then did the same deep knee-bend. She caught the pole overhead on her way up, but skimmed her other hand down the front of her body.

  The little sundress felt flimsy, and her body was warm underneath it.

  ‘That’s it, baby,’ Colton encouraged. He leaned his head against his arm as he watched her touch herself.

  Erin’s belly clenched. She was doing this to arouse him, so why was it turning her on so much?

  She did a few more turns around the pole, but then it was time to move on. Always give them a little more, she’d been told.

  The music seared through the air. Sliding her hands up her thighs, she fisted them both in her dress. Taking a wide stance, she pulled it up and over her head.

  ‘God. Damn,’ Colton hissed. His arms dropped, and he came into the room with
her.

  Erin felt wicked. She’d gone shopping for more than nicknacks today. Her journey had taken her to some interesting places until she’d found the shoes…and the G-string…and the tiny little bikini top that only covered half of her breasts.

  ‘Hot pink,’ he rasped.

  What there was of it.

  Her muscles turned lax. The way he was looking at her made her so hot.

  She hooked her leg around the pole and spun until she was dizzy. Even then, she didn’t dismount. Instead, she arched back and thrust her breasts towards the sky. The gritty song was one of lust and need. She felt it running through her blood.

  ‘Erin,’ Colton said.

  He sat on the edge of the bed, his hands gripping it tightly.

  Instead of making her self-conscious, the barely-there outfit gave her power. Coming up again on the pole, she lifted her legs out to the sides in a wide V. It was an advanced move that made her muscles burn. The G-string’s placket barely covered her between her legs, and she was spreading them wide for all to see.

  Or one very important person.

  He rose to his feet but managed to hold himself back. His breaths were coming hard, and his chest was rising and falling. He didn’t blink as he watched her, but he did get busy taking off his own clothes. The tie went first. He unbuttoned his shirt and let it hang open as he moved down to his trousers.

  He toed off his shoes. ‘Keep moving,’ he ordered.

  He’d caught her gaping.

  With a secret smile, Erin let her body work with the pole. Her head fell back and her hair brushed against her spine.

  The air in the room was heavy. Perspiration had broken out on her skin. The friction of the metal burned her inner thighs as she gripped it hard. With a leap of faith, she let go with both hands. Arching her back hard, she swept her hands over her belly and up to her breasts. She might as well have been naked. The cups of the bikini bra weren’t meant to hide much, and the shape of her nipples was obvious. They were poking up hard.

  She pinched them as the singer let out a wailing cry.

  Suddenly, Colton was there to take over for her. ‘Let me.’

  His hands closed over her breasts, and he pulled her down from the pole. He nipped at her earlobe. ‘Why don’t you climb me instead?’