by Knight, Evie
“Ariel?”
She flinched. “Logan,” she said, relieved to see him.
“Is everything okay?” he asked, concern in his voice.
She considered her words. “Everything’s fine. Hey, do you know anything about the tragic death of Colin’s fiancée?”
He wrinkled his brow. “Don’t trust anything Penelope says.”
“Why?” she asked.
“Don’t dig up skeletons. You may be sorry you did.” His words sounded more like a warning than friendly advice.
A sickening cold sweat broke through her body, nausea rose to her throat, and everything spun around. “Can you take me home?”
“I thought you’d come with—”
“I’m not feeling well,” she said, hoping he wouldn’t ask anything else.
He glanced in the direction of the crowd then at her. “Come on.” He placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her down the terrace’s stairs.
****
Logan seemed deep in thought on the way home. Even though the drive back took the same forty minutes, it felt like hours. Her stomach was in knots. If throwing up her guts fixed what she felt, she’d do it. She breathed in and out. Her hands dampened with a maddening cold sweat that refused to leave her body.
Ariel needed time alone to think. When Colin found her gone from the party he’d be upset. She’d no idea what she’d say when he confronted her demanding to know why she’d left without him. Ariel was too exhausted to think of any excuses.
Logan drove up the gravel path and stopped the car across from the steps to the entrance. She mumbled a thank you, and got out of the car without giving him a chance to say anything or walk her in. She ran up the steps and burst through the entrance door, heading straight to Colin’s study.
Penelope’s words wouldn’t stop playing in Ariel’s head. She wished her mind had a stop and erase button. Ariel rubbed her temple, pacing around his study. Bookshelves overfilled with books from floor-to-ceiling surrounded her. She felt the walls of the large room closing in on her.
What did Penelope say? Bad, bad, bad, Ariel. She balled her hands into fists, walking to the large oak desk. Ariel pulled the drawers open, not knowing what to search for, yet hoping to find something that’d show her what she dealt with. She scanned the papers in the folders she came across. Nothing stood out to her. There wasn’t anything to corroborate even one word of what Penelope said, proving her a total liar.
The woman had to be jealous of her. There wasn’t another explanation. The things she’d told Ariel were preposterous. She’d been a fool for allowing Penelope to mess with her mind so much she now snooped around in Colin’s study. Of all the stupid things she’d ever done, this topped them all.
Ariel paced the room, dragging her fingertips along the bookshelves when her fingers fell into an indent, getting her out of her scatter-brained state. She turned to the shelves, focusing on the barely visible gap. She stepped back to study the shelf, noticing it wasn’t leveled with the rest.
There were three books on their backs placed in front of a few others stacked in a standing position. Ariel removed the three books then reached for the ones on the back, surprised to find they were faux books. She touched the smallest one with her index finger, pulling it forward and a latch clicked, startling her. No. It couldn’t be. A secret compartment? Ariel gripped the shelf to open it.
The door to the study was thrown opened. “Why the hell did you leave?” Colin barged in the room.
Ariel put the books back on the shelf and pushed it back, praying it’d close and look the way it did before she’d discovered its existence. Her heart raced so fast, she heard the thrumming in her ears. A wave of heat replaced her cold sweat. She’d been caught with her hands in the cookie jar.
“You were my date. You were supposed to stay there with me.” Colin walked toward her with intent in every step. His bow tie and the first two buttons of his shirt were already undone. “You left with Logan. Why?” His eyes grew darker.
“I wasn’t feeling well,” she said.
Colin ran a hand over his face and through his hair, unfastening the tie holding it back. “Why didn’t you ask anyone to find me? You went with me, you had to come back with me,” he said. “Why Logan, Ariel? What kind of relationship do you have with him?” he asked, raising his tone a notch.
After her discoveries tonight, Ariel didn’t think it a good idea to say much. “He’s helping me with something.” A burning sensation ate her inside out. Had he loved Penelope at one point? Made love to Penelope the way he did to her?
God.
Why wasn’t she scared of him instead of feeling jealous?
“He’s helping you do what?”
Hard eyes stared at her.
Ariel hadn’t seen him this upset before. Since he hadn’t mentioned the secret partition, now was probably a good time to get out of his study and lock herself up in her bedroom. Tomorrow, when her mind wasn’t muddied, she’d think of something. Until she discovered what existed behind the shelf, she’d keep her mouth shut.
“I’m sorry to say this, Colin. My dealings with Logan are not any of your business. I’m not asking you what kind of relationship you used to have, or still have, with Penelope.” She shifted her feet realizing she’d said too much.
Colin’s brow furrowed. “What does Penelope have to do with us?” He took a step toward her. “When you go out with me, you’re with me. You don’t leave with another man. Understand?”
She straightened her back, glancing past him to the half closed door. “Stop it. I’m going to think you’re suddenly jealous.” Ariel took a step to her right, setting more distance between them, getting ready to bolt.
“Maybe I am, Ariel.”
Huh? She snapped her head back to look at him and touched her throat, feeling her fast pulse. Penelope’s truth or lie, this confrontation with him, and the secret shelf overwhelmed her. Add her missing brother into the mix, she’d soon turn into a nutcase. And what the hell did Colin mean? Someone please wake me up. “Maybe you shouldn’t be. We’re fuck buddies, Colin. There’s never been any promises between us. It’s always been sex.”
“You’re wrong,” he said.
“How am I? Isn’t it true every time something happens, we argue and end up fucking our brains out?” A fight now wasn’t ideal for her state of mind, not if it’d end the way their fights always did. In bed.
Colin tugged off his bow tie and flung it on a nearby chair. “We aren’t fuck buddies.”
“Please. You know the same as I do, it’s what we are.”
He bridged the gap between them. “No.” Colin grasped her arms, pulling her toward him, claiming her mouth in a searing kiss.
The heat of his lips on hers traveled down her body, drawing her to him the way it always did, rendering her powerless. Her body, the number one traitor, surrendered to his caresses, to the sweet nothings he whispered in her ear every time he made love to her. Correction. Every time they had sex. Not tonight.
Ariel found strength buried deep inside her, she broke the kiss and pushed away from him. “I can’t do this tonight.” She looked into his confused eyes then spun on her heel.
****
Colin heard the sound of her steps fade in the distance. He exhaled. What the fuck happened tonight? Where did things go wrong? Julianne told him Ariel left the auction soon after she’d chatted with Penelope.
Ah. Penelope. Penelope. Penelope.
What the hell did she tell Ariel to make her sick and leave without going to him first? It irked him that Ariel asked Logan to take her home, instead. His childhood friend was becoming a nuisance. Colin glanced around his study, recalling the details of Ariel’s background check, trying to put bits and pieces together. Something didn’t click for him. Where the hell were her only two relatives? What the fuck was Logan helping her with? He’d find out soon enough. If Ariel needed help, he’d help her, not his friend.
He’d also have a come to Jesus chat with Pene
lope. God, the woman had a harder skull than a crocodile. One way or another he’d break into it to make her understand he wasn’t interested. She better get her fucking infatuation with him out of her head.
How did such a perfect evening turn into a bloody mess? He’d tried to right things with Ariel the only way he knew how and kissed her. She’d looked like a goddess in her dress. He’d planned to make love to her all night long, and she’d denied him. She never did. Why now?
Colin admitted to being jealous of Logan. He wanted him out of the picture as much as he wished Penelope went away with her lies, too. Damn it, was it too much to ask people leave him and Ariel alone?
Why did she think of them as fuck buddies? They were much more and past that stage. He’d agree they always ended their arguments fucking their brains out, but after the other night in the entrance hall things changed. They’d progressed in the path he’d evaded until now. Didn’t she see it?
Ariel woke things in him he’d thought dead and buried. She’d altered his life from the moment she’d crossed his path. He hadn’t planned on playing again with his band, yet he went to rehearsals every day. He’d hidden himself from the world, stopped being a friend to his friends, a brother to his sister, a son to his mother, and Ariel pushed him to do it all.
He’d even accepted to play in front of thousands of people, something he’d sworn not to do ever again, yet he’d be doing it in a few weeks. Ariel pushed him and he acceded every time, with the exception of his decision for this public performance to be his last. Though, he’d started to give it some thought. Like it or not, as confused as it made him, Ariel was the reason behind everything he did lately. She’d rekindled his hunger for music.
Colin slid his gaze around his study one more time and left in search of his room. He’d be lucky to catch any sleep. It’d be a long, cold night.
Chapter Eleven
Ariel didn’t hear any more on progress made by the investigator Logan hired. All the leads to her brother’s whereabouts grew cold. She also hadn’t seen Colin in over a week. By the time she made it down to breakfast each morning, he’d already left for rehearsal. He never made it back until after she was in bed at night. She’d bet he did it on purpose.
Last weekend, she’d been scared, confused, not knowing what to think or make of things, or even how she wanted to move forward. Since last Saturday night, they’d kept to their rooms. At first, she figured giving each other space a good thing. She hadn’t counted on it lasting for days. As the days went by and she spent cold and long lonely nights in her room, trying to ignore the fact she missed being in his arms weighed heavy on her.
Ariel glanced down at the papers in her hand as she walked down the hall to his music studio. Logan asked her to retrieve the folder with the addendums Colin signed. She sighed. Everything circled back to him. To Colin. When wouldn’t it?
She missed their chats, stupid fights, and their makeup sex. She’d come to terms and admitted her feelings toward him went deeper than her we’re just fuck buddies excuse. Oh, she had plenty of questions, doubts. Penelope’s twisted story continuing to play in her mind didn’t help either. Still, Ariel’s version of Colin wasn’t the same as Penelope’s. What would she find if she dug more into his past?
Music sounded from the end of the hall, filling her ears and her heart raced. He’d stayed home. Ariel quickened her pace then stopped right in front of the doors to his music studio. She smoothed down her hair and checked her dress. She straightened her back then opened the door and crossed the threshold.
“Aren’t you going to rehearsal today?” She hoped her tone didn’t give her excitement away.
“No.” Colin continued to play.
The song wasn’t one she’d heard before. “I’m sorry about the other night,” Ariel said. She missed him too much to keep their fight going. Colin didn’t scare her. Penelope and her lies did. Ariel fought the urge to close her eyes and drum her foot against the floor.
His head came up. “Ssh … don’t be.”
“What are you playing?” She remained standing near the door, studying him, shocked to see he wasn’t dressed in his usual black on black. Today, he’d exchanged his plain black T-shirt for white. Now, that’s refreshing.
“I’m composing a new song.” Colin grabbed the pencil tucked behind his ear and drew a note on a music composition sheet.
Her curiosity got the best of her, and wanting to break the ice between them, she said, “I’d love to hear it.”
He glanced past her at the door. “You have to pay the price.”
“Ooh, sounds intriguing.” Yes! Progress.
“Are you willing to pay my price?”
His hot gaze slid down her body, her fingers tingled with the need to touch him. “Maybe.” She lifted one shoulder, smiling at him.
Colin seemed to consider his next words. “Lock the door and stand in front of the bay window.” He gestured with the pencil.
Ariel didn’t give his request a second thought and complied. A thrill of anticipation ran through her body, imagining what he’d ask for next. She stood by the window. “Okay. Do I get to hear it now?”
His upper lip twitched into a sly grin. “No. Remove your clothes. I want you naked.”
Ariel stared at him in wonder and silence filled the room. How did she not see this coming? Always expect the unexpected with Colin.
“Got a problem with that?” He angled his head.
Yes. No. Yes. “No.” She’d imagined by this time he’d have already kissed her and that they’d be busy removing each other’s clothes. But he’d proven her wrong. He had yet to move an inch toward her.
“What if I say you’re my muse?” he asked.
The intensity in his gaze sent shivers down her middle. “Am I really?” She remained still.
“Really.” He exhaled. “The thing is I’ll never finish composing my next number one hit if I’ve lost my muse,” he said, a ghost of a smile on his face.
Wasn’t this what she wanted? Her core contracted, making her aware of how wet his words made her. “You don’t play fair.”
“I never said I did.” Colin tapped the pencil on the music sheet. “Come on, gorgeous. Strip off your clothes and sit on the window.” He gestured behind her.
Ariel removed her clothes and sat on the pillows on the bay window. She licked her lips, holding his gaze. By the look on his face, he either admired her body or at minimum planned what he’d do to it next.
“Lean your back on the glass and spread your legs so I can see your pussy,” he said.
Heat traveled from her toes to her face. His words enflamed her body and her core pulsed with the ache of expectancy. He pushed her limits. Wait, did she even have any limits when it came to Colin? No. Save for the night of the auction Ariel never denied him anything. It’d been the exception to the rule.
His naughty request made her shameless. Her excuse? She was his muse. Or so, he said, and she’d like to believe it. A chill went down her spine when her back touched the cold glass. Ariel spread her legs wide, baring her naked core to his eyes.
Colin took a deep breath searing her in place with his gaze. “Lick your fingers,” he said. “Every time I play a note I want you to touch yourself. I want to see you become undone by my music. Can you do that for me?”
Ariel slid the tip of her tongue across her lips. “I can try.” Her voice cracked with her desire to please him.
Colin nodded and rose to his feet. He positioned his violin on his collar bone, holding it in place with his jaw. He curled his left hand fingers around the base then placed the bow between the end of the fingerboard and the bridge. He pulled it back striking the first note to the song.
She licked two fingers from each hand and seductively dragged them from her mouth to her breasts. Colin played the next note and she circled her nipples with her wet fingertips, making her tips tense.
His scorching gaze didn’t leave her face, her body. His eyes followed everywhere her hands touched. His head rock
ed in rhythm with the song every time he played a new note. His hair tie fell, landing at his feet. Loose strands of hair veiled his face.
Ariel squeezed her nipples next and put enough pressure, shooting an electric flow in a straight line to her core. It ached. It yearned for release and they’d only gotten started. The melody filled her ears overflowing her senses. The notes were a featherlike caress to her skin, traveling in and out of her body, making her insides warm with want, with need. She licked her fingers once more and left a wet trail as she slid them to her pulsing pussy.
She sucked in her breath, and her own arousal teased her nostrils. His song seduced her. The tune made love to her body, kissing every erogenous zone in its wake. Ariel parted her moistened folds, her thumb rubbing her clit. A soft moan left her lips.
“I want you to finger fuck yourself,” Colin said as he continued to play.
She obeyed, slipping two fingers in her slick entrance. Her muscles clenched around her fingers. Her free hand cupped her breast, playing with her nipple. The smell of her arousal, the notes of the song filling the space between her and Colin, intoxicated her with desire.
He hit high notes, which meant the end of the song neared. She imprinted the melody to memory. It’d forever run through her bloodstream. Ariel didn’t want to give it up yet.
“Let go,” Colin said.
“I-I can’t.” She closed her eyes, thrashing her head from side to side as the last notes of the song lifted her to heavenly heights, tearing her apart as she obeyed his command to let go. Ariel cried out, her orgasm flowed through her with a vengeance. Unable to catch her breath she thought she’d die of pleasure.
Hard hands gripped her hips, pulling her to the edge of the bay window seat. Colin entered her in one full thrust. She whimpered. Music no longer filled the air in the room, the sounds of body on body did.
