by Knight, Evie
Last weekend she declined to go home with him and with reason. But he’d reached his limit. He’d apologize, right what he’d wronged, and take her home. Colin wasn’t ready to say goodbye unless she asked him to. If he needed any reassurance, the last time Ariel kissed him, her tender lips proved she missed him as much as he did. He’d touched her, and her body responded to his caresses asking for more.
Before Ariel, he’d sworn off relationships for fear of another betrayal. His discovery of Valerie’s lover destroyed all sense of feeling within him. Some kind of man she got, too. The bastard killed her, shot himself, and ruined Colin’s life in the process. What a fucking mess.
But everything changed with Ariel. She made him feel alive, and took everything with her the moment she walked out of his home, leaving him with a freezing cold emptiness. He’d rather be dead than live in a freezer the rest of his life.
Colin turned the ignition off and stepped out of the car. He walked up the steps to the door and rang the doorbell. He took a deep breath, glancing at his surroundings. After a moment, he rang the doorbell a second time. Where the hell were they? Still no answer. Colin knocked on the door, and rang the bell on and on until the lights turned on.
A sleepy Logan opened the door. “Colin?”
“I need to see Ariel.” He took a step forward.
“She’s in bed, asleep. I don’t know if you realize it, but it’s not noon, it’s midnight.” Logan held the door in place, denying him entry.
“I need to speak with her. Let me in.” Colin leveled his gaze with Logan’s.
“No, you don’t. Maybe you should’ve thought better before fucking Penelope.” Logan furrowed his brow. “I can’t believe you went so low. Then you kicked Ariel out of your house, knowing she has no one and nowhere to go.” Logan crossed his arms. “Colin, my friend, what did you expect? For Ariel to take you back with open arms and forget how much you hurt her? She deserves better.”
“I saw her kiss you.”
Logan straightened. “I kissed her. She didn’t kiss me back, she pushed me away, you moron. I was testing her. I wanted to see if she was genuine.”
Colin stared at his friend. “Genuine toward me? Way to go, Logan. What am I? Your fucking brother? Next time, let me be the judge.” Damn it. He’d truly been an asshole. After witnessing that kiss, he’d walked away from the window and asked Lola to pack Ariel’s belongings. “She never said…”
“Did you even ask her? Ariel probably doesn’t know you saw us.”
Colin squeezed his car key in his hand. “Let me talk to her.”
“No. Not tonight.”
“Why?” Colin took a few steps back, glancing up the second floor windows. He caught a glimpse of a light turned on one of the guest bedrooms. He knew because he’d been in the house countless times. He brought his hands to his mouth, shouting, “Ariel!”
“Stop. Don’t make a scene.”
Colin adjusted his leather jacket. “See if I give a shit.” He looked up to the second floor. “Ariel! We need to talk, gorgeous.”
“She doesn’t want to talk to you,” Logan said.
“How do you know? She told you so?” Colin cursed under his breath.
“You’re such a bloody fool. If she didn’t fucking love you so much maybe I’d try to make her understand there’s more to life than you. Leave, Colin. Figure out whatever you want to do first, leave her alone until you do.”
Huh. Ariel loved him? He shook his head. “Come again?”
“Go home, Colin. Come back when you’ve made up your mind. Get your shit together first. Let Ariel take care of her own issues.”
“She doesn’t need to resolve them all by herself. She has me. I’ll help her,” Colin said.
“Right now you’re only making things worse,” Logan said.
As much as Colin hated to admit it, his friend was right. His jealousy and fear of betrayal blinded him again. “I’ll be back, and next time I’ll see her if it means I have to break down your door.” Colin turned and walked down the steps to his car.
“Next time you won’t make it through the gate,” Logan said from behind him.
Colin muttered under his breath. Not happy with what Logan said, he drove around, hiding his car from view. He doubled timed to the kitchen door, if his memory served him right it’d be unlocked. Colin closed his hand around the knob, smiling at the fact he’d been right. He sneaked in the house finding his way up and down the hallway. He opened the door to the guest bedroom.
Ariel lay on her side and turned toward him. “Colin? What are you doing here?”
He locked the door and approached the bed. “I’m going to make love to you first and then take you home.”
“Get out, or I’ll scream.”
“No, you won’t.” Colin sat next to her on the bed and held her gaze. “I’m not leaving without you.”
“I told you I’m not going back.”
“And, I’m not giving up.” Colin touched his forehead to hers. He wanted to see her, touch her, feel her.
Ariel sucked in her breath, placing her hand on his chest. “You can’t come in here and demand I go with you.”
“Ariel, I’m sorry.”
“I mean it, Colin.”
“Ariel, gorgeous, I’m here to apologize. I’m sorry I hurt you.”
“As you should be,” she whispered.
“Please come home with me tonight.”
Ariel dragged her fingers across his chest. “What guarantee do I have you won’t throw me out again?”
He exhaled. “Point taken. I know I can be an asshole and I’m truly sorry for hurting you. I know I did. I promise on my life it’ll never happen again. Please come home.”
Colin brushed his lips over hers, once, twice, three times, teasing her to open up to him, inviting her to kiss him. Her warm lips opened to his and Ariel deepened the kiss, pulling him down with her on the bed. He removed the blanket between their bodies and she panted under him, fighting for control. Ariel undid the buttons on his jeans and Colin helped her get rid of his pants, then his shirt. He reached for her, hands tangled, stripping her off her pajamas.
He crawled between her legs and she pushed him on his back, straddling him. “Bet you didn’t see that coming.” Ariel hovered over him and licked his lips.
She trailed hot kisses down his chest making it a point to stop by his nipples to play with them, her teeth grazing the tip. Dragging her tongue lower, she lingered at his navel before continuing her way to his erected cock.
“Hmmm … so yummy.” Ariel grasped his balls as she slid her tongue along the side of his rigid shaft until reaching the tip. She covered his cock with the damped heat of her mouth, twisting her tongue, sucking and licking him.
“Fuck. I’ll come in your mouth if you keep doing that.” Colin groaned, casting a glance at her.
Ariel smiled and sucked him harder as one hand massaged his balls, tightening her hold with her other hand on his cock. Some other time he’d come in her mouth and have her swallow his cum. Not tonight. Tonight he’d sink in her heat and explode inside her. Colin shifted and pulled her up. His hand held her hip, keeping her straddled, and the other gripped her nape, bringing her down to him.
Colin devoured her mouth, not allowing her a breath. His hand at the hip lifted her and he plunged into her, driving in and out of her fast. Ariel met each of his thrusts, moaning into his mouth with each movement until her body quivered and she collapsed on top of him. He thrust harder until his own orgasm rocked through his body.
Colin propped himself on the pillows. She rested her head on his chest, her legs tangled with his. “Come home, gorgeous.” He stroked her back, his fingers playing with her hair.
“I think a little time apart won’t hurt us,” Ariel said.
“Time for what? What do you want me to do, Ariel? I’ve said I’m sorry. I want you back. I need you.” His hand lingered in the middle of her back.
Ariel placed her hands on his chest and rested her chin, lookin
g at him. “Why did you accept to play with the Philharmonic?”
He frowned. “What does that have to do with you going home, where you belong?”
“It’s got everything to do with it. Why did you? Did you do it for your love of music, missing the stage, or because you want it to be your last performance?”
Colin sat up, and Ariel scooted to her side of the bed, covering her breasts with the sheet. “It’ll be my last performance. Maybe no one will show up after they read my name on the billboards.”
“Do you want it to be your last show, Colin?” she asked.
He raked a hand through his hair, and tossed the sheet to the side as he got up from the bed. “I don’t know, Ariel. Stop trying to confuse me and put doubts in my head.” Colin stepped into his jeans. “Maybe I do want it to be my last show, maybe I don’t.” He put his arms through his t-shirt and stared at her. “Why does it matter?”
“It’s time you faced your fears.”
“Are you done psychoanalyzing me? Can we go now?”
“Goodbye, Colin.”
“What do you mean goodbye?” He furrowed his brow.
“I meant goodbye. You need to figure out the real reason you’re playing again. I find it hard to believe you want to end your career. Are your fears worth that much? The media will always say what they will, and there’s nothing you can do. You won’t solve your problem by walking away from what makes you.”
Ariel pulled a strand of hair and locked it behind her ear. “I’m not going back, Colin. A little time apart won’t hurt us. Maybe when you sort out what you need, we can talk again. Assuming you still want me in your life.”
Colin set his lips in a straight line. “We’re not breaking up, Ariel.”
“You have demons I can’t fight for you.”
He narrowed his eyes at her then said, “This is not over. Your place is with me, not here. You won’t come home tonight but you will. Soon.” He slipped his feet in his shoes, grabbed his jacket, and walked out the door.
****
If Ariel didn’t give him another chance, he’d never forgive himself. As expected, Colin hadn’t heard from her since his visit to Logan’s. Things between them weren’t over. He’d give her space. In the meantime he took up rehearsals again. As much as he hated to admit it, she’d been right. If he wanted a chance to heal, he needed to face his fears.
When Colin agreed to play on stage with the Philharmonic, he’d done it because deep inside him he knew there’d never be another opportunity to play in front of a crowd. It’d be a mistake trying to patch up the tragedy of his past by walking away from his music. Still, he feared people booing him on stage, or not showing up at all.
Colin scanned his study. Rehearsal ended a couple of hours early today so he got home earlier than usual. Home. He snorted. Warmth came with a home, not with the arctic cold filling his house. Colin sat on a chair across the bookshelves, staring at the shelf with the secret panel.
He was ready to leave his past behind, preferably with Ariel by his side. Colin missed her laugh, her teasing, finding her warm body curled next to his when he woke up every morning, her kisses. He missed everything about her.
Since Ariel moved out, he’d locked himself for hours in his music studio to rehearse his songs, hoping by some kind of magic his passion for music filled the void she’d left. Colin had loved Valerie. He’d considered her his perfect other half, but his love for Ariel superseded anything he’d ever felt. He couldn’t explain it.
In spite of everything, Colin looked forward to his upcoming public performance. If it failed, he didn’t know what he’d do next, other than continue to be involved in music in some way, shape, or form. Perhaps he’d take some time off and travel the world. Colin toyed with the idea of opening up a music school for children. It sounded great. If he did it, it’d be under an alias. Most likely, parents wouldn’t want their children to be taught music by someone suspected of committing murder. Never mind that he’d never been charged with the crime.
The idea deserved some more thought. Maybe he’d talk Julianne into teaching piano. He exhaled. What a waste of talent. Colin never understood the reason Jules walked the opposite direction from what everyone expected she’d do. Her preference for antiques acquisitions over playing piano at a professional level, which she’d be splendid at, shocked everyone in their family.
“Mister Hoskins, this woman won’t listen to me,” Lola said from the door.
Colin glanced up. “I’ll handle it, Lola. Thank you.”
“Colin.” Penelope walked toward him.
“What part of leave me the fuck alone didn’t you understand?”
Penelope palmed her chest. “You’re in a foul mood. Are you still mopping around for her? Ariel?” She clutched her handbag.
Colin remained seated. “Please leave.”
She closed the distance between them and knelt in front of him. “Colin, can’t you see? Ariel doesn’t want you. She doesn’t care for you.” Penelope placed her hands on his lap.
“I’m trying not to be rude, please don’t make me resort to other things.” He pushed her hands from his lap. “Please understand, Penelope, I’m not interested.”
Penelope placed her hands on his lap again, crawling her way between his legs, and cupped his face. “Don’t reject me. Can’t you see I love you? Can’t you see I’ve been in love with you all these years? Tell me, please, tell me what I can do so you can love me.” Tears rolled down her face, the black mascara staining her cheeks.
Fuck. He didn’t need any of this right now. A woman he didn’t want, crying and begging him to have pity on her because she loved him. Colin grasped her arms and sprang to his feet, bringing her up with him. “Stop this nonsense, please.” He looked down at her.
Penelope clung to him, her arms around his neck. “Why? Why can’t you see me like you see the others? Am I not pretty enough for you?”
He raised his hands to his neck, untangling himself from her clutch. “It’s not you, it’s me. I’m damaged goods, Penelope. I’m sure there are many men out there who’d love to have a chance at being with you.” Colin freed himself from her grasp and stepped away, putting space between the two.
She stood where he left her, her back to him and her head down. “How long have we known each other?”
Either her tears were false or she’d recuperated from his rejection in record time. Her question threw him off a little. Colin backed up to his desk without once taking his eyes off her. “Eight or nine years. I don’t know. Can’t remember.”
Penelope picked up her handbag from the floor, her back still to him. “It’s always been the same. I’ve seen you go from one girlfriend to the next. I let you because I knew none of it was serious. I’d hoped soon you’d come to your senses. See me as something more other than a plain musician.” Her handbag fell at her feet, and Penelope turned, pointing a gun at him.
What the fuck? Colin straightened to his full height and raised his hands. “Penelope, be careful.”
“When I thought you were coming around, Valerie came along.”
A sinister smile formed on her face.
“I couldn’t let her mess up with my plans and take you from me. No, no, I couldn’t.” Penelope looked away from him for a moment. “Such a sweet girl, wasn’t she?”
“I loved Val.” Colin closed his eyes as memories of Valerie flashed through his mind. His heart raced at hearing Penelope, trying to process their meaning. He took a step forward.
She stared at him and waved the gun in his direction. “I didn’t ask you if you loved her, did I? I knew you did, that’s why I took care of it.”
He remained still and blinked. “Did you—”
“Yes, I killed her.” Penelope held the gun with both hands. “Do you remember the guy’s name? You know, her lover.” She sneered.
A cold sweat spread through his body. “Brian.”
“Yes, Brian. The poor fool. He happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Val was suppo
sed to be alone. I had a perfect plan, so perfect none of this would’ve ever happened and you and I would be together now. But her assistant decided to show up.”
“So, you killed him, too.” Colin glanced at the door. He needed a way to trap her and get out of there alive. After two years of grief, believing Valerie betrayed him, he finally knew the truth behind the lie that ruined his life.
“Yes. He left me no choice. He’d seen me and tried to outrun me. A very stupid thing he did.” Penelope took a step toward him. “When I heard of you going back on stage, I saw it as my last chance to get close to you, as your last chance to notice me.” She struck her chest.
“We can talk about this.” Colin gestured to the chairs.
“I’m done talking, Colin. History repeats itself. Your ex is gone, now Ariel is in the picture, and you only have eyes for her. I hate her as much as I hated Valerie, and I hate you twice as much for loving them,” Penelope said.
****
Ariel looked out the passenger’s window. It’d been a week since Colin showed up at Logan’s doorstep. She’d watched and heard the entire exchange. Then, he’d sneaked in her bedroom and made love to her. When he’d asked her to go home with him, every cell in her body screamed at her, to throw her arms around his neck, and tell him she wanted nothing more. But Ariel realized Colin needed to figure things out. He needed to come to terms with his reasons for playing again, order his own thoughts, and decide what he’d do next.
Meanwhile, she’d kept busy dealing with her own issues. She’d provided more information about her brother to the private investigator, and treasure hunting for details on her uncle’s foul play took her on a ride. No matter what she did, Colin remained ever present in her mind.
Time apart from each other wasn’t a bad thing. Ariel needed the time to be by herself and so did he. They both had issues to deal with, mysteries to resolve, and decisions to make. Not hearing from Colin in a week meant he was giving her space, however in no way did it make missing him any easier.
