by Ana Blaze
“Huh?”
“I haven’t asked you yet.”
“Oh. But, still, we need to talk, I —”
“Fine. Go have a seat. I’ll heat up the leftover takeaway and you can tell me all the reasons you could never marry a man like me.” He leaned over, kissed her cheek chastely, and turned to walk to the kitchen.
Beth followed him slowly. “That’s not what I meant. You seem like a really great guy. The thing is … we’ve only just met. It is way too soon to be thinking about … and even if it wasn’t too soon, there are far too many complications.”
Colin pulled the leftover containers out of the fridge and placed them on the counter. “So you’d prefer if I thought of you as a bit of fun then? The kind of girl you talk out of her pants for a night or two, but couldn’t actually see yourself spending any real time with. That’s the real you?”
Her cheeks burned. “I didn’t say that.”
“Where do you keep plates?”
“All the way to the right. Bottom shelf.”
He opened the cabinet, took out two and turned back to her. “Please continue. I’d very much like to know how I’ve misunderstood the situation.”
“What?”
He walked over to the bar and leaned over so they were eye to eye. “Either you aren’t the type of woman a man would want to marry, or I’m not the type of man you’d like to marry. Or, there is absolutely no reason for me not to try to win your heart.” His head tilted to the side and he studied her a moment. “I don’t understand why you would waste your time with a man who didn’t hope to marry you.”
How the hell is he making this sound reasonable? Damn accent! “I just think maybe you’re jumping ahead of things a bit.”
“Very well. We’ll table all discussion of marriage until we’ve spent more time together.”
“Right. Good.” Beth nodded, and then frowned. “Except now I know you’re thinking it.”
Colin kissed her hard and quick. “Guess you shouldn’t listen to other people’s telephone conversations then.”
Chapter Seven
BETH HUNG UP THE phone and exhaled. A quick call to her assistant had proven that Eli had things well under control. Her schedule was clear for the rest of the week. Now what?
She choked down some fried rice and broccoli with garlic sauce and went back to her room. Colin was … insane. The sex was fantastic; seriously fantastic. That didn’t mean she was going to sign away her life and follow him across the globe. He wasn’t even her type. Hot? Sure. But he was bookish and impulsive. Beth knew another woman might find his antics romantic, but she preferred a bit more common sense. No. This thing with Colin was fun but temporary. She just had to remember that.
With this in mind, she walked into the living room to find Colin sitting on the couch with a book. He smiled as he looked up and Beth could feel her resolve weakening.
“Were you able to rearrange your schedule?”
She nodded. “Yeah. Eli already handled most of it.”
“I am sorry that I’ve disrupted your work. I can tell it’s important to you.”
“Not your fault, really. Eli gets something in his head and there’s no stopping him.”
“Still …”
Beth shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. How’s your head this morning? I should’ve asked already. I’m sorry.”
“It’s not bad; barely noticeable.”
“Can I take a look?” She gestured towards the bandage covering half of his forehead.
“It’s fine.”
She rolled her eyes and reached over to peel the medical tape. “I should change the bandage anyway.”
He grabbed her hand and kissed her knuckles. “Have I mentioned that you’re wearing a very pretty dress today?”
Laughing, she pulled her hand away and gently removed the bandage. Bruises had blossomed across his forehead overnight. Beth winced. “Maybe we should be icing this.”
He stood up. “It looks worse than it is. I’m fine. Promise.”
Beth frowned for a moment before rising. “I’ll go get some fresh gauze and tape.”
“I’d rather you stay here.” He ran his fingers down her arm.
“I’ll be right back. Just sit down.”
Beth fetched the supplies and came back with a plan. What they needed were activities to keep themselves busy. “The complex has a nice pool. If you brought a swimsuit, we could go hang out for a little while. You mentioned that you like swimming, didn’t you? I mean, if you’re feeling up to it.”
Colin winced as she applied the new bandage, and then grinned. “Yes. I packed a pair of trunks and I am almost certainly capable of a bit of swimming.”
“Good. If I’m having a mandatory vacation, I should at least get a chance to work on my tan.”
As she changed into her swimsuit, she tried not the think about the fact that she was going to spend the morning with a wet and shirtless Colin — he was tempting enough dry and fully clothed. She grabbed her pool tote and a couple of water bottles from the fridge.
Colin groaned behind her.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
He laughed. “I’m having the reaction that suit is intended to elicit.”
Beth glanced down at the white string bikini she was wearing and shrugged. “I don’t want awkward tan lines.”
He smirked.
She held up her bag. “I’ve got an extra towel and a couple bottles of water. Do you have sunscreen? I use tanning oil and you’re really … light.”
“Aww, are you worried I might freckle?” He walked closer. “I knew I was growing on you.”
“Freckle? Try spontaneously combust. You’re the palest person I’ve ever seen, and I went to high school with a kid who had a sun allergy.”
Colin brought his hand up to his heart dramatically. “You do wonders for a man’s ego.”
She giggled. “Go finish getting ready, Casper.”
Beth stretched out on a chaise beside the pool and closed her eyes while Colin read at a small table a few feet away. This was definitely better. Being out in public would definitely help with her pesky keeping-her-hands-to-herself-problem. A little distance would put them back in the sexy-friend category.
“Care for a swim?”
She kept her eyes shut and shook her head. “Nah. I’m good here.”
Beth waited until she heard a splash to peek. Yup. He was swimming. She watched him lap back and forth twice before looking away. He was fast. She figured that was a good sign, that his head must not be bothering him overly much. Of course, their rather vigorous sex was probably enough evidence.
She flipped on to her stomach. With her luck he’d ask for help reapplying sunscreen when he got out. Then there’d be looking and touching and … Oh yeah, she was in trouble.
When Colin climbed out of the pool and sat on the chair beside hers, she pretended to be asleep. He didn’t say anything but his chuckle suggested he knew she was faking it.
“Hey, Beth! I was hoping I’d run into you!”
Beth blinked up at the tall, dark-haired man standing beside her chaise and not so subtly checking out her ass. She smiled and turned over. “Hi, Casey. How’ve you been?”
“Good. Training was good. Hard, you know, but it’s important that our unit be ready for anything.”
“Good is good.”
“Yeah. It’s tough being away from home for so long though. I’m glad to be back and getting in the swing of things. And catching up with everyone.” He looked at her expectantly.
She nodded. He was going to ask her out. Casey was far from subtle about it.
“So I was thinking about maybe taking in a game or two later this month. I know you like basketball. Maybe I could give you a call and you won’t be too busy?”
“Maybe.” The best thing about Casey was that he’d take a maybe.
He grinned. “Cool. I’ll umm … I’ll let you get back to your tanning — even though it’s bad for you. I was headed to the gym anyway; see if
the weights missed me.”
“Have fun.”
Casey nodded for a minute. He was considering leaning in for a kiss. She pulled a magazine out of her bag and rolled back on to her stomach. It was better if he just stared at her ass.
“All right, I’ll give you a call.”
Beth could feel Colin’s gaze on her. She read the same sentence three times and then glanced over. He looked … different. He was colder, maybe, and harder to read. “Everything okay?”
“Of course.” His smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I should make some calls. Take care of a few things. Mind if I head back up to your place?”
Beth sat up. “Okay. I can —”
“There’s no reason to cut your fun short. I could borrow your keys perhaps.”
“Oh, sure. Yeah.” She pulled her keys from her bag and held them up.
He took them with a nod and left.
The pool was far less fun without him but she thought staying put for a bit seemed smart.
Beth found Colin sitting on her couch watching the all-news channel on her television. “Hey. You get those phone calls taken care of?”
“Do you actually want to date him or was that just to prove a point, show me how not serious you are about me?”
Her stomach dropped. “Who? Casey? He’s —”
“Please don’t expect me to believe that you normally accept dates while sitting beside the man who shared your bed the night before.”
“I didn’t. I just said maybe. I was being polite.”
Colin arched an eyebrow. “So you haven’t gone out with him before?”
“That’s really none of your business.”
He nodded. “Maybe not. But I haven’t done anything to deserve game-playing either. You could have simply introduced me as your friend.”
“Maybe I don’t want him thinking that I’m sleeping with a guy I met three days ago and who will leave the country in a week.”
Colin stood up and walked towards her slowly. “He’s not right for you.”
“Because you are?”
“Do you know what he sees when he looks at you? I do.” He ticked the words off on his fingers. “Little. Pretty. Blonde. He thinks you need protecting and that makes him feel all big and manly.”
Beth rolled her eyes, and started to turn away.
He stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. “I see a warrior. You don’t need a man, love. I’m well aware you can take on the world without one. You’re the only person I’ve ever seen go up against Hunter’s mum and come out unscathed. I see you and I won’t ever ask you to be less than you are.”
“Pretty words, Colin, but it still doesn’t …” He was right; she’d been rude. He was probably even right about why. His rightness pissed her off. “Look, not that it’s any of your business, but Casey’s asked me out six times. Twice, I said yes. We had fun. At the end of the second date, I gave him a good night kiss.” She grasped Colin’s chin. “I held his face like this, so I could end it exactly when I wanted to. He doesn’t push, not for dates or for sex. I like that.”
Colin chuckled, wrapped his hands around her waist and lifted her onto the counter separating the living space from the kitchen. “You like it when I push.”
Chapter Eight
HIS KISS LEFT HER gasping. “No. I don’t.”
Colin rubbed his cheek against hers and sighed. “Yes, you do. You try to run away every time I come close, but as soon as I touch you, you melt.” He toyed with the string on her shoulder. “Let me take you to dinner tonight — a proper date.”
“I don’t know if that’s —”
He kissed the curve where her shoulder met her neck. “I could take this suit off you right now, carry you into the bedroom and make love to you until you’re too tired to argue anymore, or I could spend the rest of the afternoon preparing a very reasonable and businesslike proposal to persuade you. I’ll even make some graphs if you like, though math isn’t my strongest area. Point is-- the choice is yours. You’ll end up going to dinner with me either way, as I intend to be very persuasive. What happens between now and then is your call.”
Beth began unbuttoning his shirt. “What could you possibly make a graph about?”
“The percentage of time I’m painfully aroused while in your presence.” He shrugged off his shirt and reached for the string holding up her bikini top. “That percentage is very high — ninety, maybe ninety-five percent of the time.” He yanked the string and the thin fabric fell away. Starting at her breast, he licked his way up to her collarbone.
“Oh.” Her voice came out breathy.
“Or perhaps I could do a graph on the likelihood that, with you as my date, I would be the luckiest man in the restaurant.” His fingers slid into her hair, cradling the back of her head. “That percentage is one hundred percent.”
This was the suggested edit, but it sounds odd to me.
“Silly Colin, those would both be represented with charts, not graphs.”
“I told you math wasn’t my forte. You’d best let me utilize my stronger skill set.”
“Cocky, aren’t you?”
He flicked his tongue over her nipple, teasing her. “I didn’t hear any complaints last night.” Colin moved his hands from her hair to her ass and lifted her off the counter.
She laughed and wrapped her arms and legs around him. “Of course not. I’m far too nice to criticize a man’s technique while he’s in bed with me. That’s what girls’ night is for.”
“All right, imp. Couch or bed?” He tugged on her earlobe with his teeth.
“Bed. Your bed.”
He stopped halfway there and pressed her back against the wall. “Why not your bed? You got stuffed rabbits all over it? Or is this like a video game and I have to pass this level before I can move on?”
Beth unbuckled his belt. “You really want to talk right now?”
She slid her hand into his pants and rubbed his erection. He groaned. “Thought I impressed you with my … my … fuck … witty banter.” He pulled her hand out, carried her to the guest room, and dumped her unceremoniously onto the bed. “Also, I am rather fond of stuffed rabbits.”
Beth laughed so hard her stomach hurt, then shook her head. “Then you’ll be disappointed. The only stuffed animal I have is a small, pink pig my high school boyfriend won for me at a carnival.”
“After dinner I’ll win you an extremely large pink pig, if you can find me a carnival game that requires no eye-hand coordination or luck.” He frowned. “I don’t suppose we could simply visit a toy store?”
“How would that be a demonstration of your manly abilities?”
“I shall dazzle you with the currency converter on my phone, and place money in the children’s charity jar beside the register. I am also prepared to carry the stuffed pig should it be too heavy for your small, lady arms.”
“My small, lady arms?” She rolled on to her side in a fit of giggles. When she was able to talk again, she asked. “What happened to my being a warrior?”
“Even Batman has Robin. I can be your sidekick.”
“I already have an assistant. Besides, everyone knows Batman and Robin were totally screwing. The sidekick thing was just a cover.”
“I’ll ignore the part where you’ve forever tainted my boyhood and remind you that I have every intention of screwing you as well.”
She pushed his pants off with her feet. “Could have fooled me. Here I am, almost naked, lying on a perfectly nice bed, and all I’m getting is chatter.”
Colin pulled off the last shred of bikini covering her. He paused, after untangling one of her ankles, to tickle the bottom of her foot.
Beth squealed and attempted to take her foot away. His grip tightened.
“You’re ticklish.” His eyes flashed with delight. “Where else?” His fingers ghosted over the sole of her foot again.
Her body jerked involuntarily. “Nowhere.”
“Not here?” He swiped a finger against the indent of her waist and
grinned when she shivered in response. “Liar.”
“Stop it, Colin. This isn’t sexy.”
“You’re getting all twitchy. It’s bloody sexy, love. But, I’ll stop if you agree to go out to dinner with me.”
She pulled away her foot and glared. “You’re actually resorting to tickle-torture. Do you realize how lame that is?”
“You can even choose the restaurant. French? Mexican? Thai? It doesn’t even have to be a restaurant. I’ll settle for a food truck or maybe a taco stand. I personally worry a little about the safety of some food vendors, but for you I’d be willing to risk food poisoning.”
Shaking her head, she sat up and placed her finger over his mouth. “I want you to think really hard for a second. Are you sure there isn’t something better you could be doing with your mouth?”
He grasped her wrist and pulled her finger into his mouth.
Beth gasped as he dragged his teeth over the soft pad of her fingertip. “See, that’s already better.”
He leaned down and used the tip of his tongue to circle her tightened nipple before nipping at it.
When he turned and gave her other breast the same attention, she whimpered. “That’s … good … good mouth use.”
He pulled back and shook his head. “I knew you only wanted me for my body.” He pressed the tip of his tongue against the back of his teeth and gave her a naughty smirk.
She was still laughing when he thrust into her.
Chapter Nine
COLIN WAS RIGHT; SHE let him take her to dinner. He wanted to call and have a limo pick them up, but Beth insisted on driving. She did let him pick the restaurant from a list of suggestions.
They were seated at a very nice Italian place with an old stone fireplace and a dozen small round tables covered by pristine white cloths. Classical music played quietly, allowing for the possibility of private conversations.
Colin smiled at her from across the small table. “You look lovely.”
“You already said that.”
“It’s still true.”
“Thank you. You look rather handsome yourself.”
“Wait until you see me without any clothes. I’ll blow your mind.”