Breaking the Rules

by Melinda Dozier

  Hope and Colin put the dishes into the dishwasher while Jason wiped down the table. Hope insisted on helping out with the cleanup, although Colin didn’t want her to.

  When Colin texted her, she was giddy as a dog with two tails. It had been five days since she saw him and each day lasted longer than the next. It had been a long time since she had a real relationship, so she didn’t know what five days meant. At first, her fear led her to believe Colin already had gotten what he wanted — her in bed. But she knew better. When he sent the charming message that afternoon, she couldn’t take the smile off her face. He really was sweet — even if he didn’t want to believe it — busy but sweet.

  She placed the last cup in the cabinet and rested her hip against the counter. Colin’s jeans rested low on his hips and his skin peeked out from the bottom of his shirt. She wanted to lean over and touch his taut abs — like the last time they were together.

  Colin caught her stares, lowered his eyes and walked closer to her. “What are you thinking?”

  She inched up to him, her lips almost touching his ear. “You almost blew it in front of Jason.”

  Colin turned his head so that his lips touched the top of her head. When she tilted her body into him, he swiped his lips across hers, a gentle kiss that sent her heart roaring to life. She reached her hands behind his back and he pulled her closer. “I can’t think straight around you.”

  She laughed and cocked her head to the side. “What does Jason know?”

  He looked past her to the doorway. Still no Jason. “He thinks it’s cool that I like you. You’re cool and he likes you, too.” He rubbed her back. “Cool, right?”

  She bit her lip. “You said you liked me?”

  He touched his forehead to hers and mumbled. “I really, really like you.”

  Jason’s humming came closer to the door.

  Colin pulled away and swung a dishtowel in front of his pants just as Jason walked into the kitchen. “You all done?”

  Hope giggled, then pulled herself together before Jason suspected anything.

  “Yep. Can I play some Xbox now?”

  “Good try.” Colin rubbed Jason’s shoulder. “No games on the weekday. You still have those vocabulary words to review. Why don’t you get the note cards and we’ll go over them in the living room.”

  “Okay.” Jason pouted and walked out of the room.

  “Want to sit with us? It’s only eight o’clock and Jason’s bedtime is nine.”

  She nodded, grabbed his hand, squeezed and walked out in front of him. She wasn’t ready to leave yet, either.

  As she entered the living room, Hope moved to the fireplace looking at photographs on the mantel. There were a few pictures of Jason and Colin -- at the beach, on a four-wheeler and at Disneyworld. She turned around to ask Colin about when they were taken and his cell phone rang in his pocket.

  He looked at the number, cursed under his breath and held up a finger at Hope. “Just a minute.”

  Hope sat on the couch next to Jason when he came in with his note cards. She tried not to be nosy, but she heard clips of Colin’s conversation in the background.

  “How long has he been there?”

  “I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

  Colin closed his phone and turned toward Jason and Hope. Walking over to them, he stood with his hand on his hip and stared down. His stony expression bore into her own. “Well, I’ve got a call in to the ER.”

  Hope broke eye contact. She didn’t want him to see her disappointment. “Oh.” She glanced at Jason who rolled his eyes. “How long will you be?”

  “Not sure. Maybe an hour, but don’t worry I’m going to call my mom.” He reached down for his cell and started to dial her number. “I’m really sorry to kick you out already.”

  “Aw, Dad. I don’t need a babysitter.”

  “At night you do.” He began to dial.

  Hope looked at Jason again, who had slumped down and shuffled his cards. It was ridiculous to call his mother when she sat next to Jason. She stood and slowly reached for Colin’s phone and brought it down. “Why don’t I stay? I’m already here and you probably need to get going.”

  He shook his head. “I can’t ask that. Let me call my mother. She’s only a ten-minute drive away.”

  She looked him directly in the eye. “I’m here. Go ahead. I’ll be waiting when you get back.” If anything, that was worth staying. She wanted to spend time with him and she was willing to wait. She rubbed his arm. “I really don’t mind.”

  Colin looked over her shoulder at Jason who pretended not to listen, but obviously did because if he scooted more forward he’d fall off the couch. “Crap. I hate doing this to you.” He wiped his hands across his face. “If you really don’t mind, I promise to get back in an hour. Or I can just call my mother.”

  “Go.” She sat down with Jason and reached for a card.

  Colin walked to the front door, grabbed his wallet and keys and looked back. Hope motioned for him to leave with a smile. Nodding, he closed the door behind him.

  For a second, a lump formed in her throat. Colin really did work hard. He had to do everything alone — raise his eleven-year-old, run his clinic, keep his girlfriend happy — if you would call her that. This amazing man, father, doctor, sweet-talker deserved some tender care, and damnit, if she could give it to him, she’d do it. She’d wait all night for him if she had to.

  • • •

  The next thing Hope knew, Colin shook her from a slumber. Hope sat up from the couch, blinking her eyes. Colin stood above her, his shirt unbuttoned at the top and sleepy eyes. She smiled sleepily at him. “You’re home.”

  The warmth of his smile echoed in his voice. “Yeah.” He nodded his head in Jason’s direction. “Let me get this guy in bed.” Shaking Jason by the shoulder a few times did the trick. “Come on, Jas. Say goodnight to Ms. Robinson and get to bed.”

  Jason stood with his shirt untucked from his pants and his hair sticking up on one side. “The movie finished?”

  “Yeah,” Hope said, “but we both fell asleep before finishing it.”

  “Next time.” Jason walked toward the hall, turned and waved. “Thanks, Ms. Robinson.”

  She stood. “Goodnight.” According to her watch, it was late already. Colin probably wanted to get to bed. She leaned over the armchair for her purse and Colin grabbed her shoulder and turned her around.

  “Don’t leave yet.” Colin’s soft green eyes filled with an inner glow. “Let me get him to bed and I’ll be right back.”

  Five minutes later, Colin returned and sat by Hope on the couch. She grabbed her hair and threw it over her shoulder. “You look exhausted.” She reached up to touch his face, but he grabbed her wrist instead and brought her palm to his mouth.

  After kissing her hand gently, his eyes bathed her in admiration. “Thanks for helping.”

  Suddenly, she woke up with an intensity burning in her belly. “I really didn’t mind, but obviously I didn’t realize how tired I was. Great babysitter, huh?”

  He pushed her down into the pillow. “I mean it. I owe you.” He nuzzled her neck and kissed her throat.

  “I think you have something in mind.” Oh, yes, this is what she needed. She snickered against him.

  “I’ve been thinking about this since you set foot in my door.”

  He grabbed the back of her neck and pulled it to him as he pressed his body into hers. The kiss was demanding and full of the pent-up energy that he held inside.

  All of a sudden, a small voice interrupted them. “Uh, sorry, I just want some water.”

  Colin and Hope jerked into sitting position. “Jason, you scared the crap out of us.”

  Jason looked at his toes and continued to walk to the kitchen. “I didn’t see anything.”

  They sat on the couc
h without saying a word as Jason fixed a glass of water and walked back down the hall. Jason’s door squeaked shut and Colin finally turned to Hope.

  Then before he knew it, they both were laughing aloud. Once they quieted down, Colin grabbed her hand, put his finger to his mouth and took her to the back sliding door. Never taking his eyes from hers, he slid open the door, squeezing her hand.

  Once they stood by the pool, Colin ran his hand from her head to her fingertips. “You don’t want to run away now that I took complete advantage of you?”

  She pressed her body up to his. “You haven’t taken enough advantage of me tonight.”

  He kissed her lips, moved to her chin and then her ear. Then he whispered, “Let Jason fall asleep first. Come on.” He grabbed her hand and led her to a patio lounger.

  They curled up together on the big, fluffy outdoor pillows and looked up into the night. Her body pressed against his with her hand across his chest, her head in the crook of his neck. “What was the emergency?” she asked.

  “Can you believe my patient decided to take his own cast off and then hurt his leg again? I had to re-reset his bone, recast him and then lay into him that he cannot remove the cast.” He closed his eyes. “Let’s not talk about it.” He pulled her closer and ran his hand down her arm. “I bet you didn’t know how often I have to run out at night.”

  “I know you’re a doctor and that sometimes you’re on call.” She shrugged. “No biggie.”

  He brought her chin up and forced her to look at him. “Seriously? You’re not mad?”

  “I’m not mad, only disappointed that we couldn’t spend more time together.”

  “You’re amazing, you know that?” He leaned down and kissed her. When his tongue searched hers, she opened her mouth, letting her own explore his. He pulled her body on top of his and she squealed and laughed at the same time. Then his hands roamed her butt, like she’d wanted him to do all night. Only this time his hands brought the entire skirt up to show her matching pink thong. “Holy shit. You’re driving me crazy.”

  “Do you think he’s asleep?” She bit her lip.

  “He’s usually a deep sleeper.”

  She rose and stood in front of the chair, reaching under her shirt and taking off her bra underneath her shirt. She threw it at him, which made him groan and try to stand.

  “Nuh uh uh. No getting up yet.” She reached down and slid her bright pink underwear down her legs and circled them on a finger.

  “How can I just sit here and watch this?” He reached out and she swatted at his hands. “This is complete torture.”

  “Don’t you like watching?” She strutted a few steps toward the pool.

  “I love watching, but I also love touching.” His lowered voice sent shivers down her spine. He sat up, his eyes glossing over.

  “Patience is a virtue.” She reached for her shirt this time and shimmied out of it, throwing it to the side. Glancing at him, she unzipped the side of her skirt and slid it down her legs. “Time to cross off another item on my list, doctor.”

  He moaned. “Shit. You’re killing me.”

  She turned and dove into the pool and surfaced midway. “You can come on in, doctor. The water’s perfect.”

  He was out of his clothes in ten seconds flat. After diving in, he swam to her and grabbed her waist. Hope wrapped her legs around his waist and he trapped her against the wall of the deep end. “You’re going to pay for that.”

  “It’s called foreplay. Suck it up.”

  “I’ll suck it up.” He leaned down and took one nipple in his mouth while holding the side of the pool so they wouldn’t go under.

  She squirmed against him and rested her head back on the cement. “God, you always have to be so perfect.”

  He lifted his finger to hush her. She took it into her mouth and sucked, causing Colin to go in deeper and take her breast into his mouth. As she wiggled next to him, he pushed her back into the wall. She gasped and he brought her head up. “Shit. Am I hurting you?”

  “Not yet.” She giggled. “But let’s see what you got.” She tightened her legs around him and steered him toward the ladder in the deep end. Sitting on the top step, she opened her legs and grabbed his back so that his chest smashed up against her breasts. “Take me right here, Colin. I need you.”

  Without another word, he did just that. He took her and him to another part of the world she never knew. Who would have thought that this man, sweet, perfect, sexy-as-hell Colin, would want her? He was every woman’s dream. At least he was her dream, alive and eyes wide open. If she wasn’t careful, she could fall in love with him — deeply. If she hadn’t already.

  Chapter 17

  After taping up the last orange and black streamers on the window, Hope looked around the school cafeteria and admired the ghoulish decorations. Harbor Bay Prep’s Halloween dance committee had done a fabulous job. She grabbed a candy corn from the bowl at one of the snack tables and smiled at one of the teachers dressed in a werewolf outfit. She loved her middle school teachers, who volunteered to dress up, plan games and help chaperone the event. Most of the parent volunteers had arrived, but she waited for one — a tall, hunky parent who she couldn’t get out of her mind.

  She muttered under her breath to stop thinking about him and said a little prayer the night would run smoothly. No thinking of a sexy man who could make her scream to hell and back, even if it was Halloween, a night of hidden ghouls and witches.

  She pulled at a hanging skeleton and waved at one of the parents who stood by the bobbing for apples booth. Soon, the D.J. started the music and a few costumed kids pounced the dance floor.

  Kelly walked up to her. “All good so far.”

  Hope smiled at her friend, who wore a Wizard of Oz outfit. “Have I told you that you make a great Dorothy?”

  “Cute, huh? Tim said I make his wildest fantasies come true.” She laughed. “This party ends at nine, right?”

  “Yep. Just enough time to keep these kids out of trouble.”

  “Has anyone said anything about your costume yet?”

  “Still waiting for people to get here.” Hope eyed the entrance, and at that moment, a prickle danced across her skin. Immediately she knew why. At the entrance, Colin stood with Jason and his friend Kyle, and she couldn’t hold back the laughter. “Nope, but I’m sure to hear something soon.” She nodded toward Colin.

  Kelly laughed with her. “Amazing. You two are hilarious.”

  “We did not plan this. I promise.” Hope reached for one more candy corn and headed their way. “Hello, Calaways.”

  When she reached Colin, his mouth opened as he took a one-over of Hope. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

  “Two great minds think alike.” She smirked. “Although, I think my mind is a bit smarter than yours.” She placed her hand on the hips of her Red Sox baseball uniform.

  Colin, however, put his hand over his Yankees jersey. “I beg to differ, Ms. Robinson.”

  Who would have thought they both would show up in their team uniforms? Eternal enemies to be exact. Colin shook his head and laughed. “Wow, Soxy. You … just … wow.”

  “Hi, Jason. Glad to see you came in a decent costume.” She smiled.

  “Yeah, zombies are way cool.” Jason beamed. “Come on, dude. Let’s go get some pizza over there.” Jason and Kyle ran off leaving the two adults behind.

  “So, how did this happen?” Colin gestured between the two.

  She whispered, “I don’t know, but I can’t wait for you to turn around so I can see your butt in those tight baseball pants.”

  Colin’s eyebrows rose. “Feeling brave, tonight, aren’t you, Ms. Robinson?”

  He tempted her like nobody’s business. Remembering they were at her school, she straightened and crossed her arms. “I better go check out the other areas of the cafeteria.�
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  He grabbed her elbow. “Don’t run off yet.”

  Before he could say anything else, two mothers approached him. One mother batted her eyelashes in an annoying way. “Dr. Calaway, you’re here. We have you signed up at the refreshment stand for the next hour.”

  “Uh, alright.” He placed his hand across the small of Hope’s back. “I guess we’ll talk later.”

  Hope waved. “Nice to see you, Dr. Calaway.” She wandered off, without a look back. Okay. Maybe one peek. When she turned her head over her shoulder, he also stared after her as the mothers continued to talk to him. He smiled and she continued to the dance floor.

  Still the teenage boys stood on one side and the girls on the other. She wondered how she could get them to mingle a bit more. It was a dance after all. Turning to the D.J., they discussed ways to get the group together. Deciding on a limbo contest in a few songs, she jumped down from the stage and walked to the jack-o-lantern carving table. Not too many students here. She motioned over a few kids and convinced them to join the contest.

  All the while, she could feel eyes watching her, and they weren’t from the pretend spider webs around the room. One glance toward the soda stand told her it was Colin. He was in a conversation with Dave Hunter, who stood next to him in a vampire costume, complete with blood dangling from his lip to his neck.

  A tug on her jersey made her pull her attention back. “Ms. Robinson, have you bobbed for apples yet?” a zombie-dressed boy asked.

  “Not yet, Jason. Do you want to try?”

  “With you? Sure!” Together they walked to the station.

  “You first.” Hope motioned for Jason to stand in front of the water-filled container.

  After trying a few times, and a drenched forehead, Jason finally got an apple.

  “You cheated, Jason. You can’t use the stem.” Hope laughed. “But it’s okay, because I might have to do the same.”

  After too many tries, she finally had an apple in her mouth. She forgot how fun it had been to play these games. In fact, she couldn’t remember if she ever did play this game.