She felt almost giddy, and strangely hot, nervous and excited at the same time. Her reaction confused her, because they'd done this before. Tightening her grip on his hand, she hurried after him.
As they entered her room, Colin pulled her into his arms. His hands slid up her back and into the loose tangle of her hair. Jaina rose on her toes, wrapping her arms around his neck as she kissed him.
Walking backwards, the backs of Colin's knees hit the mattress and he sank down, pulling Jaina on top of him. She eagerly straddled his hips as they kissed, hands splayed on his chest.
His hands now free, Colin tugged at her shirt. Jaina obligingly took it off, flinging it across the room to land on her computer monitor.
"Shall we?" she purred.
"Please, yes!" he groaned, and threw himself into the fire.
Chapter Twenty-One
For the next twenty or so hours, they didn't stray very far from Jaina's bedroom, venturing out only to get food. Jaina knew she should feel bad about her rather libidinous behavior, but couldn't get herself to care. She was in heaven. She was in love with Colin, he loved her back, and they were having fantastic sex.
Jaina giggled over this as she was making dinner. Colin, wondering what she was laughing about, came up behind her and hugged her, dropping a kiss against her temple. He was wearing his boxers and a t-shirt, not seeing much point to wearing anything else, since they were the only ones there.
"What's funny?" he asked.
"Oh, nothing. Just thinking. I'm happy and it makes me loopy." Jaina intertwined her fingers with his. "I love you."
"I love you, too," he murmured against her ear. He ran his hands down her sides. "How did you tone these muscles?"
"Bellydancing," she replied.
He coughed, spilling orange juice on his shirt. "Wow, really? What's that like?"
"Well... Me and a bunch of fat women in spandex gyrating to tribal music." Jaina laughed. She helped him pull off the shirt, tossing it on the counter. "And my friend Sadie took lessons for a while, but she quit when she got engaged. Spent all her time planning her wedding."
"Mmm."
Jaina turned in his arms. "You wanna see? I've got my costumes with me. I've got two, the tribal and the cabaret."
Colin thought for a moment, then nodded. "Which costume has less to it?" he asked with a leer.
Laughing, Jaina poked him in the stomach. "That'd be my cabaret one. I'll be right back. If you could put on one of the CDs I brought downstairs, that'd be great."
"What do you want me to put on?" he asked as she ran up the stairs.
"The CD marked 'Bellydance'."
Colin went over to the stack of CDs she'd left on the coffee table in the living room and picked up the "Bellydance" CD that was halfway down. Fortunately, Jason McGregor's CD player wasn't that difficult to figure out.
He listened a bit to a couple of the songs, smiling when he recognized, of all things, Depeche Mode's "Blasphemous Rumors" and "Kokomo" by the Beach Boys.
"So? What do you think?"
He turned around and nearly lost his eyeballs.
Jaina was barefoot and bare-armed, dressed in an ankle-length black skirt of some shimmery material that shone vaguely red and gold in the light, trimmed in tiny gold bells. It had slits up both sides, almost to her hips. Gold embroidery and beading traced around the waist, which sat low on her hips, almost as fabric attached to a gold belt. Her top was covered by a black bra decked in gold bead fringe and tiny red jewels. The bra featured a very plunging neckline that only added to her cleavage.
She'd pulled her hair up atop her head with something gold, and her upper arms sported gold bands studded with red stones and black designs. Around her ankles were chains with more little bells, and her wrists both had cuffs with tinkly brass coins on them.
He swallowed hard. "Uh..."
Jaina walked forward, trailing what appeared to be a scarf made of the same material as her skirt. "Hold this, please? It's my veil."
Jaina struck a pose, then, following some cue Colin was oblivious to, she started dancing, her hips swiveling, arms moving gracefully. The bells on her costume tinkled with every move. He felt his mouth go dry.
Seeing his expression, Jaina laughed, spinning as she went to him. She grabbed the fabric he held, twirled it around him, pressed her back to his chest, and used the fabric to pull his pelvis against hers.
"Dance with me," she said, guiding him with her hands and her hips.
He placed his hands on her bare shoulders, then slid them down her arms, to catch her fingers. Grinning, Jaina said, "Really put your hips into it."
Turning around, she performed a move like a wave rolling up her body, her hips rolling forward, followed by her head and torso. She still had hold of the veil, and the move brought her in full contact with his body.
Feeling very self-conscious, he tried to mimic her. Jaina, laughing softly, put her back to his chest again and said, "Follow me. Like we're glued together. Like sex, only vertical."
That brought forth several vivid images, and Colin almost fell over.
Jaina shook her head and danced backwards, towards the sofa, pulling him along with her. She pushed him down on the cushions and straddled his lap. "Okay, enough dancing."
He was more than happy to comply, pulling her eagerly into his arms.
He kissed her jaw, her throat, and down to the deep valley between her breasts. Jaina sighed, burying her fingers in his hair. She giggled when she felt his hands, toying with her skirt, still. "Something wrong?"
"Uh... Y-you're not wearing..."
Feeling wicked, she laughed. "Nope."
"Mmm." He flicked his tongue against her skin.
"Colin, maybe we should take this upstairs..."
"Why? There's no one here but us."
"Good point," she sighed. "Just... eventually..."
Jaina closed her eyes, rapidly becoming oblivious to everything except Colin's very nice mouth.
"What in the- Tell me this is a joke!"
Jaina almost fell off the sofa. She did fall off Colin's lap.
Looking over the back of the sofa, she stared in horror at her brother, who had just walked in.
♥♥♥
Very quickly, they both stood up, Colin holding Jaina's veil in front of him like it was a shield.
There was a long, long silence as Teniel shielded the eyes of her children, and Jason glared daggers at the other couple.
Quietly, Jason said, "Kids, go to your room."
"But, Dad-" Christian protested.
"I said do it."
Realizing their father was serious, the twins hurried up the stairs.
Jaina held up her hands. "Uh, Jase, I can-"
"What the hell are you doing?" her brother demanded, striding towards her.
Dryly, his wife said, "I would think that would be obvious. But if, after two children and eight years of marriage, I still need to explain it..."
Jason shot her a dirty look. "No, I understand that. But what I'm wondering is, why is my sister-"
Colin placed his hand on Jaina's shoulder. She relaxed immediately at his touch. "Uh... Should I leave?"
She shook her head, golden-brown hair sliding over her shoulders. "No. Jase needs to realize that I'm not ten anymore."
"Excuse me? I think Pierce here will be staying because I still have to punch his lights out." Jason cast Colin a glare that would have melted titanium.
"Why?" his sister demanded, crossing her arms as she placed herself firmly between her brother and her lover.
Jason looked as if he longed to punch Colin, but resisted. His sister looked as if she'd skin him alive if he did. "He was in your cleavage, Jaya! Your cleavage!"
"I'm perfectly aware of that, Jason."
"I don't care! No one, and I mean no one, moves in on my younger sister without asking permission first! That way I can say NO!"
Jaina rolled her eyes, and deliberately leaned back against Colin. "Do I need to call Em and tell her what
a freak you're being? She will tell Mom."
Teniel suggested, "Or call Hank and Leah. That would be interesting."
"Not my dad, he'd agree with Jason," Jaina said. Then she turned back to her brother. "This is not the sixteenth century! I can go out with whomever I want!"
Jason gestured at Colin. "That doesn't give him the right!"
"No," Jaina said softly. "I gave him the right."
Colin cleared his throat. "Uh, can we please stop discussing me like I'm not present?"
"No!" Jason bellowed.
Teniel placed her hand on her husband's arm. "Jase, calm down. You're being ridiculous."
"No, I'm not! He was in her cleavage!"
Teniel raised a red-gold brow. "I think it would be difficult to miss that fact, Jason Lars McGregor. Tell me, did you ask my parents if we could date?"
That stopped him. "Uh... Well..."
"No, you didn't."
"But!"
His wife continued as if he hadn't spoken. "We were even younger than they are!"
"But!"
She smiled sweetly. "You're sleeping on the couch."
His brown eyes widened in horror. "But! But Teniel! He's older than I am!"
Teniel spared Jaina and Colin a brief glance, then looked back at her spouse. "So? A woman rarely finds an equal in a man her own age. Case in point..."
Quickly, Jaina said, "Look at Mom and Dad. He's eleven years older than Mom. That's the difference between me and Colin."
Her brother floundered for words. "But! He! With the cleavage!"
Colin wrapped his arms around Jaina's bare waist, knowing full well it would aggravate Jason to no end. "Would you have preferred lower?" he asked, a dark brow lifting in question.
"NO!" Jason shrieked. "There is no lower! You are not allowed to look below eye contact!"
Jaina shrugged. "Too late."
Her brother shook his finger at her. "Jaya, I swear! I will send you on the next plane home!"
"Or she could move in with me," Colin suggested.
"You are so not doing that!" Jason retorted, livid. His face had flushed a deep red by this point.
Jaina stabbed Jason in the chest with a finger. "I'll do whatever I want! I am of legal age."
Jason snorted. "Barely!"
"I'm almost twenty-two!"
"I'll tell Dad what his 'little princess' is doing."
"I am little! But I'm not young!" Jaina emphasized this by looking up at her brother, who towered over her by a good foot. "Who's acting more mature here? And you didn't say a thing when I told you I was moving in with Jack!"
"That's cause I knew Jack! Or I thought I did. But I know where he lives, what he does... I need a screening process."
"You never even met him!" Jaina sighed and closed her eyes. She tried to count to ten, but made it to four. "Screening process? Screening process?!"
"Isn't he gay?" Jason jerked his head at the man behind Jaina, his dark curls bobbing. "What is this, just a see-what-it's-like-to-be-hetero for you?"
"Actually, I have never been homosexual," Colin said flatly.
"I tried to explain that to you last month, Jason." Jaina linked her hands with Colin's, feeling his tension. Neither of them had wanted this.
"Why should I believe it?" Jason demanded. "Why should you? For all you know, he lied like Jack."
Jaina's full lips curled in a smirk. "Oh, trust me, he's not."
Teniel put in, "At this point I fear Jasa is gay, and is upset about missing out on his chance."
Jaina felt a ripple of emotion go through Colin. "That was an image I didn't need," he said, voice close to her ear.
"I didn't need it either," the younger man said, giving his wife a dark look. His attention wasn't distracted for long, though. "I didn't need to see you in my little sister's cleavage!"
Said sister sighed. "Would you let that go already?"
"No! If Dad were here, Colin would already have been shot! I'm being level headed compared to him."
Colin said, "Shot?"
The mention of Hank McGregor reminded Jason of something. "Did Dad even know about Jack?"
When Jaina didn't answer, he continued, "Just tell me he isn't a rebound. Just make me believe that you think he's right, and I'll back off. I promise."
"Let me put it this way. I never slept with Jack."
"I don't need to know you're sleeping with him! I could go without that information."
"What do you think the significance of the cleavage is, Jase?"
Defensively, he said, "I just needed you to help me trust your judgment right now. I didn't need to actually hear the words, Jaya."
Exasperated, Jaina shook her head. "How else am I supposed to prove it to you?"
She pulled out of Colin's arms, lifting one of his hands in hers. "I love him, Jason. I wouldn't sleep with a 'rebound'. I love him."
Jason looked into her earnest green eyes, and saw the truth of her words there, in the tears that were threatening to fall, tears he hadn't noticed until just now. He'd hurt her with his accusations.
Suddenly guilty, Jason looked from Jaina, to Colin, to the possessive, protective way the other man stood at Jaina's side, his arm around her. To Jason's knowledge, Jaina never let people touch her. She didn't like being hugged, even by family members. And here she was, trusting this man completely.
He sighed. Raising his eyes from Jaina's to the sharp blue of Colin's, he asked, voice low and rough, "Do you love her?"
Colin looked at Jaina and smiled. He met Jason's gaze and said, "Yes, I love her."
Jason stared at him for another moment, then gritted, "Good. Because if you hurt her, I'll beat you to death with a shovel."
Then he took his wife's hand, and led her upstairs.
Chapter Twenty-Two
"Um, I should probably go," Colin said. "You obviously need to, uh, talk to your brother..."
"Yeah." Jaina sighed. "Um... Would it be okay if I came over later?"
"You're more than welcome to," he said. "You know that."
They went upstairs and he dressed in the change of clothes he'd brought. Then Jaina kissed him good-bye.
She went back upstairs and was making the bed when there was a knock at her door. She turned to see Teniel there.
"Um. Hi."
Her sister-in-law asked, "Can I come in?"
Jaina hesitated, then said, "Sure."
Knowing she was in for a lecture or something, Jaina sat on the half-made bed and looked resignedly at Teniel.
The other woman saw her expression and laughed. "I'm not going to yell at you. Actually... I'm proud of you. For not letting your brother bully you. He's just over protective right now..."
Jaina smirked. "I've noticed. You'd think he'd be happy for me, really."
"It's not you, Jaina. He's just freaking out..."
Teniel lowered her voice. "We weren't going to tell anyone for a month yet, but... I'm pregnant."
♥♥♥
Jaina parked her ancient car and got out, practically skipping to the door. She carried microwave popcorn and several videos. She felt a little weird walking in without knocking, but Colin had given her permission, so she did.
"I'm heeeeeeere!" she called as she closed the door.
"I'm in the kitchen!"
Jaina deposited the videos in the living room and took the popcorn into the kitchen. "Are you cooking?!"
"Not really. I don't think following directions on a box qualifies as cooking."
Jaina peered around his shoulder as she stuck her fingers through a couple loops on his jeans. "If you're using kitchen items to bring a foodstuff from one state to another, that's cooking. Unless you're in chemistry class, then it's nuclear warfare."
She frowned. "Colin, hon, how hard is it to boil water, milk, butter, the seasoning packet, and the pasta?"
He said. "Apparently, for me, bloody near impossible."
Bumping him out of the way, she turned the temperature down, poured in the mild, dumped in the margarine and
the seasonings, and added some sweet basil. Colin stared in awe, which made her giggle.
"What inspired your impulse to cook?" she asked.
"The dinner you were preparing go abandoned, so..." He shrugged. "Plus, I don't think the cooking lessons are paying off."
Jaina looked thoughtful. "Well, it just might take a while. Or else you're purposely being a bad chef so I'll cook for you."
Colin grinned.
Jaina rolled her eyes. "Stick to acting. We'll need something in addition to this. Do you have-"
He held up a loaf of French bread. Her eyes lit up.
"Perfect!"
In a small container, she mixed butter, basil, a touch of oregano and parsley, and powdered garlic. Colin watched her slice the bread, spread the mixture on it, and slide the loaf--on a cookie sheet--into the oven to warm.
"You are a wonder," he stated. "You whipped up garlic bread in two minutes flat!"
"My friend Sadie's mother runs a restaurant in Los Angeles. I used to work in the kitchen part time. So did Annie and Sadie."
"Remind me who Annie is?"
"She's another friend. And she looks scarily like Sadie, except Sadie's cut off all her blonde hair and dyed it red. Makes sense they look alike, since their mothers are sisters. Were." Jaina shook her head. "Annie, Sadie, and I went to high school together. Annie and Sadie both have relatives in Utah, so they spent half their childhood there. I'd sometimes summer with them."
She checked the pasta. "Anyway, Sadie's dad's a lawyer, her mom has the restaurant. Annie... as far as I know, Annie's going back to school now. She would have graduated with me and Sade, but... her mom got sick, and her dad skipped out, so Annie quit school for a while. Then her mom died last October."
Jaina turned back to him. "Enough sadness. What movie do you want to watch? I brought Kate and Leopold, Return To Me, Sweet November, a couple random things off my shelf, and The Matrix. Which I've seen thirty-four times."
"I think you've seen that one enough, then." Colin reached for a wine bottle that sat on the counter. He poured a dark red liquid into a goblet, then went to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of sparkling white grape juice. "I got this for you, since you don't drink alcohol, and Dr. Grey said to avoid red grape juice."
Love's Dance Page 13