At least until she opened her eyes and saw Colin. He sat at the table he must’ve grabbed for them and stared at her. It shouldn’t surprise her. After the attack, he’d promised to look after her, which involved him staring. But the way he looked at her...
His gaze was super intense, and even from across the room and through all the moving and grinding bodies, she could see the way he narrowed his eyes every time the guy behind her set a hand on her shoulder and waist.
Jean pulled away from the man and made her way to Colin, keeping eye contact as she moved. When she finally reached the table, she slammed her hands on the laminate. “Do you have something you want to say?” she yelled so he could hear her over the music.
“Nope. You said this is what you wanted and that’s what I’m giving to you.”
Jean grabbed the untouched glass that she assumed was her rum and diet Coke and took a deep drink; the cool liquid cooled her now warm body. She set the glass down on the table harder than she intended. “If you don’t have anything to say, stop staring at me. It’s distracting.”
Colin didn’t say anything and she didn’t wait around. She made her way back to the dance floor, and soon enough the same guy had found her again. He was handsier this time—touching her hips and even running his hands down her arms a few times. Each time he did it, Jean would take a step back, silently telling him to cool down. It wasn’t that the small touches bothered her, but she didn’t want to end up full-on grinding with him like some of the other couples in the room.
This wasn’t the carefree dancing she’d wanted. Finally she stopped and glared at the man. “It’s time to move on,” she said, using her bitch face to its best effect.
The guy smiled and leaned forward. “I thought we were having fun.”
“Go have fun with someone else!” She turned away from him, determined to block him out until he went away, but his hands were right back on her hips. For the love of...
She turned to give him a piece of her mind, but her eyes widened when she saw Colin right behind the stranger. Jean stumbled back as Colin tapped the guy on the shoulder. Though any fears she had that a fight was about to break out immediately disappeared when she saw the man’s reaction to Colin. His eyes turned to giant saucers as he stumbled back.
“I think she’s taken this dance. Move on.” Colin didn’t speak loudly, but somehow his deep timbre carried on the dance floor as the man stumbled away.
Jean bit her bottom lip as she looked up at Colin. “I could’ve handled that,” she insisted.
But instead of turning back to go to their table, Colin stepped forward and set both of his hands on her hips to pull her close. “I know you could’ve.” He started to move to the music.
The feel of his body pressed against hers was a shock. The already hot dance floor suddenly felt like a furnace everywhere he touched her. As she took in deep gulps of air, suddenly all she could smell was the scent of his masculine soap.
Jean closed her eyes as all the overwhelming sensations seemed to take over. “If you knew I could handle it, why are you here?”
Colin’s fingers tightened and then loosened against her, as though he fought some urge of his own. “I didn’t like the guy.”
“What didn’t you like about him?” She regretted the question the second she asked it. Somehow she knew they were wandering into dangerous territory and she should shut him down right now. Like the stranger she’d just danced with. Tell him that there were some boundaries that shouldn’t be crossed.
Wasn’t Colin still the stranger who’d walked into her life and messed up everything? Wasn’t Colin still the stranger who was nothing but trouble and who she knew she should keep as far away from her as possible?
Colin Carter wasn’t just a stranger. He was the bad guy. He’d said so himself.
“I didn’t like him touching you.”
“That shouldn’t matter, should it?”
“Nope.” But he didn’t let her go. If anything, he held her closer, and Jean couldn’t explain why being held in his arms felt so good. Maybe it was the simple fact that being touched by a handsome man wasn’t the worst way to spend a night. Maybe it was because having the most intimidating man in the room next to her was a bit of a power rush.
And she debated telling him to back off. She really did think about letting him know that she wasn’t going to cross any of these lines with him. Instead, she raised her arms and once again let the music take over. But this was different than before. She wasn’t carefree and loose. She was ever aware of Colin’s hands on her. Of his eyes on her.
And as she turned in his arms, he pulled her hips against his and she was made extra aware of just how happy parts of him were to have her dancing with him.
Except he wasn’t really dancing with her. It was as if she was dancing for him—every movement and sway with the knowledge that he was watching her. That he was hard with want for her.
The feeling was like a drug that went to her head...a high she didn’t want to let go of. As the song switched to a different pounding beat, she didn’t stop her dance. Colin didn’t say anything to her, just gently touched her as she moved. Every once in a while, their hips would grind together, reminding her just how invested he was in this dance.
But so was she. Every nerve ending felt hyper aware of him, and each new touch seemed to set off nerve endings she didn’t know existed. So when that song ended and Colin intertwined his hand with hers, she didn’t fight him as he pulled her to their table, grabbed their jackets and led her out of the club.
The walk back to his apartment wasn’t long by her normal standards, but it felt as though it took forever. Mainly because with every step, her mind told her that she should put a stop to this. Tell Colin that nothing was going to happen before things got much further.
But every time she tried to open her mouth to say something, she would feel where his hand touched hers and be transported right back onto the dance floor where his body had been pressed against hers. How good it had felt then. How much better it would feel without any clothes.
It wasn’t as if this chemistry was unprecedented. She remembered kissing him last night. Hell, if he had pushed her, she would’ve laid down on that bed for him in a heartbeat.
She didn’t have the haze of exhaustion as an excuse this time. Even the one drink she had hadn’t been enough to push her judgment. The only reason she could think of for the crazy things she was considering doing with Colin was just that there was some sort of crazy attraction between them.
So why not? She practically tripped over her feet as the strange question popped into her mind. But the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. It might have just been her overactive libido trying to convince her, but really, Colin was an attractive man. He obviously liked her, and once this ordeal was over, he’d be gone. Nothing complicated and messy like her previous relationships. Just a good time by two people who liked each other.
Well, who liked each other’s bodies. So why not? She abruptly stopped a few feet away from his apartment building. Colin turned to face her without dropping her hand.
“Do you have protection?” she asked. There. She did have some sort of standards.
“Yes.” No long speech about how safe he was or how much he wanted her. Just the simple three-letter word that took down the one barrier to her being with him.
But Jean was too far gone to turn back. “Okay.” She nodded and Colin pulled her the rest of the way to his apartment. The three-story climb to his apartment should’ve been the final buzzkill nail in the coffin, but her body was too invested.
The second they hit his floor, Colin’s calm facade cracked and he backed her into the hallway wall and caged her in with his arms. The shock of the cold wall against her back, cutting through the fabric of her sweater, made her gasp for a breath, and Colin took instant advantage, bending forward and covering her mouth with his.
Her eyes drifted shut as she let him take over. Just like the man, his kiss w
as powerful and domineering. He took control of her and showed her exactly what he wanted as his lips and tongue worked against hers. She angled for better access as her hands rested on his shoulders, reveling in the strength beneath her fingers.
Colin moved his hands from the wall and ran them along her sides, taking the time to cup her breasts, teasing the tips with his thumbs, before moving lower. He traced the curve of her waist and the flare of her hips before his palms ran along her skirt to the bare skin of her thighs. Then, before she truly knew what he was doing, he gripped her legs and lifted her up until the only thing supporting her against the wall was the press of his hips against hers.
He groaned as he pressed his erection against the juncture of her thighs, and she knew he could probably feel just how hot and wet she was for him. There was no hiding how much he turned her on now. Not that she’d been doing a bang-up job of that before...
“Fuck,” he breathed against her lips. “Damn it, Jean.”
Before she could ask what had him in such a surly mood, he’d moved to kiss along her throat. She let her head rest against the wall to give him better access to her throat. He managed to balance her on one arm as his free hand pulled her top lower, exposing the top of her bra and breasts.
He shouldn’t be able to do this—hold her with one arm after climbing three flights of stairs. She knew he was strong, but this...
Then he nipped at her breast at the edge of her black bra, and all logical thought fled. She arched into him and pressed herself into his mouth as he moved to the other breast, alternating gentle kisses with the little bites. Nothing painful. Just enough to remind her that this was no tame man she was getting involved with.
In a flash, the cold wall was gone as Colin carried her to the door to his apartment. Jean smiled into his shoulder as she held him tight. Good grief, she’d forgotten that they were right out in the open. He set her down as he pulled the keys off the clip on his belt loop and opened the locks on his door.
As soon as they were inside, it felt as though they were in a race to see who could get the other’s clothes off faster. Jean tore at Colin’s shirt while he pushed her sweater off her shoulders. As she moved back to let the large garment fall to the floor, she bent to pull at her boots, grunting in frustration when she had to undo the zipper, making the wait even longer.
Colin chuckled above her, and she stood as soon as the boots were gone, leaving her in just her thin tank and skirt. “Are you laughing at me?”
He bent forward and scooped her up in his arms once more. “Definitely not laughing at you.” He carried her to the bed, sitting on the edge as she straddled him.
Jean kissed him again as she settled more fully against him. The thick bulge of his erection was pressed fully against her, and she wished she’d taken more clothes off when she had the chance. Colin must’ve had the same thought, because he broke the kiss to pull her top over her head. As soon as it was falling to the ground, he flipped her around so he was on top of her on the bed.
Jean tried to get her bearings as he kissed down her neck. It was as if everything was a haze and the only thing anchoring her to the real world was Colin...his hands...his lips...
When he reached behind her, she lifted herself up and he had her bra undone in seconds. Every other time she’d been naked with a man, and there had been admittedly few, the first time had been slow and sweet, filled with self-consciousness and insecurity.
But there was none of that with Colin. Maybe there was just no time? He was all over her, as though he was desperate to get any feel of her, and she would be lying if she didn’t admit she felt the same. As though something horrible was going to happen if she didn’t have all of his skin free to her fingertips in the next heartbeat.
She reached down, tearing at the fly to his pants. The second she had the button free, Colin pushed them down and then he was naked.
She sat up on her elbows to get a better look. Trying to see whether he measured up to the fantasies she’d been fighting off all week.
Lord, he was pretty. Men hated to be called words like beautiful and pretty, but there was no other word. His muscles looked as though they’d been carved by an expert sculptor. The ridges and planes stood out in the dark room, the nighttime lights coming in from the windows to cast a soft glow on his body.
As she followed the trail of his abs lower, his cock stood out long and proud, just as impressive as the rest of him. Jean met Colin’s eyes and realized he’d been staring at her just as intensely. It really was too late to back out now, but she didn’t think she’d ever want to.
Then Colin was coming back, and Jean forced herself to stop thinking. He hooked his fingers in her skirt and panties, pulling them down slowly, letting his fingers skim along her legs as he went. Then, once they were gone, those hands trailed back up; his palms went up the inside of her calves, knees, and thighs until he pushed her wide for his view. Before her default self-consciousness could take over, he was touching her. First delicately on her clit, and then two bold fingers pushed inside, testing and stretching.
Jean’s head fell back and she let out a moan of pleasure. He kept pushing her higher and higher with his hands, and she let the sensations take over. Her hands knotted in the sheets as she trembled beneath him.
And when she was completely distracted, he sucked with his mouth, taking her over completely as she lost control. It wasn’t hard. Really, she’d been so turned on for so long now, it only took the slightest push to send her over the edge, but it was the most delicious fall.
As all the stress left her body in one amazing wave after wave, Colin kept pushing her higher, milking the orgasm for all it was worth until she lay beneath him in a limp puddle. As the climax finally died down, it was her turn to chuckle. He rose and reached for the nightstand, and she realized he was reaching for condoms.
“Are you laughing at me now?” he asked.
“No,” she breathed as she watched him tear the wrapper open with his teeth and roll the latex over his cock. Suddenly some of the tension crept back in. “Just enjoying myself...”
“Well, that’s good.” He bent forward. The head of his erection pressed against her wet and ready center. He leaned over until his mouth was only inches away from hers. “Think you want to enjoy yourself again?”
She opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out. So she did the only thing she was capable of and lifted her hips to his, silently telling him exactly what she wanted. And one second later he was fully inside her.
She gasped at the sudden entry. She was more than ready for him, but he was a large man and she hadn’t been with anyone since Mark, and that was over a year ago...
“Are you okay?”
Damn. She’d hoped Colin wouldn’t notice her discomfort, but he wasn’t the type to miss anything. “I’m fine.” At least she would be. As long as he started moving, she’d be able to forget the pain.
He leaned down and bit gently on her ear. The little distraction caused her to jump in his arms as he pulled back and thrust back in. The friction caused a jolt of pleasure, which took over from the pain. Yes. This is what she needed.
“More,” she said into his ear, and he didn’t disappoint.
He thrust in and out, going slow at first, still giving her body a chance to adjust to his. But her moans became louder and her fingers bit into his back, so he moved faster and faster. The faster his hips moved back and forth, the more the rest of the world fell away. As a second orgasm started to take over, she wrapped her arms around his back and held on tight, reveling in the feel of all the man and muscle over her...all for her...
And then her climax ripped through her. This one was more powerful than the first, and it was all she could do to keep on holding onto him.
Colin must’ve felt her, because he started to thrust impossibly faster; one of his hands grabbed her ass and held her down as he started to come.
Jean held him close as he shook with his release, the tension slowly easing from his mus
cles. But he never fully relaxed, still holding himself up to keep his weight off her.
They stayed like that for a few minutes. Reality started to slowly creep in as Jean realized what she’d done.
Okay...so she and Colin had slept together. And it was fun. Really fun. They were both adults and they could handle it. It wasn’t as if he were about to start taking her on dates or anything, and she surely wasn’t going to get clingy. But how did a one-night stand work with someone she was staying with? Would this be an every night thing? Would he go back to sleeping on the couch? Well, that seemed kind of silly.
Colin stopped her turning mind as he bent forward to give her a quick kiss before gently withdrawing and padding to the bathroom. Jean fidgeted on the comforter as she heard the sink come on as he cleaned up.
It was so strange to just lay there all naked on his bed. She took the chance while he was gone to slide under the covers and turned to face the nightstand on the opposite side of the bathroom. There. Now it would be his move when he came out of the bathroom.
He didn’t seem as confused about the situation as she did. After the water turned off, he came back to the bed and crawled in right behind her, setting an arm around her waist and pulling her back tightly against him.
Her surprise at the motion was quickly taken over by how good it felt. His warm body pressed up against her was like another blanket to keep her warm. Except for... “Your dick is freezing, Colin.”
He laughed in her ear. “Leave the guy alone. He was just washed off. Besides, it’s your job to warm him up.” He emphasized the words by rubbing himself against her ass.
Jean smiled as she snuggled closer and propped her head up on the pillow. “So where did you find Walter?”
“Oh no...you’re the type that likes to talk after sex, aren’t you?”
“Leave me alone. I’m all awake now. Besides, I feel like you know everything about me and I don’t know anything about you.” Which was especially bad considering what they’d just done. “It’s a fair question, isn’t it?” It wasn’t like they’d just had sex and she was going to start asking about his ex-girlfriends or anything.
Ruthless (Fractured Farrells: A Damaged Billionaire Series Book 1) Page 10