“I’m so sorry.” Even with his arm beneath her shoulders, he was able to touch her cheek with a gentle finger.
“What for?”
“Last night and the way I made you basically strip bare your soul.”
“You didn’t make me do anything. I did so by choice, and I can’t really even say why.” She hesitated. “Except that, whether it’s a good idea or not, I trust you.”
“Why?” Disbelief and something hot shone in his gaze. “I’ve given you no reason to. Last week I seduced you when I shouldn’t have.”
A lump gathered in her throat while tears pricked behind her eyes.
“Shite, when I really think about it, I should probably apologize for the last decade altogether. For the most part I’ve treated you horribly. And you’re right, I did judge you and condemn you.”
He had apologized. Several times now. And, still, she couldn’t completely blame him. It hurt—of course it did—but, going by the only evidence he’d had at the time, she had been guilty.
“I struggle to accept your apology on that last one. You had a reason to condemn me,” she admitted. “I don’t think I really deserve your apology. And on the other two, I can’t regret sleeping with you last week. Or opening up to you.”
“Ah, Hailey.” His grip on her tightened, and he lifted her higher against his chest. “I’m going to owe you another apology right quick.”
She couldn’t stop herself from smoothing her palm up his chest to one broad shoulder. “Why?”
His gaze darkened. “Because I’m going to seduce you again.”
Her heart tripped and then went into sprint mode. Her tongue grew thick in her mouth and a relentless ache began between her thighs.
“No seduction needed,” she said huskily. “I’m kind of a sure thing right now.”
She wanted this. Unlike the first time, now there was no doubt. Only a need that was growing stronger by the day. The hour. The freaking minute.
Colin’s strangled groan as he strode inside was an indication he felt the same.
Bed this time. He would at least have the decency to take her on a bed this time, Colin told himself resolutely.
Not on the floor again. Not on the porch. Not even on that convenient kitchen table they were passing. After the animalistic way he’d taken her the first time, he would make every attempt to be tender with her now.
Though it was damn hard, with the way her sexy arse was tucked up under his arm. Or when he’d jostle her with each step and her breasts would brush his fingertips.
The outfit she wore wasn’t outright seductive, but so soft and feminine, and made him itch to strip it off her.
Maybe he should’ve set her down before scaling the stairs; it would’ve been quicker if they’d both been able to just sprint up them.
But the idea of putting her down—losing that contact for even a moment—had no appeal to him. Any excuse to touch her right now, to be near her, he couldn’t disregard.
When he reached the room, though, he had to release her. At least momentarily.
Her feet touched the floor and her knees must’ve buckled because she clutched at his shirt to hold herself up.
“Sweetheart—”
She kissed him. Brought her hands up to grab his face, stood on her tiptoes, crushed her lips to his.
All good intentions he’d had to make it perfect this time flew out the window. He was riding on instinct and the river of need that scalded through his blood. He unfastened the fancy little leather belt around her waist and threw it aside.
With a growl of need, he pulled her body hard against his as their tongues tangled and teased, sucked and flicked. The need to touch her only grew with each second. He slid his hands beneath her tank top to stroke the softness of her naked back.
A shiver rippled through her and she sighed against his mouth.
Gathering the fabric of her top in one hand, he pulled it upward. She lifted her arms, helping him tug it off, before he tossed it to the ground.
She took over from there, reaching behind herself to unfasten her bra and cast it aside.
He stopped her when she reached for her skirt.
“A moment. We’re in no hurry.”
“Speak for yourself,” she shot back, even as her arms fell back to her side.
He took a step back to allow himself the distance to cup her breasts. He molded the soft, berry-tipped slopes in his hands, letting the nipples tighten further, then he couldn’t resist any longer.
Leaning down, he drew one tip into his mouth and sucked lightly.
“Oh…I suppose we don’t have to hurry,” she agreed, squeezing his shoulders.
“I want to enjoy you this time.” He switched his attention to the other breast, finding the nipple hard and waiting for him.
While he kept his mouth on her breasts, he maneuvered his hand beneath the waistband of her long skirt and into her panties.
She was already slick and hot, but when he eased a finger into her he questioned his own decision to go slowly.
He pressed another finger into her, loving the slow moan she made.
Wanting her completely naked, he tugged down her skirt and panties in one move. Then he lifted her and carried her to the bed to lay her down.
She propped her elbows up behind her and sat up slightly, watching as he took off his clothing. He was usually not one to be hyperaware of his body image, but the way she stared at him made him feel as if he were some kind of Adonis.
Hunger and blatant appreciation flashed in her eyes as he removed the last of his clothes.
“You’re incredible,” she whispered.
“Aye, well I try to keep fit for the job.” He gave a lopsided grin and then sobered. “But, thank you, and might I say the feeling is mutual. I’m fairly sure I could stare at you for hours on end.”
“Might get a little boring—” she moistened her lips, “—just staring.”
He eased onto the bed next to her and pressed a kiss on her flat stomach. The little quiver that racked her body tempted him to repeat the gesture.
“Actually, now that you mention it, I’m shite at that look-but-don’t-touch rule.” He moved himself to lie between her legs and nuzzled the softness between.
She moaned softly and stroked his hair. Her thighs parted wider to make room for him. He eagerly took advantage of it and parted her feminine folds, then pressed his tongue in for the first addictive taste of her. Seeking out the spot he knew would bring her pleasure.
It didn’t take long. Her hips began to rise and fall, and she started to make soft, low moans in her throat. The longer he tasted her, teased her, the more her groans rose in pitch and frequency.
When he slipped a finger inside her she cried out. Her thighs tightened around his head while she quaked through a climax.
He kissed the mound of her sex and continued upward. He dropped a kiss on her belly button and swirled his tongue in the tiny crater before continuing his journey.
He anointed each nipple with an openmouthed kiss, found the pulse going wild in her neck and sucked on it.
“You’re making me lose all kinds of control,” she admitted raggedly. He arrived at her mouth and cut of the rest of her words by claiming her lips.
Her body molded into his as she kissed him back hungrily. He groaned when she moved a hand down his body and curled soft fingers around his erection.
His cock swelled to the point it began to throb. The need to be inside her consumed his every breath.
When he used his knees to nudge her thighs apart, ready to bury himself deep, she quickly squirmed out from beneath him.
“Almost forgot the condom.” Her face was flushed, her words breathy.
Shite, she was right. How the hell had he allowed himself to almost make that giant blunder?
He gave a swift nod and moved to his nightstand to grab one out of the drawer.
“Before you put that on, though…” She didn’t finish her thought, but plucked the condom from his hand.
With her palm on his chest, he let himself be pushed back onto the bed.
He expected her to place it on him and then maybe climb on top. What he didn’t expect was for her to lie down beside him, lean over, and take him with her mouth.
“Hailey.” His hips jerked in response, sending him deeper past her lips, but she didn’t protest.
Should he stop her? Insist she didn’t have to do this? The thoughts raced through his head, but the pleasure overruled them.
It had literally been years since a woman had done this to him. Brenda had found oral sex disgusting—both to receive and give. How the hell had he gone so long without either?
Hailey did something clever with her tongue that made all thoughts of his ex-fiancée vanish as quickly as they’d appeared.
Blindly, he drove his fingers into her hair and gave himself over to the pleasure.
When he knew he was close to climax, he managed to regain his senses enough to pull her gently off him.
“Sweetheart, you keep doing that and we’ll be skipping all the real fun.”
“You’re probably right.” She gave a breathy laugh and tore open the condom. Her eyes were glittering with arousal and her cheeks were flushed. She was sexier than he could ever remember seeing her.
“There we go.” Looking proud of herself for getting the condom on him, Hailey moved to straddle him. “Do you mind if I’m on top?”
“Ah, well, I suppose if you must. Have at it then,” he teased lightly, though every bit of him was taut with need and anticipation.
She positioned herself just right, placed her hands on his chest, and sank down.
Fuck it all, but he was a goner.
He cupped her hips, easing deeper up into her as she made a soft moan.
The feel of her hot warmth gripping him had the breath hissing through his teeth and his eyes closing.
They worked together, finding a rhythm and pleasure. The sounds of their soft groans filled the room, increasing as their movements sped up.
“I’m so close,” she whispered. “Help me get there?”
Knowing exactly what she needed, he reached between her spread thighs and found her clit. He alternated between soft and hard while rubbing her, using the way the muscles of her sex clenched around him as his guide.
His own climax was nearing. He clenched his teeth, blind with the need to take over. He thrust up into her, faster and harder, and then pinched her just light enough to send her over the edge.
Her sharp cry of pleasure was so hot it hurtled him right after her. His mind went dark as he came, her name on his lips a raspy cry.
When clarity returned, he realized he’d somehow managed to roll her beneath him at the end and was still buried inside her.
He touched her flushed cheek. “Are you all right?”
“More than all right. I’m kind of amazing right now.”
“Aye, you certainly are.” His gaze traveled down to the hard red tips of her breasts. Unable to resist, he leaned down to kiss each one, then reluctantly straightened.
“I’ll just take a moment to clean up…”
Chapter Thirteen
Hailey watched him climb from the bed and took the stolen moment to drink in his beautiful body.
She’d always loved his shape. The muscles. He was pretty much the sexiest man she’d ever had a crush on. Not that she was crushing. Maybe as a teenager. Now she was too old and logical for that kind of thing.
She and Colin worked well on a sexual level. Actually, they were amazing on that level. Better than any guy she’d ever slept with. Though there weren’t a whole lot of men to compare him to.
Colin returned from the bathroom a moment later. His stride to the bed was confident and he was unconcerned about his nudity. His self-assurance was just another thing that made him so attractive.
He crawled back onto the bed and sprawled out beside her.
Was this weird? It wasn’t even two in the afternoon and they were lounging around in bed. Should she be getting up? Getting dressed?
She needed this, though. This relaxation and downtime. Mindless sexual pleasure. Not only was her personal life a bit of a roller coaster right now, but her work life had been emotionally difficult.
Her little burn patient, Randy, had been discharged and there was a good chance he’d end up with his mother again. It made her sick to her stomach.
He wasn’t the first patient she’d grown attached to. It wouldn’t be her last either. Which was what made her a shitty nurse. Or a good one. It was a toss-up. Like her friend said, she couldn’t save them all.
Trying to let it go and focus on the now, she stared up into Colin’s face and a wave of peace washed over her. Comfort.
All sad thoughts vanished as he traced two fingers over her shoulder and then down her arm. Tingles and warmth filled her again.
“What happens next, Hailey?”
Her breath caught. He wanted to talk serious stuff? “Does something have to happen?”
“I don’t know.” His fingers traced hers now. “To be honest, I’ve never much been the casual-sex type, and I’m not certain I’m very good at this.”
Just what was he saying? “You’re doing fine. We’re doing fine. It’s just sex.”
“Is it?”
“Well, it’s good sex, I suppose.”
“Amazing,” he corrected.
“Okay, amazing.” She laughed softly, but then sobered.
“But I just got out of a bad relationship, Colin. I’m not really looking for anything heavy.”
Silence filled the space between them and her pulse quickened. Had she upset him?
“Not that I’m implying you are looking for something serious. I have no idea what you’re thinking right now, actually.”
She hadn’t lied. She really wasn’t looking for anything, and the idea of getting serious with someone after Curt left a heavy knot in her stomach. Curt was baggage. Heavy baggage. She had a freaking restraining order against him type of baggage.
It would be a little easier to hide the fact that she was having sex only occasionally than it would be to hide a boyfriend who was around all the time.
Not that he was asking to be her boyfriend, was he? Good God, she was probably overreacting to a simple little conversation.
“Look, I like what we’re doing here.” She rolled onto her side so she could face him and touch him. “You’re right, it’s amazing.”
He grimaced. “Thank you for attempting to salvage my pride a bit, sweetheart.”
“I guess I just don’t know what it is you want.”
“And, honestly, I’m not sure what I want. You’re the first woman I’ve slept with since Brenda.”
“She was your last girlfriend?”
“Fiancée.”
That took the wind out of her sails. She stopped tracing his chest absently and stared down at the hard pectoral muscles.
He’d been engaged. Whoa. There was a strange tightening around her chest as she asked, “But that, um, didn’t work out?”
“It nearly did.”
“You got cold feet?”
“She did. Left me standing alone at the front of a church with two hundred guests as witnesses.”
Holy shit. She propped herself up on an elbow and stared down at him. “Are you serious?”
“Aye.”
“What a bitch.”
He didn’t reply, but his lips twisted, almost in sad amusement.
“I’m sorry, Colin.”
“It was over a year ago,” he said softly. “I’ve not been in a hurry to get involved with anyone. You’re the first.”
The first since the bitch. That explained why he was confused about what happened next. She didn’t know a lot of guys like Colin. Men who didn’t sleep around or have casual sex at least every now and then.
Colin sounded like one of those always-in-a-relationship guys. Dating one woman for a long time, maybe breaking up, and then ending up in a serious relationship with anoth
er woman.
And had nearly married one of them, it seemed.
It shouldn’t have been a surprise—several times now he’d mentioned he wanted to settle down and have kids. Of course, one time had been in the same breath with which he’d told her she wasn’t marriage material.
Her lips twisted with a bitterly amused smile. That’s why they could never work. Maybe he’d apologized today, but all words came from a grain of truth.
“Maybe we could just be there for each other,” Colin mused. “Nothing serious, because I’m not sure either of us is in the right place for it. But when there’s the, uh, need—”
“When one of us wants to get laid?”
He cringed. “I hate that term.”
“Hmm. Let me try again. When one of us has the urge to fornicate like cute, fluffy bunnies?” she teased.
“Wait, what? You may actually be getting worse.”
“Float your boat up my river of love?”
“You know, let’s just stick with get laid.”
“Works for me.”
He laughed, tracing a finger around her nipple. “Does it though? Work for you?”
“The being there for each other sexually?”
“Aye.”
She thought about it for a moment, trying not to be distracted by his sensual touch as she weighed the consequences and perks.
“I think it does, actually.” She gave a slight nod, her body already stirring with desire again. “Only, I think we should keep this between us. There’s no point in having people get the wrong idea.”
He nodded. “Agreed. And I’ll make sure to add your number to my phone.”
“It’s weird you don’t have it. We’ve slept together twice.”
“I had the same thought earlier. Only at that time we only had one sexual experience under our belt.” He leaned down and drew his tongue across her nipple and her hips rose off the bed.
“Oh. I’m hoping we’ll have three soon,” she admitted breathily. “Actually, three before we hit 3:00 p.m.”
Colin glanced at the clock. “We’ve got a half hour.”
“I think we can swing it.”
“Aye, I know we can.” He reached for another condom in the drawer and deftly put it on.
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