by Wendy Owens
The lift stopped, and I raised the door, trying to convince the butterflies in my stomach to stop battling. I thought after you dated someone for a little while these feelings were supposed to cease, but apparently I had not reached that threshold with Colin. Every time I was about to meet up with him, the same feelings would rise in me. It didn’t help that when I walked into a room he would give me a look like he wanted to strip me naked with his teeth.
Another thing I hadn’t figured out: when did you stop knocking on the door? I mean if you were an exclusive item, did you have to knock every time you walked into the other person’s place? He had a key to my apartment since he was our landlord, but he had never actually used it without permission after we made the commitment to exclusively see one another.
Clearing my throat, I reached out my newly polished fingertips and repeatedly tapped my knuckles on the door.
“Em?” I heard his muffled voice yelling from a distant room.
“Yeah, it’s me,” I called back, feeling a little goofy yelling through the door.
“Come on in.”
I tried the door, but much to my dismay it did not open. “It’s locked.”
Pressing my cheek against the cool steel, I heard his footsteps bounding toward me. A moment later there was some clicking and sliding noises, the door finally pulling open to reveal his smiling face. Damn, he was sexy. “We’re going to have to get you a key made.”
I guess that answered that question. I followed him into the main room, pausing as he closed and locked the door behind me. The recent push he and Christian had made to get the drywall hung, had made all the difference since I had last seen the space. It was starting to actually resemble a home rather than a squatter’s paradise.
“Oh, babe, it’s looking so good in here,” I offered, my eyes shifting to the kitchen, where the new dark upper cabinets were now completely hung.
Colin laughed at my response. “Not such a rat hole anymore, huh?”
“You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?” I asked, lifting my eyebrows.
“Eventually… maybe,” he teased. “It’s got a long way to go out here, but this wasn’t why I wanted you to come over here tonight.”
I turned toward him, reaching out with my free hand to grab his, pulling him closer and pressing my body against him. “Oh yeah? And just why exactly did you bring me here?”
Running his nose along mine, he brought it to rest just above my lips. “Slow down, girl, we have plenty of time for that.”
My face flushed as the embarrassment washed over me. Had we actually reached a point where I was starting to over-sex him? “I’m sorry, I thought you wanted—”
His lips pressed against mine, stealing my words away. When he pulled back, he looked into my eyes. “Oh, I definitely want that, but this night is all about you. Let’s take our time.”
“I like the sound of that,” I muttered.
Pulling away, he turned and walked toward the master bedroom, pausing just outside and staring at me, beckoning me with his eyes to join him.
“Wait, I thought we weren’t going to do that right now,” I playfully jested, not budging from where I stood.
“I have a surprise for you—now will you get over here,” he said, more as a command than a question.
“A surprise?” I asked, allowing him to take my hand as I approached.
“Yes, close your eyes.”
I gave him a disapproving glare. “This isn’t going to end well for me, is it?”
Colin smiled. “Will you just close your eyes?”
Pursing my lips together, I reluctantly obeyed. I heard the door to the master bedroom open, and he guided me through the doorway.
“Turn a little this way,” he instructed. “Okay, open.”
When the darkness fell away, an amazing scene was revealed. Since I met the Bennett brothers, I had been forced to use the guest bathroom in the main part of their living quarters. The construction efforts in the master bath, which had been kept under wraps and handled exclusively by Colin, were off limits to anyone else. The only way to describe what I was looking at: an absolute masterpiece. The room had become a work of art.
My head turned from side to side, wildly, as I tried to take everything in. Though an enchanting chandelier hung over the oval-shaped bathtub, the room was lit by the dozens of candles that littered the floor and counter of an old buffet, which had been restored and converted into a double vanity. Two of the walls, from floor to ceiling, were covered in small, one-inch tiles that reflected as if they were made of pearls. At the far end there was a stand up shower stall, entirely encased in glass, an oversized shower-head hanging in the center, ready to create a waterfall for its inhabitant.
In the corner, across from the shower, was a door, which I assumed, led to the toilet. Perhaps the tray of delectable looking goodies should have been what surprised me the most, but it wasn’t. What took my breath away was when I caught site of a painting near the bathtub. It was one of mine—I remember naming it black tears. It was of a young girl, her head hanging low, her eyes closed, a darkness all around her, and as her mascara ran down her cheeks they created the trails of black tears.
“How?” I gasped in disbelief.
“Your mother,” he answered with a huge grin.
“What?” I looked at him, completely confused.
“I thought the email contact form on your website would go to you. I might have typed some inappropriate things, and your mother was quick to set me straight on how one treats a lady with respect.”
“Oh God, you didn’t?” I stared at him, horrified.
“It’s okay. After I got the severe tongue lashing, I explained who I was. She said she was handling all of the shipping of your back stock while you were away at school,” Colin explained, but all I could think about was the fact that he had talked to my mother and apparently said some dirty things. I wasn’t sure I would ever be able to speak to her again.
“Who did you tell her you were?” I pushed.
“Don’t worry, I didn’t use the word boyfriend. I told her I liked her daughter a lot, and I would like to get even closer to her.” Colin gave me a very pointed stare as he told me how the conversation went.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. I told her I was starting to see someone, so it’s not like you’re a complete secret.”
“I know,” Colin said, a smile plastered across his face. He walked over and picked up a strawberry from the tray waiting on the vanity.
“How do you know that?”
“She told me.”
“Oh, she did, huh? And what exactly did she tell you?” I inquired, not taking my eyes off him as he turned and lifted the ripe fruit to my lips. I took a bite, the juice running down my chin.
“That you said I’m hot.” He didn’t wait for me to rebut, kissing the liquid off my chin, traveling down my neck.
“I can’t think straight when you do that,” I whispered, my eyes closing.
“I know.” He seemed to know a lot of things.
I stood there, waiting for more, but a moment passed and I realized he was gone. Opening my eyes I saw he was bent over the oval tub. Silent, I watched as he turned on the water, carefully checking the temperature. He then plugged it up and walked over to retrieve a bottle from the vanity.
“What are you doing?” I asked in the most flirtatious voice I could manage. I always worried I sounded juvenile when I tried to use my cute and sexy voice.
“I told you, tonight is all about you. Now take your clothes off,” he demanded, pouring a small amount of blue liquid into the water. I didn’t move, rather just watched as the liquid began to froth and foam into a bubbly mass, steam filling the air around us. He turned to face me, lifting a single eyebrow, delivering the sinister gaze that always caused me to quiver. “Come on, or do you need me to come over there and undress you?”
“Wait, what about dinner? I mean, I thought we were going to get dinner,” I stammered, b
arely able to keep standing from the prospect of getting naked with him in a bathtub.
Colin placed the bottle in his hands at his feet, and then approached me slowly. “I made some appetizers for you to enjoy in the bath, and dinner is in the oven. Do you want to eat, or do you want to be pampered?”
“You made dinner?” I questioned, my skeptical glare revealing all of my doubts.
“Believe it or not, I’m quite capable when I put my mind to things.” He smiled, and I had to stop myself from attacking him.
I didn’t need to give it another moment’s thought; I knew I was ready for this pampering. I quickly unbuttoned my pants, using my feet and legs to shimmy them down, flicking them off violently from the final foot they clung to. Colin was now directly in front of me, barely any space between us, and his eyes told me he was pleased with my sudden enthusiasm. Before I could lift my shirt, he had his hands grasped tightly around it, pulling it over my head.
“Holy hell,” he growled, as my black lacy bra and panty set came into complete view. My stomach fluttered, and an ache grew inside me as I saw his response. “You’ll have to wear these for me again.”
Grabbing my hips, he spun me around, pulling my backside against his pelvis. Based on the hardness grinding against my hip, I could tell he was more pleased with my outfit than I originally assumed. Slipping his hands beneath my underwear, at my hips, he guided them along my legs, creating a trail of kisses down my back as he went, nibbling softly on my bare ass cheek for a brief second.
Standing back up, he swept my hair over one shoulder and unclasped my bra. I allowed it to fall to the floor, turning to face him. Taking one hand, he led me to the bath, guiding me into the awaiting suds. The warm water swallowed me, finding its way into all of my crevices. Twisting the handles, stopping the flow of water, he stared.
“Aren’t you going to join me?” I asked, saddened by his fully clothed body.
“Patience, my love.”
I watched him longingly as he retrieved the tray of treats, placing it on the floor near us. Glancing over the edge of the tub I took a quick inventory: strawberries, grapes, chocolate pieces, small squares of cheese, baguette slices topped with freshly cut tomatoes. When my eyes shifted up to him, he surprised me with an extended hand, his fingers offering me a glass of red wine.
“You are too much,” I commented, taking it from him and sipping the vintage, appreciating the earthiness of it.
“Never too much,” he replied, flipping through his iPhone.
“Okay, I’ve been patient, now you get naked,” I stated firmly.
“Jesus, girl, what did we awaken in you?” Colin laughed, not shifting his eyes from the screen.
“Get in here, and I’ll show you—” Just as I finished my sentence, from hidden places within the ceiling came a sweet melody by La Roux, and I shouted. “Get out!”
“Right? I wired it before I even did the drywall,” he boasted proudly.
“You have officially blown my mind.”
“Not yet, but I will,” he muttered under his breath, the childish sexual innuendo making me smile.
Once the music was playing he wasted no time relieving himself of his clothes. I began to throw catcalls in his direction, which he was happy to oblige me with an extremely sexy sway of his hips. With only his boxers on, he looked at me, waiting for me to let him know just how bad I wanted the full monty.
“Come on, baby, show me what you got,” I quipped playfully. And then he did. Revealing his massiveness, he perfectly on display at eye level. I reached a hand out toward him, but he pulled away, shaking a finger at me, as if I was being naughty.
“We have all night,” Colin informed me as he walked around to the side of the tub opposite of me and slid in.
“And what exactly do you have planned for this all-night marathon?” I inquired, watching him sink into the clouds of white, his legs grazing mine.
“Hmm… I want to leave some things as a surprise, but how long has it been since you’ve had a massage with real massage oils?”
“Good question… let’s see,” I responded, pretending to try and remember. “Oh yeah, never.”
“Then I’m glad I get to pop that cherry.”
“You’re going to be my undoing, Colin Bennett.”
“I hope so; it’s only fair since you were mine,” he said, beckoning me closer. I turned, sliding my back against his still semi-hardness, laying my head against his chest, his arm wrapping around me, his fingertips coming to rest just below my breasts. Expelling all the air from my lungs I closed my eyes, soaking in the peacefulness of the moment. No more pain haunting every thought, the guilt had found another place to live… at least for now. The only thing that plagued me these days was an overwhelming desire to be right here, in his arms.
Chapter Seventeen
You can do this. You open your mouth, and you just tell him. You know you need to do this—it’s not right to keep moving forward and not tell him. I told myself this as I stared in my bathroom mirror. The closer Colin and I had been growing, the more I felt like I should be telling him about Ashton and my past.
He shared so many intimate details with me, about when his parents died, or when his uncle basically abandoned them. There was even the night where he was almost in tears, telling me what a failure he felt like when Christian lost control of his sobriety. I sat there listening, nodding, consoling, but when he looked to me to reciprocate the giving, I simply sat there with a blank stare on my face.
He never pushed me, but I could tell he knew there was something behind my wall that I didn’t want him knowing. I could see that it was hurting him, and the last thing I wanted to do was hurt Colin.
“Emmie, Colin’s here,” Paige called from the other room.
I looked in the mirror one last time. Tonight, tell him tonight.
Emerging from my room I could feel all eyes on me. “What?” I asked, looking down at my most recent thrift store find—a mini dress with a sequined silver top.
“You look hot,” Paige said, her mouth hanging open.
“Thanks,” I replied beaming a smile back.
“I concur,” Colin added coming up behind me and wrapping an arm around my waist.
“Pace yourself, guys,” Christian snapped from the edge of the kitchen.
“Oh, come on, I’ve been watching you and Paige going at it for years.” Colin laughed at his brother’s reaction.
“That’s different,” Christian argued, unable to support his claim with any facts.
“Yeah, whatever you say. Grab your coats, ladies; we don’t want to be late,” Colin instructed.
For the first time, I stopped and took a good, long look at Colin. He was wearing distressed jeans and a red and blue button up plaid flannel shirt. “Wait, am I over dressed?” I asked, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable.
“No way,” Colin replied.
“I thought we were going to a concert,” I said, searching for details.
“We are,” Colin answered plainly.
“Where at?” I questioned, not trusting his assurance that my attire was appropriate.
“Half Kings,” Christian answered as Colin’s eyes shot daggers.
“What? Oh my God, I’m changing. I’m way over dressed,” I complained.
“No!” Colin exclaimed. “I’m not letting you take that dress off until we get home tonight. You look amazing.”
“You do look hot, girl,” Paige offered in agreement.
“So, am I going to have to worry about any exes trying to make out with you tonight?” I asked, only half joking.
“Not if you’re wearing that dress,” Christian said looking over Colin’s shoulder.
“Nice, Christian,” Paige snapped.
“What?” Christian shrugged his shoulders. “You said something first. Besides, she’s screwing my brother, which that makes her like, sister material or something.”
“Just shut up,” Paige commanded, rolling her eyes.
“Fine—it’s
settled—the dress stays. Now let’s go,” Colin ordered.
As we all filed through the doorway I asked, “So who’s playing tonight?”
“It’s a secret,” Colin replied.
“Paige, who’s playing?
Paige confirmed Colin’s story. “No really, it is a secret. Sometimes a larger band comes to town and they want a smaller show for fun or old time’s sake. Whatever the reason, they call up Half Kings for an underground show.”
“Do you know who’s playing, Colin?” I pressed. It drove me crazy when I was left out of the loop on things.
“I might,” he replied.
“Colin always knows who it is, but he wouldn’t even tell me this time.” Christian was clearly not pleased to be excluded from the inner circle either.
Colin laughed at the response of the group. “You will all see soon enough.”
As soon as we entered the crowded bar, Colin ushered us to the front, seating everyone at a table he must have had reserved. I began to ask more questions about who we might be seeing, but he simply acted like he didn’t hear me. I leaned in closer, wanting to make sure he could hear my next statement. “I want to talk to you about something important tonight after the show.”
He furrowed his brow, concerned by my words. “Is everything all right?”
“Yeah, I just want to talk about some stuff,” I answered. I knew I needed to lock myself into the conversation about my past, about Ashton, or I would chicken out. He nodded, then told me he needed to take care of a few things before the show started, and I watched as he escaped into the crowd.
“I’m going to get drinks—you girls want anything?” Christian asked.
“What are you drinking?” Paige asked in a stern tone, her jaw dropping.
“Jesus, Mom, I was going to get a ginger ale if that’s all right with you?” he snapped. Based on the exchange, I assumed Paige must have had her suspicions about his recent slip from the proverbial wagon. I hadn’t heard anything else from Colin about the matter so I assumed it had only been the single incident. I didn’t dare get involved in the conversation based on the looks being exchanged.