If Love was Fair

by Savannah Stewart

  I pushed the blanket from my shoulders, exposing my almost naked self. Standing in nothing but Colin’s shirt, I took a step back from his hold and began undoing the buttons down the front of it.

  “What are you doing?” Colin’s eyes heated with desire with each button I undid.

  Once the entire front was open I dropped my hands to my sides, hoping he’d make the first move, knowing what I wanted from him. A lopsided grin slowly spread across his face as he took a step toward me, slipping a hand beneath the open material to cup my bare breast. My head dropped back when he added his other hand against my flesh, teasing my most sensitive area. I groaned when the feeling of his hand disappeared and my eyes shot open. He pushed his shirt off my shoulders and I wiggled my arms to allow it to fall to the wood floor. Colin took a step back to admire my naked body, shaking his head with appreciation. A gentle breeze blew across my heated skin, causing goose bumps to rise in its wake.

  He closed the distance between us, pulling me against his body, gripping my backside with one hand while pushing the other deep into my hair. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I’m thankful as hell.” His lips crashed to mine and my hands rushed to undress him. Neither of us cared about being outside, another perk of being tucked away in the woods with no one around.

  I yanked at his linen pants, trying to push them down his body.

  “It’s awfully chilly out here, are you sure you don’t want to move this inside?”

  I sheepishly grinned and nipped at his bottom lip. “You can warm me up.”

  Colin shoved his pants to his feet and stepped out of them, all while lifting me in the air and placing me on the wood railing. My back was flush with a large column, my legs spread wide with one foot on the top railing and the other dangling. He pushed into me with ease, gripping my waist so I was secure. My head rested back against the wood column and he repeatedly slammed into me.

  “Look at me, Arbor.” His sexy, demanding voice forced me to raise my head. Everyday Colin was breathtaking, but demanding sex-driven Colin…there wasn’t a word in the dictionary that could describe the way his intense stare made my insides heat with need.

  But boy did it.

  My arms snaked around his neck as our tongues danced with each kiss, the taste of coffee on our breaths. The feel of the column pressing into my spine was on the verge of ruining our moment. I pulled myself closer to him to try and relieve the sting of pain the wood grain was causing me. He rubbed his hands up my back and lifted me from the railing, still moving inside me. I moved myself up and down as he walked us into the cabin and lowered me onto the plush white rug between the fireplace and couch. The room was bright from the morning sun as he rocked his hips into me. My legs wrapped around his waist. His forearms caged my head to hold him above me. I turned my face and nipped the skin of his arm, pulling a rumbling growl from deep within his chest. A split second later and my entire body rolled as he seated me on top of him. I slowly began rocking my hips as his hands massaged my heavy breasts. My pace quickened and I dropped my hand to the one spot that was beckoning to be touched.

  “There’s no need for you to do that.” Colin replaced my hand with his. My mouth went slack and my movements became erratic as my body climbed higher and higher toward release.

  He was a master of my body with each flick of his fingers, roll of his hips, and lick of his tongue against my heated flesh. Everything seemed to fall away as the whooshing of my pulse filled my ears. Colin’s hands gripped my waist as he took control of moving my body on top of his. Something deep in my core broke free and I loudly moaned out my release before collapsing against his chest. He kept pumping into me until his own release crashed down and my name fell from his lips.

  Colin pulled me against his side and we cuddled closely. We watched the flickering of the fire and listened to the popping of the embers as we laid there. No words were spoken, just loving caresses. Peacefulness washed over me, and I felt as if everything from the past had to happen for us to be exactly where we were. Our unexpected meeting, the night we spent together, the pregnancy, losing our daughter, our second unexpected meeting, and me running yet again before he hunted me down one last time. All of it had to unfold as it did or we’d most likely never have gotten the chance to try and be something great. We probably would’ve ended up being stories we told to our friends over heavy drinks and laughter during nights out. But fate had a different plan for us. I was excited to see exactly what that plan was.

  Colin wouldn’t let me drive. I wasn’t sure why, but no matter how many times I asked if he needed a break, he would tell me he was fine. So after asking him one last time, I kicked my sock-covered feet up on the dash and turned on my favorite boy band station on Pandora radio. His sideways glance and furrowed eyebrow was more than enough indication that he wasn’t a fan. “Bye Bye Bye” blared through the speakers. My feet danced on the dash as I sang along at the top of my lungs, not caring how silly I’m sure I looked.

  As the chorus kicked in, I faltered on my dance moves because Colin was belting out the words. I tossed my head back against the headrest and cackled. I smiled as I watched him do the dance moves the best he could while still safely driving.

  “I didn’t peg you as a closet boy band lover.”

  “Who said I was a closet boy band lover? You’ve never asked.” A mega-watt smile spread across his face as we took the last exit toward home.

  “Okay,” I chuckled. “Backstreet Boys or NSYNC?” I crossed my arms over my chest awaiting his answer.

  “I was more of an NSYNC kind of guy, mainly because Justin Timberlake went off on his own and killed all competition. But in all honesty, Backstreet Boys had some killer harmonies.”

  “Very thought out answer. Personally, I could never choose. I loved them both.”

  “You would be one of those on the fence fans.”

  “Hey now!” I playfully smacked his arm. “I’m a lover of all.”

  “I hope you mean a lover of all music and not men.”

  “I’m so going to hurt you.”

  “I hope you do.”

  A fit of giggles hit me. His playful mood was uplifting. I could get used to having him by my side throughout the rest of my life.

  My phone buzzed in the cup holder, reminding me that I’d never switched it from silent. To my surprise, Emily’s name lit up the screen.

  “Hey!”

  “There’s my long lost friend.”

  “Come on, I haven’t been gone that long.”

  Colin gave me a sideways look, as if he was asking who was on the phone. I mouthed Emily’s name and he nodded.

  “You’ve been gone for almost a week.”

  “You were warned that there was no telling when I’d be back.”

  “This is true. But please tell me you’re on your way home soon.”

  “We’re about thirty minutes out actually.”

  “Thank the good Lord above!” Emily heavily sighed.

  “What’s going on?”

  “I hate to be a stickler, but can you swing by the office on your way home? If Colin has somewhere to be you can ride back with me once we’re done. I have a giant stack of stuff that needs to be done and not enough time to do it myself. This week has been insane, and everything I have is on a tight deadline.”

  “Of course! As long as traffic isn’t nuts, I’ll see you within the hour.”

  “Thank you so much for doing this.”

  “Hey. I owe you big time for everything you’ve done for me, so no worries.”

  “Everything all right?” Colin kept his eyes on the road as we came up on some heavy traffic.

  “Yeah, Emily needs some help at the office is all. A ton of deadlines barreling down. If you don’t mind, can you swing me by there? You don’t have to stay unless you want to.”

  Colin reached over the console and slipped his hand in mine.

  “I don’t mind, I’ve had you to myself for days now. I’m sure Emily wants her friend back.” He k
issed the back of my hand and rested our linked ones on the console between us.

  Officially back to reality for us. As much as I wished we were still tucked away in the privacy of those Kentucky woods, I knew we couldn’t avoid adult life any longer. So, jumping in head first as soon as we got back was the only way to do it. Emily rarely asked for assistance with anything, especially work, so if she was asking I knew it was a lot more than she could handle. There was absolutely no way I could tell her no even if I wanted to.

  Twenty Three

  “You weren’t kidding about the stack of shit on your desk.” My jaw almost hit the floor from the sight of it. Emily looked as if she was about to pull her hair out. Her head was the only thing I could see above the stack of papers and file folders.

  “I never call for backup, but I need major backup!” She huffed and dropped her head against the pile.

  “What the hell happened while I was gone?” I pulled one of the chairs in front of her desk to the side so I could sit closer and see what she was working on.

  “I need mass amounts of caffeine to even begin this story.”

  “Let me call Colin, maybe he’ll walk to that cute little coffee joint about a block away.”

  “Tell him you’ll give him a nice little treat later if he’ll get us something.”

  I chuckled.

  “I’d give him a nice little treat even if he doesn’t.”

  Emily lifted her head, staring at me wide-eyed. “What have you done with my friend? She’s never been keen on sex-capades.”

  “Her inner goddess has been awoken.”

  “It’s about damn time.”

  “What about your inner goddess?” Colin chuckled through the phone.

  I’d completely gotten sidetracked and forgotten that I’d already pushed his name to call.

  “Oh, um, just something I was talking to Emily about.” I nervously laughed. “You wouldn’t do us a giant favor, would you?”

  “You know I would.”

  “There’s a coffee shop about a block past the building, would you mine grabbing us something? Emily is having withdrawals.”

  “That bad, huh?”

  “You have no idea.”

  “Yeah, text me what you want.”

  “You’re the best.”

  “Anything for you, baby.”

  Butterflies danced within my gut from his endearment. I loved everything about this man, it was unbelievable.

  “The usual?” I glanced up from the screen at Emily. She sat there with her elbows perched on the stack of work, her head resting in her hands, and a goofy ass smile on her face. “What?”

  “You’re undeniably head-over-heels in love with that man. I’ve never, and when I say never, I mean never, seen you blush as quickly and heavily as you just did talking to him on the phone. I’m not even sure I want to know what he said to bring that response out of you, but I’m beyond the moon happy that he does that to you.”

  “Your opinion means more than you know, Em.”

  “As it should.”

  We both laughed, and I shook my head.

  “But, yes. I’ll take the usual.”

  I quickly typed the message to Colin and hit send before placing my phone on the edge of Emily’s desk. We had a lot to do, in most likely a little amount of time. But the two of us were capable of knocking it out, I was sure of that.

  A name on one of the file folders sticking out of the stack caught my attention. A coughing fit hit me hard, causing me to almost choke on my tongue. I quickly pulled the folder from the stack. Malcolm Gillens' name written perfectly in Emily’s handwriting stared back at me.

  “Why is this name on this folder?” I frantically shook the folder at Emily.

  “Whoa, calm your tits.” She held her hands up and slowly took the file from me. “Do you know the guy or something?”

  Know him, not exactly. But his daughter, yes.

  “He’s Samantha Gillens' father! The girl who tried to make my life a living hell back in Jonesborough, and the same girl who Colin was with that night in the pool house. She was the girl, Emily! The girl he was kind of with the second time we slept together.”

  Emily sat there in shock with her mouth wide open, but when her eyes diverted above my head I knew someone was standing in the doorway. “Shit.” That someone was most likely Colin.

  He cleared his throat. “I didn’t know my past was going to be a topic to do with your work today.”

  I didn’t turn around in the chair to face him. But when he handed me my coffee, I quickly sat it on the desk and stood.

  “Can we talk outside?”

  Disappointment filled his eyes. “Sure.” He handed Emily her coffee and she thanked him.

  We stepped out into the hall and turned the corner so Emily couldn’t peek through her blinds to see us. Privacy was needed, but the only place we were going to get it was in the small corner in front of the elevators.

  “I’m sorry you walked in on that.”

  “What was that exactly?”

  “All I know is Emily has a file folder with Malcolm’s name on it. I’m assuming he is either a new client or a potential client. I can’t believe this is happening!” I tossed my hands in the air.

  “I’m not worried about Malcolm being a client. That’s the company you work for’s business, not mine. I’m also not proud of how I hurt you, or Samantha for that matter. You know that. I know she wasn’t the best person to you, and I can’t change that. I can only be the best man for you now. Only you matter to me, Arbor.”

  “My own insecurities got the best of me, I’m sorry.”

  The elevator dinged. We both turned our attention to the doors, not wanting anyone to hear our spat. As if things couldn’t get any more awkward, Everett stepped off the elevator. A giant smile spread across his scruffier than usual face when he noticed me. I couldn’t help but to smile back, feeling Colin’s eyes piercing the side of my face.

  “It’s always nice to see your beautiful face when I first get here.” Everett crossed the room and scooped me into a tight hug, paying no attention to Colin beside me.

  I hugged him back, silently praying he’d let me go and leave us be.

  “I’m Colin.” He extended his hand, forcing Everett to let me go. “Arbor’s boyfriend.”

  “You’re a lucky man. I’m Everett, a colleague of Arbor’s, I guess you could say.” Everett shook his hand, diverting his eyes to me for a split second before focusing back on Colin. “I’ve heard a little bit about you.”

  “Have you?” Colin grinned. “I haven’t heard a thing about you.”

  The tension in the air was so thick I thought I’d choke. I had to diffuse the situation quickly. Colin wasn’t territorial, or at least I didn’t think he’d be, we’d never been in that predicament before. But the look on his face was half-ass friendly and more who the fuck are you. Everett, on the other hand, seemed cool as a cucumber.

  “Everett is the founder of Evergreen Music Management. He helps musicians get their names out there. Similar to what Malcolm has minus the indie label.”

  “You know Malcolm Gillens?”

  “Yeah, he’s…” I paused, not knowing how to answer that question without fueling the fire or pulling a round of stories out of me. “We’re from the same hometown.”

  “Interesting.” Everett was thinking about something that took his mind off of the way Colin was acting.

  “So, you manage musicians?” Colin changed the tone of the conversation.

  “Yeah, right now the majority of my clientele are older musicians that are looking to revamp their image. But we have branched out to grab some newer up and coming artists. We just signed Mike Braham last week.”

  “That’s impressive. Maybe we can sit down and go over some stuff sometime.”

  “That’s right; you’ve been a travelling musician yourself for a few years, right?”

  “Well, I’ve been on a bit of a break. But I’m looking to dive back into performing.”


  “Yeah, man.” Everett pulled a card from his wallet. “Give me a shout sometime, and we can go over what you’re looking for.”

  Colin took the card and slid it into his pocket. “I’d appreciate that.”

  They shook hands and Everett turned to me.

  “Is Emily handling Malcolm?”

  I nodded, not sure that I was supposed to answer that question.

  “I need to have a chat with her then.” He leaned down and kissed my cheek. “Good to see you, Arbor.”

  “You, too, Everett.”

  Once he passed into Emily’s office, I knew I had some explaining to do. “Everett and I…”

  “I’m going to stop you right there. I trust you, Arbor, but I don’t want to know about your history with other men. It’s none of my business honestly. The last thing we need is confusion and jealousy getting in the way of our life together.”

  Colin pulled me into his arms and placed a loving kiss to my lips. “I couldn’t agree more. I really am sorry for earlier. I shouldn’t have gone off the deep end like that regarding you and Samantha. It was uncalled for.”

  “It’s water under the bridge as long as we can find a common ground. The past needs to stay in the past so we can build the future we deserve together.”

  “Moving forward is all I want, especially to move forward with you.” I kissed him deeply.

  Leaving everything in the past was needed, but those same people making appearances in the now would make it hard. I needed to talk to Emily about what the hell was going on so I could wrap my head around it all. Samantha and her father weren’t going to be a reason for troubles in my relationship with Colin. I wasn’t going to allow it.

  Everett came barreling out of Emily’s office. “You need to talk some sense into her.” He pointed at me and then back at her door. “She’s lost her fucking mind.”

  He was pissed.

  “What’s going on?”

  He shook his head as he made his way to the elevator. “You need to ask her that same question.” His hands ran through his hair as he waited for the elevator to arrive.