Bedroom Diplomacy(39)

“But—”

He smothered her protest with a kiss, then rolled over so that she was on top, which was the best way to distract her from practically anything.

The closer they came to the end of this affair, the less he wanted it to end, yet he wasn’t ready to settle down.

Rowena grabbed one of the condoms he’d left on the nightstand, tore it open with her teeth and rolled it down his erection in that slow, sexy way that she knew drove him mad. He tried to imagine what it would be like if he could never touch her again. But then she lowered herself down onto his shaft, her body squeezing him like a fist, and he decided he would worry about that some other time.

*

The following afternoon, Rowena said goodbye to Tricia while Colin waited in front of the day-care center in the limo he had hired.

This would be the longest she’d ever been away from Dylan, and even though she trusted Tricia, it both scared her to death and broke her heart. Dylan, on the other hand, was so excited to have Tricia stay over that he practically shoved Rowena out the door. And after going over Dylan’s meds schedule half a dozen times and pointing out the emergency numbers twice, Tricia looked as though she wanted to shove her out the door, too.

“We’ll be fine,” Tricia assured her. “Go. Have fun, get laid.”

Rowena shot her a look.

“Hey, at least one of us is getting some,” she said. “And don’t worry about me and Dylan. If there’s a problem, I’ll call.”

The driver opened the door for her. Dressed in charcoal-gray slacks and a sweater that matched the blue of his eyes, Colin grinned as she slid in beside him, then planted one of those slow, deep, delicious kisses on her. They had a long flight ahead of them, and already she couldn’t wait for it to be over so they could be alone.

“How did it go?” he asked as the driver climbed in and started the engine. “Was Dylan upset that you were leaving?”

“He couldn’t get me out of there fast enough. I hate to admit it, but he’ll be just fine without me. A year ago he was a clingy, needy baby who couldn’t be away from me for a minute.” He put his arm around her and she leaned into his shoulder. “When did he stop depending on me?”

“He still depends on you. I imagine every child his age needs a certain degree of independence. It’s a good thing.”

“I know that in my attempts to protect him, I’ve probably smothered him a little. Or maybe more than a little.”

“Yet look at how capable and independent he is.”

She smiled. “He is a tough kid.”

Colin pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Like his mother.”

She wished that were true, but she wasn’t nearly as tough as he thought she was.

She looked out the window and realized they were headed in the opposite direction from LAX. “Where are we going?”

“To the airport.”

“LAX is the other way.”

“I booked us a flight on a private business jet.”

A private jet? Even her father flew commercial first-class most of the time. She had just assumed that would be the case today. “Isn’t that expensive?”

Colin shrugged and recited a dollar amount that flabbergasted her, but he might as well have been talking about pennies for all the concern he showed. He was so easygoing and down-to-earth, she sometimes forgot how wealthy and cultured he was. Although, come to think of it, she really didn’t know how much money he had.

“You know the best part about a private plane?” he said.

“Free-flowing alcohol? Unlimited peanuts?”

He chuckled. “Those are nice perks, but I was thinking more along the lines of privacy. Meaning, no other passengers.”

Well, yeah, wasn’t that the point? Otherwise it wouldn’t be private, would it?

“So I was curious,” he said, and she recognized that teasing lilt to his tone. “Ever been a member of the mile-high club?”

She looked up at him and laughed. There was a twinkle in his eye. “Of course not!”

With one of those adorable grins, and mischief still sparkling in his eyes, he said, “Would you like to?”





Twelve


Though Rowena hated to admit it, returning to D.C. after so long felt a little bit like coming home. In the limo from the airport to the hotel, every landmark, every street, evoked a memory. Some good, some not so good, but all told, being back left her feeling not only nostalgic, but maybe even a little homesick.

Not that she would want to live there again. She’d grown too fond of the slower, less frenetic pace of Southern California living, not to mention the warmer weather. Even more crucial was that all Dylan’s doctors and therapists were based in L.A., so relocating would be impractical.