In His Bed(4)
“Lea, I’ve always wanted to—”
Whatever he needed to say was going to have to go unsaid. This was dangerous territory and a line she wasn’t willing to cross—even if Colin was a walking wet dream. Decided. Final. No betrayal. Hell if her mouth didn’t open. “Yes, we can talk later.”
She walked away, feeling the rope tighten around her ankles as the sensation of being tossed overboard scared the hell out of her. The blow was instant and the axis her life had just spun off of had the potential to cause endless damage.
*****
Goddamn, she looked amazing. Seeing her for the first time in four years made the reality so much sweeter than the fantasy. Too many nights had been spent in the shower with his hand on his dick thinking about her soft body under him. Hell, it was the same damn erotic dream he’d had since he was seventeen.
Keeping Lea in his peripheral vision, he watched the sway of her hips as she walked around the yard talking to his family. The need to be near her struck him like a bat to the brain. The fact she was his mom’s best friend should’ve made her off limits, but telling his heart that was a whole different ball game. Before he left, the overwhelming feelings might have been blamed on hormones, but now—seeing her again—made him realize, even then, it was so much more.
Colin waited for a quiet moment and slipped into the house and took the stairs two at a time. His old room had been converted into his mom’s office. He stepped inside and studied the pictures lining the walls. The photo from his police academy graduation was hanging beside his sister’s wedding picture.
The bindings of his mother’s romance novels were lined on a shelf below the clay art projects he and his sister had made in grade school. He leaned against the desk. This had been the plan. Go to college. Become a cop. Start a life here—and forget Lea. Then he heard about the divorce. Now it was time to start the next chapter and set new goals.
First, fast-track his career and take a few advanced forensic classes. Find a place to live and save up for a house. Make love to Lea. Enlist for K9. Make love to Lea. Become a detective. And make love to the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.
“She says she uses this room to work from home, but I think she sits up here and reads those trashy novels.”
Colin grinned, keeping his gaze focused on the window. “Yeah? I thought those sappy books were supposed to be full of softcore porn. Kind of creeps me out thinking of my mom up here reading them.”
“I don’t know about softcore porn,” she said with a gentle laugh. “I edit and write for a newspaper. No trashy smut there. Well, there’s some trash in the novel I’m writing, but it’s romantic suspense, not too heavy on the trash.”
When he turned, she backed against the open door, peering into the hall.
“You’re safe here, Lea. No one is going to say anything about two people talking. I’m not stupid enough to push you against the wall and kiss the hell out of you.”
When her breath hitched, he contemplated doing the deed. God, the thought made his jaw twitch. His body still hummed from watching the pale mounds under her pretty yellow sundress bounce every time she’d walked by.
“Someone was in the bathroom downstairs. I didn’t come up here to see you.”
Maybe he should’ve been offended, instead he was intrigued. “Okay, we’ve established you don’t want to see me, you had to use the bathroom, and I’m not going to pull up your skirt. Does that about cover this secret liaison we’re having?”
The hint of a smile curled the side of her pink-tinted lips. “I think you’ve covered about everything.” She looked into the hallway again and leaned back into the room. “Earlier, were you going to ask me out? I can’t—we can’t—it can never happen. A date, I mean, it’s not a good idea.”
Colin folded his hands into his front pockets. “You’re right.”
She sighed. “I knew you’d agr—”
“I wanted to ask you out.” Not giving her time to build another wall, he said, “Matter of fact, I thought we could hit a movie, have some dinner. As for we can’t ever do something, well, I don’t work that way. I don’t like the word can’t and the word ever isn’t practical.”
She opened her mouth only to snap it shut. He sat down on the loveseat and stretched out his legs. “Tell me,” he said knowing her concerns were valid, but wanting her to see the reality of the situation. “If two adults are consenting, then what’s wrong with a harmless date?”
She stepped closer and every muscle in his abdomen tightened. His uncle Russell passed by the doorway, took a look at Lea’s beautiful ass, and gave a thumbs up before moving on. He couldn’t blame the guy. More than one man had peeked at her lush ass this afternoon.