Sex for Beginners Box Set(46)
Zoe turned and walked away from him. Colin watched the swing of her curvy behind for a few seconds, then shook the foolishness from his head. He was thinking with the wrong head, trying to pin something special on this illicit pact they’d made. But it was just sex, he told himself as he walked in the opposite direction. Nothing to get his heart in a bind over….
* * *
ZOE WALKED AWAY FROM COLIN, trying not to read anything into how let down she felt leaving him. But after waking up together, showering, having breakfast in his room and going on their little shopping expedition, they needed a break from each other. And that man Benjamin—Colin was clearly uncomfortable having the man see him with her.
She walked to The Rocks, glad that Colin had reminded her of the eclectic area with some of the oldest architecture in Sydney. The buildings were filled with art galleries, dress shops, shoe stores, bookstores, delis, bakeries, coffee shops and jewelry stores. Zoe whiled away the afternoon wandering in and out of the storefronts, delighted to find a jewelry maker working on a sterling silver locket in her studio. When she noticed Zoe’s interest, she smiled.
“Do you make jewelry yourself?”
Zoe nodded, feeling shy. “Nothing intricate, just a few pieces for myself and for friends.”
“That’s how we all start,” the woman said. “Do you work in metals?”
“Sterling links, although I don’t make my own.”
“And stones?”
“Semiprecious.” Zoe wet her lips, hesitant to ask a jeweler about her sources. “Actually, I’ve been looking for loose opals to add to bracelets I’m making. Do you know of any places around here where I can buy them?”
“Uncut?”
“Cut but unpolished,” Zoe said, thinking that she would be pressed for time when she returned to Atlanta to finish the bracelets.
The woman stopped to think. “There are a couple of jewelers in Manly who sometimes deal in unpolished stones. Otherwise, you’d probably need to shop closer to the mines at Lightning Ridge. Are you visiting?”
Zoe nodded.
“You might have better luck ordering them online and having them shipped to you,” the woman said.
Zoe thanked her, then bought a pair of stunning earrings from the woman and moved on. She stopped for an iced coffee, then found a bench in a sunny spot to check her e-mail. Four more messages from her mother about changes to the reception dinner seating chart:
* * *
James Aldrich was sitting alone, but now wants to bring his new boyfriend (yes, boyfriend, he chose your wedding reception to come out of the closet).
* * *
The Donnellys just found out that the Feltons are coming and would like to sit at the same table.
* * *
Allison Armus wants to know if she can bring her own food—she’s on a special diet.
* * *
Marisa Sun RSVP’d to bring her man friend, but would now like to bring her shih tzu, Moppet.
* * *
Zoe winced at the onset of an instant headache and saved the e-mails to reference later. When she saw Erica’s name in her in-box, she clicked on the note, happy for a diversion.
* * *
Arrived home safely. Jim was happy to see me. Hope you’re having a good time. Did you happen to run into the Aussie from first class again??
* * *
Zoe gasped. Had Erica noticed something between her and Colin, or was she just teasing? Zoe wrote a quick note back hoping to nip her friend’s taunts in the bud.
* * *
Glad your trip was safe and that Jim missed you. Am having a good time. Regarding Aussie from first class: Ha, ha. I’ll call you when I get back home.
* * *
Chewing on her thumbnail, Zoe hit the reply button. Then she succumbed to temptation and pulled up an Internet search window. She typed in Colin Cannon Sydney and hit Enter. While she waited for the search results, she looked over her shoulder, half afraid that Colin would catch her spying on him. When the results page loaded, her eyes widened. There were several mentions of Colin in the local newspapers. He was a former professional soccer player, and after retiring, he’d taken over managing his own investments, which included commercial property all over New South Wales. He was worth millions. Zoe swallowed hard and clicked on the image results.
There was a picture of Colin in his soccer uniform, with his team. His hair was longer and his body was ripped, but smaller, not yet matured into his frame. Subsequent photos featured him with women—a lot of women. Beautiful women, all shapes and sizes. Apparently he was known around town as a confirmed bachelor and a bit of a playboy. She glanced at the title of a recent picture of him with a stunning, busty blonde with doe eyes. Colin Cannon and Lauren Rook leave a fund-raising dinner.
Zoe frowned as a memory stirred. Rook—the man Colin had been talking to today, the man he’d begrudgingly introduced her to, had also been named Rook. That couldn’t be a coincidence, probably brother and sister. In hindsight, from Benjamin’s comments and body language, he probably assumed that something was going on between them, that Colin was cheating on his sister. No wonder Colin had left. He was probably performing damage control, either convincing Benjamin not to tell his sister…or maybe coming clean with his girlfriend.
Her mind went to the black velvet ring box that had fallen out of his jacket pocket on the plane—it was obviously meant for Lauren Rook. Did Benjamin know that Colin was on the verge of proposing?
Zoe closed the pages, wishing she hadn’t given in to her curiosity. It was clear that this little layover fling might affect more than just the two of them. Worse, she felt herself being drawn deeper into this man.
She sat on the bench for a long time, trying to decide whether to make the seven o’clock rendezvous.
Red…yellow…or green?
9
COLIN CHECKED HIS WATCH—twenty minutes past seven. He paced, worried that after the call from her fiancé, and after having the afternoon to think about what they were doing, Zoe had changed her mind about indulging in her sexual fantasies with him.
But what bothered him as much as the possibility that she’d changed her mind was the fact that it left him at loose ends. He had spent the afternoon trying to catch up on paperwork, but had been distracted and restless throughout.
He’d tried to call Benjamin, but his friend wasn’t answering his phone—at least not for Colin. Which was just as well considering he wouldn’t know what to say anyway. He hadn’t planned for this fling to happen, hadn’t planned to do something to hurt Lauren, but this thing with Zoe was like a locomotive—he couldn’t seem to stop it.
Colin checked his watch again, then cursed and poured himself a drink. Since when had a woman kept him pent-up like a teenager? He picked up the remote control and turned up the music on the stereo—sultry American rhythm and blues for his sultry American.
A knock sounded and he exhaled in relief, feeling perilously like an addict about to get his fix. When he opened the door, Zoe stood there dressed in a sleeveless little black dress, her eye makeup dark and dramatic, her hair pulled back from her face severely. A black choker encircled her neck. She looked sexy as hell.
“Sorry I’m late,” she murmured.
“No worries,” he said, stepping aside to allow her to enter. The dress hugged her slender curves, stopping well above the knee. His hands fairly shook from wanting to tear it off. “Would you like a drink?”
She hesitated, then wet her lips. “Martini, extra dirty?”
Colin swallowed hard. “Coming up.”
While he made the drink, he watched her walk around his room, taking in the view of the city at dusk. She moved with effortless grace, a gentle elegance that gave no hint of her darker inclinations. The paradox fascinated him.
“I think I bought this resort because of the view from these windows,” he said. “I never get tired of looking at it.”
“So you live here full-time?” she asked.
It was as close to a personal question as she’d asked. He nodded. “I had a home in the city, but this is closer to the office and since I wound up staying here most of the time, I moved in.” He walked over to hand her the drink.
“It’s lovely,” she said.
Colin lifted his glass to clink hers. “So are you.”
She smiled and drank deeply—for courage? Or like him, simply to take the edge off her raw emotions? He wanted to know what was going on in her head, but he knew the danger in becoming too close.
Both of them did.
“Are you hungry for dinner?” he asked instead.
“Maybe afterward,” she said, then her eyes went smoky over the rim of her glass.
Lust surged through Colin’s body. He had told himself tonight they would have a nice dinner, take it slow. But her blatant desire for him made him want to toss her on the bed and gorge on her body. Dinner forgotten, he set his jaw to rein in his libido. “Dance for me.”
She took another deep drink from her glass, then set it down. Closing her eyes, she began to sway back and forth with the music, moving her shoulders and her hips, as she had the night he’d watched her at the music festival. He’d itched to touch her then, but had managed to walk away. Tonight, however, he planned to touch every square inch of her incredible body.
She lifted her arms over her head and turned in a slow circle to the bass of the music. His cock began to throb in time with her movements and the acoustics in the room. Zoe danced like she made love—with sure, deft motions and innate rhythm. His longing for her grew with every swing of her hips, as did his erection. He enjoyed her sensual dance until the song ended and she opened her blue eyes, glazed with passion.