He didn’t want to leave her. There were only so many hours left in the weekend, and then they’d go their separate ways and she’d vanish from his life just as quickly as she’d appeared. Sure, there would be other women—there were always other women—but Colin was beginning to wonder whether they’d be enough to make him forget about her.
It took him a few minutes to find Sean. His younger brother stood in the deep shadows of the back yard gazing at the white gazebo, which shone like pale marble in the moonlight. The loud drone of cicadas in the trees blotted out all the sounds from the house to make it seem as though they were the only people for miles.
“Wishing you had opted for a night ceremony?”
Sean’s eyes flickered to him then went back to the gazebo. “No, just wondering.”
“Wondering what?”
“Am I doing the right thing?”
“Of course you are. That’s a silly question. Why do you wonder?”
The groom shrugged. “Don’t get me wrong—I love Angela. I’m just not sure I’m good enough for her. She could do better. I think she’s just too young to know it, yet.”
“Sean, I’ve seen the way she looks at you. The woman thinks you hung the moon. Maybe you’re right and she could catch herself a billionaire GQ type or something, but that’s not what she wants. She’s got her heart set on you.”
“I just don’t want her to regret it afterwards. I’ve made a lot of mistakes with women, you know? I don’t want to hurt her.”
“Haven’t we all? And if you’re married to somebody you’re bound to hurt them eventually. The beauty of it is that if you find the right girl she’ll forgive you for it—as long as you don’t make a habit of it, anyway.”
“Just tell me I’m doing the right thing.”
Colin gazed into the darkness past the gazebo. “What do you see when you look at her?”
There was a long silence. “Everything I ever wanted. Laughter. Quiet nights alone together. Our kids playing in the yard.”
“And what would you do if you let her go? If you just got in your car right now and drove away.”
“I couldn’t…”
“You’re doing the right thing, Sean.”
A warm breeze riffled the leaves around them while the cicadas hummed on.
“So, what’s up with you and Kimberly? Every time I look up you two have your heads together laughing about something.”
“Kimberly? We’re just…” He laughed and shook his head. “Hell if I know what we are. I’m not trying to get her into bed, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“No, I’ve seen you in player mode often enough to know better than that. She’s just not the type of woman you usually hang with.”
“She isn’t, is she? I can’t explain it. I’m just enjoying spending time with her.”
“Well, go easy, okay bro? Neither of us wants Angela on the warpath because you broke her friend’s heart. It would make family gatherings even more awkward.”
“I’m not going to break her heart. I have no intention of getting close enough to cause that kind of damage. We just… Talk. And tease a little.”
Sean snorted. “Maybe you’d better explain that to her. When she looks at you I get the impression she’d like to do a lot more than talk.”
“Oh, come on. The girl is still a virgin, for crying out loud.”
“Doesn’t mean she can’t want you. I think you’ve spent so much time around women like Kayleigh that you’ve forgotten what the Kimberlys are like.”
“Maybe so.”
“And maybe you should let her refresh your memory. It would be good for you.”
“Ha! You’re just saying that because you’re tying the knot and you want everyone else to experience the ball and chain—I mean joys of wedded bliss.”
“No, I just think you could stand being reminded that some women have a lot more than Kayleigh has to offer you. Besides, she’s way smarter than you are. Even if she doesn’t see right through your crap now, it won’t take her long to figure you out. She’ll be good for your humility.”
“Humili-what? Sorry, don’t know that one. Give me a minute to look it up on my phone.”
“Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Just don’t do anything that Angela will make me pay for on our honeymoon.”
“Roger that. You going to be okay?”
“Yeah. I think I’m going to go in and talk to Angela for a while. Tomorrow’s going to be nuts, and we probably won’t get to say two words to each other aside from the vows until after the reception.”
“Good plan. And Sean?”
“Yeah?”
“I really do think the world of Angela. You found a good one. Congratulations.”
“Thanks.”
Not ready to deal with the crowd inside yet, Colin walked around to the front porch. Something drew him back to that spot where he had almost kissed Kimberly the first time, and he stood there staring into the darkness, wondering. Should he have just kissed her anyway?
“Colin?” Angela emerged from the front door and came to stand before him. “Have you seen Sean?”
“Yeah, he’s around the back. He said he was coming back in to talk to you, though.”
“I guess he’s getting jittery.”
“A little,” Colin laughed, “but nothing to worry about. How are you holding up?”
“I know it’s supposed to be my big day and all, but part of me wishes it was over and I could just get on with the honeymoon.”
“Well, of course,” he said, wagging his eyebrows suggestively, “that’s the best part.”
“I’m sure you would think so. I’m surprised you’re not off seducing my bridesmaids right now.”
“The night is still young.”
“Just don’t hurt her, Colin.”
Her? He raised his hands in a placating gesture. “I know, I know. Hands off the bridesmaids.”
“That’s not what I said.”
“It amounts to the same thing.”
“Does it?” She tilted her head and looked at him. “I like to think I’ve come to know you better than that. You don’t make a habit of hurting women.”
“No. But Kimberly is…”
“Special?”
“Yeah. Very special.”
She gave a pleased laugh. “You like her!”
“Don’t tell anybody. You’ll ruin my reputation.”
“The way you’ve been spending all your time with her and ignoring Kayleigh, you’re doing a pretty good job of that all by yourself.”
“She thinks the rumors about me are highly exaggerated anyway,” he muttered.
“She would,” Angela sighed in exasperation. “Be good to her, Colin. Promise me?”
He took a step back. “Whoa, now. I have absolutely no plans in that department.”
“If you say so.” The bride started down the steps into the yard then stopped short and turned back to him, her eyes unreadable in the darkness. “But maybe you should make some.”
Maybe he should.
* * *
After an hour of tossing and turning Kimberly gave up; there was no way she was going to sleep. With a sigh of frustration she threw off her blankets and fumbled for her clothes in the dark. She threw on shorts and a tank top and managed to bang her sore knee again before she found her flip flops and headed for the door.
“You okay?” Lisa mumbled from the other bed.
“Yeah, I just can’t sleep. Nerves, I guess. I’m going to see if I can walk it off.”
She jammed her key card in her pocket and headed down the hallway. It was late enough that the place was deserted, and only a couple of rooms she passed still had muted TV noises coming from them. That was fine with her; the fewer distractions the better. She needed some time to let her brain work through this thing she had going on with Colin.
She knew that so far it really amounted to nothing. They had almost kissed—twice. Big deal. She knew that most likely it was going absolutely nowhere. Colin had certainly tried to make that clear enough, and of course they were so different that it just couldn’t amount to anything. She knew all of that. The smart thing to do would be to just forget about him and go home after the wedding and start looking for a guy her own age who wasn’t stuck in the bad boy routine.
And yet every time he looked at her the longing inside grew worse.
Thinking that fresh air might help clear her head she pushed through the door that opened onto the pool. She could stretch out in one of the deck chairs and listen to the water and maybe find some mental silence to help her come down.
A tall man in a pair of dark swim trunks was powering through laps despite the lateness of the hour. Kimberly had started to turn away before she realized that it was Colin. Silently she closed the door and stood there in the shadows watching him as he pushed himself on and on like some magnificent machine. He looked just as good with his clothes off as she had imagined, with the lean, toned muscles of a swimmer’s build. She could have stood there watching him for hours, but instead she went and sat down at the edge of the pool and waited for him to notice her. It only took a moment for him to realize he wasn’t alone, and he cut across the water to meet her.
“I thought the pool closed at ten?”
He shrugged, sending a fall of crystal droplets running down his bronzed skin. “I slipped the desk clerk twenty bucks.”
“You must really love to swim.”
“It’s good exercise.” He looked up at her with a playful grin. “Want to join me? I could show you some strokes I bet you’ve never seen before.”
“I’ll just bet you could, but I’m not dressed for it and I don’t have a towel and I’m not going to wake Lisa up to go back and get one.”
“You make too many excuses.”
He surged out of the pool and grabbed her, lifting her easily by her arms and holding her over the water.
“Colin, don’t you dare!”
She squawked as she hit the water, sank down over her head, and bobbed up again spluttering angrily as rivulets of the blood-temperature water poured down her face. Before she could yell again Colin’s arms circled her to pull her up against the broad slab of his chest and her arms slid automatically around his neck. A thrill shot down through her at the sensation of his bare skin sliding against hers and of his heat soaking through her wet clothes as she clung tightly to him.
This time when he bent down to kiss her there was no one to interrupt.
It felt like warm rose petals caressing her lips. Kimberly’s eyes slid closed as she tentatively kissed him back, focusing all her attention on the sensations coursing through her body. Colin proceeded slowly with her, giving her time to get used to him and experience it fully. When she relaxed he nibbled gently on her lower lip, and then she felt the warm tip of his tongue tease softly against her, leisurely tracing the outline of her mouth. With a little hitch in her breath she parted her lips and let her tongue flicker against his, a swift taste at first, but then she returned more boldly to explore. Curious, she tasted his lips, still wet from the pool, and pressed just inside to graze the sharp edges of his teeth.
Broad hands shifted down to cup her bottom and pull her firmly against him. Innocent though she was, she could feel his hardness pressed between their bodies and knew exactly what it was, what it meant. Had she done that to him? Wow. She shifted, drew herself up with her arms and swung her legs to wrap around his hips to keep herself from drifting away in the current from the pump. That was better; just let him try to get away from her now. She gasped as his hands dove under her shirt to roam across her water-slick skin, and Colin took that opportunity to slide his tongue into her mouth.
With soft, gentle licks he penetrated her, the rough top of his tongue tickling as he explored. She found herself mirroring his slow movements inside of her mouth with her pelvis, grinding herself against him over and over while her breaths turned to low moans of pleasure and the burning tension between her legs became unbearable. Gripping him hard with her thighs, her arms tightened around his neck as her pulse drummed wildly in her veins and pounded in her ears. Nothing had ever felt this good in her life.
Colin caught her as the first shock exploded through her body and held her tightly as she bucked and shook in his arms, her moans muffled by his mouth on hers. Incandescent pleasure seared through her to leave her ragged and trembling, clinging to his bare shoulders while she fought for air. Slowly, slowly it subsided and she pulled her lips from his so she could bury her face in the warm crook of his neck.
“Jesus, Kimberly.”
She gave an embarrassed moan and nuzzled more deeply against him. “Sorry,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know that was going to happen.”
“You’ve really never done any of this before, have you?”
“No.”
He gave her a minute more to recover her composure then peeled her off of him and set her back on the edge of the pool. “I think you had better go back to your room now.”
Deep inside there was still a flutter that hadn’t been sated by her orgasm. “Wouldn’t you rather take me back to yours?”
“You’re damned right I would, but after that I don’t know if I could hold back. Since you’ve never… I don’t want to hurt you.”
A slight shake of her head sent droplets flying. “You wouldn’t.”
“Oh, babe, you just don’t know,” he breathed, his hands slowly stroking her bare thighs. “You have no idea how badly I want you right now, how close I came to ripping those shorts off and taking you right here in the pool.”
Fresh waves of heat rolled through her at the thought. “Seriously?”
“Yeah.” He took a deep breath and kicked off from the edge of the pool, away from her. “Go to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“What about you?” she asked, her eyes flicking down to the waterline.
He winked. “You don’t worry about me. Scoot.”
“Fine.” Water droplets pattered on the cement around her and her flip-flops squished with every step. As she pulled open the door to the hotel she turned back to him. “Lisa is going to laugh her butt off at me for falling in the pool.”
His smile turned into a smirk. “Well, you could always tell her the real reason you got wet.”
She smiled back and raised an eyebrow. “Maybe I should.”
“Good night, Kimberly.”
The way her name rolled off his tongue made her shiver again, and she floated all the way back to her room. While she fumbled in her bag for a dry t-shirt to sleep in Lisa cleared her throat in the darkness.
“You okay?”
“I sort of fell in the pool.”
“Sort of? From that I’m going to assume you had some help.”
“A little.”
“By any chance was this help from a certain fireman who happens to be Angela’s future brother-in-law?”
“Could be.”
After that Lisa was silent for so long Kimberly thought she had gone back to sleep. She crawled back into bed and pulled the covers up to her neck and wished.
“Kimberly, did you—”
“No. He sent me back to my room.”
There was another long pause. “I’m sorry.”
“Yeah. Me, too.”
Sleep was a long, long time coming.
The next morning the girls headed straight to Lisa’s grandmother’s house to be there for Angela and to finish getting the place ready for the reception. Angela was so nervous that Kimberly thought she might get sick, and it took a fair amount of hand-holding to keep her moving forward. Then they all had to have their hair and makeup done and get dressed and it went on and on for hours as the clock ticked down to the big event. Of course Colin was with Sean, who couldn’t go anywhere near the bride, so Kimberly didn’t even get a glimpse of him until the ceremony was underway.
When she did see him he looked so handsome in his tux that her heart skipped and stuttered as she walked down the aisle. He was so incredibly sexy—easily the hottest guy in the room—and even after what had happened in the pool it was still hard to believe that he was remotely interested in her. But Colin caught her eye and gave her a half-wink and a hint of a smile and heat oozed like molasses through her whole body. That was it; she was done. Bad boy or not, he was the one for her. She’d just have to figure out how to tame him, that was all.
It seemed as though the ceremony would never end, but finally Sean kissed the bride and Angela threw the bouquet. When Lisa caught it and then stood there staring at it like it was road kill rather than a bunch of flowers Kimberly laughed until she could barely breathe. Her roommate’s murderous glare only made her laugh that much harder.
Afterwards they all traipsed back over to the house for the reception and stood watching while the bride and groom had their first dance. As she stood to the side of the doorway trying not to be too jealous, a hand trailed down her side and came to rest lightly on her hip.
“I tipped the DJ,” Colin murmured in her ear. “The next song is going to be another slow one. Dance with me.”
“In front of everybody?” she squeaked.
His expression grew thoughtful. “Well, I could get rid of them all, I suppose. But that would probably piss Sean and Angela off, not to mention our parents.”
“That’s not what I meant. Won’t it look suspicious?”
Hands snaked around her waist and pulled her back against him. “Trust me. It’s a long-established tradition for the groomsmen to try to seduce the bridesmaids.”
“I’d better be the only one you try to seduce, or there’s going to be trouble.”
His breath on her neck raised goose bumps. “You’re by far the prettiest and sexiest. Why would I waste my time on the other ones?”
“Oh, good answer.”
“Thought you’d like it. There,” he said, taking her hand, “the music changed. Dance with me.”
She let him lead her out into the small group of other couples now forming on the stripped floor of the den. As his arms went around her she closed her eyes and let her head sink against his chest and swayed slowly with him. The world collapsed to nothing but the heat of his body, the tangy spice-and-leather smell of his cologne, and small steps mirroring his as he spun them in lazy swirls around the room. When the music stopped she didn’t let go of him, and Colin edged her into a corner so no one could see. They had time for one swift kiss, a brief dance of his tongue against her lips, and then he stepped back.
“We had probably better not be too obvious. I’d rather not upstage my little brother on his wedding day. But don’t leave without finding me, all right?”
“Okay.”
The two hours between then and when Sean and Angela climbed into the limo that was taking them to the airport seemed to stretch into an eternity. Minutes after the happy couple drove away Colin found her still standing on the front porch.
“Make an excuse to get out of here,” he told her. “I’ll be in my truck.”
Kimberly scurried through the house and found Lisa in the kitchen with her grandmother. “Hey,” she said, “I’m not feeling so hot. Colin said he’d drive me back to the hotel.”
Lisa’s eyes narrowed suspiciously, but her grandmother just beamed a friendly smile. “Go ahead, dear, and thank you for all your help.”
It took everything she had to keep from bouncing out of the house like a kangaroo.
They didn’t say much on the ride to the hotel. She scooted across the seat to snuggle up to Colin and he put his arm around her and held her close and that was enough for both of them. She even held his hand as they walked inside, like they were an honest to God couple or something. And oh, how she wished… But that couldn’t happen. He was who he was, and her heart told her to accept what he offered on his terms.
As soon as the elevator doors closed, though, Colin arms went around her and he drove away all thoughts of anything else with a kiss so full of hunger that Kimberly feared she would be consumed by it. Their tongues wove together until she could barely catch her breath and the blood sang in her ears, and then the car dinged as they reached his floor. In one swift motion he swept her up and carried her laughing down the hall to his room, ignoring her half-hearted protests to put her down as he opened the door and stepped inside.
He kissed her again and she leaned into it, hot and eager as he was. She wanted to feel his bare skin again, naked against hers, wanted to stretch out alongside him so her whole body was in contact with his. She had never imagined wanting anything so much as she wanted him.
“Why is it that I feel like I’m the one on my honeymoon and not Sean?” he asked.
When he set her down on the edge of the bed she thought he would undress her, but to her disappointment he turned away and instead walked over to the other side of the room. A second later she realized what he was doing, though, and her excitement soared.
“You have a hot tub!”
“I figured we could spend a few minutes unwinding before we get to the part where I ravish you.”
That flutter low in her belly started up again, stronger this time. “Mmm, I like the sound of that.”
“Which part? The relaxing in the hot tub, or the ravishing?”
“Both.”
“Good.”
As soon as he had the water started he returned to undress her, first kneeling beside her to stretch out one leg and then the other, stroking lightly along the back of each knee and down her calves all the way to her ankles. Gently he slipped off her gold heels and massaged her feet until her muscles melted like butter, then he stood and pulled her upright once more. Blue eyes smoldering with barely restrained passion, Colin reached around and unzipped her bridesmaid’s gown. As the champagne satin rustled down to pool at her ankles, his fingertips tickled along the skin of her lower back then swept up to unhook her strapless bra, which fell away to join the dress at her feet.
Colin’s eyes flared at the sight of her bare flesh, and she shivered at the desire in his gaze as his eyes drank her in. Men looked at women like Kayleigh that way, not at her. But Colin’s eyes said he wanted her, that she was beautiful. How was that possible, when he was used to being with women like Kayleigh who truly were gorgeous? She wasn’t in the same league as Kayleigh. Heck, she was barely on the same planet. It couldn’t be real. She wanted to hide so he couldn’t look at her any longer, but then Colin’s hands were on her once more and she forgot all about being self-conscious.
His every touch seemed to leave burning arcs along her skin. Hands cupped her breasts, squeezed lightly, and skimmed down her sides to her waist. As Colin bent to suck one firm nipple into his mouth, hot pleasure rippled through her and all rational thought fled. The touch of his lips and his tongue scorched along her skin, and her back arched as she let out a hiss of pure rapture.
Without releasing her from his lips, Colin’s fingers slid through the waistband of her panties and drew them down over her hips. She wiggled a little to help him and then was free, blissfully naked beneath his strong hands. His sucking and caressing quickly brought her fully to life until she ached to take him inside of her. She was ready for this, so ready, all her doubts forgotten as desire overwhelmed her.
Hands tightened on her waist to lift her and she held her breath in anticipation of landing on the bed, but instead he swung her over the edge of the hot tub to deposit her in the steaming water. He met her hurt expression with a laugh.
“Greedy. Sit down and soak; you’ll get your turn soon enough.”
Pouting she sank into the heat of the tub, easing herself in a bit at a time. As she got used to the heat, Colin slowly removed his tux and cast each piece of clothing across the back of a chair. Jacket and tie went first, then he unhooked his cummerbund. His eyes locked on hers as he teasingly unfastened each button of his shirt with deliberate slowness, and he made sure to flex a little as he stripped it from his shoulders. Kimberly giggled at his antics, but the lean, rippling muscles of his upper body had an entirely different effect.
She stared in fascination as his fingers unfastened his pants then slowly drew down the zipper. Loosened, the pants slipped away to reveal powerfully muscled thighs and a pair of skintight black briefs. Shaking his head with amusement at her wide-eyed stare Colin tugged the black fabric down and stepped out of it.
“Ohmygoodness!”
“All right, let me in,” he said, and stepped into the tub so that he was behind her.
Slowly he settled in behind her, with Kimberly nestled between his legs. When he was all the way in she slid back against his body and let her head settle back on his chest. His arms went around her, and she could feel his male hardness firm against her bottom. Hands rubbed up the slick skin of her thighs, skimmed up her sides, and cupped her tight, round breasts. Ever so softly his fingers played across her crinkled nipples, teasing until they hummed with pleasure, and she whimpered with need as her body began to tremble, pressing herself harder against Colin.
His lips nuzzled her hair and with gentle pressure tipped her head to the side.
“You smell so good,” he breathed into her ear, “and you feel amazing.”
Hot, wet kisses wandered behind her ear then meandered down the skin of her neck until warm waves rippled down to her toes.
“Colin…”
“Shhh.”
One hand left her breast and disappeared into the water between her legs. Kimberly gasped and jerked as fingertips grazed the taut, aching skin at the root of her furrow. How did he know to touch her right there, precisely like that? Sparks spread through her lower body and she trembled deep inside until her fingers buried themselves in the solid mass of Colin’s thighs. Oh, god—were those her moans? For a second she worried what he must think of her, but his fingers soon banished those thoughts—or any others. There was no room for anything but that bright, swirling bliss until like a bursting dam it broke free inside of her, releasing the tension as her thighs clamped around Colin’s hand and she flung herself back against him to whimper as the shocks rolled on and on.
* * *
He held her while she came, her body molded to his so he felt each movement, every quiver as she shook and shuddered. God, the intensity of it—only iron control had saved him from following her, because that wouldn’t have done at all. When his turn came he intended it to be an experience neither of them would ever forget.
As her breathing returned to normal he slid back from her and stood up, water streaming from his body like rain as he stepped out of the tub and reached for his towel. As soon as he was mostly dry he turned and held up a dry towel for Kimberly.
“OK, out,” he said.
“But I like it in here,” she said dreamily.
“I’ll make it worth your while.”
She popped up like a jack in the box, water splashing onto the carpet, eyes aglow with impish laughter. “Well, in that case…”
Colin wrapped the towel around her and patted her dry, all the while trying to ignore his body’s increasingly insistent desire. Something about her brought him to his knees and kept him hovering right at the edge every minute, and if he wasn’t careful he was going to have a problem. Tossing the towel aside he couldn’t resist taking a moment to look at her, to admire her gentle curves and smooth, flawless skin. Kimberly flushed at his attention and looked away.
“You don’t have to be embarrassed,” he told her. “You’re lovely.”
“Am not,” she answered softly.
“But you are. Let me prove it to you.”
She didn’t resist as he urged her onto the bed, but now as the big moment grew closer he saw a tinge of uncertainty creep into her eyes and her body grew tense. It wouldn’t last, though. He would see to that.
Rather than climbing up next to her he sat at the edge of the bed and took hold of one finely shaped foot. With slow, deliberate movements he massaged her, now firmly, now softly, rubbing from her Achilles tendon all the way down to her toes. After a while she uttered a quiet purr of contentment and he felt her muscles unclench again as she relaxed. He continued until her eyes closed and then he bent lower and flicked his tongue under the pad of her middle toe.
She flinched and gave a little moan, eyes flying open, but he simply moved to the next while still kneading with his strong fingers. One after the other he licked her adorable little toes, her foot grasped firmly to keep her from jerking it away. A quiver crept through her leg as his mouth moved to her instep and he alternated caressing her with his lips and his tongue.
“Oh god, that tickles!”
“Does it?” he murmured with his most wicked grin.
* * *
She couldn’t believe what he was doing to her with his mouth. Slow, sweet strokes of his velvety tongue sizzled across her flesh to leave her lightheaded and breathless, unable to so much as form a coherent thought any longer. None of her muscles wanted to work; her eyes drooped closed and it took an effort just to breathe. Slow waves of prickling fire washed over her skin and she floated on them, rocking against his mouth now as the tension within churned and bubbled like the magma below a volcano, until the pressure and heat became unbearable.
And then he stopped.
“Colinnnn…”
She felt his weight shift on the bed, and as she opened her eyes he pulled himself up over her, his legs and lower body still resting between her thighs. Blue eyes simmered with his own burning, but there was a wry smile on his lips that broadened when he saw the torment on her face.
“I think you’re just about ready.”
“Yes. Please.”
He guided himself to her entrance, and then slowly leaned forward to ease inside of her. She gasped as she stretched for him, while her whole body vibrated with the strange, new need to have him inside of her. Nothing in her life had prepared her for this, but Colin was patient and gentle, giving her plenty of time to adjust. Finally he paused as he met the obstruction he had apparently expected, and lowered himself to brush his lips across hers.
“Easy now. Hold on.”
Biting her lip she grabbed on to him and held her breath as he pushed forward. All at once the resistance gave and she tore—a quick flash of pain that made her jerk as though she had been stung. The feel of him moving inside of her quickly overwhelmed the rapidly fading burn of it, though, and in only moments she couldn’t feel the pain at all any longer.
The look in Colin’s eyes as he came to rest against her made her feel the way she had always imagined that women like Kayleigh must. She had never believed anybody would look at her that way, like she was someone beautiful and desirable, and her arms tightened around him to hold the heat of him against her. Slowly then he began to move, only a little at first, but as she relaxed into it he sped up and in no time at all she was right back at the brink, hovering just above the edge of that glowing abyss and gasping for each breath as the tension built low in her belly. His mouth landed on hers and even though she could barely breathe she responded by instinct, kissing him back with all the pent-up passion her soul had stored for this day.
The look in his eyes told her that this time he would not make her wait.
She lasted only a couple of minutes with him inside of her before her back arched and she cried out against his mouth. Bliss so intense it was almost pain wracked her, and muscles clenched and blood pounded through her as she soared high and drifted slowly down, wrung out and limp but still holding onto him for all she was worth. Colin followed right after her, his muscles trembling as he moaned her name before he sagged against her.
Panting lightly he dropped to her side, his eyes still glazed with passion. When he pulled her into his arms and the heat of his body wrapped around her Kimberly snuggled in and let her eyes close. Just for a minute. Just until she caught her breath.
Her eyes popped open. Colin was snoring lightly, his arms still holding her against him. She wriggled around so she could see the clock and sat bolt upright. It was three o’clock in the morning.
“Oh, shoot.”
Colin stirred. “What?”
“Lisa. I didn’t text or leave a note or anything.”
“So?”
“She’s probably worried sick.”
“Oh, I doubt it. She knew you were with me.”
“Then she’s going to think we…”
He snickered. “Well, we sorta did.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t want her to know. What’s she going to think of me having a one night stand with a guy I hardly know?”
He rolled over and she could sense him peering at her in the darkness. “One night stand, huh?”
“Well, yeah,” she stammered. “I mean, I’d like it to be more than that, but you’re not into relationships and I knew that when I came up here with you. And even if you were, I’ve got to go back home with Lisa tomorrow, and who knows when we’ll even have a chance to see each other again?”
His throaty chuckle stopped her babbling. “Sweetheart, I think there’s something I should tell you.”
The next morning Lisa gave Kimberly the cold shoulder treatment on the ride home. The uncomfortable silence persisted until they had been in the car for an hour, then Kimberly decided enough was enough.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you where I was.”
“It’s fine,” Lisa grumbled. “You’re a big girl and you can take care of yourself.”
“Yeah, but it still wasn’t nice to make you worry. I really am sorry.”
Lisa let the silence hang for another minute. “So, was it just a one time thing? Or are you going to be email buddies and try to do the long distance relationship gig?”
“Well, that’s the thing…”
“What?”
Kimberly grinned, remembering the giddy elation that had had her bouncing up and down on Colin’s bed at three in the morning. “Colin’s apartment is ten minutes from the campus. We’ve already got the whole week planned.”