Chapter Sixteen

Colin finished earlier than he’d anticipated, largely because he’d started his day very early in the morning. The evening was frigid, and the deli had apparently had fewer customers than usual, so Ruth had closed early.

It turned out to be a good thing he’d started when he did. He was dead tired by the time he was through cleaning the deli. Maybe he wasn’t as close to being completely back on his feet as he’d believed.

The apartment was almost livable, if not particularly comfortable. He’d checked the fold-out couch. The mattress was only slightly thicker than the pad he used on the cot, but it would probably work once he got bed linens and a couple of blankets.

Eventually, he’d have enough money to buy more furniture, but it would take a while. Until then, he’d make do with whatever cast-offs he found and check out the used furniture at the church thrift store.

At least there was room for Wiseass’s crate in the apartment. And there was direct access to the backyard through the door at the bottom of the stairs. He could take his dog out for a brisk walk a few times a day. It wouldn’t be as comfortable as Peaches’s place, but Wiseass would adapt. So would he.

Although he had a feeling they’d both miss Peaches like hell.

Any relationship with her came with all kinds of stumbling blocks—his lack of money, his lack of time, his past transgressions. Everybody seemed poised for him to screw up again, and he was determined not to. He wouldn’t hurt her. He wouldn’t mess up their friendship.

But he would see her again. As often as she’d let him, in fact.

Right now, he had nowhere to bring her if he wanted them to be alone. Obviously, he couldn’t use the apartment until he’d at least made it into something better than a squatter’s space. Until then, he’d have to be content with Wiseass for company.

At least he’d have somebody to talk to.

At eight, he put his cleaning supplies away and grabbed his coat, setting the alarm and locking the door as he went out. Tomorrow night, he’d just climb the stairs and be home. The thought was simultaneously comforting and lonely.

Maybe he’d ask Peaches out for dinner tomorrow. At a very cheap restaurant.

Warm light shone through the front windows of her house, casting shadows on the snow, and he had another of those strange moments when he felt like he was coming home. He’d never really felt the same way about his actual home, the pile of rooms his father had christened Broadlands. He was pretty sure he shouldn’t be feeling that way about Peaches’s place, but there it was. At least for the time being, her house was more like home after a single week than Broadlands had been after thirty years.

He climbed the front steps and remembered at the last minute to knock. Walking in unannounced would be bad form. No matter how much this felt like home, it wasn’t really.

After a moment, Peaches opened the door, flushed and golden and lovely, sending a pulse of heat through his body. “Come on in,” she said. “I’ve got some soup on the stove.”

He followed her through the living room, pausing to scratch Wiseass’s ears as the pup capered around his feet. “It smells wonderful in here.”

He’d have to figure out how the stove at the Salty Goat worked so he could fix supper for himself. Maybe he could get Peaches to show him. Even so, he’d never be able to turn out something as good as this smelled.

“It’s just corn chowder,” she explained. “Only takes a few minutes, but it’s satisfying on a cold night. I made corn muffins for the deli this morning, and we had some leftovers.”

She nudged him toward the table then set a bowl of soup in front of him, along with a basket of muffins. “Eat while it’s hot.”

“Aren’t you going to join me?”

“I ate earlier. But I’ll sit and talk with you.” She pulled a couple of bottles of beer from the refrigerator. “This is Bec’s red ale. I didn’t know if you’d tried it.”

He shook his head. “I haven’t tried anything much from their main production line yet. I haven’t had a chance.” He also hadn’t had an offer from either Bec or Liam to taste it.

Peaches dropped into the chair opposite his. “I’ve got some apple crumble for dessert. Another near miss.”

He took a sip, savoring the slight nutty flavor of the malt. “A near miss at what?”

“At being my ‘wow dessert’ for the brewpub opening.”

“What about the opening?” He took a bite of his soup, then set down his spoon. “This soup… Talk about something that’s wow.”

Peaches turned slightly rosier. “It’s nothing special, like I said. Just corn and potatoes and bacon, along with some half-and-half to make it silky. About the brewpub opening, we’re catering it, and I’m trying to come up with a dish that will blow everyone’s socks off.”

He crumbled up a little of the corn muffin into his chowder, taking a couple more bites before he forced himself to slow down and savor again. “Your scones and muffins blow people’s socks off every morning. Couldn’t you just do those?”

She sighed. “I want something super special for this. I want everybody to be talking about the food, loud enough for Ruth to hear.”

“What do you mean?” He frowned. “Ruth always seems to appreciate your food. I’ve heard her telling people your pastries are spectacular.”

“I know.” Peaches stared down at her beer. “But she’s happy with things the way they are. I want to make some changes, and the reaction at the opening might get her attention if people talk enough.”

“What kind of changes?”

She sighed again. “The expansion kind. We only have ten tables. We can seat around thirty or thirty-five people, tops. Every day I see people look at the crowd and then turn around and go to other restaurants when they can’t get in.”

“And you’ve talked to Ruth about it?”

“I’ve done more than that.” She took another sip of her beer. “I gave her an expanded business plan. I went through all our records to show her we were operating at capacity, that we could up our profits to pay for more tables, which would also create more customers for her cheese. And I found out our next door neighbor is getting ready to retire. His building would be available for us to expand into.”

He scraped up the last few drops of his chowder. “What did she say?”

Peaches shrugged. “She hasn’t said anything yet. I don’t know if she’s even read the plan. She keeps saying she’s going to, but so far, she hasn’t.”

Colin paused, placing his bowl on the table in front of him. “That doesn’t sound like Ruth. She always seems really conscientious.”

“She is. I guess she just doesn’t want to think about expanding. It’s a big step, and she’s taken a lot of big steps in the last year or so—she got together with Liam, and she hired me.” Her smile was rueful. “Maybe if she sees people from beyond Antero getting stoked about the food, it will give her a sense of urgency about considering it.”

Wiseass pushed her nose against his hand, whimpering, which he was pretty sure she wasn’t supposed to do. “Sit, dog.”

Peaches gave her a mock frown. “Come here, sweetheart. You know you’re not supposed to do that.”

Wiseass slunk around the table to her side, looking woebegone and guilty.

“It’s all right,” Peaches went on. “I’m not mad. But you need to go sit in your crate.”

It took a little more coaxing, but Wiseass eventually settled into her crate at the side of the room, giving him a beseeching look as she went.

Colin shook his head. “You’ve taught that dog so much in a few weeks. It’s amazing.”

“Your uncle got her started. I just picked up where he left off. And she’s a bright little thing. She wants to please.” Peaches gave him a quick smile that warmed him from the inside out.

“Thank you,” he said slowly. “I guess I forgot to thank you for training Wiseass on top of everything else.”

She shrugged. “I love dogs. And I haven’t been able to have one for a long time. Not since I left Houston, in fact. I’d just begun to think about picking up a rescue dog when I met Wiseass. Now that I’ve got a house to keep a dog in.”

He glanced around the kitchen, warm from the oven and the overhead light. “I like your house.”

“I do, too. It’s the first place I’ve ever owned. The first time I felt settled enough to commit to owning one.” She leaned back in her chair, hugging herself. “It’s small, but it suits me. I just fell in love with it when the realtor showed it to me. Did you have a place in San Diego?”

A place? Yeah, he’d had a place. But that was a about it. A place, not a home. Not like this. “My dad’s house was there. And Dev and I lived there when I was young. I didn’t spend much time there after I went to college, though. My dad bought it for my mom, and then she died. It wasn’t much of a home—the only ones who lived there full-time were my uncle and me.”

Peaches leaned forward, placing her hand over his. “But at least you had the time there with him.”

“I did.” He glanced up at her again, glowing golden in her seat at the kitchen table, feeling the warmth of her skin against his. “This feels more like a home to me.” He hadn’t exactly meant to tell her that, but something about her kitchen invited confidences. “Much better than my concrete shed. Wiseass lucked out.”

“We both did.” Peaches gave the dog a slightly melancholy glance. “Turns out I sort of needed her, too.”

“She worms her way into your heart. I never had a dog before Wiseass, but when Patrick wanted to get rid of her, I couldn’t let her go.” He stared at the long velvet ears and folded paws, all he could see at the edge of the crate.

Peaches raised her gaze to his. “She reminds you of your uncle.”

Those blue eyes seemed to see right into his soul sometimes. “Yeah, but it’s more than that. She’s a sweetheart on her own.”

“I’ll miss her when she’s back with you again. I’ll miss her a lot.”

Peaches stared down at the table for a moment, rubbing a finger across her beer bottle. He had a feeling they weren’t talking about Wiseass anymore. Ah, Peaches, if you only knew how much I’m going to miss you, too.

“You can still see her,” he said softly. “She won’t be far away.”

Peaches nodded. “I know. I’m just being silly. But I’ll still miss her.”

A bubble of silence spread between them. Then she pushed herself to her feet. “There’s lots more soup. Would you like another bowl?”

“No. It was great, but I’m full. Thank you.” He picked up his bowl and carried it to the sink then turned toward her again. “I’ll probably move my stuff over to the apartment tomorrow afternoon. I still need to do a few things, mainly cleaning, but I’m close to being finished now.”

She nodded a little absently. “Fine. Just let me know when you’re ready. I’ll give you my key so you can get in.”

He waited a moment longer then stepped beside her, staring down into her cornflower eyes. “I’m not going far, Peaches. I don’t want to go far, anyway.”

She looked up at him, her lips moving into a faint smile. “I know.”

He leaned down slowly, giving her a chance to move away if she wanted to but really hoping she didn’t want to. When their lips touched, she tasted faintly of cinnamon and malt. After a moment, she wound her arms around his neck, and he pulled her closer, pushing one hand through her curls to cup the back of her head. He rubbed his tongue against hers as he brought his hands to her hips. Sweet, sweet, sweet…

He raised his head, and her eyes opened slowly. “You were in my mind all day today. You kept me energized.”

“I guess that’s good.” She brushed her fingers across his forehead then brought her hands to his shoulders, leaning forward to give him the kind of kiss that would have curled his toes if they hadn’t already been thoroughly curly.

“Oh yeah,” he muttered. “This is definitely good.” He slid his fingers into the soft cloud of her hair, tasting, touching, as the feeling washed over him again. He’d almost forgotten what it was like to want someone this much.

Come to think of it, he wasn’t sure he’d ever wanted someone this much before.

He slid his hands beneath the hem of her sweater then pushed it up, feeling the soft skin of her belly as he pushed her bra aside. Her nipples pebbled against his palms, and he bent down to take one in his mouth, rolling it against his teeth.

Peaches gasped, her hands tightening on his shoulders then sliding to the back of his head, pressing him against her body. Her back arched as he pinched the other nipple between his fingers, pulling to make it peak.

“That feels so…amazing.” She rubbed her face against his hair, her breath sawing in and out.

“Should we move?”

She looked slightly dazed. “Move where?”

“Your guest room.” He glanced at Wiseass, who was watching them from her crate. “With a closed door.”

The corners of Peaches mouth inched up. “You think there’s enough space in that bed?”

He nodded. “I can manage.”

“I’m sure you can.” She reached down to pull her bra and sweater in place again.

He extended his hand to her. “Shall we?”

She bit her full, pink lower lip, and he barely managed not to moan. Then she gave him another of those smiles. “Yes, let’s,” she said.

…

Peaches was doing her best to be seductive, but she wasn’t sure she was pulling it off exactly. She’d never thought of herself as a femme fatale, and she sure didn’t feel like one at the moment. In fact, her stomach was fluttering at the same time the rest of her burned.

Colin didn’t look flustered. He looked like every woman’s dream lover—handsome, dashing, charming, the whole package. She wasn’t entirely sure how to act. Maybe like you’ve done this before, dummy.

Colin pulled off his T-shirt and dropped it next to the bed, igniting a whole new set of nerves. Even in the half-light of his bedroom lamp he was gorgeous—smooth golden skin over ropes of muscle, dusted with dark hair arrowing down below his navel.

She took a breath. She was going to have to get fully undressed, too, which introduced a new kind of anxiety. The five pounds she should have taken off by now, the slight bulge of her belly, the way her thighs almost touched. She was probably a lot less perfect than he was used to.

He used to be with Bec. Bec wasn’t perfect, either, but she was a good-looking woman. So are you. Yeah, she knew she was. Sort of.

Colin reached over and took her hands, pulling her gently toward him. “I’ve wanted to do this for weeks.” He reached for the hem of her sweater.

Peaches ordered herself not to grab his hand. She was being ridiculous.

He pushed her sweater from her shoulders. At least she was wearing one of her better bras—lavender lace with a front clasp. He reached for the clasp, flipping it open easily so her breasts spilled free.

She took another breath, trying not to tremble. She was a lot rounder than the average Sports Illustrated model. Normally, she didn’t give a crap. Now she sort of did.

Screw it. She shook her arms so her bra dropped to the floor and she was standing half naked, breasts, belly, and all. Take it or leave it.

Colin took hold of her hands, pulling her arms wide. “Wow.”

Peaches narrowed her eyes. “Wow?”

“You are…so gorgeous. Just looking at you makes me hungry.”

She blinked. “That’s an interesting compliment.”

“It’s the truth. Come here, please.” He tugged on her hands, pulling her closer. “You need to be more naked.”

“So do you.”

“True, but I want to see you first. If that’s okay.” She nodded, and his hands dropped to her jeans. He slipped open the button and eased down the zipper. She closed her eyes as he pulled down jeans and panties, leaving her naked except for her flip-flops.

“Dear Lord, you’re delicious. All of you.” He leaned forward, taking one nipple in his mouth and sucking hard.

Peaches caught her breath. A red-hot thread seemed to run from her breast to her core, igniting her like a slow fuse. She put her hands on his cheeks, pulling him up to kiss him again, his mouth hot and luscious.

She rubbed her thighs against his. “You need to take the jeans off. I don’t want to be the only one naked here.”

He yanked open his jeans, pushing them down quickly so his cock sprung free.

She swallowed. It had been a few months since she’d done anything like this. And he suddenly looked very big and very ready.

He grinned down at her, blue eyes dancing. “I don’t have to make any speeches about the way things fit together, do I?”

She shook her head. “I think I remember.” She reached for him, running her hand down his shaft then up again to the head.

He took in a quick breath. “I’m not sure I do, not like this.”

She brought her hand up and down again, measuring, enjoying.

He caught hold of her wrist. “I’ve only got so much control left, and you’re pushing it close to the limit.”

For a moment, she considered sending him over the top, but she wanted him to take things where he chose. She put her arms around his neck, pulling herself tight against his body, skin to skin. His cock pulsed against her belly, and the muscles of his chest were warm against her breasts. He pressed his face against her hair, his hands moving up and down her sides. “Peaches…I hope I survive this.”

She pulled back slightly. “Is there a chance you won’t?”

His grin flashed in the soft light. “Not much of one.”

“Good to know.” She took another quick breath.

He took her face in his hands again, bringing his mouth to hers in another drugging kiss.

She ran her hands down his chest, wondering just how to move him to the bed. This foreplay was killing her. She was absolutely ready for the main event. She brought her heel along the back of his leg again, rubbing as she closed her hands on his hip bones, pushing him slightly backward.

He leaned down and gathered her up in his arms, turning to place her on the bed before he dropped down beside her. “Was that where you were heading?”

She nodded. “Definitely. Definitely here.”

He blew out a breath. “I’ve got a condom in my wallet, but I’ll have to leave you to get it.”

“I’m on the pill. And I haven’t been with anybody in a while, so I’m okay.”

He smiled down at her. “You’re more than okay, Peaches. But yeah, it’s been a while for me, too. A long while.”

He leaned over her, one hand planted on either side of her body, his face shadowed in the darkness of the room. She arched her back, moving the tip of her tongue along his collarbone, and he gasped.

He moved his fingers to her folds, running his thumb across her clit as he sank one finger deep into her opening. She wrapped her legs around him, rubbing her heels along his calves.

This is happening. This is really happening.

He rubbed his thumb across her clit again, and she couldn’t help moaning. She brought her hips tighter against him, moving almost without thinking about it.

“Ready for this?” he murmured.

Is there really any doubt? “Yes,” she whispered. “Oh, yes.”

She tipped her hips up as he entered her, feeling that familiar stretching. He moved forward slowly, letting her open for him. She brought her legs to his waist, pressing her heels against his behind.

“Peaches,” he gasped. “Ah…sweetness.”

The feeling was all she could handle. Colin began to move more quickly, thrusting deeper inside her body. She brought her hands to his hips and lower, cupping him as he moved.

He groaned again, pushing harder, deeper, driving her higher as he did. He brought his hand between them, rubbing the place they were joined, and she saw lights dancing beyond her. Heat flooded through her, and she slammed against him.

Above her, he gave a jagged cry and lost his rhythm. Thrusting deep, then shallow, then deep again.

She wrapped herself tight around him, resting her head against his shoulder until she came back to herself.

“That was…pretty damn terrific,” he murmured. “It was even better than I’d imagined, and believe me, I’ve imagined this a lot.”

Don’t make me think. Just let me lie here for a minute and enjoy.

He shifted to his side, carrying her with him, then ran his fingers along the side of her face. “Are you okay?”

She nodded. “I’m great. I just need a minute.” More like sixty.

“Peaches?” He was frowning.

She closed her eyes, resting her forehead against his chest. “Like I said, it’s been a while for me. And I didn’t exactly expect this. But I’m happy. More than happy. Terrific sums it up.”

He paused for a moment then wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. “Good. Now take your minute. Take as long as you want.”

She snuggled against him, warm, sated, maybe even as happy as she’d claimed, although she wasn’t sure she trusted her feelings. Good sex made her think a lot of things were true even when they weren’t. Tomorrow, she’d reassess.

Tonight, she’d sleep in his arms.

…

Colin lay in bed the next morning, holding Peaches against his chest and wondering if there would be any awkwardness when she woke up. He hoped not. They’d made love again later, slowly and sweetly, and then he’d slept peacefully, with Peaches soft and warm against him. He’d never held a woman who felt so good, so right. As if she was just where she was supposed to be.

Perfect.

Maybe. He was trying not to read too much into what had happened between them. He hadn’t been with a woman in over a year. And he liked Peaches. He liked her a lot, in fact. But he had a feeling she was keeping him at arm’s length, waiting to see how the two of them got along. He couldn’t exactly argue with her approach. It made a lot of sense, given his track record on keeping his promises. He had to prove himself.

Just your ordinary, average guy here, ma’am. Not a stalker. Not a nut case. Not needy. Not needy at all.

But the sex had been awesome. Some of the best he could remember. And the whole evening had been snug and warm, the most enjoyable evening he’d had since he’d come back to Antero. He liked her as a person, too, beyond liking her in his bed.

Except it’s not exactly your bed, is it?

He sighed. That was one thing he could do. The sooner he moved into the apartment, the sooner he could bring her to a bed that really was his, instead of sponging off her.

She’d never made him feel like a freeloader, but he’d managed to feel it without her help.

Peaches stirred in his arms, rubbing her face against his chest, and he fought down a new surge of arousal. They had to get up. Peaches had to go to work, and he had to finish clearing out the apartment before he headed to the brewery. As wonderful as it was to lie there with her in his arms, he couldn’t keep doing it. At least not right now.

He pressed his lips to her temple. “Peaches, we need to get up.”

She moaned, burrowing closer. “No, we don’t.”

“We do. Unfortunately.”

She raised her head to stare at the alarm clock on his bedside table. “You’re right. How did you manage to wake up this early?”

“Willpower.” He let himself grin down at her. It was hard not to once his feelings started to take over. Dear Lord, she’s lovely.

She closed her eyes, resting her head on his shoulder for a moment. Then she looked up at him again. “This isn’t weird for you, is it? You don’t feel uncomfortable or anything?”

He shook his head. “Nope. Not weird. Not uncomfortable at all.” If anything, he was way too comfortable where he was.

“Good.” Her lips glided into a grin so delectable he had to kiss her again.

“If we really want to get up, we should stop doing this.” She touched her fingers to his lips, smiling.

His cock was straining against her. How quick could a quickie be? “Maybe we don’t need to get up right now.”

Peaches sighed. “Unfortunately, we do. Or at least I do. I’ve got muffins to make.” She turned, pushing herself to a sitting position. “Are you going to the Goat this morning?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I need to finish working on the apartment.”

Peaches yawned, stretching in a way that made him want to pull her against him again. “I’m going down to my bedroom to take a shower. If you come to the Salty Goat with me, I’ll fix you breakfast. I’m doing muffins and scones today.”

Right. She had a job to do. So did he. “I’ll grab a shower here and get dressed. Scones sound great.”