Chapter Seventeen

 

I woke slowly as the events of the previous evening rolled through my mind. I smiled as I stretched and reached for Collin. My smile slipped as the spot next to me was empty. I sat up, taking the sheet with me, and searched the room.

“Damn!” came an oath from the kitchen. I chuckled and fumbled around the floor until I located an article of clothing. It was Collin’s shirt. I slipped it over my head. I tossed the sheets back and padded into the kitchen.

Collin was standing before the stove, only in his jeans, one hand on a pan handle and his pinky finger in his mouth. “Son of a bitch,” he muttered.

I crept behind him and slithered my arms around his waist, admiring the bunched muscles in his bare back. “Aw, did you burn yourself?”

He turned off the fire and twisted in my arms, broad smile on his face. Grabbing my face, he pressed a hard kiss to my lips. “Yes, I did, making your breakfast.”

I lifted his hand and sucked on his finger. His eyes narrowed and he tugged me closer. “Your breakfast will get cold,” he said in a husky voice.

I laughed and dropped his hand. “I thought I was supposed to cook?”

He shrugged, his cheeks coloring slightly. “You said you haven’t been sleeping well so I thought I’d let you sleep in and surprise you with breakfast.”

My heart tingled and a goofy smile engulfed my face. “Thanks.”

He kissed me again. “Any time. Now sit.”

I did as he dished up the eggs and bacon. He set a plate before me then proceeded to fill two glasses with orange juice. He joined me and we ate pretty much in silence, though we both kept throwing surreptitious glances at each other.

When we finished, we cleaned up the kitchen together and it was very hard to keep my hands off of him. My heart was a jittery mess already and the knowing looks only intensified it. Once the dishwasher was loaded, he leaned against it, pulling me into his arms.

“So, what are you going to do today?” he asked.

An evil grin spread across my lips. “You?”

He laughed, his eyes sparkling. “Well, I won’t object but I wondered if you had any other plans.”

“Not really,” I said as I stepped into him. My heart was thumping and I was slightly worried he’d hear it. I rested my forearms on his shoulders. “Want to hang out?”

“Yeah,” he said as his eyes lingered on my lips. “I’ll take you by your place so you can change. Maybe we can take the dogs to the dog park or something.”

I snorted. “Yeah then maybe you can meet my new buddy.” I laughed when I thought of Craig.

“What new buddy?”

I quickly explained to him about my last few visits to the dog park and laughed harder at the interest in Collin’s eyes. He kissed me, massaging my lips softly. I sighed and leaned into him for support. When he pulled back, he winked.

“Let’s go meet this friend of yours.”

***

I didn’t know exactly how to define my relationship with Collin. It was quite obvious that things had changed – possibly improved – but I didn’t know what it meant. And I was in no hurry to find out, either. I was happy with things the way they were.

We walked, hand-in-hand, to the dog park, Otis and Milo trotting joyfully. It didn’t take long to reach the park and once we released the hounds, we sat close together on the bench.

But Collin didn’t relax – his eyes scoured the park. I laughed and rested a hand on his thigh.

“He might not show up and even if he does, what are you going to do?”

He draped an arm around my shoulders and whispered in my ear. “I’ll just show him that he’s wasting his time trying to pick you up.”

Snorting, I suppressed a shudder. He chortled and kissed my cheek.

We watched the dogs play for awhile but Craig never showed up. It didn’t break my heart any because I really could care less. I was with Collin and that was all that mattered.

Yeah, I was definitely a lovesick girl. I giggled.

“What?” he asked, raising a brow.

“Nothing,” I said as I scooted closer.

“Hey, what do you say if we go out tonight?” Collin asked shyly. “You know, like to dinner or something?”

My heart flipped. “Sure. That’d be great.”

His smile did weird things to my insides and I could do nothing more but kiss him. We rounded up the dogs shortly after and he dropped me off at home, taking Otis with him.

“I’ll pick you up in a couple hours,” he said as he kissed me in the doorway. “And I’ll take Otis to my place, you know, in case you want to spend the night again.” His flushed cheeks tickled me.

“Okay,”

***

I skipped the shower and opted instead for a luxurious bath with my favorite scented bubbles. When I finished, I dried my hair and let it hang down my back. Collin hadn’t mentioned where we’d be dining so I wasn’t quite sure what to wear. I decided to keep it casual and if he showed up all dressy, I’d change.

I was a wreck when the doorbell rang and hurried on shaky legs to answer it. I ripped the door open and nearly lost my breath. He grinned, his eyes never leaving my face. He was dressed in nice jeans and a green button up shirt that brought out the flecks in his eyes.

“You clean up nice,” I said as I openly appraised him.

Grabbing my waist, he yanked me flush with his body. His lips hovered over mine. “And you look as beautiful as ever.” He kissed me and all coherent thought flew from my head. When he pulled back I was still flustered and a flicker of triumph flashed in his eyes.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

“Sure,” I said as I grabbed my bag and locked the door. “Where are we going?”

He took my hand as we walked to the elevator. “No place real fancy,” he said with a slight blush. “I didn’t think you’d like that.”

“Not particularly,” I muttered.

He smiled and gave my hand a squeeze. “I was thinking we’d hit that new steakhouse downtown. Is that okay?”

“Perfect,” I said with a nervous smile.

When we arrived at the steakhouse, we were seated immediately. We placed our order, hardly glancing at the menu, too busy studying each other. Once the waitress disappeared, my nerves returned. I couldn’t understand it – it was Collin. We’d hung out plenty of times – not to mention other things. But sitting across the table from him in a restaurant was unnerving. And I was dying to know what all this meant. Were we dating now?

“So, um,” he stammered, concentrating on his silverware. “I was thinking that I should probably talk to Spencer.”

My eyes widened at his suggestion. Maybe I was about to get my answer. “Really?”

Taking my reaction as horror, he reached across the table and grabbed my hand. “I wasn’t going to tell him about …you know,” he said as color flooded his cheeks again. It was far too cute. “I just thought…well…that I’d tell him I wanted to…date you.” He spoke the last part so quietly that I had to strain to hear him.

My heart jumped and skipped all over the place. “Okay,” I said, unsure what to say.

“Is it okay with you?” he asked, his eyes finding mine.

My self-confidence grew at his uncertainty. I obviously wasn’t alone in this. “It’s more than okay,” I said as I laced my fingers with his.

His smile lit up his eyes. “Well, I know you didn’t want anything serious with Spencer – not that I’m asking you to get serious with me.”

“Collin,” I said as I gave his hand a little squeeze. “What I felt for Spencer is totally different than this.” I gestured between the two of us.

He flashed a half smile. “That’s comforting to know.”

“So what are you going to say to him?” I asked. I was relieved that he wanted to take things further but I was also concerned about Spencer’s feelings. He was too great of a guy to get hurt. Besides, I’d already hurt one friend – I didn’t want to make it two.

“No idea,” he shrugged. “But I have a plan that I hope will soften the blow.” A knowing smirk covered his face.

“Care to share?” I asked, my curiosity aroused.

“Not yet,” he winked. “I’m not sure if it will work.”

I bent over the table and lowered my voice. “You’re not going to hire a … professional, are you?”

“Professional?” he asked, his brow furrowed.

“You know,” I said, trying to keep the amusement out of my voice. “A prostitute?”

He snorted his laughter and picked up my hand to press it to his lips. “No, not at all.”

“That’s a relief,” I said as I sat back in my chair. The waitress appeared with our food and our conversation turned casual as we ate. I couldn’t remember the last time I'd enjoyed myself so much on a date and I had to chalk it up to the love I felt for him. Maybe there was hope for me yet.

When we finished our meal and the dishes were cleared, Collin paid the check and led me back to his car. I wasn’t eager for the evening to be finished even though I knew where I’d be when the date ended.

“So, what would you like to do now?” Collin asked as he started the engine. “Do you want to catch a movie or something?”

Even though sitting close to Collin in the dark was appealing, that wasn’t exactly what I wanted at the moment. Of course we didn’t have many options since it was a Sunday evening.

“You probably won’t believe this is coming from my mouth,” I smirked. “But how about if we take a walk around the park?”

A slow smile spread across his lips. “Aw, Bailey does have a romantic streak in her.” I blushed furiously as he leaned closer to me. “You’re a closet romantic, aren’t you?”

I lifted a brow though the heat in my cheeks ruined the effect. “Would you like me to punch you?”

He chuckled. “Not really. I’m sure you pack a punch.”

“And I’m pretty sure you could take me,” I teased as he parked the car.

We both got out and joined hands as we made our way through the park. The night was warm and we weren’t the only couple enjoying the evening. It really was quite romantic and it surprised me how much I liked it.

“So, back to Spencer,” he said as we approached the duck pond. The dim lamps cast long shadows on the path and I imagined it would be rather creepy in inclement October weather.

“What about him?” I asked, instantly on guard.

“Well, if you want to continue this,” he said, lifting our linked hands to gesture between us, “then I need to speak to him as soon as possible.”

“Collin,” I said, taking the plunge. I wouldn’t plunge all the way and admit my deepest feelings, but if he was willing to go out on a limb for us, then I’d need to be honest. “I like you, a lot. I do want to see you again and I’d prefer not to have to hide.”

Stopping, he turned to face me, taking my other hand. “I don’t want to hide, either. I watched my brother go through hell last year and I don’t want to see the same thing happen to us.” He leaned in to kiss me quickly.

“Any idea what you’re going to say?” I asked.

“Not really,” he sighed. He dropped one hand and tugged me forward, continuing our walk. “I guess just be as honest as possible. I don’t want to tell him too much but I don’t want to outright lie to him.”

I tossed it around in my head a little bit, considering what I could do to make it easier on both of them. “Do you want me to talk to him?”

“Nah, I think it’s best if I do,” he said. “He is my cousin and my best friend.”

“If you insist,” I said.

He laughed and yanked on my hand, causing me to stumble into his side. He wrapped his arms around me and planted a long kiss on my lips. It took me a second to figure out what was going on before I grabbed his shoulders and returned his kiss.

“Ready to go?” he whispered as his lips left mine and traveled up to my ear. He trailed his lips along my jaw and down my neck. I shivered and twined my arms tightly around his neck.

“Yes,” I hissed. “Let’s go.”

We barely made it into the house, let alone the bedroom, before I was whipping the shirt off his body. He grinned and helped me out of my clothes just as eagerly. Every inch of my skin was on fire and every time he touched me, that fire burned out of control. I just couldn’t get enough of him.

His kisses turned fervent as we fell to the bed and I kissed him back just as hungrily. I held on to him tightly as I writhed underneath him and when we finished, we both struggled to find our breath.

“Damn, Bailey,” he said, his chest heaving. “I don’t know how the hell I manage to keep up with you.”

Chuckling, I rolled to my side. I swiped at the sweat on his brow and kissed him. “You do a fantastic job, trust me.”

He laughed and pressed his hand in the small of my back, forcing me closer. His eyes searched mine as the smile slipped from his lips. My breath hitched as he eased me into another kiss – this one slower and much more thorough. My heart swelled as my emotions escalated and the desire to express myself increased.

His other hand tangled in my hair as he shifted me to my back and lingered over me. His fingers floated gracefully from my neck and shoulder and down my arm. I moaned softly and ran my hands through his hair before dropping them to his back. His muscles bunched under my touch and I tingled inside at how I affected him as much as he did me.

He leisurely explored my body as if he’d never done so before and I squirmed in delight. His kisses were deliberate and tender as if he read my mind and knew exactly how I felt.

I fell asleep that night tucked securely in his arms with his warm breath and soft snores caressing my cheek and my hair.

***

His alarm clock woke me up before the sun even peeked its head. Groaning, he reached over me to hit the snooze button.

“You have to work, don’t you?” I mumbled as I snuggled into his chest.

“Yes,” he said with another groan. He pressed a sleepy kiss in my hair. “Sucks, huh?”

“Mm hm,” I answered.

He chuckled, kissed me again and scrambled out of the bed. “I have to hop in the shower and if you want, I’ll take you for breakfast before I drop you off at home.”

I sat up and yawned, admiring his naked body. “I have a better idea. How about if I help you shower then you can drop me off at home and you can grab some breakfast on the way to work?”

He planted his hands on either side of my body and kissed me. “I love how you think.”

Frigid water forced us out of the shower, luckily, or else Collin would have been even later to work. I took care of the dogs while he rushed around locating his work clothes. By the time we made it to his car, he had barely enough time to get to the body shop.

He kissed me quickly in front of my building while a squirming Otis tried to lick his cheek. “I’ll call you when I get home.”

I jumped out of the car and hurried up to the condo. I changed my clothes and checked my voice messages as Otis attacked his favorite squeak toy. My heart sang happily as I dialed Irelyn’s number. The lovesick girl was emerging and I couldn’t stand it any longer – I had to share my joy with a friend.

“What’s up?” Irelyn asked, a yawn in her voice.

“Well, just thought you’d like to know where I spent my weekend,” I said as I studied my nails.

“Oh?” she asked and I could visualize her raising a brow. “Where?”

I repressed a giggle – I didn’t want to sound too school-girly. “With Collin.”

“Seriously?” she asked incredulously. “Wow. Luke was wondering why Collin didn’t call him all weekend.”

“That would be me,” I said, beaming.

“So, are you guys dating now? Officially, or whatever?”

“I guess,” I said. “He took me to dinner last night. He said he’s going to talk to Spencer.”

“Ouch, I’d hate to be a fly on the wall for that conversation,” she said.

“I know,” I said. “Hey, I offered to do the talking but he said he thought it should be him. I just hope Spencer doesn’t turn out to be the violent type. I’d hate it if he ripped Collin’s balls off.”

“Oh, geez, Bailey,” Irelyn snickered. “That’s real nice.”

I laughed. “Just being honest, babe. So, any luck with Morgan?”

“No,” she said, disheartened. “Not at all. She won’t answer my calls. And I heard she’s been actually dating Owen. I don’t like that at all.”

“Me, either,” I said as I bit my lip. “I’m working on that.”

“What are you up to?” she asked.

“I’ll tell you when I get a better grip on it,” I said. “And I’m going to let you go so you can go join the other working stiffs. Call me later.”

“Sure,” she said.

I hung up and carefully set the phone down. I leaned against the wall, my mind mulling the Owen situation. It was quite obvious that I hadn’t made that big of an impression on him if he was still seeing Morgan and hadn’t called. I’d have to step it up a notch.

But, things were going so great with Collin - did I dare take a chance on messing that up for Morgan’s sake?

I pictured Tori’s pained face when she'd confessed her horrid relationship with Owen. I didn’t want to see Morgan looking the same way. I didn’t know Tori as well as I knew Morgan but I had a feeling that Morgan was stronger. I couldn’t see her succumbing to Owen’s lifestyle but she was upset and very vulnerable.

“Damn it!” I shouted, startling Otis. He scampered beneath the coffee table and peered up at me cautiously, his brown eyes frightened. I sighed and squatted, tapping my thigh. He sidled up to me and I scratched his ears until the quivering stopped.

“Sorry, buddy,” I cooed. His tail thumped the floor. “What the hell am I going to do?”

He yipped as if offering a solution but it wasn’t the answer I was looking for. I considered speaking to Collin about it but I knew he’d be totally against my original plan and as I had no clue what else to do, it looked like I was on my own.

And it totally sucked.