Authors: Marianna Roberg
"To talk," he replied. "Actually, I want to apologize."
"Why?"
He wandered over to her CD player, which had her Goo Goo Dolls CD in again. "For not telling you the truth. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, and I'm sorry you feel I lied to you."
Jaina sighed. "Apology accepted. But you never answered my question."
"What question?"
"What difference would you have
wanted
it to make?"
Colin was looking at the CD player. He nudged the sound up a bit.
"Well?" she prompted.
Colin walked over to her with his hands in his pockets. "The difference I would have hoped... and possibly still hope for..."
He pulled his hands out and pinned her between his body and the makeup counter. Jaina's green eyes widened.
He looked at her for a moment, then grimaced and drew back. "Forget it."
She grabbed his arm. "Don't you dare go running off. I want you to tell me, to say whatever it was you were about to say. I miss you and I want things to be okay again. It's been bad because other than Angela, you're my only friend in this country, and I-"
Suddenly, she couldn't continue because his mouth was on hers, silencing her.
It took Jaina's brain several seconds to process that Colin was kissing her. His lips were as soft as she'd imagined, his arms just as strong.
Colin leaned her back against the counter, lost in the heady sensation of her supple body pressed against his. She tasted of vanilla, and the smallest hint of the mint toothpaste she used.
Jaina had time to think, "Angela's totally right," and Colin pulled away. She stood gaping at him, feeling like her eyeballs were spinning.
He cleared his throat. "I, uh... We need to talk, but not here."
Jaina swallowed and nervously licked her lips. That could have been a fortunate mistake, because he groaned and dragged her against him, mouth crushed against hers. A moment later, she was sitting on the makeup counter, her hands in Colin's hair.
Just as quickly as it had begun, Colin jerked away, taking several steps back. He was breathing hard, and her air-starved brain found that very thrilling.
"My family's out of town until Monday," she said hoarsely. "Are you free for dinner?"
"Completely."
"Stop by at seven, then?"
"I will."
He took a moment to compose himself, then left. She watched him go, a single butterfly flapping in her stomach
.
♥♥♥
For the rest of the day, she had to force herself not to think about the fact that Colin had kissed her. She was pretty sure that if she spent any time dwelling on it, her brain would melt.
At the lunch break, Jaina was filling a paper plate with some finger food, not even paying attention to it, and Colin walked by. Their eyes met, and she dropped her plate.
He didn't stop; they both knew if he did, disaster would strike.
Angela--who didn't film all days, but was usually there to hang out with Jaina--quickly knelt next to Jaina to help her. "What was that
about?" she hissed.
"Just clumsy," Jaina said.
Angela gave her a funny look, but didn't comment. Jaina was too busy staring after Colin
.
♥♥♥
In the afternoon, Jaina had to apply some gore makeup to one of the actors, whose character had been shot. Putting the latex and the fake blood on the man's chest and clothes distracted her enough that she didn't think once about Colin.
That was, until Colin himself came in for applications of fake blood. Jaina tried not to look at him as she retrieved the bottle of sticky red liquid.
She turned around. Colin had pulled off the costume shirt--a white button-up-- and stood shirtless before her.
"I assume Alex will be changing into another shirt?" she asked, forcing her voice to stay calm.
"Yes," he said. He wasn't looking at her, either.
Jaina smeared the fake blood over the shirt. "Let that dry. Otherwise, it'll soak through to your skin."
"I know." He prodded the sticky substance. "Where did your brother go?"
"They're in Wellington, visiting Teniel's parents. For the twins' birthday. Which is Saturday."
"Ah."
Jaina looked at the shirt. "Too bad it isn't the one with the pleats. I hate that one, and would gladly burn it."
He looked askance at her. "What one?"
"The blue one with the pleats. And the embroidery. That you wore a lot back when Angela first came on the show. That one."
"Oh." Colin nodded. "Yeah, that one's hideous. But the costumer chooses those."
Jaina shook her head. "She should let
me
have some input."
"Speaking of Angela... She's been giving me odd looks recently," Colin said.
Jaina said, "Oh? She's been acting strangely. I wonder if she has to kiss Peter again."
The door opened and the director's personal assistant stuck her head in. "Colin? We need you on set."
Colin gave Jaina an apologetic look and left the trailer, slipping into his shirt on his way out.
She sat for a moment by herself in the trailer, not sure what to do. She'd survived another few minutes alone with Colin, but just barely. The tension had been so high, they'd both stayed well out of arm's reach. The thought that they needed to make her legs shake.
Chapter Thirteen
As evening fell, Jaina found herself getting more and more tense. What were they going to say to one another? Was he going to come over and say that even though he'd kissed her, there was no way they'd work out?
'Quit being so pessimistic!' she scolded herself. 'He wouldn't have kissed me if he didn't want to.'
The director told her she could leave just before 6:30. She headed out to her car with her stuff, running into Angela along the way.
"Hey, you wanna go club hopping or something?" Angela asked. "I'm bored out of my mind and avoiding my ex."
Jaina smiled. "Sorry, I'd take you up on that, but I've got plans tonight."
"More cooking lessons with Colin? You've so got to get your mind off him."
"No, no cooking lesson. And I don't think you need to worry about that anymore, Ange." Jaina smiled privately. If things worked out the way she was thinking they would, she wouldn't have to worry about it again.
With that happy thought, she waved goodbye to Angela, and got in the car
.
♥♥♥
She broke several laws driving home, hell-bent on getting there in time to calm herself, before Colin got there. Luckily, she wasn't pulled over.
From the moment Colin's lips had touched hers, Jaina had been a jittery mess. Crushed against him as she'
d been, she no longer had any doubts. He wanted her, and badly. She felt giddy at the thought.
Glancing at her watch every two minutes, Jaina flitted nervously around the house. She whipped together something, and shoved it in the oven. Her hands were shaking. She needed some calming music.
She was fond of compilation tapes, just as much as Colin's character Alex was. She had made one for every mood she could think of. In her bedroom, she put in one of the calming ones, and set it on "repeat".
Feeling a little calmer, she kicked off her shoes and socks, then went down to the kitchen and set a bottle of sparkling cider to chill. The volume was up high enough she could hear the music drifting through the house. She leaned against the counter, by the "window" in the separator between the living-and-dining room and the kitchen.
A footfall near the doorway made her look up. She’d told him to just come in when he arrived. Instantly, everything she'd thought to say left her mind.
For a moment, she stopped breathing at the sight of Colin in the doorway. He was wearing his jacket and no hat, though it was snowing outside. The light where he stood was dim, the living area lit only by light spilling from the kitchen door and through the counter. He was, she saw, still wearing the grey-green sweater she liked so much on Alex, and black slacks, the outfit he'd changed into after the bloody shirt.
They stared at each other for what could have been a few seconds, or an age of the world. Neither of them said a word as he moved into the room.
He stopped a few feet in.
Jaina couldn't look away. She set down the washcloth she'd been holding for no particular reason and moved around the edge of the counter and out of the kitchen.
Colin couldn't have spoken if he'd wanted to. She was breathtaking, golden-brown hair tousled around her face, green eyes large and luminous, full lips parted.
He took another step.
Jaina met him halfway, reaching for him as he drew her into his arms. She closed her eyes as their lips touched. A thrill shot through her, making every hair stand on end.
Colin hadn't know what he'd intended when he'd walked in. But he hadn't expected this.
He dragged her hard against him. Her lips were soft and pliant, her body curved in all the right places, fitting against his perfectly. The swell of her breasts against his chest, combined with the first flick of her tongue against his, stole his breath and took the strength from his legs.
Jaina grabbed handfuls of his shirt. She couldn't think, let alone breathe. When he propelled her backwards, she went willingly. They bumped into the counter.
He broke away and gasped for air. In the middle of his inhale, Jaina grasped him by the back of the head and kissed him again.
Colin moved back, aiming for the sofa, but reaching the doorway to the foyer. Jaina pulled back and gazed up at him, green eyes cloudy with passion. He bent his head and kissed her.
Holding his shirt, Jaina began moving him towards the stairs. They stumbled against them and fell, laughing breathlessly. He leaned over her, the blue of his eyes darkened to a deep sapphire. Her laughter died, her breath catching in her chest.
Jaina began to speak, but Colin placed a finger against her lips, stopping her. This time, when he kissed her, his mouth pulled slowly at hers, sending all attempts at forming even a mildly coherent thought straight to hell. Her brain shut down and her body took over.
Her fingers slid into the short, dark hairs on his head. She gave a low moan that sent shivers down his back as he settled against her.
Kneeling on the step below her, Colin slid his hands over her legs, from her knees to her hips, and then slipped his hands under her sweater. Jaina arched into his hands, making a small noise of pleasure as his fingers played over her skin.
Pulling back, Colin looked down at her, one brow lifted in question. Jaina met his gaze, and slowly nodded.
Without a word, he stood, her legs wrapped around his hips, and carried her up the stairs.
♥♥♥
Colin shoved the door of her bedroom open. He kicked the door shut and leaned over the bed, setting Jaina on the covers. They kissed again, slow and lingering. Without pulling away, Colin struggled out of his jacket and dumped it on the floor. They spent several moments with their foreheads pressed together, breath mingled.
Finally, Colin knelt on one knee on the edge of the bed, between Jaina's legs. She sat up, reaching for the hem of his sweater. She couldn't lift it high enough, so he pulled it off over his head. Jaina watched with fascination as the muscles of his arms, chest, and abdomen flexed. She summoned all her bravery and placed her hands on his chest. He shuddered at the butterfly-light touch of her fingers.
He lightly rubbed her arm, his lips to hers, as he removed his shoes and socks with one hand. Slowly, he lifted her sweater. Jaina raised her arms, letting him remove it. She blushed at the heat in his eyes they roamed over her, taking in the heavy orbs of her breasts, held in her pink and black lace bra. For months, he'd longed to see her this way, and doing it now was almost too good to be true. He'd built a fantasy in his mind, since that night in the club, and he thought with delight that he could now touch her the way his fingers burned to.
Reaching around her, eyes locked on hers, he unhooked her bra and slowly slid the straps down her shoulders. Leaning forward, he kissed near her ear, then down her throat, and across her left shoulder. She shivered as his mouth slid down her arm, following the strap on that side. Jaina fell back on the covers, feeling rather boneless.
Dropping her bra on the floor, Colin leaned over her, his mouth continuing on its journey. In response, something in her lower belly tightened.
She felt bereft as he released her, the cool air hitting her damp skin. The feeling lasted only until he found a new site for worship. Her fingers clawed at the covers, clutching handfuls of the quilt.
He slipped the button of her jeans through the hole, then slowly slid the zipper down with a whir that made Jaina tense slightly. Her nervousness, which had been waning, came back full-force.