Colin was still leaning against the wall, but only inches separated them now—which meant she’d been the one moving closer, even though she had no recollection of it. Or even an explanation for it. Without really meaning to, she placed a hand on his chest, and she could feel the heavy thump of his heart through the cotton of his shirt.
This time when she breathed in, she smelled him—soap and smoke from the grill and something else uniquely Colin that made her thighs clench.
Alarm bells clanged in her head. She needed to heed them this time because this was complicated enough. She stepped back. “Sorry,” she managed to choke out.
She had to go.
* * *
Colin couldn’t move. He could still feel the imprint of her hand on his chest, and the air felt thick and hard to breathe.
Whatever was going on in Jamie’s head was complicated and complex, and she was clearly fighting herself. It was small comfort, though, when his zipper was digging into him and his skin was tight.
It took a few minutes to get himself back under control, and when he went back outside and scanned the yard, Jamie was nowhere to be seen. But he did find Callie easily. “Where’s Jamie?”
“She left. She said she wasn’t feeling well.”
He could relate. He felt hot and flushed and his skin felt a size too small.
He hung around a little while longer, but the feeling wouldn’t abate. If anything, the edge only grew sharper, honed by frustration. After another twenty minutes, he made his exit, heading home to a cold shower and something stronger than beer.
Dropping his keys and phone on the table by the front door, Colin went straight for the kitchen and the bottle of Jack in the cupboard over the sink. Vetoing the need for a glass, he unscrewed the lid and took a drink. The whiskey was still burning its way down his throat when his doorbell rang.
Everyone he knew was still at Eric’s, so he ignored it, only for it to ring again and again a moment later. At least now he could unleash this bad mood on someone who deserved his ire, and he wrenched open the door to do exactly that.
Jamie.
He hadn’t thought he was drunk enough—
yet
—to hallucinate. She was backlit by the streetlight, her features shadowed, fingers nervously twisting around themselves. Her lips pressed together as she met his eyes, and Colin’s tongue felt too thick to say anything.
It seemed like an age passed before she spoke. “I looked you up and your address is listed. So I came by.” She paused and swallowed. “Can I come in?”
He had absolutely no idea what to say, so he nodded and stepped back, opening the door farther for her, and Jamie hesitated for a second before coming in. It was an awkward moment as Jamie closed the door and leaned slightly against it. He waited for her to speak, but when she didn’t, he held the bottle in her direction. “Want a drink?”
To his surprise, she nodded, turning the bottle up for a long swallow before grimacing and handing it back. His body felt as though it was vibrating, wanting to touch her, but her silence was unnerving.
Then her hands were on him, wrapping around his neck and pulling his head down to hers as she rose up on tiptoes to meet his mouth.
Pure want hit him with the force of a hurricane, causing him to weave dangerously off balance before righting himself by anchoring his body to hers. Jamie’s arms tightened, pulling her into even closer contact as her tongue slipped inside his mouth.
He groaned, wrapping his arms around her waist and deepening the kiss, feeding off her as if he’d been starving for weeks.
Which, in a way, he had.
Jamie’s fingers threaded through his hair, holding him, and he caught her sigh in his mouth as she melted against him. Her kiss was hot, wicked and wild, and he trapped her between his body and the wall.
There was no hesitation in her responses, no holding back as she writhed against him, the raw, carnal nature of it completely at odds with the careful distance she’d kept before.
He didn’t know what had changed, but he wasn’t going to question it too much, either.
And this time, he certainly wasn’t going to rush.
He gentled the kiss, running his hands over her cheeks, letting his thumbs stroke her temples and loosening the mass of hair until it fell around her shoulders. Jamie’s nails bit into his shoulders in protest as he released her lips and moved down to the soft skin of her neck, slowly and deliberately. With a sigh, her head fell back, giving him better access, and he felt the small shivers of pleasure move over her body as he traced her collarbone with his tongue.
“Colin.”
His name was half-sigh, half-groan, escaping from kiss-swollen lips under hooded eyes, and it cut through him like a hot knife, nearly derailing his plan to go slow and savor her.
But if he didn’t get her to the bedroom soon, he was going to take her there on the hardwood floor of his foyer without a single regret. As if she were reading his mind, Jamie boosted herself up, wrapping her legs around his waist, and whispered, “Bedroom,” in his ear.
He was all too happy to oblige, thankful it wasn’t a long walk. In the dim light of his bedroom, he set her carefully on her feet, letting every inch of her body touch his in the process. It was a sweet torture.
One tug and the strapless top of her dress was at her waist. One more and it puddled at her feet, leaving her only in a barely-there thong.
She was even more beautiful than he remembered.
Jamie wasn’t sure how much longer her legs were going to hold her upright. Colin didn’t even have to touch her—just the heat in his eyes and the long, slow, appreciative looks were turning her muscles to water.
But when he did touch her...
This
was what she’d been fighting, what had sent her running from the party, only to find herself a few minutes later sitting on Colin’s street watching for him to come home. It hadn’t even been a plan, just an inexplicable need.
She knew Colin wanted her, and though she’d tried to fight it, tried to remind herself that she’d be a fool to rush back into anything—much less his arms—the rational, reasonable part of her brain had been shouted down by the sheer force of
want.
This was probably a mistake, and she might regret it tomorrow, but she didn’t care. She had a whole bucket full of unhappy regrets. At least this regret would be a good one.
Colin’s hand on her breast caused her breath to catch, only for it to come out a second later in a hiss of pleasure as his thumb rasped over her nipple. He didn’t seem to be in a rush, and while the thought of Colin taking his time caused her thighs to clench, she wasn’t sure she’d survive the experience.
His shirt joined her dress on the floor, putting that mouthwatering chest on display just for her. For someone who spent most of his time in front of a computer, he was in remarkably good shape, lots of soft skin draped over hard muscle.
She echoed his gesture, tracing her thumb over the ridge of his pectoral muscle, then raking her nail gently over the nipple. Colin’s response was swift, grabbing her shoulders and hauling her up for another kiss that scrambled what was left of her mind.
He walked her backward until she felt the mattress against the back of her knees, and she collapsed onto the bed, pulling Colin with her.
Oh,
God
, just the solid weight of him between her thighs was nearly enough to send her over the edge, but Colin just settled and began a leisurely exploration that had her fisting the sheets, unable to take a deep breath.
She cried out when his tongue found her center, arching off the bed as the orgasm went on and on. Before the aftershocks had even abated, Colin was sliding inside, burying himself to the hilt with a groan.
Mercy,
she’d thought these kinds of sensations were a one-off, fueled by the party atmosphere and decadence of Mardi Gras, but she realized that frenzied quickie hadn’t even begun to showcase Colin’s skills.
Then he kissed her. Equal parts passion and tenderness, that kiss sent tremors through her that she didn’t quite understand and couldn’t fully process.
But she didn’t care. Colin was moving, slowly at first, each stroke seemingly different from the one before, hitting every nerve ending she had—and many she hadn’t known she possessed. She was clinging to him, legs wrapped tight around his waist, begging for more.
She could feel the tension building again when Colin began to move faster, and she exploded with a force that scared her, nearly blacking out from the intensity.
The next thing she knew, Colin was stroking her face and calling her name. It took all the energy she could muster just to open her eyes.
He was just inches above her, sweat glistening on his forehead, a mixture of concern and amusement in his eyes. “You okay?”
She wanted to ask him the same question, as his heart was pounding against her chest at an alarming rate and his breath was uneven, but all she could manage was a tiny nod.
He smiled and dropped his forehead to hers with a sigh. Closing his eyes, he took deep gulping breaths, but one hand kept stroking her from knee to ribs, acting as an anchor for her as she slowly floated back to earth.
Then she heard him chuckle. Opening her eyes again, she found him staring at her. Bracing himself on his elbows, he raised an eyebrow. “
Now
will you tell me your last name?”
She laughed and he grinned at her.
“Vincent. Jamie Vincent.”
He dropped a kiss on her forehead. “It’s nice to meet you, Jamie Vincent.”
SIX
“Exactly how big
of a geek are you?”
Jamie mumbled the question against his chest, which she was currently using as a pillow. He looked down, but she didn’t move, so he tugged on her hair until she looked up at him. That was a mistake, because her sated, tumbled appearance had an immediate effect on him—which was pretty impressive considering how they’d spent the last couple of hours. He should be mostly dead by now. “Excuse me?”
“I
said,
how big of a geek are you?” She perched her chin on her fist. “Are we talking just a little geeky, or full-out, I’ve-got-
Star-Trek
-uniforms-in-the-closet geeky?”
“Kirk or Picard?” he shot back, straight-faced.
“Oh, dear Lord.”
“Don’t worry. They wouldn’t fit you anyway.” At her shocked look, he rolled her to her back and grinned at her. “My friends got you worried, huh?”
“Not
too
worried, obviously, or I wouldn’t be here,” she answered primly. “And they were all very nice.”
“Yeah, but be warned—some of them
do
have uniforms in their closets.” He traced a small circle on her stomach and watched the muscles contract under his fingers. Maybe Jamie wasn’t quite worn out yet, either.
“But they were very nice to me, nonetheless.”
“You sound surprised.”
“Pleased,” she corrected. “And appreciative. I’ve been a little lonely since I moved here.” She said it with a sigh.
“What about Kelsey?”
Jamie shook her head. “We’re roommates. I answered her room for rent ad online. She’s okay as a roommate, but we don’t have a lot in common, so...”
She’d mentioned starting over, but it seemed she was trying to start from scratch. “You didn’t move here for work and you don’t have any friends or family in the area?” She nodded. “Sounds like you’re on the run from something.”
“Not literally, if that’s what you’re asking.”
Jamie’s evasiveness was starting to get on his nerves. This woman-of-mystery crap belonged in movies, not real life. “So why are you here? Now, with me?”
With a sultry look, Jamie ran a finger across his forehead, temple and cheek, ending up at his mouth. “I thought that was pretty self-explanatory.”
He waited.
Jamie sighed and pulled the sheet up over her breasts. “I don’t have a good answer for that. I wish I did. Does it really matter?”
“Just last week you were insisting that you didn’t want anything to do with me.” The fact she was here now didn’t erase that insult.
“At the time, I thought it would be easier that way. And I wasn’t completely wrong, either. It seemed like jumping the gun a little, to get involved with someone when I haven’t found my footing yet. Hell, I haven’t even found a good dry cleaner yet.”
That still didn’t answer his question. “So what changed your mind?”
She trailed a hand down his chest and gave him that smile again. “You’re good-looking, charming, smart, great in bed...how could I resist?”
He’d had about enough of this. He rolled off her, out of the bed, and found his jeans. “Jesus, Jamie. If you want to play mind games, find someone else.”
“It’s not a game. I wish it were, because then there’d be clear rules and I wouldn’t have to be figuring it out as I went along.” She sat up and watched him as he dressed. “If you didn’t want this, you didn’t have to let me in tonight.”
It was a good thing he was dressed. He probably couldn’t have responded naked. “I didn’t say I didn’t want you, Jamie. In fact, I think I proved that repeatedly.”
Exasperated, she threw up her hands. “Then I don’t know what you want
from
me.”
“You are the strangest person I’ve ever met. And if you knew the kind of people I normally associate with, you’d realize how high that bar actually is.”
“Jeez, you can be such an ass.” Jamie rolled off the bed, dragging the sheet behind her. “I thought we could be friends,” she muttered.
“Oh, is
that
what this is?”
She turned and fired back, “I don’t know. I don’t know what I want. I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“It’s not that complicated.”
“Maybe not for you,” she snapped, grabbing her dress off the floor and stepping into it.
She made no sense at all. “What’s
that
supposed to mean?”
She looked him up and down, the muscle in her jaw twitching, before crossing her arms over her chest and leveling a look at him. “You want to know what my deal is?
Fine.
Six weeks ago, I broke off my engagement. A five-year engagement. We’d been together since I was nineteen. That alone should be enough to make me gun shy.”
“That doesn’t—”
Jamie continued as though he hadn’t said anything. “That’s bad, of course, but those kinds of things happen to people. But then the bottom really fell out. I’d followed Joey to five different cities over the years supporting his career. Do you know how little of your life is actually
yours
after eight years of that? All my friends were his friends, or the girlfriends of his friends, and none of them joined Team Jamie when we broke up. First I was the fool and then I became the villain. And everything was his—the car, the condo, the furniture. Because we weren’t married, I got nothing when I left.”
She looked at him expectantly, but he’d been blindsided by this and was still trying to catch up. She snorted and shook her head. “So here I am—no career and no real skills to speak of to get one, no friends. My own sister turned against me. My parents think I’m insane for leaving him. So I had no choice but to find someplace new to start over. And when I say I’m starting over with little more than the clothes on my back, I’m
not
kidding.”
He’d wanted to know, but he hadn’t expected
that.
Jamie’s voice was raw, and he regretted pushing her. And once again, he didn’t know what to say. “That does sound bad.”
Jamie’s eyes widened and he was now regretting saying anything at all. “Ya think?” she snapped. “So, yeah, I’m feeling a little crazy right now. I’m also freaked out and more than a bit scared. And so, no, I don’t have a damn clue what I’m doing here with you.”
She ran her hands through her hair and seemed to give herself a good shake. With another one of those exasperated sighs, she turned her back on him and walked out the door.
And now he felt like a total ass.
* * *
Jamie felt shaky inside. She hadn’t meant to say any of that—much less
all
of that. At the same time, she hadn’t realized how close to the surface it all was, nor how tender she would be to someone poking her about it. But she’d said it, so she’d own it, and she’d walk out of there with her head held high. Giving in to her mysterious attraction to Colin had been a big mistake.
She should have heeded the signs from the get-go and not let her hormones take over.
But now it would be out of her system, and she’d plan on keeping her distance from him from this point on.
Her shoes were in the hall, keys and purse in the foyer where she’d dropped them when she’d launched herself at Colin. She had her hand on the door when she heard him speak from behind her.
“R.J.’s Quality Cleaners on Canal.”
She spun around to see Colin leaning against the door frame to his bedroom.
“What?”
“A good dry cleaner. They’re fast, reasonably priced and they do a good job. I’ve known the family for years.”
She couldn’t really process that information. It
seemed
as if it should make sense, yet at the same time it didn’t.
“You said you needed to find a dry cleaner.” He walked toward her, a small smile teasing the corner of his mouth. “Well, that’s now one thing you can scratch off your list.”
“Thank you.” She didn’t really know what else to say to that.
“If you need money,” he continued, “I’m sure Teddy would let you pick up some shifts at the Lucky Gator. It’s probably not the career you’re looking for, but it’d be quick cash to cover the rent at least while you look.”
What is he doing?
She didn’t realize she’d said it aloud until he answered her.
“Trying to help.”
This
was why she shouldn’t overshare. “I don’t want pity.”
“It’s not pity. You said you thought we could be friends. Friends help each other out.”
A little glow of hope lit in her chest. She’d been telling herself all the right things, but she realized now that she didn’t quite believe her own pep talks. Somehow, this overture—as weird and unexpected as it was—helped her believe.
“Thank you,” she said again, but this time she meant it.
“It’s true you’ve got a lot on your plate, but don’t panic over it. Embrace it. You can’t start over just to spite your past.”
His voice was soothing and slightly hypnotic, and it didn’t help that he was still shirtless, mussed and delicious-looking. She still had too many post-orgasmic endorphins rocketing through her bloodstream for
that
to go unnoticed by her libido. Being friendly or not, part of her recognized that he was clearly trying to woo her back to bed, and damn it, it was working. She wasn’t going to address his last comment, because that might lead to more oversharing, and there was still an awful lot of that she needed to sort out for herself before she started taking advice from others. But the other thing he’d said... “I wouldn’t mind having a friend.”
He smiled at her, and while she returned it, the moment felt a little heavier than she’d have liked or wanted to think about. “We don’t have much in common,” she warned. “My laptop is strictly for surfing and shopping, and I’ve never seen
Star Wars.
”
“That’s a pity, but I have other friends for that.” He held out his hand, palm up.
Jamie hesitated for a moment, part of her thinking it wasn’t such a bright idea, but another part of her shouting that it was, for all kinds of reasons. It was a little confusing, but in the end, it came down to two things: she liked Colin, and the occasional brain-scrambling roll in the sack would be good for her overall mental health.
Not to mention very satisfying.
She put her hand in his and his fingers closed around it. There was an exhilarating rush of excitement as her body shifted into gear, expectation shimmering through her insides.
But there was something else, too. Something she didn’t want to investigate too closely.
But that was okay. She’d just take everything one step at a time.
And the first step was back toward Colin’s bed.
* * *
The sky was beginning to lighten as she quietly closed the door behind her. She was exhausted, bleary eyed and not fully steady on her feet. Colin had grumbled when she got up to get dressed, coaxing her to come back to bed, to sleep a little while longer.
Thankfully, he’d fallen back asleep quickly, his breaths slow, deep and even.
That was a good thing, because she wouldn’t have been able to give good reasons why she wouldn’t—or actually couldn’t—stay. How was she supposed to articulate the fact that spending the night, the whole night—and actually
sleeping
with him, much less waking up with him—would put her in very uncomfortable territory?
It seemed smarter and safer to not go there quite yet, hence her stealthy exit.
Dark stubble had lined Colin’s chin, and his hair stuck up at crazy angles. He, though, had still looked scrumptious in ways that nearly had her crawling back under the covers with him. She couldn’t say the same for herself, as the image that greeted her in the rearview mirror was downright scary.
Anyone who saw her would know exactly how she’d spent the night.
But she couldn’t really bring herself to regret it. She felt calmer than she had in weeks, more relaxed and sure of herself. Maybe there really was something to that whole you-just-need-to-get-laid thing.
She still wasn’t convinced that getting involved with someone was a good idea at this point, and she’d never had sex with a man she hadn’t been in a committed relationship with. She’d heard of friends with benefits before, and wondered if it could possibly be that easy.
It would certainly be nice.
* * *
“It was so cool. You just don’t appreciate the level of detail that goes into them until you see it up close. And they’re
huge.
” Jamie sat cross-legged on his living room floor, the pizza in front of her gone cold as she bubbled over, sharing every detail she’d learned on her tour about how parade floats were made.
He laughed. “So you’ve told me. Six times.”
Jamie made a face at him. “I’m sorry I’m not as jaded about the whole thing as you are.
I
still find it very interesting and exciting.”
“You know, I’ve lived here my entire life and I’ve never been to Mardi Gras World.”
Her jaw dropped. “You’re kidding.”
“Nope.”
She grabbed the brochure she’d brought back with her. “There’s a VIP tour that’s like twenty bucks extra, and I’m really thinking about going back to do that. You could come with me when I do.”
“I’ll pass, thanks. Anyway,” he pushed to his feet and went to the kitchen for a refill, “I thought you were busy job hunting, not sightseeing.”
“I’m doing both, thank you very much. I sent in three more résumés this morning before I went on my tour. In the meantime, I took your advice and got a job waiting tables in the interim. I start day after tomorrow.” She grinned as she finally picked up her pizza and took a bite.
“Good for you.” He sat next to her on the floor and leaned against the couch. “I happen to know for a fact that the money at the Lucky Gator is pretty good.”
She shook her head as she swallowed. “Not the Gator. It’s a place called Beauregard’s.”
He nearly choked on his drink.
Sweet God.
“Beauregard’s is kind of rough, don’t you think?”
She waved that away. “It’s fine.”
“No, it’s not. Didn’t someone get stabbed in the parking lot a couple of weeks ago?”
“And things like that
never
happen in the Quarter, of course,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“But I know Teddy would look out for you.”