Safe From the Dark (8 page)

She
stood in front of the mirror, anxiously examining herself in the lace-edged
silky strapless bra and tiny matching panties. Not that anyone would ever see
them, but she had to admit that they were the most beautiful things she’d ever
owned, even if they did show off a shocking amount of bare skin. Evie pulled
the dress on and adjusted the miniscule straps, carefully draping a shawl
around her shoulders to cover her bandaged shoulder. She tugged on the hem down,
doubting that she could improve her reputation by flashing her ass at some unsuspecting
patron over dinner, and then hurried to answer the knock on the door.

“Wow,”
Matt said, and the appreciation in his eyes went a long way toward soothing her
nerves. He cleaned up nicely, but still gave off the impression of solid
strength as he filled her doorway.

“Am
I overdressed? I can change – ”

“You
look fantastic. Ready?”

She
nodded and let him escort her to his SUV, opening the door for her.

A
perfect gentleman,
she thought. Maybe the evening would be a success after all.

The
optimism lasted until the salad course. The restaurant was lively and crowded,
a popular seafood place on the water, and Evie steered the conversation toward
Matt, learning about the injuries that ruined his football dream but set him on
the path toward life as a firefighter, his woodworking hobby, the charities he
supported, and the house he was building himself. No politics, no troublesome
relationships – just a nice, good-hearted man who seemed solid as a rock.

If
I were smart, I’d fall for him.

As
if on cue, the door opened and Colin entered with Deirdre. Evie was unprepared
for the shock of reaction that landed in her stomach like a lodestone. She
sipped her wine and tried not to notice how Colin’s shoulders filled out his
dark blazer, or the way Deirdre clutched his arm, her crimson nails matching
the dress that was painted onto her voluptuous curves. Evie sipped her wine and
wrenched her focus back to Matt, but he, too, was watching the couple move
through the room like royalty. Colin smoothly stopped to shake hands with the
locals while Deirdre enthusiastically accepted well-wishes after her
near-tragedy.

“Poor
Millie,” said Matt.

“Hmmm?”

Matt
nodded at a mousy waitress, pretty but unremarkable. She was watching Deirdre
with barely-concealed hatred.

“Millicent
Grayson. Her husband Bobby died a few months back, and it’s no secret she’s
been trying to get Colin to pay her some attention. She and Deirdre really
don’t get along. Never have, not even back in high school.”

“Really?”
Evie examined the tense young woman with cop eyes, mentally adding her to a
sparse list of potential suspects. But Matt was still talking.

“She’s
probably all bent out of shape because Deirdre’s staying at Colin’s until she
finds another place.”

“I
can see why that might irk a woman who wants to romance the mayor.” Evie
squelched the uncomfortable prickle of jealousy that toyed with her insides.

Matt
laughed.

“That’s
got to be most of the women in town. Half of them want to be First Lady of
Bright’s Ferry, the other half want his money.”

“What
money?”

“Didn’t
you know? Colin’s rolling in it. He’s like, some computer genius, made a bundle
off a patent for a chip of some sort.”

“Then
what’s he doing here?” Evie was baffled.

Matt
shrugged and attacked his salad.

“Guess
he wanted to come home.”

Evie
watched Colin help Deirdre into her chair, and saw her take the opportunity to trace
a surreptitious finger up one muscled thigh as he moved away. Suddenly, she
needed a little air.

“Do
you mind? I’ll be right back.” She smiled at Matt, who stood as she did.

“Not
at all. Take your time.”

As
she stood, Colin looked up, and their eyes met across the room. Evie felt
nothing but heat as his shocked gaze slid downward, taking in her dress and
every inch of bared skin. Feeling naked, she hurried blindly toward the
hallway.

COLIN
HAD NO IDEA what Deidre had been saying for the last three minutes, since all
the blood in his brain had surged to his cock at the first sight of Evie in a
silky, blue excuse for a dress that zapped his ability to focus on anything
else. Mile-long legs, fabric that cupped her breasts and whispered down over
her hips, held up by tiny blue straps that would be no match for his teeth. The
silky ribbons of her hair teased the creamy perfection of her skin.

She’d
dressed up for Matt
,
he realized, the thought a surprising irritation. He tried to block it out, but
as Deirdre chattered away, already focused on new plans for her damaged
property, Colin was bombarded with upsetting images – the big firefighter
escorting Evie to the doorway of her grandmother’s cabin, winding her glorious dark
hair around his fist while he took her mouth, tracing the curves of her breasts
as he pulled her dress down, and worst of all, Evie’s gray eyes darkening with
lust as she pulled him inside, her nimble fingers eagerly working on his
buttons.
Fuck.

The
room suddenly felt very hot.

“You
don’t look so good, sweetie,” Deirdre suddenly noticed, arching one perfect
eyebrow, “Want some water?”

“Go
ahead and order for me,” Colin said, patting her hand, “I’ll be right back.”

The
hallway leading to the restrooms was more of a long glassed-in patio
overlooking the wharf, with a small curtained room at the far end, usually
reserved for private romantic dinners.

Colin
came around the corner and stopped short as Evie came out of the Ladies’ Room,
looking tense. Her eyes widened. Colin couldn’t catch his breath, and fumbled
to think of something important to say. He’d spent a tedious day with Deirdre, who
had taken the fire as a sign that they should move in together, and wouldn’t listen
to reason, already coming up with massive plans to redecorate his parents’
house. All the while, Colin worried about Evie, trying desperately to remember
why he wanted to stay away from her in the first place.

“Hello,
there.”

“Hi.”

He
was planning to say something relevant, to ask her if Tony had figured out what
started the fire, but one second they were staring at each other, and the next
he was propelling her back toward the empty alcove room, behind the red velvet
curtains, and pressing her against the rich damask wall, the light low and
intimate.

“This
isn’t a good idea, Colin,” she whispered, her eyes huge.

Colin
knew she was probably right, but the heat of her body under the thin silk, the
softness of her breasts yielding to his muscular strength as he pinned her
against the wall, clouded his mind.

Bad,
bad, bad, Daniels.

He
was trying to convince himself to let her go before this got even more out of
hand when she took the decision away from him, stretching up to capture his
mouth in a kiss so carnal and hot that any second thoughts melted away like butter
on a hot griddle.

EVIE
HAD NO DOUBT that kissing Colin was a terrible idea, nor that it was entirely
her fault. She could have asked him to let her go or pushed him away, but the
strength of his body against hers felt criminally good, and the now-familiar
scent of his aftershave was driving her crazy, and that annoying, sexy mouth
was
right there.
All of her good intentions vanished as she moved, and
her mouth met his in a hot, wet tangle, battling for control, the taste of him
addictive.
So good.

They
were relatively concealed in the alcove, the muted sounds of the restaurant no
more than a pleasant buzz behind them, and Evie’s breath hitched as Colin
pulled slightly away to ease the shawl off her shoulders while he nibbled her
lower lip. She shivered as he traced the straps of her dress, easing the one on
her good shoulder away as his lips started a slow path down her throat and his
hands settled on her ribcage, carefully avoiding her injuries, his thumbs
lightly caressing the underside of her breasts.

“Nice
dress, Miss Asher,” he murmured.

“It’s
new.” Evie’s head fell back as Colin sucked gently at the sensitive spot where
neck met shoulder, and she slid her hands under his blazer, learning the ridges
of his torso through the soft material of his shirt. Suddenly, the only thing
that mattered was getting her hands on all that warm muscled flesh, and she was
shocked to find herself tugging the material free from his jeans. When her
greedy hands burrowed beneath, exploring the contours of his body, reveling in
the heat that poured off of him, Colin groaned and wrapped his arms around her,
pulling her back in for another drugging kiss.

The
shift pressed his rigid cock against her lower stomach, and she wrenched her
mouth away, gasping. He felt huge, and her empty pussy clenched, already damp
for him.

“God,
Evie, feel what you do to me?”

In
an effortless move that made her whole body tighten with need, he lifted her,
pressing her against the wall again and sliding one muscular leg between hers, forcing
her to ride his thigh, pushing her skirt up. The solid muscle rubbed her swollen
clit deliciously as he rolled his hips, the bulge of his erection against her
abdomen. Colin licked a spot under her jaw and Evie moaned, her nails digging
into his back under his shirt as he started a steady rocking motion that was designed
to dissolve her whole body into a puddle on the floor in no time.

With
a naughty grin Evie felt rather than saw, Colin slid a hand between them, tracing
the lacy edge of her barely-there panties.

“Bet
these are pretty, too,” he murmured.

His
fingers grazed her soft flesh as he tugged the damp panel to the side, and she
jerked.

“What
are you – oh,
God
– ”

Without
the soft silk as a barrier, the rough denim of his jeans rasped directly
against her wet pussy, firing nerve endings and sending shards of pleasure
ripping through her as he rocked, and rocked, and rocked. Evie whimpered and he
swallowed the sound.

“You’re
burning me alive,” he muttered, cupping her ass under her skirt to haul her
even closer, rub harder, taking her mouth with his like a conqueror.

Evie
had completely lost control of the situation, a fact that terrified her, but
the way he handled her body felt shockingly good, the practiced thrusts of his
tongue and hips and the hard cock between them a delicious preview of the
sexual delight he had to offer. She felt tension coiling in her abdomen, in her
pussy, as he nipped her lower lip.

“That’s
right, baby,” he groaned, “let me give you what you need.”

The
words splashed over Evie like icy water, dousing her desire, and with a
monumental effort that had her shoulder and side protesting, she shoved him
away. Colin stared at her, rumpled and aroused and panting, the heat in his eyes
enough to make her knees buckle, but she was too shaken and angry to care.

“You
don’t have a fucking clue what I need.”

Trembling,
she straightened her dress.

“Evie,
what the hell – ”

“This
was a mistake.”

“It
was just a kiss. Is that such a big deal?” The harsh rasp of his voice belied
the flippant words, but Evie didn’t notice as she hurriedly retrieved her shawl,
which had fallen to the floor.

“It’s
a big deal when you toy with people’s feelings. It’s a big deal when you tell a
girl that you want her and then spend the night with someone else. It’s a huge
deal when you make your girlfriend believe you love her, when you make promises,
but really you’re just fucking around on your wife, ruining lives and careers
for the sake of your dick, Jack.”

Evie
stared at him, horrified as the angry words spilled out of her mouth, almost
involuntarily, and the play of emotion on Colin’s face moved from confusion to
grim realization to sympathy.

“I
think you’re confusing me with someone else,” he said gently, and placed a hand
on her arm.

She
jerked away as though she’d been stung. What a complete disaster.

I’m
sorry
, she
wanted to say, but the words got stuck, and the only thing she could manage was
a shocked, “Oh God – ” before she hurried away.

Back
at the table, Matt was waiting for her with a smile that faded as he took in
her agitated state.

“You
look rattled. What’s the matter?”

Evie
dredged up a shaky smile.

“Nothing,
just a little headache. Do you mind if we cut our evening short? I’m so sorry.”

Ever
courteous, Matt paid the bill and escorted her out, admonishing himself for not
realizing that a date might be too much after last night’s near miss. At her
doorstep, he kissed her cheek in brotherly fashion.

“I
hope we can try again sometime soon.”