His hands came to rest on her shoulders, his palms hot and strong. Heat burned within her and her stomach curled with silken anticipation as the need to taste him grew.
“Rina?”
“Yes?”
He removed her glasses, placing them on the desk, and stared. “Did you know you have golden flecks in those brown eyes?”
Unable to speak, she licked her dry lips and was rewarded when his hungry gaze followed the movement.
“Reminds me of sunshine.”
Warmth tingled through her veins. Born and raised in the Bronx and a New York girl at heart, Rina wasn’t shy about asking for what she wanted. And she wanted her new life to begin now. Despite barely knowing Colin, she was going to test the waters. Take whatever he was willing to give. “You should know, I’m not one to let a mistletoe moment pass.”
“And you should know, I’m not a man who takes a challenge lightly,” he said, obviously referring to her earlier question. Did he have the nerve to kiss her? “Nor am I the type to defy tradition. No matter how unexpected,” he whispered an instant before he lowered his head and his lips touched hers.
He’d called her bluff, taken the initiative, and now he toyed with her, playfully testing, learning the feel of her mouth and letting her learn him. Then his tongue slid briefly, seductively, over the seam of her lips, electrifying her with his moist touch until their tongues lightly met.
The experiment yielded high-impact results. Colin tasted of pure male desire, a flavor that stirred a hunger long denied, and awakened passions she’d never experienced before. Passions she’d never thought existed before now. She trembled, and in response he squeezed her shoulders, his fingers biting into her skin, providing a carnal awareness of the fact that she affected him, too.
But from deep inside, caution clawed its way to the surface, breaking through the surprising desire that still burned hot inside her. She’d been floored by a simple kiss.
As if anything about this kiss—or Colin—was simple.
She lifted her head, breaking the kiss but not the awareness. He met her gaze. Heat flared bright in his eyes and flushed his cheeks, and the shock that reverberated inside her was evident in his expression. Another emotion shared.
She stepped back and ran trembling fingers over her lips. “That was…”
“Fun.”
Not exactly the word she’d have chosen and Rina blinked, startled.
“Isn’t that what kissing under the mistletoe is supposed to be?” Colin shot her a boyish grin.
She wished it was as easy for her. She exhaled hard and forced a casual smile before meeting his eyes. “Of course it was fun. Emma set us up and we responded like any two adults caught under the mistletoe would.”
She took a step backward, then another. A few more and she made it to her desk so she could regroup, leaving Colin alone under the mistletoe laden with tradition.
“Fun’s meant to be repeated.” His expression still showed shocked surprise, but he couldn’t hide the warm appreciation in his gaze.
She reached for her jacket, caught off guard when he stepped forward and helped her slip on her wool coat. His hands were gentle as he adjusted her collar, and his callused fingers brushed her nape, eliciting a tingling sensation that shot straight to her toes.
She hadn’t known he was a gentleman. “Thanks.”
“My pleasure.”
Without turning, unwilling to look into those blue eyes once more, she barely managed to grab her series folder, call a quick goodbye and beat a hasty retreat to the door.
“Rina, wait.”
She turned, her heart pounding hard in her chest. “What?”
“You forgot something.”
She accepted her glasses and bolted into the cold night.
As the icy whip of wind hit her cheeks, it was easier to think clearly. With that kiss, her experiment had taken on even more exciting, somewhat illicit overtones.
She still planned to experiment for her column. Starting tomorrow, she’d test out men as a group in general. But when it came to Colin, she was fully aware of his impact. With a single kiss, she’d learned he wielded power. Sexual, seductive power, and she found that lure thrilling.