He’d once asked her to tell him the same thing, and he was grateful she’d cared enough to ask. “I want you to take me in your mouth.” He needed her to give to him in that ultimate, intimate way. Needed to know she was as far gone as he. “Hold me in your hand, take me in your mouth and make me come.”
He held his breath and waited as she stretched out beside him, her legs near his head, her mouth hovering above his sex. “A first,” he thought he heard her say, and then he heard nothing because she’d done as he’d asked.
Heat enveloped him, cushioning him in liquid warmth. At the first lap of her tongue, he nearly came off the bed. And then she bathed him with damp sweeps of her tongue, alternating with erotic grazing of teeth against his shaft.
“Sweet heaven,” he muttered with an uncontrollable groan. He was lost in the most incredible whirlpool of sensation, but not so far gone he couldn’t think of her, and when he opened his eyes, her bare skin beckoned to him.
It took some maneuvering and some damn fine concentration on his part not to climax first, but he managed to part her robe and find the vee of her legs. He grasped her thighs and found her slick, damp folds with his tongue, drawing her into his mouth the same way she was taking him.
“Colin?” The shock in her voice sounded at the same time the swirling arousing sensations rocking his body tapered off. Damn. “Relax, sweetheart. I want you with me when I come.”
The things Rina did to him, body, heart and soul defied description. He inhaled her essence and his body trembled as he began working her again with his tongue.
A whimper escaped, bubbling up from the back of her throat, and her hips began a subtle movement, begging for more. Holding on to her thighs, he met her silent demand as she did the same for him, slickening his hard shaft with dampness and gliding her hands up and down, mimicking the thrust of lovemaking, of his body pumping into her tight, moist heat.
Within seconds, a shaking, shuddering climax hit him, harder than any he could remember, sending him into a breath-stealing moment of release and complete surrender. From the cry that escaped her lips, he knew he’d taken her along for the ride. And that notion pleased him far more than his own physical release.
Later, after a shower that involved more than washing up, they shared popcorn in bed while a mellow radio station played in the background. A dim light set the room aglow, Rina snuggled beside him, and Colin felt a contentment that had always eluded him.
“I’ve been thinking,” she said.
“I know. I can hear those old gears grinding.”
She laughed. “I’m serious. You were talking earlier about how hurt you were that Joe didn’t leave the running of the paper to you in case of an emergency.”
The topic sobered him, reminding him of how and why he’d ended up back on Rina’s doorstep tonight. Watching Corinne sit by Joe’s bedside, her gaze damp, his hand in hers, he’d felt like an outsider in a family he thought had been his. He wasn’t a child and he understood how juvenile his thoughts seemed, so he’d tried to focus on the reasons behind his feelings.
It came back to the bond he’d always shared with Joe. The bond the older man had broken. The newspaper. “What about it?” he asked Rina.
“Well, I take it even before today’s relapse, Joe hasn’t been up to a business conversation, so you don’t know why he did what he did.”
“That about sums it up.”
“Until you can talk with him, you won’t feel much better. But you can try talking to Corinne and not fighting with her,” she suggested. “I did notice you aren’t exactly your charming self when she’s around.”
Despite the serious subject, he laughed. “That’s true.” He picked up a piece of popcorn. “Open,” he said. Rina opened her mouth and he popped a piece inside. “But I have tried and she’s set on doing things her way. And I went there today, intending to hash things out, but…” He shook his head. “It wasn’t the time.”
She chewed and swallowed. “Well, you’re the one with experience,” she said, taking his side without knowing what his side was or what it would mean for her future. “As soon as Joe’s better, I’m sure he’ll hear you out.”
“The doctor’s indicated a return to work wasn’t coming anytime soon,” he said.
“But he’ll be able to take back the reins or at least oversee more. At the very least, you’ll be able to talk to him again.” She leaned over and placed a salty kiss on his lips. “You’ll feel better once you get things off your chest. Be true to yourself, Colin. I already told you, my marriage taught me that’s the one thing that counts in life.”
“You told me a little. I want to know more.”
She eyed him steadily. “I realize now that though I did love Robert…” She trailed off.
And he hated the jealousy gnawing at his gut. Hating the thought of Rina with any other man.
“Although I loved him, it was a steady, dependable kind of love.” She drew a calming breath. “Not anything like…” She shook her head, interrupting herself. “Never mind.”
Colin’s stomach clenched, but he refused to push her. Probably because he was afraid she’d compare her safe marriage to their more combustible, less reliable, short-term affair. And he wasn’t in any position to reassure her.
RINA DECIDED to throw a last-minute party on Christmas Day. Instead of having Colin uncomfortable and surrounded only by her family, she wanted to bring his friends and relatives to him.
Luckily, Logan and Catherine agreed to move their holiday celebration to Rina’s, and Catherine even offered to bring the food, for which Rina was eternally grateful. Catherine then talked her sister, Kayla, and her husband, Kane, into joining them. Frankie had also agreed, since her family was out of state, and she hadn’t made any plans. And Emma had jumped with glee, accepting any excuse to spend Christmas with Logan and away from her son. She’d even asked if she could bring Stan.
Progress came in many forms, Rina thought wryly as her company all mingled in the family room. Rina’s only concern was whether Norton would behave. She glanced down at the offending male who stared up at her with soulful eyes.