I don’t think Collin is that bad off, but I also hope I’m not wearing my rose-colored glasses as I watch him either. All I can do right now is stare at the TV and stuff my mouth with popcorn by the handful. Hopeful thoughts are sent out into the world every few seconds that Collin won’t come home in too soured of a mood.
Unfortunately for all of the Rebels, they lose three to one.
Waiting around for Collin to come home sounds as exciting as twiddling my thumbs. Instead, I prepare for bed, climb in, and doze as I wait for him. Time passes without much notice until a door slamming wakes me up.
Oh, no. Not for a second night.
I sit up as he storms into the bedroom, barely glancing at me.
“Come here,” I say as I pat the space next to me. Though there’s no reason he shouldn’t have heard me, he doesn’t do as I asked. He yanks off his suit jacket and tosses it onto the floor. “Collin,” I bite, raising my voice. “Come here.”
The smallest of sighs leaves him. He kicks off his shoes and sits on the edge of the bed. I walk on my knees over to him, sitting behind him, and wrap my arms around his waist.
“Jules,” he whispers.
“It’ll get better,” I remind him. “And I’m right here with you.” My brain betrays me, thinking about how nice it is to be this close to him. “Can…” My voice dies. The idea I have might not be a good one.
“What?” Collin asks, turning to look at me.
“Do you want to end tonight on a high note?” I kiss him just once. “Think about something else for a while?” My hand eases its way down his stomach.
His eyes narrow. “You aren’t just trying to cheer me up, are you?”
I smile. “That’s the icing on the cake.”
One second our eyes are locked and the next, Collin slams his lips to mine, turns his body, and pushes me ba
ck on the bed, earning us a hiss from an annoyed Marmalade who is booted from his seat. My fingers stumble as I work on his buttons. Collin doesn’t seem to care about getting undressed at all. Not yet, at least. His hands clutch my waist in an almost uncomfortable grip, but his mouth…his mouth is heaven.
An embarrassing whimper jars against all the other sounds in the room and I’m a bit horrified when I realize it came from me when Collin pulled away. Collin grins, his face only a few inches from mine.
“We’ll go out tomorrow, I promise. No matter how I’m feeling, we’re getting out of here, okay?”
“If that’s what you want.” The last thing I want to do is push him when that isn’t what he needs, or make him think he has to take me out all the time. All I’ve ever wanted from Collin was to be more than just friends with him. He’s given me that already.
With my confirmation for tomorrow, he finally reaches for the hem of my shirt and yanks it off. The moments, sensations, and Collin in his entirety take me to a wonderful place, an unbelievable high that I’ve only ever had with him.
It’s a relief when afterward, Collin falls asleep so quickly. I don’t have to worry about him having trouble getting to sleep, but I pray he stays asleep throughout the night. A good night’s rest has to make such a difference, especially in comparison to a lack of one. But as it turns out, I should’ve worried about myself because I’m the one who can’t fall asleep.
The main thing on my mind is Cal finding out about us and how his reaction, whatever that may be, will affect Collin. I’m ninety-eight percent sure that seeing Cal and hearing whatever he may say won’t affect me. But Cal has a huge influence over Collin whether either of them realize this or not. It doesn’t help that Collin seems to think they are one and the same because they’re identical. All I can do is hope Cal will think about his brother, and not his past with me, when he reacts.
Something warm keeps touching my skin, in various places, and my eyelids are like hell no when I think about opening them.
“Jules, wake up,” Collin says in the sweetest voice I’ve ever heard.
“What time is it?”
“Eleven. Did I wear you out that much?” He chuckles, placing another kiss on my chest. My eyes rolling is enough of an answer for him. “Why don’t you take a shower, get ready, and we’ll go out for lunch,” he suggests. “Besides, Cal doesn’t believe I have a date today, so if I don’t leave, he’s going to annoy the hell out of me.”
“You told him you had a date?” I ask, unsure about this simple development.
Collin lies next to me with his head on my pillow. “I had to tell him something, and he’ll find out eventually. It’s easy enough to get him used to the idea of me dating someone and thinking it’s different than before, just because I’m not giving him any details.”
I nod because I don’t really want to make a big fuss. It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask him how he’s feeling today, but just by looking at him, it’s clear he’s feeling better than yesterday. Hearing him say so and confirm it would make me feel better, though. “I guess I should get my shower then.”
An hour later, I’m surprised and slightly worried when we pull up at the ice rink complex. Collin wants to be here voluntarily after having so much trouble lately?
“It’s chilly inside,” he says. “I thought it might be a good way to acclimate you to the weather here while having fun.” A bit of a crooked grin raises his lips. “Besides, it’ll almost be like a trip down memory lane.”