Colson (The Henchmen MC 20)

A thrill moved up my belly and across my chest at the heavy-lidded look I found there.

It seemed like forever that we stood there before his hand lifted, wet fingers snagging my chin, angling it up as his head lowered down, his lips claiming mine.

I expected soft and coaxing, a tentative first kiss between two practical strangers.

But at the second of contact, something seemed to snap in Colson.

His wet hand slid across my jaw, around the back of my neck, fingers sinking in hard, tight, yanking my body flush with his as his lips crushed mine, bruising in their intensity before his tongue traced the seam, waited for my mouth opened on a little sigh, then moved inside to claim mine.

The flicker of need inside stoked to a wildfire, burning me up from the inside out, making me feel flushed, overheated, making me want to rip off my clothes to get some relief.

But then, just as suddenly as it had started, it was over, his lips ripping from mine as he wrenched away, took several steps away from me, his hand rubbing over his head.

As for me, my legs actually felt wobbly, making me lean back against the sink for support as I tried to suck in a steadying breath.

"Colson." His name was a question on my lips, a demand for an explanation.

"I'm no good for you, Eva," he told me, looking down at the floor, shaking his head.

"Yeah, well, neither are those Cosmic Brownies I keep eating. But does that stop me from buying them? No, no it does not."

"Cosmic Brownies?" Colson repeated, looking up, a ghost of a smile toying with his lips.

"Yeah, you know. Like they used to sell at the school cafeteria. With the rainbow sprinkles. Taste absolutely nothing like an actual brownie, but you can't stop eating them anyway. Me and Cosmic Brownies, we are in an abusive relationship. They keep being cheap and addictive, and I keep letting them go to my hips and ass."

At that, his lips did curve up, teasing at the corners of his eyes, making them crinkle in a way that was boyish and playful as his gaze dipped to the parts of me in question before reaching my face again.

"Remind me to buy you a lifetime supply," he said, grin wicked.

"Gee, Mr. Supposedly-No-Good-For-Me-Colson, it sounds an awful lot like you're flirting with me."

"If I was?" he asked as we heard footsteps on the stairs.

If he was, I needed to stay far, far away from him. Because I couldn't trust myself around him.

Yet what came out of my mouth sounded a hell of a lot like an invitation.

Because that was what it was.

"Then don't be a stranger," I suggested, making my way out of the kitchen, saying a quick goodbye to his sister and daughter, and heading back into my own home, closing and locking the door before leaning back against it, pressing a hand to my somersaulting belly.

This whole thing was stupid.

It was reckless.

It was so incredibly unlike me.

And, I guess, maybe that was the appeal.

I had spent so much time being careful and smart, and putting others' needs ahead of my own, always doing the right thing, always being rational, always putting myself dead last.

Yet there I was.

Inviting an arms-dealing, hot-as-sin, biker into my life.

To hell with the consequences.

It was maybe the most freeing thing I'd ever felt in my entire life.

Of course, things could never be that easy.

But in that one private, blissful, exciting moment, I had no idea what was ahead.SIXColson"That should be them," West said, breaking through my swirling thoughts. That, it seemed, constantly circled back to Eva. To that kitchen. To the first real sparks of connection. To the electricity that shot through my system when my lips met hers.

There was always a sort of a sizzle, of course, with a woman. Otherwise, what the hell was the point? But, for me, there had always been a sort of disconnect. Maybe because I always knew that the way I connected with women was superficial at best. Just bodies. Just needs being met. There was never any potential for anything else, so there was a sort of wall up, inside, toward the whole thing.

But with Eva, I guess I had let her beyond the wall even before I had put a hand on her.

By the time I moved behind her in my kitchen, I already knew about her kid, about her mom, about her job and her struggles. It was more than I ever got to know about the few women I had been with since Jelena was born.

Add in the attraction factor, and it should have been no secret that when I kissed her, it felt like something, something more than a desire being fulfilled, at least.

That, in and of itself, was new.

I had no business pursuing it, of course.