His gaze slid down to her chest and he let out a slow groan. "Honey, that's going to have to mean yes."
Yes to what, she wasn't certain, and at the moment she didn't care. Moisture settled low and dampened her panties, excitement a companion she barely recognized, it had been so long. "I'm so glad you're a man who knows how to read a woman's signals," she said at the same moment he dipped his head, nestling his face between her breasts.
He exhaled slowly, the warmth of his breath hitting her skin as he began to taste the champagne with luxurious laps of his tongue. Starting in her cleavage, he worked his way outward, teasing her with nibbles and tastes until her nipples tightened into rigid peaks begging for equal treatment. He was tormenting her, taking his time, making a slow feast of her flesh until every nerve tingled and desire so overwhelmed her, she whimpered aloud.
He lifted his head, his blue eyes glittering with banked desire. "Tell me what you want."
"Is that what men like?" she asked. "To be told?"
"I'm not going to answer so I can be the subject of some damn article."
His jaw clenched and Rina realized she'd stepped over the line or, at least, he thought she had. The article was the furthest thing from her mind. Without thought, she ran her fingers through his hair, settling her hands in the silken strands. "That's not why I asked."
He cocked his head to one side. "Why then?"
"Because" How did she explain what she barely understood herself? "Because I've never" She grappled for the right word. "I've never played that way. With a man, I mean. It's always been pretty straightforward, them doing what they wanted and it either felt good or it didn't." Her past consisted of a satisfying sex life. Satisfying but nothing like the intensity and steam she was experiencing with Colin. She shrugged. "I never had the courage to ask for what I wanted."
And no man had ever asked. Another contrast brought to life by Colin. Another place where Colin stood head and shoulders above the rest. In one breath, she wished he weren't so compelling, in another, she thanked her lucky stars she'd found him and they'd share whatever moments fate allowed.
"So I was wondering. Did you ask what I wanted so you could please me?" She rolled her eyes, embarrassed by her naiveté. "Or because you just liked to hear, oh, I don't know, sex talk. Which I've never done and don't know if I'd be good at. Any more than I'm good at this." She gestured around her. "God, I'm killing the mood, aren't I?"
He laughed, but she inherently knew he wasn't laughing at her. "Trust me, there's nothing you could do to kill this mood." He grasped her hands and brought them to his lips for a kiss, then he replaced each hand by her side on the counter once more. "Now we're back where we started. Now you need to know that I asked because I want to please you. But-" His lips twitched and he grinned. "I wouldn't mind hearing some sex talk from your lips."
Settled back with her breasts thrusting upward, Rina felt a little wanton and a lot daring. He picked up where they'd left off, his tongue embarking on another sensual exploration, and her body responded immediately. Hot darts of desire flickered through her.
"Now tell me what you want."
His roughened voice hit her already sensitized nerves and made her bold. "I want you to stop teasing me."
In response, his tongue swirled in circles around one nipple, heightening her arousal and causing her body to shake and her hips to pivot back and forth in search of something even more fulfilling than the treatment she was receiving now. But he didn't give in, didn't offer her what she desired. Instead, he just slowly teased her distended nipple, never providing her the relief she sought.
He lifted his gaze, stopping the arousing sensations, and she wanted to cry out in frustration. "Trust me enough to tell me what you want," he coaxed, holding her gaze.
"Take me into your mouth." She struggled for an even breath. "Hold my breast in your hand and take my nipple into your mouth."
His pupils dilated and his eyes burned hot, as hot as the flame he ignited inside her. "Like this?"
He cupped her breast in his palm, kneading the soft flesh and plumping it in his hand.
"Mmm." She leaned her head back and moaned. "More."
And then finally, he drew her nipple into his hot, wet, greedy mouth, biting down lightly with his teeth. Alternately grazing, then soothing with his tongue until the fire he lit exploded in a haze of passion. Her hips began gyrating of their own accord. She needed to ease the ache and he understood.
This time he didn't wait for her to ask, just lifted her so she could wrap her legs around his waist and thrust the most needy part of her against his thick shaft. Her body soared at their first intimate contact, which felt so good yet wasn't nearly enough. She bucked against him, her hips pushing, writhing and gyrating into him until her world exploded in a sensational climax she hadn't expected. One unlike any she'd experienced before.
She hadn't made love to him, but the contractions shaking her body were as strong and vigorous as if she'd taken him inside her. She was still trembling as he set her down on the counter between the sinks. "Oh, God."
He ran a hand through his hair. "That about sums it up." He stepped back and leaned against the flowered wallpaper behind him. "You sure know how to knock the wind out of a guy."
Glancing down, she realized that although she'd been satisfied, he'd been far from it. "Colin"
He waved a hand in the air, cutting her off. "Don't even suggest it. The first time's going to be the right way, honey. Not with you trying to give me something back just because I made you come."
She blushed at his blunt words, but before she could conjure a reply, he picked up the shirt she'd left on the corner counter, holding it out for her to slip into.
Her heart pounded in her chest and her legs felt like Jell-O as she stood and let him help her dress. As he buttoned her blouse, the act of him dressing her felt more intimate than what he'd just done to her, and the incongruous thought made her smile.
"Something funny?" he asked.
She shook her head. "I'm just thinking."
"About?"
"Just that I picked the right guy to get back into the swing of things again."
He tangled his hands through her hair, groaning as he fingered the tousled strands she'd taken great pains to create. "Why's that?" he asked.
"Because you cared about what I wanted. No man's done that for me and it's a gift I'll always remember."
"Rina, I-"
A loud knocking sound interrupted them. "We'll be right out," she called.
Colin clamped his hand over her lips. "I'll," he mouthed, obviously wanting to protect her reputation. "I'll be right out," he whispered.
"I'll be right out," Rina called, a heated blush rising to her cheeks. "Do you think anyone will know what we've been doing?" she asked softly.
"It's Corinne. Emma said I could find Colin upstairs."
He muttered a curse. "I don't want her finding us like this. It's not fair to you."
Rina cared more about how much she liked the sound of us rolling off his sexy lips than she did about what Corinne thought. But she appreciated that he cared.
He started for the door she'd thought was a linen closet. "I'll catch up with her in the hall."
"It's about Joe," Corinne called when no one answered her.
"UhColin's in the room next door," Rina replied.
"You get dressed and I'll meet up with you downstairs." He offered her a quick wink and he was gone.
But her body reminded her, he wouldn't be forgotten.
HE SHOULDN'T HAVE touched her. Knowing they were on opposite sides, knowing he had to convince Joe to ax her beloved job, Colin should have walked out of the bathroom without looking back. He couldn't, of course. He wanted to be with her too damn badly.
And now that he had, he was shaken. During their intense conversation at the party, they'd connected as though no one else was in the room. Once they were alone, that connection had deepened, both physically and emotionally. When she'd admitted that she'd never asked a man for what she wanted, not even her deceased husband being the implication, Colin had been compelled to put her feelings before his own. He wanted to be the first man she trusted in such an intimate way, and she hadn't disappointed him.
But now he faced a more difficult truth. Rina was the first woman he was scared to lose.
A knock sounded loud again, drawing him from his thoughts. Buttoning the shirt he'd grabbed from Logan's closet, Colin stepped into the hall to head off Corinne.
"I could hear you banging from in here." He left the bedroom door open so she could glance inside and see he was alone. Although he wished he wasn'tBut he meant what he'd said to Rina, and any satisfaction he received wouldn't be found at her hand. "What's wrong with Joe?" he asked Corinne before his damn erection became obvious again.
"He had a ministroke."
Colin's stomach plummeted. This wasn't news he wanted to hear.
"The hospital called my cell phone and I've been searching all over the house for you."
For a brief minute, Colin softened toward the woman who not only looked extremely upset but who'd bothered to take the time to find him before heading out for the hospital. "Thank you. Can I give you a lift there?" he asked.
She nodded. "I'm too upset to drive."
He grasped her elbow and started for the stairs. Corinne was an enigma, a woman he didn't understand. One minute her feelings for Joe seemed genuine, the next she acted erratically without thought for Joe's wishes. Colin groaned, knowing Corinne and his feelings about her weren't important. Joe's health was. "What did the hospital say?" he asked.
"Just that he was stable," she said as they rushed down the long, circular stairs.
He retrieved their coats. "Wait here," he told Corinne.
Colin sought out Emma and Logan to make sure one of them let Rina know why he'd disappeared and covered her ride home. Though he could wait and tell her himself, he didn't want to waste a minute getting to Joe, nor did he want to give her some explanation that was bound to be awkward after what had just transpired between them.