He couldn't wait to see her, and he'd promised himself he'd put the paper out of his mind and just enjoy the weekend. If Rina's outfit was any indication, she had the same intention. And already his body was reacting to her gorgeous appearance. He wanted her and hoped like hell tonight would be the night.
RINA WANTED to make an entrance. Corinne's last-minute meeting had helped her do just that. Even better Rina was still riding an adrenaline wave from her boss's news. Reader reaction to the first few issues of "Hot Stuff" had been phenomenal, surpassing Corinne's expectations. Giddy with success, Rina was beginning to believe in herself and her ability to make this new career succeed.
She knew her positive attitude transferred into the glow in her cheeks, the straightening of her posture and the excitement rushing through her veins. Okay, so did the anticipation of seeing Colin.
All three people at her table turned her way. Drawing a deep breath, Rina walked over. "Hi, everyone. Sorry I'm late but I had a meeting with Corinne." She settled into her seat, aware that Colin's gaze hadn't left hers. Or rather, hadn't left her body, which had been her plan.
The fact that he'd brought his friends along told her he was letting her into his life in a way that surpassed the superficial, something she realized she'd needed in order to take that next step with him. He'd accepted her, and that was enough to allow her to act on the desire that had been growing between them.
Colin rose, as did Logan.
"And they say chivalry is dead," Rina joked. She settled in more comfortably beside the woman who had to be Catherine. Rina had caught glimpses of her rushing around at the Christmas party, but they hadn't officially met. "I'm Rina Lowell."
"Catherine Montgomery."
The blonde, who Rina would love to hate for her beautiful face and perky disposition, smiled, making her feel welcome.
"I've been dying to meet you," Catherine said. "But I was running around like a crazy person at the party. I'm so glad you invited us tonight. And now I guess I should shut up and let you talk." Catherine grinned.
Rina laughed. "Colin's said wonderful things about you. It seems like he was right."
Catherine shook her head. "The man's a charmer. He'd say anything that suited him."
Beneath the table, Rina felt someone kick their foot out hard.
"Ouch," Cat muttered. "Sorry. I have a big mouth. I meant that Colin is a charmer of the best kind. I'm really shutting up now." She deliberately clenched her jaw tight.
Rina laughed again. "Don't worry. I know who and what Colin is." Her gaze met his and the fire she saw burning there warmed her inside and out.
They shared an enjoyable round of drinks and appetizers, Rina learning she could judge a lot about a man by his friends. Whereas Robert's friends were colleagues, stuffy attorneys more full of themselves than she could bear, Logan was the opposite. Warm and full of fun like his grandmother. In his eyes, Rina saw Emma's spunk and mischievous nature. She also saw that both he and Catherine cared for Colin, treating him more like family than a friend.
Another half hour later, the check was paid and Colin had moved closer, his thigh brushing her nearly bare one beneath the table. The short dress had hiked up her legs and his warmth caused a sizzling in her veins. She needed him more than she'd ever needed a man, needed to explore this thing between them and let the passion explode.
"Would you like to dance, Rina?" Logan asked. "My wife made me swear I wouldn't make her spend any more time on her feet than necessary. She'll be working parties and running around for the rest of the weekend."
The background music suddenly became clearer, a throbbing beat made more intense by the pulsing inside her body, the longing she felt for Colin alone.
But since she didn't want to be rude, she agreed to a dance. She and Colin had the night to be together, or so she hoped.
She and Logan moved onto the floor and danced through two songs. Rina enjoyed Logan's sense of humor and wit. Unfortunately he wasn't Colin and she wished the last song would end so she could be in Colin's arms. So he could pull her close enough to feel the heat of his body and inhale the heady scent that aroused her and made her wet with wanting him.
Finally, the music ended and Logan stepped back. "Before we go to the table, I wanted to tell you something."
"What's that?"
"There's something about Colin you may not know. I roomed with the guy in college. He doesn't bring the women he dates around his friends. Even before Julie, he was wary."
"Who's Julie?"
"That's for Colin to tell you." Logan winked. "I'm just trying to let you know that you're special to him."
"Your wife's getting jealous," Colin said, coming up beside them.
Rina glanced back at the table. Catherine had ordered another drink and was talking to the waitress, oblivious to anything happening on the dance floor, making Colin's claim a blatant lie.
Rina swallowed a laugh because there was nothing funny about Colin's possessiveness. The emotions said a lot for his feelings, backing up Logan's claim. "Are you interrupting us for Cat's sake? Or for your own?" Rina asked, finished playing games.
"I think this is my cue to disappear." Chuckling, Logan leaned over and whispered in Rina's ear. "He doesn't bring women back to his place, either." Then he slapped Colin on the back and made his way to the table and his wife, waving goodbye from a distance as he helped Catherine on with her coat.
Alone on the dance floor, Rina looked into Colin's heated gaze and shivered.
"I don't want you to be cold."
"Then warm me," she said, taunting him. Daring him. Begging him, she thought.
But instead of dragging her into the nearest dark room and having his way with her as her fantasy dictated, he pulled her into his arms. His body aligned with hers, and beneath her dress her nipples puckered as desire licked between her legs and an overall sensual tug of need swamped her.
The dance floor was crowded, but they might as well have been alone as they swayed from side to side. Music beat out a heavy, carnal beat, matching the rhythm quaking inside her.
"Warmer?" he asked at last.
"Mmm," she purred as his lean, hard body took her on the beginning of what she hoped would be a very sensual ride. She inhaled, savoring the masculine scent of his cologne, letting him seep inside her pores and her skin.
"Rina?"
She tipped her head backward, forcing her heavy eyelids open. "Yes?"
His thumbs brushed over her lips, letting her dampness coat his fingertips. The sensations as he caressed her mouth overwhelmed her and she swallowed a moan.
"Do you want to get even hotter?"
His voice took on a low, husky quality that reverberated over her already sensitized nerve endings. She couldn't mistake his meaning. She already knew she wanted the night to end in bed.
Meeting his gaze, she nodded, but didn't feel anything like the courageous wanton she pretended to be. "I want to burn."
"Then what are we waiting for?" His hand in hers, he led her off the dance floor, silent understanding about what was to come surrounding them.
By driving into Boston with Corinne, she'd left herself free to return home with Colin. On the long car ride, Rina had a lot of time to reflect on the woman she'd become around Colin. She'd never been so brazen before, not in thought or deed. But no other man had ever allowed her such freedom to be herself. None had ever seen her playful side. She bit her lip and glanced out the car window. The white snow in contrast to the jet-black night made her think of the woman she wasand the woman she'd been. These days, she'd returned to being the Rina whose ideal Christmases as a child had been spent playing in the snow, then warming up with hot cocoa at the kitchen table.
Colin respected that woman. Colin, a man who'd taken one look at her outrageous red dress and rather than disapprove, he'd drooled, and even grown jealous. She studied his handsome profile. Just the sight of him quickened her pulse and a ripple of excitement darted through her.
She clenched and unclenched her fists, all too aware of the fact that with Colin, she felt not just accepted, but alive.
One hand on the steering wheel, he met her gaze. Carnal need flared in his eyes and found an answering heat in hers. Beneath her dress, her nipples were hardened peaks awaiting his touch, and inside her panties, dewy desire trickled and her body pulsed with restrained need.
She squirmed in her seat, desperate for a distraction. "Mind if I turn on some music?" she asked.
"My place is closer," he said at the same time.
They'd agreed to be together. They hadn't discussed where. He doesn't bring women back to his place,Logan had said. The beating of her heart echoed in her ears in the confines of the small car. "Is that an observation or an invitation?" she asked, needing to keep things light. Needing an answer even more.
He laughed. "You don't play games. I respect that about you." He reached over, his hand touching, then covering hers.
Heat seared her already sensitized skin.
"It's an invitation," he said. "One I don't extend lightly."
He met her gaze once more, hunger and more than she was ready to deal with shimmering in the darkened depths.
He doesn't bring women back to his place.
Apparently he did now.
She drew a deep breath before answering. "I accept. And it's not something I do lightly, either."
His hand squeezed hers, his thumb caressing her skin, making her burn. He turned off the highway an exit earlier than her own. Two or three short turns later and he drove into a gated town house complex. Lit only by street lamps and the occasional room occupied by a night owl, they were enveloped in a cocoon of darkness that fit the wanton, decadent way she was feeling.
Staring out the car window, Rina couldn't get a mental image of the development where Colin lived. She'd have a better idea come morning.
Oh wow.
She stepped out of the car and glanced up. When had it started to snow? She'd been too preoccupied with her thoughts to notice. Needing the release, she spread her arms out and twirled around, letting the flakes hit her face and the wind whip around her until Colin pulled her into his arms.
"You're the ultimate snow bunny." Serious and intense as she'd ever seen him, he dipped his head for a lingering kiss, one hot enough to melt the snow around them. His mouth sizzled against hers, making her burn. She'd come here for one reason only, and he obviously intended to give her what she desired.