Breaking the Rules (17 page)

Colin nodded and stared at her, obviously waiting for the rest of the story.

She felt naked. Open. But looking at Colin's understanding eyes, it was okay. He wasn't judging her or laughing at her. He was just there. Listening. Perfect.

“Anyway, he said since I was his assistant we had to keep our relationship hush-hush. So, we continued to meet in his office or late at night in the back of a restaurant. I got caught up in the whole thing — a smart, older professor liked me. It made me feel good, you know.”

Colin reached over and twirled another stray hair. “Yeah, I get it. There's more.”

She tipped her head to the side. “I knew he was separated from his wife.” She cringed at the thought. “I would never purposefully break up a marriage.”

Colin sat up straighter. “I didn't think you would.”

“But I didn't know that at the same time we saw each other, he also actively tried to get back together with his wife. That was the real reason he wanted to keep us a quiet thing. And before I knew it, he was back home with her and told me he still wanted to see me on the side.” Her eyes and cheeks burned as she shook her head. “So, of course I told him to go to hell and left there as fast as I could.”

Colin reached behind her and rubbed her back. “You deserve better than that asshole.”

“I know.” She looked up at him. “That's when I decided to look for an administrative job outside of Virginia. A few months later, Kelly told me about the job here and that's how I ended up in Harbor Bay.”

“Lucky us.” He rubbed her neck and smiled. “Now I see where you're coming from.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean with all this secret stuff.” He pulled her closer. “We don't have to be a secret. There's nothing wrong with us seeing each other.”

“I'm not so sure.” Her smile wavered.

“I'm sure.” He reached for her chin and raised it. “I'd really like to see you, date you … kiss you … whatever you want to call this.” He shook his head. “Shit. I'm so bad at this.”

She giggled and reached for his hands. “I want to do it too, but there's a line drawn between us already we can't erase.”

“To hell with the line. Dr. Patel can be your doctor from now on and your being Jason's principal has nothing to do with our relationship. There are principals and teachers out there who teach their children. People do it. We're just dating and we're professional. I mean, do you have something written in your contract that says, ‘No dating doctors'?”

She opened and closed her mouth. Funny how he just spilled his thoughts out in the open. She pulled her ear and cocked her head. “Hmmm. I don't think so.”

“Then to hell with it. We deserve to try this thing out.” He motioned between the two of them. With her hesitation, he added. “Maybe making out for a few minutes would help us.”

She laughed and pushed him.

Then when he eyed her closely, he added. “I mean it.”

She sighed. He was right. Absolutely right. “Okay. Let's try it.”

His smile grew wider.

She held up a finger. “But, when we're at school, no physical contact.”

He grabbed her finger and pulled her to his chest. “We're not at school right now.”

She laughed against his neck. “No, we're not.”

“So, no more dating other schmucks, right? No Kevin or … whoever.”

“No. Only you.” She moistened her lips.

“Then come here.” He pushed her down on the blanket and held his body above her. “You really drove me crazy today, you know that? In that bikini of yours.” His hand grazed her stomach and reached under the sweatshirt. Leaning down, he gave gentle kisses on her neck. “God you feel so good.”

The mere touch of his hand and the words from his mouth sent a shiver through her. She placed her arms around his neck and groaned. His hand moved up more onto her bare skin and up to her bikini top, feeling her breasts underneath them. “So good.” He moaned.

She grabbed his face and pulled it to her own. The kiss was as tender and light as the fall breeze around them. But as soon as she opened her mouth, the breeze turned into a whirlwind of desire. She wanted him and from what she felt against her leg, she knew he wanted her just as much. The kiss turned into a burning ache for each other that had been building for weeks. Opening up to him had pulled something within her, too. A real relationship between them. No more hiding. No more denying it.

She quivered at his tenderness as he showered more kisses around her lips and then moved around her jaw. A low groan sounded from his throat and he stopped to look down at her. “We better stop.”

She lazily smiled. “I guess.”

“I don't want to stop though.” He grabbed her ass.

“We are on a public beach.” And as if on cue, another couple walked by a few yards away from them. “See.”

Colin laughed and he bent down, first kissing her nose, then each eye and finally a sweet kiss on her lips. He sprawled out next to her and grabbed her hand, taking a deep breath. “This day is even better than I thought it'd be.”

She squeezed his hand. “The best bucket list adventure yet.”

In their comfortable silence, she could feel Colin's heart beat next to her, even though they only touched shoulders and hands. His foot lingered over and curled with her own.

They turned heads at the same time and he smiled at her. “So, you're my girlfriend, then?”

She bit her lip and tried not to laugh. “You really are sweet, you know that?”

Groaning, he took his hat off his head and pulled it on top of his face. “Don't keep saying that, especially around Tim. He'd never let me hear the end of it.”

Hope reached over and held the hat up. “You're sweet, Colin, whether you want to admit it or not. Sweet. Sweet. Sweet.” She kissed him with each word and lay back down.

“I told you not to call me that.” He rolled to his side and pulled her closer. “Bad girls will be punished, Ms. Robinson. You should know that.”

She clamped her lips shut and quirked her head to the side as her heart jolted and her pulse pounded. “You like to dirty talk, then, McSteamy?”

“We can do some dirty talk, if you want, Soxy.” He nuzzled his head down into her neck and coddled her. Moving up, his lips caressed her neck and then demanded her own.

Next, he seared a path down her neck and onto her collarbone. Things were going to go too far if she didn't put an end to it. “We need to stop.” She raised herself on her elbows. “I don't want to, but we need to.”

Colin sat up and shook his head. “Right. Stop. Yeah.” He flopped next to her again, and sighed deeply. “Stopping right now.” He cleared his throat as Hope lay back down.

“Good. We want to stop, right.”

He looked at her with a smirk. “Wanting to and needing to are separate things, Hope.” Coiling their fingers together, he looked up at the sky. “Check out the stars.”

She snuggled closer to his warm body. Even though it was chillier without the sun, she felt warm next to him. Then she saw a shooting star. “Oh, did you see that?”

He squeezed her hand. “Yep. Make a wish.”

Closing her eyes, she wished for this night to never end. “How about you. Did you make a wish?”

“Oh yeah.” He smiled at her, that sexy dimple shouting out for a kiss.

And since she could do it, she leaned in and kissed it. “And what did you wish for?”

A lazy rumble came from his throat. “I wished that I might see that mysterious tattoo after all.” His empty hand caressed her shoulders, then her chest and stopped at her breasts. “Where could it be, Hope?”

She smiled. “You'll just have to wait and see.”

The fall breeze grabbed Hope's hair and pushed it behind her shoulders. They held hands all the way back, and Hope could smell the smoke before they reached their starting point. A small bonfire had been set up near the picnic area and laughter arose around it as their friends chatted. Once they neared, the laughter died and all eyes rested on the two.

“Well, if it isn't the two love birds,” Tim crowed.

Hope didn't want Tim to make a scene so she tried to drop her hand from Colin's, but he held tighter.

Colin's eyes narrowed at his friend, while Hope frowned in Kelly's direction.

Apparently, Tim didn't get the message. “It took you guys a while. What you been doing?”

Kelly reached down, scooped up sand into her palm and threw it at her husband. “Stop it, Tim.”

Colin pretended to scratch his nose and showed Tim his middle finger. “Yeah, Tim. Ease up.” He nodded his head in the direction of an empty chair by the fire. “Let's go over here. Away from shitty buffoons.”

They walked past Tim and Hope scowled as she passed. Why did Tim have to go around being a loud mouth? He was the complete opposite of Kelly. As if on cue, Tim held out his hands in an apologetic gesture. “Sorry.”

Maybe she was being too hard on the guy. Cracking jokes was just in his nature. Always had been. She actually liked her friend's husband when he wasn't picking on her.

The fire crackled and popped and the heat welcomed them. Since the chair was too close to the fire, Colin moved it back and aired out the blanket they used earlier. Then he spread it on the lounger. “We'll sit here.” His eyes rose and his dimples broadened. “Together.” He laid his body down in the fold out lounger and pulled on Hope's hand. “Come on.”

Hope sat on Colin's lap, pressing her body against his side and resting her head in the crook of his neck.

“Ignore Tim,” he whispered. “He's only being an ass because he drank too much.”

She looked at the others in their group. Kelly caught her eye and nodded at her, smiling ear to ear. She couldn't help but smile back. Kelly flashed a thumbs-up at her and then a thumbs-down in Tim's direction. Hope shrugged then snuggled closer as Colin placed the blanket around them.

With a mouth full of marshmallows, Tim asked, “You guys gonna roast?”

“In a minute.” Colin pulled Hope's shoulder tighter. “Unless you want to.”

“I don't want to get up now. Too comfy.” She placed her hand on his chest.

“Couldn't agree more.”

She couldn't feel better. Passing up roasted marshmallows was proof of that. This feeling of belonging to someone made her insides quiver. Her head swam with thoughts of what they started and where it would lead. Now that they were truly open about their relationship, there was no turning back.

• • •

A little after ten, Colin pulled into Hope's condominium driveway and put the Jeep in park. A fluttering grew in his chest as he turned in his seat, losing himself in Hope's dark blue eyes. She bit her lip, which made the hair on his arms rise.

He reached over and turned off the radio, then tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. “So, here you are.” He ached to touch her, but he knew it had to be on her terms.

Without losing eye contact, Hope put her hand on his shoulder. “You want to come in?”

A huge smile erupted and he answered quickly. “Yes.”

They opened the car doors and got out. Colin ran over to her side and reached behind her to grab her beach bag. His arm grazed her back and he swore he heard her gasp under her breath. Or was it his own?

She smiled up at him. “Thanks. Let me just get my purse.” She bent over and Colin couldn't tear his eyes away from her round ass. Those sexy white shorts hugged her curves in the best possible way. He drummed his fingers on his pant leg so he wouldn't actually reach out.

Colin looked around as they walked up the sidewalk. “Do you own this condo?”

“No. Just renting.” She searched in her big purse for the keys.

Hope stumbled on the walkway and Colin grabbed her elbow, steadying her. “Be careful,” he said, “We don't want another fall.”

She laughed and pulled her hair behind her ear. “I told you I had cracks in the sidewalk.”

He shook his head. “Excuses, excuses.”

She put the key into the lock, her hands shaking. He reached out and put his own over them. Looking into her eyes, a slow smile spread. “Let me.”

She stared back at him. Her pupils darkened even more, softening as she licked her lips. Damn, she was sexy! She let out a small sigh and stepped back to let him open the door. It was all he could do to keep his own hands from shaking too hard to maneuver the key in the lock, but he finally did it, stepping back to let her pass through first.

He closed the door and faced her again, not moving. His heart beat so fast, he was sure she heard it too. Damn it to hell, that beach lotion smelled like heaven. When she didn't move either, he roamed his eyes across her body. She stood biting her lip, and her chest moved up and down in a rhythm. “Hope — ”

They threw down their bags and stepped for each other at the same time. Just her name opened the eagerness that was evident between them. Hands groped and searched each other as their mouths found the places that wanted to be kissed, crushed and pressed, trying to find any empty space between them to fill. Colin gripped her arms and shoved her against the wall, pinning her with his body, all the while planting supple kisses against her neck.

“God, I've wanted you like this since we first met in that office of yours,” Colin said in between kisses.

Hope only groaned and pulled his head closer, leaning in to kiss his neck, chin and collarbone.

He lifted his head and looked in her eyes. “You sure you want this? I won't be able to stop.”

“Try to stop me,” she whispered.

Their bodies grinded as if they knew how to act on their own. Each touch became harder. Each kiss took longer. The raging fire inside Colin intensified. His body sought out and took pleasure from Hope. She seemed to be doing the same. He drove his tongue into her mouth as his hands stroked her hips and down under her shorts, reaching up and under to grab as much of her flesh as he could. “You feel so good.”