Kilty Pleasure (6 page)

“So I heard. Are you doing okay?” Sarah wrapped around her, as her brows knit with concern.

“It still hurts, but I’m gonna be fine.”

“Good. You were lucky Colin was there to take care of you.”

Emily snorted. “Colin didn’t do anything but panic. Hailey helped me. She’s a nurse.”

Colin winced and observed the couple’s startled response. Clearly they hadn’t spotted Hailey standing in the corner, and their gazes swept over to where she stood.

“Hello, Hailey.” Sarah spoke first. Cautiously. “Thank you.”

Hailey shifted from one foot to the other, folding her arms across her chest as she cleared her throat.

“No problem. We all just happened to be at the beach at the same time.”

Ian nodded, his expression solemn. “Good thing for us.”

“She would’ve been fine,” Hailey said quickly, after a moment’s heavy pause. “But I was happy to help. It’s…the least I could do.”

More silence, and the awkwardness in the room swelled to a cloying point.

Shite. Colin opened his mouth, trying to find the words to say to diffuse the tension.

“I’m going to head out,” Hailey said first, and adjusted her purse over her shoulder. “Emily, it was great to meet you. You be careful with that arm, okay?”

“Okay. Thanks, Hailey.”

“Anytime, sweetie.” She strode to the door, her eyes downcast.

“I’ll just catch a ride with Hailey back to my car.” Colin stepped in her path, briefly blocking the exit.

No one in the room looked more stunned than Hailey.

“I thought…” she hesitated, “…maybe you’d want to spend time with your family. Or Ian could drive you back?”

“Aye, well, they live here in Coupeville, so it’d really just be easier to ride with you.”

“It’s not a bother,” Ian said, frowning. “I can drive you back, Colin.”

“Stay with Sarah and Emily. Hailey won’t mind. She has to go over Deception Pass anyway to get off the island. Right?”

He could almost hear her jaw snap together. “Right.”

“Well then. Shall we?”

“Yeah. Sounds…awesome.” While there was a tight smile on her mouth, her eyes shot daggers.

With her hands still on her daughter’s shoulders, Sarah called out softly, “Thanks again, Hailey.”

“No problem.” This time Hailey kept her gaze down as she stepped out of the room into the hospital corridor.

“See ya.” Colin winked at his family and stepped out after her.

“Colin.”

He stopped at Ian’s harsh use of his name. Turning, Colin glanced back at his twin.

“Aye?”

“Be nice.”

“Me?” He arched a brow. “I’m always the nice one, remember?”

Ian didn’t reply, just shook his head. With a grin and small wave good-bye, Colin followed after Hailey. She was nearly out the front of the hospital by the time he caught up with her.

“Thanks for the ride.” He fell into step beside her.

“Really?” She shot him another hard glance. “As if you gave me any choice.”

“One always has a choice.” He paused. “Sometimes we just make the wrong one.”

He knew he’d hit a mark when she flinched as she hit the Unlock button on her keys, opening her car door. Before climbing back in, he glanced at the license plate and memorized it. When he went back to work tomorrow he’d be sure to run it and find out what kinds of trouble Miss Hailey had been getting into.

He settled into the passenger side and had barely fastened his seat belt before she threw the car in Reverse.

“You know, I kind of figured you’d prefer a lobotomy to riding in the car with me any longer.”

“Maybe I like to keep an eye on you.”

“Yeah, well, maybe that’s just weird.” She shook her head as she pulled out of the hospital parking lot. “We’re not exactly friends.”

“No. We’re certainly not that.”

But they once had been friends, somewhat.

“Though I do appreciate what you did today.”

“Anyone with my skills would’ve done the same.” She gave a hard shrug. “Though a word of advice? Next time you might want to reevaluate taking personal calls while your ten-year-old niece is scaling a cliff.”

“Fuck it all, really? It wasn’t a personal call,” he snarled, unable to believe she’d brought it up again. “It was work.”

“Mmm hmm. New to this baby-sitting business, I’m guessing?”

“You’re deliberately provoking me, Hailey.”

“Oh, is that what I’m doing?” The car sped up as she hit the accelerator.

“And might I point out you’re now legally speeding?”

“Point it out all you want, Deputy. Your ass is off duty and hitching a ride.”

He wasn’t really worried about the speed of the car right now, rarely would he pull someone over for a few miles above the speed limit—Charles Richland being the exception.

He shifted in his seat and turned to look at her.

Her lips were pursed, her cute little nose lifted in the air, and her breathing seemed a little uneven. She was angry, but there was something else there. Something else that had the blood in his body stirring.

Sliding a quick gaze down her body, he lingered briefly on the curve of her breasts and then the golden thigh peeking out below her denim shorts.

She must’ve sensed his gaze because she stiffened and drew in another deep breath that had her chest rising.

“Stop checking me out.”

That knocked the wind right out of him. “What did you say?”

“You heard me, Colin. Do you think I’m stupid?” The look she shot him showed overly bright brown eyes that shone with anger and heat. “It occurred to me why your bitterness focuses mostly on me. Why you can be so damn cruel when it’s outside your personality.”

His teeth snapped together. “Oh, please do enlighten me.”

“Because you’re attracted to me.”

She said it so casually, so matter-of-factly, that again he struggled to breathe.

“Am I?” Somehow he kept his tone bored. Steady.

“Yeah. You are. And you would’ve been much happier if I were some fugly chick you could just happily hate and ignore from a distance.”

“That’s complete shite.”

“It’s really not and you know it. In fact, you’ve always been attracted to me, Colin McLaughlin.”

All right, he’d bloody well had enough. “Stop the fuckin’ car.”

Hailey was so stunned by the harsh command that she automatically moved to obey.

She pulled the car onto a side road and turned off the engine.

“Okay, maybe I went a little far there,” she admitted. And she had. What the hell had she been thinking, spitting out every thought in her head? That always led her to trouble.

Colin didn’t reply, just unfastened his seat belt. He was going to get out and walk? They were still a good fifteen-minute drive away from Deception Pass. Guilt hit her as she glanced around the isolated road.

“I can take you to your car. You don’t need—”

“Oh, I definitely
need
.”

In an instant he’d moved half out of his seat and thrust his fingers in her hair, holding her still as his mouth crashed down on hers.

Chapter Five

Shock rushed through her, momentarily shutting down her brain and her ability to move.

Not that he was giving her much of a chance to get away or think. His tongue swept past her lips, delving deep to find hers. The kiss was angry, almost punishing, and entirely too hot.

Shoving him away seemed pointless, especially when the actual kiss physically felt so right. So sensual, and probably a little sinful, given their history. But the taste and scent of him was overwhelming her senses and overriding any logic that might’ve kicked in.

So, just for a moment, just this one instant in time, she was going to pretend that things could’ve been different. She was going to let Colin McLaughlin kiss the hell out of her—no matter his reasons—and she was going to like it.

She slid her hands up to catch his shoulders, kneading the muscles she found there as she used her tongue to spar with his. The fingers in her hair tightened, and he tugged hard enough to make her head fall back.

He lifted his mouth slightly and then bit her lip, hard enough to make her cry out, then moved to trail hot, openmouthed kisses down her chin to the curve of her neck.

Hailey groaned, her eyes fluttering open to stare blindly at the ceiling as his tongue did magical things at the curve between her shoulder and neck.

Heat slid through her body as moisture gathered between her legs. She’d gone from zero to sixty in seconds. Though not really. He’d been slowly accelerating her on all levels since last night at the pub.

The sound of a car driving by pulled her back to reality and apparently did the same for Colin. He pressed one last kiss to her neck, almost tenderly, before he lifted his lips.

“Aye, you’re right,” he admitted on a rasp. “I want you, Hailey. And maybe I have always wanted you.” He lifted his head and met her gaze. His green eyes glittered with desire and yet a steady control that made her heart sink. “You should come back to my house.”

“Tempting, but I have other plans.”

The scrutiny in his eyes, and the effect it had on her hormones, had her squirming.

“Of course you do. Perhaps that’s a good thing. You see, it would never be more than sex for you and me.”

Swallowing against the sudden lump in her throat, she gave a mocking laugh. “Well, you can tell your balls to stop shriveling. I’m not looking for a ring from anyone right now.”

“You wouldn’t get one. Because I
am
hoping to settle down sometime soon. Start a family of my own.” His smile was cold. Scornful. And she knew what was coming before he said it. “But you, Hailey, you’re not exactly marriage material. I’m sure you understand.”

Ouch. A hundred fucking times, ouch, even if she’d braced for it.

“No. I’m probably not.” She forced a yawn. “And that little impromptu make-out moment was super fun and all, but pretty golden boys aren’t really my type.”

His eyes darkened with irritation. “Aye, well you already tried for my brother and failed. Fortunately, he’s taken for good now.”

“Screw you.” Tired of low blows, she tried to shove him completely away. His fingers in her hair kept her trapped. “You
know
I never had any interest in Ian.”

“Actually, I don’t know that.”

“I’m sure Ian told you all about my reasons. Why I did what I did.”

“Aye.”

“And it doesn’t change anything? Doesn’t make you understand at all?” She shouldn’t have even asked, because the bored expression on his face gave away his response.

“Why would it?”

“No, I guess you’re right. It wouldn’t.” She moistened her lips, still swollen from his hard kiss, and noticed that his gaze tracked the move. “You’re by the book. You don’t break rules. It’s all very black and white in your world,
Deputy McLaughlin
.”

“It comes with the territory. I expect the worst in people and hope to be surprised.” He paused. “Some would call that optimism.”

“Or assholism. Whatever. Want to let me go, now that we’ve established we’d be great sexually, but it’s never going to happen?”

“It could happen.”

“Not with me.”

“Aye, with you, if I wanted. With anyone. There aren’t really a lot of women whom I couldn’t fuckin’ have, you understand?” He said it so offhandedly that shock ripped through her. “I don’t tell you this to sound like a complete wanker; it’s just the simple truth. The badge, the accent, the McLaughlin name, it all means I’ve never lacked for female interest.”

“Wow, your level of arrogance right now
might just be
toxic
.”

“Perhaps, yet I’m a decent person, Hailey, and there lies the difference between us.” He finally released her. “And, sure, maybe you had a shining-star moment where you helped my niece—and I do appreciate that—but a zebra can’t change their stripes.”

“Okay, you know what? I’m done with you and your fucking euphemisms.” She pulled completely away and restarted the car.

A moment later she flipped a U-turn and got them back onto Highway 20, heading toward the north end of the island.

She welcomed the heavy silence because it gave her a lot of room to scream at herself in her head.

Kissing Colin had been a terrible idea. What had she been thinking? Hell, what had
he
been thinking? Actually, that last one was a stupid question. Clearly he’d been thinking with the wrong head and was probably kicking himself as much as she was right now.

When she arrived at the parking lot near the bridge, she pulled in and didn’t say anything, just waited for him to leave.

She didn’t have to wait long. He opened the door and climbed out right away. Resting his hands on the roof of the car, he leaned down and looked inside, in what had to be some kind of classic cop move.

“Stay out of trouble, Hailey.”