Something to Prove (25 page)

“So you chase each other around with swords trying to chop off each other’s head?”

“Not quite. We just did whatever we had to in order to be the best.”

She finished unpacking the shoes under Colin’s vigilant eyes. How was she supposed
to work with him watching her every move? “Don’t you have a wall to fix?”

“It’ll keep for a while. How about a game?”

“What?”

“Wanna bowl?”

“The lanes aren’t ready. And even if they were, we’re supposed to be working.”

“A little fun won’t kill you. The floors will withstand a couple of frames. Come on.
Let’s bowl. What’s the point of having a place like this if you can’t enjoy it?”

She stared at him. He’d been so responsible and together that she’d almost forgotten
this side of him and she’d missed it. She surprised them both by saying, “Okay.”

She tossed him a pair of shoes and grabbed her own. He pulled her to the rows of balls.
She picked a green marbled one and he chose hot pink, drawing another smile from her.
While she laced up the shoes, he turned on the lane and entered their names.
ELIZABETH
stared at her from the monitor, stiff and formal. She wished she were here with Janie
because then, for at least a little while, she could be Libby.

Screw it. Why couldn’t she be Libby with Colin?

While he put on his shoes, she changed her name. Nervousness skittered through her
as soon as she hit Enter.

“Libby?”

The way he spoke the name was even better than when he said the full version. It was
so personal, it should’ve bothered her, but it didn’t.

“Yeah. I figured if we’re going to act like a couple of irresponsible kids, I might
as well go back to being Libby.”

He moved in on her again, wrapping his arms around her and nuzzling her neck. “I like
it. Who calls you Libby?”

“No one. Except Janie and Lori. They refuse to use my full name.” Her answer came
out a little breathless because he began nibbling on her ear and worked his way down
to her collarbone.

“Can I call you Libby?”

So unfair to ask her now and he knew it. She was always at his mercy when his mouth
was on her. “No.”

“Please.”

The whisper coasted along her skin. She smiled and pushed his shoulder to escape his
touch. “You can call me Libby whenever we bowl.”

He tugged her back and whispered in her ear. “And when we’re naked. I want to see
Libby come.”

He released her waist but pulled the rubber band from her hair.

“What are you doing?”

“Libby strikes me as the kind of woman who likes to let her hair down.” He picked
up his ball and threw it down the lane. About halfway down, it slid into the gutter.
“Practice frame,” he said when he turned around.

“You’re only saying that because you suck. I’ll let you have your practice frame,
but that’s it. No more do-overs.”

“I suck? I haven’t bowled in years. I don’t think a practice frame is too much to
ask.” His ball came up through the return. He picked it up and looked at her with
a gleam in his eye. “How about we place a little wager on this game?”

“Like what?”

“If I win, you have to go back to my place and rest.”

She bit the inside of her cheek and considered the possibility.

“Naked,” he amended.

The single word made parts of her pay attention. “And what do I get if I win?”

“What do you want?”

It was like he was daring her to say she wanted him naked. Which she did, but she
wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of admitting it. “I win and you can’t mother
me anymore. You have to trust me to take care of myself.”

“Like you’ve done such a good job so far.”

She ignored his jibe and thrust her hand out to shake. “Deal?”

“Sure.” He held the ball in his left hand and shook her right hand, gripping a little
tighter than necessary.

Although he always appeared to not care about anything, she was suddenly seeing a
competitive side to Colin, and she wasn’t sure she liked it.

CHAPTER 14

B
owling was a lot harder than he remembered. They were in the tenth frame and although
he was ahead by eight pins, Libby could catch him. It was only fair to employ the
same strategies she had. He whispered in her ear, “Nervous?”

“Nope. I got this in the bag.”

That’s what he was afraid of. He pushed her hair off her shoulder and placed a wet
kiss on her neck. “Wouldn’t want you to get distracted.”

She shivered and stepped away to pick up her ball. She hoisted it and focused.

“Naked sounds pretty good.”

She stepped up and faltered. The ball slid into the gutter. “Stop cheating.”

“I don’t cheat.”

“You’re trying to distract me.”

“Me? You groped me before I took my turn.”

Her face reddened and she turned away. Her ball came back, and he sent up a little
prayer. Before the ball reached the end of the lane, she turned away. “Shit.”

Her curse was quiet, and he peered around her to see that the ball ran crooked. It
knocked over four pins. Not enough to win.

He tried not to smirk. “Good game.”

“Whatever.”

Talk about a sore loser.

She put her ball back on the rack and sat down to change her shoes. He sat beside
her and she edged away.

He changed his shoes and watched her pull her hair back into place. Just like that,
Libby was gone.

An hour later, Colin wiped the sweat from his forehead. He couldn’t believe that he’d
not only beat Elizabeth at bowling but that she’d honored their bet and left. She
looked better, but not herself, regardless of what she thought.

After sending her on her way, Colin checked in at the bar and closed himself in the
small storeroom that would become the kitchen. Ever since they’d cleared out the basement,
most of their inventory went there. With the door closed, Colin hoped the customers
at the bar wouldn’t hear his noise.

His sledgehammer slammed through the last bit of drywall and he smiled. Libby. He
never would’ve guessed that she’d been a Libby. The simple switch to a nickname changed
who she was. Libby was the girl dancing at the club. Libby was the woman who tried
to pick him up for a one-night stand.

The light went on in his head. Libby was the snorer. The obnoxious laugh and the clumsy
behavior belonged to her.

There was a lot to like about Libby.

Knowing that she would probably try to find a loophole in their deal, he said he wouldn’t
nag her if she went back to his apartment. She could make some phone calls, but then
she had to nap.

He worked until he had the wall opened up. Tomorrow he’d finish it so it would be
a walkthrough. He taped plastic over the opening and let both Bianca and Mike know
that he’d be back in few hours.

Before putting in a whole night of work, he needed a shower and a nap, hopefully next
to a warm, naked woman. The thought made his dick jump. He’d been afraid to do anything
more than give Elizabeth a kiss on the cheek for days now. He didn’t want to risk
any activity that would land her in the hospital.

But she was almost back to normal. She fought with him and she bowled like she wanted
to win.

If he took it slow and easy, she would be fine.

He swung open his apartment door. “Honey, I’m home.”

It was meant as a joke, but it felt right. Elizabeth peeked around the corner from
the breakfast counter. “Hey.”

When she stood, he realized that she was wearing a pair of his shorts, hanging precariously
on her hips. She’d taken his shirt and rubber-banded it tight around her waist, showing
a hint of skin where it should’ve met the shorts. He tugged at the shorts and saw
that she was bare beneath. Maybe the shower could wait. “The deal was you’d be naked.”

She grabbed his hand at the waistband. “I decided a compromise was fair. I know how
much you like me in your clothes.”

Instead of scooting away she pushed into his body, their hands clasped at her waist.
She ran her tongue across his lips, pulling a groan from his chest.

“Take a shower with me.”

Now she did pull away. “I haven’t done enough today to warrant a shower.”

“Then let’s get you sweaty enough to need one.” He pulled her toward the couch, shoving
the shorts down along the way.

She stepped out of the shorts and pulled the shirt over her head. Looked like he was
going to get the warm, naked woman he was looking for. He kissed her neck and smelled
the cinnamon scent on her skin.

She pushed him onto the couch and straddled him. He held her away from his dusty jeans.
He wanted to go slow and make sure she was okay, but Elizabeth, as usual, didn’t seem
to agree with him. She tugged at the button of his jeans like she hadn’t gotten laid
in a year.

“Slow down.” He picked her up and set her down on the couch before taking off his
jeans.

Her hair lay in a pool spread out over her shoulders, blending in with the smooth
leather of the couch. Her hands began to rub across her stomach and head south, and
he whipped off his shirt. No way was she going on without him.

He grabbed her hands and held them at her hips. He kissed his way down her torso,
following the path her hands had taken. She moaned when he stopped at her belly button.
Her hips thrust up letting him know without words what she wanted.

So he gave it to her—lips and tongue, fast and smooth until she was writhing and panting
his name.

He released her hands and moved to sit beside her on the couch. He pulled a condom
from his jeans. Elizabeth looked a little boneless lying next to him, and he was about
to slide over her body when she pushed up to straddle him.

“Where do you think you’re going?” she asked.

“Absolutely nowhere.” He buried himself in her and let her set the pace until they
were both sated and relaxed.

She had her nose pressed against his neck, and he wrapped his arms around her.

“I’ve missed that.”

“Me too,” she mumbled against his skin.

“Are you okay?”

She pushed on his chest to look into his eyes. “I told you I’m fine.”

He wanted to believe her, but she’d really scared the shit out of him.

He stood, putting her carefully on her feet, and kissed her forehead. “Why don’t you
order us some dinner while I take a shower?”

She grimaced, and he realized that she hadn’t eaten any regular food in days.

“The doctor said you can eat, right?”

He thought it wasn’t possible for her to look more miserable, but she did.

“Yeah, but part of me is afraid to. I want pizza so bad, but I think I need to wait
until I’m done with medication.” She stood and gathered the clothes they’d tossed
over the living room, while he headed toward the bathroom.

Colin decided that he’d take her out for the biggest and best pizza he could find
as soon as she thought her stomach could handle it. Then he had an idea. “How about
shepherd’s pie?”

“Huh?”

“We serve it downstairs. Mashed potatoes over ground beef and vegetables. Pretty simple,
but filling.” He was already at the phone calling Mary. “Hey, Mary, it’s Colin. Can
you put in an order for shepherd’s pie and a burger and fries?”

“And why can’t you come down and put it in yourself?”

“Because I’m about to step into the shower. My friend Elizabeth will be down in a
few to pick it up. Thanks. You know I love you.” He hung up and smiled at Elizabeth.
“She loves me like a brother.”

“Uh-huh.”

Elizabeth stared at him like she was still hungry for more than dinner. If she traveled
all the time, how many men did she do this with? Did she have a guy in every city?
Jealousy pinched him, and he pushed it back. They were having a good time. It wasn’t
as if he hadn’t had plenty of other women.

The problem he had now was that he wasn’t sure any of them could ever measure up to
Libby.

Elizabeth stretched out in Colin’s bed. The rest of their week had gone off without
a hitch and life was looking good. Especially the sight of the naked man sprawled
beside her. For an entire week, Colin had taken care of her. He made sure she’d eaten
regular meals, kept her from working too many hours in one day, given her multiple
orgasms. All in all, a pretty damn good week.

Of all the things she’d miss in Chicago, this would top the list. Lazing around in
bed on a Sunday morning. No rush to get the paper, no hurry to get something done,
to be productive.

Colin had accomplished the one thing no one else ever could.

He’d taught her to slow down and relax.

The proof was in her lack of accidents. She hadn’t broken anything in weeks. She hadn’t
stumbled or fallen.

Except for him
.

The thought came out of nowhere like a slap in the face. A shiver tumbled through
her body. She slid from the bed and went to the bathroom, hoping that a warm shower
would erase the shiver and the thought.

She wasn’t supposed to fall for him. They had great sex and an even better partnership.
It wasn’t supposed to be anything more. Stepping under the hot spray, she tried to
come to terms with her new knowledge.

How had she not seen it coming?

Worse, did Colin see it? Did he care?

Of course he cared. Colin cared about everyone around him. She knew she should’ve
gotten some distance from him, but he drew her in and she was caught.

The water removed the shiver, but the idea of falling for Colin stuck. She wouldn’t
go so far as to say she loved him—she couldn’t be that stupid, could she?

The bathroom door swung open, interrupting her questions. Berating herself would have
to wait.

Colin pulled the shower curtain aside. “Are you planning on saving any hot water for
me?”

“If you didn’t sleep so late, you could’ve been here first. Early bird gets the hot
water.”

“Oh, yeah?”

He reached for her and she let him pull her into his embrace. He claimed her mouth
with his, and she forgot about being cocky. He licked water from her neck, and she
felt his erection against her stomach.

Suddenly, he pulled back, leaving her feeling cold again. “As much as I want to continue
this, we need to get going. We’re on dessert duty, and if we don’t hit the bakery
early enough, all the good stuff will be gone.”

She heard the words and they made sense in theory, but she had no idea what he was
talking about. “Huh?”

“Dinner with my family. My turn to bring dessert.”

She vaguely remembered him telling her he had some family dinner thing to go to, but
she had no intention of being part of that. She twisted past him in the tub. “I’ll
let you finish up then.”

He grabbed her wrist. “Don’t try running out of here. You have to go with me to dinner.
My family is expecting you.”

Running out was exactly what she’d planned. “I’m not crashing your family dinner.”

“It’s not a formal thing. We eat together as a family at least once a month. Since
I couldn’t make it last week because you were sick, we’re doing it again. If you don’t
show, then I’ll have to listen to Moira complain. And she’ll probably track you down
and drag you there.” He gave a careless shrug. “For some reason, she likes you.”

Elizabeth stepped from the shower and dried off. She liked Moira as well. Moira was
the first friend she’d made in a long time.

“Call her,” Colin said from behind the curtain.

“Why?”

“She’ll tell you to come. It’s as close to an invitation as you’re gonna get.”

The water cut off, and he yanked the curtain open. The man looked even more delicious
when wet. She handed him a towel so she could think straight.

He wrapped it at his hips and stepped out. The look he gave her in the mirror told
her he had the same thought she did every time she looked at the damn reflection.