Midnight (McKenna Chronicles Book 1) (39 page)

No
longer reclining, he sits up, then stands. It’s not long before I feel the
physical pull behind me, and I know it’s Colin come to find me.

“Colin,
great to see you,” Alex says, shaking his hand. “I just sat down with Charlie.
I was surprised to see her here.”

“Alex.”

His
hand rests on my shoulder, caressing it with his fingers.

“What
brings you to Florida?”

While
Alex gives him the same spiel I heard earlier, I take the time to thoroughly
check out Colin in a swimsuit. If I could whistle, I would do it. He’s wearing
a sky-blue suit, a two-inch navy line rims the waist, the length only traveling
to mid-thigh. It’s a slim cut, not tight, but certainly not a loose board
short. His thick chest is bare, muscles rippling across his abdomen and
shoulders. He's beyond sexy. My heart thumps to a new beat now that he’s here.
I forget about Alex, my focus lost on Colin.

Colin
senses my eyes on him, his hand squeezing my shoulder as his lips move in a
quick smile meant for me.

“Well,
if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back for business. Charlie,” Alex says, very
politely. “It was nice to see you again. I hope you enjoy the sun.” Nodding at
us both, he leaves quickly. Colin stares after him for a moment, his face
impassive before looking down at me with eyes that burn as hot as the sun.
They're cooled by the tempered ocean blue, but it's churning into a tidal wave.
Oh my
. This man is hot and he's hot for me. He peruses my body from the
tips of my toes, along my well-moisturized legs, idling at the apex of my
thighs, and moving to my stomach, only to hover hungrily over my breasts.

“Do
you like my new suit?” I breathe out, light and breathless, caught off guard by
his intense perusal.

Leaning
down, he plants a fist on either side of my hips, bringing his mouth close to
my ear. He whispers so low only I can hear him. “I want to strip you out of it
at the moment, Charlie.” Pulling away, he brushes his lips against mine,
lingering for a quick minute. Too gentle for my liking, I squirm with need as
he leans away. He can’t say things like that unless he means it.

“Okay,”
I say, hoping to entice him into action. 

A
slow, wicked grin relaxes his face and his eyes shine. Sitting down on the side
of the lounge chair so my legs are touching his back, he asks, “What are you
drinking, baby?”

I
love it when he calls me that; it makes my heart swell and my groin ache. I
lift my hand to my mouth and giggle.        

“Why
are you laughing?”

“It’s
nothing. I was just thinking about how with one word you make my body ache for
your touch.”  There, that ought to get back at him for the swimsuit
comment. By the look on his face—it did. Laughing again I throw my arms around
him and kiss his cheek.

The
waitress appears, her eyes appraising Colin, enjoying the view—enjoying my
view. He’s really and truly mine. A stupid grin spreads across my face.

After
ordering, Colin turns back to me, his smile growing in response to mine.
 “You look stunning, Charlie.”

“Thank
you. I bought it this morning, I’m glad you like it.”

His
brow rises. “I’m quite sure every man here likes it. What else did you do while
I was away?”

“Not
much. I got my toes done.” Pulling one of my feet in front of him I place it in
his lap, wiggling my bright pink toes. Colin wraps his fingers around my foot
to look at the polished nails and begins to massage it.

“Very
nice.” He rubs the sensitive arch and I squirm in my seat.

“I
did a little shopping,” I flow my hand over my suit and hat, “and I bought a
magazine.” My cheeks heat.

“And
what, by chance, were you reading about today?” 

I
roll my eyes under my sunglasses. “You know exactly what I’m reading. Are you
going to make me say it out loud?”

“No,
but I’m curious to know why it makes you so uncomfortable.” He sips from the
drink the waitress just dropped off.

“If
you must know, I will tell you.” I sigh. “Colin, I have zero experience, other
than with you. I feel slightly inadequate in the seduction and sex department,
so true to form, I have decided to complete some research.”

“Charlie.”
He chuckles, shaking his head. “You are everything I’ve ever wanted. I have
never been happier or more gratified with my sex life than during these last
months with you.”

I
must look incredulous because he leans in. “Look at me.” He slips my glasses
from my face to stare into my eyes. “I’m serious; you’re amazing. I’m more than
satisfied. I’m astounded by you.”

“Okay,
okay, enough, you’re making me blush even more.” I push away so I don’t jump on
him right here. “Anyway, I was reading until Alex found me.”

His
eyes darken, an unspoken disdain. “You don’t like him do you?”

“No,
not much. He was Aiden’s friend more than mine. Aiden felt sorry for him in
school. Alex didn’t have a lot of friends, so he brought him into the fold of
our group.”

“Your
mom told me he’s friends with Ella, too?”

Colin
hesitates for just a moment before answering. “Yes, they met through me.” He
doesn’t look pleased at that, but doesn’t move into more detail so I don’t
push, refusing to spend any more of our time talking about him.

“He
didn’t bother you, did he?” Colin’s question surprises me.

“No,
he was just making small talk.”

Colin’s
eyes deepen, and his jaw sets in a tense line.

“Let’s
forget about him, okay? I want to enjoy my time with you. Did you see the
waterslide and rock wall on the other side of the pool?” I ask, hoping to
entice his thoughts to more pleasant afternoon activities.

Evan
walks up to us, very much in his element—the California surfer boy finally by
some water. He’s wearing board shorts, a pair with bright Hawaiian flowers
flanking the length of the loose-fitting suit. His entrance is monitored by a
few admiring women, and a knowing smile is plastered to his perpetually tan
face.

I
can’t help but laugh at his arrogance. “What?” he says, as he sits on the
lounge chair Alex left open.

“You
are so full of shit, Evan Daugherty.”

“I
have no idea what you’re referring to, Charlie. I’m just enjoying a day at the
pool, a much-needed afternoon away from business. You really need to speak with
your boyfriend, please. Please talk him into loosening up and giving me some
time off.”

My
mouth drops open:
boyfriend
? I look at Colin to gauge his reaction to
Evan’s label. His fingers don’t miss a beat as he continues to rub my foot.

“You
get plenty of time off, my friend. You would get into trouble if I didn’t keep
you busy.”

Watching a blond
walk past in the skimpiest two piece suit I have ever seen, Evan answers, “You
may be right.” We laugh as he excuses himself to meet a new friend.

Colin
turns to me, his hand traveling up my leg, resting on my thigh. “What would you
like to do this afternoon, Charlie?”

He
knows damn well what I’d like to do, but instead of holing away in our room all
day I decide on an outdoor sport.

“Let’s
go swimming.”

Smiling
his agreement, he stands to help me up from the chair. I take off my hat and
throw it on the towel.

Colin
reaches to swirl a section of my hair around his fingers. “It’s so red in the
sun.” His voice is soft as he continues to stroke it, the curl rolling through
his fingers.

“Oh,
that reminds me. Would you please get my back? I wasn’t able to find anyone to
help.” Only the corner of my mouth lifts in a smile before I turn and lean
down, grabbing the sunscreen from my bag. When I do, I accidentally push my behind
into his hips.
Oops
. Colin groans low in his chest so I linger just a
second longer than necessary, grinding my hips playfully against him before
standing. Pulling my hair over to the side, I grant him full access to my back
and wait for him to take the lotion that I offer over my shoulder.

Colin’s
fingers hold my hips steady in front of him before he whispers in my ear. “I
will have you like this, Charlie.”

His
tone and words make my groin clench in anticipation so I tease him some more.
“Hmm, I think I’ll take you up on that offer.” I’m guessing he’s rolling his
eyes, a nasty habit he picked up from me, and it makes me giggle again.

 When
he finally takes the lotion, its cool chill causes a shiver to run down my
spine. Then his hands are on me and I'm hot. Goose bumps spring up, even though
it’s eighty-five degrees in the sun. His electric touch heats every part of my
body; now
I
want to groan. He takes an inordinate amount of time to rub
it in, a slow, silent seduction with his fingers. It feels so good.

When
he’s done, I turn to face him. His eyes are a deep, deep blue, like the ocean.
“I can’t take you anywhere in public, can I?”

It’s
fun to tease him. His eyes remain hot, but they change, a lightening to the
depth of his emotion. Leaning in, he places a swift, soft kiss on my lips and
then he swoops me up like a child in his arms. Walking to the side of the pool,
he hangs me over the side.

“You
wouldn’t dare.” I squeeze my arms around his neck, holding myself against him.

“Wanna
bet?”

Without
another word he jumps, breaking contact somewhere mid-stream so I fly into the
water alone. It’s freezing after being in the hot sun all afternoon, knocking
the breath out of me. Sputtering, I break the surface, gasping and pushing my
crazy hair out of my eyes. Colin’s hands lock on my arms to pull me up. Before
he gets a good grip I slip under the water to slick my hair back from my face,
breaking the water, nose-first like a mermaid.

I
open my eyes to find him watching my every move; the scorching need is back,
not hindered by the cool water. Sliding my arms around his neck to keep myself
at his eye level, I wrap my legs around his waist under the water, the bulge in
his shorts pressing against me.

“Just
don’t move.” His voice is strained as he growls, eyes smoldering as he stills
beneath me. He's so gorgeous, wet hair smoothed back from his forehead,
chiseled jaw clenching as he regains his composure. I want to kiss him, but I
know that won’t help with his desire. After a moment he motions to the other side
of the pool by the rock waterfall.

“I’ll
race you.” Using him as a springboard I jump off without any warning, getting a
good head-start. What I never told him was I was a competitive swimmer in high
school.

I
almost beat him; I blame his lengthy arm-reach and its added advantage for the
burst at the end that put him ahead of me.

Colin’s
arrogant grin is too much for my competitive nature. I swim up to give him a
congratulatory kiss on the lips. Distracting him with my mouth, I use all of my
strength to climb on his shoulders and push him under the water. Laughing when
he comes up for air, I swim away before he can retaliate, but he grabs me
toward him. Holding me for only a second, he uses a ledge on the rock wall for
leg support to lift me up and throw me three feet across the pool.

“I
give up,” I cry when I come up for air. We’re both laughing when he pulls me
close, my arms rounding his neck. This time I purposefully wrap my legs around
him, grinding to find the right position. I want him to suffer.

Swimming
a unique version of a backstroke, he moves us behind the waterfall so we’re in
a semi-private location. Sitting on a ledge of the wall he snakes an arm around
my back, grabbing my hair from behind. Pulling on it, he bares my neck for his
mouth.  

“Kiss
me,” I moan and he complies. Diving into me, my lips mold against his with a
passionate need. My body is pressed so tightly to him I feel where my soft and
his hard lines come together.  Snuggling deeper, I burrow against his
chest and his erection.

I
suspect reason returns when he slips off of the ledge so we slide under the
water, in effect cooling my libido. My legs disengage and I can kick myself to
the surface.

His
expression gives away his pain and frustration. “Stop tempting me, Charlie.”
There is no laughter left in his voice as he thoroughly scolds me. I don’t want
to ruin our fun, so I splash him and dive under the water to get away.

He
catches me just on the other side of the waterfall—no more protection to hide
my mischievous behavior. Grabbing my waist, he halts my progress and uses my
own technique against me, pushing me underwater by my shoulders. Reaching under
he brings me back up.

I’m
laughing when he does, and this time I play nice, leaving my legs to hang
disengaged, floating next to him. Laying my hands on his biceps, I work to
catch my breath. Colin’s eyes grow wide, scanning over my breasts in one second
and pulling me against him in another. I’m crushed against his chest.

“What’s
wrong?”

“Cover
yourself,” he snaps.

Pushing
against him to allow breathing room, I look down. My suit must have slipped at
some point while we played, exposing my breasts completely. My cheeks flame
red. He holds my waist as I work quickly to adjust the suit as inconspicuously
as possible. Apparently it was made for lounging, not for swimming and
wrestling with Colin.

“I’m
sorry.”

“It’s
not your fault.” The words are conciliatory, but his tone registers fury. “I
can’t stand that someone else might see you.” His eyes remain troubled as he
looks around us.

“I’m
sure no one did; there’s hardly anyone here. Are you ready for a drink?” I ask
to distract him from his pique. 

I
scan the pool, looking for anyone who may be staring in my direction, worried
he may be right. My unplanned and unwanted exposé would be embarrassing for me,
but it could be scandalous for him.