Midnight (McKenna Chronicles Book 1) (50 page)

The
back door bangs to a close, an indicator we have seconds before someone will be
with us. Colin pulls back immediately, his hand slipping free in a nanosecond.
I close my eyes and take two deep, long breaths to stable my aching body. When
I open them to look at Colin, his face is a mirror of mine, I’m sure. He's
ravaged, mouth pink and swollen from my kiss. Lifting my hand to his face, I
rub my fingers over his cheek, across his lip. “Soon,” I whisper. While closing
his eyes he leans into my hand, nuzzling to kiss my palm.  

Ali
glides into the kitchen, a smirk lifting the corner of her mouth. “Let me see
you,” she says, washing her hands again.

After
a quick examination and a couple of pokes at my leg, she says, “Okay, let’s get
you off of the counter so I can wrap you up.”

She
makes to help me down but before I can move Colin picks me up, taking me to the
chair she’s pulled out from the kitchen table. Instead of setting me down, he
sits with me in his lap, turning so my ankle is held up for Ali. I peek at him;
his expression is refrained. Catching my eye, he winks. Smiling in return I
burrow down into his chest, my favorite place to be.

Ali
wraps my ankle and declares most of it a first-degree burn, with small parts
reaching second degree. Those areas will blister, but the only thing I have to
do is keep it clean and wrapped for a few days and I should be fine.

She
brought me a choice between shorts and sweat pants. Given it’s almost eighty
degrees in the late afternoon sun I pick the shorts. Standing from Colin’s lap
I don’t even blush as I slip into the pair of short cutoff jeans. I catch him
staring at my butt and I laugh at his reaction to my half-naked form.

I
lean down to kiss him quickly, running my finger over his lips when I pull
back. “Hungry?” I ask.

He
growls and reaches for me. “You know I am, baby.”

I
laugh, willingly letting him put me back on his lap. “I meant for food.” I wrap
my hands into his hair he dips down for a sweet, gentle kiss. We both know that
for the moment we have to be good.   

“Come
on, let’s get something to eat,” I say, grabbing his hand and pulling him to
his feet. Holding hands, we descend back to the yard.

~

With
dinner over we’re sitting around Gram, waiting to sing happy birthday. Every
year, she’s surrounded by her grandchildren; this year, that includes Colin. He
has me on his lap again; much to my consternation, given my entire family is
present. Colin insisted, using the argument that it was easier to elevate my
ankle this way. Even with ibuprofen it’s painful, especially if I walk on it or
move it.

I
gave in, so here I am, sitting next to Gram with my foot on the chair next to
me, Colin’s breath on my neck, with my cousins and siblings around us. I
couldn’t be happier. Grinning foolishly, I lean back, relishing his presence
and his arms protectively holding me. Periodically, his lips brush against my
hair. I have never felt such peace and serenity. Shuffling slightly on his lap
to adjust my leg, my lips are an inch away from his cheek.

“Careful,”
he whispers in my ear.

I
smile broadly, knowing very well what he means. We’re close to running off into
the woods together, or he may take me against my will. I wiggle suggestively on
his lap to let him know I’d be okay with that. He rolls his eyes, an
exaggerated display.

“One
of these days I’ll take you up on your offer, Charlie. You just won’t know
which one, but right now I really want a piece of Gram’s favorite chocolate
cake.” His eyes are dark, but filled with humor too.

I
pretend pout. “You want cake more than me?” I whisper sadly in his ear, my
bottom lip pushed out in my faux sulk.

“Keep
that lip away from me, or I’ll take it and you right here. What would Gram
think of me then?” His voice is laced with just enough truth that I decide I
better mind my manners. Before I do though, I kiss him gently on his cheek.

My
mom walks out with the cake, at least twenty-five candles ablaze on top. Gram
holds her hands up, covering her mouth as she does every year in mock horror of
the light show. In reality she loves every minute of it, enjoying the song and
everyone singing it. Colin joins in, a kind smile lighting his face as he bids
my gram a happy birthday. She gladly accepts help from around the table to blow
out the blaze and quickly works to ensure everyone has a piece.

Lifting
a forkful of cake, Colin doesn’t wait to comment, raising his brow curiously.
“You made this?” His voice is incredulous.

“Yes.”
I laugh at his expression. “You think it impossible I can make a cake?”

“No,
I think it impossible you didn’t burn the house down.” He laughs, as does
everyone else at the table.

“Good
one, Colin,” Ian says. Sammy gives him a high five. My response is to glare
with narrowed eyes, waiting for an apology that never comes.

“It’s
very good,” he says in consolation. “I had no idea you could cook.”

“Well,
to be fair, we haven’t been anywhere I can cook for you. Next time we have a
break I’ll make you dinner. You can decide then if I’m good at it.”

“Deal,”
he says with a light in his eyes. A secret is hidden there today that he hasn’t
told me about.

~

Most
of the guests have left for the night, including Gram and Grandpa who just
headed out for home. A few close neighbors and relatives remain, along with my
siblings. Ian and Sammy are playing horseshoes with Ali and Uncle George in a
tournament. The only prize the winning team will claim is the title of victor.

“Come
on.” I pull on Colin’s hand. “Walk with me.”

He
looks at my foot in question. “I’m fine. I want to show you something and it’s
not far away.”

We
walk in companionable silence as I lead him back into the woods behind the
house on a well-traveled trail I’ve walked hundreds of times before. In just a
few moments we reach our destination, as the trees surrounding the path lessen
and fall away to a small clear opening. The new growth of spring grass sprouts
forth from the ground. There is a thick tree in the center of the clearing,
planks of old wood nailed solidly to the trunk.

I
smile up at him. His gaze rests on the tree house perched soundly on the thick
branches protruding from the old oak tree. Leaves bud bright green on the tips
of the branches.

Colin
raises his right eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you’re going to climb a tree?”

I
scoff at him. “Are you questioning my ability to make it safely up into this
tree house?”

“Yes,
I most definitely am.”

Shaking
my head in exasperation, I climb the old planks deftly, popping through the
opening into the house without any harm. It smells the same as it did when I
was a young girl, pine wood flanks the walls, the knots browned deeply with
age. The wood smells like an old book left on a shelf, unopened for years.
Eager for renewed use, it sheds the stale smell, finding its purpose once more.
That is the tree house.

Our
neighbors have a young girl who uses the house now; she has been here recently
to clean away the remnants of the long winter.

Colin
pops through the small entrance in the floor, his large frame dwarfing what I
always considered a generous room. I move over to a hidden cubby against the
wall, pulling out a blanket washed by our neighbor during the spring-cleaning.
It smells fresh. Colin helps me spread it on top of the thick rug that softens
the floor. Waving him over, I push open one of the shutters, closing off the
room from the remaining shards of sun. Through a small clearing in the tree
line you can see the lake, the silver water dancing in the late afternoon sun.

“It’s
a beautiful view,” I say, looking out at the water I have loved since I was a
little girl.

Colin’s
tone of voice surprises me. It’s filled with heat and longing. “Yes, it is.”

When
I turn he’s not looking outside the window at all, but at me, his eyes searing
into mine.

FLINGING
MY
arms
around his
neck, I press myself into his chest and along the hard lines of his body. He
laughs into my mouth as my lips find his. I wrap my legs around his waist and
squeeze, trying desperately to erase the distance of the last few days. It’s
only a moment before the teasing is gone, and serious longing and need moves
between us. His hands are cradling and kneading my butt. Desperate now, without
breaking the connection from his mouth, I begin unbuttoning his shirt, pulling
it roughly from his chest. My hands are greedy as I fan them over the hard
muscles, rolling his nipples under my palms, lowering them to feel the ripples
defining his abdomen. I catch his low moan in my mouth, hungry for all things Colin.

Loosening
my legs, I slide leisurely down the hard length of him, unabashedly touching
his growing erection through his jeans with my hand. Releasing the button and
pulling the zipper down, I free him for my touch. He moves quickly to remove
his clothing, reaching for me to bring me back into his arms when he’s done,
but I hesitate. His eyes are burning with need.

I
slow us down. Slow myself down. Retreating from his reaching arms, I make him
watch as I leisurely strip my clothes. I grab my tank, lifting it over my head,
exposing my aching breasts pushing against the pink lace of my bra. Grabbing
them in hand I squeeze, my thumbs rolling lightly over the raised nipples. His
mouth opens as he inhales sharply. I do it again and groan when I pinch them
between my fingers. His eyes darken dangerously, his erection hardening further
under my hot stare.

Moving
my hands slowly over my stomach to the button of my shorts, I push them from my
legs. I bend over as I drag them from my body so Colin has a full view of my
breasts as they fall forward from my chest.

Standing
now in my lace bra and panties, I walk to stand inches from him. His eyes are
penetrating but he remains silent and still. Slowly, never breaking eye
contact, he leans forward to press his lips first lightly against mine, and
then drawing a faint path with his tongue along my bottom lip.

“I’ve
missed you, baby. Missed your mouth.” Colin’s breath is a sweet feather
tickling the sensitive skin along my cheek and to the hollow of my neck. He
inhales deeply while running his nose to the center of my breasts. “I missed
your scent; it’s my addiction.”

His
hands push my breasts up to his face and he buries himself there, breathing and
taking me in. Turning slightly, he sucks on my nipple through the lace bra. I
tilt my head back and groan, my hands gripping his hair, reveling in his words
and the actions that confirm them. One by one, he nips and pulls at the
sensitive tips, lavishing them with attention. Using his teeth, he pulls the
lace of my bra down over my breast, taking a tender nipple into his mouth and
sucking on it, hard. I almost convulse, crying out as I hold him tightly. Deep
down, low in my groin, my body is vibrating.

Taking
time to torture my other breast he leaves my nipples exposed, my breasts pushed
up and bound by my bra supporting their weight

Colin
slowly drops to his knees, kissing and licking my belly as he does, pressing
his nose into the apex of my thighs and breathing deeply. Another moan escapes
and I move to sit with him, but his hands keep me standing.

Slipping
his fingers under my lace panties, he pulls them down slowly, looking up at me
through the thick row of his lashes, his blue eyes dancing wickedly. “I missed
the heat of your skin and your sweetness on my tongue.” Holy shit, he’s so
fucking hot. Pushing my legs apart with his knees between my feet, he feathers
a light touch torturously up the insides of my legs, reaching my thighs. I
tremble and my breathing spikes, but I can’t look away. I’m mesmerized by him,
and everything he does to me. 

Spreading
my body for his tongue, he begins a sensual massage, tasting, licking one side
and then the other before finding my clitoris. His deep groan fills the
otherwise silent room as he takes me, lapping, rolling and teasing. Moaning, I
press into him, my hands digging into his hair as he tortures me with his
mouth. My legs shake as muscles I forgot existed start to hum in anticipation.
With more intensity he sucks on my clitoris, and we move together, finding the
perfect tempo.

“Please,
oh Colin,” I moan again, unable to hold back the tiny pleas that have nowhere
to go but into the beautiful silence holding us captive together.

“Oh,
God,” I cry out. “Don’t stop, please don’t stop.” My hips roll with him and
into him and he never lets up, giving, giving so much pleasure I’m sure to
crumble from the intensity of it. But I let it happen, welcoming the gift.

My
orgasm is at first a small blossom and it grows quickly, reverberating and
rebounding through every muscle, contracting and wringing them out in the best
possible way.

“Oh,
God,” I whisper again and realize through a haze I’m gripping Colin’s head
tightly, pressing him into me, riding the waves with him. He only parts from me
when the tremors cease. Lifting his head and resting his chin on my stomach,
below my belly button. His eyes are lost in passion, lips glistening with the
evidence of my arousal. I run my finger over the slickness, relishing
everything about this man, my man, and before I can pull away he takes it into
his mouth, sucking deeply until I feel the heat not only on my finger but deep
inside as well.

Oh,
how I want him. I want him inside me. Leaning down, I pull from his mouth and
slowly slip my finger into mine, tasting the exotic blend of him and me. I move
to kiss him greedily, tasting more of myself on his lips. It’s a potent
combination, Colin and me. I want more.