The Collision on Hardwood Drive (14 page)

Inside, I sighed with relief.
Rob leaned against my front door, knocking gently. “He’s gone, Steph. Jesus. When you mentioned your ex-boyfriend, you left out the part about his being a fucking stalker—you wanna let me in?”

I opened the door slowly and stepped back as
Rob stepped in. “Sorry. I’ve never really seen him like this before. I mean—I mean I knew he had a temper, but he was always too much a pussy really to do anything, except complain.”

Rob
wrapped his strong arms around me and pulled me into a tight embrace. Finally, I felt myself relax, safe in his arms.

“Thanks for coming over. I know I should have called the police, but I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

“Hey,” he whispered, pulling back just enough to look me in the eyes. “Listen—you can
always
call me. Especially if you’re in trouble—hell, you’d
better
call me if you’re in trouble. Understand?”

I nodded, grateful for the reassurance.

“Besides, I wouldn’t have seen you in this skimpy robe if you’d called the
police
,” he said, grinning as his eyes roamed over the silky material. “What were
you
up to before you were so rudely interrupted?”

I smiled, suddenly aware that my nipples were poking
visibly through the thin fabric. “Actually, I was about to take a bath. I bet it’s still warm. Wanna join?”

His lips met mine hungrily, and he gave me the answer I wanted. I knew then and there that he would erase the night’s craziness with his body on mine.

I led him into the steam-filled bathroom. I had always loved my deep, claw-footed tub, especially because of its roominess. I’d never been in it with someone else, but there was a first for everything—and I wanted all my firsts to be with Rob from now on.

Rob
faced me and gently untied my robe. He traced his fingers down my neck slowly and circled my erect nipples.

“
Beautiful,” he mused, breathing me in as his eyes wandered down my naked body. I felt my inner thighs dampen in response to his touch.

“Let’s go
slowly,” he whispered.

I began to unbutton his shirt, nodding and carefully taking my time with him. I could feel him grow hard, bulging in his pants. He lifted his undershirt over his head, muscles rippling. We were already perspiring from the heat of the bath. I ran my hand up his damp chest while he lowered his pants, leaving us standing naked in front of each other. His broad body took my breath away.

He kissed my ear, then my neck. He let his mouth linger there while he laced our hands. His fingers toyed with mine, and my heart ached with the tenderness of that gesture. I wanted to feel him in me.

I moved my hand down to grasp his cock, gripping the stiffness of it. I slid it between my legs, letting him feel how wet I had already gotten. He moaned with pleasure.

“Want to get in the bath?” I asked, my voice no more than a bare whisper.

He stepped in first, sinking into the warm bubbles. He held my hand
and stepped in carefully, one foot at a time. I lowered myself between his legs so we faced each other once more. The tops of my breasts bobbed in the water, the bubbles kissing my nipples. He reached out, taking them in his hands and gliding his palms around their fullness.

He slipped one hand under the water to feel around for my silky opening. Two of his fingers slipped
in me easily, causing me to inhale sharply.

“Want me to wash you?” I asked coquettishly, licking my lips.

He nodded. “I think I’m really, really dirty,” he answered, his voice dipping low to that sexy baritone I loved. While he played with my clit, I reached into the water to find his rigid cock. The soapiness of the water allowed me to glide my palm over it effortlessly with hard, firm strokes.

“
God
, that feels good,” Rob groaned, thrusting into my hand.

My heart rate quickened as I slid
toward him in the water, ready to feel his cock fill me once more. I straddled him, my legs pressing into the sides of the tub. Our lips met, and he opened his mouth to move his tongue against mine. I laced my fingers behind his neck and moved until the tip of his cock settled in my opening. The promise of penetration made me throb against him.

“Rob,” I moaned as his hands slipped under me, cupping my breasts in each palm. Just when I thought I couldn’t take any more of this sweet torture I felt Rob’s stiff cock pushing into me, his mouth blazing a trail of hot kisses on the back of my neck.

He gripped my hips and slid me onto his shaft, his large cock sliding deep inside me. He sat up so I could wrap my legs around his waist. We rocked together, the water lapping at our bodies as it sloshed in the tub. Pleasure spread from beneath my legs to every limp inch of my body as I felt the ridges of his dick slide in and out of me. He pinched and fondled my nipples while the hot jet blasted me.

“Look at me,” he commanded, tilting my head up so I
raised my eyes to meet his.

We locked eyes, his bright gr
ay orbs searching mine.

“Come with me,” he said. It was almost a question, and
I only nodded—unable to speak, shocked as a wave of ecstasy came over me.

After we finished, he turned me around so my back pressed against his che
st. He wrapped his legs around mine as we breathed in unison. I felt utterly content as he moved his lips along my neck, kissing softly and carefully.

“That was the best bath I’ve ever had,” he murmured.

I agreed so wholeheartedly that I couldn’t even put it in words. “Thank you again for coming over,” I whispered.

“Maybe we should thank Michael,” he said playfully. “If he hadn’t come over, I never would have had to
rescue you—then you would have had to take this bath alone.”

“In that case, you’re right.
Maybe we need to treat that bastard to a nice dinner.”

“Nah,” he said, laughing. “Fuck him.”

I smiled and settled in. A few minutes later, I remembered my conversation with Claire from earlier that evening. The missing stop sign flooded my mind, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. “Hey—I wanted to ask you something about the accident,” I said, feeling oddly strange about bringing it up.

“What about it?” he asked, his tone completely casual as he rubbed at my shoulders.

“I went to dinner with a girlfriend tonight, and we drove past the intersection where it happened,” I continued, keeping my voice soft and low.

“Didn’t anyone ever tell you that you should
never
go back to the scene of a crime?” he joked.

I smiled, but I knew I had to press on—it was too late to stop this conversation now. “It’s just that—there was no stop sign on the corner where I hit you, but I
did
hit you. Right?”

“It’s a hard sign to see,” he answered without hesitation. “That’s why I assumed you missed it the first time.”

“I thought so, too,” I said. “That’s why we got out of the car to check—and there’s literally
no
stop sign there.”

“Strange,”
Rob said. He sounded a bit distracted now. After a moment’s silence, he stood to get out of the bath. His body glistened with hot water and perspiration. “I’m going to grab a glass of wine—would you like one?”

“I’d love one. There should be a bottle in the top right cabinet,” I said. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be quite so easy to make me forget the accident—even though that was the
last
thing I wanted to think about now.

“You’re
sure
I ran a stop sign?” I asked before he walked out.

He came back and bent over me, kissing me on the lips lightly and carefully. Before he disappeared into the kitchen, he said, “Positive.”

8

I woke the next morning with a yawn and a stretch, rolling on my side to study Rob’s face. His full lips were still parted ever so slightly, as slow even breaths escaped them. I wanted to kiss him so deeply that he awoke to the sight and the feel of me, aroused and pleased. I wanted to run my fingers through his sleep-mussed hair and feel the stubble streaking the planes of his jaw line prickling against my cheeks. And I wanted to let him sleep for an eternity, if only I could stare at him for an eternity.

His long lashes began to flutter faintly before long. I could see him fight the morning light as a yawn worked his way out of his mouth. He opened his eyes slowly, blinking a few times to clear the sleep-induced fog from his eyes before rolling on his side to face me. “Mmm, mornin’. Were you watching me sleep, you creep?”

His voice was affectionate, deep and throaty from sleep, and it sent a pleasant shiver crawling down the line of my spine. “
No
,” I said, feigning a haughty expression. “Your freight train snores woke me. Be honest. Is that the
real
reason you’re still single?”

He laughed and burrowed his face in my chest, breathing me. “I don’t
snore
. You’re such a liar, babe.”

I sighed melodramatically before cracking a grin too. I could never resist smiling around him, especially when we woke together like this.

“I have some meetings scheduled for this afternoon,” he said. I couldn’t help pouting, having fostered a bit of hope that we might spend the whole day in bed like this. He noticed it immediately and pulled me closer, into the warm embrace of his arms. “I could cancel…”

“I
wish
.” I groaned against his chest, wanting desperately to take him up on that offer. It wouldn’t be great for his career if he were to keep canceling meetings just to be with me, and besides, I couldn’t take today off even if Rob were free. “I have rehearsal, unfortunately. We have our first show of the season tomorrow. I’d probably be tossed out of the performance if I didn’t show up today.”

Rob pulled back to look at my face, curiosity written all over his. “Performance, huh? Now, this hardly seems fair—you know all about
me
, but I still don’t know much about
you
. You never told me you had a performance tomorrow! What else are you hiding, huh?”

I knew from this tone that he was clearly teasing me, but I still couldn’t help the pink flush that swarmed my cheeks. “Nothing! I’m sorry my life story isn’t on Page Six like yours.”

“It will be by the time I’m done with you. Seriously though, what kind of performance do you have tomorrow?”

“Oh, you know,” I said, shrugging. “Just classical numbers, boring ol’ ballet. The New York District Ballet, the company I’ve been with for years now, is starting their fall series tomorrow afternoon.”

“I’d love to see you dance.”

I almost laughed, automatically assuming he was just being polite. No one in this day and age really enjoyed ballet, except college-aged hipsters and elderly couples trying to recapture their youth. “Are you sure? Most men find ballet more effective than Ambien—I won’t make you put yourself through that. I also dance with
New York Modern Dance Ensemble; those shows start in January—
way
more exciting.”

“No,” Rob insisted. “I’m coming tomorrow. What time?”

“Curtain’s at two,” I said, a bit hesitantly. “Are you
sure
you’re interested? I won’t hold it against you if you skip it.”

He climbed on top of me and pinned my arms above my head, leaning in to brush his lips gently against mine. “I’m
sure
I’m sure. And afterward—I’m taking you out to dinner to celebrate. Question me again, and you’ll get the sword.”

He pivoted his hips forward, rolling them against mine to make his point. I giggled, wriggling to get away even though that punishment hardly sounded like punishment at all. “
No
-oo! Let me go!”

He wrapped his arms around me and rolled us around so I straddled his hips. “It’s settled then. Matinee at two, followed by dinner at five.”

I couldn’t help letting my eyes roam over his body, fixating on his broad shoulders and sun-browned skin. “Then, dessert at seven?”

He smiled, the slow curve of his lips sexier than any other smile I’d seen in my life. “Dessert at seven. Maybe in the car on the way home.”

I laughed and whacked him lightly. “
No—
well, maybe a
quick
bite, but I was talking about dessert with my dad. I really would love you to meet him, you know. He was supposed to come over for dinner this weekend, but in his condition—I just think it’d be easier if we went to him. Could we drive down after dinner? Sweets are his specialty.”

“If
you
want me to meet him,
I
want to meet him,” he said, stretching to kiss me on the mouth and seal the deal. “Tell him we’ll be there at seven.”

*