neck. The slight tint to her cheeks was easily attributed to the weather, as even in March, New Orleans was warm and muggy even after the sun went down. Summer might just kill her.
As she left the bathroom, she found Colin in the narrow hall, leaning against the wall and typing something into his phone. He looked up as she came out.
The awkwardness came back with a vengeance, and she wasn’t sure this time how to cover it. “Sorry. I didn’t realize there was a line.”
His brow wrinkled in confusion, then cleared. “No, I wasn’t waiting. I needed a quiet spot to make a phone call and return some emails, and this was the only unoccupied place in the house.”
“Oh. Okay.” He was obviously busy, so she should go on past. But she didn’t know when she’d get another chance. She took a deep breath. “Are you all right with this?”
“With what?”
“Me being here with your friends. Me agreeing to guest blog for Callie. Stuff like that.”
Colin shoved his phone back into his pocket and crossed his arms. “I think you overestimate my involvement with Callie’s blog, so our interactions with that will be minimal. As for you being here...” He shrugged. “It’s a party. Have fun.”
“That doesn’t really answer my question.”
“You’re the one who disappeared. Then when you reappeared, you made it clear that you didn’t want to have anything to do with me. If anyone’s going to have a problem, I’d think it would be you.”
That was a little harsh, but true. “I know it sounds clichéd, but it’s really not personal. It’s not even anything you did—or didn’t—do.” She was feeling lower than dirt right now, so she dug deep for courage and forged ahead with honesty. “I don’t trust myself right now to make good decisions. Especially with men. So I’m being careful. Taking baby steps. Staying in the shallow end.”
Colin’s eyes roamed down her body in a way that seemed more intimate than a touch. By the time they came back up to her heated face, her breath felt trapped in her chest. “Could’ve fooled me.”
The words could have sounded flip or sneering or dismissive, but the husky edge to Colin’s voice made them sound like a caress.
She swallowed hard.
The hallway was dark, the only light coming from the kitchen at the far end. And it was quiet, with the voices outside seeming very far away.
And this was not what she’d expected when she’d decided to open the conversation.
Damn it, she knew what Colin had to be thinking, because she was thinking the same thing. And knowing that was somehow worse. Or better. It certainly made the thoughts brighter, clearer...
Colin was still leaning against the wall, but only inches separated them now—which meant she’d been the one moving closer, even though she had no recollection of it. Or even an explanation for it. Without really meaning to, she placed a hand on his chest, and she could feel the heavy thump of his heart through the cotton of his shirt.
This time when she breathed in, she smelled him—soap and smoke from the grill and something else uniquely Colin that made her thighs clench.
Alarm bells clanged in her head. She needed to heed them this time because this was complicated enough. She stepped back. “Sorry,” she managed to choke out.
She had to go.
* * *
Colin couldn’t move. He could still feel the imprint of her hand on his chest, and the air felt thick and hard to breathe.
Whatever was going on in Jamie’s head was complicated and complex, and she was clearly fighting herself. It was small comfort, though, when his zipper was digging into him and his skin was tight.
It took a few minutes to get himself back under control, and when he went back outside and scanned the yard, Jamie was nowhere to be seen. But he did find Callie easily. “Where’s Jamie?”
“She left. She said she wasn’t feeling well.”
He could relate. He felt hot and flushed and his skin felt a size too small.
He hung around
As she left the bathroom, she found Colin in the narrow hall, leaning against the wall and typing something into his phone. He looked up as she came out.
The awkwardness came back with a vengeance, and she wasn’t sure this time how to cover it. “Sorry. I didn’t realize there was a line.”
His brow wrinkled in confusion, then cleared. “No, I wasn’t waiting. I needed a quiet spot to make a phone call and return some emails, and this was the only unoccupied place in the house.”
“Oh. Okay.” He was obviously busy, so she should go on past. But she didn’t know when she’d get another chance. She took a deep breath. “Are you all right with this?”
“With what?”
“Me being here with your friends. Me agreeing to guest blog for Callie. Stuff like that.”
Colin shoved his phone back into his pocket and crossed his arms. “I think you overestimate my involvement with Callie’s blog, so our interactions with that will be minimal. As for you being here...” He shrugged. “It’s a party. Have fun.”
“That doesn’t really answer my question.”
“You’re the one who disappeared. Then when you reappeared, you made it clear that you didn’t want to have anything to do with me. If anyone’s going to have a problem, I’d think it would be you.”
That was a little harsh, but true. “I know it sounds clichéd, but it’s really not personal. It’s not even anything you did—or didn’t—do.” She was feeling lower than dirt right now, so she dug deep for courage and forged ahead with honesty. “I don’t trust myself right now to make good decisions. Especially with men. So I’m being careful. Taking baby steps. Staying in the shallow end.”
Colin’s eyes roamed down her body in a way that seemed more intimate than a touch. By the time they came back up to her heated face, her breath felt trapped in her chest. “Could’ve fooled me.”
The words could have sounded flip or sneering or dismissive, but the husky edge to Colin’s voice made them sound like a caress.
She swallowed hard.
The hallway was dark, the only light coming from the kitchen at the far end. And it was quiet, with the voices outside seeming very far away.
And this was not what she’d expected when she’d decided to open the conversation.
Damn it, she knew what Colin had to be thinking, because she was thinking the same thing. And knowing that was somehow worse. Or better. It certainly made the thoughts brighter, clearer...
Colin was still leaning against the wall, but only inches separated them now—which meant she’d been the one moving closer, even though she had no recollection of it. Or even an explanation for it. Without really meaning to, she placed a hand on his chest, and she could feel the heavy thump of his heart through the cotton of his shirt.
This time when she breathed in, she smelled him—soap and smoke from the grill and something else uniquely Colin that made her thighs clench.
Alarm bells clanged in her head. She needed to heed them this time because this was complicated enough. She stepped back. “Sorry,” she managed to choke out.
She had to go.
* * *
Colin couldn’t move. He could still feel the imprint of her hand on his chest, and the air felt thick and hard to breathe.
Whatever was going on in Jamie’s head was complicated and complex, and she was clearly fighting herself. It was small comfort, though, when his zipper was digging into him and his skin was tight.
It took a few minutes to get himself back under control, and when he went back outside and scanned the yard, Jamie was nowhere to be seen. But he did find Callie easily. “Where’s Jamie?”
“She left. She said she wasn’t feeling well.”
He could relate. He felt hot and flushed and his skin felt a size too small.
He hung around
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