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“Whatever.” I’m milking all the old perceptions of me that will make this little charade land.
“Do youwantto see the orchard?” Jackson asks, skeptical.
“I, um…” Colin looks from Jackson to me, unsure what I’m going on about. “Sure.”
I shake my head dramatically. “Seriously, you’re terrible. I’ll take him out there before Pictionary, just so he can see the fruit before the sun goes down. Back in a few.” I indicate Colin should follow me out. “Sheesh,” I mutter for one extra dose of realism.
When we get outside, I steer him in the opposite direction of where Ruby and Archer are playing with Fiona.
“Are you going to explain that?” Colin trails behind me because I’m walking faster than usual.
“We’ve got some nice apples. Thought you should see them,” I call back to him.
“I’m looking at some nice apples right here.” He catches up, runs a hand down my back, and gives my ass a squeeze. “But that’s not what I meant. What was the drama queen bit?”
Does he really want to talk about this now?
“My siblings assume I’m a whiny pain in the butt, so I just worked that angle a little bit to get you alone.”
I stop moving and turn around, disinterested in muddling the moment with any more conversation. We’re far enough away from the house now to give us some privacy. The hunger in my eyes leaves no room for interpretation. I let my gaze move from the tight pull of his shirt over his pecs to the ripple of his abs, then lower, where I can only imagine the tight V of muscle that leads down, down…
Colin’s lips are on mine before I can complete the thought, and any other musings are wiped clean from my brain. All I feel is him.
The closeness of his body.
The deeply masculine scent of him, all woodsy soap and leather.
The feel of his soft lips, which I’ve been staring at for days. They taste better than I imagined, and all I can think of ismore. I want so much more than a single kiss.
But that’s all I can let myself have right now.
Colin wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me against him. He’s already hard and I feel him right at my core, which aches for exactly this.
Our kiss deepens. Tongues meeting and swirling. Breaths growing ragged.
Blurring the line between where I end and he begins.
I want to erase it completely.
Colin slides his hand into my hair and cups the back of my head, holding me against his lips as he trails a line of hungry kisses along my cheek and down to my neck. His tongue circles against my skin there, and I hear myself moan.
It brings me back to reality.
We aren’t very far from Dash’s house, and I have no idea where Fiona may be hiding. The last thing I want to do is make out in front of a seven-year-old.
“Maybe we should get back.” I say the words, silently begging him to disagree with me. To push me up against a tree and show me what else he can do with that magical tongue.
“Is this really happening?” My grumpy brother’s voice pulls me back to reality like a jackhammer on concrete.
Ruby and Archer climb the steps from the vineyard to the deck, and from their blank expressions, it’s clear they didn’t see anything. Jackson comes out to the balcony and grumbles loudly, “Yeah, if we’re playing, let’s get to it already. This one has a bedtime.”
“Oh, Daddy. You can bend the rules. Please?”
My brother is putty in his daughter’s hands, and I watch the smile drift over his face as he agrees to her demands.
“Fine. One hour.”
I steal a look at Colin, who somehow appears fresh and composed, like he’s just been for a nice walk in the orchard. It must help him in business negotiations.
