“Oh, I remember everything you like, and even the things you love.” He gave her a quick kiss. “As for the countdown clock, I can make it worth your while.”
“That’s a big statement.”
“I’m a big guy,” he said, giving her a drugging kiss and leaving her with no question of just how big he was. “What do you say, Bianchi?”
That this was an epically bad decision. Kissing in the car was one thing, going into his house would lead to a whole lot of other freaking fantastic things—like him making it worth her while. Between the girls crawling into bed with her and Harley’s habit of entering while knocking, Teagan hadn’t had any “while” in a long while.
But mixed in with the fantastic things were a few scary things—like feelings. Real, deep, and rapidly growing feelings. Feelings that would be disastrous to admit, even to herself.
Past Teagan and Colin had been simple. There was nothing simple about what would happen if they took this to the next step.
Not only did they both have families depending on them—families that needed their time and attention and needed to come first—but there was the whole next-door-neighbor thing, which wouldn’t be changing anytime soon. He was headed toward empty nester and, for the foreseeable future, she was the grown-up in her family of five.
She could get out of the car and walk home or get out of the car and go to Colin’s home. Either choice came with upsides and pitfalls, just as they’d both—
“I know you’re in your head right now, wondering what the right move is. Just know, the next move is all yours.” Leaning in, he put his mouth to her ear. “I dare you to go for it, Bianchi.”
Teagan was transported back to the summer before freshman year of high school. Her dad had just canceled their Disney World trip and, not wanting anyone to see her cry, she’d climbed out on the rooftop, right in time to watch Colin sneak out his bedroom window. Instead of going off into the night, he’d walked over to her back deck and dared her to sneak down to the beach with him. At first, she’d said no. But after some convincing, she’d said yes.
And she’d never stopped saying yes, all the way up to that last summer.
She was fairly certain, given the right situation, he could still sweet-talk her into doing something reckless, like take the tempting offer he’d just presented. Her Bad Idea alarm was blaring and refused to be snoozed.
She’d never been a fan of alarms.
She kissed him long and languidly. “Will it be better than a lemon drop?”
“It will be the best damn cocktail you’ve ever had.”
They both reached for the door handle.
* * *
Too many cocktails led to lapses in judgment. And while Teagan was alcohol sober, she was stumbling drunk on the promise of sex.
Pressed with her back against the front door and Colin’s mouth on hers, stoking the fire, she’d never felt so nervous or alive. She grabbed the front of his shirt and tugged him closer. “We should move inside.”
“No can do. I promised you a damn fine cocktail and that starts with the right ingredients.”
“And what would they be?”
“For starters, a kiss under the porch light.”
“How about a kiss on the wall behind the porch light, just in case the kids heard us drive up.”
One strong hand rested at the small of her back, the other reached up and twisted the porch light, plunging them into darkness. “Just in case.”
He threaded her fingers between his and pressed them against the door above her head. This time when his mouth moved against hers, it was tender and unhurried, as if this was their first date. As if, for him, tonight was about more than chemistry and hormones and, even though they were in a time crunch, he wouldn’t be rushed.
He nibbled and kissed, gently sucking on her lower lip. With only their linked hands and mouths touching, he had her melting against the door. Kissing him, like this, was about the sexiest thing she’d ever experienced, until eventually she was so wrapped up in everything that was Colin, the stress, the responsibility, and all the problems that came with her daily life vanished. She forgot that this thing between them would likely blow up in their faces, that they were on his front porch in clear view of the entire block and gave in to the moment, matching his languid pace.
“That’s what I was waiting for,” he whispered, his mouth never leaving hers. Her brain was so befuddled that she was caught off guard when the door clicked open. She braced herself for a fall only to find herself in Colin’s arms. “I got you.”
Taking that promise as word, she tugged him toward the staircase, but he pulled her to a stop.
“Second thoughts?”
Before he could answer, two furry felines wove themselves between her and Colin’s ankles. They looked at her with bored disregard.
