Midnight (McKenna Chronicles Book 1) (52 page)

My
family will have none of it, so I begin the slow, melodic strokes, the song
playing in my head easily as I fall into the words.  A song I would sing
because of its beauty, never dreaming the words would one day, this day, mean
so much to me. I’m drawn to Colin, to his eyes as he watches me thoughtfully.

My
voice is low, soulfully deep as I begin to sing Etta James’ “At Last”, the
meaning of the words not lost on Colin, his eyes growing deep while I sing to
him. Just as it was when we were at Blake’s, we are suddenly alone, my voice
traveling the short distance to him. I sing of dreams I never once imagined
could become my reality—a heaven on earth.

His
eyes burn into mine and I know he wants to touch me. How easily these lyrics
translate to my life with him, his beautiful smile and heart that bewitch me. I
belong to him and he is mine. At last my life complete, bathed in the
effervescent glow of Colin McKenna.

There’s
a passion in my voice that was missing each time I sang this song before
tonight. Passion I could never have imagined—the intensity of my feelings for
him is extraordinary. My voice lowers when I finish softly, directing the final
words to him, for I waited
twenty
-nine years to find
him:
at last
.

Silence
surrounds the fire, the moment not lost on my family as they see Colin’s
searing, hungry stare.

Sammy
breaks the tension. “Let’s do s’mores now, I’m starving.”

Everyone
begins nonsensical conversation. Colin reaches his hand over to mine, pulling
it to brush his lips over my knuckles. We don’t speak, his eyes conveying a
shadow of the feelings he has for me.

~

Later,
my guitar put away and my parents sleeping, we’re left with my siblings at the
fire. Colin and I sit silently as the last lick of flame burns low, becoming
smoldering-hot embers melting slowly to dust. He’s roasting a marshmallow for a
s’more he’s making for me.

“You
never told me you had so much skill at a campfire.”

“Boy
scout, remember?” He grins. I roll my eyes. “I have yet to find something
you’re not good at. Did you learn everything in Boy Scouts?”

“Not
everything.” His voice is husky, dirty even.

I
laugh. Watching him pay close attention to the rotation of the marshmallow over
the coals, an unwelcome thought pops into my head: how many were before me?
Maybe I’m not special, different than anyone else from his past. Ella said that
to me once, yet I never took the time to consider it. I've never broached the
topic with him before. When we first became intimate I believed it was a
day-to-day arrangement. I hadn’t expected I would fall in love with him and he
would want to stay with me after knowing about my past. Now we’re different—at
least, I think we are. We have at least a very near future together, and I’m
curious to know, other than his wife, about former lovers.

Pulling
me from my wayward thoughts, Ali waves. “Night Charlie, Colin.” She follows
Sammy and Ian into the house, leaving us to the slow burning fire and to each
other.

Colin
slips the melting marshmallow into the graham and chocolate layer I have
waiting in my hands. I squish it all together, the white goo oozing out.
Licking the sides first, I take a bite, my cheeks full of heaven. Colin laughs,
lifting his finger first to wipe a bit of chocolate from the corner of my mouth
and licking it off as his eyes darken with heat.

“Hmm,
you taste good, Charlie.” His voice is as dark as his eyes. Tilting his head to
the side, staring at my mouth, he dips the tip of his tongue to trace the edge
of my lips, licking the chocolate from my mouth. His eyes remain open, watching
my reaction to him and me. He must see something in the depths of my gaze as he
sinks in, my mouth opening to him for a sweet kiss, our tongues barely touching
as we move together. My stomach falls out from under me, my head swimming at
his gentleness.  

I
let out a deep breath when he pulls away. My eyes remain closed, enjoying the
perfect moment. When I open them he's staring at me.

“You
have a beautiful voice, baby. I didn’t realize you sing.”

“This
is it. I sing by the campfire and in the shower. Nowhere else. I’m way to shy
for karaoke.”

He
laughs. “I’ve never thought about you as shy. Fiery maybe, but not shy.”

“Why
fiery?”

He
laughs again. “Well there is the obvious.” He waits a minute and when I don’t
give any indication I know what he’s talking about, he continues. “Your hair.”
He picks up one of the many wayward strands flying around my face in the light
breeze coming off of the lake. 

“It’s
beautiful, like you. In the sun it’s a flame, and in bed, with your head thrown
back, it’s a low burning candle meant to tempt me, bring me to heel.”

He
continues, all the while staring at and stroking my hair. “Your intense
passion, the fierce love you have for me.” Colin’s voice is a whisper as he
says this, finally connecting with my eyes. I thought I might see sadness
there, but I don’t. He burns with a secret intensity, joy within the midnight
blue irises. No sadness. My heart skips a beat, stuttering before it starts
again.

His
eyes grow wider. “And then there’s your temper.” He whistles. “Yes, your temper
is very fiery.”

I
laugh at the look on his face. “Okay, okay, I get it. Fiery is a good word for
me.” I can’t deny the temper; sometimes it flares quick and
spectacularly. 

Colin’s
gaze darkens and my heart beats heavy in my chest. I have to consciously slow
my breathing. I don’t want to jump on him, at least not yet. I want to talk,
learn more about him.

“Colin.”
My voice betrays my need, so I take a sip of my drink and start again. He’s
waiting patiently for me to continue. My heart is pumping fast again because I
don’t know how to ask this. “Colin.”

“Yes,
Charlie?” His eyes search mine.

I
swallow reflexively. “You know how I feel about you.” His head tilts the
slightest bit, his eyes never leaving mine.

“I
. . . I’m curious to know how many women, um, you know, how many women have
you. Well shit, how many women have you done this with?” I wave my hands around
me.

His
brow furrows and I can’t tell if he’s angry or thinking. If he’s thinking I’m
afraid of the number he’s calculating.

“Charlie,
I have never done this,” he waves his hand around, mimicking my gesture, “with
anyone. You and your family are my first experience with horseshoes, Gram’s
favorite chocolate cake and tree houses.” His smile is small, barely reaching
his eyes.

Uh-oh,
here it comes.
“I’m thirty-six years old. I’ve had my share of women in my
life. If you’re asking of those women how many I would travel across the
country to see, the answer is one, just one—just you, Charlie, only you.”

I
throw the rest of the s’more to the ground and launch myself at him, my knees
straddling his thighs as my hands dive into his hair to steady myself. My mouth
claims his hotly, desperately trying to climb into him to satisfy my
never-ending hunger. He groans into my mouth as his head tips back at my
urgency. My kiss is fueled by desire, love and the need to show him I don’t
care about anyone from his past, only what we have together.

Colin’s
hands reach under my sweatshirt to knead my heavy breasts, my nipples puckering
at his touch immediately. He pulls and rolls them with his fingers causing
deep, pulsating spasms in my groin to grow more pronounced as each second
passes. I moan into his mouth, moving my hips reflexively into the bulge
pushing against his jeans. A deep rumble sounds in his chest as he feels me,
his erection growing stronger, pushing up and into me.

Suddenly
I pull away, my breath coming in short heavy bursts, to look at the house. It’s
completely dark, drapes pulled tight on the bedroom windows. The fire is almost
nonexistent—only a few burning embers remain. The only source of light is from
the sliver of moon hanging high over the water. The night is dark.

Colin’s
hands have stilled on my breasts, looking toward the house as well. “Do you
want to stop?”

My
response is to lightly run my tongue along his bottom lip, pulling it between
my teeth, nipping and tasting him, deepening the kiss in my urgency to have
him. I need him; I want him inside me.

My
hands fall down to the zipper of his pants. He helps me adjust his clothes so
he springs free and my eyes feed hungrily on his body, highlighted by the
shadows produced by the slow simmer of burning embers. Standing quickly, I
slide my pants and panties down at once, the night air cold against my naked
skin. He turns me around so my back is to him, as if I’m sitting on his lap.
His hands grasp my backside, slowly spreading me open as he guides me down onto
his erection.

“Oh,
God,” I pant as he slides in, filling me resplendently. “It’s so good.”

I
feel him deeply. Arching back so my head rests on his shoulder, I turn my lips
to his neck, barely touching the heat of his skin. His eyes are closed to
steady his breathing. Using the ground, I begin to push up and down, back and
forth. 

Colin
moans deeply in his chest, his hands gripping my hips as I move. He’s embedded
deeply, rocking back and forth, and I pull and push him in and out again and
again.

His
breath is heavy in my ear, whispering my name as his hands round to grab my
breasts underneath my sweatshirt. I push my face into his skin, inhaling his
musk deeply as his fingers tweak and pull my nipples.

“Aahh,”
I moan, rocking forward and drawing him out, only to sink slowly back so he
slides in, deep, pulsing and full.

One
of his hands moves down to rub my clitoris and I gasp at the contact. His hot
fingers and the cold night air almost send me over the edge. I begin to quiver.
Clenching around him, I speed up and encourage his fingers to continue their
sensual massage. I’m panting now, mimicking his silent bursts of breath that
heat my neck from his face that is buried there. With Colin, there is an
unfaltering sense of completion, awareness that we’re a perfect fit, meant to
connect on so many powerful levels. This is one of them, the all-consuming,
compelling physical link that makes us one.

“Colin,
oh please,” I pant, climbing with each move one step closer to the ledge,
hovering near the brink.  

“Baby,”
he whispers while thrusting his hips up with such force that I’m gone. My
orgasm takes over, pummeling every sense, every shattered fragment convulsing
around him. Groaning he pulls me close, stilling and tensing below me as the
strength of my orgasm sets him off. The power of his release explodes within
me, our bodies pulsing and throbbing together, sated.  

The
cold air forces my return to sanity, goose bumps prickling my skin. I shiver
involuntarily, kissing him quickly on the cheek before standing. He lets out a
deep breath when I pull away, bending to pick up my pants. He spanks my butt
playfully. “Who knew you were so insatiable, baby?”

“Only
for you.” I turn, leaning in for a sweet kiss. He stands to button his pants; I
close my eyes and take a deep breath. Colin is breathtaking.

His
playful voice breaks my reverie. “Let’s get you inside where it’s warm. With
your luck, you’ll get pneumonia in May.”

It’s
my turn to swat his butt, but before I can get to him he jumps away. Taking it
as a challenge I chase him toward the house, my ankle smarting on the way, but
it’s worth it. I’ve almost caught him when suddenly he turns, grabbing me
around the waist, swinging around playfully as my velocity surprises him. I try
to hold in my laughter, knowing my family is sleeping a short distance away.
Colin’s flirtation is catchy, his smile stunning. Sliding my arms around his
neck, my hands gravitate to their natural position in his hair as his grip
holds me off the ground. Leaning down, he kisses me, at first lightly and then
with more zest.

He
pulls away, whispering, “Baby, you’re in my blood. A constant desire only you
can cure.” He leans in to playfully nip my lower lip as my stomach flips.
Slowly, he loosens his hold so I slide down, feeling every inch of him as I go.
Grabbing my hand in his, we quietly sneak into the house and make our way
upstairs. After washing up I slip into my pajamas and walk into the room lit by
a small lamp on the table. Colin’s eyes round when he sees me and I look down
wondering why.

Oops
,
caught red-handed with his stolen T-shirt. “Sorry, I took it so I would have a
part of you with me.”

He
grabs my arms, pulling me down so I’m cradled on his lap. I run my hand down
his cheek, rough with new beard, leaning up to meet his waiting lips for a
gentle kiss.

“Hmm,
for some reason I thought you wore thermals when it was cold outside,” he says
with a teasing glint in his blue eyes.

“That
was before I had something else to keep me warm in bed.” My hands wrap into his
hair, drawing him close to enjoy his heat.

~

The
tears slide down my face and I do nothing to stop them. Colin sighs, closing
the back door of his rental that he opened to throw his bag onto the back seat.
Walking to me, he grabs my hands at my sides, holding them firmly in his.

“You
cry when you see me and you cry when I leave. I don’t know if that’s good or
bad.” Lifting one hand, he wipes the steady stream from my face.

I
can’t say anything for fear I'll really start crying, so I look toward the
ground and his shoes. He takes our hands and wraps them around my back, laying
his head on my shoulder, breathing into my hair.

“It’s
only two days this time, baby. I’ll see you Tuesday.”

I
sniff, shaking my head. “I know. I really didn’t think I’d cry. It’s silly.”
Pulling my hands from his, I wipe the tears away with the back of my sweater.
Lifting his head to look at me, a small smile brightens his face.