Bride by Design 3: Manchala Nights (5 page)

"You're right." I nodded, wondering if Roger's tale about Colin was scaring me into accepting an inferior job. "You treat your employees well, right?"

"You'll have a great contract, and I'd leave you alone to do your own thing."

I nodded, spying Diane out of the corner of my eye.

I
smiled and
waved to her and Colin turned around. We walked back
and joined the others, as if nothing had happened between us.

Chapter
Four

After we drove back to the Great House and had lunch,
we found ourselves in a competitive game of Taboo. I'm a sucker for board games and I tried my best to win, without looking like a geek, until it was time for
the sun to set
.

Watching the sun go down was an amazing experience - the sky and ocean changed colors slowly, and then finally it was dark and time for dinner under the stars.

After dinner, j
ust before Colin and I retired to our bedroom, a slightly tipsy Roger grabbed my arm and whispered, "Remember what I told you. This guy's used to screwing people over, make sure he doesn't get you to agree to something stupid."

I nodded and walked away, wondering if he had a point.

Colin and I got dressed for bed, and this time I
had the brilliant idea of wearing a
dressing gown over the flimsy negligee.

Colin looked at me disapprovingly, but didn't say anything. He was sitting on the bed checking emails on his tablet and I put my cell phone on the nightstand.

"I saw Roger talking to you again."

We looked at each other. It was slightly chillier tonight and Colin was wearing a t-shirt and pajamas. His hair fell across his forehead, and his green eyes were smooth and relaxed. He didn't look like a killer to me.

"You can tell me what Roger said - I'd really like to know what that scumbag is saying behind my back."

I went and sat beside him. I didn't know where to start, or even if I should say anything.

"He said something about your parents," I said softly, "He said he hired a private detective to find out about you."

"I thought he might've. What did he say he found out?"

"I… he said your birth mother was a prostitute and that you killed your foster parents."

Colin's green eyes became icy. "And you believed him?"

"I don't see why I should. But I… he said you sold their land and started your business with that money."

I felt the chill emanating from Colin.

"I
don't think Roger's right," I continued
nervously
, "But I know you're very private and I didn't want to pry."

Colin sighed and reached out to hold my hands in his. I watched as his eyes turned from icy to sorrowful.

"
Colin, y
ou don't have to tell me what happened. You've been kind to me and I've got no reason not to trust you."

"Lisa, there are very few people who know this, but I
want to tell you what happened
.
I think you should know, we're spending a lot of time together and I trust you."

I tried to say something, but Colin waved away my protests.

"
Roger's right, my mother was a
drug-addict and a hooker,
and I lived with her till I was
six
. And I'm sorry to say this, but I'm glad she died. I spent a year in foster care, where I learned that the world rewards the tough. There were two types of kids there, the bullies and the bullied. I knew which type I had to be, and I became controlling and mean. Until a kind couple adopted me."

"The army lieutenant and his wife."

Colin nodded. "Yes, Roger got that bit straight. The lieutenant retired and we all moved to a farm, where
we
lived happily till my Dad was killed in a freak machinery accident. I was
fifteen
at the time. My Mom went a bit crazy about it all. I guess I wasn't enough for her, and I came home from school one day to find out she'd OD'ed on sleeping pills."

He went silent and I
squeezed
his arm. "It wasn't your fault."

Colin sighed. "I know that now. I've been to enough therapists to know that. But I didn't
know it
at th
e
time. Living
in a happy family
made me go soft, and when my uncle moved in, I didn't protest. The land had been willed to me, but he made me sign a document. Later I realized that it said I'd sold him the farm."

My heart broke as I understood how Colin had been taken advantage of. It would be all too easy for an outsider to misunderstand what had happened, and I now
knew
why Colin kept his past a secret.
Something told me that all the therapy hadn't really made him understand it wasn't his fault - his voice was hollow when he said that, and he didn't seem to believe it.

I moved closer to him and wrapped my arms around him. "You can't undo the past. You know your parents loved you - death affects people in different ways."

Colin nodded and hugged me back. "I don't know why I'm telling you all this. But I guess
I really needed to tell someone. And I haven't met some
body
I trust in such a long time."

He nestled his face against my neck and I stroked his hair
, wishing I could brush away his sadness
.
We stayed silent for a few minutes. I wanted to cheer him up, but I didn't know what to say. When my mother died, I'd had a hard time moving on, but it was nothing compared to what had happened to Colin.

A
fter a few minutes, Colin went on
.
"I
was sixteen when my mom died, and I got papers saying I was an emancipated adult. I changed my name, moved to
New York
and got a job waiting tables. A lot of real estate types used to hang out at our cafe, and one of them became an investor. I started out working for him on the side as a bird-dog, finding him properties to buy."

I smiled and said, "So you're a business hero, a rags to riches guy?"

Colin winced. "
No, I'm not.
I've done some things I'm not proud of to get ahead, but hurting my parents isn't one of them. I lost their farm and my old life because I was careless. But I learn
ed
a lot from my sleazebag uncle - I learned
that nobody else cares about you
, and that you
always
need to be the one in control."

I felt sad and stroked my
fingers
along Colin's arm. "That's not true, you know. You can't live like that. You can't mistrust everyone. There are actually people out there who care about you."

"Like who?"

Colin held my face in his hands and gazed into my eyes. I felt time stop. The answer to his question was written all over my face, and I let him lean down and brush his lips against mine.

"I don't know why I care about you, Colin, but I do."

I let him untie the robe and push me down against the bed. I pulled off his t-shirt and he climbed in beside me.

His eyes were wary and he brought his lips down on mine again. His tongue was insistent, and I gasped when he moved away.

Colin stroked a finger down my cheek,
and
down the side of my neck. "I care about you too, Lisa.
You remind me of who I could've been, and you're so different from everyone else around me, all these folks who want to hang me out to dry. They're all after either a scandal or my money."

"You know I'm after neither. I'm happy to walk away after this week is over."

"I don't think I can let you do that. I think I'd like to take care of you, I
just want you to be near me
."

I felt myself melting at his words. I wasn't sure if I could believe him, if he was saying all that just to sleep with me, but I didn't care. Maybe he was just making it up. But I meant what I'd said, and I wanted to believe what he said.

Colin pulled the negligee off me, freeing my breasts. He brought his mouth down and licked circles around my nipple,
nibbling and teasing before
finally taking it into his mouth and sucking and tugging with his mouth
.
I
felt myself burning up inside
,
and
groaned and ran my hands down his back, sliding his pajamas down and freeing his erection. I felt it with my hands, stroking it up and admiring its girth and size, and Colin moved away to slide off my panties.

We stared at each other for a split second, and Colin bit my earlobe before trailing his tongue down my neck.

"You're so beautiful," he murmured, "I've been wanting this for so long."

He moved to kiss me again and I moaned into his mouth, wanting him and desperate for more attention. Colin began to kiss my neck, moving downwards slowly,
kissing and stroking my
breasts and
then
making a beeline for my bellybutton. He kissed it gently and moved lower and lower
, until he reached my mound
.

I spread my legs, giving him access to my most private parts, and he rewarded me by spearing my clit with his tongue. I
stifled my scream,
arching my back and
aching for more, as Colin
moved between my lower lips and
began to lap up my juices.

I finally couldn't take it any more, and began to beg him to fuck me, moaning and writhing uncontrollably.

It was a relief when I felt him position his tip against my entrance, and I gave a muffled groan as he pushed in, spreading me wide apart. I couldn't wait anymore, and I wrapped my legs around his waist,
feeling his hard cock inside me and trying to suck him in with my muscles.

Colin pulled out and began to thrust into me slowly, going deeper each time and
leaving me groaning and panting for more
. I began to beg incoherently, begging him to take me faster and I ground my hips and clenched my muscles against him. Colin responded by moving his hand down to stroke my clit gently, and I moaned out loud.

His fingers continued to tease me, and he began slamming into me faster and faster and I felt the pressure build up. I arched my back and
made strange, animalistic noises, unable to recognize my own voice
.
I felt
myself stiffen as
my whole body tensed, right before the first wave of my climax
hit me
.
I
let go and
let the orgasm take over me, the world around me turning red
. I screamed and screamed again, the strength of
the orgasm
blurr
ing
my senses
,
and I
vaguely realized that Colin's movements were getting jerkier.