Her Fictional Fling: Scandals in Scotland Contemporary Romance Series Book 1 (5 page)

Andi tilted her head, scanning his expression. She crossed her arms over her chest. “Aside from the flattery, I don’t quite buy it. There has to be more to it than what you’ve told me.”

Colin stepped closer still until she could see flecks of gold in his retinas and feel his breath soft and warm like summer air on her forehead.

“Do you want to keep yammering on and on, overthinking why we’re both here, or are you ready for me to take you to bed and show you?”

Andi’s heart pounded against her ribs and her mouth lost all traces of moisture. She blinked up at him like an idiot, completely and totally speechless. What, really, did she have to lose?

“That’s what I thought,” he said and then reached out, pulling her toward him to press her against his length so she could feel his desire for her. He tilted her chin up with a finger and met her eyes before finally closing his mouth on hers.

The kiss was deliciously slow, only adding to her hunger as he patiently teased at her teeth with his tongue until she let him in. She closed her eyes and sank further into his chest just as he released her and held her out at arm’s length. He smiled and walked away, stripping off his shirt as he headed toward the bathroom. Andi heard him turn the faucet, and the sound of water started. By the time he peeked around the doorway, he’d lost the jeans as well, and all she could do was stand there staring like a moron.

“Coming?” he asked.

Chapter Five

Andi’s hands shook as she turned to brace herself against the balcony’s rail. She pulled up a bit of forearm skin between her fingers until she felt the sting.

Nope. Not dreaming.

If it wasn’t a dream, then how could she possibly come to terms with the last few hours of her life? How had she gone from bunking up a huge opportunity, to worrying that she would surely lose the career she’d so carefully built, to being swept off her feet by a gorgeous—not to mention famous—actor, to…whatever
this
was. She felt the familiar throbbing of her heart and the sensation that she needed to jump out of her own skin as quickly as possible. But this time, she needed to get a handle on it. She had messed up enough for one day, and now it was time to salvage what was left of the evening.

She’d quit Jared cold turkey, and shut down her heart in the process. At that point, all of her attention had been laser focused on making a better life with her own two hands and her own brain. Success had come, eventually, but she hadn’t allowed herself to let up and enjoy it, fearing that doing so would cause it all to crash back down like a house of cards.

It was getting a little old, being herself. There was Andi the good girl, the reliable one who’d skipped college and strung together minimum wage jobs to help her mom with bills after her father bailed. Andi who worked tirelessly to conquer her dyslexia so that she could get all the stories in her head onto paper—stories that sustained her and gave her a place to escape during times when life was total crap. And then there was her least favorite version of herself—the Andi who’d allowed Jared to treat her like shit, to talk to her like she was stupid just because she hadn’t gone to college. She hated who she had been back then, when she’s finally gotten tired of spinning her wheels at all those low-paying jobs just to get by, and had traded her financial discomfort for the life Jared had promised to provide, selling a piece of her soul in the process. She’d endured so much from him, in exchange for material comfort, and a break from being bone-tired all the time. She’d known early on that he was an asshole with a vicious tongue, and she’d found out soon enough that he was a cheater, too. She wasn’t his only stupid young plaything. There had always been others. Many others.

But enough was enough. She’d picked herself up and recovered from the damage her ex had wrought. And now she was tired of being so careful, of looking over her shoulder at every turn to make sure the past wasn’t going to reemerge each time she rounded a corner, and she was tired of being the girl who said
no
to every chance that came her way to do something risky, and possibly amazing.

Andi inhaled slowly, releasing the air as she closed her eyes against the cool night sky.

This time would be different. This time, she would say
yes
.

She opened her eyes and threw back her shoulders before crossing the balcony and walking through he open French doors. Her mind focused on the sound of water splashing in Colin’s shower, letting all other thoughts fade away as she stepped into the bathroom. Then, steam clouding around her, she concentrated on the construction of the bath—the gorgeous gilt-framed mirror, the marble countertop, the glass bowl sink, the beautiful tile of the open waterfall shower—to keep steady.

She expected to hear a chuckle as she stared at the floor like a shy virgin. It had been so long since she’d seen a man unclothed, and the hard truth was that, rather than lust, all she felt was fear.

Why couldn’t it be replaced with the desire she knew she should be experiencing? What happened to the confidence she’d just talked herself into? She could almost feel it slipping out from under her skin. Why was it fading so fast? Why couldn’t she let go of the dread inside her chest in favor of meeting Colin’s eyes and performing a striptease while shedding her clothes, confidence exuding from her like the models and actresses she knew he must be accustomed to?

And why wasn’t he frustrated with her for being so fragile?

He stood watching from the shower with an air of calm curiosity. Then, his voice broke through the sound of the water and into her thoughts, smooth and rich as warm caramel. “Andi, is something wrong?”

She took another deep breath and finally allowed her gaze to travel up the length of his long legs, stopping to close her eyes as they neared his muscular thighs, not sure she was ready for that particular juncture of him just yet. She opened her eyes and met his and, surprisingly, saw no judgment in them. He blinked at her, his expression difficult to read.

“No,” she said, the words coming out hoarse and broken. “Nothing’s wrong.” She hoped she sounded convincing. As much as her nerves protested, she wanted this. She did. She knew where her fear originated and, more than anything, she wanted to face it—to conquer it for good.

Colin didn’t answer; he simply turned and busied himself with bathing. Giving Andi a full view of his remarkable ass, he rinsed the soap that ran off his body before facing her again. He didn’t turn the water off as she expected. Instead, he took a few steps until he reached the edge of the tile, raising a hand to motion for her to come closer.

She hesitated a moment before moving, heart beginning to pound so loud it drowned out the sound of the water.

Colin stepped out of the spray and made quick work of closing the short distance between them, eyes locked on her the whole time. When only an inch of space remained, he ran his hand along her cheek, stopping at her mouth to gently rub his thumb against the skin of her bottom lip. She felt his touch all the way to her core, and the desire that had eluded her only moments ago lit a spark inside her. When he leaned in to kiss her, Andi closed her eyes and tried hard to just let go, to forget about everything except the awareness awakening in her blood. Colin, still soaking wet, reached for the bottom of her dress, pulled the hem over her head in one quick motion, and tossed it aside. Andi stood in only her underwear and heels, and Colin just stared, an appreciative grin playing at the corners of his lips.

As his eyes traced over her, it was all she could do not to wrap her arms around her body, to cover all the places Jared had criticized in detail over the years—all the places that Colin now seemed to revel in. Andi searched his face, certain there must be something hidden. Surely the famous actor, who’d notoriously, according to Lily, made his way through model after model before settling down with his goddess of an ex-fiancée, could not enjoy Andi’s imperfections.

But as far as she could tell, there was nothing concealed, no cruel comment waiting to erupt from his lips.

The way he looked at her gave her the confidence to reach around and unhook her bra. Her fingers trembled, but she managed, releasing her full breasts, the air tickling her nipples into hard peaks. That done, she slowly stepped out of her heels, and then her panties. With a quick appreciative glance down the entirety of her naked flesh, Colin took her hand and led her into the waterfall. Andi relished the warm liquid as it slid down her back, and Colin set his hands on her waist from behind, pulling her close.

His full erection pressed against the small of her back and evident need, deep and strong, pounded through the center of her. It was all she could do to hold still as he took a bar of soap and ran it along her shoulders and down her back before rubbing it into her skin with his hands. His tenderness surprised her, only adding to her growing arousal. The repetitive circular motions drove her crazy with longing. She closed her eyes and forced in slow, even breaths as he caressed her, relishing the way the smooth soap slid over every inch of her curves under Colin’s capable hands.

After only a few moments, she couldn’t stand the tension anymore. She fought to draw in air, and the hunger building between her legs was becoming much too powerful. She turned around, which was a mistake. Colin spread his hands against her back and pulled her close, pressing himself against her belly. A raw groan emitted from his throat, and Andi recognized the desire which matched her own. Colin’s mouth was on hers within seconds, water running down them as he played his tongue against her lips. She let him explore her mouth for a brief moment, but it was too much. She wanted him to keep going—more than anything in the world—but fear gripped her and suddenly, she had to get away. She wasn’t ready for this.

Panting, Andi pulled back from him, pushing his firm chest with her hands as far away as the limited space would allow.

She placed her hands on the wall behind her, struggling to get her bearing as her head turned fuzzy and the sound around her faded. She didn’t dare look at Colin, unwilling to face her humiliation. The water stopped falling, and she could see his feet underneath her lashes as she stared at the ground; as he stepped nearer, she braced herself for whatever might happen next.

For the second time that evening, Andi was lifted off her feet.

In one easy motion, Colin picked her up and she curled against his chest, wrapping her arms over her naked breasts as she tucked her face into the wet warmth of his neck. He trod from the shower and out of the bathroom toward the back of the condo, pushing a door open with his foot. Out of the corner of her eye, Andi saw the outline of a large bed in the dark room, and Colin crossed toward it, slowly lowering her down until she sank into the soft cover. He placed a hand behind her head as it neared the pillows, and then he let her go.

As he pulled away, Andi met his eyes, still as unreadable as ever.

“Wait here,” he said gently, and left the room.

She curled her face into the pillow, her soggy hair dampening the soft linen, and waited for him, unsure what else she could do in such an awkward situation. Colin returned, a stack of fluffy towels in his arms, which he deposited on a chair beside the bed, removing one from the top of the stack. He sat next to her on the soft duvet and began to dry her off, starting with both feet, making his way up her body. He rubbed each part of her gently, but clinically, the possibility of sex completely absent now. Andi’s heart was in her throat as he ran the towel over her upper thighs, her abdomen, and her breasts, but Colin just kept going as if the whole situation was normal. Andi knew it was anything but.

So much for letting go. So much for being a
yes
girl and jumping into an adventure.

Part of her wished he would finish so she could put on her clothes and endure an uncomfortable ride back to her hotel. But another part, a part of her she’d long ago learned to ignore, knew that tenderness like this was not something to be taken lightly. She doubted that Colin Walker had ever been refused by a woman before, and if she knew men, then he certainly wasn’t happy about it.

Still, he hadn’t pushed her when she resisted, hadn’t forced or even insisted she do anything she wasn’t one hundred percent willing to do.

The writer in her was intrigued. She’d crafted many male characters of her own imagining, but none like this one. She desperately wanted to know more about him.

Colin tousled her hair with the towel, and then leaned away from her. “There,” he said, studying her. “Now, do you want to tell me what just happened?”

“I’m sorry,” she said, and she truly was. “I just…froze up, I guess.” She looked down at her lap. “It’s been…a long time since, since I’ve done this, and…”

“And you’re not ready,” Colin filled in for her.

“No, it’s not that—”Andi started, but the look on his face told her he wasn’t buying a word of it.

“Look, I may have only known you for a couple hours or so,” he said, glancing over her shoulder at a clock on the bedside table, “but it’s not hard to see that you’re a terrible liar.” Colin crossed his arms over his expansive chest and faced her with a look that dared her to argue with him.

“On the contrary. I’m an excellent liar,” she countered, sitting up in the bed and jutting out her chin, as droplets from her wet hair sprinkled her shoulders. “I lie for a living.” Instinctively, she grabbed at the pillow behind her and used it to cover what she could. Colin watched her closely, with an expression she couldn’t quite read. Surprisingly, she was getting a bit more adapted to having his eyes on her, and it was gradually becoming slightly less uncomfortable.

She was starting to like it, actually, an awareness that in equal parts alarmed and exhilarated her. She would do well to remind herself that he had no real interest in her, and no lasting connection could be made. This was a classic one-night stand—or, well, it almost had been.

“I suppose that’s true,” he said. “But books are not the same as real life.”

“Sometimes I wish they were,” she said, leaning back against the headboard.