Claiming Colleen (Home to Harbor Town 3) - Page 56

She cradled his head in her hands and sunk her fingers into his hair. His eyelids grew heavy as she massaged his scalp. Eric couldn’t decide what made him happier: Colleen’s magical touch or the fact that it was magic touching her. He blinked a moment later when he realized she hadn’t answered his question. She was chewing on her lower lip.

Why did she look so hesitant?

“My mother said something,” she began distractedly. “Something about how I was so confident in expressing my emotions…how I wasn’t afraid to be honest about what I was feeling.” She met his stare and gave a sheepish grin. “I realized then that not only had I not been entirely honest about how I felt about you, I had been full-out lying to myself.”

He shrugged and landed another kiss on her mouth, not liking to see her looking so hesitant. “We talked about this. It isn’t like there weren’t barriers galore between us. Colleen?”

“Yes?” she asked, her blue-green eyes wide. She wasn’t wearing a smudge of makeup and her hair was wild and uncombed. He’d discovered there were seven tiny freckles sprinkled across her nose.

She looked delectable.

“Did you make a decision to spend the night with me because you believe we can overcome those barriers?”

“I hope we can,” she whispered. Her solemn expression cut at him a little. He leaned down and seized her mouth in a hot kiss. He’d rather see her beautiful face glowing with desire. She responded wholly, sweetly, melting at his touch. For a sublime moment, he made himself forget the shadow of doubt he’d seen in Colleen’s expressive eyes.

Their desire spent yet again, they finally slept. Colleen awoke with her head on Eric’s chest, her body wrapped in his arms. For a minute or two she lay there fully awake, soaking in the sensation of his chest rising and falling as he slept, wondering at how safe and warm she felt in his embrace.

Making love with him had been a truly eye-opening experience. Colleen had always considered herself open-minded and comfortable with the topic of sex, but Eric had taught her last night she’d never really fully explored her sexuality. Thanks to him, she’d just begun to tap into the depths of her sensual nature, and for that she’d be forever thankful. She couldn’t recall ever feeling so alive, so feminine…so wonderful.

When she finally focused on the clock on the bedside table, her eyes widened in disbelief. She hadn’t slept until noon since she was a carefree teenager. Of course, then she hadn’t possessed the adult excuse of being kept awake all night by a virile, demanding man. She eased out of Eric’s arms, trying not to wake him. He roused slightly, his forehead crinkling and his mouth flattening, like he was dissatisfied with something and was about to take someone to task in his dreams. Colleen smiled, recalling how at one time, she would have interpreted that exact expression as arrogance.

Today, she decided that expression was entirely endearing.

She wasn’t thrilled about putting on her clothes from last night, but what other choice did she have? She detangled her hair with effort. Eric still slept as she crept downstairs, eager to call her children. Brendan and Jenny were having too good of a time, however, to spend much time on the phone with her. After she hung up, Colleen found herself longing for clean clothes. Could she run to her house and retrieve some before Eric woke? She didn’t want to disturb his sleep if she didn’t have to.

She was putting on her coat in the foyer when something caught her attention. Eric strode down the hallway. Her eyes went wide. He wore a pair of jeans and a scowl.

“Where are you going?” he demanded. “You’re not leaving.”

She smiled. The last part hadn’t been a question, but a proclamation. He seemed a little distraught and that pleased her, although she couldn’t really believe for two seconds he was seriously upset. Surely a man like him was used to a woman scurrying away in the morning after a night of passion spent in his bed, even if the odds were Eric was the one sneaking out of bed and dashing out the door while the woman still slept. In fact, it had occurred to her that if she left his house, he might think it was very odd for her to return, so his reaction reassured and warmed her.

He looked incredibly sexy standing there, bare-chested and hair mussed. He must have dressed in a

hurry before he came downstairs, because the top two buttons of his jeans were still unfastened. The triangle of bare skin exposed above the partially opened fly was paler than his abdomen.

She yanked her gaze to his face.

“I didn’t want to wake you. I wanted to shower, but I didn’t have anything clean to put on. I was thinking about running home to get a few things.”

He stepped toward her and slid her coat off her shoulders. “The easiest solution to that problem would be for you to stay naked all weekend,” he said in a sultry tone.

“Not even you could have that much energy.” She glanced up as he took her coat and noticed his small smile. “All right,” she conceded. “I admit that you just might.”

“Only when truly inspired,” he said gruffly, reaching for her. He kissed her, and she looped her arms around his waist. “I did not like waking up and finding you gone.”

“Hmm, yes, you’ve made that clear. But I need clothes.”

He growled softly and kissed her again. “I’ll take you to your house and you can get what you need for the rest of the weekend.” He deepened their kiss. Colleen went up on her tiptoes, flushing with heat. “But right now, let’s go back to bed,” he mumbled next to her lips a moment later.

“No,” Colleen scolded, even though she was sorely tempted. “It’s the afternoon, and I haven’t even had my morning coffee yet.”

He lifted his head. How could she have ever hated his brooding scowls? She resisted an urge to pull him down again for another kiss. At this point, she knew full well how delicious even his frowns tasted on her hungry lips.

“Okay,” he conceded ungraciously. “I suppose I’ll have to feed you, too.”

“You really are a gentleman.”

He smiled, his dark eyes gleaming. “A gentleman wouldn’t have taken you to bed without taking you on at least one official date.”

Tags: Beth Kery Home to Harbor Town Billionaire Romance
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