She blinked, the seemingly innocuous statement striking her as charged. “They always go visit Marc after Thanksgiving,” she said, perhaps a little defensively.
A small smile pulled at his mouth. Her lips trembled. She stared fixedly at his collar as he dipped his head and spoke next to her ear.
“I know you weren’t sending the kids away with any illicit purpose in mind,” he said. “But it is a good time.”
“It is?” she whispered. His face was only inches from hers. He possessed a Grecian nose—straight and bold. For some reason, the combination of his nose, his mouth, cleft chin and jaw were nearly as compelling as his dark eyes. Her gaze was often drawn downward…especially when he stood this close.
He nodded and released one of her hands. He used it to brush a tendril of hair off her cheek. She shivered at his light touch.
“Yeah. For us to go out.”
“Go out?”
“Yeah…on a date? Friday night?”
She blinked. The thick sexual tension she’d been experiencing fractured slightly. The word date sounded a little mundane. Every sense organ seemed to go on high alert at Eric’s touch. Her body, at least, seemed to want much more than just a date with Eric Reyes. “Oh…a date. Like the movies?”
“Uh-huh,” he murmured before he brushed his warm, firm lips against hers. Her body went on red alert once again. He kissed her cheekbone and spoke near her right ear. His breath against her skin made her tingle with delight. It reminded her she was alive…an exciting, vibrant woman.
“I pick you up, we go to dinner and a movie, we talk. A date.”
“A date,” she repeated, as if she’d never heard the word in her life. It took on a whole new meaning when Eric said it. “Okay.”
He leaned back slightly and smiled. “Yeah?”
She nodded and stared up at him, transfixed, her desire swelling. Then she freed her hand and grasped his shoulders. She went up on her toes and touched her lips to his.
She kissed him like she meant it, and when Colleen threw herself into something, she made it count.
When they separated a moment later, both of them were breathing heavy. Eric looked like she’d just hauled back and clobbered him with a club.
“That means you do want more, right?” Something akin to bliss was starting to filter into his dazed expression.
She gave him a droll glance and kissed him once more on the mouth. “I think that’s been pretty well established,” she said, removing her hands from his shoulders with reluctance. “I’ll think about it in a rational manner and give you my final decision on the matter tomorrow evening after dinner.”
He looked like she’d just clubbed him again. “Rational manner? Final decision? You’re starting to make me nervous. Is this some kind of a test?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she chastised, extricating herself from his arms. “I should go. I’ve got to get the kids to bed.”
“Colleen,” he said darkly when she started to sweep past him.
“I’m not trying to be difficult,” she said, taking in his rigid expression.
“I want you so much I can’t sleep at night. And you’re telling me you plan on putting me on trial while you make a rational decision?”
“It’s not a trial.”
“After everything that’s happened tonight—after the way you just kissed me—how can you even say the word rational?”
Her spine stiffened. It was hard enough for her to walk away from him, to focus on the mundane details of her life, when all she wanted to do was throw herself back in his arms and allow him to sweep her away on a tidal wave of sensual delight. It frustrated her that she couldn’t express adequately to him how daunting this little adventure was for her. It might be run-of-the-mill for him to woo a woman, but Colleen felt like she was stumbling around clumsily in new territory. The knowledge of her vulnerability set her a little on edge.
“What’s the problem, Eric? Aren’t you the banner-waver for the ‘let’s be rational about romance’ society?” she asked in a hushed voice.
Something shifted in his expression. “So you want to be rational?’ he asked, his calm tone belying the hard glitter in his gaze. “All right. Good luck.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked warily.
“Just that I’ve tried it,” he muttered through a tight jaw, his low voice rough with emotion. “I’ve succeeded at being objective my whole life.” He startled her by reaching up and cupping the side of her neck in his palm. “Only problem is, it doesn’t seem to be working all that well when it comes to you. If I can’t be logical about this, I hope to hell you can.”