Chapter Fifteen

"My turn." Colin dunked a particularly crisp fry into the dregs of Truly's strawberry milkshake. "Would you rather kiss your ex or your mortal enemy?"

"Hm." She leaned back against the hood of her car, admittedly too small for two grown adults to sit on comfortably without getting extra cozy. Then again, Truly wasn't complaining. "What if I don't have a mortal enemy?"

"Ah come on, everyone's got a mortal enemy." Colin turned and reached inside the grease-stained paper bag they'd set on the hood and grabbed out a napkin. "High school rival? Neighbor who constantly steals your favorite parking spot? Twitter nemesis?"

Truly took a swig from the bottle of pinot they'd pilfered from his parents' kitchen—the bottle she'd brought—and stared out at the lake. "I already kissed my high school rival, my parking spot is assigned, and I stay off Twitter for my own sanity."

If someone had asked her two months ago who her mortal enemy was, she'd have half-jokingly answered Colin McCrory.

But that was then, and this was now, and he was a lot of things with the potential to be more, but her mortal enemy wasn't one of them.

"You kissed your high school rival?" He took the bottle of wine from her when she held it out. "I feel like there's got to be a story there."

"It was a stupid game of truth or dare freshman year." She rolled her eyes at the thirteen-year-old memory. "She told everyone I drooled on her, and I got called Drooly Truly for two weeks before everyone moved on to the next equally dumb high school drama. Not much of a story, all things told."

"I, for one, happen to think you are an excellent kisser." He pressed his lips against her hairline, and like each time he did, she had to bury the urge to thrash her feet and squeal her excitement up at the stars, the piece of her heart that would always be a teenage girl shrieking he likes me, he really likes me. "Come on. You still have to answer the question."

She let her hands fall to her sides. The wind was cool against her skin, a gentle breeze blowing across the lake; it had rained earlier in the afternoon and the air smelled like ozone, pungent and sweet. "I don't have a mortal enemy, and the only person I've ever really been in competition with is myself. I don't want to tongue kiss my personal demons, but I definitely don't want to kiss my ex, so I'm sort of at a stalemate here."

Colin took a swig from the bottle. "You were with your ex for six years, right? Any big relationships before that?"

"It's been a while since I've been on a first date, but isn't discussing exes more of a third date topic?"

His jaw fell and she had to bite back a laugh at the wide-eyed look of shock splashed across his face. "First date?"

"You like me, I like you, we've got food and a pretty spectacular view." She shrugged. "Like I said, it's been a while for me, but I'm pretty sure we've got all the trappings of a date."

A slow smile spread across his face, bringing out the dimples in his cheeks and the creases at the corners of his eyes. "If that's your definition of a date, I'd argue this is our third."

"Are you seriously trying to—what, negotiate up our date count?" She laughed. "Wow, I really am on a date with a lawyer."

He set the bottle of wine on the roof and rolled onto his side the best he could on the hood of her tiny car, looming over her. Backlit by the canopy of stars in the sky, Colin's moles reminded her more of constellations than ever.

He raised his left hand and started ticking off these supposed dates on his fingers, beginning with his thumb. "We had coffee together."

"You mean the day we ran into each other? You're counting a total coincidence as a date?"

"I liked you then, you liked me, we had food and a view. Ergo, according to your definition, a date."

"We were sitting inside a coffee shop. There was no view."

"Sure there was." He grinned and she already knew what was coming. "I was looking at you."

Just because she was expecting the line, didn't lessen its impact. An answering smile took over her face, cheeks warming pleasantly. "Fine. I'll give you that one. What was our second date?"

"Saturday, obviously. The bar on Lenora."

Truly called foul. "That was not a date. Your sister was there."

"People used to go on dates with chaperones all the time."

Laughter sputtered from her. "A chaperone? Oh my God, I can't wait to see the look on Caitlin's face when I tell her that according to you, she chaperoned our second date."

"Considering she ditched us, she wasn't very good at it."

"Agreed. You did sort of ravish me against my front door that night."

A breathless laugh escaped his wine-stained lips. "Ravish? Wow, I really am on a date with a romance author. A third date at that."

"Oh my God, fine. You win. Third date."

Colin raised a fist in the air.

"Dork." She rolled her eyes fondly. "To answer your original question, considering I was twenty-one when I met Justin, not really. I had a boyfriend in high school, but we split up after graduation. It was amicable. He lives in New Mexico with his wife and their daughter, who just turned three. We send each other Christmas cards."

"That sounds nice." He squeezed her fingers. "I'm not in touch with any of my exes—aside from Ali and that's not as much my choice as it is a begrudging desire to keep some semblance of peace."

"Someone wise once told me peace isn't the absence of conflict. It's about being able to have disagreements without being contemptuous or defensive and I'm pretty sure that requires both parties be on board."

"Someone wise, huh?" He smirked. "Tell me more about this wise somebody. Is he cute? How's his ass? Come on, St. James. Curious minds want to know."

"He's all right," she teased, reaching over to pinch the soft skin of his arm. "Kind of cocky but sweet. He gives great head and makes a mean grilled cheese. Can't complain."

Colin grinned up at the sky, looking adorably pleased by the praise. "Any chance I could get that in writing or—"

She poked him in the stomach, muscle unyielding. "Was Ali your first serious relationship? Can I ask, or is that not—"

"You can ask." He draped an arm around her, dragging her close. "I dated around in my twenties, but either I wasn't looking for something serious at the time or they weren't, so all those relationships fizzled out pretty fast. And then I met Ali and I thought she was—she was it, you know? On paper, we wanted the same things. Marriage, kids... and she had all these plans. She was in an LPN to RN program when we met, talked about wanting to become a CNP one day, maybe a pediatric nurse. She talked about all these hopes and dreams and then about a year after we'd been dating, out of nowhere she dropped out of her nursing program and it—that was fine. I didn't care, I just... I wanted her to be happy, you know?"

Truly nodded.

"Only, it wasn't what I'd call reciprocal." He leaned back, pillowing his head against a folded arm. "We'd have dinner with my folks and Dad would start in on me and my job, just like he did tonight, and I used to take the bait. We'd have these—these all-out screaming matches. Dad would just tear into me, belittling all my choices. I'd yell, Mom would cry into her fucking napkin, and Ali... Ali would just sit there picking at her food, acting totally unfazed by it all. She'd sit there, perfectly polite, and later we'd leave and in the car I—I needed someone on my side. Someone to tell me my dad was wrong. That I wasn't a total fuckup for wanting to carve out my own path and follow my own dreams. And Ali, she'd play fucking devil's advocate. Your parents just care about you, Colin. Is it really so bad that your dad's proud of his business?" He scoffed. "It's funny. My parents loved—love—Ali. Dating her was probably the only thing I did that my parents were actually happy with."

"For whatever it's worth, I don't think you're a fuckup, Colin. You're far from it."

He cleared his throat once, twice, staring up at the sky, expression indecipherable. "It's worth a lot, actually." He found her hand and squeezed her fingers. "Sorry, that, uh, got heavy fast."

Heavywasn't necessarily a bad thing in her book. "In case you forgot, I am the one who was trying to poke around and ask about your past after only having met you... what, twice?"

"Oh, right. How could I forget you telling me you were surprised I'd never been divorced?"

"In my defense, I didn't know you then."

"Okay, now that you know me, what's the verdict?" He grinned. "Still think I'm ex-husband material?"

"If I say no, does that imply I think you're husband material or just plain unmarriageable?"

"Do you? Think I'm husband material? Generally speaking."

"Hm." She schooled her expression. "How's your health insurance?"

"Oh, I see." He smirked. "Want me to talk about my PPO, baby? I could tell you about my deductible?"

She faked a moan. "Don't stop."

"You know, I'd have mentioned that I get dental insurance a lot sooner if I'd have known that did it for you."

She snorted. "Oh, did you think because I'm a romance author that I like candlelit dinners and grand gestures? We're experiencing late-stage capitalism, McCrory. Health care's hot."

He tugged her closer, tucking her head under his chin. "Joking aside, you realize I'm fishing to find out whether I'm going to get a fourth date, right?"

"Odds are looking decent," she teased. "I'd say... eighty–twenty."

He whistled. "Damn. Anything I can do to tip the scales a little further in my favor?"

She lifted her head and hummed, pretending to think. "I could possibly be swayed with a kiss."

"Possibly, huh?" He was already leaning in. "I'll take those chances."

His lips pillowed softly, sweetly against hers in the chastest of kisses. He drew back and smiled. "Odds?"

"Hm. Eighty-five to fifteen."

Colin buried a hand in her hair, tugging gently until she tipped her head back. He left a trail of kisses from her temple down to her jaw. "Now?"

"Eighty-six to fourteen," she said, grinning up at the sky.

Colin huffed, breath hot against her skin. "And now?" He punctuated the question with a hard nip against her jaw.

"Mm, eighty—" Her breath stuttered when his lips migrated south, sucking stinging kisses into the side of her throat that were sure to leave a mark. "Eighty-seven to—to thirteen."

He lifted his head, regarding her with low-lidded eyes. His gaze lingered on the side of her throat, almost appraising. He abandoned his grip on her hair and reached out, tracing the progression of his mouth with his thumb, pausing at the juncture where her neck met her collarbone, where he'd left a bruise in the shape of his mouth on Saturday. It had faded slightly, but a faint outline persisted against her best attempts to cover it with concealer.

He pressed his thumb against the bruise and even though it was mostly healed, Truly whimpered. His gaze snapped to hers and—

Colin looked like he wanted to devour her.

"I'll be so fucking good for you, Truly," he promised, thumb sweeping against the front of her throat. "You want me on my knees? Say the word and I'll eat you out until my jaw fucking locks. Tell me what you want, and I'll do it."

Jesus Christ. "You're unreal." She slipped her hands under his shirt, popped the button on his jeans, and lowered his zipper far enough to reach into his briefs.

"Truly," he warned.

"What?"

Colin dropped his forehead against hers. "Are you trying to make me come in my jeans this time?"

"Worked out okay for me last time."

"I'm not going to come in my jeans like a goddamn teenager," he promised. "The next time I come? It's going to be inside you." She gasped and he tilted his head to the side, heavy-lidded eyes considering. "On you, maybe, if you're into that."

She clamped her thighs together and swallowed a whine. "Fuck."

"Please tell me I can put my mouth on you." His hips rocked against her hand. "I've been thinking about it all day. Want you to come on my tongue."

She nodded frantically. "Yes. Okay. Yeah."

Colin laughed breathlessly like he was relieved. Un-fucking-real.

"Get comfortable," he said, settling between her thighs and flipping up the skirt of her sundress. "I'm going to be down here a while."

God."Overachiever."

Colin kissed the inside of her knee and dragged her underwear down her legs. "When it comes to making you feel good? No such thing as overachieving."

He took his time, peppering kisses along the inside of her thighs and the top of her mound, his hands sweeping over her hips and up her sides in a circuit that made her shiver. She grabbed him by the hair and tried to drag his mouth closer.

When he laughed, his breath ghosted over her clit. She shivered and huffed. "Colin."

"Shh, just lay back and relax." With his thumbs, he spread her apart. "Let me enjoy this."

"You're so—"

She broke off with a moan when Colin ran his tongue up her slit.

"Sorry, I'm what?" he asked, eyes wide and expression innocent, smiling like butter wouldn't melt in his perfect mouth.

"You're going to be a dead man if you don't put your mouth back on me."

He chuckled. "You say the sweetest things to me, baby."

She'd thought it couldn't get any better than the first time Colin went down on her against her front door, but each time he put his mouth on her, he redefined the word mind-blowing. He dropped a kiss to her clit before sucking it between his lips and flicking it with his tongue, pace fast and pressure firm, his grip on her bruising, fingers digging into her thighs.

She lifted a trembling hand and rested it against the back of his head. "Can you—can you—"

Colin hummed in question and her back arched off the hood.

"Can I what?" He licked her clit and she whimpered.

Her cheeks warmed. Why was it so much harder to ask for what she wanted than to tell him what to give her? "Can you put your fingers inside me?"

"You feeling empty, baby?"

She held her breath as his fingers slid between her folds and circled her entrance. "Uh-huh."

"I can fix that," he murmured, watching as he sank a finger inside her. He hissed under his breath, the sound devolving into a groan. "You're so goddamn hot on the inside."

She whimpered and clenched desperately around that one finger. "Don't tease me."

Another finger slipped inside her, and Colin crooked both, making her back arch. "I think you like it when I tease you. It sure seems to get you wet."

A moan tore itself up her throat. "Can I have another?"

Colin pressed a tender little kiss to her hip bone and added the third finger she'd asked for, stretching her sweetly, making her blood sing.

"See." The way he fucked her with his fingers was maddening, his pace slow, fingers dragging almost all the way out before sliding back in. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

She whimpered when he curled his fingers, grazing a spot that made her thighs quake.

Colin dropped a kiss to her clit before lifting his head, tongue sweeping against his bottom lip. In the moonlight, his mouth looked bruised.

"You close?" The slick sound of his fingers pumping into her grew louder as she grew wetter. "Already?"

Her lips trembled, gasps spilling out from between them. "Uh-huh."

Instead of saying anything, Colin groaned against her and doubled down, fucking her harder. With the hand not buried between her legs, he reached up and pressed hard on her lower stomach, somehow making everything he was doing to her feel that much more intense until with the right curl of his fingers, he sent her flying.

Heat spread through her veins, her lungs aching, the muscles in her stomach burning as she curled forward, hand buried in Colin's hair. She couldn't make up her mind whether to hold him against her or shove him away, the pulsing pleasure sharp and good and too much.

Colin gave her clit one last lick that made her muscles jerk, then lifted his head and smiled up at her, looking pleased with himself.

She sighed, slumping against the hood of the car, boneless and spent, and tried to catch her breath. "Oh my God."

He eased his fingers from her, leaving her empty, her walls clenching down, wanting him back inside her, filling her up.

Colin prowled up her body. "Good?"

She couldn't make her mouth work.

"That good, huh?" He smirked.

Yes. Rather than answer, Truly slipped her hand inside his briefs and grazed his cock with her fingertips.

His breath stuttered from between his lips.

A ring pierced the air and Truly froze.

Colin groaned. "My phone."

"Ignore it," she said, wrapping her hand around him.

He nodded jerkily and rocked his hips.

His phone had only stopped ringing when it started up again.

Colin swore under his breath.

Her hand fell to her side. "Put it on silent?"

He nodded and stretched over her, grabbing his phone off the roof of the car. A scowl twisted his features. "It's my mom." With a sigh, he lifted the phone to his ear.

"Yeah?" he answered tersely.

Whatever his mother said caused his face to darken.

"Can't he just—" He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yeah, okay. Fine. Bye."

He jammed his thumb against the screen, ending the call.

"I take it they noticed we were gone."

Colin let out a laugh that sounded far from amused. "Ali's car won't start, so Dad's letting them borrow his. They need me to move my car so they can get out of the garage."

She could do nothing to stifle her groan.

Not only did Muffy McCrory not understand the meaning of boundaries, but she was also a complete and total cockblock.

"Lyft exists for a reason," she grumbled, watching with a frown as Colin stood and tucked himself back inside his pants.

He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth. "You're cute when you pout."

Whatever her face did then made him laugh.

"Fine. I'll drive you back." Truly stood and brushed off the back of her dress. "But that doesn't mean I have to like it."

Or his family.

Hands on his zipper, Colin paused. He chuckled under his breath and looked up at her with a wicked grin that had her insides fluttering wildly. "What do you say we take the long way back?"

***

The McCrory's garage was open when Truly pulled up, idling in front of the curb.

"Give your parents my best," she said, stone-faced.

Colin leaned across the console and with two fingers resting beneath her chin, leaned in, kissing her sweetly, briefly. Parting was such sweet sorrow and all that.

"Thank you," he said, thumb stroking her cheek. "For tonight."

"Shouldn't I be the one thanking you? For..." Her brows rose meaningfully. "You know."

He huffed softly. "You don't ever have to thank me for doing that."

"I'm going to return the favor one of these days," she promised.

Colin lingered, seat belt still fastened like he was as disinclined to leave as she was to let him. "I'm, uh, I wanted you to know. I'm not seeing anyone else. And I'm not planning on it, either. Just so you know."

He looked at her, eyes flitting across her face almost as if he was nervous.

"I'm not seeing anyone else, either." She didn't laugh, but it was a near thing. "Clearly."

Colin breathed a barely perceptible sigh of what could only be relief and this time, she couldn't help herself.

"Did you seriously think I'd be interested in dating anyone else when it took you how long to convince me to agree to go out with you?"

He grinned. "I'm a patient guy."

"What you are is a handful, McCrory."

His teeth sank into his bottom lip and his gaze dropped to his lap.

"Get out of my car."

Colin snickered. "But Truly—"

"Out. Go. Skedaddle."

"Ooh, I love it when you get bossy."

She smacked his arm, which only made him laugh harder. "You're beginning to make me regret agreeing to go steady with you."

A slow, sly smile spread across his face. "Steady? Do I need to ask your dad for permission to pin you? Wanna wear my letterman jacket?"

Thank God it was practically dark in the car, only a soft glow emanating from the dash, because she had no doubt her face was bright red. "I don't know what else to call it!"

Back when she'd started dating Justin, she'd sort of... assumed. One date had led to another and then he'd moved in and somewhere along the way she'd just started introducing him to everyone as her boyfriend. And that was that.

"Exclusive?" Colin supplied, still grinning. "Or you could just call me your boyfriend."

She wrinkled her nose. "You aren't really much of a boy though."

He had too much chest hair to be called that.

Colin laughed. "How about your boo? Your bae? Your beau? Your manfriend?" He wiggled his brows. "Your lover?"

He let the r roll off his tongue, so exaggerated she couldn't help but laugh.

"On second thought, we can stick with boyfriend." It must've been her turn to be struck with a case of nerves, because her chest seized, her breathing suddenly shallow. "I mean, if that's what you want," she said, aiming for nonchalant and no doubt missing by a mile. "I don't want to assume—"

Colin gripped her by the chin and dragged her across the console, kissing her until she couldn't think, until it was just his lips against hers, his breath, her breath, theirs, her concerns melting away.

"Assume," he murmured against her lips. "Please, assume."

She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "When can I see you next?"

"Depends on when you're heading back to the city," he said. "I know you mentioned earlier that your parents are arriving tomorrow, but I wasn't sure if that was just to get my mom off your back, or—"

"Oh, no." Her grip loosened. "It's... it's kind of a funny story?"

He frowned. "Okay?"

"Do you remember that conversation we had where I said I wished I could lock my parents in a room together and then I joked about Gerald's Game, and we talked about The Parent Trap?"

Colin nodded along. "I remember."

"Well, I started thinking about what you said and about how if I could just get my parents to talk to each other, really talk, I think—no, I know they can fix whatever's wrong. But with them dead set on taking time apart, they're only ever together when I'm there, too. As soon as I leave, it's back to their metaphorical respective corners. It's too easy for them to hide in the city." Hide from each other, hide from their problems, hide those problems from her. "But the lake house is relatively remote and it's full of happy memories."

Happy memories that would hopefully remind them that the love they had was worth fighting for.

"That's really great, Truly." Colin sounded genuinely happy for her. "That's got to make you happy that they agreed to spend some time out here."

"I mean, yeah." She laughed. "If they actually knew what they were agreeing to, it would."

He laughed along with her, though his laughter was more of puzzled amusement than true mirth. "I'm lost."

She put the car in park so she could actually turn and fully face him without her seat belt biting into her neck. "I knew there was no way they'd agree to spending time together, so I kind of... conveniently left that part out. Dad thinks I invited him here to see a local production of his favorite show and spend some quality father-daughter time, and my mom thinks the same, except instead of a show it's antiquing and visiting wineries."

"I..." Colin blew out a breath. "Is that wise?"

Was it—she sat straighter. "It was your idea. You're the one who brought up The Parent Trap."

"It was a joke. It was—I was kidding. You and I, we were messing around. I wasn't seriously suggesting you trick your parents into spending time together."

Yeah, well, true words were often spoken in jest. Didn't he want her to take him seriously?

"They're not exactly chomping at the bit to spend time together without me pulling strings."

Colin struggled for a second with his seat belt, the latch sticking. Finally, he managed to free himself and swiveled in his seat, facing her fully.

"And as much as it sucks, and I know it does, that's their choice," he said, voice infuriatingly even. "These are your parents, Truly. I know you love them—"

"I'm doing this because I love them."

So much. She loved them and she loved the love they shared, the love that she supposedly represented.

Was it so wrong that she wanted to do whatever she could to salvage it?

"Your heart"—Colin's hand drifted, fingers skimming the swell of her breast, skin left bare, pressed up by the sweetheart neckline of her dress—"is in the right place. I'm not doubting that."

"You're doubting something."

He dropped his hand and even though she was miffed that he wasn't on board with her plan, the disappearance of his touch left her bereft. "This isn't something you can fix. Your parents, they have to want to fix their marriage. Their marriage."

"So I'm just supposed to sit back and watch them do nothing? Watch them throw thirty-three years away?"

She still wasn't entirely sure this wasn't all because of a midlife crisis, a seven-year itch multiplied by four and change.

"Not all relationships are built to last, Truly."

Hot, frustrated tears sprang to her eyes. She blinked fast to keep them from spilling over.

"Hell, McCrory." Hurt leeched out into her laugh, giving it a sharp edge she couldn't have blunted had she tried. "With an attitude like that, what's the point in trying at all?"

If some relationships were doomed from the start, why ever put your heart on the line? Why risk it?

"I don't want to fight with you," he said.

Neither did she. Arguing with Colin, real arguing, made her stomach ache.

She sucked in a slow, steady breath and counted to ten. When she spoke, she was careful to keep her tone even and her voice level. "Maybe you should just go."

Before she said something they'd both regret.

His face crumpled. "Truly—"

"You've got to move your car, right?" A flicker of movement caught her eye; the curtains in the window beside the front door had been drawn and someone was looking out. She jerked her chin toward the house. "Looks like someone's getting restless."

Colin scrubbed a hand over his face. "I don't like the idea of leaving like this. Can I text you later?"

She gave a jerky shrug, feeling disconnected from her body. Like there was too much happening inside her head to care about the rest of her. "If you want."

With a grimace, Colin opened the door. The breeze blew and even though it was a balmy night, she shivered.

"Drive safe?"

She nodded, hating the stiltedness, hating that Colin was only two feet from her but he felt miles away.

The opposite of being on the same page.

"I will. You, too. Drive safe, I mean."

Colin lingered, looking like there was more he wanted to say. He closed his eyes and shut the door and Truly—

She put on her seat belt, took two deep breaths, and shifted the car into drive.

Regardless of the time, she had a feeling she was going to be awake for a long, long time.