Chapter Thirty-two
Her words gave him pause. He wanted to, Oh God, he thought, he wanted nothing more.
"Katrina…" He whispered near her ear. Though it killed him he pulled back and looked into her eyes. "Hold on…"
She shook her head no, her hands dragging him back to her. Her eyes and her voice pleaded with him. "No. Please. Colin…"
"Let's…c'mon. Give me a second." He replied as he smoothed the hair off her face. He moved to sit up and then realized he was still too close to her. Colin stood and walked across the room.
Kate pulled herself up and sat facing him. She was completely confused and slightly embarrassed. "Colin? What is it? Did I do something wrong? Don't you want me?"
"Don't I want you? Katrina." Colin was shocked at her words. "I've wanted you from the moment I first met you." He fought to keep himself from crossing the room and showing her just how much. "But let's just think about this - OK? You and me? All of this. It's moving pretty fast. I want you to be with me because you want to . I don't want you to do anything that you might regret later. When you and I are together, I want you to be sure."
"But I am sure." She promised him, her voice shaking a bit.
"Sure you are." He said with a smile. She looked so beautiful was all he could think. "Katrina…"
Pulling the straps of her dress back onto her shoulders, she stood and moved closer to him. "No one's ever made me feel like this before."
"Then how can you be sure?" Colin's voice was almost a whisper.
"You are something else." She said with a shy smile. "What are you doing? Most guys in this situation would be trying to talk me into bed with them - not out of it."
Her voice got soft and serious as she came to stand a few feet in front of him. She stared into his eyes. "Colin, please. I want to be with you."
Just looking at her made his knees weak. He took a deep breath as he said, "I - Oh God. I'm trying to do the right thing here and you're killing me."
"So stop trying." She said as she moved closer.
"Katrina." He said as he held out his hand to stop her. "I don't want to rush this."
"No?" She said with a grin. "OK, then. I promise to go slow."
She was teasing him but he wouldn't dare take advantage of her. He loved her far too much. "Are you sure?" He heard himself ask.
She looked into his eyes and nodded, "I'm sure. I'm ready. It's OK."
Colin's mind was spinning. "We have to be careful - Katrina."
"It's OK. I've already taken care of that." Kate wasn't stupid. She'd taken precautions. There were many things standing in their way, but that wasn't one of them.
She took his hands in hers. "Trust me. I've never been more sure of anything in my life. I love you - Colin." Kate said, her voice steady.
His heart melted and as he looked at her he knew it was true.
"I love you too." He promised her as he stared deeply into her eyes.
That was all she needed to know. In one swift movement, she closed the distance between them and he swept her up in his arms, He held her against him as he moved towards the small bed in the corner of the room, pausing to draw the covers down and finally bringing her to rest there.
Kate sighed as she felt his hands on her, gently easing the dress down the length of her body. It caught at her waist and she tilted her hips to help him reach his goal.
She closed her eyes as his lips met hers, her arms tightening around him, pulling him as close to her as she could.
It still wasn't close enough.
While he kissed her, Kate's hands moved slowly down his chest, her fingers dipping below the waistband and easing open the buttons on his jeans. He sucked in a breath, wanting her more than he'd ever wanted anything in his life.
Colin kissed her again, stealing her breath as her lips parted under his. His mouth was gentle, yet demanding as it closed over hers. She moaned into his mouth, her tongue tentatively moving to dance with his.
Kate gasped each time he touched her, as his mouth traveled over her skin sensations that she'd never known before began flooding over her and making her dizzy. Through it all one thing was crystal clear. She was exactly where she wanted to be.
She suddenly realized there was nothing at all between them anymore. There wasn't an inch of his skin that wasn't right next to hers. Though she wasn't quite sure what she was asking for she cried out to him, "Colin - please."
His heart beat wildly and he knew there was no turning back now. "Katrina…" He whispered, wanting her to be absolutely sure.
Kate pulled him closer and stared into his eyes. "Please…" She said again.
He had his answer.
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Her eyes stayed closed, but she'd been awake for hours, just listening to his heart beating, trying to bring herself closer to the warmth of his skin.
When she was in his arms she forgot everything that was wrong. It only felt right.
Kate nearly fell under again, the sound of his breathing lulling her back to sleep. The sound of a cell phone ringing jarred her.
She realized it was hers. Reaching for a shirt of Colin's lying on the floor near the bed, she tugged it over her head quickly and answered.
"Hello?" She whispered.
"Where the hell are you?" Grant snapped.
She ignored his question. "Grant? What's the matter?"
He was still more than a little annoyed. "Oh. Nothing much. Just that Mom and Dad are on their way home. Thought you'd might not want to be whereever you are now when they get here."
"They're coming home already?" She asked, beginning to panic. Colin stirred and hearing the tone of her voice, stared at her with concern.
"They have a surprise for us - or something. Plus - it happens to be Mother's Day."
She forgot. Kate completely forgot. "OK. I'll be there in a few minutes."
"Better stop at the store and pick up milk or something. That's where I told them you were when they called."
It must be killing him to cover for her when he had no idea what was going on. "Thanks Grant."
She was right. Grant still couldn't help himself from warning her. "You are going to tell me what you've been up to - right?"
Maybe not the specifics, Kate couldn't help but think with a smile. "Alright." She agreed with a sigh. "Be home in a sec." She said as she clicked off the phone.
She turned around to see Colin watching her. "Hey." She whispered with a smile.
Looking at her there, his shirt hanging nearly to her knees, he couldn't help but grin. He caught the look on her face and was suddenly really worried.
"What's the matter?" He asked as he sat up in bed.
Kate walked over to sit beside him. "My brother's mad at me. My parents are on the way home and I've been gone all night. God! He's a mini version of my dad sometimes."
Colin took her hands in his and leaned over to kiss her. "I don't want you to get into trouble."
"Too late." She laughed. "You were trouble the day I first met you."
He couldn't deny it was true and he certainly didn't want to let her leave. "Katrina..."
Kate could see by the look in his eyes he didn't want her to leave and she wanted nothing more than to stay with him. She took a deep breath before she spoke. "Colin...Oh God. I want to stay. But - I can't. They'll be home really soon. If I don't get home before them I might never be able to get back here."
That was something he couldn't dare risk. Still, he couldn't leave before he made sure. "Katrina. Are you OK?" He asked as he ran a hand over her cheek.
He was so cute. "I'm fine. I'm fantastic." She grinned.
"Are you sure? Colin wasn't convinced.
"I'm sure." Kate said softly, trying to convince him. "Colin. Please don't worry. I'm fine. Last night..." She sighed. "You have to believe me. Last night was everything I ever dreamed of."
"Really?" He thought she'd deserved so much more than he could offer her.
"Really." Something finally dawned on her. "Do you realize you always call me Katrina?" She said with a laugh.
"That's your name." He said, puzzled.
"I know, but everyone else calls me Kate or Katie most of the time. It's sort of sweet that you don't. My parents call me Katrina when they are especially mad or extremely proud. Speaking of which..." She sighed again, tears welling in her eyes.
Kate took Colin's face in her hands and kissed him quickly. "I love you." She promised. "I gotta go." She wiped a stray tear from her cheek and eased away from him scooping her clothes off the floor. She ran into the bathroom, afraid if she didn't move away from him now she'd never be able to .
Colin rolled out of bed and tugged his jeans back on as he waited.
As she emerged from behind the door he still couldn't believe everything that had just happened. Being with her had seemed like a dream. He was so thankful that it wasn't. When Colin woke this morning, suddenly - everything was different.
It was all because she loved him.
As Kate tried to walk past him he grabbed her around the waist and kissed her again.
"Colin..." She breathed, wanting to stay right in his arms forever.
"I love you." He whispered.
She touched her forehead to his, reluctant to be away from him for any length of time. "I love you too. I don't want to leave but I have to. I've got to go."
He knew he was pressing his luck. If he ever wanted to see her again he needed to let her go. "OK." He loosened his hold on her and kissed her again.
"Keep your phone on." He said as he pulled away. "I'll call you later." He promised.
"OK." Kate nodded as she kissed him again. "Love you." She said with a huge smile as she finally eased out the door.