Courting Innocence Read online

  She’d kissed him, and he’d been helpless. She’d kissed him after what he’d done to her, and he was her slave.

  They’d gone to dinner, all right, because at that point, he hadn’t been able to deny her anything. But actions had repercussions. The meal had been uncomfortable as hell. She’d looked at him with those big blue eyes, curiosity showing.

  And damn it, she was like a cat when something caught her attention.

  ‘Fuck,’ he said, blowing out a long breath. He needed to nip this in the bud, stop it before anything else happened.

  Because nothing like this could ever happen again.

  He eyed his iPhone halfway across the room. It was sitting on the table by the door, highlighted by a sliver of moonlight coming through the frosted window pane.

  Colt shook his head, but found himself crossing the hardwood floor.

  ‘We need to straighten things out,’ he said, practising. ‘We need to talk about what happened.’

  He pulled up his contact list and stared at her name. Reconsidering, he set down the phone, but then picked it up again. It was only when he heard the rings going through that he looked at the time. ‘Damn,’ he hissed.

  He was about to hang up when a sleepy voice answered. ‘Colt?’

  He closed his eyes. ‘Did I wake you?’

  ‘Mm, I was just lying here.’

  In bed. She didn’t have to say it. He could picture her sunny blonde hair spilling across the pillow. She wore thongs; he knew that now. What did she wear to bed?

  The strangled sound in his throat must have carried over the airwaves.

  ‘Did you…need something?’ she asked.

  Oh, God. She had no idea.

  He shook his head. ‘Are you all right?’ he asked softly.

  She paused for a moment, and his heart dropped.

  ‘Would you stop asking me that?’ she finally said.

  She hadn’t let him apologise. She’d refused to hear him out, but if he didn’t say it, he’d go mad. ‘I’m sorry, Erin.’

  She went quiet for a long, long time. ‘I’m not.’

  Fuck.

  The cold sweat was back. He finished off the bottle and dug his fingers into the nape of his neck. How was he supposed to respond to that?

  ‘Are you all right, Colton?’

  ‘Aw, Sunny.’ How could she be worried about him? What had happened tonight had been wrong. All-around wrong. She should be upset with him, angry and offended.

  ‘It’s OK,’ she whispered. ‘I…I’ve just never felt like that before.’

  The tentative, vaporous words were sexy. Seductive beyond measure. His fingers bit into his straining muscles. ‘We need to talk.’

  ‘Isn’t that what we’re doing?’

  Not like this. It was too intimate, practically pillow talk.

  The vision of her lying in bed slammed back into his cranium.

  ‘Tomorrow,’ he insisted. Tomorrow when his head was clear, or at least pounding so badly it couldn’t be led down dark, inappropriate paths. ‘Breakfast.’

  He took a deep breath. ‘I’ll take you to breakfast and then drop you off at Luxxor’s so you can pick up your car.’

  And get away from there for ever.

  ‘OK.’

  Silence fell again, only it wasn’t chilly. It was warm and sensual. Insidious.

  ‘Goodnight, Erin.’

  ‘Sleep tight, Colt.’

  In that moment, he wanted so badly to feel her body pressing against his…to sense her curves tucking against his side and her breaths caressing the side of his neck…His hand shook as he disconnected the call.

  Too late, he realised he’d forgotten to tell her they needed to pretend that tonight never happened.

  Erin was awake before the crack of dawn. She’d slept like a baby after Colton’s call, but somewhere in her dreams her mind had been hard at work. She knew him. He was preparing his arguments right now about why they shouldn’t see one another.

  Well, she was forming her arguments, too.

  She looked over her shoulder at the full-length mirror. She’d grabbed her favourite pair of jeans out of the closet, the ones that hugged her butt and made her legs look two inches longer.

  OK, maybe an inch, but she’d take it.

  Now that she knew he was a butt man…

  The mirror showed the blush that heated her face. Turning away, she hit the closet again to find a cute top. She had curves up there, too. She shivered. If she’d come as hard as she had when he’d focused on her bottom, how would she fare if he turned his attention to her breasts? She was sensitive there. If he petted her or sucked her nipples, she’d go mindless.

  Which she already was.

  She made herself stop to take a deep breath. She was starting to get dizzy. She’d waited so long for this to happen. Now that it was, things were moving too fast.

  She glanced at her watch. It was early. He hadn’t texted her yet, but she wanted to be ready when he arrived. She finished her primping, grabbed her purse and ran down the hallway. She hurried to look out of the living-room windows down to the street.

  ‘Hey,’ a voice called from the kitchen.

  Erin gave a yelp and spun around.

  ‘Sorry,’ Sienna said, smiling into her coffee.

  ‘I didn’t know you were here.’ Erin pressed a hand to her pounding heart and looked down the hallway. ‘Jason?’

  ‘He’s at his place.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because I wanted to be here this morning to talk to you.’ Sienna put down her coffee and folded her hands around the mug. The grip looked tight. ‘If you were here…which you are…’

  She straightened her shoulders. ‘How was your date?’

  Her date with Colton. Erin’s lips clamped shut, and she clutched her purse to her stomach. Her date had been thrilling, shocking, awkward, sexy, infuriating and uncomfortable all at the same time, but for once she didn’t want to share. It was like a birthday wish. She was afraid if she talked about it out loud, it wouldn’t come true.

  ‘Did you know?’ she asked instead. About Colton? About what Luxxor truly did?

  Sienna nodded. ‘I did. I saw his name on the list of potential matches that Nina created, and I knew I had to make it happen for you. Just once.’ She touched the end of her ponytail. ‘Did it happen?’

  Erin’s heart squeezed. It had happened – and the rest of her questions didn’t matter.

  She tossed her purse on to an easy chair, hurried into the kitchen and enveloped her best friend in a hug. Sienna had been there when she’d been lovesick over Colton when he’d started hanging out with her brother. Her friend had been at her side when Erin had been broken-hearted that he hadn’t even noticed her. Sienna had been there throughout her entire teenage crush.

  One that felt as fresh today as it had way back when she was fifteen.

  ‘Thank you.’ Erin gave an extra squeeze before pulling away.

  ‘Are you sure?’ Sienna looked uneasy. ‘I should have told you.’

  ‘It was a surprise.’ A bombshell, really. But would she have handled the situation better if she’d known? Definitely not. ‘I would have been sick with nerves if I’d known Colt was waiting behind that door.’

  Sienna ran her finger around the rim of her mug. ‘So…how did it go? You were in bed when I got home. I didn’t know how to take that.’

  ‘Dinner was a start,’ Erin said non-committally. She edged back towards the living room. She really wanted to look out of the window again.

  ‘That’s it? I don’t get any details?’

  Heat flashed through Erin from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. No details. Not about that.

  ‘Wow,’ Sienna said.

  Darn her skin. She blushed so easily.

  Erin wiggled her foot, unable to stand her roommate’s questioning stare. ‘I think he understands I’m a grown woman now.’

  ‘What does that mean?’

  Erin heard her phone beep, and she dived for her pu
rse. ‘Oops, sorry. I can’t talk, we’re going to breakfast.’

  Sienna lifted an eyebrow, which only emphasised her confused expression. ‘Breakfast? Well, that’s good after an early night.’

  Erin was too busy pulling her coat off the rack to answer. Or so she made it seem.

  ‘Isn’t it?’ Sienna called as Erin headed out the door.

  Erin’s feet had wings as she skipped down the steps. She felt like she had last night as she walked down the hallway to Luxxor’s offices – nervous, excited, adventurous and out of her depth – only everything was magnified.

  It wasn’t until she arrived in the lobby that she actually checked her messages. She giggled when she saw that he was only just leaving. Not caring, she leaned against the wall. She was happy to wait.

  She’d waited eight years for a date with Colton King.

  She could wait a few minutes longer for breakfast.

  The Apple Tree Grille was busy on Friday mornings. Working stiffs from all the nearby office buildings dropped by for a hearty breakfast to power them to the weekend. None of today’s patrons was as anxious as Erin, though. She followed the restaurant’s hostess to a booth, but stepped aside when Colton directed her out of the way of a waitress delivering an order.

  His touch at her side was warm and protective, and she wanted to curl into it.

  He’d been quiet in the car on the ride over. Too quiet. It made her worry that he was upset or angry again.

  A table of diners stood, blocking their path, and his hand slipped all the way around to her stomach. She leaned back against him and savoured the butterflies that rose under that touch. No, he didn’t seem angry.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ one of the men said when he saw them. ‘Excuse us.’

  Erin was disappointed when the group moved out of their way. Colton’s touch left her, but he helped her with her coat. ‘Thank you,’ she said, glancing over her shoulder.

  A thrill went through her when she caught him looking somewhere other than her face. The jeans had been a good idea.

  His gaze jerked away. He hung up her jacket and slid into the opposite side of the booth. By the time they were both seated, his jaw had firmed and his lips had flattened.

  Erin sighed. She really didn’t want another apology, and she’d thought after last night’s intimate call…

  She cocked her head. Wait a minute.

  He was quiet, and he was moving carefully. That expression on his face wasn’t grumpiness. It looked more like pain.

  ‘Are you hung over?’

  His eyes narrowed, which must have been difficult to do, given the way he was already squinting against the sunlight coming through the window. ‘What was your first clue?’ he grumbled.

  A grin pulled at Erin’s lips, lifting the corners until she was smiling like a lottery winner.

  ‘It’s not funny,’ he said.

  ‘I’m not laughing at you.’ No, she was just tickled pink. He’d got drunk over her. It gave her even more hope than the late-night call. ‘Poor baby.’

  He looked rough. Handsome as ever, but rough. Dark circles rimmed his eyes, and she swore there was a greyish undertone to his tanned skin.

  She dug into her purse and found some aspirin. She passed them to him and let her fingers brush against his palm.

  He frowned at her. ‘Thanks.’

  He tossed them back with the water that had been put on their table and grimaced. ‘I don’t think there’s any medicine that will touch it.’

  Erin signalled their waitress. ‘Two coffees, please.’

  Bowing his head, Colton rubbed his temples.

  ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ she asked.

  He looked at her sharply.

  ‘Breakfast.’

  He leaned against the padded back of the booth seat. ‘I can do toast.’

  A big ‘maybe’ hung in the air.

  Erin watched him, their booth silent amidst all the hustle and bustle. More than anything, she wanted to take him back home with her. He could lie on her sofa with his head in her lap. She’d massage his temples and take care of him. ‘Why were you drinking, Colton?’

  The glare he sent her warned her not to go there.

  It made her feel secretly sexy. He was punishing himself for what he’d done, but she’d still managed to tempt him out for breakfast. Alone, just the two of them. ‘We could do this tomorrow. Why don’t you go back home and sleep it off?’

  He shook his head, but slowed down the gesture when it apparently hurt. ‘I have to be in court this afternoon.’

  ‘Court? Will you be OK by then?’

  ‘Yes.’

  No ifs, ands or buts about it. Erin sighed. Even if he wasn’t feeling well, he’d make sure that it didn’t show. ‘Is it an important case?’

  ‘They’re all important.’

  They would be, to him. She knew his professional reputation. He was recognised for being sharp and relentless. She wasn’t surprised. He’d always had a crystal-clear vision of right and wrong. Too rigid, if you asked her. ‘Will you be ready?’

  He looked offended. ‘I’m always ready.’

  She lifted an eyebrow, and he let out a grunt.

  He looked away, but she knew what he’d meant. His head might hurt, but that didn’t mean his brain wasn’t like a Ginsu knife.

  The waitress arrived with their coffees and stayed to take their order. Erin stuck to oatmeal with fruit. It seemed to be the safest thing on the menu not to make Colton turn green.

  When the waitress left, the atmosphere at the table just wasn’t the same. The tension that had been there last night at dinner had returned. Erin wasn’t quite sure what to do. Even with her unrequited affection, the two of them had always been able to talk. Now, though, there was an awareness. She could practically feel the seismic shift in their relationship. It was what she’d wanted, but unsettling at the same time. She tucked one leg beneath her on the bench seat and pulled her coffee closer.

  She glanced at the sugar, but Colt was already passing her two packets and a creamer.

  Erin stared at the flavourings and felt herself go still inside.

  He knew how she took her coffee.

  An ache settled right under her breastbone. ‘Why are we here, Colt?’ she whispered.

  ‘I remembered something you said last night.’

  She stirred her coffee round and round, watching the white creamer mark the path. What did he remember? Her telling him she wanted her chance? That she was grown-up now? That she’d liked being spanked?

  ‘You mentioned a detective.’

  Her head came up. ‘What?’

  ‘You said someone had questioned you.’

  Her lips parted. ‘Out of everything that happened last night, that’s what you remember?’

  He rubbed his temple and moved along the bench seat into a spot that was shaded by a tree outside. ‘That’s what I want to talk about.’

  Erin set her spoon down on the saucer with a clank. ‘What do you want to know?’ she snapped.

  He winced. ‘His name, badge number, anything you have.’

  ‘Why?’

  The look he gave her was deadpan. ‘Because he’s been snooping around Luxxor – an escort service where we’re both clients.’

  Not a matchmaking provider.

  He didn’t say it. He didn’t have to. That misunderstanding was what had led to their combustible encounter, and they both knew it. The air in the booth crackled, and Erin shifted uncomfortably. The energy settled in her bottom, and she shifted on the seat to try to ease the prickliness.

  ‘He’s not there for that,’ she said. ‘He’s investigating the assault case against Jason.’

  If Colt had looked grey before, in that moment his expression turned downright stormy. ‘Who’s Jason?’

  ‘Sloan. The former hockey player? Sienna’s new boyfriend?’

  ‘Are you talking about the Sloan Gunman? Now CEO of Bodycheck, Inc.?’

  ‘Well, yeah. He’s at my apartment all the t
ime.’

  That made Colton sit up straight. ‘Overnight?’

  Erin rolled her eyes. So he thought he could be standoffish and jealous at the same time? This was not the intimate breakfast discussion she’d envisioned. He was avoiding the subject she wanted to talk about most. He’d spanked her. He’d made her come. She’d kissed him until he was hard. Did he think they could pretend it never happened?

  Because she would never forget.

  ‘The detective’s name is Morgan. I don’t have a badge number. He’s been at Luxxor a lot, because Sienna works there and Nina was a witness.’

  ‘So he’s focused on that one case?’

  Erin paused with her coffee lifted halfway. Oh, shoot.

  It made more sense now. The intimidating detective’s questions had seemed so odd at the time, but now that she knew what Luxxor truly did…

  ‘Sunny?’

  ‘He’s curious about Luxxor’s line of work, too,’ she blurted. ‘And I…well, I might have told him he needs their services.’

  ‘You did what?’

  People at other tables turned to look.

  ‘Well, I didn’t know,’ she hissed. She leaned forward and dropped her voice. ‘Do they really do that?’

  She found it so hard to believe.

  This time, it was Colt’s turn to look uncomfortable. He glanced at the diners around them and turned his back to them. ‘From what I know, most of the company’s business comes from clients needing escorts to accompany them to social events.’

  Well, that didn’t sound so bad. It couldn’t be illegal, could it? So why was she getting wave after wave of undercurrents from him? ‘But?’

  He looked pained beyond even what his hangover was doing to him.

  Their waitress chose that moment to serve their food. Colton looked apprehensively at the dry toast on the plate before him, and Erin was glad she’d chosen something that didn’t give off an aroma. She waited for the waitress to leave.

  ‘But?’ she repeated. ‘What about Luxxor?’

  He groaned. ‘Erin.’

  ‘Tell me.’

  He tentatively picked up a triangle of toast. ‘I don’t think that’s where the bulk of their income is from.’

  Oh.

  Erin began to put all the pieces together. Sienna must only know about one side of their work. It was the only explanation she could come up with. But Nina? Her teeth worried her lower lip. It was Nina’s company.