Colin (Daddy for Christmas 2)

2. Rourke

Chapter two

Rourke

His name was Colin Turtle, and he intrigued me. Everything about him tugged at my interest, making me need to know more. I watched him go into the bathroom with that twit, Vick. I didn’t like Vick for more than one reason. But at that moment, I absolutely hated him for following my Colin into that bathroom.

Staring at the door became a game, but I could only win if he came back out. And soon.

Then he did.

“Well, hello,” I said loudly, getting his attention. I offered him a friendly smile, or at least one I hoped was friendly and not lecherous or cold. Smiling could be a problem for me, and refraining from the practice was normally prudent, but I wanted him to talk to me. How else could I make that happen?

His eyes widened and he froze. His eyebrows shot up. He mouthed me and tapped his chest. Said chest was covered with a tightly stretched tank top that barely came to the top of his tiny red bathing suit. Long, thick legs stretched out from there to the floor, and I wanted to see them in the air or feel them wrapped around me. And his gorgeous hair was pulled back into a low pony. I was interested in all of him. But I wanted more than the physical as well.

“Colin, is it?” I asked.

He came a few steps closer. “Uh, yeah. Colin Turtle. And you’re Rourke. We talked. Uh, last night.”

“I remember. And you knew who I was, but how about actually getting to know me before making rash decisions? My reputation is not entirely accurate.” Desirée and Colin’s little friend had, no doubt, shared entirely too much information about me.

“Okay, uh, that sounds like a plan?” Colin certainly didn’t seem confident about it. He seemed nervous, and I found that endearing.

“Or are your interests already settled on Vick ?” I couldn’t help but spit that name out like poison.

“What? No. I’m not…” He turned to see Vick leave the bathroom. The asshole had the nerve to grin at me with that cocky look as if he’d beaten me to the cookie jar. “Nothing happened in there.”

“Did he try something?”

“Yeah, but I handled it. I left.” He stared up at me as if daring me to challenge his word. He crossed his arms over his chest for good measure. He was a little shorter than me with a bit of weight on him, stocky but not overly so. And cute. And trying way too hard.

“I believe you, but what do you want from him, anyway?”

“From him? Nothing.” Another challenge.

“What are you after, Mr. Turtle? Maybe I can help.” I took a sip of my water and let him look at me. I wore a pair of classic Nataraja swim trunks in navy with a gold and white pattern, much more tame than Colin’s choice, coming to about mid-thigh. They did show off my well-muscled legs, though. I’d paired that with a short-sleeved Tom Ford dress shirt in white, left open to expose my tanned chest. I liked Tom Ford and wore his flops on my feet as well. I knew I looked good but couldn’t help wondering what he thought. I opened my arms wide. “Well?”

“I, uh, first, please call me Colin.”

“Okay, Colin, and second?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m out of place here.” He glanced around the pool area, but I thought he included the people as well. I couldn’t blame him. They were mostly superficial, callous ladder climbers like Vick. Or vapid gold diggers like Colin’s friend. And what about Colin?

“Let’s start by being honest. I’ll ask again, what do you want?”

“Huh. That’s a good one. No one here is honest.” He continued his pursual of the party. “But you want honesty? Okay. I want a place to live without having to worry about being kicked out. I want a future. I want…” He glared at me as if he hadn’t planned to say any of that. “I want to shut my stupid mouth now.”

“I don’t think it’s stupid. It’s pretty sexy, actually.” That was no lie. His mouth was full with the perfect bow at the top and a pouty bottom lip that covered straight, white teeth. “And it’s normal to want those things.”

“What do you want? Dirty sex in the bathroom like Vick?”

“No. Not at all. I’m nothing like him. Nothing.” I said it twice to get the point across.

“Okay then.” He sucked that sexy bottom lip in between his teeth, making me want to suck on it, too.

“I want to show you something.” I held my hand out to him. He stared at it, then lifted his eyes to gaze at my face. I had no idea what he was thinking or feeling. He kept it all in as if wearing a mask.

“Show me what?”

“My place. Come on. I promise I’m not groping you in the bathroom or anywhere else.” Unless he asked me for it.

Somewhat reluctantly, he took my hand. “Fine.”

I had the valet bring my car around. After handing him the ticket, I turned to Colin. “It’s close. We could really walk there, but why do that when I have such a sexy car.”

“Oh, what do you drive?”

Before I could answer, it pulled around to the front of the drive, and I pointed at it. My black and orange Bugatti Veyron rumbled its way over to stop in front of us. I opened the passenger door and handed Colin into the seat. He glanced up at me, his hesitancy written across his face. I shut the door with a little tap, then circled around to take the driver’s seat from the valet. “Thank you.” I tipped him, then stuffed my wallet back into the small pocket of my shorts. “Let’s go.”

The car roared as I gassed it out of the drive. Yes. Showing off wasn’t attractive. Most of the time. But I thought Colin would like it. Until he grabbed the door and the sleek center console. “This is nothing. Someday, I’ll have to take you out where we can really open her up. I’ve been on the autobahn in Germany with her and oh my. She is a beast.”

“She? Why are all cars considered female?”

“Maybe not all, but this one is.” I shifted gears and headed down the street and around the corner. My place was only a few blocks over.

“Well, it is incredible.”

“Thanks. I was hoping you’d be impressed.”

He stared out the window. Maybe I was the one trying too hard now.

A moment later, I pulled into my driveway and let him get a look at the house with massive renovations slowly coming together. It was two stories in the front, and most of it had been blocked and framed, though the outside was not finished. Scaffolding climbed over its face like bad acne on a teenager.

“Woah. This is yours?”

“Yes, but it’s still under construction, obviously.”

“Yeah...” He slowly closed his mouth, but his eyes were still wide. “This is what you want to show me? Why?”

“No, not the house. Behind it. Come on.” Taking his hand, I led him around the side of the house. Going inside with the construction going on wasn’t safe.

“What’s that? A hole?” he asked as we walked along the back patio. A long rectangular concrete pit took up the majority of my backyard.

“Pool. They’re supposed to be tiling next week.”

“You’re living here while they do all this work?”

“I’m in the pool house.” I nodded to the small cottage angled out from the house. I’d had them build it first so I could be around to keep my eye on progress. “But this is also not what I want to show you.” I led him to the side of the mini-house and the patio there. Two chairs and a table faced the beach.

“This is really close to the water.”

“We can go for a walk later, if you like. Sit, please. Want something to drink?”

He shook his head.

“Water?”

“Okay.”

I stored all sorts of drinks in the wet bar along the side of the patio. I handed him a cold bottle and sat beside him. “This is what I want you to see.” I swept my arm in the air, as if displaying the entire beach like a work of art. “But wait.” I checked my watch. “The sun will be setting in a minute, and then the real show begins.”

We sat quietly, talking about everything and nothing as the sun slowly started its descent. Eventually, we held hands, though I couldn’t remember who had reached out first. His fingers rubbed over the back of my hand as we stared out at the water. A riot of color smeared across the sky, changing from blue to purple to pink and a dusty orange.

“Wow. That’s really beautiful.”

“That view is why I bought this spot on the west side.” I pointed at the sky, but I definitely didn’t need to. The darkening blue stretched above us. It would be spectacular from almost anywhere on the island.

“I see.”

I looked down at him, but Colin wasn’t looking at the view. “What do you see?”

“You. You’re a gentleman. Not outlandish. Sweet even. Why would you hang out at a party like that?”

“I could ask you the same thing.”

Colin looked away, fidgeting with his water bottle. “That’s fine. You don’t have to answer.”

“What if I said I was hoping you’d be there?”

“I don’t think I’d believe you.” Colin scoffed. “What exactly are you doing here with me now?”

I sighed and leaned back in my chair. It was a good question. “I don’t know. Feels like I’m trying to keep you out of trouble. If you keep showing up in Vick’s circle, dressed like that, you may end up in someone else’s bed.”

“And how would that be trouble?”

“It would be trouble for whoever you ended up with.”

Colin picked at his shirt. “I’m not, uh, I don’t normally, you know? I don’t dress like this. Act like this. I’m out of my depth, and I feel like that’s what you see. This isn’t me. Not really.”

“Not at all.” I chuckled. “Well, maybe. But you seem sweet. Innocent. Sexy, too.”

Colin made a weird roll of his head. “Nothing sexy about me. Seriously. Don’t humor me. Maybe I need to go back to the party now?” He handed me the bottle. “Andy will get worried.”