HAPTER 11
When Ellyn opened the door, she was surprised to see Colton. She’d expected it to be the pizza she ordered. Her plans for the day, until she had to pick up Derek, were to wallow in self-pity.
Her life as she was getting to know it, was going to end. And this man in front of her was going to end it because of her less than professional behavior today.
So she was wallowing.
Her heart leaped into her throat at the sight of Colton.
“Ellyn. Are you okay?”
She blinked. That was not what she was expecting from him. “Am I okay?”
“Yes. Can I come in? I don’t want to talk out here.”
She stepped away from the door and let him pass. She closed it with her free hand. He strode into the place as if he owned it. Well, she guessed he did, but he would have entered her other apartment the same way.
There was something sexy about how he took charge. And he had a nice butt.
She leaned on the door, watching him walk into the living room. He stopped at the doorway to that room, turning to her.
“I’m okay,” she said, slowly, still trying to gauge his mood.
She didn’t see any anger, not that she’d ever seen him get angry. Instead, he studied her while he flexed his right hand.
“You’re sure?”
“Yes. Why are you here?”
“To make sure you are okay and that you know you did the right thing.”
“The right thing.”
“Are you going to repeat everything I say?”
“Uh, no.” Then she looked at his hand. “What’s wrong with your hand?”
He glanced at it as if just realizing that his knuckles were bleeding. “Uh, I punched someone.”
“That photographer?”
His gaze didn’t stray from her as he strode to where she stood. “Yes.”
She licked her lips. How should she feel about this? “Go into the kitchen.”
“What?”
“You heard me. I have a first aid kit in there.”
He blinked, then did what she said. She’d bet not too many people gave him commands. He settled himself at the table in there while she grabbed the kit. She cleaned his wound, standing very close to him.
“Ouch,” he said.
“Baby. Derek takes it better than you do.” She put a bandage on his fingers, then out of habit, kissed them. Oh, crap. She always did that with Derek. When she looked up at Colton, he wasn’t smiling. He wasn’t mad. No, in fact, for once, she had an idea of what was on his mind.
She wanted to let his hand go. She should have let his hand go and step back from the situation. Hell, she couldn’t have done that if someone had paid her.
Instead, she straddled his leg and took his lips in a passionate kiss. He didn’t resist. Instead he dug his hands into her hair.
His tongue came out to meet hers. Her body came alive and he hadn’t even touched anything, but her hair. She fisted his tie in her hand, bringing him closer to her.
When she stopped kissing him, he said, “Ellyn.”
His voice was deep and raspy.
“Did you really hit the photographer for me?”
His laugh was husky. “Yes. He said you were ugly. I had to defend your honor.”
No one had ever done that. “Don’t do that again.”
His mouth was inches from hers. “But I think it turned you on a little.”
She wanted to deny it. “A little, but I’m sure you can think of other ways to accomplish that.”
“It’s not the only weapon in my arsenal. Shall we move to the bedroom, or do I take you on the kitchen counter.”
One of her eyebrows shot up. On the counter? Well, um. Her mouth went dry. She couldn’t form words. Before she could make her mouth work, he hoisted her up and just about dropped her on the kitchen counter.
She glanced down and realized it was the perfect height. He was the perfect height. The perfect length.
He kissed her again, his hand on either side of her head on the cabinet behind her. “Yes?”
“Yes.”
She didn’t hesitate. She wanted him. She’d had a crappy day and this man was going to make her feel better. She refused to turn him down.
This was for her and the consequences be damned. He kissed her and it spoke of passion and promises. She didn’t care about the promises right now. All she needed was the passion. She shucked off her shirt and then her bra.
“In a hurry?”
“Dammit, yes.”
He smiled as he took off his tie. Taking his time, clearly. She dropped her pants and panties and hopped back onto the counter. Her eyebrows went up. Men loved to see women naked. There was such power in it. Why had she never noticed that?
She reached out and unbuttoned his shirt, while he folded his tie nicely. She didn’t want nice. She wanted hot monkey sex and she wanted it now.
***
The little minx was in a hurry, as Ellyn deftly undid his shirt. Colton was thankful that she didn’t rip it off his body, but it gave him time to drink in her nakedness. Never a bad thing. Her mocha skin was smooth and his hands itched to be on her.
Finally, all of his clothes were off. Ellyn’s chest heaved. She was already breathing heavily and he hadn’t touched her yet. His heart had quickened its pace and his southern friend was ready.
But first, he had to please her. So he slid her to the edge of the counter. His knees would not thank him for this later, but he knelt on the tile floor. He shifted her legs over his shoulders giving him full access to her warm center.
She was already wet for him. He tentatively licked. Her body shuddered. Damn. She was going to be amazingly responsive. He licked again, her hands clenching at her sides. He used his thumbs to pull her lips apart to get his tongue deeper and deeper.
Her back arched. She made sweet, mewling noises as he went to work. He planned on wrenching the best orgasm ever out of her. Even if it took time and diligence. She tasted so good.
He could spend days right there between her legs. Her body squirmed as he licked and sucked. Then she let out a keening noise, her body going stiff. He had to hold her legs apart as she came, lest he suffocate. Though, he couldn’t think of a better place to die.
When she finally went limp, he shifted her legs off his shoulders, then kissed up her belly to her breasts. His turn to enjoy something. Though her breath came out in pants, he assumed she enjoyed that, too.
Her fingers dug into his shoulders.
“Now, dammit,” she said.
Pushy. He chuckled in her neck. “Tell me what you want me to do, Ellyn.”
“I want you inside of me, Colton.”
“Yeah?” He put two fingers into her and rubbed. “Like this?”
“Aaaah. Close.”
He removed his fingers then thrust into her. “This?”
“Yeees.”
Her back arched and she might as well have jammed herself further onto him. He set up a slow, torturous rhythm. Ellyn wrapped her legs around him and he held them up with his hands. Damn.
He didn’t want this to end, but he could tell it was going to soon. Too soon. He thought about stock reports. He thought about accounting. He thought about anything, but this amazing woman he was currently inside of.
Then she began that mewling sound again. Like a kitten in heat. Damn. He could feel her vagina clench around him and he was over the edge with her. Thrusting until he was done, she managed to meet his with her own.
And then done. All he could hear were their breaths coming out short and raspy.
“Colton,” Ellyn said.
He looked up in her eyes. He didn’t see regret. He saw something else, but he wasn’t sure if he was seeing it right. Blinking, he smiled. “Ellyn.”
“As much as I’d like to stay here, I have to go get Derek.”
The phone rang at that moment. Ellyn reached for it. “Fine,” she said then hung up.
“What?”
“My pizza guy had an accident. No pizza.”
“I can make something.” As soon as the blood supply returned to his brain, he could. “Go take a shower. I’ll figure out dinner.”
He stepped away from her, sad for the loss of contact. She hopped off the counter. He swatted her naked bottom as she walked by, gathering her clothes. She squealed and smiled at him.
He dressed then looked at what was in the refrigerator. Ellyn left to get Derek as Colton pulled some ingredients out of the refrigerator. He cleaned the countertop before he began his prep.
The scene was amazingly domestic. Ellyn on her way to get Derek. Him cooking up dinner. The whole situation warmed him. He wanted a family. Who would have thought?
Ellyn returned and Derek burst into the apartment, a bundle of energy. He hugged Colton.
“Hey, Mr. Hamilton.”
“How was school, Derek?”
“Really good. I get to play games and we learn things,” he said.
“What did you learn today?” Colton asked.
He glanced up to see Ellyn in the doorway. He couldn’t interpret what her look meant. She wasn’t mad, but her face held a warning. Maybe she didn’t want him to get too close to Derek.
Too late. The boy had wormed his way into Derek’s heart. He was already committed to this boy. If he could convince his mother that Colton was all in, then things would get better.
“I learned the alphabet,” Derek said.
He went on to sing the song. Colton couldn’t help smile as he chopped vegetables for a salad. This was what had been missing in his life. If anyone had asked him, he wouldn’t have admitted it, but now that he had Ellyn and Derek, he didn’t want them to leave.
He was going to do everything in his power to keep them in his life.
*
Derek sat on the bed, watching Ellyn get dressed. “You look beautiful, mommy.”
Ellyn turned to her son. “Thank you.”
“I can’t wait to see Shalia.”
“It’s been awhile.”
“Where are you going again?”
She glanced at him in the mirror. “Mr. Hamilton has a fancy dinner he must attend and he asked me to go with him.”
“Oh.”
“You wouldn’t have any fun,” she said.
Derek had hinted about going all afternoon. He really liked Colton, which worried Ellyn. Should she encourage that relationship or not? She didn’t even know if she wanted a relationship with Colton. She’d been torn about the whole thing since they’d made love in the kitchen. They hadn’t had time to be alone since then, so they hadn’t talked.
Maybe, for once in her life, she should just let something happen organically. Not worry about it. But that wasn’t her style.
The doorbell rang and Derek went off like a shot to answer it.
He did that too much. She wished she could get him to ask who was there before he opened the door, even if they were in a high security building. That didn’t mean they’d always live in a place so safe.
Colton stood in the front hall, dressed in a tuxedo. He took Ellyn’s breath away, he was so handsome. The suit had clearly been made for him. He spoke to Derek, his focus solely on the little boy. As if everything her son said mattered. It warmed her heart.
And made her fall in love with him, but she wasn’t going to say that. She couldn’t say that. His tenure in her life was most likely short. She shouldn’t even expose Derek to him, but that ship had sailed. Too late.
Derek liked Colton and she had the distinct feeling that Colton liked Derek.
She entered the hallway. Colton looked her way and a large smile broke out on his face. The doorbell rang again. This time Shalia was there. Derek and Shalia spoke for a moment then she took Derek into the living room.
Colton took Ellyn’s hand and brought her into his arms. “You look beautiful, Ellyn.”
“Thanks.”
If she were white, she’d be blushing.
“You ready?”
“Let me grab my clutch,” she said. It sat on the table in the hall and had her phone in it. And some cash. Her mother taught her never to leave home without cash.
She picked it up, yelled a goodbye to Derek and Shalia, then Colton put his hand on her back, escorting her out of the apartment. Downstairs, in the front of her building, sat a black stretch limousine. The largest vehicle Ellyn had ever seen.
“Are we picking up a football team on the way?”
Colton laughed. “No, just felt like riding in style.”
He opened the door and she slid onto the seat. He sat next to her, taking her hand in his. He kissed it.
“What was that for?”
“I’ve missed you.”
“It’s only been a few days.”
“I know, but I still missed you.”
They rode in silence as Ellyn digested that. The dinner was at a hotel that Ellyn could only have dreamed about affording. The tables in the ballroom were set with ivory tablecloths and blue linen napkins, silver candlesticks glittering in the soft lighting. She guessed that more than 100 people would be attending.
Ellyn’s feet would have stopped her at the doorway if Colton had not been holding her hand. All of a sudden, she felt like a fraud. Why was she here? This wasn’t her world. This was Colton’s. How could they have a future if she didn’t enjoy doing these things?
He led her to a table already full of people. To her, everyone was staring at her. She didn’t know if that was true, or just her insecurities. She sat and smiled at everyone as Colton introduced her.
“You want a drink?” Colton asked.
Maybe something to calm her nerves. “Some red wine would be fine.”
“Maybe a Zinfandel?”
“Sure.”
Not that she would know the difference. Colton left to get her drink. The conversation flowed around her until someone asked her a pointed question.
“What do you do?”
She didn’t know which person asked. On her lips was “waitress,” but she wasn’t that anymore. “I’m a model.”
They all nodded as if not surprised. Did Colton often bring models here? Maybe he did and she wasn’t as special to him as she thought. Was he only being nice to her son because he wanted to sleep with her?
Feeling out of her element brought out her insecurities. About everything. Would she know the right knife to pick up? The right fork to use? There was only one knife, but there were three forks. Crap.
Colton came back with her drink and she resisted the urge to finish it in one swallow. Instead, she sipped delicately.
“Would you like to dance?” Colton said.
“Uh, sure.”
He took her hand. He brought her to the dance floor and moved her around it like an expert.
“You seem tense.”
“I’m feeling a little out of my league here?”
“League?”
“I’m a poor girl from the Bronx.”
“No one cares about that. You’re here now. And with me.”
“Do you often bring your models to these things?”
“Where is that coming from?”
“When someone asked me what I did, I told them I was a model. They nodded knowingly.”
He shrugged. “I’ve probably brought a model or two. It’s my lifestyle. That’s who are in the same social circles as I am. They would be my dating pool.”
Made sense and he did put her at ease. A little. He whispered into her ear. “Don’t worry so much. I’m happy you’re here and that’s all that matters.”
He was right.
The song ended and they headed back to the table. She looked at her phone and realized that Shalia had called. “I better call her back.”
***
Colton glance around. Ellyn seemed to be gone for a while so he went out to find her. He found her in the front entrance. She was holding the phone close to her ear. “Call the cops,” she said He stopped in front of her, his brow knit. He waited until she hung up. “What’s wrong? Is it Derek?”
“Something like that. I need to get home. Now!”
His heart raced. What was wrong? Why did she need the cops?
She brushed past him. He grabbed her arm. “I’m going with you.”
“No need. It’s my problem.”
“It’s mine, too, if it’s about Derek.” He pulled out his phone. “Let me call Paul. He shouldn’t be far.”
“I’ll be there in ten minutes, boss,” Paul said, when he answered.
“Try to make it less than that.” Colton hung up. “I’ll get our coats.”
“This is your thing. You don’t have to leave. Let Paul drive me home.”
“No. Now, tell me what’s going on?”
She looked around. “Not here. When we get in the car.”
“Okay. Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
He strode to the coat check area and retrieved their coats. Ellyn was still standing in the hallway, her eyes darting around. What could have her so upset? he thought. Is Derek sick? Has someone broken in?
He doubted that. It was a high security building. How could anyone get in?
Paul pulled up in front of the hotel. Colton opened the door for her and Ellyn slid into the vehicle. Colton sat next to her, taking her hand. “Tell me what’s going on?”
Ellyn glanced out the window as if not being able to make eye contact with him. “I’ve never told you about Derek’s father.”
“I saw it as none of my business. I figured you would tell me when you wanted to,” he said.
He’d been curious, but he didn’t want to pry. Of course he could have used his resources to find out who was listed on Derek’s birth certificate. He’d chosen to respect Ellyn’s privacy.
“His name is Chance and he’s in jail. Well, was in jail. He got out on some early release program.”
In jail. He hadn’t wanted to assume that. To say he was surprised was a lie. She’d never spoken of him and if he’d died, she would have said that. “Go on.”
“He showed up at the apartment. Well, at the building. He didn’t get in, but he made a stink.”
“How did he find you?”
“Shalia thinks he might have followed her.”
“He didn’t get in, right?”
“No, he didn’t, but Derek figured out that his father was downstairs and he almost ran out. Shalia was able to corral him.”
“Shouldn’t he be in bed?”
“Shalia lets him stay up a little later than I do. It’s okay. I don’t have to get him up in the morning for school,” Ellyn said.
She was trembling so he took her in his arms. “We’ll work this out, Ellyn. I promise.”
“It’s not so simple.”
“Nothing is, but there is always a solution. Let’s work together. Don’t shut me out.”
She rested her chin on his chest. “Are you for real?”
“What do you mean?”
“Why haven’t you turned tail and run?”
“Because I don’t back down from a problem.”
“You don’t see obstacles, do you?”
He laughed. “No Ellyn, I don’t. And you shouldn’t either. We’ll figure out what to do. I assume he wanted to see Derek?”
“Probably.”
“Did Shalia know if he’s still there?”
“The doorman said he was hanging around.”
“Okay, then we’ll have to be quick about getting out of the limousine.”
“There is no use in avoiding him. He’ll just keep trying. He’s pretty persistent,” she said.
“The cops can’t do much if he’s on the sidewalk. That’s public property,” he said.
There was a solution. He had to find it before they go to the building. He was beginning to think of Ellyn and Derek as his and would protect them with all of his resources. No two-bit criminal was going to take that away from him.
“Your jaw is set. What are you going to do?” Ellyn asked.
“I don’t know, but I’ll think of something.”
“Just let me talk to him.”
“Not without me.”
“I’m not in danger.”
“Still. I’m not leaving you alone with him,” Colton said. “No arguments.”
She sighed. “Okay. Fine.”
Paul pulled up to the building. “Let me get out first,” Colton said.
He did and spotted who he thought was probably Chance. He could probably get Ellyn into the building without the man seeing her, but he was going to trust her decision to speak to the father of her child.
But only so far.
He ducked his head back in. “I think he’s here.”
“You need me to stick around?” Paul said.
“No, I think we’ll be fine. You have a good night, Paul,” Colton said.
Ellyn climbed out, then Paul drove away. She squared her shoulders, and Colton squeezed her hand. “I’m right here.
The man approached Ellyn, eyeing Colton at the same time.
“Ellyn.”
“Chance.”
“You look good.”
So far so good.
“Can we talk alone?” the man said.
Ellyn glanced at Colton. He shook his head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“No, Chance. Say what you have to say.”