Carly Phillips - Simply Sexy

He cradled her cheek in his palm. "Of course not. It's just that being around your family reminded me I need to be more attentive to mine."

"You'll come back?" she asked.

She stepped closer, her body heat obvious despite the cold, attracting him, beckoning to him, offering him warmth that went beyond skin deep. "I'll come back," he promised.

Differences aside, he meant to keep his word.

* * *

COLIN PACED the hallway. He couldn't bring himself to go back into Joe's room and watch Corinne fawn over his father, waving her perfumed hand around and issuing orders to Colin to get more water and help her take care of Joe. He didn't need Corinne telling him what to do for the man he'd known most of his life.

He paused in the doorway of Joe's room, realizing the couple was having a hushed conversation. Joe was weak and hadn't done more than open his eyes. As a result of the stroke, he had slurred speech and Colin hadn't pressed him. But there he was with Corinne, her head bent, and soft whispers passing between them.

As he'd come to believe by watching Corinne over the last week, there was more to this relationship than he'd originally believed. Hell, there'd have to be more to Joe and Corinne's marriage than sex or convenience or even money, for Joe to give her power of attorney and control of the paper. Instead of giving that control to his son.

Logan had been right all along. The adoption papers called Colin Joe's son, but more and more, Colin was coming to feel shut out. Belonging nowhere and to no one. A tight knot constricted his chest, making breathing difficult. He wished he could blame the antiseptic hospital smells, but something else was at work and Colin didn't like it worth a damn.

He also didn't like the waiting. Unfortunately, the time of year and the circumstances with Joe left him without a choice. There'd be no talking to Corinne now.

Colin slipped back into the hall, nearly colliding with a nurse and her lunch cart on the way out. "Sorry," he muttered.

Making his way to the elevators, he only wanted to get the hell out of here.

Away from the family he didn't really have, the place he didn't belong. He needed to be with Rina. She made him feel accepted, whole in a way he'd never been. But the last thing he wanted to deal with was another family situation where he was the outsider.

He promised her he'd come back, but he wasn't ready now. In fact, he was one step away from jumping on a plane and saying to hell with them all. His love for Joe wouldn't allow it, of course, not until things with the paper were settled. But the stronger pull came not from his father figure, but from Rina, or more accurately, the feelings she inspired in him. Feelings that were growing beyond anything he'd anticipated or knew how to deal with.

* * *

SINCE BRIANNE AND JAKE insisted they wanted to spend the night in a hotel and not put her out, Rina had the evening to herself. Of course, she wouldn't be alone if Colin had shown up, as he'd promised. But she was coming to realize Colin didn't keep promises. He didn't know how, she thought sadly.

In her heart, she knew he hadn't meant to hurt her, not when he'd left her at Emma's party and not tonight. Ironically, writing about what men wanted was helping her sort out her relationship with Colin. Once she'd gotten past sex appeal, attraction and attitude, she had to ask herself what kept people together. And what immediately came to mind was understanding, something Colin needed.

Anger would only drive him away. Rina suspected losing his parents had left him unable to deal with his feelings, and so when things got out of control, he withdrew. As he had when his parents died, and as he had when his marriage went bad. Even Rina had seen him run more than once. Being around her family hadn't been easy for him. She'd seen his clenched jaw and occasional restless pacing. Until he faced his past and his feelings, understanding was the only thing she could offer him now.

Unable to help herself or Colin, she decided to share her insight with her readers and sat down in front of the computer. With the upcoming new year, Rina hoped that more relationships would be strengthened than lost. That was the point of her column, after all. Too bad she, personally, couldn't count on that optimistic outcome.

By the time she typed the last sentence and glanced up, over two hours had passed. She saved her document, then printed. Cathartic, as well as productive, this week's column, entitled "Of One Mind: Getting Inside Your Man's Head," was ready for the presses.

She'd gone way beyond the first article that detailed superficial things like hair and makeup. Once a woman landed a man, those frills still counted, but the heart and soul had something at stake, too.

She stood and stretched her cramped muscles, feeling proud of a job well done. Except for Colin's absence, life was very good right now and would be even better once she soaked in a nice warm, strawberry-scented bath. She pulled her hair on top of her head, changed into a robe, ran the water and was just about to climb into the tub, when the doorbell rang. Norton jumped up from the bathroom floor and ran for the front door.

Rina followed, assuming Frankie had come by to tell her about the date she'd accepted with a coworker. One thing Rina could say for her friend, she didn't have a problem getting an initial date. Apparently, Rina's bath would have to wait.

Commiserating about men couldn't. But when she opened the door, instead of Frankie, she found a surprise visitor leaning against the door frame. "Colin!"

"Hi," he said, then wedged his foot in the doorway.

Obviously he assumed she'd slam the door in his face. He couldn't be more wrong.

She inhaled his masculine scent and memories of having him inside her body ricocheted through her. "Come on in." She figured that was a start.

After shutting the door behind him, she turned to meet his gaze.

"Don't hate me, Rina. I couldn't handle that." He laid a hand on her shoulder and his fingertips brushed the sensitive skin on her neck.

She shivered, his touch more sensual than apologetic. "I didn't expect to see you again tonight. Or any other time this weekend, to be honest."

Because her family would still be around, Rina had counted Colin out. The fact that he was here now gave her a ridiculous amount of hope for a woman who'd just admitted to herself that she accepted this man for the wanderer he was.

Exhaustion strained his expression and her heart went out to him. He ran a hand through his hair. "When I left the hospital, at first I needed to be alone. To get away from everyone and everything."

His fingers tangled in the stray strands of her hair, causing her pulse to hammer wildly and her mouth to grow dry.

He led her inside and together they sat on the couch. Rina curled her legs beneath her.

"I wasn't ready to deal with another family situation."

He'd confirmed her hunch. One part of her liked knowing she understood him so well, another part was disappointed that he'd fallen back into old patterns.

"Especially another one where I was an outsider." He held out his hand and waited.

He obviously wanted her understanding. She'd already promised herself she'd provide it, and now she knew why. She loved him. Flaws and all, she loved this man who found himself unable to handle emotion or commitment.

Seconds passed, in which the roar in her ears and the silent echo of the words was the only sound she heard. She loved him. Because of Colin, she'd come to understand her past and her marriage, and she knew not only what she wanted, but what she deserved out of life. Colin would never demand self-sacrifice.

He'd never ask her to give up the career she loved or the life she'd created. He might leave in the end, but he'd given her something precious to keep in her heart. He'd given her his understanding. In return, because she loved and accepted him, she'd reciprocate by letting him go.

She placed her palm inside his. The sizzling sexual tension sprang to life once more. Only this time she knew more than desire crackled between them. Because the heart she thought she'd protected belonged to him.

"WHAT HAPPENED at the hospital?" Rina asked.

Colin shrugged. He leaned back into the cushioned sofa and glanced up at the ceiling, his pain obvious. "Watching Corinne at Joe's bedside made me…uncomfortable."

"Why?" She needed details if she was going to help him through this. That he'd come to her now showed how much faith he placed in them. She didn't want to let him down.

"All this time I've been blaming her for working her wiles on Joe and destroying the family we used to have."

"And now?" Rina asked, leading but wanting him to confide on his own.

"I accepted something I probably knew all along but wasn't ready to face."

Rina squeezed his hand tighter. "Which is?"

"Corinne's not the outsider, I am."

She had a family she'd never feel left out of. Colin didn't, and his words hit Rina hard, helping her to understand him even more. Still, maybe his vision was distorted, coming from the perspective of the little boy who'd lost his parents and then felt as if he'd had no one.

"I know that's your perception and I've never met Joe, but my heart tells me he wouldn't agree. The man took you into his home. He adopted you. That says something about his feelings for you. Did you talk to him today?"

"I didn't want to be in a place I didn't belong, so I took off."

"So what brought you back here now?"

He rolled his head to the side, meeting her gaze. "You're the only one I trust enough to let in." He pointed to his chest. "Here." He tapped the area over his heart.