with the women. She'd used the night wisely, taking notes on their views of what men wanted and what would attract and keep the opposite sex interested. Most women agreed that while men were attracted to packaging, only something deeper and far beyond chemistry would keep one around.
But packaging most always jump-started a relationship and her first column in her
As she'd faxed the column to Jake and Brianne, pride had swelled inside her. So had new and revealing feelings. This job filled an emptiness within her, and she owed Corinne a huge debt for giving her this chance.
Next week's article was called 'Strut Your Stuff.' The title was courtesy of Emma, the idea something Rina had learned how to do during her years in New York. She'd been a single woman in Manhattan, and her married life had consisted of parties, social get-togethers and business dinners. Her past provided her with a solid knowledge base. She knew how to act in order to attract a man, as she'd proven with the coffee shop owner the other day. Her conversations with women both in the past and the present provided added insight.
Once she'd been able to put Colin out of her mind, she'd gotten a good strong start on her series. But Colin never left her thoughts for long. They'd connected on a deeper level, proving that the dance they'd begun could be more than just hot. An affair with Colin could be dangerous if she didn't keep her emotions under lock and key.
A SMART MAN KNEW when to give a woman space. Colin prided himself on possessing enough intelligence to stay the hell away from Rina until Saturday, letting the anticipation build. Besides, he didn't want to give her the opportunity to break their date and ruin any chance he'd have to learn more about her.
She rented a small upstairs apartment in a Cape-style house. He knew this because Emma had handed him Rina's address along with directions. 'In case you get lost. Wouldn't want you driving in circles all night when you could be with Rina,' the older woman had said, winking.
At eight sharp, he rang Rina's doorbell. The last thing he expected was to be greeted by a barking dog. From behind the door, he heard Rina's command. 'Norton, sit.'
Norton? What kind of name was Norton?
She opened the door, but before he could catch a glimpse of Rina, he was attacked by the dog, who jumped up on his hind legs and placed his front paws on Colin's lower thighs.
'Norton, down!' Rina grabbed the dog's collar and jerked him off.
Norton complied with a sad whine.
'I'm sorry,' she said. 'His manners are usually better than that.'
Colin laughed. 'At least he has some manners.' He glanced down at Norton, seeing him for the first time. 'A sharpei?'
She pet the dog's tan head, then meshed her fingers through the wrinkles on his back. 'What was your first clue?' she asked wryly.
He'd never seen the breed anywhere except television and knew nothing about them except they cost a pretty penny. He'd never pictured Rina with this kind of breed, but he liked the dog immediately. 'He's a gorgeous animal.'
She smiled. 'He was Robert's dog before I ever came along. Now he's mine.'
At the mention of a male name, one said with a sadness tinged with regret, Colin's stomach twisted. He couldn't remember the last time any woman had evoked jealousy inside him, not even Julie. Rina was different, as his churning insides reminded him.
Had she left a man behind in New York? At the thought, the pain in his stomach became acute. 'Who's Robert?' he asked, his jaw aching from the tension of gritting his teeth.
'My husband.'
His gut clenched violently. 'You're-'
'But he died,' she added quickly. 'I just hate the word
That took some of the wind out of him. He started to reach for her then, unsure the gesture was appropriate, merely said, 'I'm sorry.'
'Thanks.' She patted Norton and rose. 'It's been awhile now.'
As soon as she'd removed her hand from the dog's collar, Norton walked over to Colin and began sniffing at his feet.
'Uh…you should watch out. He peed on my brother's sneakers the first time they met. He's particular about who he likes.'
Colin laughed, and the tension broke, but he stepped back just in case. Norton followed, rubbing his head against Colin's pant leg. Following the dog's lead, Colin gave him the attention he desired and scratched the dog's head. In response, Norton flopped into a prone position before rolling onto his back, legs spread open wide.
'Ugh. Norton, have some class,' Rina groaned. 'He likes to expose himself. It's embarrassing.'
She met his gaze, amusement and something more bubbling in the brown depths that he just now noticed weren't covered by the black-framed glasses. He stepped back to admire the change. Her face had the same minimal makeup as he'd noticed the day before, but without the glasses he got an unobstructed view of those gorgeous eyes and he liked what he saw.
'I hope you don't mind, but I need to walk Norton before we go. I'll dress for the party as soon as we get back.' She turned toward the coatrack and the ponytail swung behind her, hitting the center of her back. 'My landlord's washing machine broke while I was doing laundry and I spent the afternoon at the Laundromat,' she explained. 'I never had time to change.' Reaching for her jacket on a coat hook, she shrugged it on over her shoulders, then grabbed Norton's leash.
'I'll go with you to walk the pooch,' he offered.
Sixty minutes later, they finally returned home with Norton in tow. Colin's fingertips were frozen and his nose was numb. 'You did this on purpose, didn't you?' he asked.
'Did what?'
Her wide questioning gaze might have fooled other men, but not one with a reporter's instincts. 'You waited for me to walk Norton, knowing it was an hour ordeal so I could freeze to death along with you,' he said wryly.
Not that he'd minded their time walking, talking and just getting to know one another even more. If anything, she'd defeated her purpose. He felt closer to her now than ever before. The one thing he hadn't been able to bring up was the subject of Corinne and the paper, since Rina had dominated the conversation with stories of her childhood Christmases. Even with little money, they'd always had warm, family times.
Something Joe and Nell had tried to give to him. Looking back, he hadn't made it easy, going so far as to stay at friends' homes to avoid the stark reality of his parents' absence. Listening to Rina, her easy chatter and comfortable silences, allowed him to reflect, to acknowledge his actions and regret them. But it was Joe who needed to know his feelings, and while he was home this time, Colin intended to make amends.
'I just wanted you to share the fun Norton brings to my life.' She met his gaze, amusement and happiness in those brown depths.
She made him feel good. 'You mean his unique quirks. He hates the ice-cold street so much that he tries to dive for shelter into any home we pass. Doing business is the last thing on his mind.'
'He might have a slight problem with weather extremes,' she admitted.
'Which prolongs his walk.'
She bit the inside of her lip. 'I didn't say that.'
He let out a feigned groan. 'You didn't have to. I figure you wanted my company on Norton's long walk.'
'My brother always says I'm chronically late, so you really can't think I stalled walking him on purpose.' Her lips twitched, a sure sign she'd been caught.
The desire to kiss those lips grew stronger inside him. He wanted to linger here and to hell with Emma's holiday bash. 'Any chance you'd go change so we can get going?'
Because if she didn't, he'd act on his impulses, carrying her to the couch across from the TV and kissing her again. Only this time he wouldn't stop with her lips. He'd feast on her skin, as well, and hoped she'd do the same on his.
'I'll be ready in five minutes.' Her voice brought him out of his fantasy.
