Diana bit back a gasp of excitement, and her head tipped back. She moved on him, setting the rhythm.
She guided his hands to where she wanted him to touch her and finally her whole body tightened.
When her lips parted, Colby quickly pulled her head down to his and stopped the delicious little screams with his mouth. He loved her beautiful cries of sensual surrender, but he knew she would be embarrassed later if she thought Brandon and Robyn had overheard.
Then he was exploding with her, gritting his teeth to stifle his own shout of satisfaction.
Together they drifted for a timeless moment. Colby kept his arms wrapped tightly around her, listening to her soft breathing and waiting for his body to glide back to normal.
“Now that’s how I want every quarrel between us to end,“ he stated finally.
Diana stretched. “I’ve always heard you’re not supposed to use sex to settle an argument.“
“We settled it before we got into bed.“
“Settled it?“ Diana propped herself up on her elbows and glowered down at him. “That’s what you call informing me that you’re not mad any longer, and therefore the fight is hereby declared over?“
“Hey, I apologized, didn’t I? Sort of?“
“You admitted you might have been a teeny-weeny bit out of line, but that’s all.“
He touched the tip of her nose with his forefinger. “I’ll let you in on a little secret, sweetheart. That kind of admission is more than most people ever get out of me.“
“Not used to admitting you might have overreacted, huh?“
“No. Because I generally don’t overreact. Fulbrook Corners and Margaret Fulbrook in particular are two of the few things on earth that can make me overreact.“
“So why are you here in Fulbrook Corners?“
“I wish to hell you’d stop asking me that question.“ Brandon’s sense of satisfaction and well-being began to fade rapidly. “I’ve told you a dozen times why I’m here. Let’s talk about something else before I get angry all over again.“
She crossed her arms, leaning on his broad chest. “What would you like to talk about?“
“The fact that you didn’t trust me to protect you from whoever is playing those pranks on you,“ he said coolly. “I think it’s time you learned to trust me, Diana.“
“I do trust you,“ she said seriously. “I wouldn’t be sleeping with you if I didn’t.“
He shook his head. “When we argued earlier today, your immediate reaction was to pack and leave. That’s not the kind of trust I had in mind.“
“I thought things were over between us,“ she said stiffly.
“Well, they aren’t,“ he growled.
“Trust works both ways, you know,“ she said quietly. “If you want me to trust you, I’ve got a right to expect trust in return.“
Colby was silent for a long moment. “Just because I lost my temper with you today doesn’t mean I don’t trust you.“
“Doesn’t it?“
“No.“
“Colby, I don’t want to argue any more today. I’ve had enough.“
He was instantly remorseful. “I know, baby, I know.“ He stroked her hair soothingly for a moment, but he was far from satisfied.
He knew now just how deeply ingrained her sense of independence and self-control were. When it came to dealing with men, she always went on the assumption that the male of the species could not be relied upon. So she’d learned how to take care of herself.
But it had become overwhelmingly important to get her to admit that he could take care of her.
Colby wondered how he was going to break through the last of her barriers. And he wondered if Diana realized how fast his own barriers were crumbling.
“What are you thinking, Colby?“ Diana asked a long time later.
“You’re supposed to be asleep.“ He cuddled her closer as she lay in the curve of his arm.
“So are you. What’s keeping you awake?“
“I’m thinking about those damned pranks some idiot played on you.“
“Any new ideas?“
“No, but I think I’ll go out to Gil Thorp’s place tomorrow. Eddy was no help, but Gil might have picked up a rumor or two. He used to be good at getting information.“ Colby grinned wryly in the darkness, remembering.
“Who’s Gil Thorp?“
“He used to be the sheriff around here twenty years ago. He and I had what you might call an adversarial business relationship.“
“What does that mean?“
“It means that every time I was conducting a little business out on River Road after midnight, Gil Thorp felt duty-bound to try to put a stop to it. Gil also didn’t like the way I drove through town at twice the speed limit, or the way I got into fights, or the way I used to hang out with Eddy Spooner.“
Diana shifted against him. “You don’t sound as if you particularly dislike him.“
“I don’t dislike him. I told you, we had an adversarial relationship, but Thorp always played fair, unlike several other folks around here. And sometimes, after he’d interrupted a race and sent everyone home, he’d make me sit in that beat-up old patrol car of his and we’d talk. He had a way of getting me to tell him things I had never told anyone else.
It was Gil who suggested I join the army.“
“He became the closest thing to a father figure you ever had, is that it?“
“It wasn’t exactly a close relationship, but he was there from time to time when I needed someone to tell me I’d gone too far or steer me clear of the kind of trouble that might have landed me in jail. One way or another, I probably owe Gil.“
“Have you kept in touch?“
“Some. Christmas cards. A letter once in a while. Like I said, it wasn’t really a close relationship. But he wasn’t a half-bad cop, all things considered. He had a way of getting information. Ill check with him tomorrow.“
“Colby?“
“Hmm?“
“One thing still doesn’t make sense about those pranks.“
“What?“
“The fact that they’ve been played against me, not you.“
He stroked her arm. “Honey, I’ve told you, anyone who knows me would be able to figure out in a hurry that one of the fastest ways to get at me would be through you.“
“I’m not so sure about that.“
She didn’t credit herself with enough power, he realized as he bent his head to kiss her. The woman was his weak spot, and she didn’t even realize it. Maybe it was just as well. Women could be the very devil when they sensed they had real power over a man.