“Yeah, but I’m the one who learned how best to put his tips and tricks into practice over the years. So, it wasn’t all him.”
I snort. “Thank you both.”
He laughs. “I’m just teasing. Like I said before, the pleasure is definitely all mine. Sex with you is so damned fun, Amy—the way you go crazy at my simplest touch turns me on. Something as simple as a kiss with you is like . . . Jesus. I’ve never been with someone who reacts like you do. You are a unicorn. And not because of any welt on your forehead.”
My heart is pounding. “Really?”
“Absolutely.”
“I’m so relieved. I was scared I’d be boring to you, with all the sexual experience you’ve had.”
“Boring? No. It’s quite the opposite. I’ve never had this much fun in my life.”
My heart stops beating. My breathing halts. Is he being literal? Does that mean we just had the best sex of his life, too? That can’t be.
“In bed,” Colin quickly adds. “Well, and out of it, too, of course. You’re fun all the time. Obviously. So much fun. But I just meant that . . .” He trails off, and I can feel his body tightening up.
“Oh, I totally knew what you meant,” I say breezily, even though I have no idea what he meant. I stroke his bare chest gently, luring him back to a relaxed state, and decide to change the topic. “So, tell me about that piercing. It must have hurt like a mofo when you got it.”
Colin takes a deep breath, and I feel his muscles next to me turning supple again on his exhale. “It didn’t hurt all that much. The woman who pierced me said it’s the same level of pain as getting an earlobe pierced.”
“Oh, well, I screamed bloody murder and sobbed my eyes out when I got my ears pierced, so . . .”
Colin chuckles. “How old were you?”
“Ten.”
“Okay, well, I was twenty-five and drunk off my ass. Plus, Ryan already had the same piercing and told me what to expect. He’s the one who’d plied me with tequila and brought me to the place to get it. So, I knew I was in capable hands.”
“So, you wanted to be like Ryan, eh?”
He laughs. “Basically, yeah. As usual. I’ve always idolized that guy. When he initially got his dick pierced, I was maybe . . . fourteen or so? He told the group about it, and I thought he was so damned cool. But then I kind of forgot about it. Until two years ago, when things weren’t going well with my ex, I called Ryan for some advice. Kiera’s birthday was coming up and I told Ryan I wanted to give her a memorable birthday present. That’s when he suggested the piercing. I’d already bought her every other sex toy under the sun, so I figured, ‘Why not?’ Of course, I now realize there was no birthday gift in the world that could have staved off our inevitable break-up. Things weren’t going well because we were a ticking time bomb. But at the time, I gave it the ol’ college try.”
“Why were you and your ex a ticking time bomb?”
“You really want to hear about this, while you’re lying in bed naked with me?”
I pause, so I don’t blurt, Hell yes! I’ve been dying to know what happened between you and that gorgeous dancer since you deleted her from your Instagram account!
I clear my throat. “Yeah, I’m curious. I told you about Perry and me, so . . .”
“True.” Colin pauses. “Basically, I felt like my ex was addicted to drama and excitement. It always felt to me like she was testing me, wanting me to jump through hoops to prove my feelings for her. Picking fights so I’d grovel, even when I didn’t feel like I’d done anything wrong. Giving me ultimatums. On her side of things, she thought I was uncommunicative and boring as shit. At least, when I’m not on tour. The thing I kept trying to explain to her is that my career is so batshit crazy and unpredictable most of the time and requires me to be ‘on’ so much of the time, I don’t want my most intimate relationships to feel like a rollercoaster ride. I want them to be a safe haven, you know? Rock solid. But safe things were boring as shit to her.”
“How long were you with her?”
“Almost five years, on and off. I hung in there much longer than I should have, in retrospect, because I’d met her right before the band took off on our first world tour—as the opener for Red Card Riot, as a matter of fact. I think I liked knowing, for certain, she’d gotten with me before I’d become ‘Colin from 22 Goats.’ That went a long way with me. Whatever else drove me to the brink of madness with that woman, I always knew she wasn’t in it for the money or fame.”
Well, I wouldn’t be with you for the money or fame, I think. I couldn’t care less about that. But what I say is, “So, you got a piercing on your dick to keep things from being boring as shit to her?”
He laughs. “Yeah, I suppose so. That wasn’t my first foray into trying to spice things up for her. But in the end, the piercing, along with all my other attempts, weren’t enough because I wasn’t enough.”
“For her,” I say. “You’re more than enough, Colin. Just not for her.”
He kisses the top of my head. “You’re very sweet. Sorry I went into such detail.”
“I asked, remember?” My heart is thrumming as I dare to ask the thing I’ve been dying to know this whole time. “So, do you think you’ll get back together with her at some point, or . . .?”
“No. We’re done. If she asked me to take her back, I’d say no.”
I sigh with relief, even though I know full well I don’t have a shot in hell of being with Colin, long-term. It doesn’t matter, though. Lying here naked with him, it’s still a lovely thing to confirm he’s not lying next to me, wishing I could be her.
“Enough about my ex,” Colin whispers. “Let’s not talk about anyone else either of us has ever fucked the rest of this week, okay? This whole week is about you and me. Nobody else even exists.”
“Sounds amazing. Although I should warn you it’s going to be difficult for me not to fangirl if I get to meet Seth Rockford this week.”
Colin chuckles. “Sorry to break it to you, but he’s a massive douchebag.”
“What? Noooo!”
“Yep. Gary Flynn, my director, secretly warned me about Seth. Told me not to believe a word out of his mouth.”
“But when everyone asked you about Seth Rockford at the rehearsal dinner, you said he was a ‘prince’ when you met him! You said he’s ‘every bit as cool as he seems in all his movies’!”
“You think I’m gonna tell the truth and risk someone posting what I said, only a week before I’m set to shoot my first movie with the guy? I didn’t know your brother’s groomsmen all that well. And I didn’t know Kennedy’s bridesmaids at all. I’m not gonna risk fucking up this movie for myself. It’s a dream come true.”
“I’m so happy for you. And for me. I can’t wait to watch you and see, firsthand, how movies are made.”
“I meant it when I said I’m excited you’re gonna be there with me, Ames. I think your presence on-set will go a long way toward helping me relax in what’s surely going to be a stressful situation.” Without warning, he turns me onto my side like I’m a rag doll and positions my backside against his front. “Okay. Time to sleep, my little puppet. All this talk about the movie makes me realize I want to do some last-minute prep on my scenes tomorrow, which means I’d better get some sleep.”