Past in the Present (MidKnight Blue Book 9) Page 11

  Susan Endicott made an engaging picture waiting at the airport gate. She wore a navy silk dress that flowed around her shapely calves as she paced nervously. Many men watched her with interest. In the last year she’d changed a great deal. Whereas she had previously been in the habit of looking unassuming and unremarkable, now she wore her long honey-blond hair in luxurious waves down her back, pulled softly off her face with a clip. She wore makeup in a subtle but attractive way, to highlight her deep blue eyes and high cheekbones. The dress nipped in attractively at her small waist and emphasized her very feminine shape, as well as her legs, which were enhanced further by her three-inch navy heels.

  The changes in her were due completely to the attentions of one man. Christian Joseph Collins. A man who continued to confound her in his infinitely appealing way. Christian was startlingly handsome, with his jet black hair and light blue eyes set in an extremely handsome face. He was tall, standing six feet and two inches. He had shoulders that were broad without being overly so, and a body most women dreamed of. He was charismatic, intelligent, intense, and a very sensual man. Susan had been drawn to him from the first time she’d met him. He’d been very different a year before. He’d been cool and distant, but had warmed in Susan’s presence, with her attention to him as a person rather than the handsome facade he used all too often.

  Things between Susan and Christian had always been fire and ice. Susan had surprised herself with her response to him, but had grown much bolder in the years since Christian had literally taken her out of her own wedding ceremony. That was the kind of man Christian was; he did things on impulse and never cared about what people thought about him or his actions. He was a very dynamic man, and being with him had made Susan come much farther out of the shell she’d kept herself in for many years. Being with a man like Christian gave her the confidence to try new things, and to be more open with the beauty he saw fit to comment on frequently. He was forever telling her how incredibly beautiful she was; it did enormous amounts of good things for her ego.

  By the same token, Christian was not a commitment kind of person. As such, they had a rather odd relationship. He had told her he was in love with her, that if he ever married anyone she’d be the one. However, he could not and would not commit to being with only her. After her aborted wedding ceremony they had given a serious relationship a go, but within six months, Christian was edgy and almost impossible to deal with. He became moody and they fought a great deal. Finally he had told her he couldn’t do “the relationship thing” anymore. At first she’d been hurt, feeling like she’d done something wrong. Christian had assured her that it was indeed him that could not handle things, and the blame rested with him only.

  It had taken a couple of months of adjustment, but eventually they’d settled into the relationship they had now. Susan still wasn’t sure where she really stood with him, but she did know that he was back to his former self, and he never hesitated to hold her, kiss her, make love to her, or tell her that he loved her. The fact was, Christian Collins was far too free-spirited to be easily caged. Susan wanted to have him all to herself with all her heart, but she also knew that being with him in any way possible was worth not possessing him totally at this point in their lives. It was still an adjustment, and she knew her family and friends didn’t understand it, but she loved Christian, and knowing that he did love her was what she clung to with all her heart.

  Christian Collins sat in his seat, his mind going over all the things he needed to get accomplished in the next two weeks before his next trip out of town. The inventory system he’d created for Midnight the year before had become a popular use of a new program called Microsoft Access. Midnight had been very pleased with the database he’d created for her, and had touted the program to the city council, who had in turn told other agencies about the program. Soon Midnight’s office was filled with requests for her “computer guru’s” assistance. Being the proponent of inter-agency cooperation that she was, Midnight was happy to loan Christian out to local agencies for their use.

  Eventually it had become obvious that there was going to have to be some kind of contract agreement between Christian and many of the agencies, since their needs were much more than merely “help.” Christian became a consultant for the San Diego Police Department. Midnight had gone so far as to send him through not only the best computer programming courses for Microsoft Access, but also through the police academy. Her logic was that he needed to “understand” cops to work for them. He officially had peace officer powers, and although he refused to actually carry a badge, he had on his person credentials identifying him as an officer and carried a concealed weapon within the State of California.

  Sitting on the plane, flying back from a three-week-long stint in Seattle, Washington, he’d worked the entire time on his laptop. He’d pointedly ignored all the looks from the women around him, as well as the flight attendants’ blatant attempts to flirt with him. Christian Collins was fully aware of his impact on women, and knew that if he was so inclined he could have his pick of any of the singles on the plane, maybe even a few of the married ones. He had his hands full, however. He had Susan, who, when he really cared to examine his feelings, was the one woman he loved besides his mother. She had stood by him in a nightmare time in his life over a year before, when he had been sure he was doomed. She’d given him love that he’d never been able to accept before, but with her, it had been different. He’d been willing to try a relationship with her, a committed relationship.

  Unfortunately, it hadn’t worked. Before long he found himself feeling trapped, and like a wild panther in a cage, he’d begun to pace and contemplate ways out. In the end, he knew if he allowed himself the way out he’d likely use, he’d hurt Susan immeasurably. He had just been straight with her, and told her that he couldn’t handle being in a relationship anymore. Fact was, he was becoming restless and he needed to get out and cut loose again.

  While Susan had changed a great deal in their time together, she’d also remained the same in a lot of ways. She was a very quiet, shy, conservative person. Unfortunately for Christian, that also extended to the bedroom, where he was used to a much wider variety. While he knew it was wrong to expect her to be totally uninhibited with him, she had actually become more inhibited after they’d gotten together officially. In the time before the wedding Christian had broken up, Susan had grown comfortable in his presence sexually. For some reason that confidence had fled when they were an actual couple. Suddenly, Christian had felt like he was with an unsure virgin again, and the feeling had made him uncomfortable and somehow angry at her for it. Like she’d sold him a bill of goods before they’d become a couple.

  In the end, he’d known he would cheat on her to end their relationship, and the opportunity had readily presented itself in the form of her younger sister, Liz. Elizabeth Endicott was the antonym to Susan. She was outlandish and wild, and trouble from the word go. She was also young, just barely eighteen. But she’d already been kicked out of the best private schools in England, and was at that time “visiting” the States due to a recent scandal involving a high-ranking member of the aristocracy. She’d come to visit, and had once again laid eyes on Christian Collins; she’d seen him months before, when she’d been at her sister’s wedding. She had made it known that not only did she want him, but that she didn’t care that her sister had him at the time. Christian had, in the end, avoided the temptation, although she’d been blatant in her desire for him and things had come rather close. That was when he knew he needed to get out of the relationship with Susan.

  He told her the truth—that he loved her, but that he couldn’t handle such a hemmed-in way of feeling. Susan had been hurt—he knew she had—but she’d nodded with tears in her eyes and avoided him for three weeks. In the end, he had sought her out, goading her until she was angry enough to yell at him and call him all the names she’d been storing up in her head. He’d allowed her to scream and rage, eventually culminating in her slapping him. Tha
t was when he’d kissed her, although it had earned him another slap, after which he kissed her again. In the end, he’d made love to her, apologizing with his body in ways he never could with words. That had been the beginning of their odd relationship. Now they had a deep friendship that included sex. It was the best way to describe them. He slept with other people, and although she didn’t really sleep with anyone else, she dated others. The relationship drove their families crazy, but it was what they had.

  The plane taxied to the gate, and the passengers got up to leave. Christian received many admiring looks as he stood and stretched. It had been a long trip, and he was happy to be home. He pulled on the black leather coat that had been stowed above him, then picked up his leather laptop case and looped it over his shoulder. As he got off the plane, he winked rakishly at the stewardess, who smiled brilliantly at him. Then he headed up the gangway.

  He spotted Susan easily and walked directly up to her. In one fluid movement he set his laptop down on the floor, slid his hand around the base of her neck, and pulled her to him. His lips claimed hers hungrily in a long, deep kiss, one watched with envy by many people around them.

  As he kissed her, the world melted away for both of them. All Susan could think about was the scent of cologne mixed with leather and the feeling of his lips, his hands in her hair and at her waist. Christian could feel Susan trembling beneath his hands, and pulled her closer as if to envelope her in his warmth. He knew that what he was doing was in complete contrast to his need for space, but seeing her standing at the end of the runway looking so beautiful, he hadn’t been able to help himself. Christian Collins wasn’t known for denying himself something when he really wanted it. Susan was someone he couldn’t seem to get enough of. When their lips parted, he hugged her close, knowing that her thoughts would be in turmoil. He was right.

  “I missed you,” he said, his lips against her forehead.

  “I missed you too,” she replied huskily, her voice muted because her face was buried against his blue shirt.

  They made a striking couple. People in the terminal watched them, staring outright at them, as if they were famous. After a long moment Christian reached for his laptop, keeping his arm around her shoulders, then led her toward the baggage claim. Susan snuggled against him, inhaling the scent of his Havana cologne.

  “Oh, before I forget,” she said, glancing up at him and thinking again how striking he was—it amazed her sometimes.

  “What?” he asked as they reached the baggage area.

  “Midnight has invited us to dinner this evening.”

  Christian glanced at his watch. “What time?”

  Susan looked sheepish, realizing it was short notice. “Seven.”

  Christian pursed his lips, narrowing his light blue eyes. “Anyone else gonna be there, or is this another well-planned brow-beating?”

  Susan couldn’t help but giggle. Her Uncle Rick, although not hostile toward Christian anymore, still had a hard time with the idea that she had been removed from her wedding ceremony and hadn’t been in another one with Christian shortly thereafter. Their current relationship was even more of a problem for Rick’s sensibilities. There had been many “dinners” turned interrogations at her aunt and uncle’s house. Susan couldn’t blame Christian for his natural apprehension, but she did find it amusing.

  “I think you’re safe tonight,” she assured him. “Joe and Randy will be there, as well as the new Assistant Chief. And you know Joe won’t let my uncle harass you about us.”

  Christian looked thoughtful as the baggage conveyor belt started up. He said nothing as he waited for his bags, pulled them off the belt and turned to walk toward the escalator that took them toward the parking lot. Not until they were in the car did he glance at his watch again, and then look over at her.

  “I guess we could head over,” he said.

  “Okay,” Susan replied, glancing at him. He was grinning at her. “What?”

  Christian shook his head, still smiling, then reached across the seat and placed his forefinger on her upper thigh, tracing it down the material of her dress to her knee. “I like this,” he said, his tone low.

  “Yes?” Susan asked, her voice trembling slightly.

  A fire started in Christian’s eyes as he nodded, looking directly into her eyes. “I’ll like taking it off you even more.” His voice was low and seductive, and Susan shivered in response.

  Christian’s grin widened as he started his car, which Susan had driven to the airport, and backed out of the parking space. Susan could never get used to his overt sexual nature. He was forever saying things that made her blush and shiver in anticipation at the same time. There had been so many times he’d surprised her. He didn’t care what anyone thought of him, or what they saw him do. There had been many times in the past year when he’d purposely attempted to seduce her in public places. She was always too self-conscious to let anything actually happen, but that rarely stopped him trying. There had also been times when he’d actually gotten annoyed at her embarrassment, stating that she still treated him like one of her “other” boyfriends. Of course he thought of other men she dated as “pansies” because none of them apparently ever insisted that she sleep with them.

  It was a fine line she walked in this relationship. Although they’d never really discussed it, Susan was fairly sure that if she slept with other men, Christian would no longer want her. He had never said as much, but it was obvious in his way that he considered her his territory sexually. Susan didn’t really mind, since the only other sexual experience she’d had had been with her ex-fiancé/almost husband, Warren, and that had been nothing compared to the heat she experienced with Christian. She was fairly sure Christian was indeed the best man around in the lovemaking arena. Susan certainly didn’t feel like she was being cheated of anything because she didn’t sleep with anyone else. She did think, however, that Christian did feel that way, and that was why he slept with other women. In truth, she hadn’t found a man that she desired even a tenth as much as she did Christian, so she didn’t see the point in entering the sexual field with any of them. Certainly not if it would jeopardize her relationship with Christian, even if the double standard seemed outwardly unfair.

  Thinking along those lines as Christian drove out of the parking lot, Susan glanced over at him. It was easy to see his self-assurance; it emanated from him like some kind of aura. She knew that was part of what attracted so many people to him. He made a person want to succeed in some small way with him, whether by winning his friendship, his admiration, his respect, or simply a night in his bed; no matter what it was, people were drawn to him. It made him very elusive and even harder to hold on to. Susan took consolation in the fact that he said he loved her like he loved no other woman. It was a good feeling, and helped to balance any other worries she had about her place in his life.

  “So, what’s been goin’ on here?” he asked, breaking into her thoughts.

  “Not much, life is calm here,” Susan said, her voice holding a smile. She knew how he hated calm. “How was Seattle?”

  He grinned. “Cold.”

  “How did the project go?”

  Christian shrugged. “Still got another three weeks’ worth of work to do.”

  “Three more weeks?”

  “Yeah. I can probably do most of it ’round here, but I still have to go back to install it and run tests.”

  “How long are you home this time?” Susan knew she sounded like she was complaining but hated having him gone for such a long period of time.

  “’Bout two weeks.”

  “And where is the next trip?”

  “San Francisco,” he replied easily.

  “How long will you be gone then?” she asked, dismayed.

  Christian glanced over at her, his look contemplative. “About a week.”

  Susan sighed quietly, though Christian caught the sound and grinned again. “Missed me, huh?”

  Susan looked over at him, searching his face to try to dete
rmine if he was annoyed or just kidding her. Seeing that he was kidding, she smiled. “Yes, I did.”

  “Wanna show me how much?”

  “What do you mean?”

  Christian looked back at her for a long moment. Then his cynical mask dropped as he shook his head. “Never mind.”

  When they arrived at Midnight and Rick’s he got out of the car and walked around to open her door. Susan could see that his cool facade was well in place. She knew she’d missed something and had a feeling she’d disappointed him again. Christian walked ahead, waiting for her at the front door before he rang the bell. Mikeyla answered. She smiled warmly at Susan, reaching out to hug her, then glanced up at Christian, never sure what to say to him. Even in her youth, Mikeyla knew that Christian was an unknown quantity.

  Walking into the house, it was apparent the party was in the kitchen. Christian headed through and saw his cousin.

  “Hey, man,” Joe said, spotting Christian and Susan. He immediately reached into the refrigerator, where he’d basically taken up residence. Tossing Christian a beer, Joe looked at Susan. “You want anything?”

  Susan just shook her head and walked over to hug Midnight and then Rick, her expression solemn.

  Rick and Midnight exchanged a glance, then Rick looked over at Christian, who stared back at them passively. It was obvious something had happened, but this wasn’t the time or place to get into it. Midnight stepped into the silence that followed.

  “Kyle, this is Christian Collins. He’s responsible for my inventory system.”

  Kyle sensed the undercurrent in the room easily. Even so, he smiled warmly at Christian and shook his hand. “I hear you’re the man in demand these days.”

  “Yeah,” Christian said tiredly, his English accent still thick. “Too much in demand lately.”

  “How did Seattle go?” Midnight asked, leaning back against Rick, who stood behind her with his arms around her waist.