They were wondering what event we were dressed for. Maybe they thought we were music or Hollywood stars, since Nashville had become a trendy place to retreat to.
The waiter glanced at my dress as he filled my water goblet. “Are we on a schedule this evening? In case I need to alert the chef, so we stay on your timetable.”
“No,” Colin said. “No schedule.”
The waiter gave me a pleasant, curious smile. “Then, are we celebrating something?”
We’re pretending it’s prom, wasn’t going to work, but I drew a blank on how to answer.
“It’s our first date,” Colin announced, pulling his lips into a grin. “Go big, or go home, right?”
I laughed softly—only to realize he wasn’t joking.
My heart did a cartwheel inside my chest.
If the waiter thought this was ridiculous and we were just two kids playing dress-up, not an ounce of it showed on his face. He moved on to filling Colin’s water. “Wonderful. Shall I tell you this evening’s specials?”
After our drinks were delivered and our orders were placed, Colin lifted his gaze from his bourbon and Coke and fixed it on me.
“I made a mistake.”
His tone was serious, causing concern to skyrocket inside me. “What’d you do?”
“I told you we shouldn’t be anything more than coworkers.”
I hesitated, letting his meaning sink in before every muscle in me went tense. My throat tightened, making it impossible to speak, but it was all right because he wasn’t finished.
“So, I’m taking it back.” His eyes became magnets, pulling me in. “I didn’t think I wanted you that night we auditioned together, but I was wrong. So, fucking, wrong. And after that scene? The way I wanted you . . . it just got stronger.” He said it as if he’d been trying to resist something unstoppable. Something inevitable. “I want you all the damn time.”
My lungs refused to work. If I took a breath, it might break the spell between us, and I didn’t want that.
His head tilted a fraction of a degree. “It’s the same for you, isn’t it?”
How could I not answer him? It was just a ghost of a word. “Yes.”
Jesus. He looked relieved to hear he wasn’t alone in this crushing desire. “Aren’t you tired of fighting it?”
“Yes, but . . .”
My gaze fell to the tabletop, and yet I felt his on me, holding me in place. It was so hard to organize my thoughts. There were reasons we shouldn’t get involved, but what were they again?
People in love don’t sleep with other people.
We weren’t in love, but wasn’t that the goal if we started dating?
I frowned, glanced around to make sure no one was listening, and then lowered my voice. “Our job is to sleep with other people.”
“And?” He was so casual about it.
“That doesn’t bother you, seeing me with other people?”
Oh, he was prepared for this, and his eyes glinted with sin. “Fuck, no.” He leaned forward, matching my low voice. “It turns me on. Watching you with Abbie or Jaquan? Or Scott and Nina? You have no idea how much I like it.”
I wanted to believe him, but it was hard to accept. “Really?”
He picked up his drink and tilted it, slowly rolling the ice around inside the glass. “It surprised me, too. But seeing you enjoying yourself, even if it’s with someone else?” He shrugged. “It’s fucking hot. Sure, I like it better when I get to be a part of it, but no, Madison. It doesn’t bother me, seeing you with someone else.”
I blinked, utterly stunned.
With everything he’d just admitted, it was his use of my full name that shocked me the most. I hadn’t heard him say it in months, and—holy shit—I didn’t like it nearly as much as the nickname he’d given me. He was the only one who used it, and I liked how—just like the tremble he caused in me—it was only for us.
Once upon a time, I would have hated his smug smile, but tonight? It was doing things to me. “Tell me it’s not the same for you.” His demand was rhetorical. He knew I wouldn’t say it because it’d be a lie. “Tell me you don’t like watching me with other people. Sharing me with other people.”
My mind instantly went to the moment we’d taken turns going down on Abbie, and Colin didn’t miss the shudder of pleasure that glanced through my shoulders at the memory. Victory lit up his expression.
“I do,” I confessed, except where did we go from here? “But what are you suggesting?”
“Everyone already knows we like each other. Even before our last scene, Scott said it was the worst kept secret in the house.”
“That’s what your talk with Scott was about?”
“Kind of.” He took a sip of his drink. “I asked him how he made things work with Nina when they started dating.”