Chapter Text
[Still Saturday]
As the afternoon wears on, Penelope can feel the sun starting to melt through every layer of SPF 50. She’s forced to pull the cover up back over her head, then follows Eloise into the mercifully cool house in search of snacks and refreshments.
There are a few other people milling about with plates in hand, piling them high with fruits and finger foods. Colin is there and offers only the slightest glance and polite smile when they walk through the door.
Penelope meets a few more coworkers and Eloise mutters several anecdotes in her ear about said coworkers once they’re out of earshot – who’s into who, who’s the biggest creep, who’s likely going to quit any day now because they’re cracking under the pressure.
Penelope is only half listening as she watches Colin from the corner of her eye, conversing with his brother Benedict. Her stomach sinks, wishing she could join them and snuggle into his side, talk to his brother, and gain a little more insight into his world, but he’s made it pretty clear that’s not in the cards for today. She simply has to stiffen up, put on a happy face, and find a wine cooler to pacify her angst.
Eloise heads back outside along with most of the others, leaving Penelope to search through the variety of flavors in the fridge when she’s startled by a voice from behind.
“You’ve met most of my family now, from what I gather?”
She huffs in annoyance at the little jump scare and at how unfairly handsome he looks after a day of sweating in the sun – perfectly tan and glistening with a sexy mess of damp curls on top of his head.
“I have,” she says, her response flat and emotionless. Thankfully, his shirt is back on, preventing any untoward leering on her part that might make him think she has any intention of letting him off the hook for his snub earlier. “Eloise has been diligent about making sure I’m having a good time.”
“And…are you?”
Penelope sighs and answers truthfully, “I would be, if I could actually be spending time with you instead of actively avoiding you.”
Colin’s mouth twitches into a restrained smile. “I want that, too.”
“Then maybe now might be a good time to explain what the fuck the problem is?” Her bitterness bubbles over more than she intended it to.
Colin nods and his chest swells with a deep, bolstering breath. “You know about everything that happened with my previous relationship…” he pauses and Penelope nods, urging him to continue.
“Don’t get me wrong, my family has been supportive, they’re always there to make sure I don’t fall too far inside of myself…but they also tend to push too much. They get too involved. And they can also be a little too eager to share things that aren’t their business to sh—”
“Penelope!” Will has barged in with his booming voice, drowning out Colin’s altogether.
“Will, hi!” Penelope allows a genuine smile to break through as Will moves in for an all-encompassing hug, causing her to giggle. She barely knows the man, but he’s always been so warm and welcoming, clearly even more so now that he has a few drinks in him.
“It’s good to see you! Did you guys come together? Pretty bold, having her meet the family already,” he says with a flick of his eyebrows and a light jab to Colin’s shoulder.
“She came with Eloise,” Colin clarifies, shifting uneasily on his feet. His knuckles start turning white as his fingers tighten around the beer in his hand.
“Oh,” Will says, attempting to grasp exactly what he’s in the middle of as the tension between them festers. “So…Eloise knows?”
Colin shakes his head no.
“She doesn’t know?”
Colin answers with another head shake.
“Does anyone know?”
Same answer.
Will’s eyes go wide and his cheeks puff out on an exhale, clearly just as exasperated by this bizarre situation as Penelope is. Even so, Will says nothing. He zips his lips, twists the imaginary key and tosses it over his shoulder, walking away with a bouncy strut that makes Penelope quirk a little smile, despite everything.
“Look…” she begins, desperately trying to swallow the lump of hurt sitting in her throat. “I understand not wanting to introduce me as your girlfriend to your family – if that’s even what I am to you, but…couldn’t you have at least said that we’re friends?”
“I panicked, Pen. Honestly, it’s just…this is all new and fast and I—” Colin’s shoulders droop with a heavy sigh. “I’ve clearly handled it like shit,” he admits, dropping his head pathetically.
Penelope purses her lips and nods vigorously, agreeing, “Yup, you did.”
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Colin chuckles, timidly looking up at her. “I’m sorry,” he mutters.
Her lips quirk into a half smile, making him feel just the tiniest bit better that she’s willing to offer him a shred of kindness when he’s royally fucked it like he has.
Penelope pops open her drink as Colin scans the room, finding that they’re surprisingly alone. She presses the bottle to her lips and he takes the opportunity to ogle her with no one around to chastise him for it.
The sun has turned her cheeks all pink and freckly. The humidity has spun the hair at her temples into tight little ringlets. The dampness of her suit causes her thin cover up to cling to every generous curve.
That fucking swimsuit – fitted tight to her body, revealing almost everything to everyone around the pool. It’s his own fucking fault for not allowing himself to touch her – to show everyone that he’s the lucky bastard who gets to.
Colin’s cock twitches and he has to divert his attention before the situation in his swim trunks becomes noticeable.
“You okay?” Penelope asks, a knowing smirk crossing her lips with the words.
“Yeah,” he squeaks.
She giggles and he knows he’s done for. It’s the first time all day that she’s made that sound for him – he hasn’t completely lost her, yet.
Colin takes a swig of beer and looks around the empty room. Through the patio door he sees Anthony approaching the house. Acting purely on impulse, simply wanting to be alone with her for a little while longer – to touch her, to talk to her like they usually do – he grabs Penelope’s hand and yanks her down the hallway, abandoning their drinks on the kitchen counter.
He swings her into an empty bathroom – large, extravagant, private.
“Colin, w-what—” Penelope stutters, barely having the time to register what’s happening before Colin twists the lock on the door.
In one long stride, he’s on her, gathering her in his arms, practically losing his mind as his lips crash into hers.
“Colin.” With her hands flat against his chest, she pushes him away. “This is rather inappropriate considering we just met.” The teasing, crooked smile that tugs on the corner of her mouth suggests that perhaps she’s not as mad as he feared.
“I’m sorry, but this suit is driving me insane,” he growls, sliding his hands up her bare thighs and under the hem of the offensive fabric covering everything he really wants.
Her giggle ignites a spark of warmth in his chest. “I knew there was a reason you sucked during the second half of that game.”
Colin chuckles, then swiftly lifts her up and plops her onto the counter so they’re eye-to-eye. The restraint they’ve had to exercise this entire afternoon – knowing exactly what it’s like to be bare and open and vulnerable with each other – has been nothing short of torturous.
Their shirts are quickly shed, but Colin takes a second to breathe, pressing his forehead into hers, feeling the need to clear the air properly before going any further.
“You need to know…I’m not hiding you – I’m not ashamed of you in any way, Pen. It’s purely self-preservation.”
“It’s alright, Colin,” she says quietly, dropping her gaze as her fingertips trail over his stomach. “We’ve only been on two real dates. I understand wanting to wait to introduce me to everyone. Maybe I’m just being too sensitive about it.”
“You’re not being too sensitive. It’s my fault for fucking this up.”
Colin grabs her cheeks and brings her eyes level with his again, telling her firmly, "I want to shout it from the rooftop that you’re mine, but I just want to keep this – us – to ourselves for a little while.” Colin’s hands trail down her arms, leaving goosebumps in their wake.
“My family is loud about everything in case you haven’t noticed,” he adds with a good natured eye roll. “And I want to be the one to be loud about it. This relationship is something I need to process on my own, with you – no other outside opinions or influences. Plus, I’m not ready to share you with anyone else.”
He delights in the blush that sweeps across her cheeks as he pulls her tight against his chest.
“Don’t forget, you’re already sharing me with Eloise.”
Colin groans, “Oh, yeah. You still haven’t explained that, yet.”
“Eloise has been coming into the shop for a few months. We became friends over typical stuff — books, shared interests…boy talk.”
“Boy talk? Eloise?”
Penelope giggles.
“Was I part of that boy talk?” he wonders aloud.
“Yes, but I didn’t even know your name at the time, so we never made the connection.”
“What did you say about me?”
“Just that you were kind…and maybe the most beautiful man I’ve ever met.”
“Is that right?” He smirks.
She hums in confirmation, her eyes darkening, lips parting, inviting him closer.
“Well…” Colin brings a hand to her cheek and sweeps a thumb over her lips. “The same could be said for you. I’ve never seen anything more beautiful in all my life.”
Her breath hitches and he doesn’t allow her even a second to find it before covering her mouth with his own.
Penelope wraps her arms around his shoulders and her legs around his waist, enveloping him with the same all-consuming desire that he feels.
In no time at all, his cock is stiff, pressing into her core as his hands explore the luscious curves of her waist and hips.
“Fuck, Pen.”
Penelope snorts, just a little, and Colin pulls back to give a questioning head tilt.
“Eloise is the only other person who calls me ‘Pen’.”
Colin grumbles. “Can we not talk about my family right now?”
“Apologies,” she says, raking her finger through his hair, pulling him back into a blistering kiss.
Colin grabs her hips, pulling her center tight to his, failing to restrain a groan at the contact.
“Don’t you think making out in your boss's bathroom might raise some suspicions?”
“Former boss,” Colin rasps. “And I intend to do more than just make out,” he says with a seductive raise of his brow.
“What do you have in mind, Mr. Bridgerton?”
Colin’s eyes roll back in his head as he growls, capturing her mouth once again. His lips quickly move down the column of her throat and Penelope takes the opportunity to tease, “You like that, huh?”
“Mm-hm,” he mumbles against her skin, burying his face between her tits. Pulling the gusset of her bottoms to the side, he rubs his fingers through her slit. A salacious little moan escapes her lips and her back rolls into a deep arch.
Colin keeps her there with a firm hand at her back while the other works her into a gasping mess.
Soon, it’s pretty clear that Penelope isn’t satisfied with being the only one on the receiving end. Her hand snakes between them and into his shorts, wrapping tightly around his shaft as her thumb swirls the precum around the head.
His moan echoes off the walls, guttural and deep. “Fuck.”
Penelope giggles and covers his mouth with her other hand, but suddenly it’s her moan that threatens to give them away as Colin’s fingers slide into her waiting heat.
As they both struggle to keep their wits about them, they pull every last shred of pleasure from each other moments later.
A long, satisfied hum passes through her lips as she pulls her cum covered hand from his shorts. Before Penelolpe can move too far, Colin grips her chin and kisses her soundly, sighing into her mouth.
“Thank you,” he says quietly. He’s not thanking her for this sexual favor, but for understanding that he’s a total numbskull for acting the way he has and for still trusting him enough to share this private moment.
He says none of that, but he knows she understands as she smiles back with a subtle nod and a tender kiss to his lips.
This is what's so special to him – this unspoken thing between them. She sees him like no one else does. She doesn’t make him feel bad for being a total idiot even though he deserves it.
As they’re washing up, Penelope says to him, “You’re lucky to have such support from your family, you know – even if it gets on your nerves.”
“Yeah, I know,” he mutters, grabbing her hips and turning her toward him as she dries her hands on a fancy embroidered towel. “I know they would support this, wholeheartedly. I’m just not ready for that kind of attention.”
“I know.” Penelope reaches her arms around his neck and offers a kiss to his cheek. “And, as hot as this was, no more bathroom hookups with your family in the same house until then?”
Colin chuckles and wraps his arms around her, lifting her off the ground as she squeals. “Deal.”
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“What’s going on over there?” Benedict inquires, cooly sidling up next to his sister.
Eloise gasps dramatically. “Fuck! Fucking damnit, Ben,” she scolds, clutching her chest.
Her brother can’t help but chuckle and offers a weak apology, “Sorry.”
The Danbury party is winding down and Eloise is peering out the kitchen window after changing into her regular clothes. Penelope has been introduced to everyone that Eloise deems worthy of introduction and has carried a few conversations over the course of the afternoon, but Eloise has kept her eye on her interactions with one person in particular.
“I think those two are into each other,” she says, using her can of seltzer to gesture toward Penelope and Colin, who seem to be engaged in a friendly conversation out on the deck.
“Really?”
“Maybe.”
“You think Colin is finally ready to wet his willy again?”
“Ew,” Eloise scoffs and gags. “Why are boys so gross?” she murmurs under her breath.
Benedict continues cheerfully, immune to his sister’s disgust over anything he says, “Maybe he is ready. He has been rather talkative and, dare I say, happy around the office lately.”
“He has, hasn’t he?” Eloise ponders curiously.
After a few moments spent simply watching over Eloise’s shoulder, Benedict asks, “Why are we meddling? You know he hates that.”
“I’m not meddling, I’m just…giving fate a little nudge.”
“A nudge? By inviting her here? You’re throwing that poor woman into the deep end! She’s met most of our family and our coworkers – you might have scarred her for life. Sounds like a pretty big meddle to me.”
Eloise huffs, “Okay fine, some may perceive it that way, but I want to be supportive. I like Penelope and even I can admit that Colin is a semi-decent-looking, nice guy. He’d be good for her. And she’s practically in love with him already.”
“What?”
“Look…I had a very long, very boring, fourteen hour flight last week and my mind wandered. Penelope’s been lonely for a long time and obviously Colin needs a big kick in the pants to get out of his never-ending funk. Pen was all goo-goo over some guy she met a couple weeks ago and she basically described Colin, so I’m taking a shot.”
“What happened to you?” Benedict scrunches his face in confusion.
“What?” Eloise asks back, just as confused.
“Since when are you so invested in love?”
Eloise jabs him hard in the ribs and ignores his question. “Can we just focus on Colin for a bit?”
“Pretty sure that’s all we’ve been doing for the past few months and he hates us for it.”
“He knows we do it out of love.”
Crossing his arms over his chest, Benedict tilts his head and raises a brow. Of all the Bridgerton sisters, Eloise is the biggest meddler and the one with the worst case of foot-in-mouth syndrome. While he knows everything comes from a good place – somewhere deep within her cynical heart – Benedict has always been the only one able to put her back in her place.
“Alright,” she sighs. “I’ll back off and let everything run its own course.”
“Good,” Benedict chirps with a satisfied nod as the duo grab a few snacks for their treks home.
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“Hm?” Penelope simply hums in response to Eloise saying her name, the steady rock and clamor of the subway threatening to lull her to sleep after their long, exhausting day in the sun.
“I fear I’m a terrible friend,” Eloise says.
“What?” Penelope turns to look at her, a wrinkle of concern pinched between her brows.
“I never asked about the mystery man you nearly murdered a couple weeks ago.”
Penelope giggles, but squirms in her seat trying to quickly come up with some explanation that doesn’t involve outright lying to her friend.
“Oh, um…we’ve been…texting.”
Eloise pauses and asks curiously, “Texting?”
“Mmhm,” Penelope chirps.
“So, you found him?” Eloise asks a little more excitedly.
“Yeah, I ran into him at Will and Alice’s coffee shop on Wall Street.”
“That’s incredible!”
“Yeah, small world huh?” Penelope smiles, but it’s crooked and strained.
Eloise’s mouth pops open a few times, clearly searching for words, desperate to press for more details that Penelope wishes she could provide.
“And what, you’ve just been texting ever since?” Eloise finally asks.
“Yeah. Just…getting to know each other.” Penelope says calmly.
“Does Mr. Dreamboat have a name?”
“He does…”
“What the hell is going on Pen?”
She knew Eloise would be annoyed by this and that her endless fidgeting – crossing and uncrossing her legs, adjusting the bag on her lap – would do very little to convince her that there was nothing juicy to add. The one thing Eloise hates more than anything is being left out of the loop. It pains her to do this, but if Penelope is going to preserve what she has with Colin, it’s the only way.
She huffs, wringing her hands together nervously as she turns to her friend.
“I just…want to make sure it’s the real deal before sharing too much,” Penelope explains, knowing full well in her heart that it is something real – the butterflies, the excitement, the ache. It’s so real and everything about the way Colin treats her – how he talks to her, cares for her – tells her that he feels the same way, too. Sure, today’s debacle put her off for a while, and she hadn’t exactly planned on keeping this relationship secret from certain people, but she’s willing to do it for him.
“Okay,” Eloise concedes but keeps a suspicious eye on her.
The girls relax into their seats as they wait for the few remaining stops to pass before they reach their own.
“So, what did you think of Colin?” Eloise eventually asks.
Well, that was rather direct.
“U-um,” Penelope sputters, caught off guard, heart pounding, feeling cornered. “He’s sweet.”
Eloise smirks and Penelope can practically see the cogs turning.
Colin was right – his family likes to meddle.
Though, if Eloise is tickled by the idea of her friend and brother possibly dating, it could work in their favor. They’d only have to sort of lie about how well they know each other.
Penelope will have to play around with that concept later. For now, she’s too damn drained from the summer heat and the emotional whiplash of being iced out by Colin only to be finger-fucked by him a few hours later.
God, she hopes this is as dramatic as this relationship gets.