After weeks of working at the casino, Quinn’s
was bright, cheerful, loud. She expected Jonas to protest, but
she’d forgotten he spent time here every evening, with Trinity and
Leo. Maddox’s voice washed over her, and she saw why the music
carried so far—he had a band backing him. She thought she
recognized Dale’s nurse Jodi on keyboards before Quinn shouted a
greeting. She tightened her grip on Jonas. Now it was too late to
duck out.
She smiled and walked toward the bar, where
Trinity and Leo sat in their usual spots. Beth wondered how long
into Trinity’s pregnancy they’d continue to hang out here, or if
they’d continue after the baby was born. Automatically, Trinity
took Jonas from Beth and Quinn set a glass of pop in front of
her.
“Surprised to see you here,” Quinn said. “Did
Linda screw up again?”
“No, it’s my night off. The house was too
quiet.” She glanced about for her sister before taking a sip of
pop. She set it on the counter as her gaze drifted to the stage,
where Maddox sat on a stool and leaned forward to croon into the
microphone. Had he noticed her yet?
“Ah.” The one word burst from Quinn. “Too
quiet.”
She bristled and tore her attention away from
Maddox. “Clearly I’m not used to having the house to myself.”
Everything in her screamed for her to bolt
before the whole town figured out why she was here, but Trinity had
the baby, and honestly, if she ran, they’d just reason it out all
the faster. So she’d resist watching Maddox as he sang, and visit
with Quinn and Trinity.
“Does he sing the same songs every night? He
can’t have that many.”
“He does a lot of covers and some of his
songs every night,” Trinity said. “Though I was surprised by how
many songs he does have. I guess he’s been around longer than I
thought.”
Okay, that was it. She couldn’t keep her
attention from him. His voice washed over her, got under her skin,
and she was defenseless. When had she let those walls crumble? She
shifted just slightly on the stool and met his gaze as he sang. A
glint of triumph was in his eyes, as if he knew just what his voice
was doing to her nerve endings. As if he knew she’d come here to
see him.
His next song was a classic by George Strait
that matched his voice perfectly. The way the band swung into the
tune made her wonder when and where they practiced, and how they
felt backing up Maddox Bradley.
“I’m going to take a little break,” he said
into the microphone. “I’ll be back in about fifteen.”
Beth’s first instinct was to grab Jonas to
use as a shield against Maddox. He took his sweet time crossing the
floor to her, stopping at different tables to greet customers,
before sidling up beside her—too close—and asking Quinn for a
pop.
“Didn’t expect to see you here on your night
off,” he said without looking at her.
“I came to listen to some music,” she
retorted.
“Radio broken?”
Her shoulders tightened. Before she could
think of anything to say, he stepped back from the bar. “Come on. I
want to show you something.”
“How can you show her something if you didn’t
know she was going to be here?” Leo asked. He quickly looked away
and Beth turned to Maddox, to see if he’d sent some kind of signal,
but his expression was cool.
“What is it?” she asked suspiciously, but
pushed away from the bar.
“Come see.”
Her entire body was tight as they walked
toward the door. He didn’t touch her, and she didn’t know if that
would have made it better or worse. What did he possibly have to
show her? At first she’d thought maybe a new guitar or something,
but he was taking her outside.
He didn’t say anything as they walked down
the stairs. Instead of walking toward the parking lot, toward the
lake, he caught her hand and drew her toward the baseball
field.
“What-?” she asked, just as he pulled her
beneath the wooden stairs.
Before she could protest, he’d pulled her
close, one hand against the small of her back, the other buried in
her hair, loosening it from its ponytail, and covered her mouth
with his.
She sank into the kiss, parting her lips,
welcoming his tongue, his hunger, his heat, matching it. Mindless
of anyone walking by, she curled her fingers into his shirt, over
those strong shoulders and pulled herself closer to him.
He felt so good, so hard, so male. His
stubble rasped her cheek, and his breath blew hot against her skin
as he devoured her, like he couldn’t get enough. Arousal shot
through her, at once alien and familiar. He was the only one to
ever make her lose her head like this.
Which made him dangerous.
She broke the kiss and tried to back away,
but he held her firm.
“I’ve missed you,” he murmured.
She didn’t know if he meant the past few days
or the past fourteen years, and she couldn’t make herself look at
him to see if his expression held any clues.
“Beth.” He tucked his crooked finger under
her chin and lifted her face. “This is the part where you tell me
you’ve missed me, too. No sense lying—you wouldn’t be here
otherwise.”
“Maybe I missed being at Quinn’s,” she said,
because she couldn’t give him that power, though of course he had
to know why she was here.
Just when she thought he couldn’t pull her
any closer, he did, his hips against her stomach so she could feel
the evidence of his arousal.
“Did you?” he asked.
Without waiting for an answer, he claimed her
mouth again, his hands massaging her hips, his thumbs circling on
her waist as his lips caressed hers. His tongue moved along hers,
drawing her own response. God, she hadn’t felt like this—every
nerve ending sparking, everything female in her awake and alive—in
so long.
“Come home with me tonight,” he said against
her mouth before coursing his lips down her jaw to the spot below
her ear. “I have a nice big bed. No more back seats.”
Her first instinct was to push him away and
go inside. He was leaving soon—it was almost July. She wouldn’t see
him again. And she shouldn’t leave Linda alone. The girl may take
it as an excuse to have her own party. But her body craved him, and
she’d been alone so long. She nodded against his shoulder.
Her response must have surprised him because
he drew back quickly to look into her face, his hands on her arms
as if he was afraid she might escape.
“I have one more set, then.” He lowered his
eyebrows. “Don’t change your mind.”
That he knew her so well after so long apart
shouldn’t surprise her. Doubts already swirled in her mind. What
would she tell Linda? Did he have birth control? Would it hurt
after so long?
He swept his thumb over her lower lip and she
looked into his eyes.
“I have to get back. Don’t change your
mind.”
She didn’t say anything as they walked out
from their hiding place and up the stairs. Only when he was about
to open the door did she remember her ponytail was loose. Quickly,
she straightened it as he watched, a half-smile canting his
lips.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “What?”
“You look like you’ve been kissed.”
Damn him, he was enjoying this. She pressed
her hand to her lips, but had a feeling that wasn’t the only
evidence. She straightened her clothes and reached past him to open
the door.
He didn’t accompany her to the bar, but went
back to the stage, leaving her to face her friends alone. Even if
they realized she and Maddox had been kissing, they wouldn’t know
her decision about tonight. That was what mattered. She crossed the
floor and closed her hands around her now-warm pop, keeping her
gaze focused on it, avoiding any speculative looks from Trinity or
Quinn.
The buzz of an electric guitar drew her
attention to the stage. Maddox stood behind the microphone, his
Telecaster strapped over his shoulder, fingers sliding up and down
the strings to make them squeal. The sound drew a cheer from the
crowd who recognized the opening of one of his more popular songs,
a driving tune that Beth liked to listen to at top volume.
When, of course, no one was listening.
He gave her a half-smile and leaned in to
sing. Couples swung out onto the floor, people Beth had known for
years but had never seen move like that. More and more people
joined them, and her view of Maddox was obscured. She turned back
and Quinn held out a hand to her. She looked at his extended palm
dumbly.
“Let’s dance.”
She widened her eyes and met his gaze. “Oh,
no.”
“Shut up, and let’s dance.”
She took a deep breath—she was no dancer,
especially to a song this fast—and put her hand in his. He guided
her out to a spot and turned her into his arms and began to move.
She stumbled after him a few steps before he adjusted his hand at
the small of her back and began to guide her. When she was able to
stop holding onto him in a white-knuckled grip, she looked up to
see him watching her.
“He’s a good guy, Beth.”
“What?” Quinn was butting into someone else’s
business? The man made a point to keep to himself, and snarled when
anyone looked into his affairs.
“Maddox. He’s a good guy. Worth the
risk.”
She didn’t want to point out that Quinn had
his own “worth the risk” in Lily, because she didn’t want to get
into his business any more than she wanted him in hers. “He’s
leaving.”
He turned her in some tight circles, his
steps sure. “But you’re not thinking about that tonight.”
Was she so transparent? Did everyone in the
bar know she wanted to go home with Maddox tonight? “No.”
“I’ll send Linda home early with the baby.
Then you can go with Maddox without a big mess.”
“I can’t leave her home alone. She gets into
trouble, has boys over, drinks.” Why had she thought she could let
herself enjoy an evening with Maddox? She had too many
responsibilities.
“I’ll keep an eye on the place. I’ll let you
know if anything goes on.”
“Quinn, you can’t do that.” Her face heated.
He would know exactly why she wasn’t home, too. She didn’t want him
knowing that about her.
“Either that, or I keep her here on a school
night.”
“I—” She wanted to protest further, but all
she said was, “Thank you.”
He gave a brief nod. When the song ended, he
released her and walked away without looking back. She exchanged a
puzzled glance with Maddox, who was watching, eyebrows lowered. Was
he jealous? Good Lord, she never thought she’d be in this position,
friends helping her sneak off to be with a lover, that lover being
jealous of the friend. It was all like one of those teen dramas on
the CW. She tossed her hands in the air and headed back to the
bar.
Linda stood beside Jonas’s carrier. “I’m
ready to go.”
Oh, great. Of course Linda would expect Beth
to go home with her.
“I’m going to stay and listen a while
longer.” Beth hoped her face wasn’t giving her away. She could feel
the flush from lying all the way to her toes. “I’ll be home a
little later. And you and Jonas will be alone.” If only she knew
where Adam had gotten to, she wouldn’t have to impose on Quinn. But
then her brother would know why she was out late, and that was
worse than Quinn knowing.
Linda’s brows drew together suspiciously, but
she lifted Jonas’s carrier and hooked his diaper bag over her arm.
“I don’t suppose you’ll let me drive home.”
“I’ll drive you home,” Trinity offered,
sliding off the bar stool. “I’ll be back.” She kissed Leo and
tucked her arm through Linda’s to lead her away.
Once Linda and Jonas had gone, Beth let
herself relax. She finished another pop and let herself appreciate
Maddox. Because he was a star, many people discounted his talent.
But as she watched his fingers move over the strings, she felt a
mixture of desire and pride, an odd combination that heightened her
awareness of how long it had been since she’d felt a man’s
touch.
His touch.
He pulled up a stool and dismissed the band.
He picked up his acoustic and played the opening stanza of an old
Willie Nelson song, one she’d first heard from his lips. No one
could know he was singing to her, but she did, and heat flooded her
entire body.
As he said good night, she slipped out of the
bar, down to her car and drove to his place. His driveway was
hidden from the road, thank God, or the whole town would know she
was here, and why. Her nerves were jumpy, her pulse rabbiting, like
she wanted to do. She didn’t realize she was holding her breath
until his headlights flashed in her rearview mirror. Even then, she
left the key in a bit longer, left the lights on, still poised for
escape from her own folly. He parked beside her and walked around
to her door, waiting. Finally, with a deep breath, she pulled out
the key, shut off the lights, and opened the door.
She put her hand in Maddox’s and let him lead
her up the steps to the deck, and into the house. He didn’t say a
word, which made her nerves sizzle all the more. He let her go only
long enough to open the door, then turned her and pressed her
against the wall, both hands framing her face as he slanted his
mouth over hers, not holding back, his thumbs stroking her cheeks,
the corner of her mouth, his tongue delving between her lips in
rhythmic thrusts, igniting heat throughout her whole body. She
glided her hands up the front of his shirt and pulled so the fabric
parted in her hands. She slid her hands down over his bare chest,
into the crisp hair that hadn’t been there when she’d last touched
him. What else had changed? He’d certainly become a better kisser,
caressing just there, slowing down just when she thought she
couldn’t bear the intensity.
He stepped back, drawing her with him, and
the next thing she knew, she was straddling him on the couch, and
his mouth was on her throat, his stubble scratching and caressing
while his fingers played beneath the hem of her T-shirt, above the
waist of her jeans. She rolled her hips forward, against the rise
of his jeans, remembering just how he’d made her feel on those
long-ago nights, how he’d work her into a frenzy before he’d help
her find release, many nights with his fingers, some nights just by
laying on top of her, and that last summer—she’d been lucky she
hadn’t ended up like Linda.