Back at the hotel, she seethed with disgust as she watched Martha move around the room getting ready for bed. Sharing a hotel room with her occasionally had seemed like a good idea when they had first started chatting online many months earlier, but now she could barely stand to look at the woman. Her husband must be a total idiot. Married for twenty years, she dumped everything at a moments notice to chase Ruben around the country and her fool of a husband paid for it.
What she hoped would happen if she ever met Ruben, God only knew.
Not that Martha was a bad looking woman. She was past her prime, but still feisty and attractive, if a little sleazy. Ten years ago, she would have been serious competition—but now her voluptuous figure, over made up face and brassy red hair just made her look like an aging burlesque dancer.
She was finally able to let the fake smile she’d had to maintain for the last few hours slip from her face when she heard Martha’s faint snoring coming from the other side of the room.
Crossing quietly, she stood above her sleeping form, fighting the urge to punch the woman in her bloated, revolting face.
How dare she talk about fucking him?
When Martha had drunkenly giggled earlier about the ‘free pass’ she had from her husband to sleep with Ruben if she ever got lucky, she had wanted to beat her to a pulp then. She fought to control the rage coursing through her, knowing there was no way she could ever explain attacking the woman in her sleep.
What would she say if she knew the truth? That the body Martha wanted so badly had been hers once? Or about the night she’d had with him…and about the things he had done with and to her?
She had met Ruben on a rare night off from caring for her dad. The man who had been her whole world had taken up all of her time since an accident that left him severely disabled when she was only fifteen years old. She had grabbed at the chance of leaving him with a nurse to spend a night in the city with a friend, meeting Ruben for the first time in the
Invited to sit at his table with the rest of his band, she’d been overwhelmed by him. The decision to give him her virginity had been made without his knowledge and long before he’d invited her back to his room. She often wondered if he even knew how much she had given him that night.
Martha would never, could never, get as close as she had…as she would again.
The thought of him being with any woman made her nauseous.
If she ever had proof that anyone had gotten near him—especially that brunette from Vegas—she would make her pay.
Either way, she’d make her pay for taking what didn’t belong to her.
Chapter 11
Ruben looked across the dinner table at
What on earth was wrong?
He certainly hadn’t anticipated this mood when he had turned up—unannounced—but with a whole weekend free that he couldn’t wait to share with her.
Beth’s whole demeanor had changed since they had made love that afternoon. He had stirred in his sleep and, reaching for her, had found the bed empty. Raising a sleepy head, he’d found her sitting at the dressing table, looking hard at her own reflection.
‘Hey,’ he’d said, groggily. ‘I keep waking up in an empty bed.’ She’d jumped at the sound of his voice, lost in her own thoughts. Smiling at him in a weird way he had never seen before, she’d quickly averted her eyes as she suggested going out for dinner at their quiet little restaurant in town.
‘You will not be hassled there. They’re used to you now,’ she’d said. ‘I’ll wait for you in the living room, okay?’ She’d left quickly without glancing back.
He was glad she had lightened up a little over dinner, but she still was not her usual self. Picking her hand up from the table to drag her attention back to him, he didn’t like the distance he saw in her eyes. ‘Where do you keep going,
‘Ruben…’ She hesitated before continuing. He sat back in his chair, watching her squirm. He had a feeling he knew what was coming. ‘I have loved being with you,’
‘But?’ he cut in harshly, the tone of his voice making her look at him.
‘But…. I am a very simple woman. I have a job I love and feel comfortable doing. I have very little going on in my life that doesn’t fit into my daily routine.’
‘And?’
‘And…. I don’t want you to get the wrong impression about me. This last few days with you has been wonderful but—’
Confusion creased his brow. ‘Last few days? We have been seeing each other for a month,’ he corrected, knowing it wasn’t the point.
‘If you add up the time we actually spent together, it’s only a few days.’ Her head dropped briefly and he waited for the killer punch. ‘And I think it’s time to get back to my normal life.’ She kept her eyes down.
She didn’t move as she continued to speak. ‘I know myself, Ruben. I can’t handle not being in control of my own destiny. I gave up too much of myself for a man once before and suffered as a result.’
Ruben knew she was being unfair. ‘I haven’t asked you for anything you didn’t want to give.’
She shook her head. ‘That’s just the problem, I went into the last relationship willingly, too. We haven’t been together for more than a few weeks and already I find myself at your beck and call. We only see each other when you can fit me in.’ He began to protest but she cut him off. ‘What happens when I get lonely Ruben, or horny for that matter? Is it up to me when we see each other, or am I expected to wait weeks at a time and then be available the minute you want me?’
She looked around self-consciously, aware she had raised her voice. Dropping it to barely more than a whisper, she continued. ‘The sex has been fantastic, more than I could have dreamed about. At my age though, it’s just not enough. You’re a handsome man and I am incredibly flattered by the attention, but I am selling myself short…. can’t you see that?’
He searched her face in disbelief. Obviously
‘So, are you saying it’s over?’
Tears sprang into her eyes. ‘I don’t know Ruben…I really don’t. I love being with you, but I can’t spend my life waiting for someone.’
‘I see.’ A thousand questions on his lips, he kept his silence, not trusting himself to stay civil. He signaled for the waiter to bring the bill.
Ruben led her through the restaurant and into his car without a word. Neither of them spoke for the short journey back to her house.
‘I think it’s probably best if you don’t come in,’ she said.
He lost the battle to control his temper.
Who the hell did she think she was?
Ruben climbed quickly out of his seat. ‘Is that it?’ She turned as if to say something and then changed her mind, hurrying her steps up to the door. He swore as he made to follow her and nearly dented the car door slamming it shut.
‘Tell me what the fuck is going on,’ he demanded as he strode up the path. Her hands shook as she fumbled for her keys. He tried to help her, but she slapped him away.
‘Ruben, just leave.’
‘I will leave
‘What is it, Ruben?’ she shouted into his face. ‘Does it hurt your pride that I don’t want to see you anymore?’
Shaking his head in disbelief, he took a step back from her. She had the door open and quickly stepped through it. Grabbing her elbow, he turned her to face him. ‘No, Bethany,’ he ground out, ‘It does not hurt my pride. It does surprise me though to find out what a cold bitch you are.’
’s hand shot out and slapped him across the face, hard. Grabbing her, he pinned her wrists to her sides, bringing her up close against him. She struggled to get free. ‘Get your hands off me.’
‘You didn’t want me to get my hands off you last night,’ he drawled. ‘Nor this morning, nor this afternoon for that matter.’ Fire sparked in her eyes as he reminded her of the one thing they had that worked…absolutely. Her eyes dropped to his mouth as she parted her lips. ‘Are you sure you want me to leave,
He’d spoken too soon. Resolve crossed her face and she pushed him away from her, disgust etched into her features. ‘You aren’t that irresistible,’ she smirked and moved to close the door on him. He stopped it with a hand, forcing her further into the house as he stepped in, slamming it behind him.
‘Get out,’ she shouted, turning to grab a vase from the hall table. Realizing she was about to throw it at him, he grabbed it out of her hands, pinning her to the wall. She fought him like a wildcat, trying to pull his hair and scratch his face. He had no choice but to grab her arms again, if only to save himself. He had never seen this side of her before and it frightened him.
‘What the hell is wrong with you?’
‘You are an arrogant bastard. That is what is wrong with me,’ she spat out. ‘You think you can do what you want because you made me come a couple of times. Well, I have news for you. You weren’t the first and you won’t be the last.’
If she was trying to piss him off, it was working. Striding away from her, he punched the wall, causing the plaster to crack. Resting his head against it, he drew in ragged breaths, trying not to let his temper make a total asshole out of him like it did his father. The thought sickened him.
Why was she doing this?
He’d been more open and available to her emotionally than to anyone he had ever met.
Maybe he had misjudged her feelings for him?
Dropping his hand to his side, he flexed it gingerly, testing it for damage.
Wouldn’t it be insane if he had managed to bust it up?
He guessed it was all he deserved for allowing himself to get close to someone.
‘Oh God, Ruben,’
‘Why don’t you want to be with me?’ he cut in, searching her face for answers. He was glad to see the anger gone from her eyes, but he couldn’t handle her pity.
She shook her head. ‘I’m not saying that I don’t want to see you anymore, I just don’t know how much longer I can go on like this.’ She began to cry then, making it hard for him to understand her words. ‘I have been in constant limbo since we met. I’m either thinking about the last time we were together or looking forward to the next.’
‘Do you think it’s any different for me?’
‘I guess not,’ she shrugged. ‘The truth is, you’re part of my life, but I have no involvement in yours. I don’t even know which country you are in half of the time.’
‘Maybe the real difference is that I am in love.’ He stopped suddenly, shocking himself as much as her.
Where the hell did that come from?
He had no time to think about it. He had to know how she felt. ‘Don’t you love me, Beth?’
She stared at him in silence as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. Finally, she nodded, her eyes huge. Ruben let out the breath he didn’t know he’d been holding until that moment. Wiping the tears from her face, he hugged her.
He wished he knew what she expected him to do. His life had always been this way.
‘Come with me. Just for a few days,’ he blurted out. Her snort was hardly the response he’d hoped for, but he wasn’t surprised.
‘Ruben, I have a surgery to run. I can’t possibly leave on a moments notice.’
Refusing to be deterred, he ploughed on. ‘What would happen if you were ill, or got into an accident? Would your practice close down?’
‘Well, I guess if that happened I would have to arrange a locum,’ she admitted with a smile. He knew then she would come. He leaned back against the wall and tried not to show her how smug he felt. She saw right through him. ‘You can take that look off your face. I haven’t said yes yet.’
‘Yeah, but you will,’ he said on a grin, covering his head just in time to deflect the playful slap she gave him.
‘Wow, you really are an arrogant bastard,’ she laughed, not stopping him as his hand began to wander up her thigh.