by Box Set
When I got back to my room, Beau was on my bed, lying on his side thumbing through the scrapbook I’d dug out from under my mattress.
I closed the door and locked it behind me. “Did you climb up that tree?” I pulled the tie of the robe tighter and gripped the open neck closed.
“Nope, Mr. Peters next door saw me coming and pulled out his ladder.”
“Oh, God, you’re kidding me?” My stomach turned. The whole neighborhood would know Beau had climbed into my window. I was at risk of dethroning Theresa Platte, the town tramp.
“It would appear the whole town is rooting for us. I have to say, the ladder made it easier to get inside. I didn’t have to take that leap of faith and pray that I’d grasp the ledge. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve missed that and landed on my ass.”
“But was the jump worth it?”
“Every fucking time.” He reached out and grabbed the dangling robe tie and pulled me to the bed. “You smell so good.” We lay on our sides. The only thing separating us was a tiny bit of fabric and a scrapbook opened to the page that contained our torn picture, and the words that had severed our love.
“Interesting keepsake.” The pads of his fingers traced the letters I’d penned.
“It’s how an eighteen year old girl dealt with grief.” I tried to close the book, but he held it open. He lifted his half of the torn picture and repositioned his face to cover the words and bring us back together.
“What are you doing?” I shoved at the book, but it didn’t budge. “This isn’t important any more.”
“I’m trying to repair the mistake I made years ago.” With a gentle caress, he cupped my cheek. “I was an idiot.”
My lips gravitated to his palm. “I had an epiphany today.” I kissed each of his fingers and pulled his hand to my heart or, more accurately, my left boob.
He pushed the book aside and scooted in, lining up our bodies. “What was your epiphany?” He flexed his palm, filling his hand with terry cloth and titty.
“Leaving me was a good thing.”
“What?” He leaned back and rubbed his face. “What do you mean?”
He wasn’t following my train of thought. “I sat on Tommy’s bed tonight and tried to imagine my life without him, and I couldn’t. He’s everything good and right in my life. I’m not saying that I was happy you broke up with me, but I experienced things that I might not have ever experienced if I’d stayed or followed you. Who would have thought at nineteen you were so wise?”
“I stalled our life by ten years.”
“Maybe, but maybe you gave us time to appreciate each other.” I laid my head on his chest and breathed in his scent. He was cedar dipped in sex appeal. “Who knows why things work out the way they do.”
He ran his fingers through my damp hair. “I have a ton of regrets, but I won’t be making those mistakes again. When my mom said you were back in town, I figured we’d say hi and find some kind of middle ground, but the second I saw you, I knew I’d never leave you again.”
“I’m not going to tell you what I thought when I saw you.”
“You thought I was an asshole.”
Raised up on my elbow, I looked at him lying on my bed just like he had many times before. We’d never made love in my house or his. We’d done a lot of everything else, but sex was sacred. We had an unspoken pact that kept us from disrespecting our parents. We’d always gone to the cabin because it was private, and it was our place, but everything had changed. What were the new rules? Were there any?
He rolled to his side and pulled one of my pillows to tuck it under his head. “We need to talk.”
Chapter 16
Beau
When her pinked cheeks faded to white, I knew I’d chosen the wrong words. “Mandy, I’m not leaving you.”
“It’s okay. What do we have in common these days? I don’t know you any more.” She swiped at a tear before it could fall.
“Stop. You need to let me talk so you don’t fill in the blanks yourself.” Her robe fell open, exposing the creamy skin of her thigh. Distractions were not going to help me at this moment. Tearing my eyes from her skin was like pulling a supercharged magnet from metal. “Would you come to California with me? I want you and Tommy to come live with me and be mine.”
“Wh—what? I thought you were going to—”
“Tell you something you didn’t want to hear?” She dipped her head and pressed it into my chest. “I just told you that I’m not leaving you—ever.”
Her words were muffled against my chest, but I heard the important ones. “I’ve heard that before.”
“I deserve that, but you know I didn’t leave you for me, I left you for you.”
She pulled away and played with the buttons on my shirt. “What makes you think we can make a go of it after all these years?”
“We’re both single for a reason. You were my one, Mandy, and I won’t let you slip away again.”
“Oh, I didn’t slip, my world tilted, and I tumbled hard into an abyss. Now that you’re here, lying under my pink canopy, I feel like my world has been righted, and yet, I don’t know how this will ever work. I’m a single mom. I work, and I parent. You perform and travel. I don’t have time to be on the road. And what about all those groupies?”
This was a conversation that would require sitting up. Lying down next to Mandy made me want to do everything but talk. I dragged myself into a sitting position and rested my head against the pink padded headboard.
“I’m working on a recording contract with Rocco Piat. It’s a three album deal that will keep me in Los Angeles all the time with the exception of special performances at places like Times Square which I’m doing New Year’s Eve. We can put Tommy into a great private school. I have a beautiful house in the hills with views of the Pacific.” I tried to keep my voice even, but the pleading tone made its way into my words. God, she had to say yes.
“I don’t know, Beau, it’s a lot to take in.” It wasn’t the yes I wanted. But it wasn’t a no, and that gave me hope.
She straddled my lap and pulled her robe closed, but not before I caught a glimpse of nearly everything. She was killing me one inch of bathrobe at a time. With my hands on her hips, I pulled her close. “Do you love New York too much to leave it?”
Her laughter was pure bliss to hear. “No, it’s not that, it’s just that I have Tommy to think about.”
“But you’ll think about it, right?” I watched for any sign of doubt. Her eyes sparkled, her lips quivered at the corners, and her head bobbed like the bobble head dog my dad had glued to his dashboard.
“Yes,” she bubbled. Who knew that joy was palpable, but I could feel it from my heart all the way to my raging hard-on.
“We have to ask Tommy. He’d have to leave his school and his friends. I’m not sure I want to do that to him.”
“How about we take Tommy to dinner tomorrow night, and ask him what he wants?”
“What about our date at the cabin?” I loved it when her lower lip jutted out into a pout. I wanted to nip at it and pull it into my mouth, but I knew I’d never stop there. I wanted to hear her scream my name, and there was nothing wrong with Annie Sawyer’s ears.
“Oh, we’re still having our date. We’ll take Tommy to dinner, and then we’ll drive by and toss him out the window to our moms.”
She gave me a gentle slug to the chest. “That’s awful.”
“You know I’m crazy about him, but I’m also crazy about you, and I need you like I need air, so I’m pretty sure Tommy will be happy to spend extra time with his grandmas. I’ll bribe him with guitar lessons.”
“Be careful, he got my mom’s genes. He’s a charmer and a manipulator. You’re going to have to practice the word no.”
“For now, all I want to say and hear is yes. By Christmas, you’ll say yes to California.” I laid her back and covered her body with mine. I’d died and gone to both Heaven and Hell. She was inches from being naked and writhing beneath me. Her hands slid under my shirt
and ran up my back. Her movements loosened the tie of her robe, letting it fall open above her waist. “God, you’re perfect.”
“Hey, mister, these are a D or a C+, at best, barely passing.” She pulled the robe closed to hide the plumpness of her breasts.
“These are thesis material, a full report that I intend to study in depth.” I pulled her nipple into my mouth.
“Oh, God. It’s been way too long.” She gripped my head and held me in place. I sucked and pulled at the puckered bud while she lifted her body into mine.
With a pop, I let the nipple go. “How long has it been?” I rose up to see her face.
“Are we going there?” Flushed with the heat of passion, she flopped her head on the pillow and covered her face with her bent arm.
“I think we need to.” I rolled to her side.
“Years, that’s all you need to know.”
Her confession pleased me. “Okay, anything you want to know?”
She lifted onto one elbow and looked around her room. “How many girls?” Her face pinched.
Everything would come out in the end. Wasn’t it better to deal with it now rather than save it for later? “Less than you think, and more than I’d like to admit.”
She pulled at the lacy comforter, tugging it over her. “Did you love any of them?”
“No, they weren’t you.” I thumbed her cheekbone. “It was just sex. I promise I never cheated on you. I was never with anyone until after you left for Paris and we weren’t talking.”
“I wasn’t with anyone but Tommy’s dad.”
That surprised me because Mandy was gorgeous and so damn desirable. “Why?”
“They weren’t you.” She scooted closer to me. Her citrus shampoo floated through the air. It was the smell of home, happiness, and love. “If I came to California, what would our life look like?”
Passion turned into what if planning. We talked about my house and the neighborhood. “The beach is a short drive and right now the studio is about twenty minutes away, but if I get this deal with Rocco worked out, I’ll be working at his studio, which is in Hollywood.”
“This is a big deal to you?” The touch of her fingers and the brush of her lips on my chest were pure torture.
“The biggest. It opens up a whole new world for the band. The contract would bring in enough money to set everyone up forever.” BT and Bads were rock solid, and all the guys were responsible with their earnings, but a project like this happened once in a lifetime. We weren’t The Eagles or The Stones, but we could very well be in their league once Rocco Piat was finished with us.
“What about work for me?” She shimmied as close as she could. Any closer and she’d be living in my skin.
“You don’t have to work.”
“But I want to work.”
“Whatever makes you happy will make me happy.”
“For the first time in a long time, happiness seems possible.”
Chapter 17
Mandy
I woke up alone. The only clue that Beau had been in my room was the lingering scent of his cologne and the divot in the pillow next to me.
The smell of bacon rose through the floorboards. Mom was cooking.
Once showered, I skipped downstairs and into the kitchen. “Hey.”
Mom forked a piece of bacon and pulled it from the pan to the paper towel-covered plate. “Did you two have a nice time?” Her voice was too sweet to be good.
“We talked.”
“Is that what they’re calling it these days? Is that why old man Peters’ ladder is at your window?” Mom carried the plate of bacon to the table and laid out two pieces next to the pancakes she’d put on a plate. “Tommy,” she called. “Your breakfast is ready, sweetheart.”
“Mom, don’t embarrass me in front of my son.”
“Oh, honey,” she brushed my cheek with her bandaged hand, “you don’t need me for that, you can do that all on your own.”
These were the times I wished murder didn’t carry such a heavy sentence. “We didn’t do anything but talk. Tonight however, I have a date. Maybe a sleepover, Can you watch Tommy?”
Mom rolled her eyes. “Like you’d have to ask. Should I leave the ladder out or ask Mr. Peters to come and get it?”
Argh. “I’ll have Beau take it back. I fell asleep, and I’m sure he didn’t want to wake anyone when he left.”
“Uh-huh,” she hummed in a disbelieving tone.
Tommy traipsed in with his Spiderman backpack overflowing with toys. “Grandma says it’s a long drive down the mountain, and I’ll need these toys to keep me busy.” He grunted as the last Lego was pushed into the tiniest of spaces.
“Good planning. Make sure you behave for everyone. No asking for anything.” Tommy didn’t have to be reminded. He wasn’t that kind of kid. It was probably because he never had to ask for anything. People just gave him stuff all the time.
“He’ll be fine.” Mom set his plate in front of him. “Eat fast. Grandma Sarah will be here in a few minutes.”
I swiped a piece of bacon from the plate and kissed them both. “See you tonight.”
Outside, Beau waited with two travel mugs of coffee. “Good morning, beautiful.” He rushed over and kissed me senseless.
“I like this service. Coffee, kisses, and a ride. A girl could do worse.”
“Baby, you get the coffee, and the kisses, but the ride will have to wait for later.” His wet tongue slid across his lips and caused desire to heat my blood.
He handed me my coffee and opened my door. Behind him, the ladder sat like a billboard on my front lawn.
The arctic chill had left the air, which meant Sheriff Lerner was right about the storm. As Beau closed the door, I said a silent prayer for our mothers’ and Tommy’s safety. There was no way they weren’t going. My tenacious mother wouldn’t let a snowstorm curtail her plans.
I leaned into the dash and looked at the darkening sky. “Looks like a storm is brewing.”
Beau’s hand covered mine. “They’ll be okay. Our moms have been driving in this ever since they traded the horse and buggy for a car.”
“Don’t let them hear you say that.” He was right, I didn’t need to worry, but it didn’t stop me. That’s what mothers did.
“When we get your car back, we’ll park it in the garage. You won’t need it.” He let go of my hand long enough to push the start button.
“Don’t you have deals to make, songs to write? I’m expecting a platinum album after this week.”
“I’m already working on it. I was thinking about one called ‘Grading Scale’ or what about ‘Blue Balls?’”
“You better not. And if you have blue balls, that’s your fault because I was naked and willing under my robe.”
His grumble brought on a laugh. “You’re killing me. I’m doing my best to refrain from pulling into the woods and making love to you in the backseat. The one thing saving you is the fact that we have a date tonight.”
“What time are you picking me up?” I twisted toward him and took in his profile. Strong jaw. Sun kissed skin. Sexy as sin eyes. The woods sounded appealing. “I need to know what time I’m getting my cookie.”
His lush lips curled into a beautiful smile. “A cookie, huh?”
“Yes, with sprinkles.” I pulled the seatbelt as far as it would stretch and whispered in his ear. “Lots of sprinkles.”
We arrived at the shop too soon. It had been a long time since I’d been able to make Beau blush all the way to his hairline.
When he opened the car door for me, he didn’t let me get far. We staggered toward the wall together with his lips crushed to mine. I tasted his sweetness and a feeling of peace settled over me. This was what we were together. He was chocolate, and I was peppermint, and together we were perfect.
It was a kiss I hoped would last forever, but it turned into something different. A kiss filled with passion turned into a promise. It was a forever kiss, the kind we’d given each other years ago. I fisted his hair and held on t
ight, so afraid if I let him go, I’d lose him for good.
He pulled away and reached down to adjust his pants. “Guillotine Zipper.”
I pressed my head into his chest. “New song title?” With a shift of my hips, I rolled into him and felt just how hard this was for him. “I like it.”
“Oh, I’ll make sure you like it.” He kissed my forehead. “I’ll see you at five.” He waited for me to get inside before he left. If I knew Beau, he would be spending the day at the cabin making everything perfect.
Inside the shop, I leaned against the door and caught my breath.
“That was some kiss.”
I snapped a look at Misty. “How did you know?”
“Peephole.” She pointed to the little round disk in the door. I could feel the heat rise to my face. I’d all but climbed the man out in the open for all to see. “So, its back on? Aren’t you glad you talked to him?”
I hung my jacket and pulled an apron from the hook. “I’m pleading the fifth.”
“Honey, you’re guilty. It’s written like a confession all over your face. Tell me, how does ten years change a man in the sack?”
There was no way getting past her questions. She stood like a sentry in front of the refrigerator. All ingredients were held hostage until I spilled my secrets.
“I wouldn’t know.”
“That ladder was under your window for nothing?”
“What? Oh, my God, what’s wrong with the people in this town? I need to get back to New York where I’m one in a million and easy to overlook.”
“Gossip spreads like wildfire in a small town. Now, give me the dirt.”
“We just talked, but tonight, I have different plans.” I couldn’t stop the excitement that shot through me. Hot, liquid, passion coursed through my veins, and only Beau had the power to soothe the burn.
“It’s a good thing you’re off tomorrow.” She stepped aside and let me grab the stuff I needed for todays orders.
