"That was your cue," Teresa stage-whispered to William.
~:~
Beth pulled in two lungfuls of fresh, cold air. She was surprised, once outside, to see a dusting of snow on the grass. It must have started coming down after they arrived.
She cast her eyes around for a snow-free place to sit and laughed darkly to herself. There were at least a dozen covered picnic tables dotting the lawn, and the striped umbrellas made her feel like she was floating in a sea of cocktail drinks. She prided herself on finding humor in almost any situation.
Making her way to the nearest umbrella and stepping onto the bench, she scooted onto the dry table top. She leaned forward, cupping her face in her hands and resting her elbows on her knees, idly fingering one of her curls. What a waste of effort.
What are you doing here? She chided herself. She had much better go home, change into some old sweats, and watch the most pathetic DVD in her collection. Titanic, definitely, she thought. Then she could top it off by consuming an entire half-gallon of ice cream by herself.
As she waded through her viscous pity party, something fell over her shoulders. Something that smelled of the forest and him. Of course. Who else?
Snow had fallen into William's tousled spikes. His eyes were dark chocolate kisses, his face illuminated by the eerie glow of street lamps. The first two buttons of his white shirt were undone, the fabric bloodied by a suspicious red stain. Hands in his pockets, he looked at her with an odd expression. Pity? Triumph? Affected empathy to cover his satisfaction?
He probably came to gloat about the fact that Jaxon stood me up, Beth thought violently.
"You're going to run out of jackets and blankets one of these days," Beth taunted dryly, pulling the jacket snugly around her. She had her pride, but she was also freezing.
"I was a Boy Scout - I'm always prepared. You never know when you'll come across a damsel in distress." He brushed the snow off the seat-made-footstool and plopped down next to her.
"I'm not distressed, I'm just pissed off," she corrected flatly.
William laced his fingers together, resting his elbows on his knees as he faced Beth.
For a moment, she couldn't meet his eyes.
"What? No 'I told you so?'"
William looked back at her quietly, his face carefully blank.
Beth sat in marble silence, trying to burn him with her eyes. She wanted to yell, or throw a punch, or something. Instead, mutinous tears brimmed out of her eyes. William stood, taking her face in his hands.
"Don't cry, Beth." His expression was pained. "I hate it when girls cry."
"Go back to your date, William," she commanded shakily, trying to free her face as she stepped onto solid ground.
He stood in front of her, blocking her path. "Where are you going?"
"Home. I think I just need to be alone."
"Why? So you can go drown yourself in some chick flick and eat a bunch of junk food?"
Beth looked at him incredulously. "Titanic happens to be a historical film."
"Please," William scoffed. "'Jack, I'll never let go….I'll never let go...' then she pries his dead, frozen fingers off hers and swims away. Typical."
Choked laughter escaped Beth. It might have also been a sob.
"Go back to your date," she repeated, not quite so sharply.
"My date is over, actually."
Beth eyed him warily.
"My date was with the ticket booth."
"Right," she snorted. "Awfully friendly ticket booth."
William grinned, ever so slightly. "Look, you're all dressed up, and I'm free. Why don't we go inside and dance a couple songs?"
"I don't have a ticket," Beth reminded him acidly.
William adopted a cocky expression. "I just so happen to have an 'in' with the ticket taker."
"I noticed."
"You did?"
He sounded much too interested. Beth rolled her eyes and folded her arms in silence.
"Teresa will be so glad to hear that her acting was successful." He grinned at her from under his lashes.
"What are you doing?" Beth asked abruptly, searing him with her eyes. She simply wasn't in the mood for his banter and flirting.
William took his time answering. "Taking a direct approach since my angle failed."
"I don't understand."
"You're about to," he promised, stepping closer and framing her face with his hands.
And then his lips were on hers, and instead of pulling away Beth found herself kissing him back. Her reaction seemed to encourage William, as he let his hands drop from her face to the small of her back, drawing her into his arms. His lips had been hesitant at first, but a sort of urgency took him over now, and Beth put a hand behind his neck to hold him there. Had she done that on purpose, or had her hand acted on its own? The fabric of her dress tightened as he gathered it into his fists at her waist, pressing her closer still.
A moment later, William pulled back and looked down at Beth. His mouth wore a smirk, but his eyes told a different story. "Any questions?" he asked somewhat shakily.
Beth tried to gather her wits about her. Once the fog of his kiss receded, indignation took its place. "You think one kiss can just erase everything? You're a good kisser. So? What about everything else?"
William scowled, pulling his hands back and depositing them in his pockets. "Can you be a little more specific?"
Beth inhaled, casting her eyes around and settling on the first thing that came to mind. "The night I cut my finger," she began, infusing her tone with calm. "At the hospital. You were in the corner glaring at me like the whole thing was my fault. Like you were mad at me."
William shook his head, a look of disbelief lighting his eyes. "I was mad at myself," he admitted. "And the glaring was for the nurse, not you. She was such a battle-ax." William's cheeks flushed with anger at the memory and he swallowed. "Anyway, I did apologize to you later. You were sort of unconscious at the time." He smiled diminutively. "For the record, I am sorry." Tentatively, William took Beth's hand and kissed the finger in question.
Beth blinked. William abasing himself was entirely new to her, and his lips on her skin turned her brain into scrambled egg. She pulled her hand back. "Don't do that, I need to think clearly," she chided, earning a triumphant smile in return.
William nodded humbly. "Next?"
Beth sighed, combing through her memory. "Camping," she said after a moment. "My song…..you left," she managed. The truth was she was tired of talking; the only thing she wanted was to be in his arms again.
"It was either pull a Joseph and run away, or take you to the tent and have my way with you," William admitted. "I didn't think the latter would be a wise course of action at the time."
Beth's mouth dropped open, a weak sound of indignation escaping her lips. Thoughts of William's 'having his way with her' were not going to help here. "Wait," she said. "'Pull a Joseph?'"
"You know, Joseph and Potipher's wife in the Bible? He ran away from her to save his virtue."
Beth laughed; she was familiar with the story. "Are you calling me a cougar?" she teased, but something was still bothering her about that night. Fixing her eyes on the snowy ground, she replayed the night's events in her mind. "The sleeping bag," she finally said. "You kissed me and then you left. Again."
William eyed her incredulously. "You honestly think I could've lain there, with you wearing nothing but my t-shirt, and been content with one kiss? You've grossly overestimated my self-control, Beth."
"I had my underwear on!" Beth countered weakly.
"Yes, I know," William mused. "I'm the one who took your wet clothes off, remember?"
Beth blushed, unable to answer. "If I was so tempting, then you should have stayed," Beth accused.
"I finally had you in my arms," William answered in a low voice, stepping to Beth and cupping her cheek with one hand and setting the other on her waist. "The last thing I wanted to do was mess it up by going too far."
"I thought you j
ust wanted to get under my skin," Beth said.
William set his dark eyes on hers, and had he been a swaying cobra, she could have looked away more easily. "I was willing to settle for that at the time," he admitted. "But it's not what I really wanted. The only thing I ever wanted was you."
Beth watched William's face, trying to keep an impartial voice in her head. Trying not to get lost in his chocolate eyes or think about the taste of his lips. And then it was as if a switch had been thrown, and stadium light flooded her whole body. It had all been for her. His smirking, arrogance, and teasing had been to draw her attention. The brooding, the anger, the jerkiness had been for someone else on her behalf. All at once, the burdens Beth had been shouldering lifted into the air, like a bird taking flight. Sure, she still had questions - like Jaxon and his story. But he hadn't shown up tonight, and William was standing before her. And for now, that was all she needed to know.
Shyly, Beth ran her hands through William's hair. The way his eyes closed in response, as if he'd been dying of thirst and her touch was water, made up her mind. Words couldn't help any more tonight.
While his eyes were closed, and before she lost her nerve, Beth stood on her toes and kissed him. He pulled her hard against him, and his mouth was hungry. Beth's blood was singing in her veins, telling her that she never wanted to be anywhere else.
Several immensely enjoyable minutes later, William grinned down at Beth and said, "If we're done here, I think I owe you a dance, sweetheart."
Beth looked at him dubiously, but William just pulled her back toward the Conference Center. Once inside, William stopped at the ticket table and pulled out his wallet. "Two, please," he announced with a hint of pride. Teresa, who Beth recognized from her study group (and the tart that was plastered to William when she'd walked in earlier) smiled indulgently.
"It's on the house," she said, grinning at William in a most annoying manner. William winked at his co-conspirator, then relieved Beth of his jacket and donned it himself, surreptitiously buttoning it as they walked. To Beth's pleasure, he didn't spare another glance at the ticket table.
As they walked through the swaying couples, they passed Kara, dancing with someone Beth didn't recognize. Kara stopped swaying, eyed Beth in a most homicidal fashion, and then pulled her date off through the crowd. William didn't seem to have noticed. He stopped walking, held out a hand to Beth, and twirled her in an exaggerated way before pulling her into his arms. Could this possibly be the same William that had tried to pay her off at the auction? Beth dismissed these dark thoughts, resolving to let the past go. Letting her head fall onto William's shoulder, Beth couldn't help noticing that he was just the right height for her. She smiled to herself, feeling very warm and comfortable.
After several songs had passed in cozy silence, Les and Jenna bumped into William and Beth in what could only have been a premeditated accident. Neither of them looked surprised to see Beth with William instead of Jaxon, and for an instant Beth wondered if Jaxon had been ambushed and tied up somewhere. Jenna hugged Beth, gushing about how gorgeous she looked, whispered "Finally!" in her ear, and beamed at her. Beth rolled her eyes but simply couldn't be in a bad temper with anyone at the moment, least of all Jenna. She was simply stunning in her blush-colored gown and crown of white-gold ringlets.
"You guys had pictures done yet?" Les was asking William.
"We were just heading over to do ours," Jenna added. "You should come."
Before Beth could refuse, Jenna took hold of her arm and began tugging. "We'd better hurry," she said decidedly. "I think the photographer's packing up soon."
As they waited behind a few other couples, Beth turned to William and said, "We don't have to do this, you know. Pictures," she clarified when he looked confused.
William smiled down at her, fingering one of her curls. "I beg to differ. I doubt I'll forget how you looked tonight…..but just in case, I want a photographic reminder."
Beth rolled her eyes at him. "Flattery is the devil's trick."
"It's not flattery, it's the truth," William said matter-of-factly. When Beth eyed him doubtfully, he considered her through narrowed eyes, then unbuttoned his suit coat. "You might be interested to know that I was drinking a cup of punch when you walked in. Apparently my bottom lip is defective."
Beth stifled her laughter as William mustered what dignity he had left and buttoned his jacket again. The photographer beckoned Les and Jenna forward, who adopted a corny pose (Les down on one knee reaching a hand up to Jenna, who had her face turned away in a mock blush). Ugh, Beth thought to herself. Where is a good old fashioned prom pose when you need it?
"Let's get one of the four of us," Jenna insisted, waving William and Beth over.
After snapping the foursome (with the girls in the middle and Les and William on the sides) the photographer dismissed Les and Jenna, and then it was William and Beth's turn. Dance pictures were awkward at the best of times, but this was downright mortifying. Why did Jenna and Les have to be watching so intently? Before Beth could think what to do, William slipped behind her, setting his hands loosely on her hips.
"To hide the punch," he whispered, his lips brushing Beth's ear and raising bumps on her neck. She suppressed an involuntary shudder as the camera flashed, and then it was over. The DJ struck up a fast song, and Jenna tugged Beth back onto the floor.
Around midnight, couples began siphoning out the door. When people dressed in casual clothing began cleaning off tables and folding up chairs, the remaining dance patrons took the hint and began heading for the doors. Beth cast her eyes around for Lindy, scolding herself for having completely forgotten about her. Then again, it was highly unlikely that Cinderella had been keeping tabs on Drizella and Anastasia while she waltzed with the prince, right?
"Jenna, have you seen Lindy and Denny?"
"Not for a while. Maybe she's already home," she added hopefully.
"Maybe," Beth said, lost in thought. Turning to William, she said, "I should get back and see if she's there."
Les handed his keys to Jenna. "Take the truck. I'll ride back with William and come pick it up tomorrow."
"That's okay," Beth countered. "I have my truck outside. In fact, you can ride home with me if you want, Jenna."
From the look on her face, it was clear that Jenna didn't want.
"I'll bring her home," Les said. "We wanted to go for a drive after."
Beth rolled her eyes. "Just remember, the doors close at one a.m. tonight."
Jenna embraced Beth, squeezed her meaningfully, and then scampered out the door with Les. William walked Beth to her truck, chuckling at her when she lifted her dress to keep it off the snowy ground.
"So, will you be around tomorrow?" he asked, opening the driver side door and helping her in with exaggerated chivalry.
"Yup. I'll be celebrating - Lindy's going home first thing in the morning."
"Maybe I'll come crash your victory party," William said, bracing his hands on the roof of the truck and leaning in.
His eyes were an unfathomable mix of dark and light and the smile on his lips made her want to kiss him. Instead, she said, "You might want to drop that shirt off at the cleaners first."
William shook his head in an exasperated sort of way. "I'll never hear the end of it, will I?"
"I wouldn't hold my breath," she answered, laughing. It felt good to have socked him for once.
William's eyes glinted with mischief as he closed the distance between them and brushed her ear with his lips. "Have your fun tonight, sweetheart," he whispered, making Beth shiver. "Tomorrow is my turn and I won't be taking it easy on you."
Before pulling away, he planted a soft (and altogether unsatisfying) kiss just under Beth's ear. The look in his eyes made Beth feel a bit winded, as though she'd been running. "See you tomorrow," he said, backing away with a thoroughly satisfied expression.
CHOCOLATE
"I cannot fix on the hour, or the look, or the words, which laid the foundation……I was in the middle befor
e I knew that I had begun."
~Mr. Darcy, Pride & Prejudice
Beth sat cross-legged on the floor in front of her bed. She had woken early and decided to clean since she had an excess of nervous energy and couldn't sleep any longer. After the apartment was spotless she took a long shower, shaved her legs, and deep-conditioned her hair. After the shower she did a facial peel and painted her toe nails. Feeling lazy after all that effort, she applied light make up, dressed in an old t-shirt and overalls, and split her thick hair into two braids. Every few minutes she would find herself staring stupidly into her own reflection, out the window, or into her closet. Images from last night flooding her out of reality: dark eyes and snow-confettied hair, the priceless look in his eyes after she'd kissed him back, the sheer joy of realizing that all along he'd wanted her. His kisses instilled many different feelings in her, depending on which part she thought about. Light, swoopy sensations; heat waves that rolled more slowly and deeply until they consumed her; hunger and thirst (though she wasn't entirely sure what she wanted was food or water). Beth was suppressing yet another butterfly in her stomach when she was startled by Jenna's incredulous voice.
"Beth? You're up early - it's Saturday! You already cleaned our whole apartment?"
It was about nine in the morning, and Jenna was still in her pajamas with rumpled hair, but this detail did little to diminish her beauty. She simply looked like an angel in flannel, rather than an angel in celestial garb. Taking a seat on the floor next to Beth, Jenna pulled her into a tight hug.
"I couldn't sleep anymore. So.....what time did you make it home last night?"
"Just before one," Jenna admitted with pinkening cheeks. Beth suspected that they hadn't gotten further than the parking lot for their "drive."
"Did you guys double with Kara? I thought I saw her on my way in last night."
Pride's Prejudice Page 14
