by Ana Blaze
He was sparking all kinds of things inside her. She wasn’t sure responsibility was even in the top ten. “We should go get your stuff. Which hotel are you staying at?”
Colin gave her the name and address of the hotel as they climbed into her car.
“Are you hungry at all? I have some granola bars in my bag.”
His lips twitched. “Is there anything you don’t have in that bag?”
“A hot tub,” she replied quickly. “But, as soon as I find one that’ll fit, it’s going in.”
“Obviously.”
“So, are you? Hungry that is.”
“Still rather nauseous.”
Beth nodded. “The paper said that was normal.”
“As did the doctor.”
“Right.” Beth drew the word out and nodded. She kept fairly quiet for the rest of the drive and the brief stop at his hotel to collect his suitcase and toiletries.
She showed him into her guest room. “It’s not as fancy as your hotel was, but … um …”
“It’s very kind of you to do this. Thank you.”
“It’s really the least I can do after you swooped in to save me and all.” She smiled at the slight blush her words brought his cheeks. Why don’t I just call him my hero like some twelve-year-old girl with crush? “The remote is on the TV and the guest bathroom is right through that door. Towels are in there. I’m going to go check on some stuff and let you get settled.”
A water glass had fallen off her nightstand and shattered during the earthquake. Beth swept up the shards of glass, relieved to find her apartment had suffered no serious damage.
She pulled out her binder of take-out menus and headed back to the guest room. Her kitchen rarely contained more than a few containers of yogurt, some diet soda, and a half-empty bottle of wine. Today was no exception.
Beth stopped in the guestroom doorway. “I’m going to order some takeout. Any preferences?” She held out the binder.
Colin took it and flipped through the pages, grinning. “You alphabetized your carryout menus.”
Beth laughed. “Yeah. I guess I’m kind of anal.”
He choked. “Pardon?”
“I’m … You don’t say that in England? I like to keep things organized. So ... food. I was thinking Chinese might be good. You could start with some soup and see if you can keep that down or, you know, throw caution to the wind and eat some steamed rice.” She knew she was babbling, but couldn’t make herself stop, not while Colin was watching her with an amused smile. “But maybe you have allergies or you just don’t like to eat Chinese food. If so, we could get Thai, although if you don’t like Chinese you probably don’t like Thai either, right?”
Colin closed the binder and handed it back to her. “I have no food allergies, and I’ll eat almost anything. Chinese is fine.”
“Great. I’ll call the Chinese place down the street. Their cartons have cute little pandas on them.” She took the binder back into the kitchen, flipped it open to the right menu and dialed. Colin followed her out and sat on one of the barstools at her kitchen island. She smiled at him before placing an extraordinarily large order. At his arched eyebrow, she covered the phone’s mouthpiece to whisper. “I haven’t gone grocery shopping in a while. I figured it would be good to have some leftovers so you don’t starve before your head heals.” She shrugged. “And I don’t know what you like.”
He laughed, the deep sound causing a surprising turmoil of sensation in Beth’s stomach, and reached for his wallet to pull out a credit card.
Beth brushed his hand away and shook her head. “I’ve got it.”
“No!” He stood up, frowning.
Beth looked back at him, startled by the forcefulness of his tone.
He swallowed and exhaled through his nose. “Miss Chase, you are … I insist.”
Nodding, she took his platinum card and read off the numbers to the cashier. She hung up and handed the card back to him. The realization that she’d just brought home a near stranger suddenly hit her.
Colin took the card and walked over to her bookshelf. She watched him peruse her meager collection of paperbacks and remembered what Eli had said. Was he a professor and, if so, was he horrified by her reading choices?
“I could stop by the library tomorrow if you’d like me to get you some books.”
Colin traced the edge of a silver frame. “Is this your sister with you?”
“Yeah, that’s Megan. She goes to Boston University, and is pretty much the brains of the family.”
“There’s a resemblance.”
“I guess so.”
“I’m sorry I raised my voice. If you’d prefer that I leave, I’ll understand.”
“I don’t.” She walked over to him and wrung her hands. “I can be a little bossy. I’m just trying to help.”
“You are helping. You’re also rather bossy, but that’s part of your charm.”
Not sure whether to be flattered or insulted, her heart raced as she considered his intent gaze.
“The current state of my life is rather a lot for the fragile male ego to withstand. I’m afraid suffering these past few indignities in front of you has not brought out the best in me.”
“I’m —”
“Beautiful. You … glow. You are exactly, perfectly, the type of woman a man does not wish to humiliate himself in front of,” Colin said.
“Oh.” Beth nodded dazedly. Her eyes were drawn to his mouth and she wanted to kiss him. She wanted to do more than kiss him. She turned and darted into the kitchen. “There’s some soda, or I could make coffee.” She opened a cupboard and rose up on her toes to look on the top shelf. “I think I have some herbal teas here somewhere.” Beth pulled out a box and turned around to find Colin standing inches away. She swallowed hard. “I …”
“I know that I had just taken a good knock to the head, but when we kissed before, I thought you enjoyed it.”
Her gaze moved back to his mouth and she licked her lips. “I … What?” She looked up.
He caressed her cheek. “We kissed, in your office. Do you remember that or did I get hit harder than I thought?”
“I remember.” She was breathless and wondered if he noticed.
“And to the other question — did you enjoy it?” He studied her face.
“Oh, um …” Beth looked down. She had to clear her head.
He brushed his thumb under her chin. “Maybe I should kiss you again, help you remember.” He tilted her face toward his. “Any thoughts on that?”
“I was going to make you tea.”
“I’d rather kiss you.” Colin took the box from her hand and placed it on the counter. “I would very much rather kiss you.” He leaned down and brushed his lips across hers before cupping the back of her head and pulling her close.
Beth felt herself melt against him. She wrapped her arms around his waist. He felt way too right. Of course she’d noticed that when they’d danced at the wedding, but now it was worse. She wasn’t supposed to be getting involved with any man right now; she was focusing on her career. Beth Chase was going to be a full partner at Ever After Weddings. She wasn’t going to fall for a mess of man — who lived in London of all places — but she was kissing him, and yes, she was enjoying it.
Her toes curled in her boots and heat spiraled through stomach.
There was a knock at the door. Beth pushed Colin away. “I … The food is here. I’d better go get the door.” She scrambled to answer it, with her purse in hand.
Colin walked over to the door and handed the man a five dollar bill. “Is there something for me to sign?” The deliveryman handed him a receipt and Colin signed it.
When he shut the door and turned, she gasped at the hungry look on his face. “Food’s here.” She nearly whimpered at her pathetic attempt to lighten the mood.
Colin nodded and walked back to the kitchen. Beth backed right out of it. She patted a cushion on the couch. “Why don’t you just have a seat here? We could watch something. Just sit here. I�
�ll bring out the plates and stuff.” Hoping he couldn’t tell she was still trembling, and careful to keep her distance, Beth headed back to the kitchen .The man was like a magnet; if she stepped too close, she’d be powerless against his pull.
Colin sat on the couch and chuckled deeply. “Are you certain I can’t help you carry things?”
“Positive. The doctor said you should get lots of rest.”
“I doubt that carrying —”
Beth’s trilling cell phone interrupted. She looked at the caller ID and groaned. Eli. This was a call that could go a million different ways, and Beth hated feeling unprepared. “Hello, Eli.”
“Well, hi there, sweetie. I heard about your adventure this morning. Please don’t tell me you are still at that dreadful hospital.”
“No. We left a little while ago. We’re … um … back at my place. I just got food delivered, so …” she trailed off, hoping that he would get the clue and let her go.
He didn’t. “You brought him home. You clever girl, I didn’t know you had it in you.”
“Eli, it’s not like that. The doctor thought it would be best if he stayed with someone for a few days to make sure he doesn’t have any problems from being bashed in the head back at the office.”
“I know exactly what you’re thinking and I love it. Ever After Weddings doesn’t just care about the bride and groom. We take care of the whole family. Above and beyond, Beth — they’ll be sure to tell all their friends. And the brother himself … after all this loving care, how could he pick anyone else to plan his wedding? Brilliant. You’ll save us from a pesky lawsuit while you’re at it. You take all the time you need. I can get someone to cover your meetings for the next few days.”
“Eli, that’s not really the point, I …”
“Take good care of our little VIP. Bye now.”
Beth stared at her phone in disbelief.
“Problems?” Colin called out from the other room.
Beth carried in a tray. “Not exactly. My boss wanted to let me know I can take a few days off if I need to.”
“That’s nice, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. He wants to make sure I take good care of you so you’ll want to hire us for your wedding, and also to tell everyone at your country club that we go above and beyond.” She rolled her eyes.
Laughing, Colin nodded. “A bit mercenary, but I suppose that is how you make it in the business world. He’s not wrong: should the day ever come, I’ll be happy to let you make all decisions about my wedding.”
“Great. My evil master plan is working then.” She laid plates and food on the coffee table and sat on the floor opposite the couch.
Colin sighed. “Please sit on the sofa.”
“I’m good here. I like to sit on the floor.”
He arched an eyebrow. “You are a bad liar, love. I’ve gotten the message. You don’t want me to kiss you again. I can’t say that I’m not disappointed or that you weren’t sending an entirely different message a few moments ago, but I can promise to respect your wishes. You can join me without any fear of me attacking you.”
“Oh.” Beth stood, ignoring her burning cheeks, and moved her plate to the other end of the couch. “Drinks!” She hurried to the kitchen. “Is Diet Coke, okay? I don’t really have a lot of variety. I can go to the store tomorrow.”
Sighing again, Colin nodded. “That would be lovely, thank you.”
She returned with two cans and sat gingerly on the couch. They ate in silence. Beth swore she felt him looking at her, that his gaze was sending warm tingles wherever it touched, but she never caught him in the act. She stuck her chopsticks in her noodles and stood up. “How do you feel about a movie?” Anything had to be better than this intense quiet.
He shrugged.
She went over to the shelf that held her DVD collection. “Hmm … What kind of movies do you normally watch?”
“I’ll watch whatever you choose.”
Beth turned around with a grin and held up a case. “How do you feel about musicals?”
He had that look again -- like she was particularly adorable. It was a nice look, except it made him adorable and that made it harder for Beth to remember all the reasons she wasn’t going to fool around with him. “Whatever you like is fine.”
It was completely unfair for him to have a deep, rich voice and a British accent. “Okay, remember that you agreed.” She slid the DVD into the machine. “Brigadoon. It has Gene Kelly and lots of guys wearing kilts.”
Beth sat back down beside him. It was one of her favorite movies, though she knew that was half due to nostalgia. Watching Brigadoon and snuggling on the couch beside her mother was one of her earliest memories.
She soon found herself watching Colin instead of the movie. “Why did you agree to be best man?”
He seemed to consider the question. “It’s what my mother would have wanted. I promised … I’ve visited the family every second Sunday since prep school. When my mother knew that she was … that she didn’t have much time left, she made me promise that I wouldn’t stop visiting. Hunter is my half-brother and he can be difficult, but he’s the only brother I have. My father is pushy and controlling, but ...” He sighed. “It was important to her that I try to be a family with them.”
She understood it -- the sense of togetherness, the trying in spite of herself. “I lost my mom last year.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I am, too.”
“It’s probably why I rushed into things with Andrea. I wanted more family — someone who was mine.” He smiled and shook his head ruefully. When Beth didn’t respond, he grimaced. “That’s a bit sappy, yeah?”
“Maybe a little, but I understand.”
“Have you ever considered it, the plunge … marriage?”
Beth frowned and shook her head. “I guess not. I date some, but I usually have a wedding Saturday morning and sometimes Friday nights, too. The job doesn’t really leave a lot of time for a social life.”
“Still, you must get a lot of … attention.”
Beth remembered his earlier words and felt flushed. “I get asked out enough.”
“And sometimes you say yes.”
“Right.”
“When that happens, when you say yes, what are those men like?”
She couldn’t even look at him. He was asking her — in a completely unsubtle way — what she looked for in a man, trying to figure out why she'd said no to him.
He laughed. “Fair enough.” He turned pointedly towards the television.
Beth watched him out of the corner of her eye. He reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose. “Is your head bothering you?”
“It’s not bad. Tylenol helped plenty.”
“Oh. You looked …” she shrugged.
“Think it’s about time I take the contacts out. That’s all.”
“You wear glasses?”
He sighed. “Yes.”
He looked so disheartened she was tempted to comfort him. Silly. “I can pause the movie while you go change into them. I should probably get the leftovers put away anyway.”
She collected their plates and headed to the kitchen. “Hey.” She called out to the other room. “You could take another dose. It’s been nearly six hours.”
Colin paused before nodding and walking out of the room.
She was too bossy. Vowing to reign herself in at least a little, she poured them each a glass of water.
The glasses suited him. The dark, thick frames drew attention to his startling green eyes. Boys shouldn’t have such pretty eyes. “Ready for the end of the movie? We’ve only got like twenty minutes left.”
“I believe I’ll survive it.”
Beth giggled. “Not a fan of musicals about mystical, time traveling villages?”
“When you say it like that, I don’t see how I’m not”
Beth tried to get lost in the film for its final scenes, but couldn’t. Colin was getting closer. Somehow, without her ever seeing him move, his side was n
early touching hers. His aftershave surrounded her. He drummed his fingers on the edge on the couch sending shivers of vibration through her body.
“Beth?”
Realizing that she’d been staring at his thigh, she jumped slightly. “Huh?” The movie was over, now displaying the credits.
He looked at her intently for a moment before letting out a breath. “Do I stand any sort of chance?”
“What are you —”
“I was the king of fools on Saturday. Today hasn’t gone much better, but that’s not me. Normally, I’m rather dull.” He laughed. “I don’t suppose that helped my case, but it’s true. I teach Classic British Literature part time at a small college in London, and I occasionally manage to get a short story published in a magazine. I tried opening a bookstore a couple years ago, but it turns out that people would prefer to save money and purchase their books online. And also, I have no talent for business. That’s not to say I have no means. There is family money and I have a good accountant.” He took a deep breath. “I don’t date much, not before Andrea and certainly not since. On Friday evenings I order curry from the shop down the street even though it gives me indigestion. I can cook one thing: spaghetti bolognese. I like to read and I make it a point to catch Doctor Who on the telly. I’m a bit of a slob.” Colin stood up and began pacing. “I play poker a couple times a month with some of the other professors. I like canoeing and swimming. I avoid team sports and they avoid me. I’ve never been unfaithful to a woman and never will be. No one should ever have to know that feeling. ”
Beth opened her mouth to talk but he held up his hand and continued, “Hear me out, please. I’m almost certainly not the type of man you usually date, but I’m a good man. I am, despite the unbelievable quantity of evidence you’ve seen to the contrary. I am a good man and I think I could fall in love with you. The question is whether there is any chance that falling for you would end happily for me.”
Beth’s heart pounded like a drum in her ears. She said the first thing that came to mind. “You barely know me.”
“I know plenty.” He smiled. “You’re kind and beautiful. You smell like lavender.”
“I do?”
