by Debra Webb
Those blue eyes settled on hers then and Beth knew she’d just been introduced to the legendary attorney, Zacharius Ashton. That steely gaze gave away nothing of what he might be thinking. Not even a hint of emotion showed itself.
He braced his hands wide apart on the bar’s polished black granite surface and leaned forward just enough to lend intimidation to his stance. “You want to have sex with me, is that it?”
His crude words almost sent her scrambling for the door, but she held her ground. She fixed her hands firmly on her hips and met his hard, analyzing gaze. “That’s right.” She lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. “I’m attracted to you, you’re attracted to me, why not? People do it all the time.”
A muscle in his chiseled jaw jumped. Beth chewed her lower lip to prevent a tiny smile. Now she was getting somewhere. That legal eagle armor wasn’t nearly as impervious as she’d first thought. She could crack it. All she had to do was be persistent.
“We’re practically family,” he challenged, inflection still lacking in his tone.
“No, we’re not. Besides, I know what I felt when we kissed this afternoon. You’re just as interested as I am.” She had him there. Let him try and deny that.
Something glimmered in his eyes…uncertainty, maybe. “You caught me off guard. It was a typical male reflex.”
She did smile then. “Look me straight in the eye, Zach Ashton, and tell me that you’re not attracted to me.” She edged another step closer, leaving nothing but the narrow span of granite separating them. “Tell me you don’t want me.”
That muscle flexed in his jaw again. “I won’t lie to you, Beth. You’re a beautiful woman. Of course, I’m attracted to you. But you’re not my type.”
She didn’t miss the flicker of relief in those baby blues with that statement. He’d just chalked one up to the defense.
“Is that right?”
“That’s right.” His gaze never left hers. “I don’t do affairs. I do sex. If you’re looking for anything other than that, then you’re looking in the wrong place. I’m not the marrying kind.”
Touché. So he thought she was looking for another husband. “Don’t flatter yourself. I’m not looking for a proposal. You think I’m not capable of a one-night stand? I was married, Zach, and I’ve had other relationships,” she fibbed, exaggerating her few dates before marrying Matt. “And whether you want to admit it or not, I am all grown up. I’m a woman, I have needs. You’re here, I’m here, what’s the big deal?”
Anger, swift and unmistakable, kindled in his eyes. “So, I’m convenient, is that it?” He poured another drink and downed it as quickly as the first. “Fine. Why don’t we just do it now and get it over with? I can be ready any time.”
Beth jerked back a step, her eyes wide with astonishment. Who was backpedaling now? Zach mused. A smile kicked up one corner of his mouth. He’d had a feeling all that sass was just a bluff.
“I wasn’t suggesting that we…” She struggled with her words. “…start at this exact moment. I mean…” Color rose up her neck and spread across her cheeks. “We should choose a time and place to…well, to…”
He cocked one eyebrow and eyed her skeptically. “You mean, make an appointment.”
She took yet another step backward. “Not precisely an appointment.” She flared her palms upward. “More like a date.”
“Do you usually set dates to have sex?” he asked pointedly. When faced with her look of horror he instantly regretted the remark. He didn’t want to have this conversation…not with Beth.
“We…” She visibly grappled for an explanation. “We really have to straighten out this mess between our mothers before we think of ourselves,” she said in a rush. Relief immediately flowed over her pretty face.
He couldn’t argue that. “You’re right. We’ll decide what we’re going to do about those two and then we’ll have sex.”
She nodded stiffly. “Sounds good.” More space appeared between them as she moved farther away. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
Zach watched that amazing derriere sway subtly as she walked toward the door. Taking a deep breath was impossible with those long legs and that shapely backside drawing the attention of his every brain cell.
“Beth,” he called out to her before she could get completely away.
She paused at the door and looked back at him. “Yes.”
She appeared much more relaxed with this much distance between them. She looked so young…so innocent. How the hell was he going to save her from him—much less herself?
“If you change your mind,” he began, knowing it was the only right thing to do, “I’ll understand.”
She smiled, the gesture clearly forced. “Why would I change my mind?”
For two long beats he just looked at her, taking in the whole picture: silky, honey-colored hair, wide doe eyes and a face straight out of heaven. An angel. Sweet, Beth. Dr. Elizabeth McCormick, who spent her days healing the sick and her nights sharing her childhood home with her mother.
And he was the devil himself. He’d never once in his adult life done even one thing so selfless as what she did on a daily basis. He didn’t deserve her. She’d obviously known that when she picked another man over him. He gritted his teeth. There was no point in denying it now. “Because you’re a good girl and I’m not sure you really want what you’ve asked for.”
She only looked at him for one long moment, then said, “I’m not that little girl next door you used to know, Zach.” She smiled, a seriously wicked gesture. “You’ll see.”
She was gone before he could say another word. He blew out a breath and scrubbed a hand over his face. Though physically he was more than ready to charge full-steam ahead, on a mental level he knew that he had to tread very carefully here. It would be so easy to take what she offered, but that would be a mistake. Any kind of permanent relationship between them would be geographically impossible…not to mention the dedication to duty required by his post at the Colby Agency. She was as dedicated to hers as he was to his. Neither would want to change.
Besides, Beth was still young. She would eventually want to marry again and have children. Zach wasn’t at all sure if he could give himself to her so completely and then watch her marry someone else. The first time had been hard enough. The memory of seeing her with him still burned in his gut.
At least now he knew what she was up to…what she wanted from him. Sex. She probably saw him as some sort of conquest—the older guy who’d ignored her as a kid. Anger swelled inside him at the thought that he might not mean any more to her than that.
An epiphany struck and a wide smile slid across his face. Well, if his undivided attention was what she wanted, he would give it to her in a form befitting his infamous reputation back in Chicago. If little Beth McCormick thought she was woman enough for him, she should just bring it on.
But Zach had a feeling that it would never happen. All he had to do was pour on the charm and the sexual advances and she would run like a scared rabbit.
He groaned when he considered that it was going to take another cold shower to get his body back under control.
Maybe saving Beth from herself could be his one totally selfless act.
BY LUNCHTIME the next day Beth had resigned herself to the fact that she was going to have to take drastic measures to prove to Zach that she wasn’t the good little girl he thought she was. Well, at least not that good anyway. She could be wicked when the urge struck her.
“Hey, Beth, how about lunch?”
She glanced up from the pile of reports on her desk to find Lucy, her friend and a staff nurse, lounging against her doorjamb. Beth produced a belated smile. “Thanks, but I have some errands to run.”
“Another day then. We need to catch up. It seems like forever since we’ve really talked.”
“Next week for sure.” Beth dug for her appointment calendar. “I’m penciling you in right now.”
Lucy gave her a thumbs-up. “Sounds good.”
After
her friend had gone, Beth glanced at the telephone and considered calling her mother again. But she’d already checked on her once today. If she called a second time, Helen would only be suspicious.
Beth snagged up her purse and headed for the door. She’d hardly slept at all last night. Every word Zach had said to her, the images of his naked, muscled body had swirled in her head all night long. She was scared to death that he was actually going to take her up on her offer, and at the same time frightened that his conscience would regain control and he’d deny her.
She would never be able to get on with her life if she didn’t get him out of her system once and for all. She’d come this far, there was no use backing out now.
Fifteen minutes later, Beth stood in front of a local Cartersville shop. One that neither she nor anyone she even knew had ever been inside. The sign above the door read We Tattoo You. She dragged in a deep, bolstering breath and shoved the door inward before she could lose her nerve.
A bell jingled and a half-dozen or so suspicious gazes focused on her. Beth swallowed, her throat almost too dry to perform the function.
One particularly large—huge actually—guy stepped forward. He wore the kind of biker attire one saw in the movies. He looked grungy and meaner than any character she’d ever seen on the big screen.
She straightened her light wool suit jacket and managed to ask, “Are you the owner?”
“Lady,” he growled, taking yet another step in her direction, “you can go right back to that health department and tell those communist inspectors I said to go to—”
“I’m—” Beth retreated a few inches. “I’m not from the health department,” she assured him quickly.
He relaxed visibly. “Are you lost?”
She shook her head. “No…”
Renewed suspicion narrowed his gaze. “Then what the hell are you doing here?”
She moistened her lips and gathered her crumbling composure. “I need to change my image.” She looked the big guy right in the eye. “Can you help me with that?”
A dentally challenged grin broke across his face. “Lady, you’ve come to the right place.”
BETH HAD JUST ten minutes before she had to be back at the hospital, but there was still time to pay for her items. She quickly scanned the array of sexy, silk lingerie she had selected. She resisted the urge to lift her blouse and look at her belly button. She still couldn’t believe she’d actually done it. She would absolutely have died if anyone she knew had walked into that tattoo parlor and found her there. Big Bart, the owner, had personally performed the little change she’d finally decided upon. She blushed at the memory of the audience who’d watched the entire procedure.
Well, she’d wanted a change.
She raised a skeptical eyebrow as she surveyed the thong panties she’d picked out. She’d never worn anything so…so racy.
She had to do it. She had to prove to Zach that she wasn’t that naive young woman he used to know. She was an adult. She had every intention of making him wish he’d noticed a whole lot sooner.
The musical notes emanating from her purse drew her attention there. She fished her cell phone out and flipped open the mouthpiece and offered a brisk hello.
“Beth?”
It was Zach. Beth’s eyes widened and she dropped the thong she’d been holding.
“Yes,” she croaked. A blush heated her cheeks.
“I thought I’d check to see if you were ready to discuss the situation with our mothers.”
Relief flooded her. She’d been afraid he’d ask if she was ready to—
“Have you come up with anything yet?” he prodded when she hesitated.
“I have a patient waiting for me right now,” she lied. “Meet me tonight and we’ll come up with something.”
She held her breath until he answered.
“Where?” The one word was husky, filled with sensual innuendo.
“At the swing,” she said quickly. “After dinner. See you then.” Beth depressed the end button before he could say anything else. Her heart was pounding. Her palms were perspiring. Her knees felt weak. All from simply hearing his voice.
What would she do tonight when they were alone with nothing but the moonlight as chaperone?
Chapter Six
Zach waited patiently by the big oak. He’d had dinner with his mother already. Every attempt he’d made to bring up Helen had quickly been diverted to some other subject. Colleen Ashton was quite adept at avoiding what she had no desire to discuss. Knowing when he was outmaneuvered, Zach relented to her choice of conversation topics—her birthday. He wondered if Beth had come up with a theme yet. A smile nudged at the corners of his mouth. Poor Beth. She’d really gotten the short end of that stick. But she hadn’t complained, not really.
Darkness had fallen quickly after he came outside. He leaned against the oak’s trunk and wondered what was keeping Beth. He studied the stone cottage across the garden, the moonlight making it look every bit as magical as he always deemed it to be. But the princess who lived there was still a no-show. He couldn’t be that early. Maybe she was making him wait. Women loved to play games.
But this wasn’t just any woman…this was Beth.
Restless, he set the swing into motion and watched its hypnotic sway. Mr. McCormick had crafted the seat by hand, smoothing the wood until it was as slick as glass. Then he’d climbed the oak to hang the sturdy ropes. Though it had been more than twenty years since he’d first hung the swing, Zach remembered the event as if it had happened just yesterday. He’d helped by telling Mr. McCormick when the seat hung evenly. Then Zach had spent countless hours pushing Beth in the thing. She’d squealed with delight and begged him to push her higher.
She’d owned his heart even then.
That was a very long time ago, he reminded himself, annoyed with his uncharacteristic sentimentality. He and Beth had different lives now, were different people. If she’d had any interest in marrying him, she wouldn’t have married someone else. It was true that as a kid she’d idolized him, but when she grew up she’d chosen someone else to share her life. Her divorce had only been final a month or so according to his mother. His brow furrowed as he analyzed that aspect of Beth’s current behavior. Maybe her focus on him was nothing more than a rebound reaction. She might feel compelled to prove she was still desirable.
If only she knew.
Quite possibly she considered Zach safe. He stilled, turning that concept over in his mind. She could enjoy a fun romp, then not have to worry about facing him on a regular basis when it was over because he’d be back in Chicago. Only human, he’d like nothing better than to participate, but it would be a mistake. It would forever change their lifelong relationship. Things would never be the same again. As much as he wanted her and hated the fact that she’d once belonged to someone else, he wouldn’t risk what they had for a brief affair.
And it would be just an affair. Her life was here, his was back at the agency. He couldn’t stay, she wouldn’t want to go. It was the proverbial lose-lose situation. Somehow he had to make her see that this whole idea was a mistake.
The best course, as he saw it, was to put a little reverse psychology into play. He knew Beth too well. She was the quintessential good girl. All he had to do was play his part right and she’d run like hell.
The sound of a door closing drew his attention to the cottage. Beth walked slowly in his direction. His body reacted instantly to the simple act of looking at her.
The breeze kicked up, lifting her golden tresses and swirling them around her shoulders. She’d changed clothes, he realized as his gaze swept down her body. He knew she’d worn green slacks and a blazer to work that morning because he’d watched her go. He had a great view of the east garden and the cottage from his bedroom window. As she neared now, he noted the way a pale blue blouse molded to her slender torso, defining each firm breast. Matching slacks, that fit more like a second skin, outlined her shapely legs.
“I hope I didn’t keep you wai
ting.” She sat down on the smooth wooden seat of the swing as if it were twenty years ago and she fully expected him to give her a push.
Zach crossed his legs at the ankles and folded his arms over his chest. “No problem. I’ve been refining my plan.” Which was true, she didn’t need to know which plan he meant.
She looked up at him, the moonlight spilling over her, giving her an ethereal glow. Just what he needed, another reminder that she wasn’t the kind of woman a man took to bed and walked away from. No wonder she’d picked another guy to marry, she was definitely too sweet for Zach. He liked his women sex hot and wild. Beth deserved better than what he had to offer her. Two weeks wasn’t nearly enough for a good affair.
“You have a plan? Good.” She pushed the swing into a slow glide with one foot. “What do I need to do?”
Zach decided that looking directly at her and allowing her to see how she affected him physically was the right way to go. “I’ll ask my mother to meet me at Pearle’s for lunch tomorrow. You do the same with Helen.”
Beth didn’t seem put off by his steady gaze, instead, she pursed her lush lips and considered his proposal for a moment, then asked, “What’s to keep them from walking out when they see each other instead of us?”
Zach grinned. “That’s the beauty of it. There’s no way my mother would ever make a public spectacle in Pearle’s. She’ll sit through lunch if it kills her.”
A tiny smile played about the corners of Beth’s mouth. “You’re right. That could work.” She stood, apparently assuming that their decision was the end of the discussion. “What time should we tell them to meet us?”
“Noon. That’s the busiest time. I’ll make the arrangements with the maitre d’.”
“I hope your plan works. We can’t let whatever this is keep stewing between them.”
