by Debra Webb
“So you’re a doctor?” Zach inquired, his tone rich with sarcasm.
“A radiologist to be precise,” Lane replied, his face now flushed.
“You like being a radiologist?”
He nodded. “Sure. My uncle says I have a bright future ahead of me.”
Zach lifted one eyebrow in question. Maybe the guy’d been overexposed. Radiology had to be a risky profession. Then again, maybe his bright future had nothing at all to do with his personality and skill or lack thereof.
“You married? Kids?” Zach pressed.
“Oh, no.” Lane laughed and gestured lamely to the flowers lying on the sofa table. “No,” he repeated.
Zach nodded. “You’re here to see Beth,” he suggested in a tone just shy of accusing.
The guy looked suddenly afraid…very afraid. “Well, yes…I mean…yes. She’s very nice,” he rambled on. “We work together.”
Zach resisted the urge to roll his eyes and say duh. “Is this the first time you two have been out?”
Before the guy could answer, Beth walked in with the cup of sugar. Color had darkened her cheeks. She was furious. Zach almost smiled. Good.
“Here you go, Zach.” She handed him the brimming cup. “Baking cookies again?”
He glowered at her. “Yeah.” He shifted his gaze to Lane “Wimp” Wiseman. “Gingerbread men.”
Lane swallowed hard.
“Have fun,” Beth said cheerfully as she practically pushed Zach into the hall. “Lane and I are off to the movies.”
Zach hesitated at the front door. “The movies?” Movie theaters were dark. He darted a lethal look at Lane, who hovered a few feet away. But then, Zach reasoned, it would be crowded on a Saturday night. Too many other people around for them to—
“Yes, the movies.” Beth ushered him out, then smiled. “Remember the drive-in?” she asked sweetly.
Drive-in? The image of Beth in that gray sedan with Lane zoomed into vivid 3-D focus in Zach’s brain. Zach remembered all too well what he’d done at the drive-in. He thought they’d closed that place down years ago.
“You mean that old place is still open?” he echoed his thought.
Although her smile remained intact, Zach could see the fury broiling in that dark gaze. “Pete Carson reopened it several years ago, when retro became the in thing. It’s the most popular place in town.”
Zach remembered Pete Carson, too. If he was running the joint there was no telling what kind of movies were shown there. The idea of Beth and Lane in a car with steamy windows…
Zach crushed that line of thinking. Beth was a good girl, she wouldn’t—
“Have a nice night,” she said by way of dismissal. “I know I intend to.” She shut the door in Zach’s face.
His mother’s words about all the guys chasing Beth echoed in his brain, joining the image still churning there.
Zach pivoted and started back toward his house, the unneeded cup of sugar in his hand. Beth’s personal life was none of his business. What the hell was he doing intruding like this?
Whatever she did was fine by him.
He wasn’t her father or her husband. If she wanted to date some loser who probably couldn’t even get a job without his uncle’s help, what did he care? It wouldn’t be the first time she’d gone after the wrong guy.
She, apparently, had not learned from her mistakes.
But that wasn’t his problem.
He was just the guy next door.
Chapter Ten
Beth reached into the bag for another fluffy kernel of salty popcorn and sighed, being careful that her date didn’t hear her. She stole a stealthy sideways glance at Lane. He chose that precise moment to stuff a wad of popcorn into his mouth. She grimaced when the overflow fell into his lap as he began to chew what was clearly more than a mouthful. A couple of chews later and he washed it all down with a long, noisy draw from his cola.
Fixing her gaze back on the big screen, Beth reminded herself that he was the hospital administrator’s nephew and a pretty nice guy, eating habits aside. She would never hurt his feelings, though she’d wished a million times she hadn’t answered the telephone when he’d called. She frowned as she sipped her cola. In the four months that she’d been on staff at the hospital, he’d never asked her out before. She wondered at his sudden interest now. Maybe he was simply bored.
Saying no thanks hadn’t really been an option, not only to spare his feelings but to protect her job as well. She saw on a daily basis how defensive the administrator was where his nephew was concerned. Cartersville wasn’t that much larger than Kelso, most everybody knew everyone else. The last thing she wanted to do was get on the administrator’s wrong side.
Beth tried again to pick up the gist of the movie’s plot, but she’d been lost in thought through most of it and it was half over now. She kept thinking about Zach showing up at her door asking to borrow a cup of sugar. Irritation flamed inside her even now at the thought. He’d been checking up on her. He wanted to know who was at her house and what they were doing. The very idea of him snooping like that!
Why? was the $64,000.00 question. He apparently had no interest in her other than as friends. And, she’d already admitted to herself that she didn’t want to risk that friendship. But why did he have to lend credibility to her lustful thoughts of him by acting territorial where she was concerned?
The answer hit her right between the eyes. He didn’t want her but he didn’t want anyone else to have her either. It was a man thing. He’d seen another man in the area and he’d shown up to mark what he considered his personal territory.
Fury erupted inside her all over again. Matt had never acted that way. Not even that last year they’d lived together, as their relationship disintegrated. He’d been reserved and more than willing to give up on their marriage without a fuss.
Beth took another bite of popcorn to placate the state of depression settling over her as she considered her pathetic love life. She and Matt had seemed to have so much in common. Their work, their quiet nature. Staying home when they were off duty had been their favorite pastime. An occasional social function with their colleagues, or going out to dinner and a movie was all the excitement either of them had required. To a point. It didn’t take Beth long to realize that something wasn’t quite right—in the romance department. Excitement was lacking there as well.
As hard as she tried she couldn’t stop comparing the differences between her husband and the man she’d loved her whole life. How could she have ever thought that the mutual respect and faint stir of attraction she and Matt felt for each other would be enough? Not when she’d had that one taste of wild, animal attraction the night she’d kissed Zach. Nothing or no one had ever made her feel that way again. Though she and Zach hadn’t ever made love…the kiss had been proof positive that they could generate heat and excitement.
Warmth rushed through her veins as she recalled the vivid image of Zach completely naked stalking around his bedroom. Matt certainly didn’t look anything like that. She’d seen her share of naked men in her profession, but she couldn’t recall a single one who looked quite like Zach. And she’d certainly never been to bed with any of the other naked men she’d seen. Matt was the one and only.
Beth almost groaned. Zach was right. She was a good girl. She’d tried to make him believe there’d been other relationships, she’d even convinced herself that she could do an affair. But the truth was she hadn’t once tried.
The bottom line was she had no real experience in the sex game and no one to compare anything to except Matt. And, well, Matt was Matt. He wasn’t exactly stud material.
She stole another look at her date. Neither was Lane for that matter. But he was a man. She looked at him again, a little more closely this time. The light from the movie flickered through the windshield, highlighting his profile. He wasn’t handsome like Zach and he didn’t have the same muscular body, but he was nice. Unlike Zach’s, Lane’s lips were a little on the thin side, and he didn’t have
much of a chin. But he had a great sense of humor. And there was no time like the present to start beefing up her experience. She might even find that she liked Lane enough to rid Zach from her system altogether.
What was she thinking? Beth felt suddenly ill. She needed some fresh air…to splash her face with water. Something. Anything to clear her head.
“I have to go to the rest room,” she blurted. Her stomach churned violently in emphasis of her statement. How could she have even thought about…?
She was losing her mind. She had to get out of this car.
“Yeah, sure,” Lane said without ever taking his eyes off the screen. “I’ll catch you up when you get back so you don’t miss anything.”
Beth left her drink and popcorn on the console and climbed out of the car, almost falling in her haste. This was all Zach’s fault. He was making her crazy. She hurried through the rows of cars toward the refreshment center. Steamy windows concealed the passengers of nearly every car she passed. Few had bothered to place the speaker inside the window. She frowned, her step slowing as she studied the cars on either side of her. They couldn’t hear the movie that way. She doubted they could see either. Why would they…?
Understanding dawned on her. Her mouth dropped open and she forced her feet back into motion. No wonder this place was so wildly popular. And all this time she’d thought it was the old movies they billed.
Surely Lane hadn’t thought…? She shook her head. He was too busy actually watching the movie to want to…
What was wrong with her? Suddenly all she could think about was sex.
Just one more week, she told herself. In one more week Zach would be back in Chicago and her life could get back to normal. She’d store away all these silly notions and fantasies about him and never allow them to surface again.
All she had to do was survive this one week. Their friendship would be left unharmed and she would focus on her work just like before. She’d married once. Who said she had to do it again? Her work fulfilled her. She didn’t need a husband or children. The vivid image of her belly, minus the belly button ring, ripe with Zach’s child brought her to an abrupt stop. The sense of yearning that swamped her made her reach for the closest object to steady herself. She leaned against the trunk of someone’s car and allowed the powerful sensation to fade.
Would she never know the feeling of holding her own child? Zach’s child? Or of feeling his arms around her as she fell asleep at night? Would none of those things ever be? She’d dreamed of their being together somehow for so long, how would she ever live the rest of her life without touching that place in her heart again?
What if he married? A flood of pain cascaded over her. He’d never married before, but maybe he would in spite of his claims otherwise. Someone else would fall asleep in his arms, feeling loved and protected by the kind of man who knew how to make her feel both. That sick feeling welled in Beth’s stomach again when she considered that it wouldn’t be her.
The solid support beneath her suddenly started to rock. It took Beth a few seconds to figure out what was happening. When it finally hit her she shot to her feet.
Dammit. Was everyone here having sex but her?
Angry with herself for feeling so vulnerable and needy, she stormed the rest of the way to the refreshment center. She jerked the door open and went inside. The audio from the movie was piped in for those waiting in line. As if any of them cared. The part of the building that faced the movie screen was one long row of windows, tables flanked it for those who preferred to eat inside rather than in their cars. Retro fifties décor, including a car from the era, lent the proper ambiance to the newly refurbished building. A neon sign directed patrons to the rest rooms. Beth wove her way through the crowd, her frustration mounting with each male of the species she encountered.
Men! she fumed. Who needed them? They were confusing, self-centered creatures who did nothing but make the lives of women miserable. She should just swear off men altogether. In her experience, minimal as it was, sex was overrated anyway. So what if Zach could make her body burn. Just because a horse got out of the gate didn’t mean it would win the race.
The next time she saw Zach Ashton she might just tell him to kiss her—
There he was. She froze halfway through the crowd.
What was he doing here?
His odd behavior earlier when he’d pretended to need a cup of sugar filtered through the haze of anger engulfing her brain. She remembered telling him where she and Lane were going. Zach was…
Her eyes widened as renewed fury swept through her. He was checking up on her.
Beth pushed her way through the crowd until she’d reached him. After tapping him on one broad shoulder, she demanded, “What the hell are you doing here?”
Pretending to be surprised at seeing her, he smiled that big old lopsided gesture that, as usual, made her heart react. “Hey, Beth. Enjoying the movie?”
“Don’t try to change the subject,” she snapped. “I asked what you’re doing here?”
The teenager behind the counter interrupted, “What’ll it be?” she asked Zach.
Zach, feigning confusion, turned to the kid and said, “Two large colas, two large popcorns.” Then he turned back to Beth. “Is something wrong?”
She felt the blood drain from her face. Her anger reversed itself and instantly diverted to humiliation and utter jealousy. He’d ordered two colas and two popcorns. He wasn’t checking up on her. He wasn’t alone. He’d come to the drive-in with someone. A woman, no doubt. The blood that had forsaken her face now pooled in her feet, making it impossible for her to run, as she’d so like to.
“No,” she squeaked. “Nothing’s wrong. I…I just didn’t expect to see you here.”
Zach took out a bill and placed it on the counter to pay for the items he’d ordered. “You didn’t think I was checking up on you, did you?” he teased.
A new blast of anger sent color to her cheeks yet again and enough blood rushing back to her head to send her blood pressure into the red. “Don’t be ridiculous. Why would I think such a thing?”
He shrugged one of those massive shoulders. “I don’t know. Maybe it has something to do with you marching up to me and demanding to know what I’m doing here.”
She lifted her chin and glared at him. “I’m an adult, Zach. Why would I care what you do?” Gritting her teeth to keep from saying more, she pushed between Zach and the guy behind him and all but ran down the hall to the rest room.
Once inside the small ladies’ room, she sagged against the door and blew out a breath of pure frustration.
What was wrong with her?
She hadn’t suffered with mood swings like this since junior high school. First she wanted to have an affair with the man, then she wanted nothing to do with him. Then she topped the whole thing off by humiliating herself right to his face.
He knew exactly what she’d thought.
He knew exactly how she felt.
She never could hide anything from Zach. With her mother’s odd behavior, this out-of-control birthday celebration and Zach, Beth was ready to scream.
She clamped her mouth shut in case the urge overwhelmed her. If she screamed they’d lock her up and throw away the key. Especially considering her current behavior. No one in her right mind acted the way she’d been acting lately. She could just imagine Lane telling his uncle all about her unstable behavior. Then she’d lose her job to boot.
A loud rap on the door jerked her back to the here and now. She placed a hand on her chest and drew in a steadying breath.
“Just a minute,” she called out. A quick check in the mirror and a little cold water on her flushed face was all she needed. Surely whoever it was could wait that long. It was ridiculous that there wasn’t more than one stall in an establishment this size. She supposed she should be thankful that it was so clean. She’d seen few public rest rooms this immaculate. She straightened away from the door.
“Beth, is everything all right?”
/> Zach.
Surprise, swiftly followed by fury, jolted her. She whipped around and glared at the wood panel that stood between her and the very man she wanted to escape.
“Would you please just go away,” she demanded. A woman can’t even go to the bathroom, she added silently.
“Why are you hiding from me?”
Her mouth fell open. She leaned closer to the door so there would be no mistaking her words when she spoke. “I am not hiding,” she said succinctly. “Why would I?”
The nerve of him, she fumed. Hands planted on her hips, she dared him to argue the issue.
He didn’t.
Instead, he opened the door and walked in, closing it behind him.
“What are you doing? You can’t come in here!”
“What’s going on, Beth?” That pulse-tripping blue gaze leveled on hers. That muscular body blocked the only escape route, towering over her, making her want to lean into him and at the same time run like hell.
She backed up a step only to be halted by the one stall in the tiny room. “If someone else comes in and finds you in here like this, Zach Ashton, I swear I’m going to—”
He reached behind him and locked the door. “No one’s coming in.”
Something in his eyes, a kind of heat and determination she’d never seen before, sent her heart hammering into overdrive. “You can see that I’m fine,” she told him, trying her best to keep the tremor from her voice. “Now, would you please leave.”
He stepped forward. Her eyes widened.
“Not until you admit,” he said silkily, “that you thought I was checking up on you.”
“I thought no such thing,” she denied. This time she couldn’t tell if her voice wavered or not, the blood roaring in her ears muffled all other sound. Heat followed its path, making her too warm inside the thin cotton dress. Making her want to squirm beneath his penetrating gaze.
“Liar,” he murmured.
He was way too close. She couldn’t think with him this close. “You can’t be certain that I’m not telling the truth.”
