He got out of the car and walked to the door, surprised to find he was nervous. His gut did a little dance and his dick urged him to be as nice as possible. The memory of Bea’s body was the stuff of dreams.
He raised his hand to knock when the door opened and Bea stood there with a tote bag, a blanket and other items sticking out. She wore a pair of cut-off shorts and a yellow T-shirt with what appeared to be a bikini top beneath it. Her spectacular breasts were literally staring him in the face. He licked his lips.
“Hi.” She raised both brows. “If you’re done looking at my tits, can you let me out?”
He snorted a laugh and stepped back. “I’m sorry. They, ah, are…”
“Magnificent?” She laughed, an earnest one from her belly, not a little tinkling, girlie one. Bea did everything with gusto, which might be why he was drawn to her life force. She was vibrant.
“Yes, they are.” He gestured with his arm to his car. “My chariot?”
He helped her into the car like a true gentleman. As his mother had taught him to. She had liked Bea, to his knowledge, although after the incident at the pond, he was certain Bea had refused to come to the Circle Eight.
Laz had a lot to make up for, and he hoped this was the first step forward. What happened after that was unknown, and a bit frightening. Laz was a ranger, however, and danger wasn’t anything to run from. He wasn’t about to give up before the real challenge began.
The ride out to the Circle Eight was a comfortable silence. The moment was broken when Bea’s stomach growled. She laughed. And shrugged at him.
“It’s your fault. That fried chicken smells like heaven. I didn’t have a snack because I was looking forward to the picnic.” She peered into the backseat. “What other culinary delights did you bring?”
“Patience, grasshopper. You will know when we get there.” He kept his tone even, although he was anxious to get to the pond. To kiss her again. Taste her passion again.
To live again.
The sun hung low in the sky, its orange rays bouncing like diamonds on the surface of the water. The pond had changed somewhat but it remained the same in other ways. The trees had grown taller, the bushes fuller, but the small beach beckoned swimmers. A warm breeze greeted them as he pulled the car to a stop at the edge of the pond.
She blinked against the brightness of the sun. “This is going to be good, right?”
He took her hand and kissed the palm. “It’s going to be better than good.”
A flash of something moved through her face, but it was gone in a moment. She smiled a bit too brightly and opened the door. “You’d better bring that food and eat when I do or you might not get any.”
He didn’t know what was going through her mind, but he did know this place held bad memories for her. Laz would not allow that to continue. He grabbed the bag of food and followed her to the beach. She was laying out a few blankets, then slipped off her flip-flops.
Laz watched with what he would call lascivious intent while she stretched, pushing her breasts forward. His dick twitched. God, she was amazingly sensual.
“Bring that food, Ranger, and I might let you see these magnificent breasts again.” She smiled and sat down cross-legged on the blankets.
They spent the next twenty minutes consuming the rich, perfectly prepared food. Bea groaned too many times for him to count. His boxers were getting tighter and tighter with each passing minute. She licked her lips, patted her belly and lay back on the blankets.
He’d barely eaten and if he had, he didn’t remember tasting it. She turned her head to look at him.
“Weren’t you hungry?”
He was ready to step off the cliff and fly. “Not for food.” He tossed the food containers behind him as he crawled toward her.
Her eyes widened, but not in fear. Excitement shone from the depths of her expression. And damned if her nipples didn’t harden.
“Do you want to go swimming?” He paused inches above her mouth, his breath gusting against her slightly parted lips. He wanted to devour her, show her infinite pleasure until she, and he, were thoroughly satiated. Then begin again.
She hesitated, no doubt remembering the last time they had been at the pond together. A dark spot in his past he needed to erase from both their memories.
“Sure.” She didn’t move.
“Let me help you.” He pulled her to her feet while she watched with a wary expression. He tried to smooth away the frown between her brows with his thumbs, and then kissed his way from her forehead to her lips. She sighed as he licked at the seam of her mouth.
“You’re seducing me.”
“I’m trying my damndest.” He tugged at the T-shirt she wore, pulling it up as he continued to tease her with his lips and tongue. Her skin tasted of sunshine and woman. He shook with the need to move faster, but he held tight to his control. This was about her.
He pulled her shorts down and helped her to balance as she stepped out of them. With a smile they walked to the pond, hand in hand. He wanted to run his hands up and down her curves and revel in the pure sensuality that was Beatrice.
They stepped to the edge until their toes were covered in the cool mud and warm water. He lifted her hand and kissed the back.
“I used to take the world for granted, and everyone in it. Including you.” He swept his arm wide. “Thank you for coming here and for giving me a chance. This pond has to be rechristened today with the sweet memories we make together.”
She blew out air through her mouth in a rush. “You’re awfully poetic for a ranger.”
He snorted. “I used a thesaurus when I was rehearsing.”
She laughed, a boisterous and beautiful activity that included her entire body. Laz had never known someone who was so genuine. She humbled him with her fresh, open approach to everything.
“Let’s go swimming, cowboy.” She dove into the water and cut across the still pond with beautiful strokes of an accomplished swimmer.
He watched her for a few moments before he jumped in after her. The water was refreshing on the hot summer’s day. He had missed the simple joy of a dip in the afternoon. There wasn’t much call for it as a ranger. Most days he worked from sunup until well past sundown.
Now he was here, off duty on time again, and he was relaxing. Doing nothing but existing and living and enjoying himself. It was liberating and terrifying. What had Bea’s influence done to him? He was turning into a regular human being.
He liked it.
Laz finally caught up to Bea as she lay on her back, swimming in lazy circles. He came up beside her and cupped her perfectly round ass.
She hooted. “Someone’s goosing me.”
“I can’t help it. Your ass inspires me to grab it.”
“It’s not magnificent, is it?” The teasing glint in her warm eyes made him laugh.
“Glorious.”
“You have been using the thesaurus.” She spread her arms as she floated, her curls dancing around her.
“God, you’re beautiful.”
Her eyes popped open wide. “What?”
Laz wanted to turn and swim away, but he wouldn’t. The last week with Beatrice had been eye opening and the best thing that ever happened to him.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more beautiful sight than you in this pond.” He kissed the edge of one breast. “I want to make love to you, Beatrice.”
She blinked, drops of water splashing down her cheeks. “Be careful, Lazarus, you’re going to make me fall in love with you.”
This time when he smiled, he fell a little in love with her too. Not that he would admit that anytime soon. It was all too new, this emotional vulnerability. He would be honest with her but he wouldn’t throw himself on his sword just yet.
But soon. If things kept going so well, he wouldn’t be able to help himself.
She turned and wrapped her legs and arms around him, pulling him against her cool curves. He cupped her ass and held her in place as his feet touched the ground. It was f
airly deep there, over five feet, but not enough to hinder his moves.
He pressed his fingers between her legs until they slid beneath the bikini bottom. The sweet heat of her pussy made his dick twitch. She made a contented purr and started kissing his neck.
He slid two fingers inside her while his thumb found her clit. “Let me pleasure you.”
She sat up and he used his teeth to pull the bikini top to the side, then licked her nipple. Bea’s eyes darkened with passion as it bubbled inside her. He suckled her while his hands brought her pleasure and his cock throbbed against her thigh.
He switched to the other breast, and then slid a third finger inside her. She gripped his shoulders and rode his hand. He bit her nipple as her muscles contracted around his fingers. She moaned and whispered his name, pleasure shudders wracking her body.
Laz wanted to plunge into her and fuck her into next week, but he held back. Instead he kissed her soft skin, up her chest to her neck and face, then down the other side. Her head lolled back and she rubbed against him.
“If you keep that up, I’m gonna muss my shorts.”
She laughed and wiggled harder. “Maybe you need to.”
“Or maybe I need to slide into you.”
“Mmmm, I like that idea even better.” She reached down and wrapped her hands around him.
It was Laz’s turn to close his eyes and enjoy the ministrations of her long, talented fingers. He reached into the tiny pocket of his shorts and pulled out the condom. With shaking hands, he yanked his shorts off and slipped the rubber on. Before he knew it, she had his dick poised at the entrance to her pussy.
He sank into her depths an inch at a time, slow and easy. The water lapped at them with their movements, the coolness a contrast to their heated flesh. She was tight and slick, her inner muscles holding, tugging him deeper each time.
She scratched at his back as they danced the most ancient of dances. His release threatened but he wanted her to find another. Their mutual pleasure with no regrets. He reached between them and found her clit, pinching it through the fabric.
“Oh shit.” She tightened her legs and pulled him so deep he touched her womb. She gasped as the second orgasm rolled through her.
Then the universe exploded. He pumped into her hard and fast while the stars flew right and left, blinding him, pulling him to a place he’d forgotten existed.
It was at least a full minute before he could form a coherent thought.
“That was—”
“Magnificent. Absolutely magnificent.” She smiled and his heart flipped.
This was the woman he would have never known if he had stayed trapped in his own self-imposed prison. How the universe managed to put her in his path was a mystery.
All Laz knew was he was infinitely glad it had. Beatrice was one in a million. A woman he would never get enough of.
Chapter Seven
‡
Beatrice stared out the new glass windows of the store while the sun rose, sending shadows dancing across the floor. Her mood was pensive, unsure, and if she were honest with herself, hopeful.
The experience two days ago with Laz had been incredible. Amazing. Life-changing. He’d managed to show her that she was a desirable, beautiful woman, no longer Queen Bea. Her heart had become engaged for sure. The problem was, she wasn’t sure if his heart was. In fact, he hadn’t called or texted her since then.
Doubt began to creep in and she needed to beat it back with a big stick. Unfortunately, she had been battered emotionally by the break-in, the suddenness of Laz in her life, and the burgeoning romance had thrown her into a tailspin.
When the door of the shop opened, she started and stumbled backward. Laz stood in the doorway, his silhouette dark against the early morning light, but she would recognize him anywhere.
“Shit, you scared me.” She pressed her hand to her heart. “What are you doing here?”
The question came out sharper than she intended. It wasn’t his fault she had been stuck musing about the fact she was falling in love with him. He’d appeared as though she’d conjured him.
“I have news.” He put his hands on his hips and fixed her with that unblinking stare. As a cop, he was damn good at intimidation simply by existing.
She crossed her arms. “About what?” She couldn’t stop the annoyed tone in her voice. He disappeared for two days and then popped in as though he hadn’t been on radio silence.
“A few things.” He held up a folder and gestured to the office. “Can we sit down?”
She shrugged. “Fine.”
They walked into the office and she put the table between them. He sat down and opened the folder. Three very neat paper-clipped bundles were inside. He lined them up beside each other, then laced his fingers together.
“Sit.”
She raised her brows.
He closed his eyes. “Please.”
Bea wasn’t normally a brat, but she felt like one. She sat across from Laz, wondering what his game was. Did he come to mess with her just to see if he could? Self-doubt assailed her.
“I’m sorry I didn’t call you in the last two days. I was working on the leads and tracking down a suspect.” He pulled out bright sticky notes, which, dammit, charmed her. He set out a bright green one that read WORK on the first pile of papers. “One Daniel Jones was a disgruntled former owner of a sporting goods store. It went out of business to be replaced by a florist shop owned by a woman. He doesn’t have an alibi and we’re close to tagging the evidence to him for all five crimes.”
She was almost disappointed. “Who the hell is Daniel Jones and why does he hate me?”
“It appears he’d been close to bankruptcy when he went to the business expo at the Circle Eight. Old school guy who was raised that a woman’s place is barefoot and pregnant. Female business owners threatened him and he blamed all of you for the loss of his business. Personally, I think he might have a chance at an insanity plea. I’ve left this in the hands of another ranger to complete.” Laz moved the pile to the side then pasted a bright blue note that read HOME on the second group of papers. “I leased an apartment in Brier Creek yesterday.”
Her heart slammed into high gear. He was moving back home? She didn’t know what to say. Butterflies danced through her belly.
He put a bright red note on the last pile and it read BEA. “I’ve spent time thinking about you. A lot.” His blue-green gaze found hers. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but after spending time with you, I feel like I’ve found where I belong. Maybe it’s too early to talk about the future, but I wanted you to know how I feel.”
Her mouth had gone cotton dry and her damn eyes stung. She pointed at the papers with one shaking finger. “What is in there?”
He smiled and it transformed his harsh expression into one of male beauty. Lazarus Graham was so damn good looking it hurt to look at him sometimes.
“Tickets to a weekend in Corpus Christi for your birthday.”
She pressed a hand to her heart. “You know my birthday?”
“Of course I do. How can I ask to be your boyfriend if I don’t know everything I can about you.” He gazed at the red note. “When you turned sixteen, my sisters went to your party but I wasn’t invited. I never forgot the date or the fact that I wanted to be there, but I was such an asshole to you I didn’t deserve to be there.”
“I also have a brochure from the community college for a degree in criminal justice. You’re so damn smart and a natural born detective. I’m overstepping, but I think you can kick ass if you decide to move into law enforcement.”
She struggled to find the words to express just how full her heart was. She could only swallow and look like a doofus. It was as though someone looked into her deepest fantasies and brought forth everything she wanted. Including Laz Graham.
“I don’t know what to say,” she managed to squeak out.
“You don’t have to say anything. All of this is for you.” He got to his feet. “Read through it and then call me when you de
cide if you want to take a chance on a cowboy who is half in love with you but a little screwed up. He also comes with baggage and rusty social skills.”
He turned and walked out of the office. Bea traced the writing on the red note, the square handwriting neat and precise. Laz had just offered her so much including the opportunity to change the direction of her life, her career and her heart.
Was she ready for it?
Did it matter if she was ready or not?
Bea jumped to her feet and raced through the store. He was walking toward his car when she ran into the street.
“Lazarus Matthew Graham!” Her voice echoed across the morning light. A few people on the sidewalk stopped to stare. “Where the hell are you going?”
She sauntered toward him and he crossed his arms, accentuating the breadth of his chest and shoulders. A shiver raced down her at how delicious this man was.
Her man.
“Getting out of your way.”
She pushed her breasts against those powerful arms until he opened them and she looped her hands around his neck. “What if I want you in my way?”
His gaze was wary. “Are you sure you don’t need time to think?”
She smiled with everything that was in her heart. “Nope.”
He hugged her then pulled her off her feet and swung her in a circle. “Good, because I don’t think I can go another day without kissing you.”
His lips found hers as the bright sunshine bathed them in warmth. Beatrice had begun the week with a horrific crime against her and here she was ending the week the promise of a love and a man to share it with.
Fate might be a fickle mistress, but she had her moments.
About the Author
Beth Williamson, who also writes as Emma Lang, is an award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of both historical and contemporary romances. Her books range from sensual to scorching hot. She is a Career Achievement Award Nominee in Erotic Romance by Romantic Times Magazine, in both 2009 and 2010, and a quarter-finalist in the 2014 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest.
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