“Okay.” She could’ve sworn he’d been about to kiss her. Was it the stupid gloss holding him back? She’d forgotten about it and took a quick swipe with her tongue. It felt as if she’d already licked most of it off.
He let out a laugh, or maybe it was a groan. “You’re not making this easy.”
“What? What did I do?” she asked, catching his arm when he turned away.
“I’m trying to be a gentleman.”
Beth didn’t understand. “That’s—that’s very nice.” She let go. “I think.”
Slowly he brought out a pair of wineglasses from an upper cabinet. “Not interested in music?” he asked without looking at her.
“Oh, music. Right.” Still confused, she started toward the den. He obviously had no trouble initiating a kiss. He’d proved that in his office earlier.
She spotted the rows of CDs right away, neatly stored in racks built into the wall and grouped by genre and artist. It was quite a collection. Along with a selection of DVDs...a whole bunch of them. A lot were old films, some black-and-white, but the musical classics were a surprise. She wouldn’t have guessed they were Nathan’s. They must have belonged to his wife.
Beth turned around and studied the room. The Roman shades, designer furniture, art pieces...even the lamps had a different feel from the way Nathan’s office was decorated. All this was his wife’s work. Beth would bet anything that nothing had been changed or moved in three years.
Now she understood why she’d had trouble reading Nathan earlier. Having her here in his wife’s domain probably felt awkward for him.
“Finding anything you like?” he called from the kitchen.
She spun back to the CD selection. “Bob Seger, if that’s okay with you.”
“Sounds good.”
It was the first name Beth saw. She started the CD, and relaxed at the deep, raspy voice. Too late, she realized she could’ve loaded more than one CD, then was distracted by the floor-to-ceiling shelves to the left of the fireplace where a framed photo caught her attention.
The beautiful woman with the blue eyes and upswept auburn hair had to be his wife. Beth ducked to get a closer look without handling the intricate silver frame. Boy, did the camera love her. With her flawless skin and perfect bow lips, she could’ve been a model.
Beth switched her gaze to the next photo. It was the same woman, only this photo was candid, a full body shot, and she was really petite. Probably no more than five feet. So much for a modeling career. She was still beautiful, and clearly the type of woman Nathan preferred. It shouldn’t have mattered to Beth. And it didn’t. As long as the sex was good, that was all she cared about....
“Here’s your wine.”
At the sound of his voice directly behind her, she nearly jumped into the next decade.
“I called from the kitchen. I guess you didn’t hear me over the music. You okay?”
She gave a jerky nod, realized her hand had flown to her throat and lowered it to take the glass from him. “Thanks. I was just checking out your books.” Beth sighed. “And the photos.”
Nathan smiled. “Yes,” he said, not looking the least upset.
“Yes?” she echoed, not knowing what he meant.
“Those two photos are of Anne. My late wife. I’m sure you’re curious, and I wanted you to know it’s all right to ask.”
Beth glanced back at the other framed photographs scattered along three shelves. She hadn’t paid attention to them, but something he’d said made her look more closely. The rest of the pictures had to be of Nathan’s family—the resemblances were too strong not to be. There were no more shots of Anne, just the two. And not a single one of Nathan and Anne together.
“Are those your brothers?” Beth asked, hoping he wouldn’t think she’d fixated on his dead wife.
He picked up a photo of two teenagers wearing football jerseys and big grins. They were holding up a trophy, or more aptly, playing a game of tug-of-war with it. Nathan grinned. “How could you tell?”
Smiling back, she relaxed. “When was it taken?”
“They were still in high school.” He studied the photograph, the fondness in his eyes tinged with sadness. Then he blinked and it was gone. “About thirteen years ago.”
“So they’re both younger than you.”
“Clint is two years behind me,” he said, returning the photo to the shelf. “Seth is the baby.”
“I’m sure he loves you referring to him exactly like that.”
“Hell, he had a few names for me I wasn’t too fond of.”
“Care to share?”
A faint smile curving his mouth, he took her glass from her.
“Hey...I’ve only had two sips.”
He set their glasses next to the CD player and turned the volume down a bit.
She knew what he was going to do and beat him to it by sliding her arms around his neck. “I thought we were going to eat.”
“This is the appetizer.” His hands went to her waist and he pulled her against him as he bent his head.
His lips were warm and sure as they moved over her mouth. She pushed her fingers into his hair and felt his tongue run across the seam of her lips. He kept going, tracing the curve of her jaw with the tip of his tongue, then finding that sensitive spot where her neck and shoulder met.
He brushed her hair out of the way, letting it fall down her back, then followed the scoop of her neckline with his mouth. Pleasure shimmered through her. The musky scent of his heated skin was like a drug invading her system, making her weak and lethargic. She wound her arms tighter around his neck, hanging on to him for support, clutching at his hair. She hadn’t intended to force his head up.
Nathan pulled his mouth away and looked at her. His lips were damp, his eyes dark with desire.
Beth was starting to lean in for more when her stomach gurgled loudly enough they both heard it.
He closed his eyes for a second before letting her go. “We don’t have to do anything tonight but eat and talk. I’d meant to say that before.”
“I’m worried you’re finding it more difficult having me here than you thought.” She carefully studied his face, but he wasn’t giving anything away. “If that’s the case, I’ve heard I make a decent friend.”
“You always run around saving people?”
Now she saw that he didn’t seem upset at all. Maybe he was trying to be a gentleman and not rush her, just as he’d said.
“As a matter of fact, yes. Except I used to get paid for it.”
“What is it you used to do?”
“Event planner. I started out arranging corporate meetings, but we did some weddings and parties as a favor to corporate clients. The money was ridiculously good, so we branched out.”
“We?” He brought down plates from an upper cabinet. “You had a partner?”
“No, Fritz was my boss. He taught me everything I know about the business. I gave him plenty of notice before leaving, but he acts as if I deserted him.” She leaned a hip on the island and sipped her wine. “He’s also convinced I’ll come to my senses and ask for my job back.”
“Think you will?”
She laughed. “I might wise up and lock Liberty in her room until she’s thirty, but go back to event planning? Not a chance. After living out of a suitcase for ten years, I’ve had enough.” She noticed the three bar stools pushed under the lip of the island. “Should I set the table, or do you want to eat here?”
He seemed distracted, then glanced toward the open dining room where a beautiful cherry table with eight upholstered chairs had center stage. A matching china hutch had been placed against the wall shared with the kitchen.
Beth pressed her lips together. “Did you forget you have a dining room table?”
“Go ahead...laugh.”
She blinked. “You did? Seriously?” She searched his face. He had to be teasing her.
“I usually eat in my office,” he muttered, making a racket pulling out the silverware and keeping his back to her.
>
“Nathan.”
“Mind getting the napkins? They’re in the drawer to your right.”
Watching him do his best to ignore her, she struggled between dropping the subject and needling him.
She walked around the island, recalling how he’d had trouble finding the corkscrew. A weird feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. Had he become a stranger in his own home? As soon as she saw his expression she knew. “You weren’t kidding, were you?”
“Why is this an issue?” he muttered.
“I’m sorry. It’s not. Your house is so amazing, and all these huge windows... It’s dark so I can’t see the view, but I bet it’s spectacular. It feels as if I’m at a fancy retreat or a spa. I could never take a house like this for granted—” She stopped. Winced at the implication.
Nathan just shook his head and picked up the lasagna. He didn’t seem angry or annoyed or much of anything. For a second she thought she saw a hint of amusement in his face, but she wasn’t sure.
“You know what, Bethany?” he said, stopping right in front of the table. “You’re a fascinating woman. I’m glad you’re here. But I have to confess, sometimes I just don’t know what the hell to do with you.”
His confession did wonderful things for her nerves. She hadn’t felt so flustered on a date since her early teens. Maybe it was because she’d expected a discreet dinner and a more discreet motel? Or maybe it was the fact that he was so damned enigmatic.
On the other hand, she’d always liked puzzles.
9
NATHAN CARRIED THE food to the table, silently acknowledging that it had been too long since he’d been with a woman who wasn’t Anne.
Like any married couple, they’d fallen into a routine. He and Anne had disagreed, but only over petty things. Her eyes would fill with tears and he’d let her have her way. When it came to ranch business or finances, she’d just smile and tell him to do whatever he thought best, so he’d quit trying to involve her.
He watched Beth pop a cherry tomato into her mouth, then pick up their salad plates and close the knife drawer with her hip. He doubted she’d have trouble expressing an opinion. Hell, he expected she had a whole lot of them. And if they disagreed over something, she wouldn’t hesitate to go toe-to-toe with him. He kind of liked the idea, though he didn’t have much experience dealing with a strong-willed woman.
She leaned in front of him to set his salad on the placemat and he got a tantalizing whiff of her vanilla-scented hair. “Oh, I forgot the salad dressing,” she said, brushing against his thigh and chest when she straightened.
The accidental touch brought a soft bloom of color to her cheeks. Now that was unexpected. The sudden tightening in his groin was not.
“I’ll get it,” he said, and pulled out her chair. “You sit.”
She hesitated, then started to squeeze past him.
He kissed her upturned face. Just a light peck on her cheek, another on the tip of her nose. He used a little more pressure on her parted lips.
When Beth finally needed to take a breath, she let out a soft gasp, her sweet warm breath teasing his chin and nostrils. “We aren’t going to eat, are we?”
“We are.” He forced himself to back up. Dammit, he’d promised himself he wouldn’t rush the evening.
“I really don’t care—”
“I do.” He didn’t wait for her to sit but headed back to the kitchen. “Anything else we need while I’m here? Steak sauce?”
“Um, no, we’re having the lasagna.”
“Right.” He heard her soft laugh and just shook his head. Here he was, a grown man, thirty-four years old, and he was gonna disgrace himself tonight. He just knew he would. He’d be lucky if he didn’t shoot his wad before he got her bra off. And wouldn’t that be a hell of a thing.
“Thank you.” Beth took the bottle of dressing he brought to the table. “You know we could’ve eaten in the kitchen, right? I was only teasing you.”
“Come on, you wore high heels and everything. Don’t tell me you weren’t expecting to eat at a table.”
“What you didn’t know was that while you were in the kitchen, I took my shoes off.” Her laugh was low, throaty and sexy as hell. “But eating dinner without plates...that’s where I draw the line.”
“Here I thought you were the adventurous type,” he said, and she gave him a sassy smile that had him serving up the lasagna real quick.
She dug in, not wasting time cutting dainty pieces or trying to scrape off any of the rich melted cheese. Instead, she twirled her fork to make sure she didn’t lose a single stringy morsel.
Taking his first bite made him realize he was famished. Used to eating alone, he had to remind himself not to start shoveling in his food. After three sizable forkfuls, he paused for a sip of wine.
Beth was awfully quiet, staring out into the darkness while she ate. He hoped he hadn’t dampened her mood. Though he had a feeling he’d made several wrong turns tonight.
“I don’t take this house for granted,” he said, and when she put down her fork, he realized he should’ve waited to set the record straight. “I love this place, I always have. The Lucky 7 started with seven acres of scrub brush. I built it from the ground up, and the house was every bit as important to me as the rest of the ranch.”
“I’m so sorry, Nathan. I shouldn’t have said what I did.”
“That didn’t bother me. That’s not why I brought it up.” He wiped his mouth with his napkin. “Since I was thirteen I knew I wanted my own ranch. I left college a year early so I could get on with building something for myself. My grandfather left me and my brothers each seven acres. He probably figured we’d all end up staying on the Whispering Pines and working with my dad, but I appreciated the chance to see what I could do on my own.
“On breaks from school I used to come out here and mark the ground where I wanted the barn, stables, corrals...everything. Turned out some of the buildings weren’t in practical locations, so I had to tinker with the plans. But not the house. That never changed. I knew exactly where I wanted it and purposely built it at this angle. On the east side every room has a view of the sun coming up. On the other side you can watch it set behind the Rockies.”
“Quite an undertaking for someone so young.”
“I knew what I wanted and stayed focused.” He took another bite of his food, hoping she’d do the same. She sipped her wine but didn’t touch her fork.
“You must’ve married young,” she said, then looked as if she wished she hadn’t, which could mean his suspicion was accurate. She thought he was having trouble letting go of Anne.
He shrugged, continued to chew. “Anne was two years behind me. We waited a year after she graduated from college, mostly so I could get the Lucky 7 off the ground. I was twenty-four when we tied the knot. In retrospect...yeah, that was too young.” Nathan could see questions forming in her eyes. “Your food’s getting cold.”
“This stuff is so good I’d eat it half-frozen,” she said, and narrowed her gaze. “It’s scary but I’m kinda serious.”
He grinned. “I’ll be sure to pass that on to Kitty.”
“Um, what part of keeping this thing secret don’t you get?”
“Ah, my bad.”
“Look, you know I’m worried about how Lib would react, but I’m keeping this quiet for you, too.”
“I appreciate that, and while I don’t plan on broadcasting anything, I’m not concerned with Kitty or Woody finding out. Believe me, they know how I feel about small-town gossips. They’re trustworthy and won’t stick their noses in too far.”
Beth nodded, her gaze fixed on the fingertip she was running along the rim of her wineglass. “Nice crystal,” she said absently, then blinked and glanced around. “Everything is very...nice. You have wonderful taste.”
“I didn’t have anything to do with the decorating. And for the record, I hadn’t forgotten I have a table.... I use the kitchen every day to make coffee. Everything in the house, with the exception of my office, w
as Anne’s taste.”
He left out that Anne had bought him pottery and brass doodads for his office. They were gone now. He’d told Kitty to take whatever she wanted, and she hadn’t argued, not after he’d hurled a ceramic bowl against the wall in a fit of rage. Scared the bejesus out of the poor woman. She’d had no way of knowing he’d found Anne’s birth control pills a few minutes earlier. For two years his loving wife had led him to believe they were trying to start a family. Just another lie in a string of many.
Beth touched his hand. “Nathan? You okay?”
“Not used to talking so much at one time.” He drained his glass. “How about we finish eating, and then I’ll show you the rest of the house?”
“Perfect,” she murmured, and picked up her fork.
For the next five minutes they spoke very little and ate quickly. Nathan finished off his meal. He hoped the food would give him stamina, both before and after he got her naked.
By the time they cleared the table, every move they made was laced with the spark that had started this whole thing. Finally, he couldn’t stand it another second.
He pulled her against him as he bent his head. She automatically lifted her lips. He brushed them with what started as a light kiss, but quickly became more. She tasted like wine and temptation, and it was hard to resist lifting her onto the table and having her right there. Instead, he eased back, leaned down and kissed her breast through her clingy top and bra.
“Very sneaky,” she said, shuddering in his arms. “Let’s see what else you have up your sleeve.”
That was all the coaxing he needed. He hurried them both toward his bedroom, but halfway down the hall he pulled down the zipper of her denim skirt. Gasping, she retaliated by jerking his shirt from his jeans. She yanked again and two buttons popped off and hit the wall.
“Oops.” Her eyes widened. She covered her mouth. “I forgot they weren’t snaps.”
Behind Closed Doors Page 9
