Reluctant Desire

by Leah Brooke

  With movements much rougher than usual, Beau took her mouth again and headed for a room in the back. Lifting his mouth from hers, he reached out to a nearby shelf and retrieved a strip of condoms. Ripping one off, he tossed it on an empty table and with quick movements, undid her pants, yanked them down to her knees, and bent her over the smooth, flat surface.

  “You make me crazy to have you. You’re so fucking responsive. Fuck. Damned short table. Don’t move.”

  Amused at his evident frustration, Charity straightened slightly as Beau cursed. Watching as he pulled something from another shelf, she giggled as more cursing ensued as he struggled with the plastic covering what looked like a huge pillow.

  “What’s that?”

  “A wedge. I’m taking it home with me, too. I’ve got big plans for this thing.”

  Wrapping an arm around her waist, he lifted her and put the leather-covered wedge at the edge of the table. He settled her over it and shoved her thighs apart, his movements hurried.

  Surprised that her feet no longer touched the floor, Charity gripped the far edge of the table as Beau cursed again while rolling on the condom, his impatience thrilling her.

  His hands closed over her hips, his hold secure as he thrust into her, filling her with his cock with one smooth stroke. “Big plans.”

  Crying out, Charity held on as Beau began to thrust hard and fast into her, the angle of his thrusts driving her quickly to the edge again. “Yes. Harder.”

  Beau’s thrusts came harder and faster, making her come with a speed that stunned her. He tightened his hold when she jolted, holding her for his deep strokes, which kept her orgasm rolling through her. “So wet. So fucking hot.” With something between a growl and a groan, he thrust deep, his body covering hers. The feel of his cock jumping as he came inside her thrilled her even more. “Jesus, cher.”

  Moving her hair aside, he scraped his teeth over her shoulder. “I hope you got what the hell you came here for.”

  Spent and still trembling, she reached down to touch his hand, smiling when he released her hip to take it in his. “I sure as hell did. More than I planned, in fact. My knees are shaking.”

  Turning to look at him over her shoulder, she narrowed her eyes. “You’d better not give this kind of service to other customers.”

  He’d make a damned fortune if he did.

  Slipping his cock free, Beau chuckled, a raw, throaty sound filled with satisfaction and amusement. “Just one impudent customer.” Pulling her back against him, he nuzzled a particularly sensitive spot between her neck and shoulder, finding it with an ease that only a lover familiar with her body could. “She’s a handful, and more than enough for me. Besides, my lover has quite a temper.”

  Holding on to the table as he set her on her feet, Charity leaned back against him. “Don’t you forget it.” Her voice sounded so weak and pitiful that she couldn’t force the indignation and threat into it that she’d wanted to, but she was too sated and happy to care. Trembling, she appreciated his help in getting dressed again.

  After he’d righted her clothing, he rid himself of the condom and refastened his jeans. “Not a chance.”

  Sliding her hands over his chest, Charity smiled up at him. “That was quite a demonstration. I think I’ll take it all.”

  Beau grinned. “I’ll put it on your tab. I’ll even deliver it. Are you eating with me tonight, or do you have plans with your sister?”

  Dropping her forehead against his chest, she rubbed against him, weak with satisfaction. “Don’t know yet. Can I get back to you?”

  “Of course.” Wrapping an arm around her, he led her back out to the front. “I’ll be waiting to hear from you.”

  “Okay.” Looking up at him, she cuddled closer. “I can’t believe you closed the shop. I hate the thought of you losing customers because of me.”

  Beau grinned. “Nothing’s more important than you. Besides, you didn’t seem to mind at all a few minutes ago. You weren’t thinking about anything except playing with me.” Bending, he kissed her nose. “I’d say we were making progress. I’ll corrupt you yet.”

  He gave her a lingering kiss before lifting the shade, turning the sign and unlocking the door again. Patting her ass, he grinned. “See you later, cher.”

  “I’m counting on it.”

  Unable to wipe away her grin, Charity headed back down the sidewalk and toward the diner to meet her sister.

  If everything went according to plan, she and Beau would be playing with her new toys tonight—after he’d thoroughly punished her for what she was about to do next.

  Chapter Twenty

  Hearing the bell, Beau looked up from his paperwork, grinning when he saw Ace walk into the shop and toward him.

  Amused at the awe on the face of the young man who worked for him, Beau chuckled. “Easy, Tim.”

  Ace’s brow went up, his eyes hard. “Problem?”

  Chuckling, Beau straightened. “More of a case of hero worship. He thinks you’re the greatest thing since sliced bread, and as indestructible as a superhero.”

  Ace’s eyes tingled with amusement. “Smart kid.”

  Beau chuckled. “He’s twenty-two, Ace.”

  Shaking his head, Ace scrubbed a hand over his face. “Hell, that seems like such a long time ago. Can we talk?”

  Beau frowned, straightening. “Sure. I just finished up the order for next week.”

  “You talk to Charity?”

  Beau’s cock stirred at the memory. He looked at his watch. “Yeah. A couple of hours ago.” Uneasy at the look on Ace’s face, Beau tensed, his stomach clenching. “Why? What’s wrong?”

  The hard, jagged ice that formed in his stomach, much like the night he’d heard about Charity’s accident, numbed his brain for several heart-stopping moments.

  Ace shook his head, smiling faintly. “No. Nothing like that. Calm down. I figured Charity would have told you that she and Hope were going out of town.”

  “Out of town?” Beau frowned, and thought back to his conversation with Charity. Struggling to shake off his panic, Beau looked up at his friend, and soon-to-be brother-in-law. “No, she didn’t tell me. Where are they?”

  Ace lifted his cell phone, allowing Beau to see the display. “They took Hope’s car, thank God. I told you to get that chip installed in Charity’s new one. They went to pick up their dresses for the wedding.”

  “But they’re okay?”

  “As far as I can tell, they’re fine.” Ace gestured for Beau to follow him outside, waiting until Beau came around the counter and they were both out of range for Tim to hear them.

  Ace chuckled, but his eyes remained hard. “Hope knows better than to leave town without telling me, so I can only assume that my darling wife is challenging me. You didn’t know Charity was leaving, either?”

  Remembering Charity’s playfulness, Beau breathed a sigh of relief. “No. I think she’s trying to make a point.” Anticipation flowed through his veins. “She knows the consequences for that.”

  Ace nodded. “Good. I was hoping you’d made that clear. Charity’s not the type to do something so irresponsible. I’m sure my impudent wife had something to do with this, and urged her sister to do this. Knowing what the consequences would be, she didn’t want to be left out. That’ll be taken care of.”

  Thinking about the items Charity had already picked out, Beau folded his arms across his chest, unable to hold back a grin. “Charity’s decided that she wants to play, and has been tempting me for weeks, trying to get me to play with her again. It’s been hard as hell to resist her, but I wanted her to initiate it and see how much fun it can be.”

  He’d already made up his mind to add a few things to the large bag of items from his store, but after her daring, decided to add a few more.

  Ace sighed, but Beau could see the light of anticipation in his friend’s eyes. “These women are going to drive us crazy. I’d say they’d better learn their place—”

  Beau grinned. “Oh, they know their place, all
right.”

  “Yeah.” Ace slapped his back. “Under our protection, and browbeating us. They’ve got to test the limits from time to time. It’s to be expected. They have to find out just how far they can push us.” Grinning, he started back toward his SUV parked at the curb, turning as he rounded the hood. “Mine’s going to give me gray hair. I’ll make myself clear on the issue later on tonight. Good luck getting the point across to yours.”

  Beau grinned. “Luck has nothing to do with it.”

  * * * *

  Charity checked her phone again, her stomach clenching. “Beau hasn’t called. He has to know I’m not in Desire. Ace has already called you.”

  Hope grinned. “Yeah. I’m in for it tonight. That reminds me—I want to go get some new panties for him to rip off of me.”

  Distracted by thoughts of Beau, and his indifference, Charity frowned. “Why don’t you just buy them from Erin and Rachel’s store in Desire?”

  Hope giggled, her eyes bright with eagerness. “If I know my husband, he’ll have plans for me as soon as I get to town. I doubt if I’ll have time to run over there.”

  Thinking about Beau’s apparent indifference, Charity wanted to cry. “Maybe I pissed Beau off by leaving without telling him.” The meal she’d just eaten soured in her stomach. “I’ve done it again, haven’t I? I’ve ruined everything. Damn it, Hope. This is why I never wanted to get involved with Beau. I’m not like you. I don’t know how to play the games you play. I tried. Evidently, I failed. I’m too boring to keep a man like Beau.”

  Hope grinned and tucked her arm through Charity’s. “You’re always so intense—and such a worrier. You need Beau, and he needs you. Come on. We’ll get you some fancy panties, too. I’m sure Beau’s gonna love ripping them off of you.”

  Allowing Hope to lead her to the lingerie store in the mall, Charity stared at her phone again, unable to stop thinking about Beau.

  “Maybe I should call him.”

  Hope sighed. “Whatever he says to you is just going to make you even crazier than you are now.”

  Charity paused outside the lingerie store. “I’m not crazy. I’m worried.”

  Scared all the way to her toes.

  Waving Hope to go ahead, she dialed Beau’s number, taking a deep breath and blowing it out in a rush while she waited for him to answer.

  “Hello, cher.”

  Shivering at the edge in his voice, Charity wrapped an arm around herself. “Beau? Is everything okay?”

  “Of course. Why wouldn’t it be? Are you okay?”

  Charity’s heart pounded, a cold knot forming in her stomach at his distant tone. “I’m fine. I, um, forget to tell you that I was picking up my wedding dress today.”

  “Did you?”

  Charity cleared her throat and forced a laugh. “Well, we were busy with something else.”

  Beau’s tone didn’t warm the way she’d expected. “There was time. I asked you specifically what you were doing. Don’t you think I deserve the courtesy of knowing where you are?”

  Uneasy now, Charity gulped. “Of course.”

  “Didn’t I tell you specifically that I want to know when you leave town?”

  Shifting restlessly, she shrugged. “Um, yes. But, Beau—”

  “I take it you’re going to be busy all night?”

  The butterflies in her stomach took flight. “No. We got something to eat, and came to the mall. Hope needed to pick up a few things.” Tired of being on the defense, Charity went on the offense. “Damn it, Beau. Don’t you take that attitude with me!”

  “What attitude, cher?”

  Not wanting to be overheard, she moved away from the crowd. “You know damned well what attitude. You’re giving me the cold shoulder. I didn’t mean to hurt you or make you mad.”

  “So what did you mean to do?”

  She opened her mouth to tell him, snapping it shut again. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of revealing her stupidity. “Nothing.”

  A tense silence followed.

  Regretting her childishness in defying him, Charity gulped. “Are you busy tonight?”

  “No. I finished getting my order together this afternoon. Should I expect you tonight?”

  “Do you want to see me tonight?”

  “I always want to see you, cher. What time can I expect you?”

  Charity checked the time. “I want to get a shower and change first.” She wanted to join her sister and find something special. “Is eight okay?”

  “I’ll expect you then. Charity?”

  “Yes?”

  “Don’t be late.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Charity wiped her damp palms on her sweatpants before reaching out to knock on Beau’s door. Shivering against the cold, she was glad that she’d taken the time to buy a nice sweat suit to wear tonight, in addition to the sexy panties and bra she wore, and the lacy nightgown stuffed in her purse.

  She hoped to be spending the night.

  As she waited for Beau to answer, she thought about Hope’s parting comment. She’d told her sister that she hoped the evening was everything she wanted, and that she hadn’t bitten off more than she could chew.

  Hope had grinned at her, her eyes dancing. “I know what to expect from my husband, and know how to handle him. You’d better figure out how to handle yours in a hurry.”

  The door opened, and she looked up into the handsome face of her soon-to-be husband, and forced a smile, wondering if she’d ever learn to handle such a man. “Hi.”

  Beau stepped aside and gestured for her to enter, reaching out to take her arm when she would have passed him. “You lose your key?”

  Charity frowned, the glitter in his eyes making her uneasy. “Of course not. I never lose my keys.”

  “Of course not. You’re too responsible to do something like that.” He removed her coat, tossing it over the back of a chair, and turning back to watch her.

  His expression gave nothing away, making her even more nervous.

  “Uh, yeah.” Turning away from his searching look, she made her way into the living room, kicking her shoes off and nudging them aside, out of the way.

  She paused in the doorway, some of her tension easing when she saw that he’d lit a fire, and that he’d already opened a bottle of wine. The fire danced, casting shadows on the walls, and reflecting off of the wineglasses on the heavy, wooden coffee table.

  Turning to look at him over her shoulder, she smiled, holding her hands out to the fire to warm them. “This is wonderful. It’s so cold outside.”

  With a warm hand at her back, Beau urged her forward. “I’ll get you nice and warm.”

  Unnerved by his monotone, she eyed him warily and took a seat on the sofa, accepting the glass of wine he poured, trying desperately to read his mood.

  The possessiveness and hunger in his eyes was a sharp contrast to the distance in both his tone and body language, and she didn’t know quite what to make of it. Unable to judge his mood, she made herself more comfortable on the sofa and waited for him to make the first move.

  Dressed in a casual sweater and jeans, Beau leaned back against the sofa and sipped his wine, watching her over the rim. “Did you have a nice day?”

  Leery, and feeling foolish for defying him, Charity nodded, searching his features for any sign of what he was thinking. “I picked up my dress. It’s so beautiful. I can’t wait for you to see me in it.”

  Beau smiled and reached out to toy with the ends of her hair. “I can’t wait, either. Three weeks from today. Everything has already been arranged. All you have to do is relax and show up in your new dress.”

  Warmed and slightly relieved that he reached out to touch her, Charity leaned closer, hoping to soften him up. “Thank you so much for taking care of it. You always take such good care of me.” Shifting uncomfortably, she shrugged. “I had a nice day with my sister. I probably should have told you my plans.”

  Beau smiled faintly, the knowledge of what she did shining in his eyes. “I won
dered how long it would take you to try to bring it up. Guilty conscious getting to you?”

  Once again taken aback that he seemed to read her so easily, she took a sip of her wine, using it as a delay tactic while she studied him. Seeing the light of anticipation in his eyes, she hid a smile and looked away, weighing her options.

  She already felt bad about what she’d done and didn’t want to get into an argument with him, but she certainly didn’t plan to let him think he could get away with his arrogance. Smiling, she turned back to him. “You really don’t expect me to report to you all the time, do you?”

  Beau pursed his lips, looking so damned sexy, she wanted to jump him. “Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. I need to know where you are. I don’t want to have to try to find you again in a fucking snowstorm. I need to know where you are, and if you’re going out of town, I expect you to let me know. When I went out of town, didn’t I tell you about it?”

  Charity didn’t know how he did it, but Beau had somehow turned the tables on her, something that no one else ever did. Setting her wine glass on the table, she jumped to her feet. “Damn it, Beau. You’re making me feel like the irresponsible one.”

  Beau’s arrogant smile set her teeth on edge. “Not a pleasant feeling, is it, cher?”

  She wanted to stamp her foot, but didn’t want to do anything so childish in front of him. Stepping over his feet and around him, she moved away. “You’ve been playing me all along, haven’t you?”

  Beau sat forward, set his glass on the table next to hers and got to his feet, his movements slow and deliberate. “I wouldn’t call it playing you, cher. You made a lot of assumptions about me. That was on you.”

  He took a step closer, and in a panic, Charity stepped back. “I tried to tell you that your assumptions were wrong.”

  Another step.

  “You didn’t want to listen.”

  Another step.

  “You’re so used to being the responsible one—the one always running the show—that you have a hard time accepting that I’ll be the one taking care of you.”

  Another step.