by Lisa Lewis
“Well, I knew I was going to ask you. I wasn’t exactly sure you would say yes. But I was hoping.”
“What if I’d said no to you?”
“Well then, I guess I would’ve just skulked off to my bunk and cried myself to sleep.” Tom turned to give her a pouty look. “And I would have starved because I know there’s no cheese and crackers in my cupboards.”
Beth laughed. “You are such a goofball.”
He shot her a wide grin and merged into the next lane of traffic.
Then Beth was struck by a new thought. “You didn’t mention my name to Mike, did you? I mean, you didn’t tell him you were specifically going to ask me to dinner, right?”
“Yeah, I did. Why?”
She pressed a hand to her temple and closed her eyes, horrified. “Why did you do that? Oh, my God.”
“What’s the problem now?”
“Everyone on the tour is going to think we’re dating. I really didn’t want to give people that impression.”
Tom turned the Ford into a large parking lot. The area was well lit and fairly crowded. A huge neon sign announced their arrival at the Megaplex of Fun. After finding an empty space and switching off the engine, Tom turned to Beth with an exasperated look on his face. “Look, the only one I spoke to was Mike. I didn’t shout my intentions to the whole entourage, and who cares if people find out about tonight anyway? We are on a date, whether you want to admit it or not. Let’s have some fun for an hour or so and not worry about the gossip that tomorrow might bring. Remember what I said in Savannah? About taking one day at a time? Well that applies to the tour and to us. Let’s just see what happens tonight.”
He didn’t wait for a reply. Instead he just exited the truck and stood near the front end waiting for her. Since they were already out, Beth figured she might as well do as he said. They could have a little fun tonight and then it was back to business tomorrow.
“So what’s there to do here?” she asked as she joined Tom. He took her hand in his, and they walked toward the Megaplex entrance. He had quickly acquired the habit of holding her hand when they walked, and it seemed she had acquired the habit of letting him. And liking it. His large hand held hers in a gentle grip, not too tight and not too loose. It was a grip that showed confidence but not dominance. It made her feel protected, yet respected.
And those feelings confused her.
So she pushed them out of her mind and focused on Tom’s response to her question.
“Almost anything you want. Rock climbing, bumper boats, Go-Kart racing, miniature golf. They also have an arcade and a few midway-type rides, like the Ferris wheel and merry-go-round. What’s your pleasure?”
Touching you all over. Wait, where did that come from? Didn’t she just tell herself that tonight was about relaxing and having fun? She really had to pull herself together.
“I’m not big on heights, and I’m a little tired of motorized equipment after the traveling we did. I guess that leaves golf or the arcade. Which do you want?”
They had reached the ticket booth and joined the line to buy their passes. Tom still held her hand, but he turned to answer her.
“How about golf? I’d imagine it’s much quieter on the greens than in the arcade. We can at least talk to each other there without shouting.”
Beth agreed, and Tom purchased two tickets for the miniature golf course. They strolled, once again with joined hands, to the little shack near the first hole to pick up their clubs, balls, and scorecard. As they proceeded toward the first green, Beth decided to be honest with Tom.
“There’s something I really need to tell you. Something that could affect the rest of the evening.”
Tom stopped in his tracks and drew her to the side of the concrete path. “What is it? Are you feeling sick or something?”
He raised his hand to Beth’s forehead, then smoothed her hair away from her face. His eyes showed concern.
Besides a few sore muscles, she felt physically okay. She was a little embarrassed, though. This was one of the reasons why she steered clear of personal involvements.
“I’m fine.” She sighed. “But I think you should know that I’ve never played miniature golf before.” There. It was out in the open.
“Ever?”
“Ever. In my whole life.”
“Everybody’s played mini golf. It’s like the new place to go for teens, like drive-in movies used to be. How could you never have played before?”
Beth chose to share a bit of information, just so they could get on with the game. “My parents divorced when I was two, and I went to live with my mom in San Francisco. I never saw Dad much because he was gone on the road all the time. But when I was eight, I went to live with him.”
“What happened when you were eight?”
“My mom was killed in a car accident. She was on her way home from work and a drunk driver hit her head-on. She was killed instantly.”
“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry.” Tom moved to hug her, but Beth held up her hands to ward him off.
“It’s okay. I’m not telling you this to get sympathy. It was a long time ago. I’m telling you this so you’ll know my childhood wasn’t anything like yours or other normal people’s. Between the ages of eight and eighteen I lived in more tour buses and hotel rooms than I can remember. I was educated by a long line of tutors, and I took standardized tests at whatever school was nearest to the concert hall. There was never a steady peer group for me to go to the movies, mall, or miniature golf with. I grew up with a revolving door of singers, groupies, and roadies around me. I’m sure a lot of people would kill to have a lifestyle like that, surrounded by fame and fortune, but I hated it. And I had no choice about living that way.”
Beth stopped, aware she’d said way too much. Tom’s expression was indecipherable, but he was probably thinking: If you hated being on the road before, why did you become a roadie? It was a legitimate question, but definitely not one she was willing to answer.
“So, can you show me how to play this game or what? Otherwise you won’t have much competition and it’ll be a boring waste of time for both of us.”
•
Tom watched as Beth lifted her chin and glared at him, daring him to say something. He hated that she had to feel so defensive around him. He didn’t want her to be ashamed of anything in her past. It was too bad certain parts of her upbringing upset her so much, but he sure was happy that she’d decided to spill information about herself of her own volition.
He’d reward her efforts by keeping his thoughts to himself and showing her how to have fun.
“Of course I’ll show you. There’s not much to it and you’re a quick study. It’s never too late to try new things, right?”
Tom escorted her to an area designated as the practice putting green. He demonstrated how to stand and swing the small club correctly. After observing him putt for a few minutes, Beth tried on her own. She used too much force in her swing at first but soon became adept in judging the amount of strength needed for various stroke distances.
After ten minutes of practice, Tom deemed her ready to begin. They proceeded to the first hole, which was a par three. Tom sunk his shot in three strokes, and Beth made it in four. He congratulated her on her good start, but she didn’t seem happy about it.
As they moved from one green to another, it became evident that Beth was becoming increasingly agitated. And as her frustration level rose, her game got worse. By the time they’d completed the ninth hole, Beth was eight strokes behind Tom.
“Argh! Why can’t I do this? I can balance million-dollar budgets with my eyes closed but I can’t put a little ball into a freaking hole in the ground!” Beth looked about ready to toss her golf club into the air and stomp away, never to play the game again.
Tom glanced back to the eighth hole and saw there was nobody right behind them. “Look, we can spend a little time practicing again. You’ve got your long shots down fine but your short game is giving you problems.” He dropped Beth’s ball a
bout four feet from the hole and laid his own club and ball off the edge of the green. Then he put his hands on her shoulders and guided her into position next to the ball so she could take a shot.
“You need to relax more. It looks to me like you’re gripping the club too tightly and it’s causing you to jerk it. The ball’s not rolling smoothly into the hole—it’s going right past it.” Tom moved close behind Beth and skimmed his hands down her smooth arms. He wrapped his fingers around hers on the handle of the golf club.
“Now, just loosen up a bit. Your whole body is tense.” Tom slid his arms from side to side, doing a couple of practice swings and forcing her to move in sync with him. He really should be taking his own advice. His body was getting stiffer with every swing of the club. Her soft bottom was cradled tightly against his groin, and every brush of her body against him made the fit of his pants become more and more snug.
He bent his head into the curve of her shoulder, inhaling the sweet raspberry fragrance of her shampoo. Oh, yeah, how he loved berries. Pushing her long blonde hair aside, he nuzzled the side of her neck, lost in the essence of her. “You smell absolutely terrific,” he murmured softly next to her ear.
She quickly pulled from his embrace and moved out of reach. Her soft blue eyes were opened wide and there was a slight flush on her cheeks. She held the golf club out in a defensive stance. “Wh-what do you think you’re doing, Tom?”
He decided to be blunt. “I think I was touching you and you were enjoying it. I’m sure you could tell that I was enjoying it a lot, too.”
Her gaze slipped down to his crotch, his arousal still very much evident. The color in her cheeks darkened even more as her focus returned to his face. She slowly lowered the club back to the ground. “It doesn’t matter if we both enjoyed ourselves for a moment. Nothing will come of it. I told you before, I’m not willing to get involved with anyone right now.”
He really would have to find a way to convince her otherwise. But he didn’t want to argue right now, so he backed off. “All right. Have it your way.” Tom looked over his shoulder as a group of boisterous teenagers approached the fairway.
He turned back to Beth and said, “We need to move on to the next hole. Unless you want to give up for the night?”
She shook her head. “Hell, no. I’m not giving up. I will conquer this game if it kills me!” She moved toward the next complicated setup of hills, tunnels, and laughing clowns. “No clown will ever get the best of me again.”
Tom wondered if that last statement applied to more than amusement park figurines, but the thought quickly faded as he watched Bethany lean down to place her ball into position on the green. Her short sundress pulled tight across her buttocks, outlining their firm shape and making his fingers itch to caress them. The hem rose just enough to make him wonder what she had on underneath her dress, because he couldn’t detect any panty lines.
Beth straightened and tossed her hair back over her shoulder. She shifted her weight from one foot to another, eyeing the route from tee to hole. She took her first shot and landed the ball only two feet away from the cup. Soon after, Tom’s ball came to rest at least six feet away from the target.
He’d obviously lost his concentration in the last few minutes.
“All right, you stupid ball. Go into the hole, will you?” Beth did a half-hearted Happy Gilmore impression by talking to the golf ball. But it seemed to work, because she easily sunk her putt. She raised her arm and pulled it down sharply, saying “Yes!” with a huge smile on her face.
The tenth hole was the start of some real competition. The incident on the ninth hole seemed to invigorate Beth and make her more focused while Tom couldn’t make a decent shot to save his life. By the time they arrived at the eighteenth hole, Beth had caught up to Tom and the scores were dead even.
“Okay, buddy. This is it. Loser has to buy the ice cream cones, okay?” Beth was awfully sure of herself all of the sudden. Her confidence really turned him on, too. He just had to kiss her before the night was over. He had to.
Tom stepped up to place his ball on the green. The hole was a par two, and it looked simple enough. At this point it was a matter of principle. He had to win the game to show her that he could remain undistracted by her. If she could pretend then so could he.
He lined the shot up perfectly but at the last minute the ball curved. It came to rest a mere four inches from the cup. In order to clear the green, he quickly sank the putt, returning the ball to a collection tank. Tom turned to Beth and said, “Okay, darlin’, see if you can top that.” Then he walked to the side of the fairway to give her room to work.
Beth blew out a deep breath and rolled first her neck and then her bare shoulders back and forth. It was as if she were preparing for the Olympics of miniature golf she was so serious. But Tom was content to watch her graceful movements. It didn’t matter how long it took her to make her shot.
Finally she was ready. She aligned her ball just so with the hole. She looked back and forth between the cup and the ball a few times. And then she swung.
Hole in one.
He couldn’t believe it. She’d beat him by hitting a hole in one.
Beth shouted and screamed and jumped up and down, apparently not caring if other players thought she was nuts. “Oh, my God! Did you see that? I got a hole in one! That was so awesome!” She was magnificent in her excitement, and she continued her ravings as she happily pranced toward Tom.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you! That was so much fun! Thanks for bringing me here. It was great!” She threw her arms around Tom, enveloping him in a big hug.
Caught off guard by her exuberance, Tom quickly wrapped his arms around Beth, holding her close as she squeezed him tightly. She tilted her head back, saying teasingly, “I beat you fair and square. Now you owe me an ice cream.”
Tom looked into her twinkling blue eyes, and then his gaze slid down to her smiling lips. Such luscious lips. He’d been thinking about this ever since they were interrupted in Jacksonville. He wasn’t going to miss the opportunity again.
He moved one hand up to cradle the nape of her neck. He looked into her eyes one last time so that she’d clearly know his intentions. When Tom didn’t see any obvious discomfort in her gaze, he finally did what he’d been dying to do since he’d laid eyes on Beth.
He kissed her.
Chapter Four
Beth closed her eyes and let herself enjoy Tom’s mouth moving over hers. Why fight it anymore? She had as much right to feel wanted as anybody else did. And Tom obviously wanted her. His lips tenderly sipped at hers while his hands caressed her neck and back. Like she’d thought before, he had lots of talent in those body parts.
She tightened her arms around his neck, sinking her fingers into his short, thick hair. His tongue pressed against the seam of her lips and she gladly opened to allow him entrance. He tasted of man with a hint of steak sauce thrown in. And, oh boy, he could really make her forget her problems.
“Ooooo, baby.” “That’s right, get it on.” “Can I get some of that when you’re done with him, toots?” Loud whistles, grunts, and smooching noises accompanied the vulgar comments being shouted at Beth and Tom.
They jumped apart, staring at each other and breathing heavily. Beth tore her gaze from Tom’s and glanced toward the group of teenage boys who had interrupted their kiss. The teenagers were still looking at the two of them, perhaps wondering if the intimate show they’d seen was going to be continued.
Tom, too, looked at the boys but then easily dismissed them. “C’mon, Bethany. Let’s head out. I owe you an ice cream cone anyway.”
They turned in their golf clubs and walked to the snack bar, holding hands all the while. It was amazing how fast she was getting used to this, how comfortable she was becoming with his touch. It was like they’d known each other far longer than a few days.
“You said you liked chocolate, right?”
Beth nodded absently in answer to Tom’s question, still lost in her thoughts. She w
aited until he handed her a cone top-heavy with ice cream, then moved toward a nearby picnic table. He followed behind her with an equally large strawberry cone of his own.
They sat eating their frozen treats in silence for a while. Then Tom spoke.
“I don’t regret what happened. I hope you don’t either. And I’m still sticking to what I said before—we can take one day at a time. I don’t expect to jump into a serious relationship right away. You said you didn’t want that.”
Beth listened as Tom spoke, slowly licking her ice cream and absorbing his words.
“But I haven’t felt this attracted to a woman in a long time, and I’m hoping you’ll give me—us—a chance to see where things can go. We can spend time together during the tour, and afterward who knows. Do you think we can do that? No pressure?” His hopeful expression didn’t detract from his masculinity in the slightest.
Beth continued to lick her ice cream, noticing how Tom’s eyes narrowed and focused on her tongue’s movements. She gave an extra long stroke from the rim of the cone to the top of the dessert, just to see his reaction.
He lifted his darkened gaze to hers, accusing, “You’re doing that on purpose. You want to drive me crazy.”
Beth smiled. “Maybe. But it’s no more than you’re doing to me. And in answer to your question, yes. I’d like to spend more time with you.” She figured it wouldn’t hurt to have some fun over the next few weeks. She already knew nothing permanent could come of a relationship with Tom, but who said a short-term affair was out of the question? Maybe some commitment-free sex would help relieve her stress.
Tom smiled back at her, and they finished their desserts in comfortable silence. They leisurely strolled back to the truck, once again holding hands. Tom unlocked the vehicle and helped Beth inside, closing the door after her. But when he got behind the wheel, he didn’t start the engine. Instead he just sat there, staring through the windshield, hands gripping the wheel so tightly that his knuckles were white. He sat there so long, so still, it made Beth nervous.
