RockYourSoul (10 page)

There was no other explanation.

Fuck it all to hell and the horse it rode in on.

Better to scoot her on her way so he could get back to
working on the boat out in the shop. He needed to find something else to focus
on instead of her or else he could find himself led astray with no hope of
rescue. Getting lost in a sub would be difficult to recover from.

Getting lost in Beth would be disastrous.

He pushed away from the table, slapping a hand down on the
counter as he turned. “Coffee?”

“I hate coffee, you know that.”

The sexy pitch of her already husky voice made his cock jump
to attention. He growled softly in frustration as he adjusted his boxers. The
sheets rustled and he glanced over his shoulder to find her gathering the beige
fabric around her hips. She didn’t even bother to cover her breasts as her gaze
swept the cabin.

Even in his peripheral vision, he noticed her face was free
of regret and doubt. She had a clear conscience about what had occurred between
them last night. About him tying her up as he had. About each and every single
time he’d taken her.

The sight eased some of his worries. The fact he wanted to
do it again, push her more to discover things she was capable of, was his issue
to deal with. He wasn’t about to burden her with his darkness. When her eyes
swept the cabin again, she frowned.

“Your clothes are outside, if that’s what you’re looking
for. They never made it into the house.”

Coffee in hand, he turned to face her just as she rose and
nodded in thanks. She turned, trailing the ends of the sheet behind her as she
stepped out onto the porch. The sheet caught on the screen door as it slammed
closed. She yelped as she tumbled to the planks. He sprinted across the room
and outside as the mug shattered on the floor.

The string of aggressive obscenities spilling from those
perfect lips of hers surprised him. Amused, he didn’t bother to hide his smile
as he scooped her up into his arms. “Nice to see your filthy mouth doesn’t
happened just during sex.”

“Would you put me—”

“Hush. You’re bleeding.”

He didn’t wait for a response as he swept back into the
house to settle her on the kitchen counter. He bent, retrieving the first-aid
kit he kept stowed in the cabinet. She watched quietly as he rummaged through
the box for an antiseptic swab and a bandage. Going to his knees, he pushed the
sheet aside to expose most of her shapely leg. He didn’t make a sound as he
gently ran the cold square over the bloody gash.

“You’re very prepared.”

“Closest hospital is UVA, nearly two hours away. Considering
some of the sharp tools I work with here, I figured I should be ready for
anything. Besides, since it’s a Dom’s responsibility to take care of his sub,
knowing first aid is almost a required qualification.”

He dressed the gash, catching himself before he pressed his
lips against the bandage—a leftover habit he hadn’t exhibited in years.
Instead, he tapped his hand on her knee before putting some distance between
them. “Good as new.”

“Thank you.”

The quiet words clenched at his gut. He put even more distance
between them because right at this moment, all he wanted to do was go back to
his knees and wrap those gorgeous legs of hers around his shoulders. He
desperately wanted another reminder of how she tasted as she came on his
tongue. Instead, he called up his training to remain in control as he turned
his back on her.

“I’ll get your things.”

After stepping out onto the porch, he collected the various
pieces of clothing he’d dropped when they’d returned to the cabin. He closed
his eyes to take in a cleansing breath.

Or at least tried to.

All he smelled was the
L’air du Temps
perfume infused
in her clothing. The scent should have brought him immense pain considering the
fact it had been Lisa’s favorite perfume. But right now all he could seem to
think about was how the scent surrounded him as Beth’s mouth had been wrapped
around his cock and his tongue had been buried in her pussy.

He forced out a breath, pushing away the smell of crushed
autumn leaves, and tried to find the scents of the pine trees and grass he’d
surrounded himself with. But the familiar scent hung in the air like a specter,
merging his past with his present.

“Ryan?”

Beth’s soft voice broke through his musing and he turned,
thrusting the garments in his hands at her. Suddenly, he wanted to be anywhere
else but on the porch. “Sorry. Have my mind on something else. Here are your
clothes.”

“Thanks.” She clutched them to her chest instead of
immediately getting dressed as he expected. “I never got a chance to apologize
for running over your flowers the first time I came out here. I can give you
some money to replant what I ruined.”

“Don’t worry about it.” He spun to duck back inside, but the
gentle hand she wrapped around his upper arm stopped him. The touch scorched
his skin. Those thoughts he had of taking her came rushing back.

“I’d like to.”

“Really. It’s all right.” With immense effort he swallowed
the lump in his throat. For the second time in the past twelve hours, he
surrendered a piece of himself. A piece he didn’t feel he could afford, but her
expression made him want to bury himself inside her again. “They aren’t
something you can buy.”

“Oh.”

“My wife grew flowers as a hobby. After she died and I
bought this place, I transplanted a few of the blooms she’d been working on.”
Wanting the moment over, the memory pushed away, he gestured to the shop.
“Speaking of things we never talked about. The boat you wanted to buy. Or was
that just a ploy?”

“No, I really meant it. I wanted to do something special for
my grandparents for all they’ve done for me. Since they’re so adventurous, I
thought a sailboat they could use to sail around the world would be perfect.”
She tucked a stray piece of her hair behind her ear. “But you seemed to imply
it wasn’t for sale, so I haven’t mentioned it again.”

“You didn’t catch me at my best that night.”

She gave a sharp bark of laughter. “If that was your worst…”
She trailed off, clearing her throat to discard those unsaid words. “What’s her
deck?”

“Hundred sixty-four feet.” He gave her a curious glance when
she appeared a little flustered. “Something wrong?”

“Sorry, I’m just still stunned you build sailboats that
large in the mountains of Virginia, when the only water in sight appears to be
your bathtub.” She gestured to the small lake he’d had dug out when he’d bought
the property after signing his very first contract.

The same lake she’d watched him walk into the night they
met.

“I won’t do all the handwork here. Once I finish with the
outer hull, I’ll have it shipped to my shipyard in Maryland. I’ll work on her
there if I want to keep my hands on her longer. From there they’ll launch her
into the Chesapeake Bay when she’s ready.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier to just live out there?”

“Yes. But haven’t you discovered by now I’m not a fan of
doing things easily?”

She smirked, shaking her head as she disappeared into the
cabin only to reemerge wearing her wrinkled clothes. Visible evidence of her
chosen method of discarding them last night.

“Give me a call when you’re ready to not do something easily
again.”

Her dirt-crusted boots dangled from her fingers as she
stepped off the porch. He found himself transfixed by the way her hips swayed
as she walked, remembering the way her lush ass had felt as he’d cradled it in
his hands.

A pang deep in his gut told him this deal with her wasn’t
going to be as simple as he’d first thought.

In fact, he knew it.

Beth wrapped her arms around her lithe body. She pushed the
wide porch swing in an arc, swinging her legs out in front of her. The events
at Ryan’s house still had her thinking something had shaken loose between them.
She got the feeling this wasn’t just about her training anymore. Oh it had
started out that way when he’d ordered her to go into the woods. It had even
remained that way for a good portion of the time he’d had her tied up to his
custom chair.

But something between them had altered in those charged
moments. Things had taken on a life of their own to become…more. He’d clearly
been uncomfortable the next morning.

She’d spent the past few days wondering if she’d said or
done something wrong.

He’d possessed an almost animal-like hunger for her body
and, to her surprise, she’d offered him the opportunity to slake his thirst. It
had taken nearly all of that time for her body to come down off the high,
nearly as long as it had taken for the marks he’d left to fade from her body.

Now they were gone and she wanted them back with every fiber
of her soul.

But he’d made it quite clear on the phone, tonight would be
another lesson in getting to know each other. Dinner with friends. No lesson at
Sanctuary or his house. Her gut churned as she worried about what had happened.
Maybe she shouldn’t have mentioned the flowers. Christ on a garlic-butter Ritz
cracker, how was she supposed to know his wife had planted them? She vowed to ask
him at another time. It sounded as if tonight was supposed to be fun and
relaxing. She wasn’t out to ruin whatever plans he had for the night by
mentioning painful memories.

Heavy footsteps sounded against the porch stairs. She’d been
so wrapped up in her own headspace, she’d missed Ryan’s arrival. Looking over,
she found a pair of boots that weren’t Ryan’s. Looking higher, she found
another man she recognized.

Dade.

The sturdy post he leaned against looked small next to his
large frame. He studied her for a few moments. “I see what he likes about you.”

“What?”

Dade wiped away his smile. “Everything all right? You seem
to be a little lost.”

“I’m fine. Just thinking about a few things.”

The chains suspending the swing groaned as he sat beside
her. “Mighty heavy thinking for such a gorgeous night. Shouldn’t you be basking
in the fading sunlight instead of troubling yourself about my friend over
there?” Ryan’s truck sat idling at the curb. She could make out his bulky shape
in the driver’s seat. “Before you start accusing him of being ungentlemanly, I
offered to come get you. Something tells me that was a good choice because you
look as though you could use a friend.”

Her gaze fell to her clasped hands. “I guess.”

“I suspect you’re worried about meeting Ryan’s friends.
You’re not sure what they’ll think of the woman with an affinity for silly
tee-shirts who spins some seriously kick-ass tunes.”

“How did you know?” His statement reminded her of the way
Ryan reacted when they’d first met. “Never mind. Sorry, I’m not used to the
whole instinct mojo stuff.”

“Mojo stuff.” He chuckled. “All right. Don’t think I’ve ever
heard that term before.”

She licked her lips. “So you’ve heard my show?”

“Of course. You’re the talk of the town. I gotta keep up
with the gossip train. It’s been steaming along quite nicely since you moved
in.”

“And here I was just trying to blend in.”

“Best way to do that is ignore the noise and don’t let them
know you’re hearing it. Best way to do
that
is going to dinner, making
friends and settling in a pattern. Everyone will get bored soon enough.”

“You sound as though you’re speaking from experience.”

“Oh yeah. I’ve fueled the train more than a few times. Tell
you what, if they don’t get bored soon, I’ll promise to do something outrageous
to make them forget all about you. Deal?”

Despite herself, she laughed. “You’re a good friend.”

He pressed his finger against her lips. “Shh, can’t have
that kind of information getting around and ruin the sullied reputation I’ve
worked so hard for.” He stood, holding out a hand in offering. She accepted,
following him down the porch stairs to Ryan’s truck.

She pulled herself up using the foothold and closed the
door. Ryan appeared to be calm and collected, so far removed from the man who
had appeared so bothered when she’d left him at the house. He’d chosen a blue
button-down shirt with faded jeans worn to white in some places. When her eyes
fell to one of those places—his crotch—she scolded herself.

Tonight wasn’t supposed to be about sex.

Ryan brushed a soft kiss to her cheek in greeting before
pulling away. As they rumbled down the street, she thought about the
differences between the men. Dade seemed to be Ryan’s opposite. While Ryan’s
hair and beard looked as though it hadn’t seen the sharp end of a pair of clippers
in a few years, Dade’s dark hair swept back from a clean-shaven face. The ends
of his hair curled, adding a dangerous quality that would have most women
swooning. Paired with the unexpectedly charming attitude and a pair of killer
green eyes, he’d make someone quite happy one day.

As she thought about what Ryan had told her about Dade’s
issues when it came to relationships, the motion of the truck on the sweeping
country roads lulled her. Nestled between the bodies of the two men, she
dropped off into a comforting sleep.

“Beth.”

She blinked, roused from a deep nap she hadn’t expected.
“Sorry. I didn’t realize I was so tired.” She jerked when she realized she’d
curled against Dade. Worse yet, he had his arm around her, cradling her against
his firm body.

“No apologies necessary. Seems like you needed some rest.”

“I did.” She pressed a kiss against his cheek. “Thank you.”

His slow, appreciative grin actually made her blush. “I do
believe you just made a pass at me. Better watch out, Ryan.” He slipped out of the
truck, lumbering across the parking lot before disappearing into the
restaurant.

“He’s, ah, something else.”

“You can say that again.” Ryan killed the engine. “And now
you know one more person. Should make you feel better about going in there.”

She narrowed her eyes. “You did that on purpose.”

He grinned as he palmed his keys, swinging out of the cab.
Ryan wasn’t Ethan. He didn’t have ulterior motives when it came to introducing
her to his friends other than to make her feel comfortable. At least there would
be a few welcoming faces to talk to in the midst of all the nervousness. She
jumped out of the truck, slamming the door as Ryan gestured for her to enter
The Southern Ridge Grille with him.

Beth froze as he pushed on her lower back to enter the small
alcove with a large, round table. It seemed as if ten conversations were going
on at once. It was a wonder anyone could hear anything at all over the din.
Ryan tugged on a strand of her hair as he stepped next to her and whistled
loudly. Conversations died, all eyes focusing on them. She started to step
back, but Ryan’s firm hold kept her in place.

“Everyone, I’d like to introduce Gatlin Falls’ newest radio
personality, Elisbeth Lawson.”

“Lawless Lawson!”

The group laughed, the friendly noise breaking the ice
coating her stomach. She smiled, swallowing her nerves because she knew she
could do this. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t been in a room full of strangers
before. Ryan pushed her forward as all those conversations continued as if they
hadn’t interrupted.

Elena gave her a grin as she patted the seat beside her and
Beth gratefully accepted the close quarters with someone she knew. At least
having her here would make things a little easier.

As Ryan leaned closer when the waiter appeared, Beth forced
herself not to think about how good he smelled. “Something to drink?”

“Beer, please.”

“Same,” he indicated to the waiter before leaning back into
her for introductions. “Ah, let’s see. You know Elena to your left, then
Allison.” He pointed to the empty seat next to the flaxen-haired woman wearing
a shirt with the schematic of a spaceship splashed across it. She recognized it
as the ship from the short-lived television show
Firefly
. She hadn’t
seen the science-fiction show in years. Maybe she would see if Allison wanted
to get together to glut themselves one afternoon.

“Patrick should be on his way. His brother Alex will be
beside him. You know Dade. Then there’s Tony, Genevieve, Mark and Cooper.
Genevieve owns the restaurant.” Beth watched the attractive woman dip her head
to Tony and say something that made the redhead chuckle.

“Not tonight, it seems.”

Ryan nodded slowly as he watched the couple interact. “Well,
that’s an interesting development.” There was something odd in his tone as if
he didn’t understand what exactly was going on. Then she followed his gaze and
noticed Dade’s eyes kept flicking over to catch glimpses of Tony and his date.

“What is?”

He leaned closer, his breath skimming over her cheek. “I
don’t know Tony all that well other than the fact he owns 616 over on Main.”

“A comic-book store?”

“Excited over the idea of a comic book store in town? I
should have known you would feel that way.” He chuckled. “He’s one of Allison’s
gamer friends. They have a standing meet once a week for a gaming session.”

“You know, I’m really beginning to like your friends. So if
Tony is one of Allison’s friends, does that mean…”

“No. Not as far as I know. Thing is, I know Genevieve is in
the lifestyle. I’ve seen her out at Element Twenty-Six a few times.”

“So maybe she’s showing him the ropes. So to speak,” she
added with a wink.

“I’m not too sure.”

“Don’t be rude.” She cleared her throat, settling a hand on
Ryan’s arm to pull his attention away. “You’re staring.”

The waiter brought a round of drinks for the table and
judging by his relaxed and joyous expression, he was used to juggling the large
group. She wondered just how often the group of friends came here.

She bypassed the frosty mug, drinking directly from the
longneck. Ryan leaned forward as he pulled his beer closer, his lips pressing
against the curve of her ear just below her piercing. The intimate contact sent
a shockwave through her system. “Keep it up and I may just be compelled to pull
you into the bathroom and give you something else to wrap your mouth around.”

She nearly spit out a mouthful of beer but managed to choke
it down instead. Maybe she’d read him entirely wrong back at his house and
there wasn’t anything wrong. Based on the very overt sexual comment, everything
between them was just fine.

“So how do you like Gatlin Falls, Beth?”

Tony’s question caused her to push aside her worry. “Very
charming. I could easily fall in love with the slow pace. Definitely nothing
like Nashville.”

A few curious glances shot her way. Had she said something
wrong? Or had Ryan not been as discreet as he may have thought with his very
sexual promise?

Elena tapped the stem of her wineglass on the table. “Beth
and I caught up with one another when I’d gone to Tennessee for business.”

Mark smiled. “When you helped work on the Gaylord Hotel
after the floods, right?”

“Yes. It’s a beautiful city. Very full of life and energy,
but still laid-back and casual. Anyway, Beth and I went to college for a number
of years, sharing a dorm, then an apartment, until I graduated. I knew she
lived and worked there, so I thought it was time to pay an old friend a visit.”

Beth blew out a breath, thankful Elena didn’t mention the
true reason she’d contacted her. “Had no idea I would follow when you kept
describing this place. It sounded too perfect. Then she called to tell me Joe
was retiring and thought I’d be perfect for the job.”

“Must be a big change from being surrounded by all that
country music.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Can’t stand the stuff. I worked for
an alternative-music station.”

The surprised expressions on the faces around the table
reminded her of the way Ryan had reacted the first time he’d heard the same bit
of information. The reaction always amused her.

Mark leaned forward, a smile brightening the hazel eyes
behind his glasses. “Let me get this straight—you worked for an
alternative-rock station in the heart of the birthplace of country?”

His amused tone made her smile. “My show was first in the
market during its timeslot, so I must have been doing something right.”

Conversation returned to normal as several pizzas were
delivered to the table.

Ryan began shoveling a slice into his mouth, something she’d
noticed about him the first time they’d dined together. He ate like a fiend.
Thank God he didn’t devour her the same way.

Done with his first piece, he turned to Cooper as he wiped
his mouth with his napkin. “What kind of movies are we in for tonight, Cooper?”

“Comedic horror.”

“Movies?”

“Cooper has a movie festival once a month at the theater.
Overdose on one kind of film, eat greasy popcorn and drink flat soda. It’s the
highlight of the month.” He winked. “Welcome to small-town living.”

Beth suddenly felt like an interloper for crashing what was
obviously the group’s standing plan. The last thing she wanted to do was be in
the way. Ryan’s hand closed around hers as if he sensed her unease. “I see it
in your expression. You want to get up and leave. But you’re just going to have
to endure the entire group for the night. You’re stuck.”

“Most of the group,” she murmured as Dade stood, offering
his condolences to the gathered crowd as he threw his napkin on the table. He
cast a long glance to Genevieve and Tony, shoving his hands into his pockets
before vanishing through the doorway. The dark expression was a marked
difference from the amused man who had sat on The Quilted Cow’s porch swing
with her.