The Light Between Us (13 page)

“
I hope you,” he murmured.  “If not now, then soon.  I hope I can help you see.”

His hand rested on her cheek for a moment again, and she cupped it in her own.  “Thank you,” she said. 

All of a sudden, a thought hit her, and she sat bolt upright, snatching her hand away, his own hand falling back to his lap.  “I have to tell you – I'm not going to sleep with you.  At least, not tonight.”

Derek blinked once, twice, at the sharp turn the conversation had just taken, brow furrowed.  “Oh.  Well.  I can't say I expected –“

“
I know I slept with Sam the first night I met him,” Ruth interrupted, talking very fast now, chin wrinkled.  “But that was so not how I usually am.  I don't want to rush things with you, especially not after everything.”

“
Ruth.”  Derek laid a hand on her black stockinged knee, and the touch calmed her, stopping the flow of stammered words tumbling from her lips.  “You don't have to explain.  I know my past, ah behavior doesn't make me the ideal choice for a more serious relationship.  Or, um, any kind of relationship, really.  Normally I'd just take woman to bed for a night or two and that would be it.  But you're different.  Or maybe it's that I'm different when I'm with you.  Or that you make me want to be different, somehow.”  He shook his head, confusion creasing his forehead.  “Whatever it is, I don't want to just get you into bed.  This thing that's between us feels more real than anything else I've experienced.  I want to see why.”

“
I know I said we'd start fresh,” Ruth said, “so it's probably unfair of me to bring up your past – er, routine with women.”  She fumbled for the right words, feeling her neck grow red at the effort. 

“
I don't think it's unfair.  You're just staking out your boundaries, your territory.”  He smiled.

“
Like a lioness,” she murmured, more to herself than to Derek. 

“
A lioness,” he repeated.  “Sexy, beautiful – and powerful.  I like that.  It's an apt description of you.”

“
Is it?”  She crinkled her nose, half wishing she hadn't let the word slip.  “I don't feel very powerful, even if I can manage to feel sexy and beautiful at times.”

“
You are both sexy and beautiful, I promise,” he reassured her.  “But even more, I can sense a vibrancy within you.  And that's powerful.”

“
Well,” she said, shaking her curls back and speaking in a voice that sounded more haughty than she felt, “I am a hell of a woman, you know.” 

Derek smiled wide, taking a deep breath.  “You are.  You are.  And you have no idea the effect you have on me.”

Ruth ducked her head, embarrassed again, words eluding her.  “Thanks?” she managed.

He leaned forward to whisper in her ear, voice husky.  “I want to take things slow with you, Ruth – but not because you don't turn me on.  Quite the opposite.”

She had to grip the seat of the car with both hands, his words and his closeness and the warmth of his breath on the tendrils of her inner ear making her dizzy with – what?  Arousal?  As nice as Sam had been, she hadn't felt anything close to this with him. 

Damn
, Ruth thought as the car rumbled on through the darkening Boston streets toward the theater.  She barely felt coherent. 
Damn
.  She once again resisted the urge to pinch herself.  How was it possible that she was being wooed by this insanely handsome and sexy man, when just a week ago the most exciting thing in her life been tapping away at her romance novel?  And now, her reality was far better than any plot she'd concocted. 

Damn
.  She sighed in a mixture of excitement and content, nestling into Derek's side as he snaked an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. 
I could get used to this
.

* * *

The car slowed and pulled up to the curb in front of the theater.  Derek smiled as he watched Ruth lean forward in anticipation, taking in the brilliantly lit marquee and the people slowly filing in through the theater's gilt doors, the finely dressed crowd exuding a collective sense of elegance.

He slid from the vehicle, then quickly made his way around to the other side of the car and opened the door, extending an arm to help Ruth emerge.

She grasped his hand and pulled herself from the car, clutching her bag with the other hand.  “Oh,” she breathed, taking in the scene, the light of the theater front's countless bulbs reflecting in her eyes like stars.  “It's been so long since I've been to the theater.”

Murmuring directions to the driver, he closed the car door and the vehicle moved off.  Derek turned his full attention to the woman who wound her arm around his, clasping his hand.  A small tremor pulsed through him.  This scenario was so foreign to him – he usually attended the theater alone, enjoying the quiet, anonymous intimacy he felt between himself and the story unfurling onstage.  He never would have guessed he'd be here, wooing a woman with an eye on a future any more robust than a few tumblings through the sheets. 

“
And I've never been at night,” Ruth was continuing.  “I usually just attend the matinees.”

“
There's something special about the night shows.”  Derek led her into the theater, the crowd seeming to part before them.  Drawing two tickets from the inside pocket of his jacket, he handed them to one of the ticket-takers.  Tearing their tabs away, the older woman passed them back with two playbills, raising an eyebrow over her horn rimmed glasses  in simultaneous surprise and approval at the pair.  “Enjoy the show,” she said with a wink.

Derek smiled and nodded, knowing the woman  and steered Ruth into the vestibule of the theater.

“
Do they know you here?” she asked, having caught the older woman's expression, leaning in close as they made their way toward the seating area.

He shrugged.  “I enjoy the theater.  I come often enough that I'm a familiar face to the theater employees, I suppose.”

“
You take all the ladies here, then?”  Ruth bit her lip, waiting.

Derek shook his head.  “Never.  The theater is too special for that.”

“
It's so magical,” she agreed, unable to quite hide her relieved smile.  “Especially at night.  Look at everyone, all dolled up.  It feels so, I don't know . . . classy.”

“
It certainly reminds me of an earlier time, when evening theater was a society event,” he nodded, ordering two glasses of champagne at the bar in the lobby, handing one to Ruth who took an appreciative sip.

“
I'm glad it's more accessible now to we who aren't exactly in the upper class.  Although I suppose there's not much that's not accessible to you, lawyer man,” she teased.

“
Right now the only thing I want access to, money can't buy,” he bantered right back.

“
Oh, and what is that, sir?”

He leaned in close, feeling soft tendrils of her errant curls tickle his lips as he whispered, “You.”

Derek enjoyed watching her blush spread down her neck and across her cheeks as Ruth took a gulp of champagne. 

They ascended the stairs to the second level, their fellow theater-goers gracefully flowing with them.  Derek showed their tickets to an usher, who guided them to their seats. 

Ruth tried to mute her squeal, with limited success.  “Front and center balcony seats!  How did you know that this is my favorite spot in the house?”

“
I didn't,” he admitted,  “It's my favorite, too.  I much prefer a bit of a bird's eye view to the so-called illustrious front row seating on the main floor.”

“
Great minds. 
And
we can put our feet up on the wall of the balcony,” she pointed out as she shed her coat and they settled into their seats.  “Although that would probably be totally uncouth, huh?”

“
If it is, then I am utterly guilty of unrefined theater etiquette,” said Derek, handing Ruth one of the playbills.

He watched Ruth rifle through its pages, the dim light of the deliciously musty theater kissing her face and arms, making her skin glow.  He wanted to run his fingers along her cheek, but didn't want to disrupt the delight that shone from her face as she flipped the playbill closed and took in the humming theater with a contented sigh.

“
I love this moment,” she said, “just before the show begins.  We are here, ensconced in the magic of the moment, but the entire production still spreads out before us.  I adore this.”

Derek just smiled, nodding, as she closed her eyes and inhaled long and deep, relishing the experience.  Listening to her, watching her obvious enjoyment made his heart beat faster.  Is this what he'd been missing out on all these years in his fear of commitment, of getting close, of – if he was honest with himself – rejection? 
I'm beginning to see why people think love is worth the risk
. 

His breath caught in his throat for a moment at the resurfacing of the word
love
again.  He never would have thought it possible for the notion of love to enter his consciousness and be met with anything other than his own derision.

The house lights dimmed briefly, signaling that the show was about to start.  Derek saw Ruth's chest begin to rise and fall faster in anticipation, breasts swelling above her turquoise neckline.  He took a long, slow breath, willing the lust stirring within him to quell. 
Slow
, he told himself. 
We're going slow. 
He hoped that the waiting, the more languid pace of their relating would make their eventual joining that much sweeter. 
Or, that much hotter
, he thought, smiling to himself.

To his relief, the house lights dimmed completely as the orchestra played forth the opening bars of the overture.  Ruth slipped her hand into his and squeezed.  Looking over, his eyes met hers, glimmering in the stage-lit darkness, and the energy between them felt electric.

Thank you
, she mouthed, squeezing his hand one more time before turning back to the rising curtain, leaving her fingers tucked into his. 

Derek sighed with gratitude.  This woman – he didn't deserve her, that was for sure.  And he still had no idea what it was about her that mesmerized him so, although he was beginning to think it was that inner fire that she was starting to let burn ever more brightly.  All he was certain of was that he was glad she'd given him a chance.  He wouldn't let it go to waste. 

* * *

Ruth tried to focus on the menu that she held open, but couldn't seem to get her mind or eyes to cooperate.  She and Derek were tucked into an intimate corner booth at an Italian restaurant on the North End, but she was still buzzing with the energy and artistry of the musical.  Not to mention the unsteadying effect Derek's close proximity had on her.  

“
What will you have?” he asked.

She closed her menu, shaking her head.  “I have no idea.  I cannot manage to wrap my brain around a single one of what I'm sure are exquisite entrees.  Any recommendations?”

He smiled and nodded, gesturing to the waiter and murmuring their order.  Ruth was barely listening. 
I wish I could bottle this feeling and savor it forever
, she thought, sighing happily again. 
This must be what bliss feels like
.

Derek turned to her, raising his glass of red wine, and she raised her own to match.  “To the most exquisite date I have ever been on, with the most exciting woman I have ever known.”  He winked at her over the lip of his wine glass.

She smiled into her glass as she sipped at its contents.  She relished the acrid, fruity taste of the wine as it washed over her tongue and down her throat, almost immediately relaxing her muscles.