The Goodbye Guy (The Men of Lakeside)

by Natasha Moore

  “What did you call me?” one of the men demanded. “You want to say that to my face?” He started pushing and the other pushed back.

  “Oh no.” Rachel turned to see Stu grinning and the camera focused on the fight. If he set this up, she was really going to kill him.

  Beckett turned to Ethan. “We need to break this up before your mother’s party is ruined and it all gets caught on camera.”

  Just then an elderly woman, thin and frail, strode through the crowd, her hand clasped around a gold-knobbed walking cane. Rachel couldn’t place her, but she looked vaguely familiar. She stopped between the men and shook her cane at them.

  “We can’t let Gloria Burns handle this alone,” Beckett said.

  Ethan hesitated for only a second before he nodded and the two men crossed the floor side by side.

  “I wonder what that’s all about,” Helen said.

  “Doesn’t matter. Whatever it is, it doesn’t belong here.” Guilt twisted in her stomach, because she was pretty damn sure Stu had a hand in the drama.

  Helen leaned in to speak softly. “I’m sorry about what I said earlier. I can’t seem to feel happy about anything these days, and I take it out on everyone else. I’m surprised Ethan hasn’t left me by now.”

  “Ethan loves you.”

  Helen shrugged. “Sometimes love isn’t enough.”

  Rachel touched her sister-in-law’s shoulder. “And sometimes it is.”

  “You really never wanted children?”

  Had she never wanted children, a family? “I can’t do it all, and I committed myself to being a successful designer a long time ago. It was my dream. I had to make a choice, so I did.” She shrugged. “And it’s too late for me now, anyway, so it’s pointless to worry about it.”

  “Some women work it out. I could work it out. I have a lot of flexibility with my gift shop.”

  Rachel thought of Holly’s friend, Emmie, and the mother she rarely saw more than once a year. “And lots of women are never able to make it work.”

  “I’d like the chance to try.”

  “I know.” Rachel softened her voice. It was such an emotional issue, but she had to ask. “Have you thought about adoption?”

  Helen didn’t freak out like Rachel was afraid she might. “Ethan suggested it, but I don’t know if I could love a child who’s not my own. Not like they should be loved.”

  Rachel thought about Holly. If life had been different and she and Beckett had been able to make a life together, she knew without a doubt she’d love Holly with everything she had. “I hope you consider it. You might be surprised.”

  Beckett and Ethan returned then. The crowd was beginning to dissipate and she didn’t see the troublemakers. “Everything okay?”

  “Yeah,” Ethan replied. “Everyone’d had too much to drink. Their friends are taking them home.”

  “It helped to show some solidarity,” Beckett added. He turned to Ethan. “Thanks.”

  Her brother actually didn’t hesitate to shake hands with Beckett. Maybe someday they could be grown-ups and forget about the so-called family feud.

  “Hey.” Rachel caught Beckett’s hand. “In a further show of solidarity, I haven’t had a chance yet to dance with you tonight.”

  “Yes, we were interrupted.” He squeezed her hand. “Excuse us.” He said the words to Ethan and Helen, but he never took his eyes off Rachel.

  Another moment and she was enveloped in his arms, cradled against his chest, her hips rubbing against his. She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. One slow song slid into another. She hoped the band played them the rest of the night.

  Beckett’s lips brushed her ear. “Come home with me tonight.”

  Her breath caught. She’d love that. “I thought you wanted to keep your distance.”

  “I did. But right now, I want you so bad, I can’t think of anything else.”

  She’d meant what she said on the boat when she said one time. But no more distractions didn’t seem to cut it anymore. He was a distraction all day, every day, anyway. He was more than that, though. He was interesting to talk to, fun to banter with, heaven to kiss, and a temptation to fall into bed with again.

  She hadn’t been able to say any of those words out loud, so she didn’t say anything. She continued to press up against him as they barely moved on the dance floor.

  His body slumped a little, and he pulled back. Not away from the dance, but his lips were no longer brushing her ear. His puff of breath wasn’t tickling her neck anymore. “Okay. It was worth a try.”

  Now she pulled back to look him in the face. “You’re not going to try to talk me into it?”

  “You’d hate me if I tried to persuade you to do something you didn’t want to do. And I wouldn’t blame you. I’m not going to push. You know your own mind, Rachel.”

  “Damn you,” she whispered. “Yes, I want you. Yes, I want to go home with you. I want to spend the night in bed with you.” She laid a quick kiss on his lips. “How soon can we leave?”

  “I vote for right now.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Mocha was waiting for them at the door. The shameless mutt wriggled up to Rachel first, as if the dog knew she was a pushover. And apparently, she was, because even though she and Beck had been kissing and touching in the car, building their anticipation even further, Rachel was on her knees—for the dog—as soon as they got home.

  “She’s been lonely, poor thing,” Rachel said. That snug blue dress rode up her thighs as she nuzzled the dog. “Don’t feel bad, sweetie. You wouldn’t have had any fun at that party.”

  Beck gave up the hope they’d be heading straight to the bedroom and dropped to the floor beside them. All the better to be near those bare legs. “Except for the dancing.”

  She leaned against him even as she let the dog curl up in her lap. “Oh yeah, the dancing part was the best.”

  He reached out to rub Mocha’s wild fur, then let his hand rest on Rachel’s thigh. “I can’t imagine what kind of video your crew got tonight.”

  “And what kind of interviews. They probably deteriorated as the liquor flowed more freely.”

  “Ha. That’s one way of putting it.”

  “At least Stu will have time to use only a tiny fraction of the footage.”

  “But the more outrageous, the better, right?”

  “He’s all about the drama.” Rachel leaned back against him again, soft and warm. “I’ve been avoiding social media today. It gets to be too much. Mia tells me what she thinks I need to know. But I probably should check.”

  He stopped her before she could reach for her tiny bag, wrapping his fingers around her wrist. “We don’t need to waste time on that now.”

  She looked up at him, her blue eyes wide, her pretty lips lifted in a playful smile. “And what do you think we should be wasting time on?”

  Beck leaned over and pressed a kiss to her slender throat. She dropped her head back and gave him better access, something like a purr escaping her lips. “We won’t be wasting time, believe me.”

  Mocha pushed in between them, begging for attention. Beck swept her up and stood. “Time to get this little girl a treat and a quick walk.”

  Rachel slipped off her heels and got to her feet. “Need some help?”

  He took her hand. “Sure. It’ll take only a few minutes.” They strolled through the kitchen, the dog at their heels. He let Mocha out to the fenced-in backyard and they stood side by side, waiting for her to take care of business.

  This night was probably going to end up being a mistake. Tomorrow they’d wake up to the same problems they had today. Lifestyles that weren’t at all compatible. He’d never want to be part of her crazy, public lifestyle, especially with Holly to think about. And Rachel’s career was her whole life. She’d never made room for a family and she obviously hadn’t changed her mind about
that.

  But had he ever felt so close to a woman before? When they weren’t arguing, they seemed to be on the same crazy wavelength. Her touch affected him like no other. His body ached for her. His lips hungered for another taste. But the damn dog hadn’t come back yet.

  Impatient, he turned Rachel into his arms and captured her lips. When he came up for air, he said, “I think she’s taking longer on purpose so we can’t rush to the bedroom and shut her out.”

  Rachel chuckled. “We could get a head start.” She slipped her hands beneath his suit jacket and brushed her fingers along the front of his shirt until she reached his shoulders. He shivered at her touch. She gently lifted the jacket off his shoulders and drew it down his arms. He pulled out of the sleeves. She smiled and leaned in to kiss him again before she sauntered over to the kitchen table and hung the jacket over the back of a chair.

  He couldn’t take his eyes off her. Her slow, confident movements made his body harder than hell. The seductive way her hips shifted beneath the dress made his blood pound. She faced him again, locking her gaze with his as she silently removed her earrings one by one and placed them on top of the table. She slowly reached her toned arms back to unclasp her necklace and dropped that to the table as well.

  Rachel was still fully dressed, and he’d never been so aroused in his life.

  Mocha barked then, and Rachel let out a mock sigh of relief. “Whew. I thought I was going to have to strip naked here in the kitchen before she got back.”

  “I’d have liked to have seen that.” He let the dog in and gave her a treat, then he reached for Rachel’s hand. “Shall we take this to the bedroom?”

  Her nod seemed eager. She waited in the hall for a minute while he walked through the living room to shut off the lamps for the night. It didn’t take long, but when he joined her again, her expression had changed. Her smile had slipped from her lips. She took a step back when he approached.

  “Hey, are you okay? Because if you’ve changed your mind…” He’d have to take a cold, icy cold, shower. “If you want me to take you back to the inn, I will.”

  “No. Of course, I don’t want to go.” She backed out of his embrace. “Maybe I was expecting to get swept off my feet so there was nothing for me to think about.”

  Was this some kind of fantasy thing? He’d never thought the strong Rachel Bradford would want to be taken. “You were hoping I’d just haul you into the bedroom and fuck you? What, like a caveman?”

  “No. Yes. No.” She took a deep breath. “Just give me a minute.”

  Beck mourned the fact that he probably wasn’t going to be able to watch her slip out of that little blue dress tonight. He wasn’t going to sink deep into her body. Or cradle her in his arms. Or wake up with her lying next to him.

  But he wouldn’t walk away from one more night with her in his bed if he had the opportunity.

  …

  It didn’t take Rachel long to figure out what caused massive panic to race through her system. Things had turned too domestic. Everything had been going well in the seduction department. They’d flirted on the dance floor, even more on the short drive home. They’d shared touches. Sexy talk. Arousal buzzing through her veins. She’d been so ready to dive into bed with Beckett.

  But then they’d arrived here. She’d been seduced by the sexy bad boy, but she kept forgetting that wasn’t who he was anymore. The two of them came home together to a real house, like the cozy family homes she worked on for The Rachel Touch. Suddenly this didn’t feel like a fling, not at all like the booty calls she was used to, meeting up with a guy at a hotel or a bachelor pad apartment. Beckett had built a home for himself and his daughter and the family dog, and Rachel had walked right into it.

  For a second or two she’d fallen for the illusion. Welcomed the sweet little dog waiting for them as if Mocha was her own. Imagined herself living in this cozy space, where the curtains didn’t match and the furniture showed its wear. Ready to slip her arm around Beckett’s waist and walk with him down the hall as if they belonged together in this little house. She’d kept the seduction going for a few minutes in the kitchen, but the moment he walked through the living room, switching off lights like the man of the house, it just hit her.

  She didn’t belong here. This wasn’t her life at all.

  But it wasn’t Beckett’s fault. This was exactly where he belonged.

  So what did that mean for tonight? What did that mean for the rest of the time she had left here in Lakeside? Beckett waited beside her, watching her warily.

  She tried for a shaky smile but didn’t quite make it. “Is it too late to say I’m sorry I messed things up tonight?”

  He rose and walked over to her, placed his heavy hands on her shoulders. “You didn’t mess things up.”

  “I did. For a minute I felt like I was coming home, and it freaked me out.”

  He rested his forehead against hers. “Would that be so wrong? If Lakeside felt like home?”

  She stumbled away, but she kept her voice low. “Lakeside will never be home, and I can’t play house with you.”

  “I don’t want to play anything with you. Well, unless you have some sex games you like…”

  She let out a slow, sad chuckle. “I know we’re playing at having a fling but—”

  “But we actually are having a fling. There’s no playing involved.”

  She didn’t want to think anymore. They were here, the bedroom was only a few steps away, and she wanted him more than her next breath. The remaining few days would work themselves out. “I guess you’re right. Don’t mind me. It’s late and I’m tired.”

  “Too tired to fool around?”

  “God, I hope not.”

  They ended up walking arm in arm to the master suite. It was clearly a man’s room, decorated in dark grays and black, with no frills of any kind. Still, it wasn’t stark or unwelcoming, but definitely a place for a guy to relax. She wondered how many other women he’d brought here and then told herself it didn’t matter.

  Instead of frantically yanking off their clothes and coming together the moment they hit the mattress, the interruption allowed them to slow down. Beckett kissed her softly, then turned her so she was facing away from him. He smoothed her hair over one shoulder and then softly dropped kisses to the back of her neck. He lowered the zipper of her dress slowly, and shivers followed along her skin. She curled her fingers into her palms so she didn’t reach out to him. She’d have her turn to touch him. She knew that without a doubt.

  When the zipper reached its end, it took only a shrug of her shoulders for the fabric to slide down her body and pool at her feet. After stepping free and kicking it away, she turned to face Beckett in only her bra and panties. His eyes flashed with wanting. Then he reached up to loosen his tie.

  “Nope. My turn.” Rachel fingered the burgundy tie, sliding up the smooth fabric until she reached the knot. She didn’t look away from him as she tugged it free and stripped it from his collar. She began to unbutton the white shirt, but she didn’t complain when he helped her. The arousal in her body was building again. It wouldn’t be too long before it would overtake her senses.

  As soon as it was unbuttoned, Beckett tugged the shirt from the waistband of his pants. Rachel sucked in her breath. She’d forgotten how impressive the muscles were that he had developed from all that work he put in salvaging. She splayed her hands across his chest, letting the dark hair tease her palms.

  “You are beautiful,” she murmured.

  He chuckled softly and swept his fingers through her hair. “That’s my line.”

  “Guess we’ll have to share it.” She dropped her hands to his belt, took care of the buckle, then quickly unfastened the button of his pants and lowered the zipper. His heavy erection bumped against her hand from behind his soft cotton boxer briefs. She cupped his hard length and smiled at the hiss of breath that came from Beckett.<
br />
  She brushed a kiss over his mouth while still holding him in her palm. “Take off the rest of your clothes, Mr. Colburn.”

  He caught her bottom lip between his teeth, sucking on it for a brief moment. The suction went straight to her core. “I will if you will, Ms. Bradford.”

  “You’ll show me yours if I show you mine?” she teased, remembering him using a similar phrase way back at the beginning, when neither of them could have imagined ever being where they were right now.

  “Only seems fair.” He slid her bra straps off her shoulders and left them to tickle her biceps. She reached behind and unhooked it. Beck swept the straps off her arms and dangled the bra from his fingers with a grin before laying it over his suitcoat at the end of the bed. He kept his gaze on her. First on her face, sure, but she couldn’t blame him for letting his eyes skim down until they reached her bare breasts. “Beautiful.”

  Tingles danced along her skin and between her legs. She tugged at his pants, wanting them down, wanting them gone. Wanting him. Now.

  The urgency had returned. Rachel wouldn’t think about anything else but here and now. A fling. It was just a fun fling. It was what they both wanted.

  Beck helped her get rid of the rest of his clothes, then she was wearing only her panties. She hooked her thumbs into the waistband and was about to shimmy out of them with a sassy touch of theatrics, but stopped. She felt way too needy to make it a production. Plus she was never actually stripping for Beckett Colburn, not even if she was undressing in his bedroom.

  Beckett placed his hands over hers. “Everything okay?”

  She hadn’t realized she’d frozen in place. She flashed him a grin, tugged the panties off, and stepped out of them. “Couldn’t be better.”

  He swept her into his arms, surprising her. She laughed and threw her arms around his neck. It took only a couple of steps to make it to the bed, and then he placed her gently on the mattress. He kept his eyes on her as he grabbed a condom and rolled it on while her tongue darted out to wet her lips. Then he climbed up onto the high mattress and stretched on top of her. His mouth met hers and she opened to him for a long, wet kiss that went on forever and not nearly long enough.