by Kadie Scott
Then she sucked on it and he lost all train of thought. With purposeful strides—and several miracles to keep them from bumping into walls or furniture—he managed to get them back to her bedroom.
Slowly he lowered her to the bed, trapped by her gaze—all wanton, open desire.
“I need you. Right now,” he said.
Those dimples nailed him as she grinned. “Good. Me, too.”
Anticipation and a raging craving to claim and pleasure turned his brain to mush, his body in full control. She must’ve felt it too, because they helped each other strip as fast as they could, their trembling hands and all-fired hurry making it awkward in the most fun way.
As soon as the last item of clothing hit the floor, Autry stood back, appreciating the view of Beth naked on her bed—honeyed skin, pink-tipped breasts, blonde curls that matched her hair. “God, you’re gorgeous.”
A sweet flush stole up her chest into her cheeks. She didn’t believe him?
Determination gripped him. Autry would show her how much she affected him and have a little fun while he was at it. “Spread your legs wide, honey.”
She hesitated only the space of a heartbeat, then did as he asked. Damn if that kind of trust didn’t shoot an arrow through his heart. “Good. Now touch yourself.”
Her blue eyes flew wide. “What? I’ve never—”
“Can’t you see how hard I am?” He wrapped his hand around his cock, giving it a couple slow pumps.
Her wide eyes dropped to see what he was doing, then returned to his face. Slowly, she trailed her fingers over her stomach to flutter through the pale curls. Tentative at first, but he could see the moment pleasure and the way he was looking at her got through and her touch turned bolder. Geez, she was amazing. So beautiful.
The second a small whimper escaped her lips, he couldn’t stand not being the one to pull those sounds from her.
In a flash, he moved her hand away and lowered his head to latch on to her clit, sucking hard.
Beth gasped and arched into the sensation. She was already silky slick and so ready. Simply from watching him and touching herself?
Damn. He’d never get tired of this.
His cock was throbbing hard, and they’d barely got started, but he couldn’t wait any more. Not after all the foreplay, weeks and weeks of it, leading up to this moment. Not when the plans he had for their future meant he could take his time later.
Standing back, he searched for his jeans and, hampered by shaking hands, managed to get a condom out of his wallet.
As soon as she cottoned on to what he was doing, Beth jackknifed up to her elbows. “Wait. What about the bet?”
“I’m calling it off.” He grinned.
She shook her head, her fine hair falling into her eyes. “I can’t be the reason you lose the house. It means too much to you.”
Autry settled his body between her legs, brushed the hair from her eyes, and gave her a long, sweet kiss. “You have the biggest heart. But I swear, this is what I want. Things have changed.”
She searched his eyes and he smiled, waiting for her. Beth bit her lip, obviously undecided.
“What’s changed?”
The question, so Beth-like not to see the answer was her, pulled a smile from him. “I think that’d be pretty obvious.” To help her along, Autry palmed one pert breast, then plucked at her straining nipple while at the same time, he canted his hips to rub his erection against her. He grinned when she shuddered, even as her eyes went wide.
“Trust me, honey,” he whispered, feathering kisses across her jaw, down her neck, and all the way to the breast he wasn’t already playing with.
He circled her nipple with his tongue before pulling it into his mouth, sucking hard, just like he already knew she liked.
Beth groaned and threaded her fingers through his hard, holding him to her. “I guess if you’re okay with it…”
That’s all he needed. Autry sat back and aligned the tip of his cock to her entrance. Then he took both her hands, linking their fingers and pinning her hands to the bed on either side of her head. Slowly, obsessed with watching her face as he did, he pushed inside her body—tight, hot, and wet. Just for him.
Only for him.
Damn if forever didn’t have its benefits.
He paused once he was fully seated inside her and took her in—the sweet almond-blossom smell of her all wrapped up in the glorious scent of sex and need, the way her lips were parted, swollen from his kisses, how tightly she gripped his cock, and, most of all, the faith swirling with lust and need in her big blue eyes.
“Autry—”
The demanding little moan sent him off. “I know.”
He reared back and slammed into her.
“Oh, yes,” she moaned.
His girl liked it hard? Hell, yes. His body fully in control now, Autry set up a brutal pace, reveling in how her body milked his with each stroke and the way she matched the thrust of her hips to his, how she moaned with every single movement, clawing at his back like she couldn’t get enough. Lost in him as much as he’d lost himself in her.
Until the pressure built.
They were both so close. He canted his hips so each stroke pressed into her clit, and suddenly Beth tensed, sucking in a breath, her hands clenching around his, before she clamped down on him hard, screaming his name.
Her release had him hurtling over the precipice into his own, and Autry came hard, seeing stars as pleasure gathered then slammed down his spine and out through his throbbing cock. He continued to pump into her, gradually slowing as the sensations ebbed and her breathing calmed, until finally, they stopped. Spent and elated and totally sated.
He dropped his forehead to her.
“Damn, woman.”
He felt more than saw her smile and she reached up to trace his lips. “Yeah. Me, too.”
Needing to hold her, Autry pulled out and took care of the condom before diving back into the bed to wrap around her. He drew little designs on her skin with his finger, trying to figure out how to get the next words out.
“Who knew you’d like it so rough in bed.” He held in a cringe. That was probably not the way to lead up to a proposal.
“I know, right? You must bring out the bad girl in me.” Only her smile said Beth was perfectly happy with that arrangement.
So was Autry.
“Beth…”
“Yeah?”
“Beth… Will you marry me?”
Fuck. He had not meant to spring it on her like that. What happened to all those smooth moves he was rumored to possess? They’d deserted him tonight. That was for damn sure.
Autry held his breath and waited for her reaction.
*
Shock reverberated through Beth, stilling every function in her body as though an electric current had passed through her. Did Autry just say what she thought he’d said?
“Beth?” Still holding her, the man who’d taken over her thoughts lately gave her a little jiggle that jump-started her breathing as well as her heart which raced to catch back up after stopping altogether.
Two emotions slammed through her in a simultaneous, confusing rush—pure, unadulterated happiness… and ugly, gnawing doubt. “Why?”
Autry blinked and then frowned, as if he hadn’t been expecting that reaction. “For Dylan.”
Disappointment dragged her balloon of happiness under water, drowning it slowly. But Autry was still holding her, still in her bed. If she was going to deal with this situation rationally, she needed space.
Right now.
“Can we… can you…” She pushed against his chest with the hand resting there, doing her best to not register the heat of him, or the hard muscles under her touch, or the way his heart matched the erratic rhythms of her own. Was he nervous?
Wait. The playboy of the county was proposing. To her of all people. Of course, that would make him uncomfortable.
He searched her eyes for a long second. “Sure.”
He moved off the bed and
pulled his jeans on while she wrapped the sheet around her and sat at the edge of the bed. Finally, he turned to face her, and Beth forced herself to look him dead in the eye. “What do you mean, for Dylan?”
Autry dropped to one knee in front of her. “The Wrights are moving to Dallas.”
Dallas? When did this happen?
“They can’t take him with them,” he continued. “He’s going back into the system and they’ll find another foster care situation, but probably not here. Only, what if this keeps happening to him? What if his home life is never stable? That can’t be good for a kid, can it?”
“No,” she agreed slowly, her heart clenching for the boy. “Kids need stability and routine.”
Her mind spun with all this information, and she had to swallow down a lump that formed in her throat at the idea of losing Dylan. Of him being scared and alone and shuffled from situation to situation.
At the same time, Autry asked her to marry him. Please don’t let this be the reason for the proposal. Beth repeated that over and over, only her heart, aching a little more with each passing second, knew it had to be.
“Exactly!” Autry agreed. “And people who love him, right?”
“Yes.”
“Well… I love that kid.”
Beth smiled at that, even through her own growing sadness. “I can tell you do.”
He inched closer, an eager light entering his eyes. “And you love him too. I know it.”
“I do love, Dylan.” Don’t do it. She silently begged.
Because she didn’t know if she was strong enough to walk away—partly because of Dylan. She’d love to give that boy a home and all the love she had in her heart. But also partly because of the man on his knees in front of her—a man who wanted to rescue a boy and give him a home, a man who also lit her body on fire, made her laugh, stood up for her to bullies, and rolled with the situations she got herself into. A man she was rapidly falling for.
Hard.
“So…” He paused, and swallowed, suddenly not the image of pure confidence he usually projected.
Here it came.
“So, I was thinking that if we got married, we could adopt him.”
Yeah. There it was. Beth took a deep breath, needing to look away and gather herself for what came next. She returned her gaze to the cowboy watching her closely. “I can’t marry you, Autry.”
The light in his eyes blanked out like someone shorted the power grid inside him and his arms fell limp to his sides. “Why not?”
This was the tricky part. Because she wouldn’t lie, but no way was she putting her heart out there to be stampeded over. Beth chose her next words with care. “I believe marriage should only be for love.”
“But this will be.” Autry reached out and took her hand. “We both love that kid.”
She tugged but he didn’t let go. “I mean love between the two people in the actual marriage.”
He was quiet for a long second, and she could practically hear the whir of the gears as he thought through arguments to persuade her.
Sure enough, he scooted even closer and laid her palm flat against his heart, which thudded away under her touch. Only his heart wasn’t all hoppy for her, but for the situation with Dylan. “We care about each other. Hell, more than that, we genuinely like each other.” He paused to eye her closely. “Don’t we?”
Autry Hill with doubts clouding his expression was a novelty to see, but Beth couldn’t bring herself to appreciate the moment. “Of course, we do. You’re a great guy…”
Autry dropped her hand and stood turning away from her to run his hand through his hair. “That just sounds like a lame break-up line.”
“It’s not. I consider you a friend.”
His shoulders stiffened, and he slowly turned to face her, his expression unreadable. “Friends don’t do what we’ve been doing, Beth.” His voice dropped to a low, gravelly growl.
“No.” That was true enough.
He waited, and she stared back, unwilling to say more.
“That’s all you have to say?” he demanded.
“I don’t know what else to say.” She gave a helpless little shrug, careful not to let the sheet slip down.
“What about Dylan?” he demanded.
Nausea turned over in her belly like worms turning in the soft earth. “We can still be the constant in his life.”
“He needs more than just a teacher and a big brother,” Autry snapped. “Ones who may only get to email or Skype if he moves far away.”
Beth swallowed at the anger descending over his features, the way his hands curled into fists. He’d never, ever harm her in any way, but knowing he was that pissed at her hurt just the same. Plus, Autry wasn’t wrong.
But no way was she entering into marriage with a man who merely liked her. She deserved more. She deserved to be adored. “What if one or both of us can’t handle being stuck in a marriage with someone who’s just a friend? Or falls hard for someone else?” she asked quietly.
“That wouldn’t happen,” Autry insisted, scowl darkening.
Except, he’d only been dating-free for a short period of time. Even then, he hadn’t been able to keep his hands off her. How could she trust that?
Beth shook her head. “You can’t say that for sure. Divorce is no way to give Dylan the stability he needs, either.”
Autry dropped his head forward to stare at the floor. “Are you seeing someone else?”
“Of course not.”
“Have a crush on another guy?”
Just the one standing in front of her. “No.”
“Is this because of my reputation? You don’t trust me to stay faithful, is that it?” He lifted his gaze to pin her with a glare that bordered on rage, only she could see the pain underneath. “Is that it, Beth?” he barked.
She jumped a little at the crack of his voice in her otherwise silent house. She had basically two options. Admit she was more than halfway to falling in love with him or let him believe the trust thing was the real issue.
Beth suspected that, despite being a loving, supportive family, the Hills didn’t give Autry as much trust as he deserved. However, if she admitted her feelings, she was only giving him ammunition to argue her into saying yes.
And she was weak enough to let him.
Pulling her shoulders back, she did the only thing she could, and said nothing.
Autry spun away, shoulders so tense she could make out the outline of the ridged muscles under his shirt. “Shit,” he muttered.
Beth closed her eyes, heart crumbling to dust inside her.
“Shit,” he muttered again.
Then the sound of his boots on her hardwood floors had her opening her eyes to find him walking out her door without another word.
Chapter Thirteen
Beth usually enjoyed the quiet hour in the mornings before the kids came in and the day hopped on the crazy train that didn’t stop until the last bell and she’d walked her car riders out to the pickup line. Once the hooligans were involved, the day zoomed by. So, the hours before and after school were sacred, quiet prep time. Except all that quiet gave her too much time to be in her head.
Today, she was laying out tablets for the first thing they’d do in the morning, which involved an online practice test so she could judge what last-minute things she needed to do with her classes to get ready for the statewide tests coming up.
She had no idea what alerted her to the fact that she wasn’t alone. A sound maybe. Regardless, she paused in what she was doing and half turned to find Dylan standing in her doorway with the most tragic expression she’d ever seen. Like he was on the verge of tears but determined to be a big kid and be brave. Had Mrs. Wright told him?
“Dylan?” she prompted. “Are you okay?”
Lips pressed tight against the tears welling in his big brown eyes, Dylan shook his head.
What was left of her heart after last night cracked open a mile wide. She put down the rest of the tablets and opened her arms. Dylan d
ropped his backpack with a thud that echoed her heart hitting the bottom of her feet where it landed as he wrapped his arms tight around her and sobbed.
Beth bit her lip and looked to the ceiling for answers she knew weren’t up there. Neither was the control she tried to maintain as a teacher, tears silently slipping down her cheeks as he cried and cried.
Finally, Dylan’s emotions burned themselves out and his sobs slowed down. Between big gulping breaths, he forced words out. “Don’t make me, Ms. Coop. I don’t want to leave here.”
Beth brushed his hair back from where it’d stuck to his damp forehead, his face blotchy from all those tears. “We don’t know what will happen yet. When do the Wright’s leave?”
“In April.”
A small ray of relief pierced the storm clouds gathering. “Okay. That gives us time to try to figure things out. Right?”
Dylan eyed her with dubious hope. “You mean you’ll fix it?”
She swallowed past the permanent lump that’d been in her throat since Autry had left last night. “I can’t make any promises, but Autry and I will both fight to keep you in La Colina.”
A wall slammed down behind Dylan’s eyes, as though he’d turned back into the sullen boy she’d had in class most of the year in an instant. “You can’t do anything,” he said in a dull voice.
Beth just resisted pulling him back when he stepped away. “I don’t know yet what we can do. I’m going to talk to the lady from DFPS after school today, and we’ll go from there.”
If she could foster him, or even adopt him, Beth had already promised herself she would. However, she didn’t want to get Dylan’s hopes up, so she kept that to herself.
She reached out to squeeze his arm, but Dylan jerked away from her. “Why can’t I live with you and Autry?”
“It’s not that easy. Autry and I aren’t married and don’t live together.”
“But you could get married. You like each other. I can tell.”
Oh, to see the world through the eyes of a ten-year-old, everything black and white before the gray areas started to creep in. “We do, but that doesn’t mean we’re in love or should get married.”
He stepped back again in a jerking motion. “I’ve seen how you look at him,” Dylan insisted.