"What's wrong?" he asked when she waited too long.
Beth sighed. "I'm dying, John."
"I know, but I'm an optimist."
"No," she shook her head and made sure he was looking in her eyes. "It's happening. Tonight is my gift. It's happening because my body can't fight much longer."
"What? But you look— what do you mean, a gift?"
She reached up and brushed her fingers over the patch on her neck that emerged from under the choker of her dress. "You've heard of Hospice?"
John's lips parted and a breath slipped out of them. His face and shoulders fell with it. "No," he breathed. "You—"
Beth reached across and placed her hand on his. She wanted to cry but knew she couldn't. Not for her, for him. "Tonight's all we've got. Let's make the most of it."
"But— I—"
Beth pushed a finger to his lips. "No buts. Don't hold anything back tonight for me, okay? I've had a not so great life, I want to end it right."
"Jesus, that's kind of morbid."
Beth laughed. "Morbid? Tell me, are you religious?"
He shrugged. "Sort of. I'm not really a regular church-goer or anything. Are you?"
"No. After what I've seen and been through? How could I be."
He shook his head. "I've seen a lot of people in situations like this get more into religion. Something to fall back on or believe in. Something that gives them hope."
"I'm expecting my next life to be amazing," Beth admitted. John's brow furrowed and she smiled. "What? If I'm wrong then I won't know about it."
He chuckled. "Good point. Okay, so hold nothing back? I want you to tell me all about yourself. Let me know who you are, so I can keep that with me. God, this sounds so morbid, but I guess I feel if I can really know you, it'll be like you're still here."
Beth tilted her head and smiled as she considered his words. "That's so sweet! We've only got tonight though, and I don't know how long I'm going to feel good."
John frowned. He turned and put his car in drive. "Then we'd better get started."
Beth grinned and let John drive south out of town until he pulled into the plowed parking lot of Ellie Park. Beth glanced at the sign and turned to John. "Um, the hours say dawn to dusk?"
He smiled. "If anybody asks we'll tell them you're helping me with a case."
"A case? I thought detectives did that?"
"Somebody's been watching too many cop shows!"
Beth laughed. "Maybe, why, is that wrong?"
"No," he admitted. "But even lowly patrolmen like me still help out and investigate things."
Beth glanced out the window to where the car's headlights lit up a walkway that had a trail beat down through the snow. "Good, let's go then!"
"You're really going to hike in that dress?"
Beth smiled and asked, "Would you like me to take it off instead?"
His open mouthed response made her laugh. She opened her door and climbed out. Her boots handled the parking lot and, she was certain, they'd work fine for the trail. Otherwise she'd have to take them off and walk barefoot. That would freak John out more than she imagined he could handle.
He met her at the front of the car and started to unzip his coat. "Here, at least take this."
Beth smiled and shook her head. "You keep it."
"Liz! Come on, you've got to be freezing."
"Then let's walk, it'll warm me up," she said and winked at him. She turned before he could protest and started down the trail. John hurried to catch up to her and walk beside her.
"You're still feisty, I like that."
Beth glanced at him and smiled. She reached out and slipped her hand in his, earning a shy glance and smile from him. The lights from his car turned off and plunged them into darkness lit only by the stars overhead and the distant city glow to the north and east.
"It's beautiful out here," she said. "Thank you for this."
"You're crazy," he laughed. "I should be thanking you. Giving me this opportunity, I'll remember it for the rest of my life."
"Me too," Beth whispered.
John's laugh died. "I'm sorry. That was a dick thing to say."
She turned on him and stepped up next to him. "No, it was sweet. Don't worry, you're not going to upset me by flattering me."
John stared down at her and shook his head. "You're so beautiful. This isn't fair."
Beth blinked and turned away. They started walking down the dark trail into the woods again. "Fair has nothing to do about life. If there's something I'm learning, it's that you have to enjoy every moment you can, while you can. Nobody lives forever and nobody gets out of life alive."
He snorted. "Wouldn't it be nice though? To live forever?"
Beth turned and looked at him. "Nothing lasts forever. Sooner or later an asteroid's going to hit us or the sun will die or we'll end up killing each other."
"Wow, you've really thought about this."
Beth smiled. "Not really, just something somebody said to me once."
They fell into silence and walked deeper into the woods. The tracks began to thin out but the trees blocked the snow and kept it from building up as deep. The parking lot was soon behind them far enough away they were all alone on the gravel lot that had been turned into a nature park.
"So talk to me," John said. "Tell me something that will help me come to terms with this wonderful angel that came into my life only to leave it so soon."
Beth turned, showing him her teeth in a smile. "I snore and steal the covers?"
"Ha! I could handle that."
"Oh, is that right?" she laughed.
"Well, unless you're one of those girls that can suck the curtains off the windows when you snore."
"I can pull down the window too," Beth teased.
"Hey, a girl that can suck that good is welcome in my life anytime!"
Beth's eyes widened. "Oh my god! You went there!"
John laughed. "Sorry, I couldn't stop myself."
"Don't. Stop yourself, I mean," Beth said. "You're funny. Cute. Nice. What's your secret that stops me from throwing myself at you tonight?"
He chuckled. "Sorry, I'm drawing a blank. Mr. Wonderful, reporting for duty."
Beth snapped her fingers. "Of course! You're compensating for a tiny penis."
John's mouth fell. "What?"
Beth forced a serious expression on her face. "That's it, isn't it? Micropenis? One of those three inch monsters? Less? It's not your fault, you don't have to be ashamed of it. I understand."
"Stop it!" he laughed. "I do not have a— what did you call it, a micropenis?"
She shook her head. "Sorry bud, your secret's out."
"This is crazy!"
"You're really serious about this, aren't you?"
"Well, yeah. I mean, I— I can't believe we're having this conversation. You're convincing, I thought you were serious for a minute. I mean, you're not, are you?"
Beth winked at him. "I don't know, am I?"
His mouth fell open again.
"There's only one thing we can do," she said.
"Oh yeah? What's that?"
"You're going to have to prove it to me."
Chapter 10
His eyes widened and he glanced around. "Out here? I mean, it's cold. I don't—"
Beth stepped in front of him and moved close enough that inches separated their faces. The heels on her boots helped raise her near his height. "John, this is my last night with you. Maybe alive. Are you really going to ruin it for me?"
John swallowed and shook his head. "It's just so cold, I—"
Beth reached up and held onto his neck while she pressed her lips against his. She closed her eyes and melted into his warmth, feeling the rough scruff of his shaved face against her smooth skin and inhaling his manly scent. She forced herself back and blinked her eyes open to see his eyes still closed.
"Fuck the snow," he whispered.
"No," Beth replied. "Fuck me. You'll like it better."
He opened his eyes and
smiled. "Not a chance, beautiful. You asked me not to hold anything back."
Beth's eyes rounded. "I don't understand. Don't you want me?"
"More than anything," he vowed. "I meant that I'm going to make love to you."
"Right here, in the snow?"
"Anywhere!"
Beth moaned and kissed him again. His arms went around her, holding her tight and sliding up her dress and under her jacket to her bare upper back. His hands slid back down, over her dress again, and caressed the contours of her bottom.
"No underwear?" he broke the kiss to ask.
Beth looked down and grabbed the zipper on his coat. She yanked it down and then looked at him. "I didn't want anything to get in our way tonight."
John raised an eyebrow but before he could say anything. Beth reached behind her back and released the hooks on her choker. The dress fell down, gathering for a moment at her hips before she shifted and let it slide over them and pool at her feet in the snow. She stepped out of it and kicked it aside before stepping back in and sliding her body against his sweater. Her fashion jacket and boots were all that remained on her.
"How can you not be a popsicle?" he asked as he wrapped his jacket around her.
"You're going to have to keep me warm," she said as she pressed her face into the crook of his neck. She closed her eyes and reveled in the feel of his skin against hers. The scent of his skin and cologne was intoxicating, but that was nothing next to the warmth and life she could sense thrumming beneath his flesh. She kissed and scraped her teeth against him. She fought off a sudden urge to bite him.
"Oh damn," he moaned. His hands squeezed and groped at her. Rubbing her bare flesh and exploring every curve and crevice he could reach with his arms around her. "There's a log, we could, um, try that."
She moaned into his throat. "Nice, hard wood sounds good."
John hunched down and grabbed her ass in both hands. He straightened and picked her up, earning a giggle as a reward. Beth wrapped her legs around him, grinding herself against the bulge struggling to burst free of his pants. He stumbled through the snow until he reached the fallen tree. "Stand up a minute," he panted.
Beth lowered her legs but kept licking and sucking on his throat. He fumbled around until he unbuckled his belt and then pushed his pants down. John's breath whistled through his teeth as he exposed himself to the below freezing air.
John stepped back dropped to sit on the log. "Damn, it's cold! Hop on before bad things happen."
Beth grinned. "I bet I can help," she said and sank down to her knees in the snow. She leaned forward and inhaled as her lips descended on him. John hissed at the rush of cold air and then moaned as her warm mouth chased the chill away. He jerked, shocked by the change in temperature, and bucked into her mouth.
Beth pulled back to keep him from gagging her and grinned around his girth. She twisted her head and as she teased him to a new level of hardness and then rose up. "Better?"
"Get over here," John growled and reached for her.
Beth laughed as he pulled her into his grasp. She lifted a leg to straddle him and the log and then, with John holding her steady, did the same with her other leg. She sat down and felt the warm iron pressing against her. "Go ahead," she urged while keeping her arms wrapped around his neck.
John positioned himself, fumbling a bit until she felt his firm head stretching her. She moaned and bore down, stretching herself wider and forcing her skin to accept him. It hurt, but it was a delicious pain.
"Are you okay?" he asked, leaning his head back to stare at her.
"Fuck yes!" Beth groaned. She knew it would hurt, but she wanted this. Her body would recover.
His eyes widened but he took her word for it. They worked at it, feeding inch after inch until she sat flush on his lap and buried her face back in his neck. She sucked and nipped at his skin, drawing a growl from him that escalated into him driving himself into her while she worked her hips in tandem with him.
After a few minutes of finding a rhythm John shook his head. "This is impossible," he mumbled. "We've got to do something else."
Beth pulled back. "Something else?"
"Yeah, um, do you mind switching?"
"Switching?" Beth grinned and rocked her hips in his lap. "I don't know, this is nice."
He grinned. "It is, but trust me."
"Yes, officer," she teased and shifted to rise up off of him.
He hopped up and moved to spin her around. "Bend over and grab onto the log."
"Ooh, is this a body cavity search?"
John laughed. "I was thinking of going deep undercover."
Beth took the position he requested and twerked her ass a few times. He guided himself into her and slid in with simultaneous groans. He lay against her for a moment, acclimating himself before Beth tightened herself around him. He cursed under his breath and began to work himself in and out.
Beth bit her lip and closed her eyes, reveling in the sensation. The soreness had faded into a warmth that spread into her belly. She felt good. It wasn't the same experience as when she'd been nuzzled against him. She'd sensed his energy and heat beneath her lips and tongue. All she had to do was plunge her teeth into his skin and suck. She shuddered at the thought and heard him groan behind her. He throbbed inside of her. Was he finished already?
"John? Did you just, um—"
He chuckled. "Not yet. I'm fighting it, baby."
Beth pushed herself off the log and ground her butt into his lap. "I want to see you," she pouted.
John grunted and pulled out. He was breathing hard when she turned and stared at him. She smiled and stepped up to kiss him again. It grew more passionate as their lips parted and tongues met. Beth reached down to stroke him. She stopped kissing him and whispered. "I'm burning up, John."
"Burning— is that bad?"
"Not if you can put me out," she said and sank down again. He gasped as she breathed on his throbbing shaft and then placed a gentle kiss on the very tip. She winked up at him and grinned before leaning back and laying down on her dress.
"Holy shit!" he blurted. "That's insane!"
Beth smiled and stretched her arms and legs out, fanning them in the snow. "You said I was your angel." She drew her boots up and tilted her hips up, offering him a view she'd only given a few doctors. "Put my fire out, John. Show me you love me."
He grunted and stumbled forward, his pants still around his ankles. He fell and plunged his knees and hands into the snow. He ignored the cold and scrambled forward until she could grab his erection and pull it back into her. She groaned as he buried himself and then slid her hand up her parted folds and began to pinch and rub herself.
John grunted and groaned as he worked himself into her harder and faster. Beth watched his face flush and the tendons bulge on his neck. His breathing grew shorter and shorter and she knew it couldn't be long. He'd have a heart attack or a stroke if he kept going like that! She rubbed herself faster and reached up with her free hand to pinch and tug on her nipple. It stiffened under her fingers and made her own panting increase.
"Liz! I'm ready. I'm there, baby. Where— shit, no condom!"
"Shoot it," Beth groaned. "In me! Do it!"
He shuddered and froze for a moment, buried as deep as he could be in her. She felt him throbbing and growing and then the first burst of heat filled her. She gasped and stiffened, amazed the sudden feeling. He started bucking and pumping as he filled her.
Beth let go of her breast and reached up to pull him down on her chest. She shifted her head to avoid his and went for his neck. Her lips and teeth parted and she planted them on his neck. She licked and sucked, feeling his life throbbing in frantic pulses beneath her tongue. Her fingers twisted her sensitive nub a final time and she lost herself in a wave of euphoric bliss that radiated through her body.
"Liz? Jesus, Liz!"
Beth blinked her eyes open as the warmth pressing against her lifted away. She stared up and saw John on both knees and one hand, the other was at hi
s neck. She glanced around and saw the snow all around her. She should be cold. Frozen cold, in fact.
"I'm going to catch hell for the hickey you gave me," he laughed. "Are you okay? Let's get you off the ground, that's got to be cold!"
Beth blinked and nodded. She let him take her hand and pull her up. She looked at his neck and saw the red bruise from where she'd mauled him. She licked her teeth, wishing she could grow fangs like Penny did. She shook her head again to chase the thought away. John was a good man. He loved her, or loved making love to her. Whatever. He didn't deserve that.
"Are you okay?"
Beth nodded. "Just, um, wow. That was intense," she said. The heat that had filled her after drinking Penny's blood was fading fast. She wasn't cold, but she was starting to feel empty and tired again. "Wiped me out."
"Oh. Uh, let's get back to the car and get you warmed up. Will you take my jacket now?"
Beth smiled and shook her head. "Help me get my dress back on."
"It's full of snow!" he said as he picked it up and shook it out. She shrugged so he helped her step into it and lift it up to her hands.
Beth pulled it up and fastened it around her neck. She felt the clumps of snow against her skin and felt them melting and running down her skin.
"Sorry about, um, not having any protection. Pretty stupid of me," he said.
Beth smiled and pulled him in for a kiss. "You're amazing," she whispered. "Best man I've ever met."
"Well yeah, I don't doubt that," he joked. "But you don't know where I've been or what—"
"John, I'm dying," Beth said.
"Oh, yeah," he sighed. "That sucks. I really like you."
"Like me?"
He chuckled. "Fine, I let go. I'm falling in love with you."
Beth bit her lip and nodded. "Of all the nights of my life, this was the best."
"It's not over yet," he said.
Beth shook her head. "It's over. The, uh, medicine is wearing off."
"Oh. Oh! Shit. Um, come on," he said and reached for her hand.
Beth took a step and staggered. Her leg wobbled and she would have fallen if John hadn't held her up. "Fuck," she hissed. "Not now. Not yet, damn it!"
Forever Kiss Page 7