Burning For Her Kiss

by Sherri Hayes

  He chuckled.

  Unfortunately, anything Beth might have said was silenced when Bill joined them at the table. He reached for one of the rolls, took a huge bite, and asked, “My boy here tells us you’re a pretty fine baker. You make anything as good as my Nancy’s rolls here?”

  Before she could answer, Drew chimed in. “Her muffins are the things dreams are made of.”

  Nancy appeared beside Beth with what looked to be a large pot of stew. “Yes, dear, we’re all aware of how much you like muffins, but I do believe your father was referring to food.”

  Beth thought her eyes would pop out of her head as she stared up in shock at Drew’s mother. Nancy only winked at her and turned to get the salad.

  Fingers tangled with hers under the table. She knew it was Drew, but she was too stunned to speak.

  He squeezed her hand, and she finally turned her head in his direction.

  “They like you,” he mouthed.

  She swallowed and nodded. They liked her. Okay. That was good. Beth only hoped she could get used to their teasing and not die of embarrassment before they headed home on Monday night.

  Chapter 27

  Lunch was interesting, to say the least. Beth didn’t know what she’d expected, but Drew’s parents weren’t anything like what she’d been picturing. They were older. His dad had to be close to seventy and his mom wasn’t much younger, but they didn’t act that way. As soon as they were finished with their meal, Bill got up from the table and offered to help Drew bring in the bags.

  “Actually, I brought my camping gear. I figured Beth and I could sleep down by the creek tonight,” Drew said.

  A knowing smile spread across Bill’s face. He knew exactly why his son wanted to camp out instead of spending the night under his parents’ roof. “Well, then, I’ll help you unload everything and haul it back to the campsite.”

  “Thanks.” Drew stood and pushed in his chair. “Did you want—”

  “You men go on ahead. Beth and I will clean up.”

  There was a finality in Nancy’s voice that left an uneasy feeling in Beth’s stomach. She didn’t know the woman well enough to hazard a guess as to what was coming, but she knew something was.

  Nothing was said at first beyond a few polite ‘can you hand me that plate’ or ‘there’s a container over there you can use’ for the first couple of minutes. It was tempting to let her guard down.

  “My son tells me you own a café.”

  It wasn’t the line of questioning Beth had been expecting. “I do.”

  There was another pause.

  “A lot of hard work running a business. Long hours.”

  “It is,” Beth agreed, “but I enjoy it for the most part. Baking has always been a passion of mine.”

  Nancy nodded, reached for a dishtowel, and began wiping down the counter. Beth could tell there was something on her mind.

  Not sure she wanted to know what Nancy was thinking, Beth decided to keep the conversation on food. “Drew tells me he gets his love of cooking from you.”

  His mother smiled. “My boy is very talented in the kitchen. Could probably have been a chef if he’d put his mind to it.” Nancy pulled out a chair and sat down, inviting Beth to do the same. “But he’s wanted to be a firefighter since the second grade. I thought maybe he’d grow out of it, find something a little safer he wanted to do with his life, but that didn’t happen. Too much of his father in him.”

  There was no malice behind her words. She was only stating a fact.

  “Are you disappointed he didn’t choose to do something different with his life?” Beth asked.

  “Oh, heavens no. I want my boys to be happy. Both my boys. If that means one of them has to rush into burning buildings on a regular basis, then so be it.” It was clear Nancy had come to terms with Drew’s choice of profession a long time ago.

  “I haven’t met Seth yet, but Drew’s told me a little about him.” In truth, Beth was extremely curious about her boyfriend’s brother. Some of the things Drew said made her think Seth had a superiority complex. After meeting Nancy and Bill, however, Beth had a hard time believing that. They were very down-to-earth people. She had to imagine Seth couldn’t have fallen that far from the tree. Drew certainly hadn’t.

  “Seth and Drew are very different. There’s ten years between them, and where Drew always wanted to play outside, Seth preferred to have his nose in a book.” Nancy smiled but there was a sad element to it. “It’s good to see Drew has found someone that makes him happy. I can only hope that one day Seth does as well.”

  A weight lifted off Beth’s shoulders at the compliment. Whatever Drew’s mom had been after in arranging this one-on-one time, she seemed to have found it.

  Beth was about to ask more about Seth when they heard the front door open. She and Nancy both turned their heads toward the noise. Two seconds later, a man Beth didn’t know strolled into the room. He was tall—maybe an inch or two taller than Drew.

  Nancy scrambled out of her chair and went to hug the new arrival. “You missed lunch.”

  The man looked slightly abashed from the mild scolding. “Sorry, Mom. I had to go into the office this morning to pick up some paperwork.”

  “This is a holiday weekend. You shouldn’t be working.” Nancy shook her head, a look of disapproval on her face.

  It was then that the man whom Beth deduced had to be, Seth, noticed her sitting at the table. “Hello.”

  Beth stood. “Hello. You must be Seth.”

  He nodded and gave her a thorough once-over. “I am. And you must be my little brother’s new girlfriend.”

  Before she could answer, Nancy stepped in. “Beth, this is my oldest, Seth. Seth, this is Beth.”

  His gaze was scrutinizing and he showed no signs of extending the same welcome as Nancy and Bill had done. Trying not to let it bother her, Beth cleared her throat. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Seth. Nancy, thank you for lunch. I think I’ll go outside and see if they need any help getting the tent set up.”

  “Of course,” Nancy said.

  As Beth reached the door, she thought she heard Nancy saying something about being rude but it was said so low Beth couldn’t be sure.

  She hurried outside and scanned the large yard. On the other side of the driveway was a huge barn. Beth doubted they were in there, so she headed around to the back of the house.

  The first thing she noticed when she rounded the corner were the flowers. Drew hadn’t been exaggerating. There were flowers everywhere—rows and rows of them in a variety of colors. Beth took a minute to enjoy the view before continuing her search for Drew.

  When she passed the small wooden shed, she spotted them. They were farther away than she thought they’d be. It would be quite a trek in the dark if they needed to visit the house for any reason.

  Unsure of her footing, Beth took her time crossing the grassy area that stood between her and the men. They had their backs to her as she approached.

  “Seems serious,” Bill said. Beth had no idea what they were talking about. Were they talking about the farm? Something to do with Drew’s job?

  Nope. He wasn’t.

  “It is. I love her.”

  At Drew’s confession, Beth’s heart skipped a beat. She knew then that they were talking about her.

  Bill nodded. “I figured as much. Even with your mother’s nagging, I doubt you’d bring a woman home to meet us unless she was pretty important to you.”

  If Beth thought Drew’s last statement shocked her, his next one nearly had her running all the way back to St. Louis. “I want to spend the rest of my life with her.”

  She must have made a sound because they both turned their heads in her direction. A long silence followed and by the look on Drew’s face, he knew she’d overheard.

  With a subtle cough, Drew’s father excused himself and left the two of them alone. Neither spoke right away. What was there to say? How did she respond to that? They hadn’t even been together for a month yet. He couldn’t love
her. And he absolutely couldn’t be thinking about marriage so soon. They didn’t even know each other that well.

  “Beth? Will you say something, please?” Drew asked.

  “I’m trying to convince myself that I didn’t just hear what you said.”

  He looked down at the ground and then back at her. “I do love you.”

  “How—”

  “I’ve loved you for a while. Probably since before our first date. I didn’t think you were ready to hear it so . . . so I didn’t say anything.”

  She was trying to take it all in. A voice in the back of her mind screamed that he was lying—that he was saying it to manipulate her—but Beth knew that was only her fear talking. Drew had no reason to lie. She’d committed to their relationship. “And the other?”

  Drew took a step closer to her. “The part about me wanting to spend the rest of my life with you?”

  Beth swallowed. “Yes. You c-can’t . . . you can’t mean that.”

  The next thing she knew, he was standing close enough to touch her. Drew reached for her hands. “I do.”

  She opened her mouth to protest, and he cut her off. “I know you’re not ready. Like you said, this thing between us is still new. But my dad always told me that one day I’d just know. He was right.”

  So many emotions were racing around inside her. She wanted to believe him. The part of her that had been falling for him since the first time he sat down beside her at Serpent’s Kiss wanted everything he said to be true. Experience had taught her different, though. Beth had thought she was closing in on the dream before and had it blow up in her face. Dating Drew had been a huge risk for her. She couldn’t give anything more. Not right now. It was just too soon. “I’m sorry. I can’t . . .”

  He moved closer. “I’m not asking you to. No pressure, Beth. I’ll wait as long as you need to feel comfortable.”

  “And if I never do?”

  Drew cupped the side of her face and looked her straight in the eye. “I’ll still be here.”

  ***

  He’d thought she was inside with his mom. If he’d had any idea that she was standing close enough to hear what he’d said to his father, Drew never would have said it.

  “You don’t mean that.”

  “Yes. I do mean it.” Drew wished he could make her understand. He’d played the field, as it were. At no point in time had he ever felt anything near what he felt for Beth with any other woman.

  “Hey.”

  Drew glanced over Beth’s shoulder. Seth was striding toward them.

  “I need . . . I need to think,” she whispered.

  He felt her start to back away. Instinct made him grasp her hands tighter, but then he let go. Whatever was going through her mind, they wouldn’t be able to discuss it with Seth there. So like it or not, Drew watched as Beth turned and walked away, leaving him standing alone as his brother drew closer.

  Seth tilted his head in the direction of Beth’s retreating back. “Lovers’ spat?”

  “Not exactly.” Drew returned to what he’d been working on before Beth’s arrival—securing their tent.

  His brother surprised him by pitching in to help.

  They worked side by side making sure everything was set up properly. Seth was keeping his own counsel for the time being, but Drew knew that wouldn’t last. His brother had an opinion about everything. He was sure Beth was no exception.

  Finished, Drew tossed their overnight bags inside the tent and began scrounging the area for kindling. It was a warm day and should be a nice night. That didn’t mean they wouldn’t want a fire if they decided to sit outside the tent after the sun went down. It was always good to be prepared.

  Seth followed him over to the line of trees, but made no move to help with the gathering of wood. “A little soon to be bringing someone home to meet Mom and Dad, don’t you think?”

  “Nope.”

  “Mom says she owns a business.”

  Drew shot a glare in his brother’s direction. “Yes. A café.”

  “Is it solid? Have you seen her financials?”

  That brought his progress to a halt. Drew turned around to face his brother. “Why in the world would I ask to see the financial records of my girlfriend’s business?”

  “To make sure she and her business can stand on their own two feet.” The way Seth said it made it sound as if that should have been obvious.

  “It’s her business, not mine.”

  “I can do some digging when I get home. I’m sure I can find—”

  “No.” Drew was getting angry.

  “No?”

  “That’s right. No. You stay out of her finances and anything else of hers. It’s none of your business.” Drew didn’t even want to hazard a guess as to how it would look to Beth if she found out his brother had been digging around in her private life. Not to mention the very real possibility that his brother could make a connection with Serpent’s Kiss. Katrina was good at keeping the nature of the club under wraps but he wouldn’t put it past his brother to stake out the place.

  Seth frowned. “You can never be too careful. It’s always good to err on the side of caution in these—”

  “I said no.”

  He pressed his lips together in displeasure.

  Drew didn’t care. All he wanted to do was go find Beth and get her to talk to him. Instead he was here listening to his brother spout off some insanity about Beth and her money.

  “Mom wanted me to ask if you and your girlfriend would be joining us for dinner or if you were planning to fend for yourselves tonight?” Seth’s voice was tight, but Drew was happy that his brother was dropping the subject.

  “We’ll be there.” At least, Drew was hoping they would be. That, of course, had a lot to do with Beth.

  The sound of retreating footsteps was the only indication that his brother had left. While Drew continued to gather sticks, Seth’s line of questioning lingered. Why would he care if Beth had money or not? It wasn’t as if Drew was wealthy. He made a good living and had some savings, but that was about it.

  Eventually he became frustrated with that line of thinking—it wasn’t getting him anywhere anyway—and his thoughts drifted back to Beth. She said she needed to think. In his experience, when a female said that it was rarely a good thing. Granted, Beth wasn’t like any of the other women he’d had in his life, but he wasn’t willing to sit by and watch her fear convince her that they shouldn’t be together.

  He dropped an armful of wood near the campsite, cleaned the dirt from his hands, and went in search of her. There were a lot of places to hide on the farm. During his childhood, Drew had explored them all. He knew he’d be able to track her down one way or another.

  It turned out that she wasn’t that difficult to find. She was standing by a fence, petting one of the horses. Drew leaned against the weathered post about a foot away from her and waited. She dropped her hand, and the horse bent his head down to chew on some grass. It was peaceful except for the underlying tension in the air.

  “Did you really mean it?” she asked. “That you love me and—”

  “Yes.”

  She nodded.

  “Beth, I’m not asking for anything more from you. I like what we have. None of that has to change.”

  “For now. But eventually you’re going to want more.” He opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off. “Don’t deny it.”

  “I wasn’t going to.” Drew wanted to touch her, but he forced himself to remain where he was. “Can you honestly tell me that you’re never going to want more?”

  She took a deep breath. “Yes. I do want more. Someday.”

  With that, he couldn’t hold back any longer. Closing the distance between them, he turned her to face him. “Then what’s the problem? Me? Can you not see yourself growing old with me?”

  A smile tugged at her lips. “You know that’s not it.”

  “I’ll make you a promise, okay? When you’re ready, you let me know. No pressure.”

  “
No pressure, huh?” she asked, finally beginning to relax.

  He circled his arms around her waist and pulled her against his chest. “None at all. But I should warn you. When you do give me the green light, all bets are off. I plan on going all out when I propose.”

  “It’s talk like that that makes my blood pressure spike.”

  Drew kissed her neck and ran his nose along her jaw up to her ear. “Once we’re alone in our tent tonight, I’m sure I can do a much better job at elevating your heart rate.”

  Beth tilted her head back, giving him better access to her neck. He took the invitation gladly. Within a few minutes, she was grasping the back of his head and rubbing against him. It was making it hard to remember that they were standing in the middle of a field on his parents’ farm.

  “Where are your parents? Your brother?” she asked.

  “Mom and Seth are probably in the house. Dad’s most likely in the barn.” He said all this in between kisses. Beth hadn’t stopped her very suggestive movements against him. He really hoped no one came looking for them anytime soon because he wasn’t going to be able to walk if she kept it up.

  “So we’re alone?” She leaned back to look at him.

  Drew glanced over his shoulder toward the house. There was no sign of his family. He had no idea what she had in mind, but at this point he was up for just about anything. “Yes.”

  Beth sank back against the fence and guided him to stand between her spread legs. With a mischievous smile on her face, she popped the button on her jeans. He swallowed as she wrapped her hand around his wrist and brought his hand to rest on her abdomen. Drew met her gaze, thinking she couldn’t possibly want him to do what was going through his mind.

  She reached behind his head again and jerked him closer. Beth grazed his ear with her teeth before she whispered her command. “Stick your hand down my pants and finger fuck me until I come.”

  Holy hell. This was really happening.

  The thought that they could be caught crossed his mind for a split second, and then it was gone. After what had happened between them, the only thing he wanted to do was connect with her in the most elemental way. If they couldn’t make love, then the least he could do was get her off.