“I know, mon coeur. I know.” It was almost too intense. I was literally shaking as I rolled her underneath me. It had never felt quite like this before. Not with anyone. Her legs automatically came up to circle my waist, and I slid back in to the hilt.
It was a dance, a slow, steamy dance where hard met soft, tongues met skin, and eyes stayed locked on each other. I sunk into her with a gradual roll of my hips, loving the heat and grip of her before easing out to repeat the motion again. As I watched, tears welled up in her eyes and spilled over. My breath caught in my throat and I leaned in to kiss each tear away.
“I didn’t know. I didn’t know it could be like this with you,” she whispered.
I was so humbled to have her. Humbled to have her love me and share her life with me. Before I knew it, tears were in my eyes as well. “You know I love you, right?”
She nodded and wiped my cheeks as we rolled onto our sides. We wiggled and rolled against each other exploring different angles. We sped up the pace and then slowed it down in an attempt to draw out the transcendent experience.
“Now. Please,” Belle whispered in my ear, and I knew exactly what she wanted.
Rolling again until I was on top, I rearranged her so her ankles were over my shoulders. She started moaning just at the shift in position. I smiled; my baby liked it like that. “It’s gonna be quick and hard.”
She shuddered. “Do it.”
I grabbed her ass in my hands and went in hard and fast with a flurry of thrusts. She went orgasmic immediately. I loved that about her. She squirmed against me.
“Just a lil bit more,” she pleaded.
“Avec plaisir.” It was my pleasure, within moments I felt the most monstrous climax of my life building up. “Mon Dieu,” I prayed as I lost all semblance of control. My hips began moving in a rhythm foreign to me. My hands clenched and unclenched on Belle. She literally keened with pleasure as I swelled within her. Finally with a roar, I erupted inside of her. The feeling went on and on, her feminine flesh spasming and milking everything I had to give.
I shuddered against her, trying to take in breath and not crush her with my weight. Finally, I stood and stumbled to the bathroom to dispose of the condom before sinking bonelessly beside her on the bed. I brushed a kiss across her shoulder. “Woman, what the hell was that?”
She smiled dreamily and snuggled close while her breathing returned to normal. “That, Mr. Montgomery, was making love. The real deal.”
“It almost killed me.”
“I’ve no doubt of your ability to recover, darlin’.”
So that was making love? I liked it. I wanted more of it. And I wanted it forever.
27
You Hold On To That
Belle—Sunday, June 20, 12:54 PM
It was Father’s Day, and I couldn’t reach my father on the telephone. The only reason I wasn’t worried was that one of my brothers or sisters would have called me if something was wrong. I would try to catch him before going over to Beau’s parents’ house for dinner.
Pulling up to the address in Preston Hollow that Beau had texted me, I stared in confusion and a little wonder at a gorgeous Italian-villa style home. He had hopped out of bed this morning as if the devil was chasing him and then sent this cryptic text:
Meet me here at 1:00 pm.
Truthfully, I assumed that the crying/emotional/orgasmic sexfest from the night before freaked him out. Hell, it freaked me out. We had always had an amazing chemistry that manifested itself into explosive passion, but what happened last night was beyond biology and into spirituality. It seemed like just declaring our love took us to a whole other level overnight.
To be perfectly honest, I kept waiting for the Beauregard freak-out. A guy like that who hadn’t had to commit to anybody or anything in thirty-eight years? I still wondered if it was just a matter of time before he decided this was all a lark and took off to Monte Carlo with a Brazilian lingerie model.
Yes, I believed he loved me, but I wasn’t sure he was built for that long-term happily ever after. That damn charming Cajun had snuck in under my defenses and made me fall for him. So I was in it, come what may. With a sigh, I climbed out of my car and flung my purse over my shoulder.
I walked up a charming slate walkway and admired the landscaping. Whoever owned this home lived in a lovely setting. As I approached the front door, I was startled to see my father standing in the doorway. I ran forward to greet him.
“Dad! Happy Father’s Day, what are you doing here? I thought you said you were staying in Atlanta?”
“Well, Baby Girl, your man invited me on out here, so I decided I better come on out.”
“But what are you doing here?” Now I was seriously confused but happy to see him.
“Come in and find out.” Percy grinned at me like a child with a secret they are dying to tell.
I walked into a grand foyer with marble tile and stucco walls. It was two stories high with a cupola in the center. To the far left was a wide, curving staircase; the rest of the foyer opened into a huge great room. At the end of the great room was a tall wall of windows looking out onto a shaded patio and a pool beyond.
Stepping down into the great room, I saw Beau lounging against a long granite bar. The look on his face said he had something up his sleeve. “Beauregard.”
“Mirabella. Welcome.”
We met in the middle of the room and exchanged a light kiss. “Did you wake up early to steal a house?”
“Actually, I bought this house about three months ago. Right around the time someone called me ‘cotton candy.’ I’ve been working on it a little at a time. There’s still a lot of furniture and finishes to add but there’s all the time in the world for that.”
I was stunned speechless and pivoted in a circle to take in the majesty of the house once again. My father was cheesing from ear-to-ear. “I’m . . . I’m confused. You’re moving out of the loft?”
He nodded. “I am moving out of the loft and into here. Care to join me?”
I looked from my father to him and back again. “ Ummm . . .” I know he didn’t just invite me to shack up with him in front of my Southern old-school father.
Beau got down on one knee. What in the entire hell was he doing? My heart stopped when he pulled a ring box out from behind his back. “Delaney Mirabella Richards, I love you and respect you. You are the best person I know. Will you do me the grandest honor of becoming my wife?”
“What? Are you serious?” He opened the box to reveal a cushion-cut chocolate diamond surrounded by clear round baguettes. It was breathtaking.
My father sucked his teeth. “This girl slower than molasses all of a sudden. Of course, he’s serious. Do you think he would have flown me in here on Father’s Day and asked for my blessing for a laugh?”
I had no idea what to say. But even I knew when the word yes! didn’t immediately spring to my lips that there was a problem. “I just . . . wow. I did not see this coming.”
Beau’s face changed from warm and open to guarded and curious. “Chérie, you’re kinda leaving me hanging here.”
I blurted the first thing that came into my mind. “But you’re not the marrying kind!”
Instantly I knew it was the worst thing I could’ve said. He got up and closed the box. “Apparently, I am. Apparently I’m not the kind that you want to marry. Pas de problème, we won’t speak of it again. Apologies for overstepping.”
I could feel him retreating into himself with every word. I reached out and grabbed his hand. The one with the ring box in it. “Wait a minute, wait a minute. Just give me a second here. You sprung this”—I gestured toward the house, my father, and the ring—“on me all at once. I just need a minute to take it all in. Do you think this is kind of fast?”
“I’m thirty-eight years old, Mirabella. I know what I want when I see it. And it’s all right here in front of me. I thought you felt the same way about me.”
“I do, but I just need some time. I’m not saying no, I’m just saying
not right now. I want you to be sure.”
My father spoke up from the corner. “I’m going to step outside and enjoy this fine weather we’re having for a moment.” He cut his eyes at me as he walked past, clearly broadcasting his disapproval of my answer.
The minute the door closed behind him, Beau started talking rapidly. “If you’re not sure of me, say that but don’t presume to know what I want and what I’m ready for. The long and short of it is that you think I’m still that guy. That guy who is looking for the next adventure and the next pretty face. Je préfère plutôt mourir que hurt you like that. That means I would rather die than let you down. Do you understand me? Do you hear what I’m saying to you?”
“I think you’re moving too fast.” I knew he was moving too fast. We hadn’t even known each other for six months. We hadn’t had a major fight, we hadn’t slept apart, and we hadn’t been battle tested. Marriage was something I only planned to do once. Right and forever.
His eyes were piercing in their intensity as he spoke passionately. “I think you’re underestimating me. Again. I’m not a boy. I’m a man with experience and life lessons under my belt. If I say you’re what I want, you’re what I want. Did you hear me when I told you I’d never said the words I love you to another woman?”
“I heard you, Beau. I hear you.”
“Bon, then this is about you. Don’t try to say you’re giving me more time. I don’t need it. This is about you being unsure about me.”
He looked so hurt in that moment that I wondered if I should just put aside my misgivings and say yes. But the damage was already done. “Beau, I do love you, and I believe you love me. But I think we both owe it to ourselves to take our time and make absolutely sure this is our next step. How do you know your feelings won’t change tomorrow?”
He nodded once in a jerky, stilted manner. “And there it is.” He handed me the ring and pulled his keys out of his pocket. “You hold on to that. Can you take Percy over to Pops’ house? They wanted to meet.”
His quiet tone scared me. “Where are you going?”
“I’m just going to drive around a while. Clear my head. I’ll be by in a lil while.”
I reached out to grab his hand and pull him toward me. “We’re okay, right?” Now that was a stupid question. Clearly, we were not okay.
He fashioned a smile that didn’t reach his eyes and was tinged with sadness. “Mais oui, we’re fine.”
I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him tight. I didn’t want to lose him; I just wanted to be sure. After a short pause, he hugged me back.
“Please understand,” I whispered.
“Please believe in me,” he implored.
“I do,” I assured him and squeezed him tighter.
He pulled away, and from the shuttered look in his eyes, I could tell it was more than a physical withdrawal. His voice was wistful. “Your words tell me that, your actions? Not so much.”
“Beau.” I wanted to talk some more, make sure he understood. I wanted to say something, anything, to make it right. But I wasn’t sure I could.
He stepped out of my embrace. “I’ll see you later.”
“Promise?”
He smiled that sad little smile again, turned, and walked out the back door.
28
You’re a Good Man, Beau Montgomery
Beau—8:12 PM that same night
I sat alone and in the dark on the one piece of furniture in the living room of my new home. Well, not exactly alone. I had a crystal tumbler, an ice bucket, and an opened bottle of Patrón Reposado to keep me company. Nothing like premium tequila to cure what ails you. Or at least make you forget what ails you for a little while. I needed a few glasses full of forget. My cell phone was turned off and flipped screen side down next to the ice.
This day had not gone like I had planned at all. In fact, I’d have to put it up near the top of Beau’s Suckiest Days Ever list.
I’d done everything right this time, hadn’t I? I picked a woman I actually loved who said she loved me back. I had a plan for the future. I bought a house. I worked my ass off. I got the ring, asked her father’s blessing, even flew him in from Georgia, for Christ’s sake. And what did it net me?
I looked around the house with no little bit of irritation. I topped off my glass and sat back with a sigh. I imagined that Father’s Day dinner at Pops’ house was a doozy. They had been expecting a newly engaged couple and instead got the woman who turned me down and her father. I just couldn’t go. I couldn’t do it. I didn’t want to have to make explanations or play like it was all okay.
Because it really wasn’t. As a matter of fact, it totally wasn’t. It was so far away from okay that Belle hadn’t slid that ring on her finger and said, “Yes, of course I’ll marry you!” while jumping into my arms, raining kisses on my face, grateful and happy for the chance to become Mrs. Beau Montgomery.
But she hadn’t. And here I was working up a good mad and trying hard to get my drunk on. The patio door opened and in walked Percy Richards with Katrina. I looked down at the drink and blinked. Maybe I’d had enough.
I stood up. “Kit-Kat? Sir?”
He walked over to the sofa, put his hand on my shoulder, and sat me back down. He sat next to me. “Boy, that was a damn fool thing my daughter did today.”
“Well, uh...” I was in the difficult position of not being able to agree without insulting his daughter but not wanting to disagree either.
“The statement was rhetorical, son. It required no answer.”
“Yes, sir.” Katrina took the tequila out of my hand and replaced it with bottled water.
“But if she says she needs time, you have to give it to her and forgive her this bit of foolishness,” Percy continued.
“Yes, sir.”
“I like you, Beauregard. I like you for my daughter. It shows me something that you bought this grand house and that fancy ring and sent for me.”
Too bad his daughter didn’t seem as wowed. Again, I kept my thoughts to myself.
“And you have a mighty fine family. I enjoyed breaking bread with them this evening.”
“Thank you, sir. I’m sorry I missed dinner.” I did feel a little bad about not going.
“Well, I figured you looked to get a little of your own back by leaving Belle to make those explanations on her own.” Percy slid a sly grin my way.
I actually hadn’t even thought about it. I just didn’t want to go. So I didn’t go.
Percy continued. “Your lovely sister offered to bring me back around to say my piece. You’re not going to give up on my girl, are you?”
“No sir.” Honestly, I’d been thinking of doing exactly that.
“I raised that girl, son. I know she can stretch the patience of Job.”
“I’m not Job.”
“Few of us are, Beau. Few of us are. But don’t get discouraged. You two smart, pretty people found each other, and you fit somehow. Don’t let that go.”
I didn’t know what I was going to do so I answered in a neutral tone. “Okay, sir. I appreciate that.”
“All right, then. The offer to stay here still stands?”
“Of course, sir.” Who was I to question why he wasn’t staying with his daughter? I certainly wasn’t going to put the man in the street because his daughter trampled all over my feelings.
“Well, then, I’ll just head on into that nice room you showed me earlier and let the TV watch me for a spell.” He stood up and patted my shoulder again. “You’re a good man, Beau Montgomery.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Katrina handed him a bottle of water and walked him toward the downstairs master bedroom. “You know now, Percy, if you decide you’re in the market for a younger woman . . .”
He gave a deep belly chuckle. “Little girl, you are a mess. What would you want with an old man like me?”
“They say age brings wisdom, and I reckon you still have some wind in your sails.”
He laughed so hard, he had to stop walking
for a moment. “You just made my month. If you weren’t my daughter’s age, and I wasn’t afraid Avery would get the shotgun out, I’d have to teach you a thing or two, young lady.”
“I bet you could. Good night, Percy.”
“Have a good night, sir,” I called out from the couch.
“Good night, Montgomerys. You are an entertaining lot, that’s for sure.” He closed the door behind him, still chuckling and shaking his head. I set down the water bottle and picked back up the tequila.
Katrina walked back and sat down in the space Percy had vacated. “You all right, mon frère?”
“Never been better.” I saluted her with the glass.
“Now Beau . . .”
“Now what? Katrina, she said no. To me. Beau Montgomery. She actually said no.” I was tempted to pout. I settled for a scowl.
“She said not now.”
“If it’s not a yes, it’s a no,” I snapped.
“That’s kind of black and white, don’t you think?”
I shrugged. “How bad was dinner?”
“Actually, it wasn’t so bad. When Belle and her father walked in without you, we all knew something hadn’t gone as planned. So we just dropped it. Scraped congratulations off the top of the cake and kept it moving. You won’t be surprised to know that Avery and Percy got on like a house of fire.”
I smiled imagining the two of them together. “That doesn’t surprise me at all.”
“Belle spent the whole time watching the door, checking her watch, and calling your cell phone.”
“Hmm.” Did I mention that the woman said no . . . to me?
Katrina nudged me. “Don’t shut her out, Beau. She loves you. She just needs une momente to turn the corner.”
“Apparemment. I’m not going to shut her out, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little angry.”
“Only a little?”
“Maybe a lot,” I acknowledged.
“Any chance that’s your ego talking?”
Pretty Boy Problems Page 17