For One Night Only (Siren Publishing Classic)

by For One Night Only (lit)

  ‘You’re right,’ he said, leaping to his feet and grappling into his jeans with amazing efficiency considering his state of arousal.

  Bethany fell back against the pillows, the lump in her throat almost painful. His obvious delight at being a father elated her. Even during their time apart, she had known he still loved her. Ruben didn’t give his heart easily, but he’d given it to her and she knew it was for life.

  Dropping to his knees at the side of the bed, he scanned her eyes, searching for the reason she was crying. Bethany smiled, pulling him down for a kiss, showing him in the only way she could that she was in love and deliriously happy.

  ‘Come on Ruben,’ she said, getting to her feet. ‘Let’s go get our baby.’

  Angie tailed the limo. Only the knowledge that Ruben was in the car stopped her from trying to ram it off the road. Eyes blinded by the early morning sun and her tears, and with thoughts screaming through her head, she had to focus hard to keep a grip on the rage building in her.

  She had never again expected to feel the agony she had the night before when she’d seen them leave Bethany’s house together, hand in hand. For one moment of blind panic, she’d thought Ruben was taking her home with him. When the limo had stopped outside a hotel, she had been confused, but grateful. Maybe it was just one night for old time’s sake?

  Trying in vain to book a room herself, she’d been forced to return to her car, unwilling to find another hotel, as she wanted to remain close. The young girl she had seen in Ruben’s car had stayed at Bethany’s house with a woman Angie had assumed was her mother, so the opportunity to break in and wreck the place had been lost. She’d had no choice but to wind down the seat and try to get comfortable.

  From her position in the car, hidden in a dark corner of the hotel parking lot, she had lain for hours, eyes staring upward to where she thought they would be, while her mind taunted her with images of them together. Angie’s only hope had been that her vivid imagination was far more deviant than they could ever be.

  Thankfully, they had left the hotel very early. Following them now, her tears dried as she watched the dawn break over Vegas—vowing silently that it would be the last morning she would ever spend as Ruben’s ‘other’ woman.

  Chapter 24

  Ruben felt as if everything he had done in his entire life had been in preparation for this very moment. Beth had just placed Tiana in his arms, and then stood back to watch him as he stared down at the sleeping infant with a mixture of fear, curiosity and awe. Looking to her for reassurance, he smiled through his tears.

  ‘Am I holding her right?’

  Bethany caressed his head. ‘You are doing fine.’

  He hadn’t dared dream of this moment. All those months he had spent feeling totally alone and guilty over his deception, he had never thought things would work out so perfectly. The thought that he would have to leave soon threatened to darken the mood and he pushed it from his mind—knowing that the separation would only be temporary. Bethany offered to take Tiana from him, but Ruben wasn’t ready to let her go. From the moment they had walked into the house he had been desperate to hold his daughter and had lurked in the background, afraid to approach the child who already meant so much to him.

  Donna and her daughter had taken good care of the baby. Bethany had hurried them out, sensing that he was keen to some spend time alone with his new ‘family’. He felt a little guilty, as they had woken the pair on their return to the house, but her sister seemed to understand.

  Ruben had drawn Tyla to one side as they prepared to leave, thanking her solemnly for displaying wisdom beyond her years. Quite predictably, she’d gone beet red and shuffled awkwardly in front of him until her mother had come to the rescue.

  Tiana started to fuss and wriggle in his arms before letting out a thin wail of protest at being held so gingerly. Reluctantly handing her over to Bethany, he saw the bond between mother and child and felt a pang of jealousy. Tiana didn’t know who he was and had not liked being held by a stranger, he guessed. It was nobody’s fault but his own that his daughter didn’t know him yet and he swore silently that he would spend every waking moment making it up to her.

  ‘Are you okay?’ Beth’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts. ‘Do you want to help me bathe her?’

  His enthusiastic nod made her laugh, and he followed her to the bathroom. Watching her take care of their daughter made him proud. What did he ever do right in his life to deserve such an amazing woman? Surprising Bethany, he reached forward to lift her face to his.

  ‘I love both of you so much, Beth,’ he said, as he swallowed down the tears he could feel building. Laughing at himself, he rubbed them away with a fist. He had to get a grip on his emotions—even the baby didn’t cry this often.

  ‘I love you too, Ruben, and I will never be able to thank you enough for the way you have forgiven me.’ Planting a firm kiss on her lips to silence yet another apology, he leaned over the bath, marveling at the perfection of his child.

  His cell phone rang abruptly then, causing the baby to jump before wailing in alarm and he swore aloud as he fumbled for it.

  ‘That language is gonna have to stop now there is a baby around,’ Beth warned, giving him a mock stern look.

  That isn’t the only thing that is going to have to stop, he thought as he saw Byron’s number on the display. His short term schedule couldn’t be changed, but Ruben wasn’t looking forward to the confrontation he would have with the record company once he told them that he wasn’t prepared to spend so much time away from home anymore. He knew Byron would understand. It wouldn’t hurt him to slow down a little either. Ruben felt sure that a change in lifestyle would be better for both of them.

  Finishing the call quickly, he stuck his head back through the door, about to apologize and explain that he would soon have to go. Bethany cut him off.

  ‘Don’t tell me, you have to leave,’ she said, without anger. ‘It’s okay Ruben. I didn’t expect you to be able to stay long this time.’ Cradling the now dressed Tiana, she kissed his cheek before leading him into the bedroom and settling the baby in her crib.

  ‘This has been an emotional few hours for both of us,’ she smiled. ‘I don’t know about you, but I am exhausted.’ Following the direction of his gaze, she looked down and saw that the t-shirt she had on was wet from holding the baby and that his eyes were fixed on her breasts. Bethany laughed, obviously not aware of how her newly dark nipples drove him crazy—especially as they were now, taunting him through the wet fabric.

  ‘Not too exhausted, I hope,’ Ruben said as he walked toward her, encouraged by her laughter.

  Bethany gasped as he ripped the t-shirt over her shoulders and pulled off her bra. ‘Ruben, do we have enough time for this?’ she asked, but helped him out of his clothes anyway.

  ‘The car will be here in about five minutes,’ he grunted against her neck, ‘but I am so hot for you right now, I won’t need that long.’ Bethany laughed again, pushing him back onto the bed before straddling him. Ruben stopped her with an outstretched hand.

  ‘Is it okay? To do it here, I mean. In front of the baby?’

  Bethany smiled. ‘She’s asleep silly. And far too young to be corrupted if she wasn’t.’ He raised his head, intending to look over into the crib to check, but forgot about it when Beth slid down, sheathing his penis with her body.

  Minutes later, he laughed ruefully. He’d been right, although he hadn’t expected to finish quite so quickly. He was tempted to use their last few moments together giving her the orgasm she had told him they didn’t have time for. His plans were interrupted by the doorbell.

  Getting to his feet, he looked down into the crib before brushing a soft kiss on his daughter’s cheek. He couldn’t wait until the time came when he would never have to leave them again. Slipping into his jeans and shirt, he waited until Bethany donned a robe before sneaking one last look at Tiana and walking quickly out into the house, feet still bare.

  Opening the door to wave an a
cknowledgment to the driver, he dropped the shoes and jacket he held onto the floor, crushing her to his chest.

  ‘I will phone you tonight,’ he said. ‘We have a lot to discuss.’

  Hurting at the tears in Bethany’s eyes, he kissed her. ‘Beth, we will do whatever it takes—live wherever you want. The only important thing is that we are together, okay?’ She tried to smile as she nodded. ‘Just give me a few days to sort things out.’

  ‘I love you,’ she whispered against his lips as he leaned in for a final kiss before stepping quickly through the door.

  Checking that she had gone back in the house before sliding into the limo, he turned to find Byron staring at him expectantly. ‘Well?’

  Ruben shook his head, still unable to believe the words he was about to utter. ‘Byron. I’m a father.’ The tension hung between them—neither man speaking as they stared at each other silently. Byron looked shell-shocked and, for once in his life, seemed at a loss for words.

  Finally Ruben could stand it no more, letting out a raucous laugh as he wrestled Byron into a headlock before pressing a resounding kiss on the bald spot on top of his head.

  A sudden and unexpected chime of her doorbell made Bethany jump. Getting up to answer it, she scanned the room quickly. Had Ruben left something behind? Maybe he had decided to stay? The thought quickened her steps and she flung the door open wide, forgetting her usual cautious nature and the chain she always slid into place before answering it.

  The young woman standing on the threshold was not who she was expecting to see. Bethany didn’t know her but she did look familiar. Maybe it was a neighbor?

  ‘Can I help you?’ she asked.

  ‘No—but I can help you,’ the woman said, a little too mysteriously for Bethany’s liking. Taking a casual step back, she braced a foot against the inside of the door.

  ‘I don’t understand. How can you help me? Who are you?’

  ‘Oh, you don’t know me. My name is Angie—and I have come to talk to you about Ruben.’

  Bethany was losing patience. ‘What about Ruben?’

  ‘Well, for a start I know he was just here,’ the woman snapped, looking around quickly before stepping closer to the entrance. ‘I think you would prefer it if we didn’t discuss this on the street.’

  The rather pretty young woman was beginning to make her uneasy. ‘Well, Angie—is that your name? I think I would prefer not to discuss anything with you at all.’ Bethany stepped back to shut the girl out, almost closing the door when suddenly it hit her in the chest, sending her sprawling.

  Angie slammed it shut behind her as she entered, stepping over Bethany before making her way into the living area.

  ‘What the fuck do you think you are doing?’ Bethany asked, fear making her voice shake as she scrambled to her feet.

  ‘I need to talk to you. It’s very important and I couldn’t let you simply ignore me.’ The young woman flopped down into the leather recliner, intent on staying.

  ‘Get out or I will call the police,’ Bethany said, picking up the telephone.

  ‘I don’t think so…’ Angie let the sentence hang as she reached into her bag, pulling out a hunting knife that she laid on the arm of the chair, watching her all the while.

  Bethany’s mind raced through the possible courses of action open to her. If she fought the woman and lost, then there was nothing to stop Angie from getting to Tiana. She could run from the house in the hope that the woman would follow, but it was just too risky.

  She had no choice but to bide her time and wait for an opportunity to present itself. Maybe the woman would become distracted enough for Bethany to sneak up and hit her with something, or steal the knife from under her nose. Of course, if Angie attacked her, then she had nothing to lose and would fight with everything she had to keep this woman away from her baby—the baby she prayed would sleep soundly enough not to make her presence known.

  ‘What did you want to talk about?’ Keeping one eye on the knife, she perched on the end of the sofa, as far away as she could get.

  Angie didn’t answer straight away, giving Bethany the opportunity to have a good look at her. In her early twenties, the woman was slight and pretty with long legs and baby blonde hair. She didn’t look physically capable of harming anyone, but Bethany didn’t like the look in her cornflower blue eyes. They had a steely edge that was muted slightly by the dark rings under them, caused by an obvious lack of sleep.

  A look of pure hatred marred her lovely face as she leaned forward to speak. ‘I want you to keep out of my relationship with Ruben.’

  ‘What relationship?’

  ‘We have been sleeping together, on and off, for about three years.’

  Bethany answered without thinking, confusion and hurt at Angie’s statement making her forget the delicate situation. ‘I have been seeing Ruben for the last year. I think I would have heard about you.’

  ‘He didn’t tell me about you either,’ Angie smirked. ‘I guess we’ve both been played?’ The smile died on her face as she leaned forward. ‘We were together before he even met you. Point is, I’m sick of you coming between us.’

  ‘Look, I don’t think it’s really me you should be talking to.’ Bethany couldn’t believe a word she was hearing, simply because she had been with Ruben day and night during the tour; however it didn’t seem wise to call the woman a liar. ‘What does Ruben say about all this?’

  Angie shrugged. ‘I guess when we got back together after he dumped me the first time, he thought I wouldn’t find out about you.’ She picked up the knife, digging the tip into the leather, cutting idle patterns into the hide as she spoke. ‘To tell you the truth, I didn’t expect to see you again after you left him in Budapest.’

  Bethany was shocked. ‘How did you know about that?’

  ‘I know much more than you realize.’ Her grip on the knife tightened. ‘Like the trip you took from Vegas with him on his jet and the first time you fucked him in that hotel in LA.’

  ‘Ruben told you that?’ She doubted it but how else could Angie have known?

  ‘What do you think Bethany,’ she smiled. ‘He couldn’t keep you his dirty little secret for long.’

  Bethany realized she was in trouble—Ruben would never have told Angie anything so personal—and especially not where she lived. ‘That doesn’t explain how you knew Ruben was with me last night,’ she said, the need to know what was going on temporarily winning out over her rapidly deepening sense of dread. If the woman was as crazy as she’d begun to seem, then Bethany had to find a way to get her out of the house and away from Tiana. ‘Did you follow him here?’

  The question flustered Angie. Running hands through her hair, she exposed her wrists. Bethany noticed the scars—scars that didn’t look much more than a few months old. She knew then that the woman meant to harm her.

  She couldn’t know about Tiana. Shit, even Ruben hadn’t known. If Angie did follow him as closely as she appeared to, then she wouldn’t have been anywhere near Bethany in months. The problem was how to get her out of the house before she found out.

  Bethany changed tack, hoping to confuse and disorientate the girl just long enough to be able to summon help. ‘You know, Angie, I am glad you told me this.’

  ‘You are?’ she asked wide-eyed, not looking entirely convinced.

  ‘Yes, I am. It’s about time Ruben realized he can’t treat me this way.’ Bethany jumped to her feet, pacing back and forth as if in a rage. ‘I wish that bastard had still been here when you arrived. Let him try and deny it with you facing him.’

  ‘What would you say to him?’ she asked.

  ‘I’d tell him it was over and that I never wanted to see him again.’ Bethany saw that Angie was pleased at the turn of events, so she played to her audience. ‘I knew he was thinking about someone else most of the time we were together. I guess I just ignored it, wanting to believe it was me that he loved.’

  Moving carefully away, Bethany put the sofa between her and Angie, talking fast to distra
ct her attention. ‘God, I hate him. I just wish he was here so I could tell him to his face.’

  Angie continued to watch her silently, apparently taking in everything Bethany had to say. She seemed to be weighing up her options, deciding what to do next. Suddenly, she spoke. ‘You could call him,’ she suggested.

  ‘Do you think so? What should I say?’ This was going better than Bethany had hoped.

  ‘Don’t mention me or tell him I’m here. Just say that you never want to see him again—say that you know he is in love with another woman.’ Angie leaned forward, fixing Bethany with a cold stare as she began to turn the knife between her hands. ‘I am going to be listening very carefully to every word you say. Don’t make me angry with you, Bethany.’

  Heart thumping hard, she nodded silently. Picking up her phone and beginning to dial before Angie could change her mind, her brain raced, wondering how much she could say. Praying that he answered the phone she took a step nearer the door.

  ‘Hello?’ She could tell from the way he answered that he was surprised to hear from her so soon. ‘Everything okay?’

  ‘No, Ruben, everything is not okay,’ she said, hoping her voice was more convincing than it sounded to her own ears. ‘I don’t want to see you anymore.’

  ‘Bethany—what’s wrong?’

  ‘Nothing is wrong. I have simply come to my senses.’ Daring another step backwards, she prayed Angie was focused on what she was saying, rather than what she was doing. Ruben seemed to be stunned into silence by what she had said, making it impossible to turn the conversation to her advantage. ‘I finally realized that you are in love with someone else.’

  Her worst fears were realized as she heard a faint whimper coming from down the hall. Glancing quickly at Angie to see if she had heard the baby, she knew the time had come to up the stakes and ensure the safety of her child. Turning on her heel suddenly, she ran to the door, trying to tell Ruben as quickly and clearly as she could what was going on.