For One Night Only (Siren Publishing Classic)

by For One Night Only (lit)

  The doorbell rang, jolting Bethany to her feet. She ran to the door and almost flung it wide before fear grabbed at her. Checking the spy hole, she sobbed in relief as she saw Ruben’s dark head. Opening the door to him, Bethany stepped back in shock as she saw his ashen face. He gave her a shaky smile that did nothing to make her feel better.

  ‘Ruben. What’s wrong?’

  He didn’t speak. Stepping in through the doorway, he pulled her to him, almost squeezing the breath from her lungs as he held her tightly. Bethany felt him begin to shake moments before she heard the first sobs begin. Casting a quick glance over her shoulder at Donna, she was relieved to see her sister gather her things before quietly slipping passed them and closing the door.

  Bethany held onto him as tightly as she could, stroking his hair and talking to him quietly —telling him it was over and that they were all safe. Finally, he began to calm down, releasing his grip on her gradually before turning his back to wipe roughly at his face.

  ‘I’m sorry, Beth. It should be me comforting you,’ he said shakily, smiling a little more convincingly than he had before. ‘Are you okay?’ He grabbed her shoulders to stare hard into her face. Bethany nodded in reassurance.

  ‘I need a drink,’ he said gruffly, shrugging off his jacket and walking over to stare down at the sleeping baby. ‘I don’t know what I would have done if…if…’ His voice broke and he turned away quickly, as if to shrug away the thought and the tears.

  Bethany took his hand, forcing him to sit on the sofa as she got them both a brandy. Ruben threw his down in one gulp, holding the glass out to her again for a refill. Taking a small sip before placing the glass on a table, he held his arms out to her. She sat in his lap, needing to be as close as humanly possible after the experience they had all been through.

  ‘Is it over now?’ she whispered. ‘Will Angie leave us alone?

  Ruben inhaled sharply, causing her to raise fearful eyes to his as he spoke. ‘It’s over, Bethany.’ He closed his eyes. ‘She won’t bother us again.’

  ‘Where is she?’

  Ruben pushed her off his lap as he scrambled to his feet. Pacing briefly, obviously lost in his thoughts, he finally turned to her. ‘I wasn’t going to tell you this, Beth, but I guess you will find out anyway.’ He dropped to his knees, gathering her hands in his. ‘Angie was very badly hurt.’

  She gasped in shock. ‘How?’

  Any color the brandy had restored to his cheeks quickly drained away. ‘Oh Beth, it was awful.’ He shook his head. ‘One minute, she was talking…telling me about the things she had done and how long she had followed me…and the next, she threw herself from the car.’

  ‘Oh my God!’

  ‘I tried to grab her, but it was too late. She was gone before I could react.’ Ruben closed his eyes, forcing himself to continue. ‘She was hit by one of the patrol cars following us.’

  Bethany couldn’t speak. She hadn’t known the woman at all, but the news of the tragic turn of events left her shaken. Why hadn’t anyone intervened? Angie’s instability couldn’t have gone unnoticed for long by her loved ones?

  ‘Has anyone notified her family?

  Ruben flopped down onto the seat beside her. ‘She has an aunt in New York, but nobody else. Her father died last year, which according to the police is when her aunt lost contact with her until a recent suicide attempt.’

  ‘I wonder what happened to her—why did she become so obsessed with you?’ The question had been rhetorical, but the expression on Ruben’s face as he cast his eyes downward made her very nervous. ‘Ruben?’

  He cleared his throat, obviously preparing himself before turning to face her. ‘There’s a lot more to this story that you need to know.’

  Chapter 27

  Ruben sank down gratefully to rest in the shade of the small tree situated on an incline overlooking his parent’s garden. The deep sense of peace resonating through him was a new experience and was taking some getting used to.

  Shielding his eyes against the low evening sun, he scanned the faces of the people gathered below, looking for her. His eyes found her finally, sitting in the shade of the veranda, feeding their daughter. He smiled as he saw his mother fussing around the baby again. Beth had been really patient, allowing her to interfere constantly without complaint. Ruben felt grateful in a way he never thought he would.

  The memory of the awful events of three months ago had finally begun to fade. They were all safe now and, after their wedding earlier that day, they were at last a family.

  Ruben shuddered at the thought of how easily he had almost lost it all. After confessing to Bethany that he had actually caused Angie’s obsession with him by sleeping with her—not once, but twice—he had been prepared for the worst.

  Beth’s reaction had surprised him. Hell, she always surprised him. She had listened quietly, letting him explain that he didn’t even know her when he had first met Angie. Then, when they’d met again, he had been drunk and desperately miserable and hadn’t even remembered the poor girl. Daring to look at her as he’d finished telling the story; he had been amazed and grateful to see compassion in her eyes.

  Beth had told him that she loved him more than ever and that his ability to be open and honest with her—even at his own expense—was all she had ever needed from him. Ruben would never understand how admitting to something so awful had actually made his relationship stronger, but he was glad it had.

  Shame at the thought of how easily he’d used and forgotten Angie had haunted him for many weeks. He knew he wasn’t to blame for her mental illness, but he was responsible for his own actions. How many other women had been that deeply affected by his behavior toward them? Maybe it was better if he never found out.

  He thanked God that she hadn’t been killed that day. Her injuries were such that she would never lead a normal life again. Ruben had made sure she would always have the best care his money could buy. She had no idea he was paying her medical bills. Her aunt had been grateful and suggested as tactfully as she could that any mention of his name would be damaging to Angie’s recovery. Her injuries were severe, but she would survive them. Her mental state, however, was very fragile and needed careful monitoring. She had finally accepted that there was nothing between her and Ruben and the ensuing depression that realization had caused had been deep and far more life threatening than any injury she had sustained in the accident.

  An update on her condition a few weeks ago had sounded promising. The therapy she was receiving—both physical and mental—was helping her greatly.

  Beth’s support during those first few weeks had meant the world to him. His love and respect for her had grown immeasurably. The decision to propose had been made many days before he actually asked her to marry him. It hadn’t seemed right somehow—considering how dangerously ill Angie had been at the time. The words had finally come one morning when he, Beth, and Tiana had been laying in bed on a sleepy Sunday.

  Her answer had been instant and her reaction enthusiastic. She’d cried joyful tears and kissed him until the baby had protested loudly at being sandwiched between them for so long.

  As he looked down over the small throng of people below, he felt complete for the first time in his life. Those who meant the most to him were present…Beth and Tiana…his parents…even Byron. He’d brought John along to the wedding as his guest and Ruben loved seeing him happy and relaxed for once.

  He looked at Beth for a few moments before she lifted her head, as if feeling his eyes on her. She got up to come to him, but was stopped briefly by his mother who grasped at the opportunity to hold the baby. He could see her gesturing and talking and he knew, without having to hear the words that she was saying she would keep the baby and that Bethany should go to her husband.

  It made him proud that his request to get married at his parent’s home had made them so happy. Their reaction had surprised him. Sure, he had known they would be thrilled, but he had no idea how desperately they had needed his respect. For so many
years he had felt like an emotional orphan, abandoned by parents too wrapped up in their own lives to care if he had a happy childhood. He had slowly come to realize that it was he who had abandoned them by withholding his love and acceptance. Ruben knew he had been trying to punish them by staying away, never allowing them the chance to make up for their mistakes. Letting go of the anger had finally allowed him to see them for the people they were. Fact was, he not only loved them immensely, he actually liked them a hell of a lot.

  Ruben laughed. How had he ended up with everything he ever wanted after screwing up so badly for so many years?

  He had no time to think on the answer as he saw Beth approaching. She still wore her wedding dress—a pretty, cream colored, floaty thing in a fabric that she had told him the name of, but he couldn’t remember. Her hair had flowers in it, sort of nestled between the curls. Beth had told him she would keep things simple and didn’t want a full-blown gown, but she couldn’t have looked any more beautiful.

  His gaze began to rove down over her curves as she got near, causing her to smile almost shyly as she approached. ‘You shouldn’t be looking at me that way,’ she said, sinking down to lean against him. ‘I’m a married woman now, you know.’

  ‘I know.’ He smiled before leaning in to kiss her. ‘Your husband is a very lucky man.’

  Beth laughed throatily. ‘Well, he’s about to get even luckier.’

  Ruben groaned before nodding toward the guests still gathered below. ‘It’s killing me Beth, but we have to wait. We are not alone.’

  She leaned in to kiss him on the cheek, allowing her lips to trail over to his ear. If she didn’t stop, they would be consummating the marriage right there and then under the tree— guests or no guests. He began to pull away. ‘Beth, that’s not fair,’ he complained, not entirely happy that she would try to seduce him in such a public place.

  ‘I am simply following orders, Baby,’ she said before standing up. ‘Your mom says there is a car waiting out front to take us to a little hideaway down the coast that your parents arranged as a wedding gift.’

  ‘They arranged it?’

  ‘Yes, they did everything. There is champagne on ice and food in the refrigerator. Your mom even had our bags taken there earlier.’ Bethany smiled. ‘Come on. Let’s say goodbye to Tiana.’

  ‘Isn’t she coming with us?’

  Beth shook her head with a smile. ‘Your mom insists on keeping her here for a couple of nights. Like I said, I am on strict orders to take you away from here and spoil you for a while.’

  Ruben got to his feet, pulling her back under the tree for a kiss. ‘You can’t possibly spoil me any more than you do already,’ he said. ‘I am going to spend the rest of my life trying to make you as happy as you make me.’ Tears sprung to her eyes, but were quickly chased away by a twinkle of devilry.

  ‘Yeah, well good luck with that.’ She laughed, before kissing him quickly and running down the slope. Laughing at her teasing, it took him a moment longer than expected to catch up to her, by which time she had reached the safety of the guests.

  Five minutes later, they had kissed a sleeping Tiana and said their goodbyes before walking through to the front of the house and the guests waiting in the courtyard. Stopping briefly in the open doorway for yet another photograph, Ruben checked behind them, ensuring they were alone before taking the opportunity to exact his revenge.

  He knew his face was a picture of innocence as he turned towards the camera. The hand that had been around her waist slid slowly from view, resting for the briefest moment on the small of her back before he trailed a finger down over the cleft of her buttocks. He felt Beth jump imperceptibly before her skin quivered at his touch and he flicked a quick glance her way. As usual, her class and composure impressed him. Nobody could tell by looking at her face that her husband was touching her so intimately. Only the slight flush on her cheeks gave any clue as to what was going on.

  ‘Touché,’ Beth whispered as she turned toward him, forcing him to behave. Her eyes and her smile were full of promise and he moved away quickly, his own body threatening to betray him.

  Hell, even when he tried to seduce her, all he did was become more enslaved himself.

  The need for a distraction became urgent as he saw her nipples poking through the thin fabric of her dress. A foolish, romantic urge, one that he knew she would tease him for later, overtook him and he swept her up into his arms to carry her over to the waiting convertible.

  Chapter 28

  Dr. Bethany Navarro reached across and smoothed down a lock of her husband’s hair. She knew his body better than she knew her own, but his achingly beautiful face never failed to dazzle her. How could she have thought his features were too strong when they first met?

  She had been plagued with memories since arriving at the apartment earlier. Something about the events of the day and taking this new turn in the road of her life had forced her mind back into the past.

  The journey to where and who she was at that very moment hadn’t been an easy one, but she was glad she had been brave enough to see it through. The lonely doctor with a broken spirit had changed more than she could ever have imagined back then. She was now a wife and mother to a beautiful daughter and she was doing an important job that she loved.

  Bethany wasn’t sure if she valued her life more because she had almost had everything that mattered to her ripped away by the hands of a dangerously ill young woman. Even after all that had happened, she still felt lucky. People like Angie would never have the sense of peace, love and acceptance that Bethany had—and not because the world wouldn’t give it to them—but simply because their own minds would never let them be happy. She hoped that Angie could one day find even a small fraction of the bliss that she had.

  Ruben stirred in his sleep, reaching for her as he always did. She allowed him to pull her close, almost suffocating in his tight embrace, but needing the reassurance of his nearness. Her eyes pricked with tears as his warm breath caressed her neck. She loved him so much and felt awful that she had teased him earlier.

  ‘Ruben,’ she whispered

  No answer. She gave him a nudge. ‘Ruben.’

  ‘Hmm?’

  ‘Are you awake? Did I wake you?’

  A low rumble of laughter, muffled by his mouth against her skin, made her realize what a stupid question that had been. ‘Were you trying to wake me when you yelled my name and shoved me?’ he asked in a sleepy voice.

  Bethany gasped. ‘I did not shout.’ She laughed. ‘And I only gave you a little push.’

  Ruben laughed. ‘Then, yes—you woke me.’

  ‘Sorry,’ she said, before her voice broke on a sob. She tried to stifle it, but he had heard her, raising his head in concern. ‘I am just being silly,’ she said, when he asked what was wrong. ‘It’s been an emotional day.’

  ‘Bethany. It was an amazing day.’

  His smile reached inside her, chasing away the temporary bout of sadness. She quickly wiped away the tears, resolute in her mission to tell him just how happy he made her.

  Stumbling over her words, she was glad when he put a finger to her lips, silencing her and showing her with his body that he knew what she was trying to say, because he felt the same way.

  When they fell apart moments later—still breathless and sweaty from consummating their marriage vows yet again—Bethany wondered if the sex would still be this great when they were ninety. They made love less often these days. The sense of need and urgency that had been present in the early stages of their relationship was no longer there, but the intensity remained. Ruben raised his head and gave her a look of such undiluted lust that she knew the answer to her question. The man could still make her wet just by looking at her.

  A sudden memory caused her to smile. ‘And to think you were scared to take off your shirt when I first met you…’

  Ruben’s puzzlement lasted only a second before he caught her humor. ‘You were very forthright and a little intimidating,’ he admitted with a
laugh. ‘No woman had ever told me to get undressed within minutes of meeting me. I wasn’t quite sure how to take you.’

  ‘And now?’

  ‘Now? Now, I can’t remember who I was before I met you.’ His sudden change of mood surprised her. ‘Before I became your husband and Tiana’s father, I was just killing time.’

  Bethany kissed him, remembering herself that there had been a time when she had ‘waiting’. Her life had changed beyond recognition and all because she had been brave enough to let down her guard and take what she wanted…for one night only.

  FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY

  THE END

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  I live in a beautiful part of the Southwest of England with my fiancé of 15 years and our dog. We have our own small business which allows me to work from home and leaves plenty of free time for my hobbies.

  My first experience of writing was creating what is known as ‘fan fiction’ on the Internet forum of one of my favorite artists. Lots of my readers gave me really positive feedback and encouraged me to write more and take things further. Without them, I would never have had the confidence to submit a manuscript. I enjoy the process of writing and creating characters I would like to meet and situations I would love to be in.

  Please visit Luxie at

  www.myspace.com/luxieryder

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

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