Love's Road Home

by Lisa Lewis

  She stood and stretched her arms over her head. Since she was up, she may as well take that shower. It might refresh her even more than her catnap had. And then maybe she’d see about getting Tom’s attention off of cards and onto her…

  As Beth kicked off her heels and moved toward the bathroom, Hannah took a last look at herself in the wall mirror. “You sure you don’t want to come along?” she asked as she fluffed her bangs. “I can wait.”

  “No, you go ahead,” Beth replied. “I may come by later, but I’m not sure yet.”

  Hannah smiled once again and let out a muffled chuckle. “Want me to save you some time and effort? I’ll just tell Tom to get his ass down here pronto. You won’t even need to get dressed. I’ll give him my key card and you can wait in the bed for him … naked!”

  Beth joined in with Hannah’s laughter even as she grabbed a nearby pillow and tossed it at her friend’s head.

  The sad thing was, she was seriously considering taking Hannah up on her suggestion.

  “Okay, okay. I won’t say anything to him.” Hannah’s expression turned serious. “But I hope you do. You guys deserve some special time together. Everyone can see you really care about each other.”

  Beth’s own smile slipped. “Thanks, Hannah. You’re a good friend. I’m glad we met.”

  “Me, too.” The women moved to give each other a quick hug.

  “Now,” said Hannah, stepping back, “I’m off to whup some guys’ butts in poker.” She pulled open the door and began to step into the hall. “Ooh! A present!”

  Hannah leaned down to pick a festive-looking box off the floor. Beth moved to her side as Hannah looked at the gift tag. “Rats. It’s for you.” She looked at Beth and arched an eyebrow. “Looks like someone else doesn’t want to spend the night alone.”

  “Oh, stop it,” was Beth’s reply as she took the package from Hannah. It was a florist’s box.

  Now, how could Tom arrange for a flower delivery at this time of night? Unless he’d received the box earlier and had waited to put it outside her door.

  Maybe Hannah was right, and he, too, had hoped for a different end to this evening.

  Well, Beth was fully awake now, so satisfying their mutual desires before the sun rose was a distinct possibility. She smiled as she loosened the huge red bow holding the box together.

  Wouldn’t it be fun to tease Tom with his gift? To lightly drag the flowers over his body, barely grazing his skin with the velvet-soft petals, tickling him in his most sensitive areas?

  She couldn’t wait.

  But as she lifted the lid off the package, Beth’s smile froze, and she did something that was totally out of character.

  She screamed.

  Chapter Twelve

  At the sound of Beth’s scream echoing in the hallway, Tom dropped the beer bottles he’d been carrying and raced toward her room.

  What he saw stunned him.

  Beth stood in the open doorway of the room, eyes wide and hands clasped over her mouth. At her feet was an open box. Black roses, complete with thorn-laden stems, spilled out onto the gray carpet.

  The flowers were covered by black and white flecks which, on closer inspection, turned out not to be the floral potpourri he’d thought. They were animated masses of maggots, beetles, and spiders.

  And while Beth stood petrified, a look of horror on her face, Hannah angrily stomped on any creature that dared to venture too far from the box, cursing all the while.

  Hannah threw Tom an indignant glance as he knelt to gather as much of the mess as possible back into the package. “Can you believe someone would do this to her? How disgusting—gotcha!” She slammed her sandaled foot down onto a spider making its way toward Beth’s stocking-clad toes.

  “Not just anyone. Eric Sharpe.” After securing the box’s lid, Tom stood and dusted off his hands. “Why don’t you get Beth inside? We need to call security.” He took another look at Beth’s face. “And possibly a doctor.”

  Upon entering the room, Hannah ushered Bethany into the bathroom while Tom headed toward the phone. “Why don’t you get out of those clothes and take a long, hot shower?” Hannah suggested. “We can take care of everything out here, sweetie. You just try to relax.”

  Tom couldn’t make out Beth’s muffled response, but he heard the water come on soon after. As he completed his call to hotel security, Hannah came out of the bathroom and shut the door behind her. She handed Tom a soapy washcloth and dry hand towel.

  “Here. Get that nasty grime off your hands. Ick!”

  Tom raised an eyebrow at her as he followed her instructions. “I wouldn’t have thought you’d be afraid of a few bugs.”

  “Afraid of bugs? No. I can handle the creepy-crawlies.” Hannah took the dirty linens from Tom and threw them on a bureau. “It’s the sentiment behind the gift that scares the crap out of me. The flower of death, along with oodles of squirming critters? Not good.”

  To say the least, Tom thought. He glanced at the closed bathroom door. “Are you sure we should be leaving her alone in there? I don’t want her to pass out and get hurt.”

  The thought of Beth crashing through the glass shower doors made his stomach turn, just as it had when he’d heard her scream.

  “She’ll be fine. There’s a bench in the stall she can sit on if she feels faint. But I’ll check on her anyway, if you want.”

  “Yeah, I want.” Tom glanced at the bedside clock and started for the door. “Security should be here by now. And they’re bringing the local PD, too.”

  He grabbed the door handle but then turned back to Hannah. “I’ll fill them in about Beth’s history with Sharpe, but they’ll probably need to ask you questions about the package. I’ll leave the door cracked open in case we have to get you.”

  He headed out as Hannah asked, “What about Beth?”

  “She doesn’t need any more aggravation tonight. I’ll tell the cops she’ll contact them tomorrow.” He stepped into the hall in time to see four men coming toward him, two in suits and two in security uniforms.

  Forty-five minutes later, the quartet left with all the information Tom and Hannah could provide about the package’s possible origin. And while the detectives bagged the florist’s box as evidence, the security guards were instructed to monitor all activities on the floor, especially arrivals via the stairs and elevators.

  Tom was happy to see the men depart. The message discovered among the flowers had made him especially eager to get back to Bethany’s side. To see that she was safe. And to hold her.

  As he and Hannah re-entered the room, his eyes sought Beth out. Enveloped in a plush hotel robe and scrubbed free of all cosmetics, she was sitting Indian-style in the middle of the closest double bed, hands wrapped around a steaming Styrofoam cup.

  Hopefully there was something decaffeinated in the container so that she could get some sleep.

  “What’s going on? Are they gone?” Beth’s gaze bounced between Tom and Hannah and finally settled on Tom as he moved to sit on the bed next to her.

  He’d never thought the first time they occupied the same bed would be under circumstances like this.

  “Things are taken care of for the night, but tomorrow the three of us need to go to the police station to be fingerprinted. They need to separate our prints from any others the crime lab finds on the box.”

  “Do you think they’ll find any at all? Besides ours, I mean?”

  “There’s a better chance of finding them on the box than anywhere else. The elevator lobby and stairwells would have too many prints to count because they’re high traffic areas.”

  Tom glanced at Hannah. “And Hannah explained to the detectives that the package was just sitting on the floor outside the room, so it’s doubtful the sender even touched the door to leave prints. The package, and what was inside it, is the most they have to go on at this point.”

  Beth’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean, ‘what was inside it?’ They can trace the origin of the flowers? And the insects?”


  “I’m sure they’ll look into that stuff, too, the best they can.” He hesitated. “But there was something else in there. I must have pushed it under the box when I cleaned up.”

  “Okay, what was it?” When he didn’t immediately respond, Beth expelled a harsh breath. “Tom, I’m not a baby! Just tell me already!”

  Needing to touch her, to soothe her in any way possible, Tom reached out to take Beth’s hand. She may not need comfort right now, but he certainly did.

  “There was a note inside the box. It was typewritten, so it’ll be more difficult to analyze than a handwritten one. But I’m sure they’ll figure it out.”

  “Tom, you’re stalling.” Beth’s aggravation was evident both in her voice and in the firm squeeze she gave his hand. “Just tell me what the note said.”

  The message on the plain white card was indelibly etched into his memory. “It said, ‘You have ruined all my plans and caused me a lot of pain. I look forward to returning the favor.’”

  As Tom spoke, he watched the color drain from Bethany’s face. If she hadn’t taken Eric Sharpe’s threat seriously before, she did now.

  The phone rang, startling the three occupants of the room. Hannah moved to answer it while Tom continued to rub Beth’s hand. He wished he could make all of this go away, but he couldn’t. All he could do was be there for Beth however she needed him to be.

  “That was Dylan,” Hannah said as she hung up the phone. “The guys wanted to know what was taking me so long.” She headed for the door. “I’m going to let them know what happened. The more people who can keep an eye out for this creep, the better.”

  As Hannah reached for the handle, Beth spoke up. “Don’t tell my father! Or any of the techs. Please?”

  “But …” Hannah left her question unasked as Beth turned away to focus her pleading gaze on Tom.

  “I won’t have a moment’s peace if he hears about this. He won’t want me out of his sight!”

  Ah, now he understood. In spite of the danger she was obviously in, Beth still wanted to spend time alone with him. To pursue a relationship with him. The part of his mind that wanted to protect Bethany at all costs was quickly overridden by his lustful cravings to make love with her.

  Breaking eye contact with Beth, he turned to Hannah and said, “Let the fellows know that Beth wants to keep this quiet, okay?”

  Hannah looked at the two of them sitting on the bed, and she remained silent for a long moment. Then the redhead gave a decisive-looking nod. “Sure. I’ll do that.” She pulled the door open, looked down at the freshly cleaned area at her feet, and took a wide step over it. “Catch you two later,” she added before the door clicked shut behind her.

  •

  As soon as Hannah left, Beth stretched to put her cup of coffee on the night stand. Then she uncrossed her legs and slid off the side of the bed farthest from Tom. She walked to the window and pulled the drapes back, pretending an interest in the city’s skyline.

  In reality, she wanted nothing more than to be in Tom’s arms. Not just because she wanted comfort—damn Eric, anyway!—but because she yearned to experience his loving.

  But as she’d told herself before, there would be no more fooling around with Tom unless they could finish it. And since there was no telling when Hannah would return, it was best to keep her distance from the man, no matter how hard it was.

  “So what were you doing coming back here? I thought you were going to play poker with everyone else.” Beth watched Tom’s reflection in the window as he rose from the bed and headed toward her.

  Despite her determination to avoid physical contact with him, her heart beat heavily in her chest and her breathing quickened. The anticipation of his touch and in fact, his very nearness, did that to her. It was inevitable.

  Beth let the curtain drop back into place as she turned around. Tom stood not six inches away, his eyes showing a mixture of emotions. Concern was there, but desire was even more overwhelmingly evident in his molten gaze.

  “I didn’t want to be with everyone else,” he said. “I wanted to be with you.” With that, he leaned down to brush her lips with his own.

  Against her better judgment, Beth wrapped her arms around his neck, pressed her mouth more firmly against his. A soft moan rose from her throat, but the sound was absorbed into Tom’s mouth as he hungrily returned her kiss.

  Lost in his embrace, the ringing of the hotel phone barely penetrated Beth’s foggy mind. But Tom heard it, and he stepped back to grab the receiver.

  “Yeah? Oh, hi.” A long pause. “All right, thanks. Thanks a lot.” Then he hung up and looked at Beth, still standing by the window. “That was Hannah. She’s going to stay with the guys for the rest of the night.”

  His statement dissolved any remaining reservations Beth had harbored. They had the whole night—or what was left of it, anyway, since it was nearing one AM—to be together. They could make love at last.

  So why was Tom walking to the door? Had she been so wrong in thinking he wanted her, too?

  Beth watched as he turned the deadbolt and slid the security chain into place. He turned to face her, yet still remained near the door.

  “I want you so much.” His words caused shivers of excitement to course through her body. “But after what happened, I need to be sure you really want—”

  Beth untied her robe and pushed it off her shoulders.

  “—to do this,” he finished unsteadily.

  She stood naked before him. If he couldn’t interpret that as a firm yes, then she didn’t know what else she could do to convince him.

  Tom took long strides across the room, pulling his shirt over his head and kicking off his sneakers as he moved. Good. Evidently her message had been clear.

  When he stopped in front of her, Beth skimmed her hands across his wide shoulders and firm chest. She trailed her fingers over his small nipples and watched as they grew rigid. She felt the wiry patch of dark hair in the middle of his chest, then moved lower to touch the softer line of hair beneath his navel, visible above his low-slung jeans.

  As she reached to unfasten his pants, Tom groaned. “Oh, Bethany,” he murmured. “Sweetheart.”

  She looked deep into his eyes, her hands still busy below. “Touch me,” she whispered. “I need you to touch me, too.”

  Her words seemed to break the invisible restraints that had kept him frozen in place. Tom crushed her into his arms, one hand twisting into her still-damp hair while the other ran rampant over her back and bottom. His lips ravaged hers, nipping, then licking, and finally opening to explore the recesses of her mouth.

  She loved it all. Every touch, every groan, every whisper. Finally she would enjoy everything he had to give.

  He swung her up into his arms only to move the short distance to the bed and carefully lay her upon it. For a few moments he stood quietly looking down at her, causing thoughts to rush into Beth’s head of how similar this was to her dream.

  But then Tom quickly pushed down his briefs and unfastened jeans, shedding both them and his socks in mere seconds. His erection sprang proudly upward, and her mind instantly centered on the here and now.

  She raised her arms, wanting to feel him next to her. On top of her. Inside her.

  Tom immediately responded to her request, moving over her to kneel between her wantonly-spread legs. Beth wrapped her arms around him, stroking his shoulders, back, buttocks. She didn’t care how eager she appeared. She wanted him. Now.

  But Tom apparently wasn’t in as big a rush as she was. Although he began to slide his erect penis up and down against her slick, swollen folds, he made no move to enter her. Instead, he planted his hands beside her head and kissed her as if their lips were the center of the universe. As if the twining of their tongues was the ultimate culmination of their lovemaking.

  His tenderness almost made her break down in tears.

  But this wasn’t a time for crying. It was a time to celebrate. Because now she knew what had been missing in her sexual encount
ers with Eric: heat.

  Tom made her burn as he slowly traced the dips and curves of her body with his hands and mouth. Eric had all of the right moves, the right technique to get the job done, but it had never made her feel like this.

  Now, as Tom leaned down to explore her breast with his tongue, tenderly caressing her hip with his fingertips, she knew why. Eric had been a cold man. And that coldness, that heartlessness, must have permeated through his skills as a lover. Because she knew that Eric had never, ever, made her feel like she was a simmering volcano on the verge of eruption.

  Yet Tom had done that from the very first time she’d laid eyes on him. He made her feel alive. Beautiful. And happy.

  Even at the best time of their relationship, Eric had simply made her feel comfortable. But she wasn’t comfortable now.

  Nope, right now she was wound so tight she was about to jump out of her skin. And it felt good.

  Beth shoved all thoughts of the past out of her head and concentrated on that good feeling. And it became even more intense as Tom moved his mouth to her other breast, at the same time sliding his hand down to the curls covering her mound.

  As he slid a long finger into her feminine core, he leaned up to press another passionate kiss upon her waiting lips. “You are so hot,” he murmured just before their lips met.

  Tom’s fingers continued their fantastic dance in and around her moist sheath. His thumb alternately pressed hard against her clitoris, then circled around it, sending spasms of pleasure through her entire body.

  Once again his mouth captured her moan of ecstasy. Needing to catch her breath, she tore her mouth away, panting. Pressure built to an unbearable level inside her, and Beth turned her head to the side, latching on to the muscular forearm beside her like a lamprey in order to suppress the keening wail that longed to escape her throat.

  The man’s fingers were more talented than she’d ever imagined. And his lips …

  Those fine instruments of sensuous torture were busy spreading soft kisses over the exposed area below her ear. As he made his way from her neck to her collarbone, Beth loosened her lip-lock on his arm.