“That’s really nice of you. Do you want to come in?” Beth asked, her heart thumping in her chest.
Justin wanted to do that more than anything right then, but he had a class to get to. “I would, but I have to get to class; maybe we can talk later over dinner,” he suggested on impulse.
When a huge smile spread across Beth’s face and she began to blush, he wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her, but instead, he waited patiently for her answer. “I’d love to,” she said a little too quickly, then embarrassed, looked down at her feet.
Justin was sure that he’d never seen anything so enticing in his life, so he reached out and tipped her head up, looked her in the eyes, then kissed her. A simple peck on the lips, but in that moment, he knew that this woman was perfect for him, that she and she alone would be able to calm the beast that lurked inside him. The realization was so shocking, he stepped back for a second, overwhelmed with emotions so unfamiliar to him it took a second for him to process them.
Beth looked just as shocked as he did, and he was afraid that he’d overstepped. “I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have done that,” he said, stepping back another step.
“It’s okay; it was nice,” Beth said, then blushed.
Justin knew that he had to get out of there and fast; things were moving too quickly, his feelings suddenly too raw. “I’ll pick you up at six if that’s okay with you,” he said.
“I’ll be ready,” Beth said, then gave him a shy smile: a smile that almost made him pull her into his arms and kiss her for real.
***Beth***
Checking her reflection in the mirror, Beth decided that she liked what she saw; thanks to her new diet and workout routine, she’d not only gained some weight, but some muscle. The skinny sick girl who used to look out at her was gone, replaced by one who looked healthy: no more dark circles under her eyes and her skin was a healthy pink instead of ghostly white. Knowing that she was as ready as she’d ever be for her first date, she began to pace the little room, too nervous to do anything else.
It had occurred to her as she was getting ready that this really was her first date; she’d gone to prom and homecoming, but those hadn’t been real dates, more like a night out with a friend. This was different; when Justin had kissed her, he’d made her feel things she’d never felt before, and she was sure that she was already half in love with him, which was silly since she didn’t even know him.
She also knew that she had to be careful. Justin was probably more experienced than she was, but he seemed like a good guy, not the kind to take advantage of her innocence. And she was very innocent; her mother had seen to that, chasing off boys who would have overlooked her health and treated her like a normal person.
Consequently, she’d never even had a boyfriend, never had the experience of a first kiss or anything more. Of course, now she’d had her first kiss, and from a man who stirred her, made her heart beat louder and harder in her chest. It was almost too good to be true, and she wasn’t sure what Justin could possibly see in her, but even as innocent as she was, the look in his green eyes told her that he was interested in her.
By the time he finally knocked on her door, she was so nervous and excited, she threw the door open too fast, making it bang against the wall. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she stammered, feeling like a fool.
Justin smiled at her. “I’m sorry I’m late,” he said, then grinned at her, instantly making her feel at ease. “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”
***Justin***
When they pulled up in front of the steakhouse, Beth let out a little sigh, then said, “I love steak. I didn’t eat it for a long time but now that…” but the rest of what she was going to say was covered up by the sound of her phone ringing.
She pulled the phone out of her pocket and looked at the display. “I’m sorry but I’ve got to take this; it’s my mother, and if I don’t she’ll just keep calling,” she said, before hitting the button to connect the call.
“Hi, mom,” she said, then automatically added, “I’m fine so don’t even ask.”
When she finally hung up the phone, Justin had the impression that she’d been talking to a nurse rather than her mother, but he could see that the call had frustrated Beth, so he kept the observation to himself. Walking into the restaurant seemed to lift her spirits though, and he had to smile when she took several deep breaths of the fragrant air.
He’d brought her here as a bit of a test; even as attracted to her as he was, he couldn’t see himself dating a woman who didn’t eat beef—it was his business after all. It wasn’t that he wasn’t open-minded about people who chose not to eat it, but his family made their living raising cattle; any woman he was involved with would have to understand and embrace that.
When the waiter arrived with their menus, Justin said, “We won’t need those. Give me just a minute.” Then he looked across the table at Beth and asked, “Do you like your steak with the bone in or out?”
“Oh, definitely with the bone in and medium rare,” she said, her mouth already watering at the thought of what was to come.
Justin turned back to the waiter and expertly ordered their dinner, complete with baked potatoes and salad. “How did you know what I wanted?” she asked when the waiter had walked away.
“I didn’t really. I just know a good steak,” he said, “My family raises cattle in a mountain valley about four hours from here. It’s called South Park.”
Beth looked at him, tipping her head one way then the other. “I guess I can see that,” she said, then with a teasing grin on her face, she asked, “But where’s your cowboy hat?”
Justin grinned at her. “I left it at home.”
***Beth***
When her phone rang just as the waiter put a huge sizzling streak in front of her, she was tempted to ignore the call. The steak smelled so good and the last thing she wanted to do right then was to talk to her mother again. But she knew that the best way to get rid of her was to answer; if she was lucky, it would be a short conversation and then she could get back to her dinner with Justin.
She pulled the phone from her pocket. “I’m sorry, it’s my mother again; this will just take a minute,” she said, her cheeks flaming with embarrassment when she realized how it must look to Justin.
“That’s okay, I understand,” he said.
When she clicked on the call, her mother started talking before she could even say hello. “Beth, I just remembered that I forgot to tell you that Shannon Michaels asked about you the other day. You remember him; he’s the son of Jackson Michaels.”
“Mother,” Beth interrupted her knowing that she’d go on and on about Shannon, who her mother had always wanted her to date. “I’m out to dinner, and the food just got here; this is going to have to wait until later. I’ll call you when I get home.”
“What do you mean out to dinner? Who are you with? Don’t you have dinner at the dorms?” her mother asked, sounding slightly agitated.
“Mother, I really have to go. I’ll call you when I get home,” Beth said, hanging up the phone, a bit shocked that she’d hung up on her mother. Then she looked down at the huge steak in front of her, determined not to let her mother ruin her first date, and said, “If this tastes half as good as it looks, I’m going to be in heaven.”
“I can promise you that it will; this is beef from our ranch in Fairplay, and that’s one of the reasons I brought you here,” Justin said, cutting off a piece of steak and popping it into his mouth. “Try it.”
Beth cut a piece and put it in her mouth, letting it rest on her tongue for just a second before she chewed and swallowed. “It’s even better than I thought it would be; it practically melts in your mouth. I haven’t eaten very many steaks, but this has to be the best one,” she said, then cut another piece and put it in her mouth.
Justin smiled at her praise, then realized what she’d said. “You don’t normally eat steak?” he asked, but before she could answer, her phone rang again.
Beth sigh
ed and looked down at her plate, wishing she’d turned it off. “I should have turned it off,” she said, then connected the call.
“Hello, mother,” she said, the annoyance clear in her voice even to Justin, who didn’t know her very well.
“I just wanted to make sure you were eating right,” her mother said. “I hope you’re not eating fast food; you know how bad for you that is.”
“I’m eating a steak, mother, and it’s not going to kill me. If you don’t mind, I’d like to get back to eating before it gets cold, so I’m going to say goodbye,” she said, then hung up again and turned the phone off, her cheeks blazing from embarrassment.
Chapter Five
***Justin***
The color that came to Beth’s cheeks when she put her phone away only made her look that much more beautiful to Justin. He had an overwhelming urge to take her in his arms and kiss her, but that would create a scene, and she was already embarrassed.
“I’m sorry,” she said, wishing that she hadn’t spent most of the date apologizing. “My mother’s having a little trouble letting go.”
“I get it; you wouldn’t believe some of the lame reasons my mother uses to call me. Last week she called to see what I wanted for my birthday dinner, which isn’t for three months,” Justin said, happy when he saw her begin to relax again.
“She was dead set against me coming all this way to school, but I just had to get away from home; as you can see, she can be a little stifling. I know she means well, but it’s exhausting sometimes to have her constantly looking over my shoulder,” Beth said, surprised that she’d told him something so personal.
“It’s what mother’s do: check to make sure we’re eating right, that we’re wearing clean clothes, doing our homework, and getting enough sleep. Mine tried to get my sister to spy on me last week,” Justin said, with a smile.
Beth laughed, feeling better. “I’m sure she's having a small fit right now since she knows what I’m eating for dinner tonight. She’s convinced herself that all the evils of the world come from eating meat; up until last summer I’d been a vegan for six years.”
Justin thought about that for a minute. “You went from eating a meat-free diet to eating steak; that’s kind of the opposite of what most people do, isn’t it?”
“Not really; you’d be surprised how many reformed vegans there are out there. It’s not easy to eat that way, and besides, it wasn’t really my choice to become vegan; it was my mother’s idea,” Beth explained, hearing how much like a child that made her sound.
Justin thought about that for a second, then asked, “You never tried to cheat, eat a burger or something on the way home from school?” Thinking that it was a little strange that Beth had just gone along with what her mother wanted, that maybe she was a little too much of a mama’s girl.
Beth knew what he was thinking and that if she didn’t explain, he was going to think she was immature or too easily influenced by her mother. “Well, it wasn’t quite that simple,” she said, taking a deep breath, sad to realize that no matter how much she wanted to pretend that she was a normal person, she wasn’t.
“When I was twelve, my kidneys began to shut down, and the doctors couldn’t figure out why. By the time they isolated the virus that was causing the damage, my kidneys were just about useless. I spent most of my childhood in and out of the hospital while I waited for a transplant, which I got a little over a year ago. Last summer I decided that it was time for me to take control of my diet and my life and it wasn’t easy for my mother to give up control,” Beth said, then leaned back in her chair and waited for the sympathy that she knew was sure to come.
“Good for you; it’s hard to stand up to our parents,” Justin said, then added, “To be totally honest with you, I didn’t want to come here and go to school; my dad made me. When push came to shove, I let him have his way.”
“My mother wanted me to live at home and go to school there, but I needed to get away, find out who I am besides someone who was sick for a long time,” Beth said, feeling more confident.
Justin smiled at her. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, you don’t look like a sick person to me. In fact, I think you look very healthy.”
Beth blushed at the compliment, her heart beating rapidly in her chest. “Thank you,” she said, feeling attractive for the first time in her life, and unable to stop the blush that spread across her face or the smile that followed when it became clear from the look in his eyes that he found her just as attractive as she felt.
Justin’s heart nearly leaped out of his chest when the smile spread across Beth’s face, igniting not only a powerful need to protect her, which surprised him, but also a desire so raw and intense it took his breath away. He’d begun something with Beth and good idea or not, he knew that he wasn’t going to fight what he felt for her any longer.
She was far too innocent to be involved with someone like him, but he knew deep down that there was no walking away from Beth or the feelings she inspired in him. But he’d have to be careful, take things slowly, do his best to protect them from the heat between them so that it didn’t get out of control and burn them both.
“You’re welcome,” Justin said, flashing her a big smile. “Now let’s finish our dinner and have some desert,” he added, pointing to the half-eaten steak on her plate.
***Beth***
Fall had never been Beth’s favorite season, but this year it held a kind of magic she’d never felt before. The trees around the campus had burst into color: oranges, yellows, and reds unlike anything she’d ever seen before. While up in the mountains just out of town, it looked like someone had taken a paint brush and splattered paint everywhere.
She woke each morning looking forward to the day in a way she never had before, and there was no denying that Justin was part of the reason. Since they’d become involved, Beth had begun to see herself in a different way, had begun to realize that life could be full of the most wonderful surprises. For the first time in her life, she was truly happy, her days full of new experiences and excitement.
Thanks to her mother’s refusal to help her in any way, she’d had to get a job to cover her spending money and other expenses, but the truth was that she didn’t mind that much. She was making new friends and learning a lot about herself, but it did mean that between classes and her job, she didn’t have much time to spend with Justin.
They still managed to grab a little time together at the end of the day, usually meeting in the lobby of the dorm, or if they were lucky, for dinner in the cafeteria. Several times they’d fallen asleep sitting on the couch watching television in the lobby, only waking when the evening attendant went home for the night and shooed them back to their rooms.
As Halloween approached, Beth got a crazy idea for a couple’s costume that she was sure would win the contest in the dorms; she wasn’t sure that Justin would go for it, but she wanted to try. With only a couple weeks before the party, she knew that she didn’t have much time to put the costume together. If she wanted to get it done, she’d have to ask Justin soon, so she took the night off from work and skipped her last class to meet him.
A few weeks ago, she wouldn’t have been brave enough to show up outside Justin’s classroom, but it had finally sunk in that what they had was real, not just a figment of her overactive imagination. It didn’t take her long to find the big barn where most of his classes were held, but it was harder to find the classroom, and she had to ask several times before she finally found it.
She felt awkward and out of place standing outside the doors, but in only a few minutes they opened, and the students streamed out of the room. When she finally saw Justin, he was talking to a very attractive woman, who looked like she wanted to devour him right then and there. A flare of jealousy so strong it shocked her washed over her and all she could do was stare at them, laughing and joking together.
But when Justin saw her, it was like the woman ceased to exist. “Beth, I didn’t expect to see you here,” he said, pu
lling her into his arms and hugging her.
“My last class got canceled so I decided to come to see you,” she said, pleased with his greeting and with the dirty look she got from the woman.
“I’m glad you did. Do you want a tour?” Justin asked, taking her hand in his and leading her away from the classrooms and into the part of the building where the animals were housed. “We’ll start with the horses; they’re my favorite. I don’t miss mine at home quite as much thanks to them.”
Beth was suddenly a bit nervous. “I’ve never been around horses or very many animals for that matter; my mother didn’t think pets were a good idea,” she said, looking up at him. “It would have been nice to have something furry to keep me company.”
“Well, there’s plenty of furry things around here, but I think what you’re thinking about would be over in the small animal barn. It’s not very easy to cuddle up to a horse, but they are great for riding,” Justin said, opening the door to the corals and guiding her through.
They walked hand in hand down the center of the aisle, horses on either side peering over the tops of the railings at them. “Most of these horses are only here boarding while their owners are out of town; they get to stay here for free, and we get to practice on them,” he said, leading her over to one horse who was snorting and pawing the ground.
Beth was a little hesitant at first, thinking that the horse was angry, but as soon as Justin reached out to it, the snorting and pawing stopped. When she finally got brave enough to reach out and touch the horse's nose, she discovered that it was soft as velvet and warm to the touch. The horse, hoping she had a treat for him, nuzzled her hand, his lips brushing her palm, making her laugh.
“He’s sweet,” she said, running her hand up and down his head.
“He seems scary at first, but he’s really just a pushover, just like me,” Justin teased.
FairPlay Shifters Prequel: (A Paranormal Romance Story) Page 3