PassionsPoison (7 page)

Bea turned out the light and headed for the lobby counter,
hoping no more customers would check in at such an early hour. Kayla would get
off at five this morning. Bea had a feeling she would need the next two hours
to learn as much as she could on how to do the dating thing.

Zach spun the steering wheel in the opposite direction as
his truck slid across the entrance to the parking lot of the Wrenborough Depot.
The large patch of black ice took all control away. Catching clear dirt, he hit
the brakes before slowly driving to the side of the building. What shitty
weather. The melt-off from the snowstorm had streams appearing out of nowhere
and the thirty-degree temperatures didn’t help. He hoped Bea drove more
cautiously. What happened to spring? At this rate, he’d have another whole
month to carve the birch tree for the inn.

He glanced at the clock in his truck. Early as usual. He
must be crazy to meet the mother of a woman he’d known for five days. He hadn’t
met a parent of a woman since Lisa’s, and the last time he’d seen them was at
Lisa’s funeral, closed casket. He shut down those thoughts fast.

Zach tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. And then
there was the question of her fathers. She must have a stepdad, but why
wouldn’t she know which dad would be at her mother’s house? If her stepfather
lived with her mother, wouldn’t he be there? Zach shook his head. Everything
about this woman intrigued him.

Was it Bea or their chemistry that had their relationship
racing at warp speed? Not that it was a relationship. Though he had to admit
meeting the parents indicated that. Why did he say yes? Maybe he should leave.
Standing her up was better than sending her the wrong signals. He had been too
anxious to see her again. He should have waited until tomorrow.

As headlights shined across his window, his gut tensed. No
getting out of it now. Bea’s blue Camry negotiated the driveway and came safely
into the parking lot. Good girl.

His pulse raced as the streetlight shone through her
windshield and illuminated her face. He forgot all about meeting her parents
and remembered only her passionate responses to his touch.

She stepped out as he jumped from his truck. The sight of
her after two days was like honey to a starving black bear.

She walked toward him. “Sorry I’m late.”

He closed the distance between them in a heartbeat and
wrapped her in his arms. “No problem. You make it worth the wait.”

He pressed his lips against hers before he slipped his
tongue inside and reveled in the taste of…strawberry mint? He lost the question
as she molded her body against his and released the softest of whimpers.

She pulled her mouth from his and laid her head on his
chest. “I wish I didn’t have to see my mom tonight.”

He stroked her hair, enjoying its fine thickness. “I’m sure
she’s looking forward to the visit.”

She shivered against him.

He eased her back. “Come on, you’re cold, and I believe
we’re already late.” He started to lead her toward his truck.

She pulled away. “Wait, I have to turn off my car.”

He turned. “Why did you leave it on?”

She opened the door and took her keys from the ignition
before she answered. “Habit. I’m always driving myself. This is a treat for me
to be driven.”

What he’d like to do was drive her right into another
orgasm. His truck did have a large bench seat and he could cover her with his
own body so no one could see her if they got caught. He could easily picture
pulling her pants down over her ass and unzipping his jeans to squeeze his cock
between her legs.

Hell, he needed to focus. But once the scene was in his
head, he couldn’t stop the wave of wanting that accompanied it, or the
hardening of his cock. Instead of acting on his impulse, he opened the
passenger door and helped her climb into the truck, enjoying the sight of her
long legs clothed in tight red jeans with matching high heels. The woman was
certifiably hot.

He closed the door and strode around the truck, sucking in
deep breaths of frosty air to clear his senses of her intoxicating smell. She
wore a type of citrus scent, perfect for lying on the beach naked, which didn’t
help the tightness of his jeans.

As he opened his driver’s door, he made some adjustments,
jumped in and started the engine.

She patted the seat next to him. “What model truck is this?”

“A Chevy Silverado.”

“It’s really big. Four-wheel drive?”

He stared at her. She eyed his truck like she eyed him—with
lust. His cock hardened further, actually becoming painful. “Yeah, I use it to
plow in the winter. It’s good at pushing a lot of snow.”

“I bet.” She turned her gaze on him and he wanted to take
her. Now. Ah hell, he was supposed to be meeting the parents, for Christ’s
sake.

He cleared his throat. “Where are we headed?”

She broke eye contact and peered out the window. “Continue
down Center Street and then we’ll take a right.”

“Got it.” He pulled the truck onto the road, carefully
navigating around the ice at the exit.

From the corner of his eye, he caught her reaching for the
door handle while her eyes focused on the road. Okay, he’d have to behave on
the road tonight. She was a nervous passenger.

She let go of the handle once they hit dry pavement and
faced him. “There’s something I should tell you about my mother.”

He kept his attention on the road. “Let me guess. She’s
gorgeous, but of course she is. And she’s dyslexic. No, she’s missing a finger.
No wait, she loves eating dinner in the snow.”

Bea laughed, the sound filling him with pleasure. “No, but
you’re getting close.”

He smiled, wishing he could keep the moment alive longer.

“Zach?”

“Yeah, so what do I need to know about your mom?”

“She was born in the 1960s and has kept that decade alive
and well, even though she’s now in her fifties.” Bea pointed. “Take a right
here.”

Zach turned down the curvy hill. “So are you saying she’s
into peace, free love and burning bras?”

“Exactly. Only it isn’t so pretty at her age, if you know
what I mean.”

Zach focused as they glided across a good-sized patch of
black ice, Bea’s life fascinating him more by the minute. “That’s not too bad.
You should meet my friend Josh’s mom. You’d think you were meeting the mummy.”

“That’s not nice.”

Zach shrugged. “Not really. I say it with complete
affection. What’s your mom’s name?”

“Susan.”

He winked at her. “Not Hope or Willow?”

“Nope, just Susan. She was named after the flower Black-eyed
Susan. Take a left here.”

Zach turned the truck and Bea leaned forward, her white
fashionable parka hiding her curvy body. He appreciated the view of her classic
profile.

Her long fingers grasped the dash. “You’d think they’d have
streetlights around here. But Mom should have a light on. It’s six houses up on
the right.”

He brought his mind back to the evening ahead of him. “Did
you say your father would be here?”

“Yeah, one of them.” She pointed. “There, it’s that one.”

Zach turned. “What do you mean, one of them?”

He couldn’t see it, but he could sense her flush. “It’s kind
of embarrassing. You were right when you asked if my mom was into free love.
When she conceived me, she had six lovers.”

“What? You mean you don’t know which of the six is your
dad?”

The motion detector spotlight went off on the garage as he
brought the truck to a stop in the driveway, illuminating Bea’s sheepish face.
“Yeah, and Mom won’t find out because five of them want to be my father, so she
invites them to the house at different times, except Jim and Charlie. They’re
married.”

The front door of the house opened and a woman descended the
steps.

“There she is. That’s Mom.” Bea scrambled from the truck and
hurried across the driveway to hug her parent.

Zach tried to wrap his mind around the six-father issue as
he approached, but the idea of having to play nice to six fathers had his neck
tensing and his jaw grinding.

“Mom, this is Zach.”

Her mom held out her leather-encased arms, six inches of
fringe hung from her jacket sleeves. “Zach, it’s so nice to meet you.”

Her round, warm face welcomed him. He didn’t hesitate, but
walked into the older woman’s embrace and found himself the recipient of a soft
bear hug, his cheek brushing against her brown, frizzy hair. He stepped back.
She didn’t resemble her daughter at all. “It’s nice to meet you too, Mrs.
Rappaccini.”

“Please, I’m no Mrs. Call me Susan. Come on in out of this
frigid cold. Andy’s inside.”

Bea laid her hand on his arm. “I think you’ll like Andy.
He’s a contractor and a very nice man.”

Zach snaked his arm around her waist. “I’m sure I will.”

So, Andy would be number one. No wonder Bea didn’t have any
long-term relationships. Who the hell wanted to take the father test six times?
He sure didn’t.

He squeezed her before letting her pass in front of him at
the doorway. He didn’t need to dwell on the future. He had her for now and that
was fine with him.

They all entered the house, shedding their coats and gloves.
A tall, thin man came over to greet them. Bea gave him a hug, her head coming
to his chest. He had to be six foot four because Zach found himself looking up.
This father had his brown hair tied back in a long ponytail.

Bea did the honors. “Andy, I’d like you to meet Zach.”

Zach smiled and grasped the hand held out to him. “Nice to
meet you, Andy.”

Andy nodded but remained serious. “Same here. Bea doesn’t
usually bring a guest with her. I guess you must be something special.”

Her dad didn’t appear to be too happy about that, but when
Zach caught a smirk on the older man’s face, he smiled wider. “That’s one way
of looking at it.”

Andy gave him a friendly shake. “Sit down. Take a load off.
Want a beer?”

Bea watched Zach and Andy. Zach didn’t appear intimidated in
the least, but then again, Andy was the most laid-back of all her dads. She
released her breath. Andy liked him. If Andy hadn’t, there wouldn’t be any hope
for Zach. The toughest dad would be Gerry, but she’d cross that bridge if she
ever made it that far.

Bea couldn’t help comparing the two men. Zach was a bit
shorter than Andy, but he was much more muscular and broad.

Her mother whispered in her ear, “You’re drooling.”

She whipped her head around. “Shh. Am not.”

Her mom placed her hands on her ample hips. “Right, and I’m
Janice Joplin. He’s really yummy, Bea. I’m so thrilled you brought him.”

Bea tugged the beaded belt around to the front of her mom’s
gypsy skirt. “Don’t make more of this than it is. I don’t know if I can do this
yet.”

Her mother caught her hands and held them. “I know, honey.
I’ll try to be good.”

Zach turned from his conversation with Andy to join theirs.
“Did I hear someone was going to be good? That doesn’t sound like much fun.”

Andy chuckled. “Believe me, it can be. Susan doesn’t know
how to behave.”

Susan sauntered over and let Andy wrap his arm around her
and place a kiss on her hand. She snuggled against him. “That’s why he thinks
it will be fun, watching me struggle to be normal.” She shook her finger at
Zach. “I make no guarantees.”

Bea studied the three of them and a yearning grew deep in
her gut. This is what she wanted. A normal life.

She and Zach sat on the couch together. As she leaned back,
he glanced at her cleavage and a warm, excited buzz commandeered her stomach.
She’d been afraid he might be tired of her when he hadn’t tried anything in his
truck. She loved that big bench seat. He could easily lay her down and cover
her, thrusting between her legs while his tongue invaded her mouth like a new
country to be conquered. The feel of his weight on her would be heavenly. She
squirmed.

His brows drew together. “Are you all right?”

She smiled. “I am now. Thanks for coming.”

He grinned back at her, his eyes claiming her. The thrill
his gaze sent through her had her stomach tightening and her pussy moistening.
She stood abruptly. “Mom, don’t you think we should check on dinner?”

Her mom was perched on the arm of Andy’s chair. “Honey, I
didn’t even tell you what I was cooking yet.”

“True, but I’m sure it needs to be checked.” She lifted her
eyebrow at her mom, trying to telepath her need to leave the room.

“I don’t think so, I mean…”

Bea could tell the moment her mother’s confusion cleared. In
fact, she was pretty sure everyone could.

“Oh yes, we better see how my lasagna is doing.” Her mom
stood and pecked Andy on the forehead. “You never really know about lasagna.”
She looked at Zach. “Last time I made it for company, we had to call for
pizza.”

Bea grabbed her mom’s hand and pulled her into the kitchen.
She expected an embarrassing night, but she hadn’t anticipated the reason would
be because she got hot over her new lover in front of her parents.

Her mother plopped down at the kitchen table, dinner clearly
forgotten. “Okay, honey, I’m here. What’s wrong?”

Bea smirked. “Nothing. I want to see the lasagna.”

Her mom sat back in her chair. “Why? I made it from your
Grandmother Beatrice’s recipe. I’m sure it will be fine.”

Bea grabbed the potholder from its hook and opened the oven.
Susan had a penchant for slipping drugs into her meals and Bea would be damned
if she’d let Zach’s first experience with her family be a psychedelic trip. She
wanted him sober at the end of the evening. Pulling out the rack, she took a
fork and broke into the pasta.

Her mom jumped up and grabbed her arm, the bell sleeve of
her top dipping into the lasagna. “Hey, what are you doing?”

Bea pulled away. “I’m checking it. Let go.” When her arm was
free she moved the cheese around. She spotted a green fleck. “Mom, what is
this?”

Her mother peered over her arm before stepping back a bit to
focus. “That’s oregano.”

Bea let her voice sound its own warning. “Mom?”

Her mother retreated to her chair and picked the cheese off
her sleeve. “Really, its oregano. Ask Andy.”