Sealing the Deal (12 page)

When she started to open her mouth to return his sentiment, she suddenly worried about whether her breath would be horrendous. She grabbed the sheet and held it against the bottom half of her face. “Good morning.”

His brows knit. “B? Why are you—”

“Morning breath.”

He chuckled and jerked the sheet away.

She tensed. Then he kissed her, his lips settling on hers. A simple kiss of acceptance that she felt all the way to her toes.

Easing back, Robert grinned again, so arrogant, probably since her face had followed his. He gave her another quick peck and tossed the sheet aside. After he crawled out of the bed, he wandered around the room, pulling articles of clothing from the open boxes.

The man had no modesty whatsoever. While Beth hastily tugged the sheet to cover her breasts, he just strolled around the enormous master suite as though he were alone. Not that she minded. The view was heavenly.

Time had come to face her day. “We should work on getting our closets organized today.” She was mostly thinking aloud about prioritizing the long list of tasks that needed to be done.

Surprisingly, he stopped to gape at her. “What d’ya mean closets?”

She cocked her head. “What did you think I meant?”

“You said
closets.
Not
closet
.”

“I don’t understand, Robert.”

He dropped his clothes on the foot of the bed, put his hands on his hips, and glared at her. “I thought we’d be sharing a closet now.”

All she could do was stare at his cock. Even though it wasn’t erect, she couldn’t force herself to look away. It hung limp, nestled in a patch of dark brown curls, and she found the thing completely captivating. If he really wanted to have a conversation, he was going to have to put on his boxer shorts.

“B?” There was a touch of laughter in his voice. “Hey, lady. My eyes are up here.”

A hot flush raced over her face and down her neck. Even her ears grew warm. She would’ve shifted her gaze to his face if his cock hadn’t started to grow. The way it straightened and elongated right before her eyes kept her transfixed, the sight utterly fascinating. And arousing. Heat shot to her core before fanning to her limbs, and she held the sheet tighter against her, dumbfounded.

Robert took the last steps to the bed, picked up her hand, and wrapped her fingers around his burgeoning erection. “After seeing what you do to me, do you really think I’m gonna let you have your own room?”

“I did… this?” She stroked him gently, a little in awe of the beauty of what she held.

He let out a heavy sigh. “No, I get hard smelling the new carpet.” Sarcasm dripped from every word.

“Well, you
are
a builder.” She stroked him again, loving how he closed his eyes and moaned.

“You make me as hard as that granite you seem to like for countertops. Just seeing you is all I need and—
whamo
—every drop of blood flows south.”

While that made her happy, she couldn’t help but worry about setting a good role model for her niece—her
daughter
. “What about Emma? She shouldn’t see us sharing a room and… and a bed.”

“What Emma will see is exactly how wonderful it is when two adults care deeply about each other. It’s not like we’re gonna parade around naked, B.” His gaze dropped to her hand. “But when we’re alone in this room, I prefer you naked.” With no warning, he snatched the sheet down.

Beth didn’t even flinch at revealing her nudity, despite how bright the sunlight was. She was too busy worrying about his demand that she share the master bedroom with him to give much thought to how much of her body he could see.

She wanted what he was offering, for them to be a couple and share their lives. Everything from a bed to a closet to long, loving kisses and where those could lead. To be his roommate in every way would be heaven.

So why was she hesitating?

Fear
. Pure, naked terror that one day he’d grow tired of her and want his more typical lithe blonde. Even thinking about the painful, awkward conversation when he would tell her it was time to go their separate ways made her ill.

* * *

Robert waited impatiently, barely keeping himself from clutching Beth’s shoulders and giving her a shake. Why couldn’t she see how good they were together?

He’d gone from flaccid to erect with enough speed to make him a little dizzy. Just thinking about how great it had been to make love to her had him greedy and ready to share that bliss again.

Without a word, he opened the nightstand drawer, fished out a condom, and tossed it on the surface, almost daring her to say no.

She didn’t. Instead, she lifted the sheet to invite him back into bed.

Their
bed.

Did she know how much she pleased him? When he tried to cover her body with his own, she stopped him by putting her palms against his chest.

“Wait,” she said.

“B?”

“On your back, mister.” She gripped his arms and guided him to lie down at her side.

He obliged, eager to see exactly where this would lead.

Beth picked up the condom, plucked it from the wrapper, and slowly, sensuously rolled it over his cock. Then she leaned in, kissing him, gently pushing her tongue past his lips.

He wasn’t accustomed to women taking the lead. Most of his lovers liked him to call the shots, so it was a new experience to have the normally shy Beth running the show. He was worried they hadn’t had much foreplay, and he sure didn’t want to hurt her because he didn’t give her enough attention to help her get nice and wet.

She straddled his hips, allowing him to slip his hand between her thighs before she could settle herself on his cock. Moist heat greeted him, making him let out a low growl. To know she was turned on hit him like a shock wave to the groin. Could she be that wet because he’d been parading around naked? Because she’d witnessed his cock growing? Because she’d stroked his erection?

With a smile and a sweet hum, she let her head fall back as he found her tight nub and rubbed it with his fingers. “Feels so good.” Her words were akin to a cat purring. “So good…”

Her hips rocked into his touch, and he sped the rhythm, hoping to bring her to climax. She surprised him by brushing his hand away and grabbing his cock. Slowly, maddeningly, she lowered herself onto his erection, closing her eyes and smiling as though she savored every inch sliding inside her tight sheath.

Robert couldn’t take her teasing a second longer. Holding tightly to her hips, he thrust the rest of the way inside her.

So tight. So hot. So perfect.

His breath came in choppy gasps, and he couldn’t stop himself from driving up into her, setting a fast pace when what he’d wanted was to go slow and savor each sensation. The feel of her pushed all those notions of lingering aside. He wanted to keep thrusting until she took him back to that wonderful place, the one she’d shown him last night that made every cell in his body explode.

And she led him there again, the strength of his orgasm forcing him to clench his fingers into her soft hips and his body to bow off the mattress. He called to her, wanting her to join him. To keep from leaving her behind, he kept raising his hips, pushing into her and savoring her delighted response.

Her mouth opened as her eyes squeezed tightly shut, a tear leaking from the corner of one. “Robert… I’m… oh…” Then she gasped, and he felt the spasms as her core contracted, squeezing him, making him want her all over again.

After the storm passed, she opened her eyes and gave him a sexy smile.

Robert cupped her face in his hands and pulled her down for a slow, easy kiss. Then he stared into her eyes, losing himself in those dark depths. “So beautiful.”

Beth’s gaze dropped as she blushed. “Thank you.”

“I mean it, B. You’re beautiful. And you’re the best lover I’ve ever had.”

Her head snapped up. “Really?”

“Really.”

A sense of panic flooded his senses, his body. The voraciousness of his own feelings overwhelmed him, pressing down on him like a heavy weight and making him quickly end the tender moment. “Let’s get up. I need coffee. Stat.” He lifted her until she moved to his side and scrambled off the bed.

Her lips dropped from the breathtaking smile, and he regretted not telling her what was in his heart.

Love
. If he wasn’t in love with her now, he soon would be. And why that scared the hell out of him, he wasn’t sure. All he knew was that his heart had settled on Beth—and Emma—and wouldn’t be dissuaded.

It was just too early in the game to let her know that or for him to know how to deal with it.

The best course of action was retreat for a few moments so he could regain his courage.

* * *

Beth tried not to let Robert see her disappointment. He’d gone as cold as a block of ice, and darn if she knew why. With a tight grip on the condom, he rushed to the bathroom.

That action took some of the sting out of his abrupt departure. He wasn’t fleeing her; he didn’t want the condom to spill. The last thing either of them needed was a “surprise.” She’d watched the agony Jules had gone through when she’d found herself pregnant early in her relationship with her husband, Connor. Beth wasn’t about to go through that. She had enough on her plate.

She got to her feet and wrapped herself in the sheet. “Robert? You’re right. We should share this bedroom.” Sticking her head into the bathroom, she tried to see what he was doing, but his back was to her. “Robert? Did you hear me?”

He nodded over his shoulder. “Glad you agree.” After tossing the condom in the trash, he came to her and kissed her forehead. “I didn’t want to have to fight about it.”

“It’s that important to you?” At least he wasn’t acting cold now. She didn’t have the nerve to ask why he kept shifting from loving to aloof.

“Absolutely.” Then he opened the shower door and started the water.

“I should probably go on the pill,” she said. “If we’re going to be, um, intimate so often, the pill would help make sure I don’t get pregnant.”

“You would do that?” His eyes were wide in clear disbelief.

“Don’t look so shocked. I’ve been on the pill lots of times.”

“I just assumed…”

“I know. You assumed that I didn’t need to because I don’t date much.” She sighed. “They keep me from getting acne, and you can stop grinning at me. You know I didn’t need them for anything else. But now I do.”

Robert checked the water before stepping into the enormous glass-enclosed shower. “You wouldn’t mind not having condoms?” he asked before flicking on the multitude of side sprays she’d told him would make the shower a downright religious experience.

“Fine with me.”

“Then we’ll go get tested sometime today.”

Since the master bathroom’s shower was more than big enough for both of them, even having two different sets of showerheads, Beth let herself in and turned on the water for her side. “No need. I trust you.”

Robert stared at her as he squirted shampoo onto his palm. “Thanks, B. I trust you, too,” he insisted. “But it’s not a matter of trust. It’s a matter of proof. It will ease both our minds, and by going together… well, it’s the best way to start a relationship. It’s just the right thing to do.”

Her head fell back as she let the water wash over her hair. “If you say so.”

“I do.”

“Then we’ll go before we get Emma.”

He didn’t say another word until they were both wrapped in towels, working on their morning grooming rituals.

After he’d combed his hair, his gaze caught hers in the mirror. “So you’ll really share this room with m-me?”

She smiled at the nervous catch in his voice before she set her brush down and thought through the ramifications.

There would be questions from the Ladies, their other friends, the Douglas High faculty. Pretty much everyone. Was she ready for that kind of inquisition?

Then there were her students’ parents. Despite the fact that it was the twenty-first century, the small town they lived in remained firmly planted in the morality of the 1950s. Would there be any repercussions with the townsfolk or the school board?

A smile curved her lips. None of it mattered. Her heart belonged to Robert Ashford, whether he wanted it to or not. She might as well enjoy the time they could share for as long as they could share it.

“You win, Robert. Now why don’t you help me drag my boxes of clothes in here?”

Chapter Eleven

Dani kept staring at Beth from across the table. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you looking so… so happy.”

“That’s saying a lot,” Mallory chimed in. “Because our Beth is usually happy. Now she’s downright giddy.”

Jules cocked her head and tapped her index finger against her cheek. “Hmm. If I had to guess, I’d say she looks like… I know! A well-laid woman.” When Beth gasped, Jules added, “That rascal Robert is proving to be quite a surprise.” She clucked her tongue. “And I thought I knew him oh so well.” Leaning closer, Jules talked behind her hand as though she wanted to speak only to Beth, which was anything but true considering her volume. “So, Bethany, just how big is his—”

“Enough, already.” While Beth normally loved the jovial teasing of the Ladies Who Lunch, she’d usually been the one delivering the barbs. Receiving them wasn’t nearly as fun.

Not that she was a bad sport. She loved laughing at herself, but not about this, not about Robert Ashford. Not when her future happiness rested firmly in his calloused hands.

“Beth?” Dani put her hand over Beth’s. “You okay?”

She gave Dani a curt nod. “Just tired.”

Jules shot her a knowing expression of sympathy. “I know that feeling well. Raising a baby—”

“
Babies
in your case, Jules,” Mallory added.

“—ain’t easy. I hope Emma sleeps better than Craig and Carter. Those two keep Connor and me hopping all night.”

At least the conversation had ventured down a better road, so Beth jumped in. “Emma isn’t a problem. Up once a night if at all and usually only because she needs to be changed.” She always tried to beat Robert to the punch whenever Emma woke in the night, not wanting him to feel obligated for her care. Yet there were still times he took the responsibility while Beth slept blissfully unaware until the next morning. “At what age do you start to potty train them?”