The Best Laid Plans (Brothers of the Bayou) (3 page)

“I’ll pick you up tomorrow around ten if that’s good for you.”  There was no trace in his voice that anything happened earlier.  Well two can play that game she thought coolly.

“Ten-thirty
,” Lacy replied, changing the time for the sole purpose of gaining back control.

“See you then,” he said and walked out the door without another word.

Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

Beaux took a little more care in his appearance today, reluctant to admit his reason for doing so. Sleep had eluded him the entire night as he teetered between self-loathing for his lack of self control and a persistent arousal every time he thought of that kiss. Funny, when he first saw Lacy at the airport he hadn’t noticed what she looked like. Now he could picture every visible inch of her from the thick, wavy auburn hair and golden eyes, down to the pert full breasts that heaved up and down when she was angry and the hips that swayed when she walked away from him.  As long as he lived, he’d never forget how his hands fit perfectly on those hips as he had pulled her to him.  It wasn’t just her looks.  There was something else there and he knew she felt it too.  She may have kissed him again in self-proclaimed retaliation, but no woman would kiss a man who had just taken advantage of her like that unless she had enjoyed it. 

But just because he felt an attraction still didn’t mean he was inclined to do anything about it. He was a man for crying out loud, a man that hadn’t had sex in over two years.  His celibate state must be the reason those kisses were so hot and erotic. Any red blooded man would be turned on by them, especially when he hadn’t so much
as touched a female in two years.  That had to be it he decided. Best to ignore it and continue on like nothing ever happened as Lacy had suggested yesterday.   Everything looked better in the sunlight of the morning than in the dark of two am. He walked out the door determined not to be the ass he was yesterday. Regardless of what happened, he wanted Lacy to know the real him and the good that Louisiana offered.  Daniella had thrown him off guard and he had let her affect him for the last time.

Lacy was waiting for him on the porch wh
en he arrived.  A pair of Capri pants hugged her curves in all the alluring spots that turned a man on and the tank top she wore, well hell, he wouldn’t let his mind even wander there.

“Good morning” she chirped with a hint of wariness hiding behind her cheerfulness. “Justin already left for work and Sara just laid down to rest
for a spell. I didn’t want to risk you waking her with the doorbell.”

“Let’s roll then. Do you mind if I stop to pick up a cup of coffee?”

“Sure.  Where can I find Community Coffee?  Everyone back home that’s ever been to Louisiana told me I need to try it.”

Beaux laughed.  “Anywhere we stop.  It’s pretty much a staple in these here parts.”

“That will make it easy then.”

The ride to Avery Island turned out to be much more enjoyable than anticipated.  They had a lot more in common than either would have ever thought.  Conversation flowed freely and they even found themselves laughing often. Lacy enjoyed Beaux’s laugh. His eyes lost their stormy torment when he let himself be free.  She definitely preferred this Beaux to the jerk Beaux she met yesterday. Maybe they could be friends after all; if only she could just stop thinking about his lips being on hers again.

They did the tour of the Tabasco factory first then stopped by the General Store.

“Have you ever tried hot sauce ice cream?” he asked.

“Even as much as I like hot sauce that sounds pretty gross. Is there really such a thing?”

“You bet there is.  Believe it or not it’s pretty good.  Usually they have samples of it out.”

Always up for trying something new, Lacy braved the mismatched combination and was amazed how the flavors blended to please her palate.   It would probably taste even better licking it off a certain Cajun boy’s full, sensual lips.  Where did that come from, she chided herself.   Sexy equals trouble and Beaux had already proven he was a hot heaping mess of both.  She had to force herself to more neutral thoughts. Beaux and she had something good going today and she needn’t mess it up with errant, hormonal thoughts.

After leaving the general store they left for Jungle Gardens.   They drove through with Lacy in
complete awe.

“This is beautiful.  I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Beaux couldn’t help but smile at her admiration.  “We can get out and walk around if you’d like.”

“I’d love that.”

They were going to see the Buddha statue when a downpour erupted.  Beaux grabbed her hand, giving it a slight pull to the truck and they went running for its shelter. Both were drenched by the time they got in and Beaux pulled out a towel from the back, handing it to Lacy to dry off.

“Where did that come from?” she asked. “The sun was out and not a cloud in the sky.”

“Welcome to Southern Louisiana in the summer.  You can bet it will rain at some point every afternoon, it’s just a matter of what time.”

“I’m soaked to the bone.  Sara isn’t expecting us back for a few hours and while I don’t want to sound whiny, I really don’t want to stay in these clothes.”

I’d love to take them off for you, is what Beaux really wanted to say. Instead what came out was something that was probably an equally bad idea.

“My house isn’t too far away.  We can swing by there and throw your clothes in the dryer and I can get some dry clothes for me also. If you’d like we can pick up lunch and eat while your clothes dry.”

Lacy looked apprehensive. Something told her going to Beaux’s house was a very bad idea, but she was enjoying herself and didn’t want their time together to end yet.  And she could not stand being in wet clothes.  Even when she went swimming she had to change right away instead of letting the sun dry her.  One of her many quirks she supposed. For better or worse she knew what her answer would be.

“Sure.” 

Beaux was nervous taking Lacy to his house.  What had he been thinking?  No female had been here other than family and his friend’s wives the few times he had hosted a party.  His house was modest but sat on a nice piece of property. Daniella had picked out the house, but it still wasn’t enough for her. His ego couldn’t take a despairing look on it from another female.  And the lurking attraction between Lacy and him was an entire dimension altogether of his nerves.  Today had been a pleasant surprise. The angst from yesterday had all but disappeared and he was genuinely enjoying her company but the electrical current between them could not be denied or ignored for much longer. Bringing her back to his house where they would be secluded and alone had to be the dumbest idea he’d had in a long time with the exception of yesterday’s kiss.

He pulled into his driveway, a quarter mile stretch of road lined with pecan trees. As they came to the house, he unconsciously held his breath waiting for Lacy’s reactions.  He wished he could pinpoint exactly why it meant so much to him.  His chest puffed with male pride when she gasped in awe.

“This is your house Beaux? It’s beautiful and the property is amazing. I feel like I’ve stepped back in time.  I don’t think I would ever leave if I lived here.”

Her words pulled at his heartstrings.  She had no way of knowing just how much they meant to him.  He pulled around to the parking area and jumped out to open Lacy’s door for her.  She stepped out stil
l staring at her surroundings. After leading her into the house he left her in the kitchen while he disappeared for a few minutes, coming back with a thin robe in one hand and a hair dryer in the other.

“The bathroom is down that hall, first door on the left.  Just throw your clothes in the hallway and I’ll toss them in the dryer.”

Following his directions, Lacy walked to the bathroom eager to shed her wet clothes. She wrapped herself in the robe and plugged in the hair dryer.  She dug a brush out of her purse and did the best she could on her hair.  By the time she walked out, Beaux had a tray of sandwiches from the deli and glasses of sweet tea set up on the back porch. Suddenly shy, she stepped out to join him and took a seat at the patio table.

“Thanks for making lunch
,” she said feebly.  She was entirely too aware of this man sitting beside her.  Tall, dark and handsome was an understatement. The skin tight white undershirt he wore showed off muscles born from hard labor and the light fabric glistened against his tanned olive skin. Her skin burned just thinking about his touch.  She ached to reach out and smooth his tousled black hair and when he gave her that lazy smile it was her undoing.  She lift her hand and he caught it mid air, entwining her fingers with his. 

“What are we doing ma
chère,” he murmured huskily. His eyes searched hers for permission and she leaned ever so slightly into him giving him her affirmation.  His free hand brought her to him brushing his hand gently down her cheek, then running his fingers along her lips causing her to part them. In excruciating slowness he claimed her lips with his, allowing her time to back away if she wanted. When she responded with her own desire he hungrily sought out the recesses of her mouth taking the time to savor each moment. Ah, she tasted heavenly. He knew in that instant he needed more of her and her of him. Never breaking contact he helped her rise from her chair while her hands raked his hair.  Freeing one hand to open the door, he led her through the door and straight to his bedroom.  He reached for the robe, untying it in one swift motion and she shrugged out of it sighing as he grabbed her breast and massaged her nipple. She reached under his shirt, feelings his hard body, rubbing her hands up his chest as she maneuvered his shirt off.  Beaux leaned her onto the bed, taking her breast to his mouth as she unbuckled his pants and slid them down.  Their mouths found each other again as they entangled themselves in the heat of passion.  Reaching over to his nightstand, he took out a foil packet, tore it open but before he could slide it on a male voice called out his name. They both froze trying hard to think past their aroused state and register the situations they were. 

“Shit. My brother’s here Lace. He always did have shitty timing.”

Lacy scrambled out of bed searching for the discarded robe. Beaux made short work of getting dressed and rushed out of the bedroom before his brother could find him first. Unsure of what to do, but certain she didn’t want to meet any of his family under these conditions she stayed hidden in his room.

“Have
you ever heard of knocking bro?” she overheard Beaux ask.

“The door was open so I came on in.”

Of course. He felt like smacking his head. They left the back door open in their haste to get to the bedroom. Damn it. Maybe it was a good thing.  He had never once had a one night stand or a casual fling and didn’t intend to start now. Lacy and he may have some chemistry going on between them but their lives were a thousand miles apart.

“Are you ok
ay Beaux? You don’t seem yourself.”

“I’m fine Jared. This just isn’t a good time.”

Just then a loud sneeze came from the bedroom and Jared’s eyes lit with understanding.

“Oh hell bro, I’m sorry. Call me later,” he said and was out the door before Beaux could respond.

He walked back to the bedroom to find Lacy sitting on the bed with the robe wrapped tightly around her.  Neither knew what to say and they sat in silence, each trying to sort out what had almost happened.

Beaux was the one to break the silence. “I don’t know what I’m doing here Lace
.”

“That makes two of us,” she replied with a nervous laugh.

“I almost made a huge mistake.” He couldn’t miss the flash of hurt in her eyes when he said that. Somehow, he had to explain or at least try to.  “I’ve never had casual sex before. To me it should mean more than that.  I guess I’m just a bit old fashioned.”

“Me either. I’ve only been with one person before. And that relationship didn’t turn out so great. So I understand what you’re saying.”

Beaux was momentarily stunned at her frank admission and relieved she understood, but they still had no clarity on where they went from here.

“Your clothes should be dry now. I’ll go get them and we can finish lunch.” Without pausing, he left the room then came back with her clothes in hand.  “I’ll wait out on the patio.”

Pulling her clothes on, she sighed and walked outside, carefully choosing a chair on the opposite side from Beaux. She took a sandwich off the plate and nibbled at the bread unable to taste it.  The awkwardness that should exist didn’t, only a confusion of what to do now.  Since she was thirteen, she had searched for a place to feel at home. Never once did she feel she belonged, until Beaux.  Just one day with Beaux had filled a need long neglected in her, but she was afraid to admit that to him.

“Would you think I’m crazy and forward if I said I wanted to explore this
attraction between us even though it seems crazy and sudden and our lives are a thousand miles apart?”

Lacy burst out in laughter, relieved to hear Beaux voice the same thoughts she was having.  He looked at her confused, not expecting her to laugh in response.

She sobered up then asked “Did Sara ever tell you what happened between our families?”

“No,” Beaux nodded confused at the change of topic but sensed she needed to tell him this.