Seven-Year Seduction. Heidi Betts

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СКАЧАТЬ beads of perspiration dotting his brow.

      Her teeth sawed delicately on her bottom lip, more out of habit than any real pain. “I’m fine.”

      He didn’t look as if he believed her, so she reached up to brush a loose lock of hair out of his eyes, a comforting smile lifting her lips.

      “I’m fine, really.” And then she wrapped her arms around his back and pulled him down. “But I don’t think we’re finished yet.”

      Seconds passed while strain continued to etch his face. Then suddenly, the lines tipping down his mouth lifted as he grinned back at her. “No, ma’am. We’re just getting started.”

      His kiss was soft and tender as he took her lips and began moving his hips in a slow, steady rhythm. Friction built, like a length of silk being dragged over sandstone. The faster he moved, the tighter the coil of sweet tension grew, winding low in her belly until she wanted to scream.

      And then she did, as the dam seemed to break and a keen, clawing pleasure unlike any she’d ever experienced before washed over her. She continued to shudder with tiny aftershocks while Connor rocked into her once, twice, three times more before going rigid with his own overwhelming completion.

      They lay there for long minutes, struggling to regain their equilibrium. Connor’s rough jaw tickled her cheek, his uneven breathing whispering in her ear.

      Her arms and legs were still wound around him like strands of ivy, and the corners of her mouth lifted slightly at how right it felt to be with him this way. Even in the cramped confines of his truck cab, half dressed, half undressed, the evening was perfect. And there would be plenty of times in the future when they could strip off each other’s clothes, take it slow, explore every inch of flesh before climbing under satin sheets and making long, languorous love all night long.

      This was just the beginning.

      Connor lifted his head, meeting her gaze briefly before pushing himself up and helping her to get untangled from his lithe form. He pulled her sweater down and waited until he was sure she could get her panties and jeans up by herself before righting his own clothing.

      Neither of them said anything until they were each back on their own sides of the truck seat.

      “Are you all right?” he asked in a low tone. He was looking straight out through the windshield, his fingers wrapped tight around the steering wheel.

      “Yes. Are you?”

      He didn’t answer, just continued to face forward.

      With a sigh, he leaned forward and twisted the key in the ignition. The engine turned over, and heat and music began to fill the cab.

      “I’d better get you home,” he told her. “Before your family starts to worry.”

      She nodded, knowing they would if she was gone too much longer. Then again, Nick knew she was with Connor, and they trusted him implicitly.

      But she didn’t blame him for feeling a bit uncomfortable; it might take time for him to get used to the idea of them being an item.

      Which was fine. She’d let him take her home tonight, and they could sit down in the morning to discuss the future.

      She studied him from the corner of her eye as they drove down the rutted road and away from Makeout Point. His strong jaw, dark blond hair, slightly crooked nose. The strong line of his shoulders and wide, muscled biceps.

      This was the man she loved, had been in love with since her thirteenth birthday. And now he would be the man she married and spent the rest of her life with.

      She couldn’t wait.

      Two

      Seven years later…

      Beth Curtis sat at the family table on the dais, sipping from her glass of champagne, watching as the bride, groom and dozens of guests filled the dance floor.

      She hated weddings.

      She was happy for Nick and Karen, really she was. They had been dating since high school, and she—and everyone else in town—knew they’d marry eventually. Of course, her brother had put off proposing right up until the stick turned blue. Regardless of their reasons for finally tying the knot, though, Beth had no doubt they would make it work. They belonged together.

      But she still hated weddings. Especially this one.

      Bad enough she’d been roped into being the maid of honor, with all the duties that position entailed. Bad enough she’d had to fly over two thousand miles each way to come back to Crystal Springs for the bridal shower, wedding and reception planning, and now the actual event. Bad enough that Karen’s favorite colors were green and pink, and that Beth was therefore decked out in a formfitting satin sheath made up of lime and watermelon shades of each.

      Oh, no, all that was bad enough. The worst, the very worst, was that she had to smile and laugh and pretend that seeing Connor Riordan again wasn’t a dagger through her heart.

      She’d done a pretty good job of avoiding him since he’d taken her virginity all those years ago. Moving to Los Angeles had helped, as had not coming home to visit her parents and brother nearly as often as she might have liked.

      And then Nick had decided he just had to do the right thing by marrying Karen because he’d gotten her pregnant, and Connor just had to be his best man. Which meant Beth and Connor had to see each other more than she’d have preferred. He even walked her down the aisle during the ceremony.

      She took another swig of bubbling wine. It was warm and starting to lose its fizz, but she didn’t care. The alcohol content would remain the same, and right now she wanted nothing more than to go numb.

      Standing in the church’s vestibule with Connor, his arm linked with hers while the soft notes of the wedding march played had been like a red-hot brand on her soul. He couldn’t have known she was in actual physical pain, of course, and he had no idea that being around him was so hard for her…or why. But that didn’t lessen the ache in the pit of her stomach or the harsh memories that ran through her head at the very mention of his name.

      And now she was lucky enough to have a bird’s-eye view of him dancing cheek to cheek with his live-in girlfriend. Laura, Lori, Lisa…something like that. She was blond and perky and had boobs that bounced when she walked. Beth would bet next month’s salary that she’d been a cheerleader in high school. And that the bounce was saline- or silicone-induced.

      Not that there was anything wrong with that. Beth was a California girl now; plastic surgery came with the territory. Heck, as an entertainment attorney who worked with some of Hollywood’s most beautiful stars, the majority of her clients had been nipped or tucked in one way or another.

      So why was she being so judgmental of Lisa-Lori-Laura?

      Simple. She was with Connor and Beth wasn’t.

      Connor had apparently felt strongly enough about the L-woman to ask her to move in with him, when he hadn’t felt enough for Beth to even pick up the phone and call her after their one night together in the cab of his truck.

      Jealous? Yes, she supposed she was. But more than that, she was hurt and angry. No amount of time or number СКАЧАТЬ