Chapter Twelve

Mocha was waiting for them at the door. The shameless mutt wriggled up to Rachel first, as if the dog knew she was a pushover. And apparently, she was, because even though she and Beck had been kissing and touching in the car, building their anticipation even further, Rachel was on her knees—for the dog—as soon as they got home.

“She’s been lonely, poor thing,” Rachel said. That snug blue dress rode up her thighs as she nuzzled the dog. “Don’t feel bad, sweetie. You wouldn’t have had any fun at that party.”

Beck gave up the hope they’d be heading straight to the bedroom and dropped to the floor beside them. All the better to be near those bare legs. “Except for the dancing.”

She leaned against him even as she let the dog curl up in her lap. “Oh yeah, the dancing part was the best.”

He reached out to rub Mocha’s wild fur, then let his hand rest on Rachel’s thigh. “I can’t imagine what kind of video your crew got tonight.”

“And what kind of interviews. They probably deteriorated as the liquor flowed more freely.”

“Ha. That’s one way of putting it.”

“At least Stu will have time to use only a tiny fraction of the footage.”

“But the more outrageous, the better, right?”

“He’s all about the drama.” Rachel leaned back against him again, soft and warm. “I’ve been avoiding social media today. It gets to be too much. Mia tells me what she thinks I need to know. But I probably should check.”

He stopped her before she could reach for her tiny bag, wrapping his fingers around her wrist. “We don’t need to waste time on that now.”

She looked up at him, her blue eyes wide, her pretty lips lifted in a playful smile. “And what do you think we should be wasting time on?”

Beck leaned over and pressed a kiss to her slender throat. She dropped her head back and gave him better access, something like a purr escaping her lips. “We won’t be wasting time, believe me.”

Mocha pushed in between them, begging for attention. Beck swept her up and stood. “Time to get this little girl a treat and a quick walk.”

Rachel slipped off her heels and got to her feet. “Need some help?”

He took her hand. “Sure. It’ll take only a few minutes.” They strolled through the kitchen, the dog at their heels. He let Mocha out to the fenced-in backyard and they stood side by side, waiting for her to take care of business.

This night was probably going to end up being a mistake. Tomorrow they’d wake up to the same problems they had today. Lifestyles that weren’t at all compatible. He’d never want to be part of her crazy, public lifestyle, especially with Holly to think about. And Rachel’s career was her whole life. She’d never made room for a family and she obviously hadn’t changed her mind about that.

But had he ever felt so close to a woman before? When they weren’t arguing, they seemed to be on the same crazy wavelength. Her touch affected him like no other. His body ached for her. His lips hungered for another taste. But the damn dog hadn’t come back yet.

Impatient, he turned Rachel into his arms and captured her lips. When he came up for air, he said, “I think she’s taking longer on purpose so we can’t rush to the bedroom and shut her out.”

Rachel chuckled. “We could get a head start.” She slipped her hands beneath his suit jacket and brushed her fingers along the front of his shirt until she reached his shoulders. He shivered at her touch. She gently lifted the jacket off his shoulders and drew it down his arms. He pulled out of the sleeves. She smiled and leaned in to kiss him again before she sauntered over to the kitchen table and hung the jacket over the back of a chair.

He couldn’t take his eyes off her. Her slow, confident movements made his body harder than hell. The seductive way her hips shifted beneath the dress made his blood pound. She faced him again, locking her gaze with his as she silently removed her earrings one by one and placed them on top of the table. She slowly reached her toned arms back to unclasp her necklace and dropped that to the table as well.

Rachel was still fully dressed, and he’d never been so aroused in his life.

Mocha barked then, and Rachel let out a mock sigh of relief. “Whew. I thought I was going to have to strip naked here in the kitchen before she got back.”

“I’d have liked to have seen that.” He let the dog in and gave her a treat, then he reached for Rachel’s hand. “Shall we take this to the bedroom?”

Her nod seemed eager. She waited in the hall for a minute while he walked through the living room to shut off the lamps for the night. It didn’t take long, but when he joined her again, her expression had changed. Her smile had slipped from her lips. She took a step back when he approached.

“Hey, are you okay? Because if you’ve changed your mind…” He’d have to take a cold, icy cold, shower. “If you want me to take you back to the inn, I will.”

“No. Of course, I don’t want to go.” She backed out of his embrace. “Maybe I was expecting to get swept off my feet so there was nothing for me to think about.”

Was this some kind of fantasy thing? He’d never thought the strong Rachel Bradford would want to be taken. “You were hoping I’d just haul you into the bedroom and fuck you? What, like a caveman?”

“No. Yes. No.” She took a deep breath. “Just give me a minute.”

Beck mourned the fact that he probably wasn’t going to be able to watch her slip out of that little blue dress tonight. He wasn’t going to sink deep into her body. Or cradle her in his arms. Or wake up with her lying next to him.

But he wouldn’t walk away from one more night with her in his bed if he had the opportunity.

…

It didn’t take Rachel long to figure out what caused massive panic to race through her system. Things had turned too domestic. Everything had been going well in the seduction department. They’d flirted on the dance floor, even more on the short drive home. They’d shared touches. Sexy talk. Arousal buzzing through her veins. She’d been so ready to dive into bed with Beckett.

But then they’d arrived here. She’d been seduced by the sexy bad boy, but she kept forgetting that wasn’t who he was anymore. The two of them came home together to a real house, like the cozy family homes she worked on for The Rachel Touch. Suddenly this didn’t feel like a fling, not at all like the booty calls she was used to, meeting up with a guy at a hotel or a bachelor pad apartment. Beckett had built a home for himself and his daughter and the family dog, and Rachel had walked right into it.

For a second or two she’d fallen for the illusion. Welcomed the sweet little dog waiting for them as if Mocha was her own. Imagined herself living in this cozy space, where the curtains didn’t match and the furniture showed its wear. Ready to slip her arm around Beckett’s waist and walk with him down the hall as if they belonged together in this little house. She’d kept the seduction going for a few minutes in the kitchen, but the moment he walked through the living room, switching off lights like the man of the house, it just hit her.

She didn’t belong here. This wasn’t her life at all.

But it wasn’t Beckett’s fault. This was exactly where he belonged.

So what did that mean for tonight? What did that mean for the rest of the time she had left here in Lakeside? Beckett waited beside her, watching her warily.

She tried for a shaky smile but didn’t quite make it. “Is it too late to say I’m sorry I messed things up tonight?”

He rose and walked over to her, placed his heavy hands on her shoulders. “You didn’t mess things up.”

“I did. For a minute I felt like I was coming home, and it freaked me out.”

He rested his forehead against hers. “Would that be so wrong? If Lakeside felt like home?”

She stumbled away, but she kept her voice low. “Lakeside will never be home, and I can’t play house with you.”

“I don’t want to play anything with you. Well, unless you have some sex games you like…”

She let out a slow, sad chuckle. “I know we’re playing at having a fling but—”

“But we actually are having a fling. There’s no playing involved.”

She didn’t want to think anymore. They were here, the bedroom was only a few steps away, and she wanted him more than her next breath. The remaining few days would work themselves out. “I guess you’re right. Don’t mind me. It’s late and I’m tired.”

“Too tired to fool around?”

“God, I hope not.”

They ended up walking arm in arm to the master suite. It was clearly a man’s room, decorated in dark grays and black, with no frills of any kind. Still, it wasn’t stark or unwelcoming, but definitely a place for a guy to relax. She wondered how many other women he’d brought here and then told herself it didn’t matter.

Instead of frantically yanking off their clothes and coming together the moment they hit the mattress, the interruption allowed them to slow down. Beckett kissed her softly, then turned her so she was facing away from him. He smoothed her hair over one shoulder and then softly dropped kisses to the back of her neck. He lowered the zipper of her dress slowly, and shivers followed along her skin. She curled her fingers into her palms so she didn’t reach out to him. She’d have her turn to touch him. She knew that without a doubt.

When the zipper reached its end, it took only a shrug of her shoulders for the fabric to slide down her body and pool at her feet. After stepping free and kicking it away, she turned to face Beckett in only her bra and panties. His eyes flashed with wanting. Then he reached up to loosen his tie.

“Nope. My turn.” Rachel fingered the burgundy tie, sliding up the smooth fabric until she reached the knot. She didn’t look away from him as she tugged it free and stripped it from his collar. She began to unbutton the white shirt, but she didn’t complain when he helped her. The arousal in her body was building again. It wouldn’t be too long before it would overtake her senses.

As soon as it was unbuttoned, Beckett tugged the shirt from the waistband of his pants. Rachel sucked in her breath. She’d forgotten how impressive the muscles were that he had developed from all that work he put in salvaging. She splayed her hands across his chest, letting the dark hair tease her palms.

“You are beautiful,” she murmured.

He chuckled softly and swept his fingers through her hair. “That’s my line.”

“Guess we’ll have to share it.” She dropped her hands to his belt, took care of the buckle, then quickly unfastened the button of his pants and lowered the zipper. His heavy erection bumped against her hand from behind his soft cotton boxer briefs. She cupped his hard length and smiled at the hiss of breath that came from Beckett.

She brushed a kiss over his mouth while still holding him in her palm. “Take off the rest of your clothes, Mr. Colburn.”

He caught her bottom lip between his teeth, sucking on it for a brief moment. The suction went straight to her core. “I will if you will, Ms. Bradford.”

“You’ll show me yours if I show you mine?” she teased, remembering him using a similar phrase way back at the beginning, when neither of them could have imagined ever being where they were right now.

“Only seems fair.” He slid her bra straps off her shoulders and left them to tickle her biceps. She reached behind and unhooked it. Beck swept the straps off her arms and dangled the bra from his fingers with a grin before laying it over his suitcoat at the end of the bed. He kept his gaze on her. First on her face, sure, but she couldn’t blame him for letting his eyes skim down until they reached her bare breasts. “Beautiful.”

Tingles danced along her skin and between her legs. She tugged at his pants, wanting them down, wanting them gone. Wanting him. Now.

The urgency had returned. Rachel wouldn’t think about anything else but here and now. A fling. It was just a fun fling. It was what they both wanted.

Beck helped her get rid of the rest of his clothes, then she was wearing only her panties. She hooked her thumbs into the waistband and was about to shimmy out of them with a sassy touch of theatrics, but stopped. She felt way too needy to make it a production. Plus she was never actually stripping for Beckett Colburn, not even if she was undressing in his bedroom.

Beckett placed his hands over hers. “Everything okay?”

She hadn’t realized she’d frozen in place. She flashed him a grin, tugged the panties off, and stepped out of them. “Couldn’t be better.”

He swept her into his arms, surprising her. She laughed and threw her arms around his neck. It took only a couple of steps to make it to the bed, and then he placed her gently on the mattress. He kept his eyes on her as he grabbed a condom and rolled it on while her tongue darted out to wet her lips. Then he climbed up onto the high mattress and stretched on top of her. His mouth met hers and she opened to him for a long, wet kiss that went on forever and not nearly long enough.

He lowered his mouth to her breast, sucking hard and nibbling her sensitive nipples. Throbbing sensations flowed deep into her core. She dropped back her head and whimpered with need. She threaded her fingers through his hair so he wouldn’t stop.

He didn’t stop. He switched to the other breast. “Equal time,” he murmured.

She cried out, and at that point things went from slow and sensual to fast and frantic. The next moment he was deep inside her and her legs were wrapped around his hips. His thrusts were long and hard, dragging out the sensations. She rocked her hips so that his cock slid along her clit with the right amount of friction. She didn’t often come this way, but it didn’t take any time at all to reach a climax tonight.

Then he surprised her by pulling out, sitting back on his heels, his breathing ragged and loud, his condom-covered erection thick and long.

“What’s wrong?” She pushed up on her elbows to look at him, her legs still bent and open for him, her body still quivering from the orgasm.

His eyes were big, warm, soft. “Nothing, except I don’t want this to be over too soon.”

“Oh.” The word came out on a breathy whisper. Too soon. It all would be over too soon.

Beckett grasped her legs and pulled them up and over his shoulders. She gasped as he lowered his mouth between her legs. Just the slightest pressure of lips and tongue to her slick, still-sensitized flesh threatened to send her over the edge again. Too soon.

She cried out his name as she fisted the bedclothes at her side. He nipped and licked and sucked, building her sensations until she couldn’t hold it off any longer. This climax was gentler than the first, but if she were sentimental, she’d say it was sweeter because of it. Because of him and his attempt to give her more and to draw out her pleasure.

But his thrust back into her wasn’t sweet at all. It was forceful and desperate, as if he couldn’t wait any longer. He plunged into her over and over again, His jaw was tight but his eyes were needy as he stared down at her.

She dug her heels into his ass and rode him as hard as he was riding her. He finally reached the end of his endurance and shouted out his release. He collapsed on top of her but caught himself so he didn’t crush her. He did meld his mouth with hers, though, and threaded their fingers together until she felt for that one amazing moment that they were as close to being one as two people could get.

Tears threatened to prickle her eyes when she remembered this wasn’t something she could keep, this moment, this feeling of belonging. She’d be leaving Lakeside soon. Too soon. She wouldn’t be back. Beck had Holly and his whole family here. Not to mention his dream of opening The Salvage Station. He’d never leave. And she’d never ask him to.

Their dreams were incompatible. These next few days were all they could have. They both knew it. Emotions had no place here in this bedroom, not in this house, not in this town.

She pulled her hands free from his and framed his face. She gave him a big, loud kiss and smiled as big as she could. “Wow. That was fun, wasn’t it?”

His face stiffened into a mask. His eyes searched her face as if he was wondering why she was echoing the words she’d said when they’d met her crew at the end of the dock a lifetime ago—actually only a few days ago. He had to have figured it out, because after a moment he flashed a faux smile back at her, even though his eyes were sad.

“Having a ball.” The smile dropped then. He pulled out, leaving her empty. She wanted to cry for missing him already and for being so stupid. He disappeared into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

She hadn’t wanted to hurt him. Restless, she got up and began pacing, the gray area rug soft beneath her bare feet. There was a black-and-white photo on his dresser of a younger Holly laughing as she rolled around the floor with Mocha. Another one was of the three Colburn brothers on the wraparound porch of an old Victorian. Did she have any family photographs at all?

Beckett stopped in the doorway and leaned against the jamb, his inked arms crossed over that magnificent chest. “You don’t have to keep reminding me that you’re leaving, you know.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

He picked his underwear off the floor. “Do you want me to drive you back to the inn now?”

Did she? Would it be better to put some space between them? Or should she grasp the time she had left with him?

Rachel approached him and took the boxer briefs out of his hand. “I don’t want to leave.”

“Good, because I don’t want you to go.” He snatched his underwear out of her hands and tossed them away. “We don’t have much longer.”

“I know.” She should be glad, leaving the temptation that was Beckett behind.

“When do you have to go?”

“I should be able to stay this next week. I’m supervising the work on The Salvage Station itself, and the construction of furniture for the bar. Your parents have given me full access to your guys. I’m excited. It’s the first time I’ve done something like this.”

His shoulders hunched and his eyes blazed. “Mom and Pop gave you access to our staff? You know you’re supposed to go through me.”

She didn’t want them to argue, especially now. She should have phrased it differently; she knew how much it meant to him to be in charge. “This is only for the things that are part of the reveal. The surprise. Please don’t get mad at them. They’re excited, too. Happy for you.” She put her arms around his waist. “Understand?”

He nodded, grudgingly. “So you’ll be here a few more days?”

“Yeah. I’d guess it’ll take till the end of the week before we can film the reveal. Has Stu told you when he wants to do your interview?”

“I think I might have already had it. He caught me at Colburn and Sons after filming the salvage, and he had me show him around the salvage yard…again…and he asked me a bunch of questions, so maybe that was it. He hasn’t mentioned it again.”

“What did he ask you about?”

“Mostly growing up in Lakeside. How I like working for a family business. Why I want to open a bar. What’s up with me and you.”

“And what did you tell him?”

“That I like you. That we’re spending time together while you’re here. He let it go, didn’t press me about the night on the boat, but he did mention rescuing you during the salvage.” Beckett laughed. “He said he thought the salvage was interesting and he could pitch it to the network as a show.”

“I can see it now. Cameras around you all day. All month. All year.”

Beckett groaned. “Shoot me now.”

“I’ll kiss you now.”

“I’ll kiss you back.” He tugged her over to the bed. “Then we have to start making use of the time we have left.”