Chapter Fifteen

Beth tried to stay practical and firm against the double assault of Chris’ apology and his gentle touch. She’d made mistakes in the past, and she knew it took a strong person to own up to their actions. Chris seemed genuinely regretful over having voted for someone so callous and indifferent to women’s lives and struggles. She suspected most people would not acknowledge they’d made a bad choice.

So, she focused on the one thing making a long-term relationship with Chris impossible. His casual sexual history.

She pushed back out of his reach and picked up a couple of cans and carried them to the pantry. He grabbed several larger cans and followed her.

“Thank you,” she murmured as she took them from him and placed them on the shelves where she wanted them. When she turned to go back into the kitchen, he didn’t move, his arms spanning the doorway, trapping her in the small closet pantry. He dressed in a work t-shirt that did little to hide his muscled arms. Even this many hours after work, he smelled of sawdust and clean, masculine sweat. Her ex wore cologne, but Chris seemed to eschew it, and she had to admit she liked his natural scent better. Inhaling it was like ingesting an aphrodisiac. The woman’s perfume had faded. A shiver of sexual awareness skated down her spine and her heart rate sped up.

“If you aren’t still mad at me about politics, then what is it?”

She studied his face, shadowed with the overhead kitchen light, lighting a halo of yellow around his skull. She knew he was no angel. Could she trust a man she barely knew? He could charm her more than anyone she’d ever met. When he focused his attention on her, its intensity made her feel like the most important person in the world to him. What heterosexual woman could withstand the masculinity he radiated without even thinking about it? Certainly not the woman outside the store.

She straightened her shoulders and spine. She’d survived the terrible conversation with Kyle when he admitted to his affair and the awful consequences, getting his lover pregnant. She’d survive this conversation, too.

“Who was the woman?”

Chris stepped back into the kitchen, took a ragged breath, and ran his hands down over his face. He stared up at the ceiling for a moment before leaning back against the counter, catching her wrists in his hands, and tugging her to him. He positioned his big, booted feet on either side of her slim tennis shoes, cradling her with his body.

“She’s part of my past. I met her for dinner to let her know I’d met someone and it was serious. I told her I wouldn’t be coming to see her again.”

Beth lifted her chin and stared him in the eye.

“Did you tell her before or after the kiss? Because if you told her before, she didn’t believe you.”

“I figured that out myself. It doesn’t matter though. She knows we were never serious. She lives down in Albuquerque, and I was only seeing her about once a month, when I was down to visit my mom and my sisters.”

“Which you will continue to do, making future hook-ups easy to arrange.”

“Even if I wanted to, which I don’t, it’d be hard to hook up with Evelyn if I’ve got you in my bed.”

“Now you’re proposing to take me to Albuquerque every time you go to prove you won’t sleep with other women?”

Beth chewed her lip. She wondered if he’d thought about taking her to meet his family. It didn’t matter, even though she was curious to meet his daughter, his mom, and his sisters. It didn’t matter if he was ready. She wasn’t. Someday she’d recover from being cheated on by her ex, but she wasn’t there yet. She placed her hand flat on his warm chest. The night had grown chilly, and the house was cold. As her temper cooled, so did her awareness of the chill.

“I may be over my husband, but I’m not sure I’ll ever be over the pain and rejection of being cheated on.” She tried to explain in a way that didn’t relate to the incident in Santa Fe. “It’s probably the one scar that will never fully heal, Chris. It’s illogical for me to think a man like you, who has never committed to one woman, would commit to me.”

Chris placed her arms up around his shoulders, pulled her up against his body, and slid his hands down to rest on her hips, holding her close. He knew she had difficulty resisting his touch. Damn him. He bent his head and spoke into her ear, his breath warming and seducing her.

“Why is it illogical to think a man who has never cheated on anyone would cheat on you?”

That concept set Beth back on her heels. Could that be the truth? That Chris’ refusal to never commit to someone was because he wasn’t a cheater?

“But you you’ve never been faithful to one either. One woman will eventually bore you. I’d bore you.”

Chris slid his lips along her jaw and then pressed a gentle kiss to her lips.

“Beth, honey, you couldn’t bore me if you tried. I am fascinated by everything about you. Your eyes, your lips, your soft earlobes, your sensitive neck, your…”

As he listed the things about her fascinating him, his lips trailed over each item, seducing her into wanting him to continue and never stop. He sucked on the tender skin at her collarbone.

“Chris,” she breathed in half-hearted protest.

He pulled back and kissed her forehead.

“Of course, I’m mostly hot for your mind. You aren’t the only one who enjoyed hanging out, watching movies, talking. We took a bad turn when we started talking politics, but before that moment, we were like long-lost friends, catching up, learning who each other had become. There wasn’t an uncomfortable moment between us. Hell, just riding in the truck to Santa Fe and back was like sliding into an old worn pair of jeans, we fit so well together.”

“This is happening too fast, though, don’t you think?”

“Feels fast, but it feels right. Think about this. I was faithful as a father. I’ve supported and loved my daughter for over 20 years. That’s commitment, isn’t it?”

Chris kissed her again, deeper this time, probing her with his tongue, asking for entry to her mouth and she opened up beneath him, unable to deny him. With a hungry groan, he invaded and kissed her for a long time before slowing things down and pulling back to soft kisses designed to cool them down.

“I don’t know how long it takes to fall for someone because it’s never happened to me. Plus, we’re not sixteen, Beth. We’re grown adults who know ourselves and what we like. I like you. I think you like me.”

She didn’t deny it.

“What about the next election?”

Chris grimaced. “Well, fortunately, the next presidential election isn’t for a couple of years. I think we can respect each other’s viewpoints and give each other the space to vote the way we see fit. I promise to let you lay out your arguments on every issue and to consider your point of view before I decide who to vote for, if you’ll do the same for me. I can promise you I’ll be more careful in future about the people I vote for. Not only for you, or women in general, but for my mom, my sisters, and my daughter.”

Beth made a face. “I’m afraid. I don’t think I’m ready to get hurt again.”

Chris pulled her in tight then, and they hugged. She pressed the side of her face against his chest, over where his heart thumped steady, if a little fast.

It was his heartbeat and the security she felt in his arms that finally convinced her to release her reservations. He was alive, real, a person she wanted to know, wanted to spend time with, wanted to share experiences with. He was right. They weren’t young and impulsive, even though the chemistry between them had tossed them into a storm of passion. Chris was a risk, but hadn’t quitting her job and moving to Santa Fe been a risk? Wasn’t writing a book a risk? Was she ready to settle into retirement like she was 71 instead of 51?

At their age, they should be able to judge themselves and each other better than someone in their 20s or 30s. They were at a golden time, old enough to have survived their pasts, but young enough to still explore new experiences.

Chris promised new experiences. He wasn’t afraid to try things in the bedroom. Things she’d wondered about, read about, wished to try for herself. That hadn’t been possible in her marriage, and it wasn’t possible if she rejected Chris. She wasn’t willing to risk her safety with strangers, or go to some swinging sex club, if there was even one in New Mexico. She laughed. Chris would know.

“What’s so funny?”

“Just a thought I had.”

“About?”

“Swinger clubs in Santa Fe.”

“What?” Chris moved her out and tipped her face up to look into her face, alarm and concern darkening his expression.

She grinned at him. “You told me you were willing to help me explore my sexual fantasies.”

His scowl deepened until his eyebrows bunched and nearly met over his eyes.

“I’m not saying I haven’t been around group sex, but there is no way in hell I’m letting other men watch or touch you like that. Ever.”

She stretched up on her toes and tugged him down for a kiss.

“What if that’s what I want?”

He clunked his forehead against hers.

“Shit. Is it?”

She thought about letting him squirm over the possibility she’d be asking him to take her swinging, but then his sincere unhappiness over it made her take pity on him.

“No. I was checking your boundaries.”

Chris gave her a look like she was in trouble now. He swatted her butt harder than any love tap.

“Ow!”

“Are we back together?” he asked.

She nodded. “Were we ever actually together?”

“Beth,” he warned.

She laughed again. “We’re back together.”

“Good. Also, my STD tests came back clean.”

Then she let out a squeal as he picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder.

“What are you doing?” she demanded, breathless from being held upside down. She clutched at his hips.

“Now, you’re going to get punished for driving way too fast in the dark.”

“Wait, I wasn’t going that fast.”

“Since I was following you, I damned well know how fast you were going. You practically rolled your car at the offramp.”

She squirmed and tried and get away as he approached the stairs to go up.

“Chris, please, I’m too heavy—”

“No, you’re not.”

He swatted her butt again, even harder than before.

“Stop moving, or you’ll make us fall down the stairs.”

She stopped moving.

He mounted the stairs and entered her bedroom, clicking on the overhead light. Next to the bed, he shifted her up and tossed her roughly down on the soft mattress. She tried to get up, but he held her down and yanked off her shoes, then her socks, and then unbuttoned and stripped her pants off as well, taking her underwear with them. Before she knew it, he had seated himself on the side of the bed and had her turned over his knee, one hand on her back holding her down on the mattress and the other resting lightly on her exposed bared bottom.

She was half in shock. He continually amazed her with his strength.

“Now. You will admit you drove too fast to be safe and now you need to be punished for it because you made me worry.”

Beth gulped. She’d fantasized this scene more than once and it was happening. Right now. Was she ready? She checked her feelings. Excitement, not fear. She realized she trusted Chris not to hurt her, well, not to hurt her too much. She knew he’d let her go if she told him to. She didn’t want to.

He bent down next to her ear. “This punishment is going to result in the hottest make-up sex you’ve ever had.”

She clutched the quilt in her hands. They were sweating.

“I may have driven slightly fast for the road conditions.”

Wham. She started at the sudden sound and pain of Chris spanking her. Her skin stung from the impact. Part of her wanted to laugh in discomfort, while the rest of her focused on the warm sensation spreading across her ass and down into more intimate areas.

“That apology was half-assed. Try again.”

“I took the offramp too fast and I should have slowed down. A bit.”

Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam. Four strikes, alternating one cheek and then the next.

“Better. Try again.”

Her whole bottom was on fire, and she was turned on.

“Chris, I’m sorry I made you worry. I was driving recklessly, and it was stupid of me.”

“That’s better. Now you’ve got five more spankings.”

“But—”

Ignoring her protest, Chris delivered five more hard swats.

The pain was intense enough to bring tears to Beth’s eyes. Finally, they were over and Chris was caressing her, trailing the tips of his calloused fingers over her aroused skin, and then down between her thighs. He chuckled.

“I don’t think I need to ask whether that turned you on,” he said. “You’re soaking wet.”

She flushed in embarrassment, glad her face was hidden in the quilt.

Chris turned her upright and sat her in his lap. He gently wiped her few tears away and began unbuttoning her top.

“Let’s get you naked. I need to be inside you.”

Beth shrugged out of her shirt and bra, squirming on his lap, his erection pressing into her hip.

“Up on all fours, honey.”

She got up and climbed onto the bed to follow his instructions. She looked back over her shoulder to watch him strip, unveiling all those hard muscles. She loved his body. She loved his thick cock.

He paused at the side of the bed and looked at her long and hard, his gaze roaming over her hair, her face, her back, her reddened backside, and down her legs.

“Fuck, if you aren’t the sexiest woman I have ever been with.”

“Yes,” she urged him on.

She loved him. She did. It was crazy and wild and unexpected, but it was the truth. No man had ever made her feel so free, so sexy, so cared for, or so accepted. Maybe it was who she was now, or maybe it was who he was, or maybe it was all in the timing, but this thing between them exceeded all her real-life experiences and verged into fantasy.

Then, she stopped thinking, giving herself over to the pleasure of Chris sinking into her, filling her.

After Beth read him a scene from her drafted novel, which led to two more rounds of sex in less than an hour, the first hard and fast, the second slow and lingering, Chris reluctantly threw on his clothes and drove over to his place to feed the dogs, let them out to pee, and then brought them back with him for the night. He could hardly believe his behavior, but he was even pondering the benefits of what it would be like living with Beth in one house instead of two. When he returned, he discovered a freshly showed Beth in one of her silk robes, this one covered in brightly colored flowers, her wet hair wound up in a towel. She was staring at her phone as she finished putting her groceries away one-handed.

She immediately set the phone down to greet the dogs, who were ecstatic about being at Beth’s again. They seem to have missed her as much as he had. After several minutes of pets and kisses, he told the dogs to go lay down, and they obediently headed for the rug in front of the television, where they sprawled out on Beth’s thick carpet like they’d returned home from a 20-mile hike.

“Did you text your friends that you’re giving me another chance?”

“I texted them that it’s possible to fight and still have fun.”

He pulled Beth into a loose hug. The club had a planned ride up to Durango on Sunday. The weather was forecasted to be beautiful, and the waterfalls were nice this time of the year. It would be a long first ride for her, but he was itching to get out on the road, and if Beth was sore by the end of the day, he’d give her a nice, long massage. Hopefully, she’d say yes.

“What do you think about going riding this weekend? The club I’m part of is going up to Durango to take in the spring waterfalls.”

She looked up at him, grimacing. “I have my writer’s group meeting on Saturday morning, and I can’t let anything interfere with those plans.”

He nuzzled her neck. “Do you need someone to listen to you read the sex scenes out loud before you go, to make sure they sound good and realistic? I’m happy to play critique partner or help with your research.”

She playfully smacked his arm.

“No. Not yet.” Her pale face flamed up red. It would have lit on fire if she’d been a candle.

He smiled fondly down at her. His prim little wild cat. She fascinated and pleased him. If she wanted to be a writer, he’d do everything to support her achieving her dreams.

“The ride is on Sunday afternoon, so there’s no conflict.”

“I don’t think I have the right gear to wear.”

“You have jeans, right?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ve got a pair of old chaps and an extra leather jacket you can wear. They’ll be a little big on you, but they’ll do.” He liked the idea of her wearing his things. He still didn’t know if he’d changed his outlook or Beth had changed it, and frankly, he didn’t care. “I’ll pick up a new helmet and gloves for you tomorrow during the day.”

She snuggled into his arms and everything felt right in the world. He patted her rear, wondering whether she’d still be in pain by the time they rode out. He didn’t think so. He’d taken care not to deliver more than short-lived consequences for her reckless driving, and to stimulate her arousal as part of sex. Shit, he was no sadist and he could tell she was no masochist. He’d been with both, and as far as he could tell, Beth was more curious than kinky. Curious and responsive. He grinned. He’d enjoy exploring her boundaries. He grew half hard as a few scenarios flash through his head.

“I can buy my own helmet,” she told him, drawing his attention back to the ride. It was hard to believe a couple weeks ago he’d been thinking he might need little blue pills to get hard, and now his well-used dick was trying to rise a third time in hours, simply from standing here holding Beth in his arms. He focused back on the ride.

“Let’s see how you like riding, and then you can buy leather pants and a jacket that fits.”

She smiled shyly up at him. “So, I guess I’ll meet all your friends. And I’ll have to call you Can-Can, or they won’t know who I’m talking about.”

He chuckled. “Some of them are crazy, mostly the younger ones. My guys are older and more laid back now.”

He let her go and together, they turned back to putting away the last few items on the counter.

“You’ll meet one of my foremen, Bill, and his old lady Judy. They’re in their 70s.”

She looked up at him in surprise. “They ride motorcycles at that age?”

He nodded. “If you take to it, there’s nothing like being out on the open road on a bike. It’s addictive.”

“Okay. I look forward to it.”

He looked forward to having her on his bike, her legs hugging his, her arms looped around him. Hell, he looked forward to showing her off and letting everyone know she was his old lady. Then, the following weekend, he’d take her down to Albuquerque to meet his mom and sisters for their once-a-month Sunday dinner. She’d already agreed to go with him. He wondered if asking Jessica to come would be too much.

Beth topped up her glass of wine and started to pour a glass for him.

He put his hand over the empty glass.

“Let’s share, if it’s okay. I’m beat.” More like he was horny.

“Did you want to go to bed now?”

He looked at the time on the stove.

“Nah, it’s only 9:00. Let’s watch something, hang out with the dogs.”

He hadn’t been exaggerating when he told her he enjoyed watching television with her. It was a like having a conversation prompter, with them watching for a bit, pausing to discuss the show, then resuming play. He never would have thought he’d have the patience to stop and start a show so often that it took twice as long to get through the program, but he discovered he liked discussing the characters and the action with Beth. It was an opportunity to talk about the things that mattered to him. She seemed to want to know what he thought about everything. She turned watching television into an interactive experience rather than a mindless zoning out. Of course, they didn’t always stop a show to talk.

They moved into the living room, turning off the kitchen and hall lights, and switching on a low lamp at the side of the sofa. They sank down into the comfort of the large piece of furniture, and Beth turned on the television with the remote. As soon as they were settled, the dogs roused themselves and came to sit at their feet.

“Well, come on up,” Beth urged them and they leapt up eagerly, settling in on either side of Chris and Beth. She didn’t turn on the television.

“You don’t think we’re rushing this relationship, do you?” she asked. “What happens if we have another fight?”

Chris pressed his lips to her temple.

“Nah. We’re not 18 and trying to figure out who we are. We know what we like and what matters to us. Regarding the fights, I’m going to be ready next time.”

“What do you mean?”

“Bill and Judy have been together for 50 years. Whenever they get into it, they take a timeout, then, after an hour or so, they meet up over ice cream at the kitchen table and hash things out.”

“Okay,” she said. “A timeout? We’re not misbehaving or needing to be disciplined if we’re fighting, right?”

“Bill says the timeout isn’t punishment. It’s to give them both time to calm down, think about what they’re really upset about, think about what they want to say on the issue, without being mean or hurtful.”

“Okay. I think that sounds good, if we’re both doing the work.”

“We both did the work on this first fight, didn’t we?”

“Well, you did some groveling.” She gave him a coy sideways look. “I didn’t question myself much. Instead, I think I doubled down on my side of the argument.”

He shook his head.

“You actually didn’t. You stayed true to your position, but you also listened to me, gave me a chance to explain myself, accepted my apology, and you didn’t bury the issue to fester into another fight down the road, since whom I vote for was far more important to you than it has been for me.”

“Is it important to you now?”

“You’re important to me now, so what you think is important to me. I can be a real dickhead, but I know I fuck up from time to time, and I’m not against being corrected. Hell, I needed to be corrected. In this instance. Just like you needed to be corrected about driving too fast in the dark.”

“I guess I’ll be spanking you later when we go to bed, then.”

He laughed, deep and unexpectedly.

“That’s not how this works.” He ran his hand down over her backside and gave it a quick squeeze.

Beth smiled and snugged into him. She probably knew she’d hurt her hand spanking him long before he’d feel any pain from her efforts. God, he loved her.

He took a deep breath through his nose and let it out slowly, remembering the third thing Jasmine had beaten into his head.

“I have another confession to make.”

Beth stiffened in his arms and sat up. She narrowed her eyes at him.

Chris looked into those beautiful, intelligent eyes, brushed his thumb across her full bottom lip.

“Just so you know, I’m falling head-over-heels in love with you, Beth Berne.”

The smile that bloomed over her face made the risk of opening his heart—and consulting her on every election ballot for the foreseeable future—well worth it.

“I am falling in love with you too,” she confessed. He felt his heart crack open.

They kissed deeply, thoroughly, until one of the dogs whined for attention. He pulled back reluctantly. He figured it was going to be a long time before he needed any little blue pills with this woman in his life. But he was making his doctor’s appointment as soon as possible because he was done using condoms. He brushed her hair back, tucking it behind her ear.

“I better invest in a gourmet ice cream company.”

“Why? Are we going to have a lot of fights?”

“Some. The same as other couples. What we’re going to be is together for a long time. I’m in this for the long ride.”

“As long as we keep it wild and true,” she said, shifting and swinging her leg over to straddle him.

They didn’t end up streaming anything on television that night.