A Captivating Conundrum (34 page)

I stared at Chris, as he continued, "I can see the wheels turning in your mind, and you're missing the point."

"What?"

Bobby spoke first, "She loves you, too. Beth wouldn't have done this if she didn't. Her words are precious to her, and for her to just hand them over to you, not to mention telling you about a facet of her life that she doesn't speak about, then she must truly be in love with you."

I glanced up at the ceiling, literally playing over a thousand case scenarios in my head, trying to figure out what to do. "She keeps saying it's only been a few days."

"I fell in love in an hour," Chris replied.

Bobby blushed, but kept his eyes on me. "I'm already pretty sure what Beth is thinking. She would want your career to come first, and she wouldn't want you to be saddled down with any garbage that her Lily Stone reveal might bring to the table."

"She doesn't want to hurt anybody," Chris added. "Especially you. She LOVES you." His voice mimicked Nicole's perfectly. "So?"

"So?" Bobby echoed.

I looked at their faces; they both looked as if they were about to put the three-year-old they were dealing with to bed. "So, what?" I asked.

Bobby sighed. "What are you standing
here
for?"

Chris rolled his eyes. "I have no idea how you did it or what you said, but you reached through her walls and you got Beth. And you've never really struck me as the kind of guy who stands back and waits for permission. And you certainly have never struck me as the kind of guy who can't convince a woman that time doesn't matter when it comes to love."

I sighed. "Beth is a lady."

"That she is," Bobby agreed. "And you have treated her as such from day one. Believe me, I've been watching."

Chris nodded. "But I would assume a man such as yourself remembers that a lady is also a woman." 

My heart jumped a bit in my chest.

Bobby stood up and took his coat off the back of the chair, nodding at Chris to do the same.

Confused, I watched them walk toward the door, wondering if that was the last word of advice I was going to get.

Bobby turned back and pointed to the small door at the end of the hall. "She locks that one when she's in there, but the one in her bedroom that opens into the upper half of that library is always open. Beth always figured that no one would ever have the balls to go into her private space."

I nodded.

"We're leaving. Going out on the town."

Chris giggled. "That should take a couple of seconds."

"We'll drive real slow," Bobby replied, as he threw me a smile. "I love Beth. She cared about me when no one else did and she deserves the absolute best." His voice grew extremely serious. "If you're not going to give her that, don't walk through the door. Understand?"

"Understood."

As the front door opened, Chris spoke over his shoulder, "By the way, take a shower. You look disgusting."

Bobby's laughter was the last thing I heard as the duo drove off down the gravel drive, leaving me in a house with the one woman I wanted to give nothing but the absolute best to for life.

Twenty-Six

~ Hers ~

When I walked out of that bathroom it must've looked like a
Bon Jovi
video. The smoke billowed from everywhere; I don't remember ever having a shower that hot. In fact, I think I scalded most of the layers of my skin. As I wiped the mirror and stared into it, I actually wondered if I would just see blood and tissue staring back.

Zipping myself into the gown that Nicole had bought for me, I sighed. After all, beautiful things did make you feel better and I really needed to feel like a girl tonight. I had, most likely, turned down the one shot I'd ever actually want to have during my lifetime with a man who I could truly love. 

But I had to remember—his life, his dreams, his future was what he had to concentrate on, and I wanted him to have it all. And with the play, hopefully, that 'triple threat' would find himself on the Tony stage getting honored for the best performance ever seen on Broadway. A Tony, an Oscar, an Emmy—Matt could definitely win the Triple Crown.

I laughed, as I attempted to blow dry the heavy wet waves pulling on my brain.

Only slightly damp now, I walked back into the bedroom and enjoyed the blissful cool air on my skin. Grabbing the lotion I began my lavender regimen; if I
had
burned most of my skin off I would now be starting with a fresh layer, and I should take care of it.

I stared into the vanity mirror and began to wonder what caused that look in Matt's eyes. I mean, it wasn't like the others. He looked at me like I was some kind of Monet he was studying. And as any girl will tell you there's a huge difference between study and ogle.

But…my hair was plain. I mean, I always liked it, but it was long, auburn and wavy—not even close to the blonde bombshells that he saw on his neighborhood streets. My face was plain. Good skin, but that was the lotion. And the body was fine, I suppose. All the curves were in the right places, but I never saw much appeal to a woman's form. The man had that chest, those abs, the shoulders that could support you, the hands that could hold you forever, and then the stunning second half that was more thrilling than any football game I could remember. I tilted my head to the side. Frankly, we females were really boring compared to our 'other halves.'

Sighing, I brushed out the waves. Poor Matt was probably in his room checking to see if he should go to the hospital to get a tetanus shot from all the old iron, nails and wooden beams he'd scraped against.

I tried to shake Matt's final words from my head. Love
me
? "Nope," I said to the mirror. "That's ridiculous. Anyone who fell in love with me would have to be pitied. Now, go to work!"

I opened the door and stepped into my haven, immediately feeling more relaxed.

Walking down the staircase toward my desk I flipped the switch on the coffee pot, waiting for the familiar scent to clear my mind of tonight's events so I could get back to the characters I'd stranded in Wewelsburg Castle being chased by Nazi's.

I glanced at the other pile, knowing my angel/warrior team was due as well. But I wasn't in the mood for them right now. They were all about love and offering the ultimate beauty in order to restore some faith out there. And I just couldn't think about beauty right now.

The piles were large, the projects were huge, and with Nicole scheduled to visit soon, I began to doubt that my schedule was going to get much lighter. But at least the play was done and on its way. And in Matt's hands, it would be perfectly protected and perfectly portrayed. That was one guarantee I could take to the bank.

I pulled the record from the plastic and let the familiar music fill the room, nice and low in order to bring me back to the castle and don the life of my character. Sitting on the window seat I leaned back and closed my eyes, screaming at my brain to remove the picture of a handsome, strong face that already haunted any dream I had. Taking long, deep breaths I waited for my fictional life to lead me on my next adventure.

~ His ~

I turned the knob, wondering if it was a fresh layer of sweat on my palm or the leftover soap from the shower that was making it almost impossible to open her door.

I remained quiet, not wanting to disturb Beth if she'd already called it a night. But the bedroom was empty. My heart jumped as I heard the familiar voice of the seductive
Phantom
in the distance and saw a muted light coming from underneath the door at the end of the bedroom.

Bobby was right. I needed Beth to understand once and for all how strong my emotions were.

Opening the door carefully, I stepped into the warm library and immediately focused on a dream. I sucked in my breath, this time
really
not knowing if I would ever exhale. They always say you can faint at the sight of a vision, and that's what Beth was. 

My head screamed a warning at me and I released the air as quietly as I could. Stepping onto the balcony and into the emerald paradise, I gazed at the stunning piece of silk that caressed the body I'd been caught staring at more than once during our short time together. Beth's dark red hair fell over her shoulder, accenting the green gown that exactly matched the décor, making me feel as if I'd gone back generations to visit the Scots on my own family tree.

Stopping my descent in the middle of the staircase, I sat down. She was captivating, lost in her own little world thinking about an image I would never be able to see. I knew I had to be prepared, because when Beth opened those deep brown eyes and held me in that soft gaze, I would be hypnotized.

I began in a low tone, "What am I to you?"

Beth came up from her place of rest so fast that the pillow flew and the gown moved at the seam, allowing a beautiful view of one leg all the way up to a perfectly formed hip. I swallowed hard, forcing my gaze back to her face. "What am I to you?"

"What are you doing in here?"

I almost laughed as she struggled to find a tone that sounded like anger, but came out as slightly intrigued that anyone would have the balls to disturb her inner sanctum without an invitation. "The door was open."

She looked toward the kitchen, and I pointed upstairs. "You weren't in the bedroom so I took a shot."

Her eyes narrowed. "Is Bobby here?"

I shook my head. "He and Chris hit the town."

"That should take all of two seconds."

I remained quiet, watching the wheels begin to turn. I could almost feel Beth close the parts of her mind and soul that'd been wide open while she relaxed. I could hear the tiny vault doors begin to lock in place, sealing whatever emotions she was feeling behind the heavy iron doors. "Answer my question?"

She cleared her throat. "You're…a friend, Matt. I hope."

"I want more than friendship."

Beth nodded, taking deep breaths while she kept her voice soft and low. "I know that, but…"

"It'll fade," I finished. All of a sudden I was tired of hearing her beautiful voice speak the ridiculous in order to get me to walk away. Standing up, I marched down the rest of the stairs, determined to catch her before she had a chance to flee the room.

But she surprised me, yet again. Beth sat completely still as I sat down beside her. I breathed in that lavender scent and felt the warmth coming from her soft, clean skin. 

"If you would just kiss me—just once—maybe it would be so bad we'd simply shake hands and say goodnight. Then I would go back to being your friend."

Beth released a huge sigh. "Are you ever going to let this go? Is there anything I can say to make you just let this go?"

"No."

"Fine."

I almost wanted to lean in and ask her to repeat her answer, as if I somehow I was stuck in a dream. But I never look a miracle in the mouth. 

Placing one hand on Beth's soft cheek I felt the long, soft hair touch my skin as I encircled her waist with the other. The silk felt so good, as if I was touching a treasure that I'd been seeking for a lifetime. Leaning forward I took those beautiful lips with mine…and it all changed. In fact, everything I had thought up until now had been completely and utterly wrong.

Twenty-Seven

~ Hers ~