“Huh,” he said. He cupped his palm against the back of my head, trying to lower my head back to his shoulder with a solid push. It was a playful gesture he frequently used when he wanted to avoid a conversation. He furrowed his brows at me when I resisted, prompting him to push a bit harder.
“Not happening until you answer.” I stopped moving as I continued to stare at him. The romance of moments ago took a backseat as I worked through all the possibilities of what I’d done to cause him to feel that way. “You’re going to have to tell me what I’ve done. It wasn’t on purpose.”
“Then lay your head down or let’s go and finish the conversation in bed.” His easy grin caused one of my own, even understanding this was another attempted diversion by Beau. It also assured me that whatever caused the words wasn’t going to ruin our night. I tugged the earbud from my ear, letting it hang from my hand.
Beau’s smoldering stare held my attention as he stepped into me, his fingertips caressing down the length of my arms until his hands took mine. “Let it go. I shouldn’t have said it. Especially today. It’s been a great day.”
“Tell me now,” I murmured, clasping his hands. With him standing so sexy before me, I knew this needed to be finished before we took it into our home.
Since I stared intently at him, I saw the moment his expression turned to resignation, which meant I’d won. I wasn’tgoing to declare my victory now, but he’d know before we went to bed. “I don’t get along with your friends here as well as I did back home. They’re different. Here, it’s all so intellectual. They come off as better than me.”
“And I spent so much time with them today. Did I make you feel ignored?” I asked, releasing him as he walked away, moving toward our shoes.
“Come on. I’m not upset, I shouldn’t have said anything. I’m happy that you have friends. You haven’t had many in your life,” he said. The full moon cast Beau beautifully. I wished I had a camera to capture the moment. When he turned back toward me, he knocked the shoes together to remove the sand and tilted his head toward the truck. “Let’s go. I’ve always considered you out of my league. You’re just so personable. You don’t see class differences. And honestly, all those qualities gave me a chance to bag a guy like you.” With a playful glint in his eye, he lifted his left hand, wiggling his fingers. “I can feel it on my finger all the time. How long do you think it’ll last?”
“I considered you might be feeling left out today,” I said, walking toward my side of the truck. “Then I saw you rock climbing, well everybody saw you climbing like a spider monkey, and I left the game to watch you.”
“No explanation needed,” Beau said. “I want you to have friends to help get you through the next few years. I just don’t vibe with them.” All the while, he also went to his side of the truck— the driver’s side—tracking me as I went. He was nervous. The locks released with a click.
Since I’d studied his face all day and night, I knew his little signs of fibbing and saw none were present. “Well, I want to know your friends,” I said and climbed into the truck. “You haven’t introduced any to me.”
“Middle of the seat,” he said, climbing into his side.
I followed his instructions. It was growing late, as we drove along Lake Shore Drive. The streets were unusually quiet, a stark contrast to the noise we heard twenty-four seven. About five minutes from the parking garage, I grazed my hand down his thigh.
“You really were in your element while rock climbing,” I said. “How did it feel?”
“Good, natural. I’ve always enjoyed climbing, you know that.” He smiled at me while I pressed the gate button. It slid open smoothly as we pulled into the garage. “If it’s not too expensive, I’ll probably pursue it. My belly’s getting flabby.”
Oh lord, that was a far cry from reality. Beau rounded the floors like a pro until he parked next to Carter’s vehicle. A wave of melancholy washed over me. Our day was almost over. We went hand in hand up the elevator then down the hall to the front door. Beau, ever the gentleman, swung the door open for me, ushering me inside first. Something from the right side of the penthouse caught my attention. I was stunned speechless, which was a good thing. Carter and Linda were walking into the guest bedroom suite entrance, holding hands. Carter saw me when he turned back to the door. He looked me straight in the eyes before closing the door behind them.
What on earth was happening? Reacting instinctively, I flipped around, pressing both palms firmly on Beau’s chest, catching him off guard enough to shove him back several feet. My thoughts raced as I blurted, “Close your eyes.”
The sudden spark flickered in his amber gaze, causing a mischievous smile to tug at one corner of his lips. A look I typically found quite endearing, often leading to sexy time. “Seriously, I forgot something to give to you.”
“You gave me enough, Dash. We can’t spend all this extra money,” he lectured, but closed his eyes as I’d requested. I took his hand and walked carefully through the entry into our side ofthe penthouse. I quickly glanced around and didn’t see anything out of place and let go of a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding.
“Oh wait, I decided to give that to you for Christmas.”
Beau instantly stopped and popped his eyelids open, looking around. “Are you lying? Am I missing something?”
I left him standing there and started for the stairs. “Of course not. I just forgot. I was lost in all your sexy cologne.” I prattled on until we were up the stairs, in the bedroom, with the door shut behind us. Even then I still continued to talk. Beau would tune me out eventually, he always did.
13: The Surprise
Beau/Dash
Beau
December 2006
“I’m so cold,” my mom said, giving a full body shiver for the third time in a matter of minutes. I flipped the heater on the highest option then adjusted all the vents in my truck in her direction. She had worn her normal, Alabama type cold weather clothes with a fleece jacket as her outerwear. I’d tried to explain the low temperatures and how the wind blowing off the lake made it brutally cold. These people in Chicago wore their cold weather clothes virtually year-round. Dash and I had purchased new clothing, because we were ill-prepared for the elements when moving here. Apparently, the thin zip-up was her way to embrace the cold weather.
“Mom, put my coat on properly.” I’d said the same words many times since picking her up inside the airport, then through the parking garage, until right now as she sat with her hands close to the vent, her body tilted forward to get closer to the warmth.
She was unnecessarily hardheaded, refusing to take my coat until we were outside, with snow on the ground, and I finally shrugged off my Carhartt and placed it over her shoulders. Still she fought me, trying to give it back, then purposefully wearing it draped over her shoulders refusing to commit to using it fully. Mothers were a different breed. They were weird about theirchildren no matter the age. She still put me before everything else.
“I thought the leggings might be an extra barrier against the cold. Instead, they make me colder.” Her last word came with another solid shiver. “I’ve got to go shopping.”
