AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Has anything changed?” he pressed. “It’s just…complicated.”
“Yeah. Believe me, I get that.”
“Are things still complicated at the brewery?” she asked. She clearly wasn’t in the mood to discuss her problems, but Eric was fine with that. It had been a big deal for her to open up earlier today. As briefly as he’d known her, Eric knew without a doubt that it wasn’t easy for her. What he didn’t understand was why it meant so much to him that she was starting to trust him. It was just a fling. Nothing else. And if he wanted to share things with her, that was nothing more than another basic need.
“Well,” he said, leaning back in his seat, “my brother and I almost came to blows again today.”
“Again?”
“Unfortunately, yeah.”
“Is that something brothers do?”
“Not us. Not normally. But things have been tense this year. All this crap with the Kendalls.”
She flushed and looked down. “I’m sorry.”
“Come on. It’s got nothing to do with you. I’m just sorry you’ve been dragged into it. And there’s plenty of other crap going on to stress me out. Jamie’s adding food to the menu. My brewmaster fell in love with a married woman and disappeared. And I’m just…spiraling.”
“Because you don’t know what to do?”
“Yeah. But I’m going to try to figure it out.”
“Me, too.” Her eyes were soft and worried as she pushed her food around on her plate.
“I’m glad we’ve decided to see each other, though.”
She glanced up, surprise flashing over her features. “Me, too.”
“Are you going to stay? We could watch a movie. Hang out.” Eric was surprised by the hope that squeezed his chest so tight. They’d already had sex twice today. So what was this painful need knotting him up inside?
Beth looked down, and he knew she was going to say no. No, this isn’t a lo
ve affair. It’s not a relationship. It’s just desperate, frantic sex that neither of us want anyone to know about. We’re using each other and you already want too much.
She ran a hand down her skirt. “I’m not exactly dressed for hanging out. Do you have something I could wear?”
He let his breath out slowly, hoping she wouldn’t notice that he’d been holding it. “Yeah, as long as you don’t mind a T-shirt that’s way too big for you.”
“A T-shirt would be great.”
Yeah, that would be great. Her lounging around in panties and a shirt, her gorgeous legs curled up beneath her. Her thighs bare. “Bedroom’s at the end of the hall. My shirts are in the dresser. I’ll put the food away.”
Strange that he’d just had her on this very table, but she looked shy now as she said thank-you and stood up. But he felt it, too. That painful anticipation when they were together. That newness of finding out what made her laugh, what turned her eyes sad. They were so intimate, and yet he knew almost nothing about her. Was her real name Beth or Elizabeth? Had she played any sports in school? What did she like on her pizza? What kind of music did she like?
Beth was a closed book with him. Was she like that with everyone?
He was shoving food cartons in the fridge when he heard Beth clear her throat behind him. That brief sound was all mischief and for a moment, beautiful images flashed behind his eyes of what sorts of kinky little outfits she might have actually smuggled inside her purse. But when he stood and spun around, Beth was standing there in a T-shirt and bare legs just as he’d expected.
“Perfect,” he said, and then he noticed the pale gold scrap of fabric in her hand.
She held it up with a quirked eyebrow. “What exactly is this, Mr. Donovan?”
For one blessed heartbeat, he had no idea what it was. “Underwear?” he guessed.
“Oh, it’s underwear,” she drawled, and then he remembered.
“Oh, shit,” he breathed, his face going slightly numb with the shock of it. “I can explain.”
