Gypsy Road - Leather And Lace Part 4

For once, Lori seemed a little reserved.

"Nope. This is Bethany."

When he introduced her to Lori, Bethany moved forward and extended her hand. Lori glanced at Rod with an eyebrow raised. Then she tucked her red hair behind her ears and shook Bethany's hand like it was an alien ritual.

"Where's everybody?" Rod asked, moving to stand behind Bethany.

"Oh. Blackie's in the shower. Jon's having coffee, and daddy and Morris are in the bar."

Without another word, Lori went down the hall and out to the bar. Rod pivoted to faced Bethany and saw a blaze in her cheeks. G.o.d, he wanted to kiss her and slide his hands under her fluffy sweater and cup her tight little bottom in his hands. If only a man had more hands.

Dreaming about her last night had been torture, which was why he'd foregone the phone call and went to see her this morning. He didn't know how much longer he could hold out. One kiss would make him insane for her, so he had to put that off just until she was a little less tense with him.

Man, he'd never had to wait this long for a woman. Whoever handed out the t.i.tles, he was ready to accept his status as a gentleman anytime.

"How 'bout a hug?"

He didn't wait for her to agree. Taking the initiative was his policy in life. All his effort went into hugging her in a friendly way instead of s.e.xual.

When he pulled back, he offered in a teasing voice, "Just so you know, my friends aren't the handshake type. We don't have those kind of manners. Polite ones, that is."

"Oh." Being told to act naturally brought a flush to her face again, and he knew he couldn't wait a minute longer. She was too darn sweet to resist.

Lifting her chin with his thumb and index finger, he lowered his mouth to her soft, unsuspecting lips. They opened in a gasp that had no sound, but he didn't rush his moves. He got to know the taste and texture of her lips until his blood pounded thunderously in his veins at her innocence. She hadn't kissed many men in her life. It was obvious by the wonder in her response. She wanted him, she wanted more, but she didn't know what to do with her desire.

G.o.d, he loved it.

Rod pulled her body against his, clutching handfuls of her fluffy sweater and rubbing it against her back, up and down. Slowly, he danced the tip of his tongue against the seam of her mouth. Oh baby, she was shaking. It made him crazy, knowing the effect he had on her. No one had ever trembled in his arms before. Shuddered, shimmied, screamed, yeah. But she was trembling, as if it was the first time anyone had ever kissed her like this. The one time she'd ever wanted anyone to.

Man, he was in trouble this time. The kind of trouble he'd been looking for when he was twelve and had had his first lover. He'd always wanted someone who could need him and love him and ache for him. No one ever had.

"JoJo home?" Blackie's voice made Bethany pull away from him and turn her back, though his friend walked into the kitchen without an answer.

Knowing if he didn't do something, she wouldn't be able to look him in the face for a few hours, he brought her into a loose embrace and smiled at her.

"Sorry. I should've made that more private, but then you'd really have a wild animal on your hands."

Her lips felt as hot as her face did, even five minutes later. Rod didn't seem to feel any compunction facing his friends after they'd been caught.

Well, there was no reason for surprise. Scott Reeves had told her stories--horror stories to Bethany's mind--about things that went on in nightclubs. s.e.xual things that would have required utmost privacy for her, but hadn't with Scott's type. Scott informed her of those things to prove what a prude she was. And Bethany freely admitted it. Her brother had taught her to be a prude, and she was proud of it, considering the alternative.

She didn't want to face his friends, having been caught in a moment she'd been completely mindless in Rod's arms. She'd felt, that was all. What she'd done, what he'd done was a blur to her. That kind of hedonism had only happened to her in the very beginning of her relationship with Scott, before the fear that he was always expecting more came, erasing all the excitement of her first love.

As Rod led her by the hand into the kitchen, toward his friends, she tried to concentrate on anything except her own mortification.

The apartment was in need of serious repairs. The paint was cracked, the wallpaper yellowed and faded. Everything smelled like. . .a hangover.

The two men, Rod's friends, didn't even look at them as they entered the kitchen. Leaning against the counter, the shorter one wasn't wearing anything except an unsnapped pair of jeans. His mane of blondish-brown hair went in every direction. As if he was half asleep, he drank coffee from a huge mug with a cartoon character on it.

The other one, the one who'd caught them, was pouring coffee. His hair was wet, and he was dressed all in black. This had to be "Blackie." Bethany had never seen a face more shuttered than his. Nothing could be told from his expression, his dark, forbidding eyes or the hard lines of his mouth. Maybe he really thought nothing of catching her and Rod together.

"Josie's not back," Rod said, and they both looked up. "I want you guys to meet somebody."

She started to smile, to be polite, but the swinging door behind her pushed in, hitting her. Rod pulled her out of the way belatedly, and the young girl with the red hair came in. "Sorry. Didn't know everybody was in here."

Feeling foolish, Bethany murmured, "It's all right. I'm fine." Never mind the b.u.mp on the back of her head and the paddling her behind had received. She was in the way because she didn't belong here.

Bethany watched the girl, Lori, move around the table, wrap her arms around Blackie's shoulders and kiss him. In a husky voice, she said, "Are you finally out? I was just about to climb in the shower with you and give you a wake-up call."

There was only enough time for Bethany to be horrified, because Blackie had to be at least thirty years old, before Rod told her his friends' names.

Blackie mumbled "Hey" (whatever that meant). Jon Rushing said the same before going back to being uninterested in life.

"Want some coffee?" Rod asked, and she shook her head.

When he moved to get some for himself, she looked around furtively, wishing she was meeting these people in her own apartment. Then she could clean something instead of standing here with nothing for her hands to do.

"Do you own a haircut place?"

She turned toward Jon, who was looking at her sweater. Obviously she'd dressed wrong, though Rod had said she looked "gorgeous" before they left her apartment. The four of them wore old jeans. "Yes. I own a beauty salon in Stevens Point," she said in answer to his question, unclasping her hands in order to cross her arms in front of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

"I think you cut my hair a couple times."

No. She would have remembered him. "Really? I don't recall," she said, trying to be tactful of his ego, if he was one of those men who liked to be remembered.

"Yeah. Somebody with blond hair and blue eyes."

He'd moved forward, closer to her, and despite the unruliness of his uncombed hair, she had to admit that he was attractive.

"You must mean Kimberly. She's one of my employees."

Nodding slowly, he let his gaze amble over her with a smile. Much to her relief, Rod returned to her side. "Too bad," Jon said. "I might've gotten to you first and saved you from this loser."

"You must be talking about yourself," Rod returned with every bit of the friendliness Jon had put into his insult.

Bethany managed a wobbly smile when Rod put his arm around her and glanced down at her proudly. In spite of the strangers around her and how embarra.s.sed she'd be after, she wanted Rod to kiss her again. He had such a soft mouth, and his taste was so. . .dangerous. He'd been seductive without being aggressive or a.s.suming. For once, she'd felt like a man wasn't just trying to see how much he could get away with and how far he could go. Somehow, Rod had made it seem like he was as swept away by their kiss as she'd been. Was it possible that a man could get lost in pa.s.sion the way a woman did, instead of calculating it?

Maybe I don't belong with his friends, Bethany thought, but I do belong with him. She'd never been so certain of anything in her life.

Rod watched Bethany disappear into the alcove where the restrooms were. It was after seven p.m. and the live band on stage had just finished its opening number. For once, he wasn't interested in the music at Rainbow Nights.

Leaning over the back of his chair, which faced the table, he asked Jon and Blackie eagerly, "So, what do you think? She's pretty incredible, huh?"

Jon creased his napkin into geometric patterns almost unconsciously. His paper folding hobby had started when he was in his single-digits. "What do you think we think, man? She's a G.o.ddess. You don't belong with her."

Rod glanced from Jon to Blackie, who lit a cigarette without any expression on his face. This wasn't what Rod expected. Honesty, sure. Jon had no problem being straightforward. Blackie rarely said anything about anything, but Rod had known him practically forever so he had some idea how to interpret Blackie's blank or masked faces. He agreed with Jon.

"What do you mean I don't belong with her?" Rod demanded, hurt because all day he'd been thinking they were the perfect couple. Everything about Bethany fit him, and he fit her. They balanced each other.

"Look at yourself. Look at her. You're leather, she's lace."

Another selling point to Rod. "So what? Opposites attract."

Lori came over with fresh bottles of beer for all of them and took the old ones.

"I'm in love with her," Rod said, when he turned back to his friends.

He was well-aware of his own faults--rushing into things was one of his biggest. But this time was different. This was Bethany. He couldn't see himself getting bored with her after they made love once or twice.

Getting bored was something he'd always considered inevitable before he even started a relationship. None of the women he got involved with were thinking about the future of the relationship. They didn't think about getting serious, like marriage or babies.

"When'd you meet her?" Blackie ventured a rare question.

"Thursday. When I went to pick Nicole up from the beauty salon."

Very few could have read Blackie's emotions, but Rod could and did. Without doing anything, he'd mentally rolled his eyes in disbelief.

Jon snorted, just as doubtful about the validity of Rod's feelings. "That lady's out of your league, brother. Nicole on the other hand. . ."

The hypocrisy was blatant. Jon was a total screw-up with women. At sixteen, he'd fallen in love with a woman "out of his league", way out, and he was still in love with that woman despite the fact that she was married and had three kids. And Blackie. . . Well, Blackie didn't have to show it or voice it for Rod to know that he (a thirty-four-year-old man) was completely in love with not-yet-nineteen Lori Gordon. Blackie had spent three years feeling guilty about that while he made it with every other woman of legal age. At least Rod had normal involvements that ended with no regrets and no remorse. This time, with Bethany, it wouldn't end if he could talk her into falling for him too.

"She's a virgin," Blackie said out of the blue.

Rod sat there stupefied for a minute, and then realized Blackie meant Bethany was a virgin. While she was the sweetest, most innocent lady he'd ever met, Rod couldn't believe it. "No way! There's no virgins over the age fifteen left in the world!"

"Not while the three of us are alive," Jon agreed.

Personally, Rod had never known a female virgin, had never been with one.

n.o.body valued virginity anymore. People rarely valued s.e.x as an act of love. It was just a hunger to be satisfied and experimented with. Maybe he'd gone into a few involvements purely for the s.e.x, but mostly he was searching for an end to the loneliness, for an emotional rescue, for someone to love and someone to love him permanently. He was twenty-seven years old. He didn't want to be Blackie's age and still alone.

"Well, she's been in there a good ten minutes. I think she must've crawled out the window and escaped," Jon teased him.

Rod glanced at his watch and gave in to the impulse to go check on her.

When he stood up, twirling the chair back toward the table properly, Jon said, "Seriously, I hope it works out, Rod. You two look good together."

The encouragement was new. Jon had never said anything like it before, but then why would he? Rod had never claimed to be seriously in love with any woman before. Giving Jon a grin and a slap on the back in grat.i.tude, he went to check on the woman of his dreams.

Bethany had just nudged her way out of the crowded hallway, away from the ladies' restroom, when Rod entered the alcove. Her brow was furrowed until she saw him leaning against the doorway of the infrequently used coat room.

He didn't notice Nicole Martini behind her, but she made herself known when she walked past Bethany, saying "Take heed, little sister" and gave Rod an icy glance.

"Hi." Bethany managed a smile. "Are we leaving?"

"What did she say to you?"

Looking surprised, her mouth closed tightly, Bethany shook her head.

"Nothing."

"You had a funny look on your face when you came out, and Nicole said something." He took her slight shoulders in his hands, making sure she faced him. Bethany couldn't lie, she was too sweet.

"I just have a headache. It's nothing serious, Rod. Really."

She wasn't a liar, but Nicole had left him with a stone in her shoe.

Letting it go as something between the two women wasn't something he could do.

He was too protective of Bethany already.

"Do you mind if we leave soon? It's already after seven, and it's a long drive back--"

She looked so sweet, trying not to offend him at the same time she wanted to make sure he knew his answer would decide some things for her. Rod wasn't about to make a mistake this early in the going.

Putting his arms around her waist, he pivoted until his back touched the wall in the coat room, where they were afforded a little privacy. Astonishingly, she seemed too mesmerized to care about anyone seeing them when he lowered his mouth to her freshly lipsticked one.

He watched her eyes drift closed, as if she was in a state of overwhelming bliss. Oh baby, he could kiss her forever she was so responsive and she tasted like candy. Yeah, he wanted to take her home, to his home, her home, take her to bed. This had been the longest wait of his life.

Drawing back, he cupped her face in his hands and looked into her pink-tinged face. She'd invite him into her bed, with or without the words. He'd make sure she didn't regret it in the morning. "I'll take you home."

When she lowered her gaze, he let her go. They went to say a quick goodbye to Blackie and Jon, then Rod gave her his car keys, saying he'd be out in a minute.

He spotted Nicole at the bar. Cutting between her and the guy coming on to her, he demanded, "What did you say to her, Nicole?"

Turning to face him slowly, she blew the smoke from her cigarette in his face--something she knew he hated. "Nothing that the many predecessors wouldn't have."

"Doing the sisterly thing, is that it?" he guessed snidely.

She smiled with her mouth only. "Here's some free advice: that baby's a Kewpie doll. She'll break easily if you get bored with her in a week. Maybe she'll last two, since she's a novelty for you. Maybe it's not too late for you to get a heart."

G.o.d! She was acting like they'd been together months and then he'd blown her off. They'd had less than a week. He'd met her here, slept with her that night upstairs in one of Jerry Gordon's many guest bedrooms. She'd gone home with him Monday. As for s.e.x, they'd done it, maybe, five or six times, which wasn't even enough to qualify for an affair.

"You got exactly what you went in expecting, Nicole. So don't play the martyr now. I didn't play with your heart any more than you did mine. Just leave Bethany alone. She doesn't need your advice."

"I was always told that forewarned is forearmed. But don't worry. I'm not interested enough in messing up your life to bother either of you."

That was all he needed to hear. From only knowing Nicole Martini for a handful of days, he was sure she wasn't the type to speak idle words. Everything was above board with her.

Maybe it'd be better to stay out of public with Bethany for awhile, he thought as he walked out to his car with Cameron at his side. What happened with Nicole, how it'd ended, had happened to him a lot, on something of a national scale. There were probably a lot of women out there who wanted to give out "free advice" about him. He didn't want Bethany to think it would end like that with her.