“I know. I have made some pretty bad choices.” And I regret every single one of them that caused her to hurt.
“I don’t think you are right for her.”
At Aaron's words, I turn to him, ensuring that his eyes are on mine when I say, “I may not be, no. But I want more. I want to be as perfect for her as she is for me.”
Aaron holds my stare for a long minute, his eyes trying to see through me and gauge the genuineness of my words.
“I have feelings for Beth. I always have; from the moment she fell over the hedge nearly three months ago.” I grab my glass and bring it to my lips; afraid I'm revealing too much, only to find it empty.
The bartender ambles over the moment our eyes meet and makes a quick refill.
“I think we both know how she has always felt about you,” Aaron says as if the idea that his sister also cares about me physically hurts him.
“I know. I have never taken those feelings for granted. I may not have wholly accepted them in the past, but I am ready to do so now because what I feel for her runs just as deep.”
Aaron is surprised at how earnestly I express myself, which kind of comes as a shock to me too. I have never thought of myself as the romantic type. But for Beth, I'd give a thousand speeches. God, I've gone soft.
“You make a convincing point,” Aaron concedes as he traces his fingers over the rim of his glass as if he's rolling the whole situation over in his head. After another lifetime in a minute, he admits, “I do want Beth to be happy. And if that lies with you, I wouldn't wanna stand in the way of that.”
When our eyes meet, I tell him, “I'll take care of her.”
His eyes turn fierce.
“You better. Don't forget, I know where you live.”
I throw my head back and laugh. And at that moment, I feel like a large weight has been lifted off my chest, and I can finally breathe.
The conversation becomes lighter after that, and I find myself asking more and more questions about Beth. I know she left for college; her car was no longer parked in her parents’ driveway. Aaron tells me how sad she was when she left, and my heart physically hurts at his silent confession.
Stumbling out of the bar three hours later, slightly tipsy, we both decide to take cabs, opting to come back for our cars in the morning. Aaron turns to me as we are about to part ways and says, “Go get your girl.”
“I plan to,” I tell him. A blinding smile breaks free, and I nod at him as I open the cab door. On my way home, all I think about is Beth.
How did I not realize sooner how deeply I'd come to care for her?
There'd always been this invisible string tying me to her. While I'd come to Latimer to escape the unending frenzy feeling of the city, I'd found my home in Beth. Beth was home.
I swallow hard when the cab driver pulls into my driveway, my eyes lingering on Beth's front door. I had messed up what we had between us. Beth was special, and I'd failed to tell her that.
Moving inside my home, I look around. I recall having the most wonderful dinner with Beth and Aaron. Memories of her pleasant laughter and those beautiful, safe, green eyes haunt me as I move toward my bedroom. I miss her. I miss Beth so much it hurts.
When I step into my bedroom, I picture her lying in my bed. Picturing the night we had in her room taking place here has me suddenly unclasping my belt buckle. I don't think about what I'm doing. I just allow myself to feel, hands moving to my cock that has swelled and hardened. I rub slowly as I picture Beth, hair tousled, naked abandonment, moaning and calling my name while sprawling in my bed, sage green eyes staring into mine from behind glasses.
My cock throbs in my hands, and I throw my head back, tamping down a loud growl that struggles to tear out of my lips. My hands wrap around my hard full length, continuing the rhythmic pump, only it isn't my hands anymore but Beth’s. Beth in front of me, soft and smooth around my straining cock, helping me, urging me with her fingers to completion. She's stroking me pretty much deftly, applying just the right pressure, giving a naughty pull so that loud groan tears out of me before I can sink my teeth into my lips.
“Fuck!” I yell, not stopping my ministrations until I cum hard.
When my eyes open, I gaze at myself in the mirror, chest a bit red from the exertion, torso bare. I step into the shower to wash the lingering scent of sex off my body. I know that touching myself isn't enough. I want to make Beth mine, wholly and completely.
CHAPTER25
BETH
It's been three days since I'd left Latimer, and this heart-stopping wave of hurt has only grown with the days I've spent away from Mitch. Each day opens my heart to more sorrow and pain. I find myself missing him more than I should.
I decided to stay away from the internet so I do not know what is going on and what he's up to. Staying away from the internet is the only way I know how to keep my sanity.
I still cannot believe that Mitch would point fingers at me at the first sign of trouble in his company. Am I that mistrustful? Did he think of me as being that incompetent? I shake my head as another wave of pain floods me.