Page 4 of Beauty Becomes You (Beauty 4)
He gave her a crooked smile. “Nothing is too small. You need a light bulb changed or find a spider in the shower, I’m there.”
“Okay, okay,” she said with mock forbearance, even though she found it sweet as hell.
Her old boyfriend, Doug, had only been interested in her when they were together. And her mother, as wonderful as she was, had enough to manage with her work that she didn’t concern herself with how Erin did on a day-to-day basis.
Especially lately, when she couldn’t even seem to take a phone call.
Just as quickly, he turned the topic to safer ground. “So, it’s been a long time since I met any parents. I’m not even sure what that entails.”
She grinned. “Better mind your manners.”
He put a hand to his chest. “I’ll be on my best behavior. She isn’t going to put us in separate rooms, is she?”
“I doubt it, considering there’s just the one bedroom beside hers. Though I suppose we could always make you sleep on the couch.”
“Can’t blame her. I have the worst intentions where you are concerned.” He grew serious. “It can wait until after the summer semester, right?”
“Yes, of course. The drive is too long to make in a weekend trip anyway. We’ll spend a few days there. Plus, if you don’t mind, we should take your car. I don’t think mine has that many miles left in it.”
“I don’t like you driving that thing.”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s fine.”
He frowned.
She turned away to hide her smile, secretly pleased at his protectiveness. In a minute, he was right behind her, bending her over the barstool.
“Did you just roll your eyes at me, young lady?”
“What are you going to about it?” she taunted him.
“Something wicked. That’s what you were hoping for, wasn’t it?”
Yes. But she protested feebly, “We just did that.”
He pressed down on the small of her back. His fingers played along the inside of her thighs, roaming higher. “If I’m going to be without you for three weeks, I’ll need something to tide me over. So let’s see. At least once a day, usually. And I won’t see you for…far too many days. Think we can make it all up now?”
She huffed a laugh, but her eyes widened when he didn’t laugh too. He couldn’t be serious.
“I agree,” he said conversationally. “That many times in a single day seems excessive. Five ought to do it.”
Even five times was a lot…she’d get chafed. Wouldn’t she? Unless she was very, very wet. “You wouldn’t really.”
He bent to her ear, whispering, “Watch me.”
CHAPTER TWO
Two weeks until the end of semester
Tears streamed down Erin’s face by the time Cary Grant kissed Deborah Kerr in monochrome, finally discovering why she hadn’t met him that fateful night at the Empire State Building.
“If anything had to happen to either of us…why did it have to be you?” Cary Grant said in heartbreaking tenor on the television. She watched the emotional exchange in unabashed tears.
Late night TV sans cable didn’t leave many options, but when she’d seen An Affair to Remember in the listings, it had resonated with her. The lovers had been apart for six months, whereas she hadn’t seen Blake in seven days. So, okay, maybe she was being overly dramatic. But even though they’d seen each other on the sly over the semester, she longed for a time when their relationship could be public.
And permanent.
“If you can paint…I can walk. The world can turn upside down…if…”
