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Before Beth could lose her nerve, she stepped forward, and leaned in close to whisper in his ear. “Thank you.”
The muscles in Drew’s neck moved as he swallowed. “For what?”
She tipped her head enough to meet his gaze. “For having patience with me.”
Drew closed his eyes. “Beth.”
“Yes?” She knew she was teasing him, but she couldn’t help it.
He opened his eyes, and the look in them nearly burned a hole in her soul. “I so want to touch you right now.”
Her only response was to lick her lips.
Beth heard him groan, which caused her to chuckle. She’d missed this. She’d missed this a lot.
Backing away, she shot him a heated look, and then turned on her heel.
She had a huge grin on her face as she strutted across the room toward Nicole. Her friend must have seen at least part of the exchange, because she smirked at her as Beth sat down.
“Having fun?” Nicole asked.
“As a matter of fact, I am.”
Nicole snapped her fingers, and Jeff crawled to her side. She brought his head into her lap and began running her fingers through his hair before turning her attention back to Beth. “About time.”
Beth felt Drew lower himself into the space next to her. He didn’t say anything, but she could feel the energy flowing off him. She knew she was on dangerous ground, but it didn’t matter.
They passed the rest of the evening talking about some new toys Nicole had acquired. Although her friend could sometimes be slightly more sadistic than Beth, she and Nicole had a lot in common when it came to play. When Beth had been with Ben, she and Nicole had often shared ideas. Since the demise of Beth’s relationship, Nicole had toned it down. Yet another thing Ben had taken from Beth that she wanted back.
During most of their conversation, Drew had sat beside her and listened. He didn’t need to be the center of attention. That was good. Beth wasn’t into bratty, attention-seeking submissives.
By the time Drew walked Beth out to her car at the end of the night, she was feeling pretty good. They’d had a nice time. She hadn’t felt pressured to be anything other than herself.
Beth was still riding her high on Tuesday morning when she strolled into the café. Tommy picked up on the change in her mood. “Tell me you have a date with that fireman?”
She laughed and shook her head.
He groaned. “What in the world are you waiting for?”
Beth shrugged and slipped her apron over her head.
Tommy rested his hands on his hips and sighed. “Do I have to have a talk with him? Is he not stepping up?”
She stopped what she was doing and leveled a hard stare at him. “Don’t you dare. This is none of your business. Do you hear me? You stay out of it.”
He rolled his eyes, and stuck out his tongue at her before reaching for a bowl. “I just don’t get it. He’s single, right?”
“As far as I know.”
“Then what’s the problem?” Tommy asked.
“I don’t know if I’m ready.” Her reply was barely above a whisper, but she knew he heard her.
“If I ever see Ben again, I’m going to punch him. I should have done it the day he came in here begging you to hear him out.” Tommy rarely got angry. He was one of the most easygoing people she knew. But she had no doubt if Ben were to walk through the door at that moment, Tommy would follow through on his threat.
Beth dropped the dough she’d just removed from the refrigerator on the counter, and pulled Tommy in for a hug. “Thank you for caring, but I’ll be okay. I promise. I just need some time.”
Tommy snorted. “I still want to punch him.”
