AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He kissed the top of her head before bending down to retrieve her plate. As she watched him stroll out of the room, she tried not to read too much into what he’d said. Beth knew he was looking for something more than just someone to play with. He’d wanted a relationship. Considering she’d only ever played with one other person besides her ex, she was on board with that. While Beth understood that there were a lot of people out there who didn’t mind playing casually with other members of the club, it wasn’t something that had appealed to her. Then again, neither did casual sex.
She lifted her wineglass to her lips as Drew returned with her warmed dinner. “I’ll come get you when your bath’s ready.”
Beth grinned up at him. “Thanks.”
There was a slight hesitation before he jogged up the stairs to see to her bath. She really didn’t know what she was going to do. The man had not only wormed his way past her defenses and into her heart, he was taking up residence there. Even though she’d meant it as a joke, she was wondering if it were more prophetic. When she’d found out about Ben’s other life, she’d been crushed, but more than anything Beth had been embarrassed—betrayed. How could she not have known?
What she hadn’t felt was all that heartbroken over the actual loss. Ben could be attentive, but looking back at the relationship she realized more often than not it was always a means to an end with him. It was a way to manipulate her.
If Ben had been the one waiting for her tonight, she doubted it would have crossed his mind to give her a foot massage. On the off chance that it would have, there would have been strings attached. Since they’d made arrangements to play, he would have most likely ended the massage by asking if she felt up to having some fun then.
Glancing toward the stairs, Beth had to admit that Drew and Ben were very different men. She knew now that Ben had been selfish. He was selfish in everything he did, including how he’d treated both her and his wife. Drew was the complete opposite of selfish. Whenever they were together, he made her feel as if she were the only woman in the world. Even his job reflected his unselfishness—he ran into burning buildings trying to save lives and people’s homes.
Whether she liked it or not—and even though it scared the crap out of her—she didn’t know what she’d do if Drew left her life. If he ever betrayed her like Ben had, Beth didn’t know if she’d be able to recover.
“Hey. Is everything okay?” Beth looked to find Drew kneeling beside her.
She grinned. “Yeah. I’m good.”
He still looked somewhat concerned, but he didn’t press her. “Your bath’s ready.”
Beth nodded.
Drew helped her up and took her mostly empty plate from her. “Did you want to finish eating first?”
“No. I’m good. We were so busy, I didn’t get to eat lunch until almost two.” While that was true, her lunch had consisted of half a croissant and some roast beef eaten in between orders.
They made their way upstairs to her bedroom. Drew went to check the temperature of the water again while she got undressed. Beth was tempted to forego the bath and crawl into bed, but she didn’t want to seem ungrateful. She plucked her robe from the closet so she’d have it for later, and trudged into the bathroom.
When she walked in, she could hardly believe her eyes. Drew was on his knees next to the large tub. He had lowered the lights and had several candles lit. It was very romantic and peaceful.
He got to his feet and crossed the short distance to where she stood in the doorway. Without a word, he took her robe from her and hung it up on the door. Then he reached for her hand.
She placed her palm in his and let him lead her over to the bubble-filled water. Drew helped her as she got in and lowered herself down into the tub. It felt wonderful. The scent of lavender surrounded her and she wondered if it was from the bubble bath, the candles, or both.
“Would you like another glass of wine?” he asked.
Beth shook her head. “If I drink much more, I’ll fall asleep. I’m not far from it now.”
Drew smiled.
“You didn’t have to do this, you know.” She felt as if she needed to put it out there.
“I wanted to. Besides, you can pay me back one of these days.” He brushed a strand of hair from her face and winked at her.
She chuckled.
“Relax and enjoy your bath. I’m going to run downstairs and clean up, then I’ll be back to check on you.”
Beth sighed and slid further down into the water as she let the warmth pull the tired ache from her body. She loved baths and she wondered how Drew had known, or if it had been a guess.
The sound of something moving off to her right made her open her eyes. It was Drew. He was blowing out the candles. When had he returned?
“You’re back.”
She stretched. That’s when it dawned on her that she must have dozed off. “Guess I was more tired than I thought.”
He reached for a towel and then for her. She took the offering, and stepped out of the bathtub. Beth had to admit that she could get used to this type of attention.
