Flaming Hearts (Beyond Reality Book 2) (11 page)

Becky giggled as the coyote pushed her over. She was so happy she thought she’d bust. This moment would be forever etched in her memory as one of the best experiences of her life. She looked over toward the crowd of people standing by the barn and caught Dean’s eye. He was beaming at her and she felt tingles go down to the tips of her toes.

“Ewwww…look! She rolled in crap!” Marissa screeched, pointing at Becky.

Sure enough Becky had fallen backward when she’d been tackled by the coyote and had gotten some manure in her hair. She heard the men laughing along with Marissa. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, but she immediately felt embarrassed and humiliated.

The little coyote had immediately jumped off of Becky at Marissa’s loud words and was walking backward, growling. The moment was broken. Once again Marissa had brought all the attention back to her and made Becky look like a fool.

Becky watched sadly as the little coyote turned and bounded away toward the woods without looking back. She slowly stood up, painfully aware, now, of what she looked like. Her jeans were dirty, her hands and shirt smelled like something rotten from coming in contact with the filthy coyote, and she had poop in her hair. Great, just great. She could just imagine the camera angles on this one.              

Becky walked back toward Sarah and the barn with a fake smile on her face. Of course her humiliation had to be witnessed by not only Dean, but his friends, family, andthe camera
s
—
and thus the world. She ducked her head. If only she could get away for a moment to compose herself. She wanted to cry.

As soon as she got back to the gate where Sarah was waiting to let her out of the pen, the cameras were right there. Eddie had decided while she was in the pen with the little coyote that this would make a great backdrop for the next ceremony. He was also probably trying to show off to Dean and impress him so he’d decide to invest in him. He’d ordered the cameras to capture Becky in all her gloriousness while ordering another producer to head back to the house and gather the other contestants and Robert so they could join them at the refuge for a ceremony.

Becky was horrified. Was he serious? As if it wasn’t bad enough she’d just been humiliated by Marissa on national television, now he wanted to bring all the other men here to witness it? Jesus. Eddie must hate her. Becky felt her face heat up. She held her head up and took a deep breath. Fine. So be it.

She tried to ignore the camera as she went through the gate to the yard. She thought she saw Kina, if she remembered the camera operator’s name right, in an argument with Eddie off to the side, but turned away, knowing she had to watch where she was walking or else she’d fall on her face.

She knew by Eddie deciding to have the ceremony immediately she wouldn’t be able to do anything about her appearance. He wanted her to look like she was, the jerk. She looked around and grabbed a piece of twine off the ground that was used to bale hay and tied her hair up with it. She might have crap in her hair, but at least she could tie it up so it wasn’t as obvious.

Becky refused to look at Dean or his family again. Sarah came over and touched her arm.

“Hey Becky,” she said, “You did good,
really
good. I couldn’t believe it when she came over to you! That was amazing.”

Becky smiled at the woman. It
was
amazing, and she was proud of herself, but she knew she’d have to get through the next hour or so before she could let herself think about it again. She’d have to be on her guard against the snide comments she was sure she’d receive.

“Thanks Sarah,” she said in a tight voice and walked away, not looking back.

Sarah growled under her breath and took a step toward Becky’s retreating back. Dean suddenly appeared at Sarah’s side, grabbing her elbow before she could take off after Becky.

“Let her be,” he said intensely.

Sarah shook her head. “Let me go, Dean, I’m going to go shove that other woman’s head in the dirt.”

Dean gripped her arm harder, but not hurtfully, knowing the longtime employee and friend would do just that given half a chance.

“That will humiliate Becky even more,” he said simply, somehow knowing it was true.

It was the right thing to say. Dean could feel Sarah’s body relax.

“Bitch!” she said about Marissa to no one in particular.

Then she turned toward Dean again, “Oh my God, Dean, did you see that? She…was…awesome…
that
was awesome.”

Dean smiled and nodded, gazing toward Becky. “She
is
awesome, Sarah. Awesome.”

* * *

Becky gritted her teeth throughout the next hour. She had to endure the comments and joking from the rest of the men once they’d arrived at the refuge. They hadn’t seen the miracle of the little coyote, they only saw her covered in dirt and smelling like shit, literally. She didn’t need them making sarcastic comments about the ‘smell in the air.’ Becky knew she smelled, she could smell herself.

Marissa, of course, took the opportunity to tell everyone how Becky had rolled in crap in the yard and how funny she’d looked. She, of course, didn’t mention anything about the coyote and what had happened. Becky tried to tell one group of the men, but their attention was quickly diverted by Marissa’s wild laughter nearby. Their heads turned and Becky lost their attention. Becky gave up. She didn’t have an ally on the show. She figured at least Steve and Bethany were happy, but since they weren’t on the show it didn’t help her at the moment.

The ceremony was the same as usual. Marissa and Becky had to choose the men who they wanted to stay and who they wanted to leave. Becky barely cared about any of them. They were all out to get fame and fortune by winning Marissa’s hand…and hers too if that was what they had to do. It wasn’t like they actually wanted to be picked by
her
, but they’d take it if it was the only option. They put on a good show during the ceremony, but generally she knew, as did everyone, that Marissa was the grand prize.

Marissa chose the men she wanted to stay and Becky did the same. When it was all over, Ryan and Samuel were going home.

“The choice has been made!” Becky couldn’t even smile at Robert’s theatrical antics anymore.

There were only seven men left. The twins, Derek and David, Jose, Patrick, James, Dexter, and John. They were all good looking, but also extremely shallow and fake.

After watching Ryan and Samuel get into the limo that would take them away from the show for good, the day was finally over. Becky stood off to the side near the pen, looking out at the land, wondering if the coyotes were out there watching. She heard Marissa and some of the men complaining to Eddie about how she smelled and how they refused to ride in the same vehicle as her. She supposed she couldn’t blame them, she did smell gross. She gripped the fence tighter, wishing she was at home, wishing…oh she didn’t know anymore. She went from feeling great being around Dean, to feeling totally depressed after filming. She knew it wasn’t healthy, but wasn’t sure what do to about it either. A lone tear escaped before she could will it away. God, would this torture ever end? She’d never complain about her boring insurance job again.

Finally, after getting control of her tears and wiping her face, she turned around to go back toward the vehicles and saw Steve talking with Eddie. Eddie shook his hand, looked relieved and turned toward Marissa, Robert, and the other men and motioned for them to board the van.

Becky walked toward the group and took a deep breath, readying herself to bear the jokes and comments from the others with dignity, but was intercepted by Steve who took her firmly by the arm as she passed him.

“We’re taking you home later, Becky,” he told her, steering her away from the production vans and toward the house.

“But…” Becky said, craning her neck to look back at the van and the people loading themselves into it.

“I just talked to Eddie, and he agreed it’d be best if you cleaned up here and we took you back in a bit.” Becky blushed a fiery red and looked down at her feet as he continued to guide them toward the house. Great. Just great. Now her humiliation was complete.

Steve suddenly stopped walking, took Becky by the shoulders and turned her toward him. He put his knuckle under her chin and forced her head up to look at him.

“Don’t let that asshole get you down, Becky,” he told her sternly. “Look around. Look at my friends and
your
friends now. Look how happy they are.
You
’
ve
done that.
You
have made us all very happy by doing something none of us were able to. We want to celebrate with you and we know if you go back now, you certainly won’t get to celebrate. Do you want to stay? I can tell Eddie that you want to go back now…” He let his voice trail off, letting her think about what she wanted.

Becky did take a look around. The men and women that had been there today were all standing around talking to each other, smiling and laughing. They seemed happy. She was being selfish and conceited to think they were all looking at her and laughing.

She nodded shyly at Steve. “Thank you, Steve. I’d love to stay.”

Steve nodded and turned toward the house with her elbow in his hand.

“Do you think, however,” she started to ask hesitantly, “that I might be able to clean up before we celebrate?”

Steve laughed and nodded as he towed her toward the house.

Dean grabbed Becky as soon as she stepped into the house, away from the eyes of the production crew and the other contestants. He hugged her to him as tight as he dared.

Becky laughed and pushed frantically at Dean. “Let me go, Dean!” She laughed. “I smell horrible…you’ll get it on you.”

Dean released his hold on Becky enough to put a bit of room between them, but didn’t let her go.

“You’re amazing,” he told her with a smile on his face.

“No, you mean I’m smelly.” She laughed back at him, deciding once and for all to shake herself out of the doldrums. “Seriously, let me go, I’m gonna get you all gross.”

“You could never get me ‘all gross’,” he told her with a flare of heat in his eyes.

Just as he was bending down toward her to kiss the daylights out of her, they were surrounded by many of the people that had watched the entire incident with the little coyote, all talking at once.

“How did you do that?”

“That was awesome.”

“That made my day.”

“What a bitch that other woman is.”

The comments flowed over her and she stared into Dean’s gaze which had never left hers. She shut her eyes for a moment. It felt so good to finally be with people who were as thrilled with what had happened as she was.

She opened her eyes again only to find Dean still staring at her. She broke eye contact and said to the group in general, “Wasn’t that cool?”

Everyone laughed with her. “
Now
, can I
please
go and clean up?” Everyone broke into uncontrolled laugher again and Bethany had to forcefully break through the circle of people surrounding her son and his
One
.

“Come on, Becky, I’m sure I can find you something to wear while we wash your clothes.”

Becky smiled shyly at Dean’s mom and nodded. She glanced back at Dean before disappearing into the bowels of the house.

Dean watched Becky walk away with his mom. His heart felt so big. Not only did Becky get along with his family, but she’d made a great impression on them as well. He’d wanted, like he had so many times before, to sweep her away from the set and protect her from the humiliation they were forcing on her, but he knew he couldn’t. All he could do was support her at night when they talked and give her some great experiences with his family and friends, like today. Time would have to take care of the rest. Once she was away from the show and living a normal life, things would settle down.

When Becky came back down with Bethany she was wearing a pair of sweat pants and a T-shirt, probably one of Steve’s. She smelled fresh and clean as if she’d just taken a shower. Hell, of course she had. Her hair was wet and was down around her shoulders. Dean had to force himself not to rush over to her and kiss the hell out of her. This was not the time nor the place to start something they couldn’t finish.

Becky smiled at Dean shyly. “I hope this is okay. It was what I was most comfortable in.”

Dean smiled. “Of course, sweetheart. Whatever you want to wear is fine by me.” He met his mom’s eyes over Becky’s shoulder and they smiled at each other.

All during dinner everyone re-hashed what happened that day. Becky learned more about what the little coyote had gone through before she’d gotten to the refuge and how indignant everyone was about it. They’d so wanted to help her and were losing hope that they could. Becky didn’t understand why
she
was the one who was able to break through the little coyote’s barrier, but she was so happy she had.

“Do you think she’ll eat more now? That she’ll trust you guys?” Becky asked worriedly.

Steve answered for the group. “I think so. We’ll let Dean try to feed her next. I think maybe if you go out to the pen with him one more time tonight and she sees you with him maybe she’ll learn to trust more than just you. And if your scent is on him, and vice versa, it’ll give her an extra incentive.”

Becky looked at Steve and then back at Dean. “My scent?”

Dean took her hand and explained. “Yeah, when I hold your hand, some of your skin cells get mixed in with mine.” He rubbed his thumb back and forth over the back of her hand as he spoke. “The natural scent of your skin will mix with mine. A coyote’s sense of smell is very strong and she’ll be able to smell both of us, even after we’re gone. It’s worth a shot.”

Becky nodded. “Great, let’s go now!”

Everyone laughed. “In a bit, sweetheart, finish your dinner first,” Dean told her, laughing at her enthusiasm while continuing to stroke her hand with his, not letting go, forcing her to finish her meal with her other hand.

Dean knew it was getting late and Becky would have to get back to the production set soon. He hated to leave her. He felt anxious when he was separated from her. He wished he knew if she was feeling the same intense feelings he was, but Dean knew he’d have to take their relationship slow at first and rely on her instincts to recognize him as her soul mate.

After eating, Dean excused himself and Becky so they could go back out to the pen to see if they could get the little coyote to come back and if she’d take food from Dean. He smiled at the knowing smile his parents gave him as he left the house. They knew he’d take advantage of the alone time with Becky to further his pursuit of her as his own.

The two went out to the edge of the yard near the pen. Nobody followed them outside, knowing if they all went outside at the same time, they’d spook the little coyote. Dean grasped Becky’s hand in his and led them to the fence. Once they arrived, he turned Becky so her back was to him and he curled his arms around her waist and pulled her back against him. They both sighed in contentment. They stood like that for a bit and finally Becky broke the silence.

“How is she going to know we’re here?” Becky asked quietly.

“She’ll know,” Dean responded, leaning down and whispering directly into her ear, “but you can call to her if you want.”

Becky turned her head and looked back at him with her eyebrows scrunched up in confusion.

“Just start out with a little howl, then make a little yipping noise…it doesn’t have to be loud, just choose a pitch that you’re comfortable with and see if it works. Yipping is how coyotes usually ‘talk’ to each other,” Dean explained, laughing at the look on her face.

“I’m embarrassed,” Becky said, ducking her head quickly and looking straight ahead again. “It’s not the kind of thing a woman would normally do around a hot guy,” she finished quickly, blushing.

Dean smiled and moved one hand away from her waist to grasp her chin lightly. He gently turned it back and up so he could look her in the eyes. “Sweetheart, don’t you know? Nothing you’d do around me would turn me off. I’m already yours.”

Becky stared at Dean, watching as he bent down toward her slowly. Her heart hammered in her chest. This was it! He was really going to kiss her! She’d dreamed about this moment for so long and now that it was here it felt as natural as breathing. She met him halfway, coming up on her toes. Their lips met and Becky swore she could feel sparks arc between them. She felt Dean’s tongue swipe along the seam of her lips and she eagerly opened for him.

Dean groaned low in his throat. He was finally kissing his
One
. For real kissing her. He’d kissed her before when he’d dropped her off at the house after bringing her home from Devil’s Canyon, but this was a
kiss
. She tasted amazing, like…Becky. He’d never kiss another woman as long as he lived. This was it for him.
She
was it for him.

He turned her in his arms without breaking the kiss. He wound his arms tightly around her back and pulled her close to his chest. Becky gasped and went right on kissing Dean. He was amazing. She almost felt lightheaded. His tongue swept around her mouth like he owned it. She loved every second. She met his tongue with her own and they took turns exploring each other’s mouths.

Finally, giving her bottom lip a nip, Dean pulled back to let her take a breath, but kissed his way down her neck toward her shoulder. The T-shirt she was wearing was big on her and Dean easily swept aside the collar to suck and nibble on her shoulder. Goose bumps rose on Becky’s flesh. Her head dropped back. She never wanted him to stop.

Dean’s hands wandered on their own volition. He’d been so patient with her, and himself, and he couldn’t help it. He grazed his hands up Becky’s sides until they were just under her breasts. He stopped his movement, but squeezed lightly. He felt her shiver and fought with himself to back off.

Dean didn’t want to stop, but he knew he had to. First, his parents weren’t more than a hundred yards away and secondly, he knew if he didn’t stop now, he’d probably go further than Becky would be comfortable with. That was what ultimately made him curb his own reactions to her. He never wanted Becky to regret anything they did, and he didn’t want to rush her.

He was going to have to take a long run tonight to get himself back under control. Becky finally noticed Dean had stopped nibbling on her neck. She slowly opened her eyes, only to look right into Dean’s smiling face. One hand rubbed circles on her lower back while the other was still against her side and she could feel his thumb rubbing rhythmically on the soft fleshy underside of her breast.

She blushed like a virgin. “That was…er…” Her voice faded off.

Dean took up where she left off, “…amazing, wonderful, life changing,” he whispered. Becky could only nod and bury her face into Dean’s shoulder. She felt him rest his chin on the top of her head and was grateful he was giving her time to control herself.

Finally, she took a deep breath and looked up at him with a shy smile. “Just make a few yipping sounds and the coyote will come, huh?” she said shakily, changing to a more neutral subject. Even though she wanted nothing more than for Dean to lay her down right there in the dirt and make love to her, she knew they couldn’t do it. She wanted him so badly, but felt like they needed to get to know each other better before taking their relationship to that level. She respected him even more for not even trying to go any further than they already had.

Dean turned her in his arms so her back was once again nestled against his chest and wrapped his arms around her waist once more, but this time he lifted her shirt and rested his hands on her bare skin. He wanted and needed the connection with her.