What a Woman Needs (23 page)

And, God, he wanted this. He wanted her. Wanted to taste her again, inhale the scent and taste that were all Beth. The ones that would keep him up nights when he left.

No, he wasn’t going to think about leaving her. Not yet. Not now.

The ride shifted and, shit, separated them. Beth’s startled gaze met his and he could see just how much the kiss had affected her, too. Her breathing was shallow and the grip she had on the safety bar beneath his fingers said a lot.

“Beth.” He didn’t know what to say, but he had to say something and her name was music to his ears. Such a simple yet beautiful name, it could be said on a sigh with such feeling, or ground out in a moment—or hour—of passion, or whispered softly with full emotion behind it. It was a perfect name, just like her.

Then she licked her lips and, holy hell, the rest of him wanted in on the action.

He had to laugh. Here he was, out in public on an amusement park ride, where the whole world could see, with her five-year-old daughter on the other side of her, and all Bryan could think of was turning Beth to face him, wiggling her out of her shorts, and settling her down on top of him. Now
that
would be one hell of a ride.

Thankfully, this ride came to an end before his hormones got the better of his judgment, and he brushed her cheek with the backs of his fingers, reluctant to stop touching her but knowing he had to. “Thank you.”

She looked startled. “For what?”

He was glad to hear her voice was shaky. And breathy.

“For that kiss. I needed that.”

She glanced at Maggie who, thankfully, was engrossed in the sights and sounds of what was going on around them, and not what was going on inside this ride. “
Needed
?”

Shit. He hadn’t meant to go there. He brushed some hair out of her face as the safety bars clicked open on the ride. “Let’s talk later.”

 • • • 

T
ALK.
Bryan wanted to talk.

That wasn’t what Beth wanted to do. What was she supposed to say?
God, yes, can I jump your bones?

How exactly did one give a guy the okay to get the ball rolling on something like this?

And
was
she committed to getting that ball rolling?

As she watched him swing Maggie onto his shoulders, then wave the twins over to walk beside him, asking each one how the ride was, thanking Jason and Kelsey for looking out for their brothers, Beth knew her answer was an unequivocal
yes
. She wanted Bryan, and if she could only have him for a night, she’d be foolish to not take the chance.

But she wasn’t about to share any of it with anyone. Whatever they did together would be for her alone.

B
RYAN
couldn’t remember a day when he’d had so much fun. Or was so exhausted. And he’d thought filming stunts was hard work? Nothing could compare to keeping track of five kids at an amusement park, feeding said brood,
and
refereeing the bickering over anything from lunch to what flavor of cotton candy to get to who was sitting where on the van ride home.

Thank God the three younger ones had fallen asleep and the older two had their earbuds in.

He glanced at Beth, her face illuminated by the dash and street lights. She was beautiful in a graceful, quiet sort of way. Calming. Soothing. Well, except when he touched her. And kissed her. And held her.

Or
thought
about doing any of those things. He wanted Beth with an intensity that defied logic, given that she should be everything he didn’t want.

Yet was everything he did.

He reached for her hand. The older two were zoned out and no one else would notice.

Would she let him hold it?

She looked at him, startled, then glanced back and relaxed when she saw what he’d seen.

He squeezed her fingers gently. She looked at their hands, then back at him.

She ran her tongue over her lips.

God, what that did to him. He knew what her tongue felt like. Wanted to feel it again on his lips. Wanted to pull her close and press her soft, curvy body against him, and let her feel what she did to him.

You’re gonna regret this, Manley
.

Probably. But right now, he didn’t care. Today had been perfect. What was more perfect than ending it with her in his arms?

He brought her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. Beth’s gorgeous chocolate eyes followed him the whole way, her lips parting with a soft O she probably wasn’t even aware of.

But he was. He was aware of the quickened flutter in her throat and the way her eyes widened when he ran his thumb over the spot he’d just kissed before kissing it again.

They pulled up her driveway and Bryan reluctantly let go to maneuver the van into the garage.

Kelsey and Jason came out of their trances when the garage door went up and the light came on, but the three younger ones didn’t budge.

“I’ll carry them in if you can hold the doors.”

Beth shook her head and caught Jason by the sleeve as he went to walk past her. “Jase, take Tommy. Bryan will carry Mark and I’ll get Maggie. Kelsey, please hold the door for us.”

She peeled the sweaty, grimy clothes off her sleeping children, pulled on T-shirts, then tucked them into bed before heading into the kitchen to thank Bryan before he left.

She so didn’t want him to leave.

He handed her a glass of ice water when she walked in, then reached around her to turn off the kitchen light, so that only the moonlight filtering in through her greenhouse window above the kitchen sink and the sliders off the deck lit the room.

“Let’s go out on the deck,” he said, his voice so low she thought he’d hear the pounding of her heart over it.

Beth swallowed the sip of water she’d taken and preceded him onto the deck after he swept a hand forward for her to do so.

She watched him close the sliders behind him, allowing herself to enjoy every step he took until he was by her side.

She nervously sipped her water again, feeling Bryan’s eyes on her the entire time.

He took the glass from her when she’d finished. “Still thirsty?”

She shook her head. If she’d tried to say anything, she’d be a liar, because suddenly her mouth had dried up and it was all she could do to get that last little bit down her throat.

“I had a great time today,” he said, brushing a piece of hair from her forehead.

“Isn’t that supposed to be my line?” Look at her, coherent enough to joke with him. She never would have thought.

“It’s not a line.”

Okay, there went her knees melting again. They were going to do this. They were really going to do this.

What, exactly,
this
constituted remained to be seen, but Beth was more than ready to find out.

“I had a great time with you and your kids today, Beth. A better time than I can remember having in a long while.” He took a step closer and the butterflies in Beth’s stomach put in another appearance.

“You’re just saying that. You can’t tell me that being at a local amusement park outranks the Academy Awards.”

“It does if I’m not up for an award. And even then . . . that’s just the trappings of my profession. What we did today . . . that was real. What life’s about.”

Beth’s heart skipped a beat. What life was about? Where was he going with this? Movie stars didn’t commute to Hollywood from suburbia.

She licked her lips again. Couldn’t help it; they were so dry.

His gaze zeroed in on her mouth and the butterflies turned into dragonflies. Or better yet, just dragons because her insides were on fire, a bundle of twisting writhing threads of want and need and if
he
didn’t do
something
she was going to have to.

“Beth—”

“Bryan—”

They both did something. They leaned in and their lips met and it was as if they’d never left the amusement park. Beth’s stomach took the same twists and turns it had on the roller coasters and her body felt as if she were on the Tilt-A-Whirl again, only this time Bryan was smashed up against all of her and his arms were around her properly and she could run her hands all over his strong, sculpted back, dipping down to his waistline, the temptation to feel how perfect his butt was almost shocking her out of the moment.

Almost.

“God, Beth, I want you,” he murmured somewhere between her jaw and the hollow beneath her ear, his words tickling her skin while their meaning sent shivers throughout the rest of her.

This was it. The moment. Yes or no?

“Bryan—”

“I know. I get it. I’m leaving and you’re not that woman, but please, can I just kiss you and hold you a bit? I don’t have much time left and”—he planted another knee-melting kiss on her lips—“I want to know you, Beth. Want to explore what’s between us, even if it’s only through holding you and kissing you. I’ll never forget you, Beth Hamilton. You are one special lady.”

She was one
melting
lady. His desire, his respect, his control, the way he was with her kids . . . and her . . . She could fall in love with Bryan very easily.

“Yes, Bryan,” she said on a whisper before leaning in to kiss him. Yes to everything he wanted, and so much more that she did. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her aching breasts against his chest, his thin cotton T-shirt doing nothing to hide the perfection that was beneath it. God, she wanted this. Wanted him.

He grabbed her butt and pulled her against him.

He wanted her, too.

How was this going to happen? The logistics were a bit tricky since her room was beyond the others up the stairs. They’d have to pass all the kids’ rooms and she couldn’t set that sort of example for them.

Doomed before they even got started.

He leaned back against the deck railing and pulled her between his legs. There was no mistaking how much he wanted her and Beth couldn’t help the surge of pride that she’d done this to him. Her. Mother of five and he still wanted her.

It’s not as if he wants to marry
you; he’s a man and you’re a woman. Not that big of a deal.

Except it was to her. So she wasn’t going to let doubts or insecurities ruin this.

She tangled her fingers in his hair, loving the texture and the curls and the fact that she was kissing a new man and thoroughly enjoying every second of it and couldn’t get enough of doing it. The at-her-door fumbling on those other dates . . . Those were nothing compared to this.

He released her mouth and trailed his lips along her jaw, kissing every inch, then down along her throat. She tossed her head back, giving him better access, as every spot he touched made her see stars. God, the things this man’s touch did to her.

“You taste so sweet,” he whispered.

The night breeze brushed over her heated skin but that wasn’t the reason for the chills that suddenly enveloped her. No, she was placing the blame firmly at Bryan’s fingertips—literally, because he’d wrapped his arms around her so tightly that his fingers brushed the sides of her breasts, and, holy moly, what that did to her insides. And her outsides—her nipples were so tight they ached.

She moaned into the night air and it was enough to startle her into opening her eyes. Ohmygod. The full moon lit up her deck like a stage light, right where she was making out with Bryan Manley. Was she out of her mind? Anyone could see.

Even Jason and Kelsey if they looked out the window.

“Bryan . . .” She pulled her fingers from his hair and braced them against his biceps. “Someone might see.”

He took one last kiss on her collarbone, and nuzzled the skin just below it, making her nipples tingle all over again before he lifted his head.

“I guess,” he sighed. “But, God, Beth, I’ve wanted to do that all day. And so much more.”

“We can’t.”

“I know.”

“It’s, well, it’s not smart.”

“I know.”

“And we couldn’t, that is, my room, it’s beyond the kids’.”

“Oh, trust me. I know exactly where your room is.”

Her body heated at the thought of him in there, touching her things. Holding them, setting them back in place. Seeing the most intimate part of her house, where she slept and dreamed and ached about him.

She’d been alone for so long.

“The tree fort.” The words were out of her mouth before she’d even thought of them.

“The what?”

She couldn’t back down now. She’d said it and, frankly, the idea of making love to Bryan in the tree fort—where no one would ever know, where it’d be just them—held huge appeal.

“The tree fort.” She nodded at the big oak at the back corner of her yard. “We could go there.”

Bryan smiled that devastating smile and kissed the tip of her nose before he put some space between them. “As tempting as that idea sounds, and as much as you make me feel like a teenager, Beth, I am not about to make love to you in a tree fort. I have a lot more class than that and you deserve so much better.”

Forget class; she wanted him so badly she’d consider this deck if it had a roof so her kids wouldn’t accidentally see. The hell with the neighbors. They could all eat their hearts out.

Ohmygod, who was this woman? Exhibitionism? What was the man capable of driving her to?

He drew the backs of his fingers down her cheek, then ran the pad of his thumb over her lips. “Plus, it’s not the right time now. I have to leave for the set soon, and you, well, you have all this to handle. You’re not a one-night woman and I’m not about to make you compromise your principles. You don’t need that or me to complicate your life.”

“But what if I want you to complicate my life?” Again, who was this woman, and thank God she’d shown up.

“Ah, Beth, you tempt me to do just that.” He kissed her quickly—not nearly long enough. “But I couldn’t live with myself.”

And he wouldn’t be living with her. That was unsaid but hanging between them.

She ought to be glad he was so thoughtful. Glad that he respected her and her kids enough to not take her up on her offer. But that didn’t mean it didn’t suck.

He leaned his forehead against hers. “Thank you for an amazing day. I’ll never forget it. And I’ll never forget this.” He nudged her nose so he could look her in the eye. “I’ll never forget you.”

 • • • 

W
ALKING
away from Beth was the hardest thing he’d ever had to do. He left her on her deck, leaning against the railing, her hair messed from his fingers, her lips swollen from his kisses, her nipples clearly outlined beneath her T-shirt, and he’d felt the dampness between her thighs when he’d pressed his knee between them. Heard her sigh when he’d run his tongue along her throat.

And that tree fort idea . . .

He shook his head as he got into the truck, adjusting himself so he could sit comfortably in the bucket seats, but he had a feeling he’d never sit comfortably around Beth again. He wanted her. Badly. And she’d wanted him. Had offered him
the tree fort
of all places. For a second he’d considered it, but then . . . no. What he’d said was true. Sure, it’d slake the passion for the moment, but making love to Beth was a moment to treasure, not one to hurriedly get through in the kids’ tree fort. If he ever took Beth to bed, it’d be with all the romantic bells and whistles: champagne, rose petals, soft music, and a bed big enough that they could enjoy themselves in so many ways because once he got her into bed, he’d never want to get out of it.

He pulled out of the driveway and saw Beth in her room, her silhouette illuminated by the tiny strand of lights she had in the silk tree in her sitting room. She was watching him drive away, when all he wanted to do was be up there with her.

He shifted gears, glad for the distraction. He wanted Beth, but he couldn’t have her. For all that the tabloids called him a playboy, this nobleness was going to kill him.