Love's Road Home (31 page)

Oh, God, she would love to. But she knew what had happened the last time they’d showered together, and it was too soon for that. No water acrobatics when he needed to recuperate.

Beth gave Tom a final kiss before turning him around and slapping his firm
tush
. "No, you go ahead. We’ll finish this later. In bed."

He took two steps toward the bathroom before looking back, his brow cocked. "You sure?" He carefully pulled his shirt over his head while swinging his slim hips to and fro, teasing her with his sexy movements. "I can make you feel real good."

A choked laugh escaped Beth’s throat. She shoved at his back, her fingers lingering just a touch too long on its broad expanse. "Go! Before I throw you down on the floor and have my way with you. Go, you stinky man!"

Her last comment stopped him cold, the grin spreading across his face now frozen in place. He lifted an arm and took a sniff. And coughed.

"Good lord, sweetheart, why didn’t you tell me I reeked before you let me touch you?"

Beth smiled. "Because I love it when you touch me, smelly or not."

An expression came over his face that she’d never seen before. It was both sweet and serious. Tender and sincere.

Tom stepped forward and slid a gentle hand down her cheek as he looked deep into her eyes. "I love you, Bethany. Don’t ever forget that."

"I love you, too, Tom. And I won’t."

She swore his dark eyes were glistening just before he pressed his mouth to hers once again. The barest touch of his lips, the slightest tickle of his warm breath.

And then he was gone.

•

Ignoring the doctor’s instructions to keep his bandages dry for forty-eight hours, Tom stepped into the warm spray and let the water run over every inch of his body. Washing up left-handed was difficult, but he somehow managed to finish in under ten minutes.

He quickly toweled off, then pulled on a loose pair of gray sweatpants and left his feet bare. He would need Beth’s assistance to change the wet dressings on his arm, but after that...well, let’s just say he had plans for the rest of the night.

Tom left the bathroom and saw Beth replacing the phone receiver. "Did someone call? Was it about the case?"

She turned toward him but didn’t meet his gaze. "No, nobody called here. I, um, called room service to order dinner."

Tom crossed the room to her side. "My intention was to feast on you,
darlin
’," he murmured before leaning down to kiss her throat. A tiny red mark was all that remained of Beth’s physical encounter with Casey, and once again Tom felt grateful nothing more had happened to her.

Beth’s hands crept up between them, pressing warmly against his bare chest. "Tom, you need to eat." Her fingers danced lazily across his flesh, brushing lightly over his nipples and ribcage, leaving barely restrained lust in their wake. She looked up at him through her eyelashes, biting at her lower lip. "And you probably need a pain pill by now. You haven’t taken one since we left the hospital."

Damn. Now that she’d mentioned it, his arm was throbbing quite a bit.

"Okay. We’ll eat and I’ll take a pill." She started to smile. "But don’t think I’m not going to have my way with you tonight."

"Well, duh!" Beth rolled her eyes at him. "Why do you think I want you to eat? You’ll need your strength for later, baby!"

They both laughed, and Tom’s heart swelled with emotion. She was everything to him, and he’d cherish her always.

"Hey, if the food’s not coming for a while, could you help me change these wet bandages?" He lifted his right arm and saw the humor fade from Beth’s face.

"Of course! Why didn’t you say something as soon as you came out? It must itch like crazy!"

Her concern for him was overwhelming, and Tom knew it wasn’t borne of selfishness. Beth wanted him for himself, not for his rising musician status or what he could do for her. And that wasn’t something he was used to, especially after dating Marissa.

As she unwrapped the Ace bandage and peeled off the layers of gauze, Tom watched her expression get more and more subdued. By the time his swollen, angry-looking wound was exposed to the air, her beautiful blue eyes were shimmering with unshed tears.

She gently trailed a finger alongside the dark row of tiny stitches running from the bottom of his palm to the middle of his forearm. "Oh, Tom," she whispered, then exhaled a shaky breath.

He carefully cupped the back of her head and pulled it forward, pressing a kiss to her brow before leaning his forehead against hers. "
Shh
, sweetheart. It’s over now."

He pulled back and used his thumb to brush an escaped tear from her cheek. "Starting tonight, it’s only about us. Okay? No looking back."

She straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin, a look of determination coming into her eyes. "You’re right. It’s over, and we have things to look forward to—like planning our wedding."

Oh, man. He’d completely forgotten she’d agreed to marry him. What a freaking idiot.

Tom shook his head and gave a self-deprecating chuckle.

"What’s so funny?"

"Nothing, honey." He continued to silently berate himself. "Are you sure you know what you’re getting into with me? I can be a jerk sometimes."

Beth narrowed her eyes. "I have no idea what you’re thinking of, but I can definitely tell you that you were a jerk last night!"

"Last night?" Tom indicated his injured arm. "I’m a jerk because I got hurt?"

As if in pain, Beth closed her eyes and briefly pressed a hand to her temple. Then she gestured impatiently at him, glaring all the while. "No,
doofus
, you were a jerk because you embarrassed the hell out of me with that dedication!"

"Are you telling me my emotional plea didn’t sway you in the least?" he teased.

"No! In fact, I want you despite what you did." She laid her hands on his shoulders and gave them a little shake. "Promise me you’ll never do something like that again. Promise!"

"Hey, I don’t need to do it again. You already gave me the answer I needed to hear." With his good hand, Tom unclamped Beth’s fingers and brought her palm to his mouth for a light kiss before pressing it to the center of his chest. He kept a firm grip on her hand as he continued, "But I can’t predict what’s going to happen as Roadhouse gets bigger. The media can’t be controlled, and our personal lives—"

"Won’t be our own anymore. I know." Beth tugged her hand free and stepped closer, sliding her arms around his neck. "I can handle it, Tom. I can handle whatever I need to as long as we’re together."

"Even if it means touring?"

She hesitated. "Well, actually, I’ve been thinking about that..."

"And?" He slid his arm around her waist, holding her tight against him. She was killing him here.

"And I was hoping to find an accounting job in
Savannah
. Maybe something with a temp agency so I’d have a more flexible schedule and could be with you on the road sometimes."

She dropped her gaze to stare in the vicinity of his Adam’s apple. "But—and don’t take this the wrong way, because I really do love you—I don’t know if I want to travel with you all the time. I just..."

"
Shh
." He dropped a kiss on the bridge of her nose. "It’s okay. You don’t have to explain anything."

She looked up, eyes wide.

"Whatever makes you comfortable is fine with me. But know this,
darlin
’. I’ll always be true to you, and you’ll always be in my heart, even if we’re apart for a little while. Just keep faith in me, and we’ll get through whatever comes our way."

Bethany
leaned into him and hugged him tight, confirming what Tom already knew: They were going to make it.

•

Beth carefully finished re-bandaging Tom’s arm just in time for dinner to arrive. They spent the next hour lingering over a light meal of sandwiches and fruit, talking about the future, the past, and, ultimately, the present.

"You really have to take a pill now, Tom. I can see how uncomfortable you are." Beth stretched over the small table littered with empty dishes to trace the lines on his forehead, wishing she could take the pain away.

"I’m uncomfortable because I’ve had a raging hard-on for hours, and you’ve forced me to wait." He pulled her hand down to kiss her knuckles. "Besides, those pills make me loopy, and I want all my faculties intact so I can take care of you the right way." Tom stood and pulled her out of her seat. "Let’s go, sweetheart. My patience is at its end."

Beth planted her feet. "Tell you what. You take a pain pill, and I will take care of you the right way. You just have to lie back and enjoy."

He smiled and lifted a brow. "Now there’s an offer I can’t refuse."

"Good. Now go take your medicine and get into bed. I’m just going to clean this mess up and put the cart outside."

Beth wanted no interruptions. Truth be told, she was probably more eager to make love than Tom was. She loved talking to him, listening to his sexy southern voice, but she wanted physical reassurance that he was all right. And what better way to affirm that than to link their hearts and bodies as one?

She pushed the room service cart into the hall, hung the ‘Do not disturb’ sign on the door, then closed and locked it. Beth turned to see Tom stripping out of his sweats, leaving his entire body free to be devoured by her hungry eyes.

And her lips, and her tongue …

Oh, yeah. This was going to be fun.

"I’ll be out in a minute," she said, heading toward the bathroom.

"I’m not going anywhere," Tom replied as he tossed back the quilted bedcover and slid beneath the sheet. "But hurry anyway."

Beth concluded her bathroom business in what she considered to be record time. Yet when she re-entered the main room, there was no eager greeting called to her. Instead she heard only the soft sounds of even inhalations and exhalations.

He was sleeping?

Those pills apparently did more than make him loopy. They knocked him out cold.

She sighed.

Leaving only one small lamp on, Beth shed her clothes and got into the king-size bed next to Tom. He lay on his back, his injured arm near the edge of the mattress, allowing her, at the very least, to hold him as he slept.

She rested her arm on his chest, content to feel the steady beat of his heart beneath her palm. But then, of their own volition, her fingers slid over his warm skin to tangle in the wiry hairs between his nipples, and moved further down his torso to the thicker patch of hair below his navel.

Just one touch, that’s all she wanted.

Beth leaned up and pushed the sheet away from Tom’s lower body. He stirred restlessly but otherwise seemed unaware of her actions.

She traced a finger over his semi-erect penis, watching as it grew harder, bigger beneath her gentle caress. Then she cupped his testicles, felt their weight shifting in her palm.

He was irresistible.

She didn’t necessarily want to disturb his needed sleep, but there was no way she could stop now.

One taste was all she needed. Then she’d let him be.

She scooted down so her mouth was even with his now full erection. Tucking her hair behind her ears, she leaned over to run her tongue up his shaft, one lick from base to tip.