Not In My Wildest Dreams (Dream Series) (17 page)

I
landed at Napa County Airport shortly after ten-thirty at night. I rented a car, a convertible, looking forward to a few sunny California days and prayed rain wasn’t in the forecast. I knew the scenery was beautiful and was somewhat disappointed that I had to drive it in the dark, but the lack of such vistas allowed my mind to plan scenario after scenario of what I’d do when I saw Beth. It had been four agonizing days, more than half of which I’d spent sauced. Would she be outside? Would I have to knock on her door? What if
he
was home? Would I be able to keep from decking him like I had surfer boy years ago? I know he is her husband, but she had left him for a reason. And I know she thought she was doing the right thing by giving him a second chance, but he was not worthy of someone like her. He let her go. I wasn’t going to let Beth go—ever. We were too perfect together.

I checked into the Hilton Sonoma shortly after eleven, eager for tomorrow—when I saw her. My Breath… My Beth. I should have been exhausted with the full day in New York and the six and a half hour flight, but my mind was not to be quieted. I took a hot shower, and chose to knock one off hoping that the expenditure would make me somewhat tired. I kept the knowledge that Beth was only a half an hour drive from me prominently in mind to get the job done. I thought about her eyes… her ears… her neck…her mouth. I fisted my dick roughly. I needed it rough. I needed to feel.

I recalled her standing before me blindfolded. I thought about her pink skin after I’d flogged her gorgeous back. I lost it when I remembered her ass pointed at me. She was so willing in all things. She trusted me. I imagined taking her ass with my cock. My grip tightened, quickened and I exploded with a roar.

Feeling somewhat relieved, and a little more ready for sleep, I finished my shower, dried off, and slipped into the crisp cotton sheets. I filled my thoughts with knowing that tomorrow I’d see her. Tomorrow would be my reward. Tomorrow, my heart would start to repair. There was no way she was going to say no to me. Just as I knew she trusted me, I had to trust that our connection was unbreakable.

I must have been more tired than I realized because I woke up at nine the next morning. It was already time for lunch back in New York. I got out of bed and was so tense, I decided to hit the hotel’s gym after a light bite in the restaurant. It’d been days since I’d worked out. Everyone must have been out touring the local vineyards, because the gym was empty. That was fine by me. I put myself through a punishing routine. Two hours later, feeling invigorated, I headed back to my room, and showered for my reunion with my heart.

Opting for California casual, I dressed in khakis and a polo. I pulled up the email from Becca with Beth’s address, and plugged it into the car’s GPS. Around one in the afternoon, I pulled up to her house and parked across the street. The house was not as I imagined. Somehow I had pictured a farm style house, like the place in Colorado where I’d first seen her. But there wasn’t a swing in the front yard tree. There was a large wrap around porch, but it was precisely arranged, not the warm collection of her childhood home. This was a house, not a home.

This house was new. And large. Current stylings. Nothing old world. A ranch. The only thing that said “Elizabeth” on this home, in my opinion, was the elegant wreath on the front door. Otherwise, it was cold. Yes, the home had a lovely view of vineyards, and I hoped there was a large deck off the back so Beth could sit and enjoy it, because the front was unbelievably prim and lacking in personality.

I turned off the ignition, climbed out of the car, and walked up to the front door. Taking a few cleansing breaths, and wiping my sweaty hands on my pants, I rang the doorbell, then knocked a few times for good measure. Waiting for her to open the door, I felt like a high school kid picking up his girlfriend for a first date.

I ran through my number one choice of opening lines that I was going to use, but then I started to go through the other opening lines I’d come up with on the drive. Which was the right approach? Declare that I love her and tell her I’m fighting for her? Or do I take the casual approach, that I happen to be in town for business? What if someone else answers, like her asshat husband? God, I hope not. I truly feared that if he answered, I might punch him in the face.

Peeking in the windows, I noted that everything was immaculate, but it also looked as if no one was home. I rang the bell again and checked the time. Had she looked out of the windows and seen me? Was she avoiding me? My heart ached at the possibility.

I pulled out my phone, and pressed speed dial.

“Yeah, boss. What can I do for ya?” Peter answered.

“I need a favor. Remember you were telling me about how you had to track Natasha a few weeks ago using her cellphone to find her and some GPS thing?”

“Yeah, sure. What do you need to know? I found her at the—”

“I don’t need to know where you found
her,
” I interrupted. “I need to find someone else. How do I do that?”

Peter guided me step-by-step in finding and downloading the app I would need. Then I entered in Beth’s cell phone number and let the app do its thing. I prayed that she had the GPS locator activated on her phone and when my phone vibrated and pinged indicating a successful find, my heart leapt for joy. She wasn’t at home. She was somewhere downtown. I hopped in the rental and initiated the turn-by-turn of the mapping program to get me to where Beth’s phone was.

Twenty-five minutes later, I turned into a parking lot of the
Napa Valley Women’s Medical Center
and my blood ran cold. Why was she
here
? Was she okay? I fought every instinct in my body telling me to run to her and hold her. Sit with her and hold her hand while she went through whatever she was going through.

T
he next hour and half was agony. I tried convincing myself that she was going for a routine visit that women had to do. Did she think she’d gotten some STD while with me and that Southern boy? Well, if she did, it was from him, not me. But Kevin didn’t seem to be the kind of guy that was screwing chicks with STDs or carrying one himself. I might not like the guy, especially the fact that he was with Beth in the biblical way, but I had to be honest. Maybe it was one of those yeast things. I’d heard that too much sex could do that to a woman.

“Nine. But give me ten…please,”
I remembered her saying that day she’d come to my home and she begged me to make love to her, then she asked for punishment. Ten pops of the riding crop.

Sitting in my rented car, staring at the door, watching women enter and exit was torture. Every time someone came out, I had to look two or three times to make sure it wasn’t her. A couple of times I’d walked up to the clinic’s door, and one of those times I had my hand on the handle. I was going to barge in and demand to see Beth and know what was wrong. But I didn’t want to embarrass her.

“Please God,” I prayed. “Let Beth be fine.” I sat, and confessed my sins from the past thirty some-odd years.

Finally the door opened and she came out. I didn’t have to look more than once. I knew it was her at in an instant. My heart knew it. My cock knew it. She was as beautiful as ever, wearing a pair of faded jeans and a bright pink top. She held the door and a blonde woman, whom I assumed was Jessica from all that Beth had told me about her best friend from the third grade, came out and the two walked together to a black Lexus SUV. Beth looked fine. Tired, but fine. But her friend looked emotionally worn out. Maybe Beth was here for her friend? That had to be it. Beth was fine. Please. She had to be fine.

Beth opened the door for her friend to get in on the passenger side of the Lexus, but before Beth got into the drivers seat, she glanced at my car. She spotted me before I could duck into my seat. Maybe I wanted her to spot me. I wish I could have read her face. It was like twenty emotions hitting her at one time. Quickly, I got out and stood. Beth stood frozen. I extended my hand for her to take it. She eyed my hand, then searched my eyes. I knew what I was asking was wrong. She had chosen to come back to California. She was out with her friend for some medical reason. And I’d ambushed her.

Then, before I knew it, she was in front of me. My breathing quickened. I could smell her trademark rosemary shampoo and Chanel Mademoiselle perfume. I eyed her mouth. Her tender lips. I wanted to crush my mouth on hers. I wanted to nibble her lip. I wanted to run my hands on her gorgeous neck.

“Are you okay? Please tell me you are okay?” I asked, barely able to make the words.

She nodded and swallowed. “Nice convertible. What are you doing here?”

“I had business in San Francisco this past weekend,” I lied. If she’d only known that I was drunk as shit three days earlier.

“You shouldn’t be here,” she said, her eyes darting all around as she surveyed the parking lot.

“I couldn’t help it, Beth.” Her eyes fluttered closed and she lowered her head.

“I love when you call me that,” she whispered.

I crooked my finger under her chin and tilted her face back to mine. “You are still my breath. And my Beth. You always will be.” I eyed the door of the medical center. “And you are telling the truth? You’re okay?”

“Yes. I’m here with Jessica. She had some tests today, so I drove her,” she said, her voice shaking slightly.

“Is she okay?”

“We’ll know in a few days.” She turned and glanced at her car. “Listen, we’re headed to a late lunch. It was good seeing you. Have a safe flight back to New York.”

“I’m not going back for a few days. Can I see you?”

“Jack,” she sighed.

“I’d like to take you to dinner. There’s a lovely place in Saint Helena. Tra Vigne.”

“I know it,” she giggled and bit her lip, the one I desperately want to suck into my mouth, and then started laughing.

“What is so funny?” I asked.

“It’s on Charter Oak Avenue. An interesting coincidence.” Yes, an interesting coincidence that the restaurant would be on the street with the same name as our hometown.

“Fate,” I said, the desire in my voice evident, even to me. I hoped she heard it. “Tonight. I’ll pick you up at six-thirty.”

“You can’t possibly—”

“Stay away from you. No I can’t,” I finished. “Please. I need to know that you’re okay.”

She didn’t reply right away. She stared deeply into my eyes. I saw what I needed to see. We weren’t over. I had a chance. No, I had more than a chance.

“And what am I supposed to tell Greg? That I’m going to dinner with you?” she asked.

“Tell him you’re going out with an
old friend,
” I offered. The choice of words was not lost on her. She remembered as well as I did our encounter in the lobby with Kevin.

“I’ll think about it. I’ll text you yes or no. But Jessica is in the car and—” she started.

“Of course. Go. Enjoy lunch. I’ll see you tonight.”

“You’re awfully confident.”

I just smiled. I was confident. Standing next to Beth, I was invincible.

I
pulled out ingredients for dinner and poured myself a glass of chardonnay. I had been a lousy lunch date for Jessica. Today was about her. Today, Jess was getting a biopsy due to some abnormalities on her mammogram that her sister, Kimmy had taken her to last Friday. I don’t know who was more terrified, Jess or me. Yet neither of us would let the other know it. We didn’t have to, thirty-five years of friendship is good for that. Jack’s unexpected appearance caught me more than a little off guard, but created a delightful distraction for Jessica. I finally spilled and filled her in on the finale of my New York adventure.