Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Clara
Damn, but it felt good to tease and please Beckett.
I’d certainly planned on making it happen at some point tonight but discovering him naked in the shower had been an unexpected opportunity I was not about to pass up.
Now, wearing one of his shirts and a pair of old sweatpants I’d somehow left here at one point, I watched him make and serve food. He wore nothing but boxer briefs and a large t-shirt … and it was an excellent view. But my mind started to whirl.
I could already hear the questions, the “I knew it” statements from people we hardly spoke to, and the “I told you so” from people in our lives who have been listening to us say that we’re just friends for over a decade.
Then there were whispers that I was a gold-digger.
Not that Foxhollow Ridge was somehow a destination for the elites of the world, but Beckett’s family had helped establish Foxhollow Ridge generations ago.
And there used to be some sort of social hierarchy back in the day.
But neither of his parents had ever joined politics or anything of the sort, outside of his mom being part of the PTA while the boys were in school.
Meanwhile, my family name didn’t have any wealth or generations of powerful people behind it. My maternal grandparents moved here only about fifty years ago, when my mom was a young child. My dad’s side of the family had been here for longer, but not enough to grant any kind of social standing.
I’d gotten looks from plenty of girls and their moms when Beckett had escorted me to all of our school dances and functions. I’d just thought my classmates were jealous because Beckett didn’t show any interest in dating them. I hadn’t let it take up too much mental real estate.
Not until the day after our senior prom when Beckett and I went as friends and Cassidy Miller’s mom called me a “gold-digging tease” under her breath as I stood behind her in line at the coffee shop.
Cassidy Miller and I had never been friends, but I also hadn’t realized her mother had disliked me so much.
After that, people had gotten more brazen with their thinly or not-at-all veiled comments.
Things had settled after we all graduated college and either moved away or didn’t see each other much anymore.
Then, I took over the boutique and brought local artists and artisans, including Cassidy’s sister, Nora, and their wares to the shop.
The rumors had dissipated entirely – or at least were nowhere near where I could hear them.
But now that Beckett and I were … whatever this was, it would only get worse. I could already hear it. “The Whitlock girl is such a tease.”
Or worse, “He’s settling for her.”
My heart squeezed. Oh god, what if that’s what was happening? What if all of this was just because I’m here and convenient?
“Where’d you go?” Beckett’s voice broke through the noise in my head. I looked up and there he was, across the table from me, concern written all over his face.
“What?” I didn’t know what to say. How could I possibly explain that I knew what people would say about us before we even brought up the topic of an ‘us’? How could I tell him I was afraid that he was only interested because I’m right there?
I couldn’t.
“Just now. You thought of something and you jumped down whatever rabbit hole it was.”
Heat rushed to my cheeks. “Busted. You know me really well.” I couldn’t decide if that was a good thing. I took a bite of my food to avoid saying anything else.
Beckett grinned across the table. “I think so, but I’m also learning all kinds of new information about you.”
Those words along with that smirk on his face made heat flush elsewhere.
I was definitely attracted to him, no doubt about that.
But was that all he wanted? To finally get in my pants?
He’d never made a move before, and there’d been plenty of times over the years when he could have. So why now? What changed?
I still didn’t know what to say, and I kept pushing food around on my plate instead of speaking.
I knew Beckett saw my nerves, even if he didn’t know what caused them. He always did. He stood, came around the table, pulled my chair and turned it to face him, and knelt in front of me.
I could hardly look at him.
Beckett gripped my chin, not enough to hurt but to make me pay attention. “Clara, let me say this. No matter what changes between us, you can still tell me anything. I will always be here for you.”
I knew that. Well, I kind of assumed it. “It was nothing really, just noise.” This beautiful, massive man on a knee in front me with worry in his eyes, knew where all of my skeletons were hidden, so hearing me talking about my insecurities wouldn’t be anything new.
But we were becoming something new. Uncharted territory, or whatever. I knew deep in my bones that Beckett would go back to being just best friends if that’s what I wanted – if I decided the pressure and expectations was too much. Real or imagined.
“You’re down another rabbit hole, Clara.” Beckett’s voice was soft, more concern underlying it.
“Sorry.”
“You don’t need to apologize. I want to know where your mind is because I care about you.”
“It wasn’t anything interesting – noise, like I said.
” I shook my head. I so did not want to have this conversation right now.
I wanted to go back to the little bubble of desire and pleasure and exploring what the physical could mean between us.
I wanted to ignore the voices in my head trying to convince me I was a temporary guest in his bed.
I stared at his lips and then flicked my gaze back up to his. “Beckett,” I whispered, running my fingers through his hair and pulling him close. “Kiss me again.”
Beckett leaned in and took my mouth with his. It was tentative at first, until I tugged on his hair.
I didn’t think he would drop the conversation so easily, but he seemed wholly content to distract me.
Beckett tugged me off the chair, but he wouldn’t let me sit on the floor with him. Instead, he stood and bent to capture my mouth with his, his hands lifting the hem of the shirt I borrowed. I hummed as he skimmed his fingers along the bare skin of my lower back.
My blood heated and I reached up to wrap my hands around his neck, content to do nothing else for the rest of the night except kiss him.
It felt natural to kiss Beckett, but the height difference made it awkward for my neck.
I fisted a hand in the front of his t-shirt and pulled him to his couch.
I pushed him so that he sat first, and I straddled his lap.
Beckett reached for me, pulling me close, and started to explore my neck with his mouth. I tipped my head back to give him easier access, lost to the feel of him beneath me. Every part of me was on fire, and I rolled my hips against his lap.
I gasped when Beckett slid one hand under the fabric of my borrowed shirt to cup and knead my breast. I pulled the shirt over my head, and Beckett paused to trace his fingers down the column of my throat, down my chest and along the outside of one of my breasts before he did the same to the other side.
“Oh, my little wren, you are so beautiful.”
I blushed at his compliment. I ran my fingers through his hair, not yet fully dry. He closed his eyes and sighed as I gently scratched along his scalp with my nails.
“That feels so nice.”
I “hmmed,” and continued. “When was the last time someone played with your hair?”
“Never, unless you count when I get it cut.”
I grinned to myself. “I do not.”
“Then, never.”
“None of your girlfriends ever played with your hair?” I couldn’t believe it. His hair was so soft, and just long enough to run my fingers through.
Beckett sighed. “I guess they weren’t interested.”
“Their loss.” I whispered.
He tightened his grip on my hips, and I let my hands fall to his shoulders. He looked up at me, desire clear in his gaze. I felt his hardness through the layers of clothes, and I wanted to feel him inside of me.
But I wasn’t sure I could cross that final line, not yet. He must have seen the hesitation on my face, because he said, “We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, Clara. You are in complete control.”
Well, then. That was a heady piece of information. My entire body burned with need and demanded release. Again.
I leaned to kiss him, and I rolled my hips as our lips met. The pressure and friction together created a jolt of pleasure. God, it felt so good.
I rolled my hips again, my body operating with a mind of its own.
Beckett kissed me, and he flexed his fingers on my hips, urging me and guiding me until I was positioned on his thigh.
I hesitated for a moment, having never done anything like this before.
“Don’t stop, Clara.” Beckett whispered his encouragement against my neck.
I found a rhythm with my hips that put the right amount of pressure on my throbbing core.
“That’s it, Clara. Look at you, so beautiful as you straddle me. That’s it, keep going.”
I wouldn’t stop, couldn’t stop.
“Beckett,” I whispered.
“I’m right here with you, Clara.” Beckett kissed my shoulder as he encouraged me. “Keep going, I’ve got you.”
The front door swung open and Noah strolled in. “Hey, Beckett, I – Clara? What the – OH, shit.”