Page 101 of Summer Weddings
No!her heart cried, but she didn’t say the word. “Do…do you want to go?”
He didn’t answer.
Bethany stood up, pressing the tips of her fingers to her forehead. “Stop. Please, just stop. I want to know what’s wrong. Did I do something?”
“No. Good heavens, no.” He seemed astonished that she’d even asked. “It isn’t anything you’ve done.”
Mitch stood on one side of the kitchen and she on the other. “It’s my fault,” he said in a voice so quiet she had difficulty hearing him. “You haven’t done anything, but—” He stopped abruptly.
“What?”she pleaded. “Tell me.”
“Listen, Bethany, I think it would be best if I did leave.” With that, he walked purposefully into the living room and retrieved his coat from the small entryway closet.
Although the room was warm and cozy, Bethany felt a sudden chill. She crossed her arms as much to ward off the sense of cold as to protect herself from Mitch’s words. “It’s back to that, is it?” she managed sadly. From the first day in September, Mitch had been running away from her. Every time they made any progress, something would happen to show her how far they had yet to go.
His hand on the doorknob, he abruptly turned to face her.When he spoke his voice was hoarse with anger. “I can’t be alone with you without wanting to kiss you.”
She stared at him in disbelief. “We’ve kissed before.” There had been those memorable passionate kisses. And more recently, affectionate kisses of greeting and farewell. “What’s so different now?”
“We’re alone.”
“Yes, I know.” She still didn’t understand.
He shook his head, as if it was difficult to continue. “Don’t you see, Bethany?”
Obviously she didn’t.
“With Chrissie or anyone else around, the temptation is minimized. But when it’s just the two of us, I can’t think about anything else!” The last sentence was ground out between clenched teeth. “Don’t you realize how much I want to make love to you?”
“Is that so terrible?” she asked quietly.
“Yes.” The only sound she could hear was the too-fast beating of her own heart. She could see Mitch’s pulse hammering in the vein in his neck.
“I can’t let it happen,” he told her, his back straight, shoulders stiff.
“For your information, making love requires two people,” Bethany told him simply. “I wish you’d said something earlier. We could’ve talked about this…arrived at some understanding. It’s true,” she added, “the thought of us becoming…intimate has crossed my mind—but I wouldn’t have allowed it to happen. Not yet, anyway. It’s too soon.”
Without a word, Mitch closed the distance between them. With infinite tenderness he wove his fingers through her hair, and buried his lips against her throat. “You tempt me so much.”
She sighed and wrapped her arms around him.
“Feeling this way frightens me, Bethany. Overwhelms me.”
“We can’t run from it, Mitch, or pretend it doesn’t exist.”
His hands trembled as they slid down her spine, molding her against him. His kiss was slow and melting, and so thorough she was left breathless. She rested her head against his shoulder.
“I guess this means I can put away the celery,” she whispered.
“The celery?”
“When the catalog order came, I didn’t receive the mistletoe. The slip said it’s on back order. I talked to my mom earlier today and told her how disappointed I was—and she suggested celery as a substitute. So I nailed a piece over the doorway. Apparently you didn’t notice.”
Mitch chuckled hoarsely. “You know what I like best about you?”
“You mean other than my kisses?”
“Yes.”
