Free The Best Man by Ana Blaze Page B

didn’t agree, but he’d respect her wishes. 
    “We jumped into this too fast and now things are getting out of hand.” Was she trying to convince him or herself, now?
    “I disagree.”
    Beth let out a heavy sigh. “Col—”
    “I disagree, but of course I’ll stay elsewhere if you don’t want me here.”
    Want him? She resisted the urge to explain that not wanting him wasn’t the problem at all, and stood up. Her legs trembled and she rested her palm on his shoulder to steady herself. Colin covered her fingers with his hand. She glanced down and gave him a little smile. “Want some water?”
    “Please.”
    Beth fetched him a cold bottle from the fridge before ducking into her room to freshen up.
    It was official … she was a freak. Beth was sending away a sensitive and sexy man, who’d injured himself to help her and was undoubtedly the best lover she’d ever had, because he wanted to marry her. Someday, when she was eighty and still alone, she’d tell this story over martinis at some sassy, spinster’s club. They’d all stare like she was growing horns. Beth replaced her wrinkled work clothes with an old pair of jeans and an oversized sweatshirt. Chastity armor -- it couldn’t hurt.
    Colin was sitting on the couch when she returned, his head resting in his hands. His suitcase and garment bag were waiting near the door.
    “Were you able to find a room for tonight?” she asked.
    “Yes,” he replied
    “I’m sorry.”
    Colin looked up and shook his head. “You needn’t be.”
    “It’s not that I don’t like you, really. I just —” Beth wrung her hands. It’s just that I can’t stop touching you long enough for the lust clouds to clear. Yeah, that was something a normal woman said.
    “Will you join me for dinner?”
    “What?”
    “You didn’t expect me to give up, did you?”
    “Colin, I —”
    “I want you to be my wife, love. I’m asking for a lifetime. I’m willing to spend a few days convincing you.”
    A taxi horn blaring outside interrupted her response. Colin stood up, kissed her cheek, and collected his luggage. “Dinner?”
    “Not tonight.”
    “I’ll call tomorrow then.” He smiled warmly before turning away.
    Was it wrong to hope he really would call?
    Beth shook her head. She needed a more practical man. She needed a man who didn’t rip his soul open two days after meeting someone and ask her to do the same. Still, she couldn’t deny the charm of the man who’d done just that.
    Going back to work was out of the question. Beth knew her coworkers well; they’d be full of questions she wasn’t ready to answer. She flopped on the couch, used the remote to turn on the television and perused the daytime programming options. Talk show, talk show, cooking show, talk show, made-for-TV movie about a woman searching for her teenage daughter, and another talk show: nothing distracting enough to keep her from dwelling on or calling Colin. Beth gave her DVD collection a quick perusal. Normally a little Sleepless in Seattle or Notting Hill could be counted upon to cheer her up. Today, she knew better.
    Instead, she pulled on her favorite work-out clothes and headed to the complex’s gym. She cranked up a bit of angry girl music on her iPod and hopped on a treadmill.  Her body exhausted far more quickly than her mind. Swiping the back of her hand across her forehead, Beth paused the machine and stepped off for a water break. A familiar face appeared in front of her almost instantly.
    “Hey, Beth.” Casey grinned broadly. “Putting in your time on treadmill, huh?”
    Captain Obvious strikes again. Beth, careful to rein her temper, took several swallows from her water bottle. Casey wasn’t really the culprit responsible for her bad mood; he didn’t deserve to be punished for it. “Yup.”
    “Looking good. You should talk to me if you want to add some weights to your routine. You wouldn’t want to bulk up, but some light weight, lots of reps — helps keep things