Page 98 of Third Time is the Charm
So, she kissed him as though it was the only thing keeping her alive. She kissed him as though, when their lips broke, he would be lost to her forever. She kissed him with the promise that this embrace would continue tonight… and tomorrow… and the next day… forever.
Beth finally pulled back when she felt like most of the tension had left his body. Her eyes opened, searching for his; his gaze was still wary, tinted slightly with anger and the briefest touch of defiance. She knew there would always be that part of him that wanted him to refuse her idea, throw her over his shoulder, tie her to the bed, and go take care of Caroline on his own.
But that part was no longer dominant.
“I have to get going,” she whispered.
His jaw muscles flexed for a second before he nodded. “I’ll meet you back here before the ball. We’ll go together.”
She nodded, knowing that even though he agreed to her decision to be the bait, he wasn’t going to let her do it without being by her side the entire time.
“What are you doing this morning?” she asked, picking up her bags.
“I’m going to go take care of some things for tonight,” he said cryptically.
“Security?” He just stared at her in acknowledgement. “I trust you, Darcy. Just, please, don’t do anything that will potentially scare her away. We need to catch her tonight, not have her run back to regroup and reorganize and return another day. I’m tired of this.” Her frustrated exhaustion with Caroline’s game was evident in her tone.
He nodded with a sigh. “Me too, gorgeous, me too.”
“I’ll see you later.”
“Make sure John and Arnie are with you all day,” he said sternly. Beth opened the door to find both of those men waiting for her on the other side to escort her down to the car that she was sure was waiting.
She walked over to him, giving him one more quick kiss before stepping into the hallway of the hotel. She wished the gentlemen a quiet ‘good morning,’ but was too preoccupied to keep any sort of cordial conversation going. Her thoughts flew to the myriad of things she was going to face today. Unfortunately, the Contest itself, was the furthest thing from the front of her mind.
She had been right, right?
To not make any changes to their plans tonight? To convince Darcy that Caroline wouldn’t try anything in such a public place? Her head shook slightly, reaffirming to herself the premise that it was too crowded of an event for Caroline to attack her in any way. No, if she knew Caroline from their limited interactions, the woman was devious and liked to play these games to keep them on edge and worried and anxious. She enjoyed tormenting them, which is most likely what she was going to try tonight.
She would probably approach Beth again, discreetly threaten her, imply that she had been the one to cause the problems for the race today, hinting that there would be more of that to follow in the future if she didn’t give up her claim on Darcy.
Beth laughed.She was never letting him go – and for the first time, she knew he felt the same.
The bodyguards flanked her as they exited the elevator, discreetly surrounding her as they made their way through the crowded lobby and out into Copley Square. People were already beginning to congregate along the grassy green, setting up their tents with merchandise for the event as well as food and water stations for the participants as well as spectators.
She stopped for a moment, taking in the scene – everyone bustling around to get set up, the quietness of the streets around them no longer able to be traversed by cars, the blooming purple flowers that bordered the square. Or, maybe she was just looking for Caroline – a practical impossibility to spot in such an open space.
“Sorry,” she apologized quietly to John and Arnie who had stopped and looked back at her with concern, wondering if she saw something. “Thought I forgot something upstairs.” Her excuse relaxing them slightly as she began to move again, walking towards the Public Library to continue down Boylston street towards the starting line where Colin would be waiting.
“Beth!” She heard Col exclaim as she got closer to their main tent, finally spotting him through the small group of people that had congregated. “Great, you’re here.”
“Yeah, what’s up? What can I do?” she asked, forcing an enthusiastic smile to her face, eager to immerse herself in the small tasks of the event to get her mind off of Caroline.
“Nothing – ahh, I mean, nothing more than what you were going to do,” he clarified. “I was just getting worried about you. Is everything ok?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to do anything about the guest list?” he asked again.
“Yes. I’m sure. Darcy and I have a plan,” she said quietly, moving around Col towards the registration table that would serve as her temporary desk for the morning.
“And what’s that?” he asked, following her around.
She rolled her eyes – out of his sight – not wanting to get into this discussion here or now.
“I don’t mean to pry, but this is my event, my clinic. I need to know if there is something going on that I should be worried about.” His tone was firm, speaking to her like her boss – something he hadn’t done since, well, since the week they’d hired her. As if realizing how demanding he sounded, he added, “I’m also worried about you, Beth. You know that I am.”
She sighed, pulling out her computer and setting it on the table before turning to face him.
