“I didn’t expect you to after your sister’s reaction yesterday. Care to explain why she freaked out so bad?”
Beth hesitated. The whole town was aware Lily was adopted; her father had made a big production of it, but he had also never told where he had found Lily. Beth didn’t know how privy Razer was to the town gossip.
Beth answered hesitantly, wanting to respect her sister’s privacy. “Lily has led a very sheltered life.”
Opening the oven, she took out the Stromboli, serving one to Razer, then one for herself.
“You haven’t?” He waited until she took her seat before asking the question.
“I went away for college, spent four years in Lexington. I went through the partying stage. Lily hasn’t. She goes to school in the fall.”
“You’re going to miss her.” It wasn’t a question.
“Yes, we are very close. I would even come home on the weekends just because I missed her so badly. But the college she is going to is just a few hours away. I plan to drive down a couple times a month. I don’t want her driving home; she is not the best of drivers. Treepoint is small and the roads aren’t busy, but busier roads give her trouble.”
“Perhaps you should take her out driving in more heavily traveled roads for the experience, instead of trying to keep her from driving them.”
“Tried that, took off ten years of my life expectancy.” Beth shuddered even now at the memory.
“That bad?”
“Worse.”
Razer laughed at her expression. “She can’t be that bad.”
“Oh yes, she can, she pulled out in front of a semi. It was a miracle he was able to swerve and miss us. If another car had been coming, I wouldn’t be sitting here now."
Razer's laughter immediately died. They finished eating in silence. When they were done, they put their dishes in the sink. While Beth did the dishes, she heard Razer turn the television on while she worked. She didn’t want Lily to see the dishes when she got home.
When she was done, she went into the living room to see Razer sprawled on her couch. Beth began to feel nervous being alone with him.
“Would you like some more tea?”
“No thanks. Come watch this movie with me. The house is usually so loud I can’t enjoy watching television anymore.”
Beth moved to sit on the opposite end of the couch; Razer reached out and took her hand, pulling her down next to him.
“How many people live with you?” Beth questioned. She was curious; she knew nothing about his personal life. She didn’t even know where he lived.
“It varies, sometimes twelve, sometimes thirty. Our club is pretty large and our headquarters are in Ohio. Members from there rotate in and out.”
“It must be a pretty big house.” Beth tried to think of houses in the surrounding areas with homes that large and couldn’t think of one.
“It can be, but we always find enough room for everyone to sleep, even if we have to bunk together or sleep on the couch.”
“I imagine that does make watching television difficult.”
“Yeah, that and we can never agree on the same thing.”
They grew silent and watched the movie. Beth got up once to go to the restroom and to pour herself another iced tea. She sat down, nervously reaching across Razer to place her drink on the side table. Razer watched her actions. When she had sat back down next to him, Beth had done so without his prompting, but her actions seemed stiff and uptight for a woman of her age.
“What?” Beth saw his puzzled frown.
“My grandmother doesn’t act as uptight as you when the whole club shows up on her door. Aren’t you a little young to be strung so tight?”
“I didn’t mean to be.” Beth replied defensively.
“Loosen up some. You act to old for your age; probably working for all those old people you take care of doesn’t help."
“Are you insulting me or my job?”
“Both. I am just saying act your age.”
“Oh how am I not acting my age?”
“Well for one it wouldn’t take me a whole day to kiss someone not so uptight.”
“I am not uptight.”
“You are.
“Am not.”
“Prove it.”
“How?”
“Like this.” Before Beth could determine his intentions, he pulled her to him and kissed her. His mouth enveloped her, seducing her in a single stroke of his tongue parting her lips. He searched her mouth with his tongue. Beth tasted the iced tea he had drank for dinner. There was a heat Beth had never found in a kiss before. He was experienced, tempting her lips to open wider for him, giving all the access he wanted without hesitation.