Page 28 of Third Time is the Charm (Passion and Perseverance #3)

“If you think I’m letting you walk back up to your room by yourself like this, you are sadly mistaken,” he said with a smile and his eyebrows raised.

Of course.

“My room is just right up the steps…” she said, unsure if she was telling him that as an attempt to direct him, or to justify the fact that she didn’t really need him to walk her there.

“Mine’s on the newer side of the hotel,” Col said as they began to move up the flight of stairs.

“I want to say goodbye to you though, even though I’ll see you later this week.

” Seeing Beth’s confused stare, he continued, “I wasn’t kidding when I said that I had an early flight out tomorrow morning. I have to leave here by six.”

“Oh,” Beth responded quietly, guilt washing over her that she’d invited him to the wedding – to have him fly down only to spend less than twelve hours here.

“Don’t,” he began sternly, as they approached the door to her room. “Don’t feel bad. I practically invited myself here, so it was my choice to travel like a crazy person.” He turned to face her, his fingers resting under her chin, tipping her face up to his. “And, I’d do it all again. For you.”

Beth heard his words and saw his head move towards hers in a fog, knowing that the kiss was coming.

Col’s lips gently touched hers, the sweetness of his kiss trying to combat the bitter burn that controlled the rest of her.

His arm came around her, pulling her tight against him, and she felt his arousal press into her stomach.

A small gasp escaped her and Col took the opportunity to slip his tongue inside of her mouth.

When his tongue brushed hers, the reality of where this situation could lead jolted her senses to attention.

She pulled her head back, her hands on his chest. Biting her lip, she looked at him apologetically before resting her forehead on his shoulder, trying to figure out the right thing to say. Thankfully, Col always seemed to have that on hand.

“Sorry – you just looked so beautiful, I had to have a taste,” he said hoarsely. “But we should both get to bed.” His arms released her as he took a step back.

“I –” she began as his hand came up and he cut her off.

“Don’t even think about it,” he interjected with a smile. “Just tell me you had a good time tonight and that I’ll talk to you later.”

She laughed softly. “I did have a wonderful time tonight. Thank you for coming down to dance with me.” Because that’s really all he’d been able to do. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Goodnight, Beth,” he whispered, leaning into her again to kiss her forehead.

“Goodnight,” she whispered back.

He began to walk down the hall as Beth put her key into the door. “You just wait,” he said, turning to face her once more. “My dance moves will be the talk of the town tomorrow.” And, with a wink, he turned the corner and was gone.

Beth found herself taking a sideways glance at the door across the hall one more time before she entered her room. Alone.

She slipped off her shoes right by the door, walking straight into the bathroom to wash off her makeup.

God, she was a mess, even with all that makeup to cover it up.

She looked in the mirror at the person who Col wanted, who he desired.

Col – handsome, sweet, caring, kind, considerate, dreamy, Col; yeah, he was crazy.

Beth laughed at herself; only she would freaking end up with McDreamy as a date to her sister’s wedding, as someone who desires her, who wanted to be with her, and only she would be the one who couldn’t find any sort of spark to desire him back.

She flipped the faucet on cold in frustration, lathering up her facewash; she began to remove the mask that had been shielding her all evening.

The wetness on her cheeks convinced her eyes that it was finally ok to let go of what they’d been holding back.

In irritation, tears mingled with the soap as Beth tried to scrub off her feelings along with the make-up.

Maybe she’d scrubbed a little too hard – toweling dry her now red face. Biting her lip, she tried to stop the rush of angry tears that threatened to fall.

God, what was wrong with her?

She’d stood in the hallway with Col and kissed him, just like she’d kissed Darcy the other night, only with Col she’d felt nothing.

And she wanted to fucking feel something.

She hated how the comparison played over and over again in her mind; she hated how her body wanted him , how her mind – and heart – begged to know what had happened, begged to talk to him.

It wasn’t fair to want someone who’d hurt her so badly; it wasn’t fucking fair.

To her, or Col, who’d been nothing but perfect. Perfectly comfortable Colin.

Disappointing.

Despicable.

Dreadful.

Dreary.

Damnable.

Dreamy.

Desirable.

Darcy.

Her hand smacked down on the counter in agitation; she’d thought she’d been too tired to deal with this tonight, but every cell in her body burned for answers.

Without taking a second glance at her red and anger-ravaged face, she threw open the door to her room and stalked across the hall, banging her fist on Mr. Intolerable’s door, feeling the few traitorous tears slink down her face.

Her hand stopped abruptly, mid-air, as a very gorgeous, and very shirtless, Mr. Darcy opened the door; his hair a mess, his pants partially undone, his eyes alight with surprise.

Beth felt her mouth part, her lungs gasping for air, and her body tingling disloyally at the sight of him. For a second. Then, the anger and frustration came rushing back in.

“ How. Dare. You.” She whispered harshly, stepping towards him and poking her finger into his unmistakably solid chest. His eyes darkened at her words.

“How dare you come here, to my sister’s wedding, after everything that has happened and pretend like it’s all ok?

How dare you want to talk to me now – after months that I’ve spent trying to incinerate every last piece of my heart that you left broken? ”

Beth heard her voice rising, the tone becoming precariously hysterical as she advanced on him, barely hearing the door shut behind her. She watched his mouth thin as she spoke, his jaw clenching, and it only fueled her fury.

“How dare you basically pay for Jane’s wedding after giving Lydia a job and a house?

How dare you help my family instead of just apologizing to me?

” Now, she was hysterical. And she didn’t care.

Her voice wavered, tears streaming down her face.

“How dare you kiss me and tell me that I look beautiful, and make me remember everything that I’ve tried so hard to forget?

” He’d stopped moving back, standing tall and proud as she advanced on him, still unsure what exactly her plan was once she reached him.

“How dare you,” she whispered, pain breaking her voice.

“How dare you tell me that you never wanted Caroline – even though I saw her, naked, in your apartment, only to turn around and kiss her on the dance floor in front of me?”

His eyes widened, complete shock effusing over his face at her words, and then as her fist rammed itself into his chest. But, instead of pulling it back, her hand stayed there – on his left breast, like it was magnetically drawn to him, the laws of physics preventing its return.

Beth’s eyes shot to his, flaring with anger at her body’s reaction to him.

“ How dare you come here and make me remember just how desperately I need you – how desperately I lo–” He caught her hand as it raised to strike him again, his other hand clamped on her waist, pushing her back against the wall as his mouth crushed hers, cutting off the last of her words.