A Steel Town (A Gateway to Love #3)

by Chloe Barlow

  Claudia gritted her teeth and moved her hand to secure the remaining hooks in the front of her cream and black teddy. She’d ordered it online after one of Trey’s epic teases, desperate to try her hand at seduction, instead of mere deduction, if only for just once.

  Despite that bold moment, she’d ultimately chickened out when packing for this impromptu getaway and left it on her bed. Yet, there it was buried deeply in the bottom of her suitcase, as if left there by her own perverted fairy godmother.

  Perhaps it was a sign, or fate, or Trey, or even his mischievous friend Stephen, who’d put it there, but either way she was glad. She’d never been one to wait for life to happen to her, and she wasn’t going to keep letting Trey call all the shots.

  She could accept having her job sidetracked to the mountains of southwestern Pennsylvania, but she’d be damned if she was going to spend another night alone while her skittish sex god was only a scream away.

  Not again.

  It was time to channel the McCoy side of her lineage and take some action, whether foolish or otherwise.

  With a deep breath, she maneuvered her scantily-clad body down the stairs of the cabin. Music was playing low, and the woman’s wistful voice soothed Claudia’s nerves.

  Trey sat on the couch and her throat and legs clenched at the sight. Papers were strewn around his feet as a laptop hummed on the coffee table in front of him, even as two more rested on either side of him. His tee shirt was stretched tightly across his tense back and shoulder muscles. She could just barely see his jaw tighten and clench in frustration, strong fingers clicking away at the keyboards in front of him and to his right. Her overactive brain couldn’t help but marvel at the code whirring downward across the screens, as he bounced back and forth between each machine.

  “Good morning, Trey,” she announced, planting her nervous hands firmly against the sides of her thighs.

  Claudia shook her head to knock the heavy weight of her wavy hair off her back for a moment. It was rare not to have her dark locks in a ponytail, but if this mission were to succeed, she needed to bring all her weapons – even the ones she’d never really learned to use.

  Still staring intently at the screen directly in front of him, he muttered absently, “Morning. I hope you slept okay, because we have a ton of catching up to do. Stephen sent me some things to go through, so I need you…”

  “You need me? Well, that’s a good start,” Claudia purred, feeling a little embarrassed, but soldiering on, as it seemed like the kind of thing a powerful minx would say.

  As he turned toward her, she couldn’t figure out which was hotter — his wide, gray eyes or those damned lips of his, which had parted in shock, revealing a few of his even, white teeth.

  Underneath all his danger and tattoos, Trey was a sweet, brilliant guy who somehow along the way got hurt enough to make him do all he could to keep anyone from really getting close to him. The poignant pain of this lost chance at an innocent life appealed to her even more than his impossibly handsome face and dark hair, still mussed from sleep.

  Trey’s vulnerability disappeared as quickly as it had come. He stood, letting a stack of paper fall to his feet without a glance. With each step his stomach muscles flexed in opposition beneath his shirt, hypnotizing her. Finally reaching her, he looked down to her and the strain of meeting his eyes actually hurt the back of her neck.

  “Little one…what are you wearing?” Trey asked. She could tell he was deliberately maintaining some kind of control when all she wanted was for him to use those perfect teeth of his to tear the ridiculous thing off her body.

  “That depends,” she whispered.

  “On what?”

  “If it’s working…”

  Trey backed away from her with a chuckle, rubbing his right thumb between his eyebrows.

  “It’s working too well. I think you’re trying to kill me.”

  “No. The plans I have for you require you to be very much alive.” Claudia touched his waist, then sliding her hands around to the small of his back. “If you’re going to keep me locked away out here in the suburbs of the middle of nowhere, then we might as well enjoy our time together.”

  “Claudia…”

  “Look, I get how for some reason — which you won’t share with me — you feel you need to handle me with kid gloves. But I’m not as innocent as you think I am, and I’m pretty sure you’re not as hazardous as you believe you are.”

  “Don’t be so sure of that.”

  “I’m sure I don’t want to wait anymore. If I have to tackle you and pin you to the floor, I will… You know I can do it,” she added, bringing her hands to his face so her eyes could lock with his. His mouth curved into a sly smile, creasing his stubbly cheeks against her palms.

  “No need for that. I don’t want to fight this anymore, either,” he whispered, before softly kissing her lips. The touch was light, but the effect was potent. The gentle pressure of his mouth against hers filled her with a sense of calm confidence, which was as hypnotic as the warm desire coursing through her limbs.

  Trey’s hands ran lightly down the curve of her shoulders, skimming the edges of her bare arms, leaving nothing but goose bumps in their wake. His lips moved from her mouth, feathering light kisses across her right cheek, until his teeth found her earlobe, nipping it hard enough to make her gasp and then groan.

  Yet, when his hands finally found their way to her waist, Trey jerked back from her abruptly.

  “What’s wrong? Why’d you stop?” Claudia asked thickly.

  “Where’s your pump?”

  “Don’t change the subject.”

  “Wrong answer.”

  “I disconnected it,” she murmured after licking slowly across the edge of a tattoo on his neck.

  “Claudia, I can’t believe you’re still being so fucking stubborn…”

  Irritation quickly displaced her prior passion, causing Claudia to push hard against Trey’s chest, jarring him enough to make him take a step back.

  “Ay! Pinche hombre!” Claudia exclaimed.

  “Hey, easy now.”

  Claudia growled in frustration, running both hands through her hair. It had taken her so much courage to approach him like this, and now she had to deal with him slamming a door closed between them, yet again.

  “No, you take it easy. My whole life people have been babying me, hovering over me — convinced I can’t take care of myself. Well, you know what? I’m more than capable of knowing who I am, what I want, and how to make it happen, damn it.” Trey opened his mouth to speak, but she raised a hand to silence him. “I wasn’t finished. So, guess what — I know I’m stubborn and that’s just fine with me.”

  “You forgot about reckless, impulsive, aggravating, impatient…” he added, a slight smirk creeping across his face. Claudia couldn’t stop from grinning right along with him.

  “No one likes a know-it-all, Trey.”

  “But I think you do. I have a feeling you like me very much.”

  “I suspect you may be right, which is why I don’t want you to be just one more in the long line of people who treat me like a child. I want to be a woman with you.”

  “But if something happens to you…”

  “Then we’ll deal with it. We will make it be okay. I can test my glucose later and will reattach my pump then. I don’t want that damn thing on me right now — getting in the way. I want to be focused on us…on you. Because I won’t let you stop this time. I checked my blood sugar, and it’s perfect — definitely good enough to be without my pump for a little while. I want to be with you…in every way,” Claudia stated, running her hands back and forth along his waist, slipping her fingers under the band of his jeans.

  She could almost feel the breath catch in his throat. He licked his lips and it filled her with the rush of need, which only seemed to come from being near him.

  “I need you to realize, if we do this, I won’t be able to let you go,” Trey whispered, his right hand curling around the smooth skin of her
cheek.

  “Good.”

  Claudia took a shaky breath before turning her face slightly to kiss the palm of his hand.

  A deep rumbling growl escaped from Trey’s mouth, as he briskly moved his hand to cradle Claudia’s neck, pulling her roughly to him.

  “Be careful what you wish for, little one,” he added, before kissing her harder than he ever had before.

  A commanding sense of pleasure completely overwhelmed her. She may have started this, but the power was all his, and she couldn’t make herself want to take it back. It was as though she’d gone snow-blind and was being swept away by an avalanche, all at once.

  As his tongue explored her mouth, Trey grabbed her bottom with his hands and heaved her body up to meet his, emphasizing just how small she was next to him. When he wrapped her legs around his hips, Claudia felt every muscle below her waist clench.

  After spinning them both around, Trey broke the kiss and made a few hasty steps back to the sofa. He threw her down along the length of its cushions so quickly she bounced a little, eliciting a giggle from her throat.

  “Eager much?” Claudia asked, spying Trey bending over to grab something from a small duffle bag next to the coffee table.

  “Hell, yes,” he answered, straightening up and facing her again. “Being near you has been driving me crazy these last few weeks… Take off whatever it is you’ve got on.”

  Claudia fumbled with the strings at her breasts, already feeling so exposed, lying half-naked before him, as he stood there, watching her, fully clothed.

  “Now, Claudia. I want to see you, and I’d hate to rip something that shows off just how beautiful you are.”

  Her fingers quickly yanked at the flimsy teddy, pulling it off her body like it was as inconsequential as a pair of sweaty yoga pants. Left with nothing but her own awkward smile, Claudia scooted backward on the sofa so she could sit upright. Trey’s eyes had never left her body for a moment. If it weren’t for the flaring of his nostrils as he breathed more heavily, she wouldn’t have any hint as to whether he was going through the same kind of turmoil as she.

  “No fair. I showed you mine, now show me yours,” she commanded. A hot blush spread across the top of her breasts, all the way up to her cheeks and tips of her ears; yet, she refused to let her eyes stray from his.

  He smiled broadly, revealing his row of movie star white teeth, sending a quick shiver up her spine.

  “My pleasure,” he responded, placing a square foil packet down on the arm of the sofa next to him, before pulling his Arcade Fire tee shirt off in one quick motion.

  Claudia’s mouth dropped open slightly at the full sight of his lean, muscular chest and arms. They were decorated with so much elaborate artwork, and the accent of his two nipple rings, that she almost missed the chance to watch him undo the button of his jeans — almost.

  As if he knew just how crazy he made her, Trey slowed to a glacial pace when it came time to unzip his fly. Inch by beautiful inch, she got to see more of the man who’d managed to fill so much of her waking, and sleeping, thoughts for weeks.

  Trey gradually revealed the V-shaped muscle below his taut abs, slipping his thumbs under the band of his boxer briefs, to bring those down, too. Suddenly she caught sight of a thatch of dark hair, and she felt her cheeks burn even more as a result.

  His eyes met hers for a moment, before pulling his jeans over a stiff erection, which sprang out with an impressive level of spryness. Even though Claudia had only seen a couple penises in her life, she felt pretty confident this one was top-notch, especially because she couldn’t look away from it — even as Trey’s firm thighs and hard legs became visible to her.

  The sight of him tall and bare before her was too much to process. She squirmed shamelessly on the sofa, desperate for him to touch her — everywhere. Trey must have noticed her uncomfortable wriggling because he smiled gently before crawling on the sofa to meet her.

  “Do you need me to touch you, little one?” he asked softly.

  “Yes, very much,” she whispered back.

  “Good, because I need you, too.”

  Still on his knees in front of her, he stroked her face softly, pressing his lips against her nose with a careful tenderness, which was completely opposite from the feverish intensity of his kisses from only a few minutes earlier. His hand moved to her throat, across the curve of her bare breast, and below to her waist.

  With each section of her skin he touched, his mouth then blessed it with a kiss, the most devastating of which was his lips against the flesh which held the needle of her disconnected pump. His eyes never left hers as he peppered the area with reverent kisses, as if to thank that needle for keeping her alive. She had to break the connection and look to the ceiling for a brief moment, if only to suppress the fierce weight of confusing emotions filling her body and threatening to spill over in the form of tears from her eyes.

  Every day since she’d been sucked into Trey’s world, she’d felt increasingly convinced she could really be something great — that someone mysterious and sexy like him could see her, beneath the wires and needles, and beyond her famous last name.

  Intellectually, she was fully aware Trey was incredibly practiced when it came to sex, but something about the earnest way he’d been looking at her filled her with the heady sense that despite anything which may have happened to either of them before, in this moment, they were both brand-new to all this.

  They weren’t two adults hiding out in a million-dollar cabin as they maneuvered landmines of secrets and deadly threats; rather, she and Trey were just two sweet, innocent teenagers sneaking down to her mother’s basement to explore the meaning of their new tingly feelings for each other.

  “Look at me, Claudia,” Trey requested. She complied quickly, finding peace in his eyes. They were the color of storm clouds, which was fitting, because her body felt like it had been suffering through a drought since she’d met him — so hopeful for this moment to have finally arrived.

  His lips curled into a mischievous smile as his hand traversed to the front of her stomach.

  “I like it when you do what I tell you.”

  “Is that all it took to get you to finally stop being such a tease?” Claudia asked.

  “You got me. I’m a controlling prick,” he answered, moving his fingers downward, until he touched her already hardened clitoris. She was so sensitive she couldn’t help but scream out loud. “Hopefully I was worth the wait,” he added roughly.

  Claudia released a soft cry, lifting her pelvis to press it more firmly against his hand. Trey lightly swatted her mound. Even if the action was meant to correct her behavior, it had the opposite effect — making her gasp with pleasure.

  Trey grinned widely, bending down to kiss her hip bone, and then sucking on it lightly. She writhed in response, lifting off the sofa a little. Trey slid his hand under her bottom, lifting her up more, before taking a firm bite of one cheek. Claudia yelped in shock. When he sat up to look at her, his devious expression caused her to laugh out loud.

  “Tasty?” she inquired.

  “A delicious mouthful. I’ve been wanting to bite your butt, since the day I met you.”

  “Probably good I didn’t know that, I would never have been able to get any work done just thinking about it.”

  “Don’t get too comfortable. Now I’ve had a sample, I may need to nibble you on a regular basis — you know, to keep up my strength.”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” she murmured, meeting his eyes to make sure he sensed how serious her tone had become.

  “Good,” he growled, mirroring her prior response.

  He slid a finger inside her, as his thumb continued to massage her clit. The outcome was enjoyable to the point of almost being painful, forcing her to wriggle awkwardly beneath his hand.

  “Are you ready for me, little one?”

  “Yes!” she exclaimed, more emphatically than she’d intended. Of course she was ready. How could she not be, when everything this man did to her
body felt so freaking amazing?

  Trey’s smile broadened with wicked joy. He leaned away from her to grab the condom he’d left nearby, and Claudia tried not to pout at the temporary loss of his touch.

  “Miss me already?” Trey teased.

  “Maybe,” she answered with a playful smirk of her own. Pointing to the foil square in his hand, she asked, “You came prepared, too? Does that mean I wasn’t the only one hoping for this?”

  Trey took a moment to open the wrapper and Claudia stared, mesmerized, as he rolled it over his length.

  “I’ve been dreaming of taking you like this — feeling you underneath me, knowing you’re all mine — ever since you tackled me at that old steel mill.”

  “Really?” Claudia gasped. “I could’ve sworn you thought I was just some irritating twerp.”

  “Oh, I did. But you were such a sexy bite-sized brat,” he teased.

  “Hey!”

  “Shh.” Trey prowled back to her on his hands and knees, finally covering her body with his and nibbling at her shoulder.

  “Need another taste?”

  “Absolutely,” he hummed against her.

  Claudia released a deep moan at the sensation of him on top of her, instinctively moving her legs to wrap around his hips.

  He propped himself up on his right hand, showcasing the definition of his bicep. She could feel him pressing lightly at her entrance and her own muscles were clenching in anticipation.

  Trey paused to scan her face intensely. With his left hand, he brushed a lock of hair from her forehead. And for a moment, they simply smiled at each other goofily, but everything quickly became very serious when she felt him enter her slowly.

  Once he’d pressed fully inside her, her body shuddered uncontrollably. His lips met hers as he rhythmically moved in and out of her, alternately sucking on her lower lip and using his tongue to mirror the delicious motions he was making down below.

  His movements were alternately rough and gentle, and every time she tried to think, or anticipate what would happen next, his body inside hers, or his hands along her skin, would shock her to her core again. The force he had over her with both his mind and body repeatedly overpowered her tenacious brain, until she had no choice but to surrender every atom and nucleus of her being to his will.