Seeking Karma

by Melanie J. Cole

  CHAPTER 35

  TRENT

  “Trent, I’m not so sure…”

  “Hey,” I interrupt her, before she can draw the wrong conclusion. “I’m not expecting anything. We’ll be in separate bedrooms. I promise.”

  She sucks her bottom lip into her mouth, as she thinks. “I have to let Anna know, first.”

  I nod my head at her. I figured she would. “Okay, go ahead. I’ll wait for you.” When she goes to tell Anna - I spot one of her hair ties - lying on the end table. I quickly pick it up and slip it into my pocket. Her hair is down, so she’s going to need it.

  When she finally comes back out, she has a small tote bag draped over her shoulder. “Are you ready?”

  She nods her head. “Yeah, I think so.”

  As soon as we’re out of the door, she makes a beeline for my truck. I reach out and grab hold of her wrist. “We’re not taking my truck.”

  She blinks up at me. “We’re not?” Her brows are creased, and she looks cute as hell.

  “Nope.” I reach inside of my pocket and pull out her hair tie. “Here, you’re going to need this.” I slip it into her hand. I take her tote off of her shoulder, resisting the urge to run my finger tips down her bare arms. “You need to put this over your head.” I help her pull the strap over her head, so that the strap crosses the front of her chest. “Jude’s letting us take his motorcycle.”

  “Really!” I can hear the excitement in her tone.

  “Really,” I take her hand and pull her over to Jude’s Harley. I absolutely love the way she feels pressed against me. The way her arms fit perfectly around my waist. When I go faster, she tightens her grip, and pushes her body closer to mine. It blows my mind, how she feels so good. I want her so fucking badly, it physically hurts. I don’t care, though. This is my dream girl – literally. She’s worth the wait.

  My eyes drift down her body, to the sliver of skin exposed between her shirt and jeans, as she pulls her hair back. Fuck me! I want to run my tongue across that skin. I want to taste every square inch of her. “Okay, I’m ready.” She holds her arms out by her side, and I hand her a helmet.

  “Put this on.” I tell her, as I put my own helmet on.

  She sticks out her bottom lip. “Why? I didn’t have to wear one the last time.”

  “We weren’t going very far the last time. And I should have made you wear one. You’re precious cargo. I don’t want anything to happen to you.” She gives me a small smile, and slips it over her head.

  I help her onto the bike, and take off a little roughly. She squeals out, and pulls herself more tightly against me. Hell fucking yeah! I did it on purpose. I love getting her excited. If I’m really lucky, maybe she’ll let me get her excited in other ways. This makes me smile.

  “How much further?” She has her lips against my ear. We’ve been on the road for over an hour.

  I turn my head to the side, so that she can hear me. “It’s about ten more minutes. Can you make it?” Motorcycles are fun, but they can get a little uncomfortable, on long trips.

  “Yeah, I can make it.”

  I totally underestimated my guess on time. We pull up in front of my parent’s house, twenty minutes later. I climb off and remove my helmet. I help her take her helmet off. She looks around at the two-story brick house. “Where are we?”

  “At my parent’s house.”

  Her gray eyes widen in shock. “Oh my God, Trent! You want me to meet your parents? I can’t meet them looking like this.” She motions down to her tank top and jeans.

  I follow her hands down her body, with my eyes. “Why not? You couldn’t look bad if you tried.” She’s shaking her head frantically, trying to climb back onto the bike. I grab her hand stopping her. “Hey, calm down. I do want you to meet my parents eventually, but not tonight. They’re not home.”

  She takes a deep breath and looks up at me. “They’re not?” I shake my head. “Then why did you bring me here?”

  “Come on and I’ll show you.” I squeeze her hand and pull her across the lawn, to the front door.

  Once we’re inside I flip on the light, and toss my keys onto the table. “Wow, this is really nice.” Karma says, taking everything in. Is this your parents?” She asks, pointing to a picture of them on the wall.

  “Yep, that’s them.” I take her hand again, and lead her towards the back of the house. I flip on the lights next to the back door, and pull the curtains back. “This is why I brought you here.” I open the French doors, and pull her outside. Her mouth falls open, and her eyes go wide with amazement. When I moved out, my parents spent a small fortune, turning their backyard into an oasis. They said they needed something to keep them busy, since they were empty nesters. They had an in-ground pool installed. The pool is surrounded by lights - in and out - of the pool. On one end there’s a Jacuzzi, on the other there’s a waterfall feature. It’s completely private, and beautiful.

  “So, how about it?”

  “How about what?” She asks, still taking everything in.

  “Do you want to go for a swim?” I slip my shirt over my head, and look over at her. “Don’t worry, it’s heated.”

  “But, I don’t have a suit.” Her chest is rising and falling rapidly.

  “So, neither do I.” I undo the button on my jeans. I purposely didn’t tell her to pack a suit. I hope I’m not pushing her too far. But God help me, I want her so bad. I want to see her, feel her. I want her, to want to see, and feel me. I want all of her, and I will take it slow, but I need to get the feeling of where she stands. I need to know where to draw the line.

  CHAPTER 36

  KARMA

  Oh dear God! I don’t know where to look. Trent is standing just a few feet away from me, in nothing but his underwear. I try not to look, I really do, but my eyes seem to have a mind of their own. Who could blame them? He looks like a Greek God, standing there in his Calvin Klein’s, watching me. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve seen plenty of guys in their underwear – on movies. But none of them can even hold a candle to Trent Evers. My body feels like it’s going to go up into flames. I wipe my sweaty palms onto my jeans as discreetly as possible.

  “Come on Karma, go swimming with me. You don’t need a bathing suit. You’re wearing underwear, aren’t you?” He steps closer to me, and reaches out for me. “Can I help you?” He slowly lifts the bottom of my tank-top up.

  I can’t seem to draw in a decent breath. Before I even realize what I’m doing, I feel my head bopping up and down, of its own accord. Ah Hell! I cannot believe I’m doing this. Trent gives me a lazy grin, as he slips my tank over my head. I look up at him, and his eyes are on my pink lace bra. “God, you’re so beautiful. You take my breath away, Karma.” His voice has gone all husky, and I feel like electricity is running through my body. I’ve never felt like this before. It’s scaring the hell out of me.

  He runs his finger back and forth, over my bare skin just above my jeans. “Trent I….” My mouth fills like it’s been stuffed with cotton.

  “It’s okay, if you want me to stop. I will.” He takes a large step away from me. “I’m sorry. Did I go too far?” His eyes are searching mine, intently.

  “No. I just…can you give me a minute?”

  He nods his head. “Take as long as you want. I don’t want to push you. But just so you know, I’m all in. We’ll take it as slow as you want. But when you’re ready, I’ll be right here. I’m not going anywhere, Karma.”

  His words have my head reeling. I’ve never felt like this, before. My body is missing his close proximity, and it’s confusing the hell out of me. I’ve never wanted a guy to touch me this badly. I slowly unbutton my jeans and slide them down my legs. I hear Trent’s sharp intake of breath, and it makes me feel so sexy. I step around him, allowing my eyes to wonder over this chiseled body the entire time. Without a word, I dive into the pool. Wow, it feels amazing. My body was so hot, I’m pretty sure there’s steam coming off of the water. I hear a splash, and blink my eyes open, just as Trent dives in.
/>
  He swims towards me, and stops leaving a little distance between us. “Hi,” he says, grinning at me.

  “Hi,” my voice sounds all breathy, causing me to blush.

  He reaches out and caresses my cheek. “Karma, I really want to kiss you.” He strokes his thumb back and forth across my bottom lip. “Can I kiss you?”

  I inhale through my nose and nod my head. “Yes.”

  He takes his time leaning in, never taking his eyes off of mine. He kisses the top of my forehead, slowly trails his lips down to the tip of my nose, and then across planting gentle kisses on the top of both of my cheeks. Finally, he moves down to my lips and gently presses his against mine. It feels amazing. He’s taking it slow, biting and nibbling on both of my lips, while he caresses my face between his hands. I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling myself flush against him. I open my mouth slowly, inviting him in. He takes notice and slowly slips his tongue inside of my mouth. It’s the best kiss I’ve ever hand, and definitely the most intense.

  CHAPTER 37

  TRENT

  I’m lying in Jude’s old bed, staring up at the ceiling. I keep replaying that kiss over and over in my mind. I’ve dreamed and fantasized about what our first kiss would be like, so many times, and none of them even came close - to the real thing. Her lips were even softer and more tantalizing than I could ever imagine. Karma’s across the hall in my old bedroom. The thought of her lying in my old bed - has my pulse racing. I wonder what she’s wearing. I wonder if she’s thinking about our kiss, too. Damnit! I sound like a little bitch. I reach down to double check that my dick is still attached. Yep, he’s there, hard as a rock. Fuck! I want her so badly. The kiss has only made me want her more than ever.

  I’m getting ready to reach down and relieve myself, when my door opens up. Karma steps inside wearing a long dark colored t-shirt. It comes down to her knees, and somehow, she still manages to make it look sexy. “Are you awake?” Her voice is a soft whisper.

  I push up onto my elbows, so that I can see her better. “Yeah, are you okay?” I really hope she isn’t regretting our kiss.

  She slides her foot back and forth in the carpet. “Yeah, I just don’t want to be alone. Can I sleep in here, with you?”

  “Sure,” I slide over to the side, giving her plenty of room. The last thing I need is for her to feel my erection, and run for the hills. I start thinking of things to help get my dick in check. Jude in his underwear, yeah that seems to work. My dick starts to deflate like a balloon.

  Karma makes her way over to the bed - painstakingly slowly. She slides beneath the covers, and her sweet peach scent assaults my nose. Jude! Jude! Jude! My dick can’t seem to control itself around her. I’m beginning to sweat. “Did you have a nightmare?” I have to get my mind off of that kiss, and how good she smells.

  She rolls onto her side so that she’s facing me. “No. I just couldn’t go to sleep. I think you chased away all of my nightmares.”

  “Yeah, I couldn’t sleep either. I’m sorry for the way I acted, when you told me about Aaron. If you want to talk some more, I promise, I’ll stay calm this time.”

  Hearing about the way Aaron treated her, will definitely keep my dick in check. I’m done getting pissed over Aaron. He’ll be getting his soon enough. I called Jimmy earlier this afternoon, and even though I didn’t get to talk to him, I left him a message with Aaron’s name, and what little info I had on him. This is the fucking DEA we’re talking about, here. They won’t just barge in and arrest him. They’ll take their time, stake him out, and gather massive amounts of evidence - before they make their move. When they’re done with him - there’s no way in hell - his parents will be able to get him out of it. I just have to sit back and be patient.

  She lifts up onto her elbow. “Why did you freak out?” She asks, dragging me out of my own head.

  I shake my head back and forth. “There are things about my past that you don’t know, Karma.”

  She studies me for several seconds. “So, tell me.”

  I don’t mind telling her my business. I trust her, and I want her to know everything about me. Besides, it’s the least I can do. She’s opened up to me. “Before I was adopted, I grew up in an abusive family. Up until I was ten, I watched my Dad beat my Mom - constantly.” I shake my head bitterly. “There wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it.”

  “Did he ever hit you?” Her bottom lip has a slight tremble to it.

  “Only once, that’s when child services stepped in.” I reach out, and wipe a tear from her cheek. “Don’t cry for me, Karma. Being taken away from that home was the best thing that ever happened to me. But when I seen Aaron shove you onto the ground that night, it took me back to my past, and I totally lost it.”

  She scoots over and puts her head onto my chest. “What happened to your Mom?”

  I comb my fingers through her long hair. Somehow this movement, and feeling her against me, calms me down. “She called a couple of times to check on me, and then she just disappeared. She never tried to fight for me. I haven’t heard from her in years.”

  She throws her arm across my chest. “I’m so sorry, Trent.”

  I lean forward and kiss her forehead. “Don’t be. It was a long time ago.”

  CHAPTER 38

  KARMA

  Having Trent open up to me about his past is heart wrenching. I feel so bad for him. No wonder he totally flipped out when I told him how Aaron treated me.

  “Hey,” he’s running the tips of his fingers up and down my spine.

  “Hmmm,” I lift my head up, and look at him.

  “Do you want to tell me more about your relationship with Aaron?”

  I bite down on my bottom lip, contemplating. I’m not so sure if that is a good idea. “Are you sure you want to hear it?”

  “I want to hear anything that you want to tell me. I’m here for you. I always will be. If talking about it will make you feel better - and help you to move on - then I’m all for it.”

  I sit up and pull my knees up against my chest. “I already told you the worst part. The rest is pretty much the same. He’d get totally pissed off - for no reason at all - drive me out into the middle of nowhere, beat the shit out of me, and then we’d have sex. Well actually, he had sex with me. I’d just lay there and cry. I don’t even think it was about the sex. With Aaron everything was about control. He wanted to control everything that I did. He told me how to dress, where I could and couldn’t go, who I could and couldn’t hang out with.”

  I shake my head bitterly. “Poor Dusty, I can’t even remember how many times he tried to call me. He thought he had done something to piss me off. Anna told me that he was so upset, that he actually thought about dropping out of school, for awhile. That’s what I hated most of all - hurting him. He’s like a brother to me. He forgave me so easily after Aaron. It made me feel even worse.”

  I glance over at Trent, to see how he’s handling everything. He has a solemn expression on his face, as he stares at the wall. I lean my head against his shoulder, and sigh. “It’s weird being able to talk about all of this with someone. Since I’ve been spending time with you, it seems like all of this happened so long ago. Is that weird?”

  He turns his head and kisses my forehead. “No. That’s not weird. I wish there was a way that I could erase it all from your mind. No, scratch that. I wish there was a way I could fix it, so that it never happened. I’ll never let him hurt you again.”

  I pull back and look at him. The gold flecks in his eyes are illuminated by the sunlight, coming through the window. I can’t help myself. I lean in and kiss him. God, he’s an amazing kisser. The way he nips and sucks on my lips, as he caresses my face. He absolutely takes my breath away. I swear, I could spend the entire day wrapped up in his arms.

  I pull away abruptly. I don’t won’t to move too fast. “I need to go and get dressed.” I slip out of the bed, and walk across the hall to his old bedroom.

  The ride home seemed so much quicker, than the drive to his paren
t’s house, had been. I remove my helmet and let him help me off of the bike. “Thank you. I had a really good time.”

  He pulls his helmet off, and grins at me. “So did I.” He leans over and plants a gentle kiss, on the tip of my nose. “Come on. I’ll walk you to your door.” He takes my hand and laces his fingers through mine.

  CHAPTER 39

  TRENT

  Last night was a huge success. She even let me kiss her, and damn, what a kiss it was. It’s like her lips were made just for me. I fall back onto my bed, and put my hands behind my head. The way she trusts me enough to sleep in the same bed as me, and the way she opens up to me - it makes me feel like I’m ten feet tall. As much as I’ve dreamed, and thought about her over the years, it was nothing compared to the way I feel, spending time with her. She’s everything.

  “Hey, where were you last night?” Jude’s standing at the foot of my bed, glaring at me. What in the hell did I do?

  “I took Karma to Mom and Dad’s, why?”

  He creases his brows. “I thought they were on vacation.”

  I sit up so that I can look at him. “They are. I used my key.”

  “Why in the fuck did you take her there?”

  I shrug my shoulders. “Because, I wanted to go swimming.”

  He keeps eyeing me suspiciously. “Doesn’t the university have a pool?”

  “Yeah, but I wanted to be alone with her.”

  “Ah, I see. Was it everything you dreamed it would be?” He bats his eyes, taunting me. The asshole!

  “Actually, it was.”

  His eyes go wide. “So, you finally cracked her good-girl act. How was she?”

  I grab my book and throw it at him. I’m aiming for his nose, but unfortunately, he dodges it. “Stop saying shit like that - about her.”

  He rolls his eyes. “I’m confused. Did you fuck her or not?”

  I grind my molars together. “No, I didn’t fuck her! I’m not trying to get into her pants.” I say exasperatedly. Don’t get me wrong, whenever she’s ready, I won’t turn her down. But that isn’t what this is about. I’m not using her. I have feelings for her – strong feelings. I want to spend every minute, of every day, with her. She’s all I think about.