by C. A. Harms
“Without any form of interruption,” I whispered as I kissed along the side of her neck. “Because I’m finding it almost impossible to keep my hands off you.”
“Mmhm,” she whimpered as I sucked on the delicate skin at the base of her neck.
I pushed my hips against hers, just to show her a little of what she was doing to me, and again she whimpered. This time much deeper.
It felt like my head would explode from the desire to claim this woman fully.
And just as I was about to tell her how much I wanted her, the radio in my car scared us both.
“We have a disturbance at Watson’s Pub,” dispatch began and I hung my head, doing everything I could to try to bring myself back to reality.
Her laughter made me smile as I pulled back to look at her. “Oh you think this shit is funny, do you?”
“You got to admit, it is a little funny,” she said with a shrug.
***
After my call to the pub, which led to the arrest of two drunken men fighting over a game of pool, I sat in the park just down the road from Trinity’s apartment.
I held my phone in my hand and thought of texting her on more than one occasion, but there were no lights on in her apartment. Only the glow of the Heavenly Temptations sign shined just below.
So instead I turned on the radio very low and sat in my idling car, just looking around the small town circle.
It was nice being a part of this community. Everyone knew your name and your business, but if you needed help, generally there were people lining up to do so.
It was much different from the place where I was raised. Though Dallas was a beautiful place, it just wasn’t quite as homely to me as Livingston was. I was sure it had more to do with the people who lived there than the actual location itself, but that was because I had a hard time accepting my family after the way they treated my Nan.
And I now knew it had a lot to do with a certain blonde, too.
I still had two hours before my shift ended and as I’d said, it had been one of the longest in history. But again, I had one woman to blame for that too.
My phone chirped, indicating a message, and I moved to grab it, almost hungry for any form of contact.
I smiled when I saw Trinity’s name on the screen.
Trinity: Do you always camp out outside the apartment of the woman you’re dating? Or am I one of the lucky ones?
Instantly I looked up toward her place, still showing no sign of her being awake.
Chase: Are you watching me, Miss Flores?
Flirting the way that we did made me feel like a kid again.
Trinity: Maybe I am.
Knowing she was awake made me feel okay about calling her. I’d had enough texting. I wanted to hear her voice.
I wanted to know when she grew excited; I almost craved that breathy whisper of hers.
Chapter Nine
Trinity
My phone lit up with an incoming call, and my stomach did a little flip. I tried not to sound excited when I answered, but let’s face it, that was impossible.
“Hi.” I couldn’t contain my smile. It was almost instant the moment I heard my phone ring.
“Beautiful girl,” he whispered. “I’ve been thinking about calling you for the last couple hours, only I didn’t want to wake you.”
“Couldn’t sleep,” I confessed.
“Anything I can help with?” I could hear the hidden message in his question and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Oh, I’m sure there are ways you can help me,” I assured him. “But remember, those ways may cost you your job if the wrong people find out.”
“Again, I think it may be worth it,” he added.
I could picture the smirk he wore so many times, the one that made my stomach tense. It might seem cocky to others, but to me it was more of a boyish grin.
I sorta loved that grin.
“Really, though.” He grew more serious. “What’s on your mind?”
“I just can’t sleep sometimes.” I tried to pass it off as a case of restlessness. No big deal, right? Everyone goes through it.
But Chase being the guy that he was just wasn’t happy with minimal explanations.
“What’s on your mind, Trin?” he asked. “I know you’ll say nothing, but I know it’s more than just that.”
“Sometimes my mind just gets away from me, that’s all,” I told him. The last thing I wanted to do was talk about my past with Chase. It hadn’t been something prominent in our relationship and I didn’t want it to be now.
“Bad dream?” He pushed a little more and in that moment I wished I hadn’t texted him.
But I also knew there was no way out of this. I wasn’t naïve enough to believe that he was completely oblivious to my past. I mean, he could search with the click of a mouse and there wasn’t a thing I could do about it.
“Sometimes I dream that I’m not alone,” I whispered, instantly feeling foolish. “I know that it’s all in my head, but it still doesn’t keep the nightmares at bay. But they’re just that.” I closed my eyes tightly. “Just nightmares, nothing more.”
He was silent for a moment and it made my stomach tighten with discomfort.
“I wish there was something I could say or do to make the dreams go away.” Chase’s voice sounded strained, as if he was trying to control some kind of emotion. “I wish I’d known you back then, before he hurt you.”
My throat felt tight as I tried to swallow past the lump forming there.
“I wouldn’t have let anyone hurt you,” he stated. “But I can’t make that disappear. The only thing I can do is assure you that I’ll do whatever I can to make sure no one ever hurts you again.”
The seriousness of our conversation had shifted fast. And I knew Chase meant what he said. But I didn’t want my past to dictate our future. It was the biggest reason why I never brought up Michael or what happened between him and me. It was exactly where it should be, left in Dillon.
I was no longer that fragile girl; of all people, I needed him to understand that.
“With you I feel safe,” I said.
“And that is exactly what I want you to feel,” he replied. “The next couple days are gonna be crazy with Nan’s schedule, mine, and yours, but soon we need a night for just us. A night that I can spend holding you.”
That warm fuzzy feeling I got when Chase went all sweet on me returned, completely overtaking the serious manner from just moments ago.
Chapter Ten
Chase
“Nana,” I said in a panic as I rushed toward the spot where she lay on the floor. A tray spilled out before her with what appeared to be what was left of her lunch.
“Oh stop with the fussing,” she swatted my hand away as I tried to help her from the floor. “You need to stop treating me like I’m some brittle ole lady.”
I bit my lip to keep from telling her that was exactly what in the hell she was.
An eighty-nine-year-old woman, suffering from liver disease and a weak heart. She was still trying to move around the farm like she was in her thirties. She had no regard for her health or her instability. She barely made it two steps on a good day without feeling as if she’d just run a god-damn mile.
The woman was frustrating as hell.
“Will you please just stop being so damn stubborn and let me help you clean up?” I barked in return.
Normally I’d just step back and allow her to help herself, on guard of course, just in case I was needed. With her will to remain fully independent I really had no other choice unless I wanted to piss her off.
But today was different. She’d fallen twice this week already and I had reached my level of patience. The damn woman wasn’t going die from the disease and illness that tortured her daily. Hell no, she was gonna die by accident.
I could see the headlines now. Eighty-nine-year-old Winnie Willard falls to her death when she tries to hang a birdhouse from the highest peak of her three-story country home.
I needed to nail all
the damn windows shut, hide the ladder, and bolt the front and back doors shut from the outside.
I could swear that since I’d moved in with Nan almost a year and a half ago, I’d aged ten years. She was worse than a damn toddler on a sugar rush.
Her deep laughter shook me out of my anger fueled daze and I looked at her as if she’d lost her mind. “You remind me so much of your grandfather when he was your age.” Tears sprung to her eyes and I wasn’t sure if it was due to the laughter or if the laughter was just a cover up for her true emotions. Either way I could feel myself choking up at the thought of my late grandad.
“He was always such a damn worry wart. He hovered and barked at me every time I attempted anything on my own.” She shook her head, still smiling as if remembering something. “He was a good man.” She paused for a moment before her gaze connected with mine once more. “You’re a good man.”
It wasn’t like Nana to get sentimental; she was always so stern, and used her stubbornness as a front to hide behind.
“I don’t think I ever told you how much I appreciate you moving here. I know I’m not the easiest person to live with.” Fuck, all the damn anger I felt toward her only moments ago quickly faded. How in the hell was I supposed to stay angry at this tiny little spitfire of a woman who had suddenly gone soft?
I knelt down next to her, placing my hand out before her, motioning for her to place hers in mine. When she did, I slowly helped her from the floor and moved her toward the chair to the left.
After she was safely seated, I lowered myself to my knees and made sure she was looking at me when I spoke.
“I have so many memories of this farm. So many memories of you and Gramps.” I leaned in a little closer, taking both her hands in mine. “There was never a question in my mind when I overheard your health had taken a dip. The rest of them are just selfish. One day they may wake up and realize their wrongs.”
“Yeah well, I got all I need right here,” she said as she freed her hand from mine and brought it to rest on my cheek. “Now, son, you need to clean up that damn mess you made.”
She smiled and I chuckled, hanging my head and shaking it slightly. The time for softness in Nana had passed. I could remember only a handful of times in my life she went soft. Granddad was always the one I could play well; Nan was the one to call me on my shit.
Always.
“I’ll get right on that,” I assured her as I leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.
***
I tapped out a message to Trinity and held my phone in my hand, waiting for a response.
It didn’t take long for her to reply with the answer I was hoping to receive.
Trinity: I’ll be there in ten minutes.
I’d been trying for three days to get her to come out to the house. Each time she’d either been wrapped up with something Sawyer-related or she was too tired after a long day at the shop. Alena had gone to New York to meet with some new vendors and Trinity was working overtime to keep the boutique running while she was gone.
She and I still hadn’t quite figured out our schedules and the best way to make them work, but it didn’t stop us from trying.
I’d talked to Ryan about changing my shift, but I thought he and Noah still had me on some type of probation when it came to Trin, so they thought it was cute they had that control over me.
Assholes just loved my misery.
It was just after 10:00 when I walked out onto the front porch to wait for her. Nana had gone to bed close to an hour ago and I didn’t expect she’d need me until morning.
I just hoped for a couple of hours where Trinity and I could catch up. I’d found myself missing her like crazy lately. Since Nan fell the last time, I’d been reluctant to leave her side at night, which only made it harder for Trinity and me to see one another.
She’d expressed concern about coming out to the farm; apparently she’d heard some stories about cranky Mrs. Willard that had made her nervous.
But I just kept pushing, reassuring her I would keep her safe. I still found the entire thing funny, how most people in town categorized my hundred-pound grandmother. She’d really given herself a reputation over the years throughout the Livingston area.
But I knew if it came down to it, given the choice, Nan wouldn’t hurt anyone.
I’d just finished my beer when I heard the sound of tires crunching along the gravel drive. An exciting rush ran through me as Trinity’s rusty Ford Ranger came to a stop just next to my F-250. I chuckled to myself looking at the two vehicles side by side. Hers looked like a tiny Tonka truck in comparison to my own. I swear I could almost fit her truck in the bed of mine.
She climbed out, closing the door as quietly as possible before moving across the yard toward me.
She had on denim shorts that were cut so short the bottom of the pockets in the front hung out and rested on her thighs. And the t-shirt she wore was so snug I could see her belly piercing protrude out against the material. Her hair hung loose, the way I loved, waves of golden beauty.
Damn she was a sight.
“Hi,” she said softly, as if she was scared to speak too loud for fear of waking the beast.
I didn’t say anything in return, only placed my empty bottle on the small table at my side before standing and moving toward her.
I met her at the bottom steps of the porch and wasted no time gripping her waist and pulling her close. “Hi,” I finally said, making her smile. “I’ve missed you, sweet girl.”
Those times she blushed have grown fewer. And in a way that saddened me, because I loved to know that my words affected her. I loved knowing she’d rarely heard the things I told her.
I fed off that shit.
I wanted to be the man who gave her all the things she’d never experienced before.
But knowing she’d finally begun to trust me, that she was finally starting to let me in—that was a good feeling too.
“I’ve missed you, too,” she confessed, pressing her body closer to mine. Her forearms came to rest on my shoulders as she laced her fingers together behind my neck.
The only sounds that could be heard were the chirps of crickets and a gentle breeze that blew the trees surrounding the front of the house. I’d always loved the serenity of this place and right now I was thankful we weren’t standing out in front of her place, where any of the town’s people could see us.
Because if we were, I wouldn’t have done what I did next.
Bending my knees, I hooked her around the back of her thighs and lifted her body from the ground. She squealed and then covered her mouth with one hand as she wrapped her legs around my waist. I held on to her ass, tightly securing her body to mine.
Trinity looked at the house in alarm and I chuckled. “She’s out for the night, sweetheart.” I assured her, regaining her full attention.
Her mouth hovering only inches from mine, I arched my neck just enough to close the distance.
Over the last week we’d only seen one another in passing, a few stolen kisses here and there, but at this moment there was nothing stopping us. Nothing interfering with what we both felt.
I turned toward the house, our mouths still connected as I moved up the steps.
When I reached the front door, I missed the handle after two attempts and she giggled. “You need some help?” she asked, pulling back from our kiss and giving me a cocky smirk.
I pinched her ass and once again she squealed as she wiggled against me. I used the weight of my body to push her against the door, securing her, to keep her from slipping. “No, I got this,” I assured her, pushing my hips forward to show her just what I meant.
She whimpered and when she rotated her own hips against me, my knees grew weak. I looked up at Trinity, her hair falling around her face, her head tilted to the side as she bit down on her lower lip. I’d never seen anything more beautiful.
“Stay the night with me,” I whispered as I once again pushed my hardness against her.
I’d wanted this woman from
the first moment I saw her. I’d imagined doing some of the dirtiest, nastiest things to her, over and over in my mind. I’d held onto those thoughts for weeks, months even.
I’d refrained from moving too fast, from taking things too far, because I wanted nothing more than for this woman to know this was more for me than sex.
But I’d reached my limit.
Without even trying Trinity had wound me so tight over the last few weeks and I wasn’t sure I could resist any longer.
I wanted her.
I needed her so badly.
“Please say yes,” I whispered against her lips as I teased her lower one with my tongue.
“What about…” she began to speak but I cut her off quickly. I already knew she planned to use Nana as an excuse not to take this inside for the night.
“Stay with me,” I said once again, much slower this time. I was well aware of the fact that my words now sounded much more like a demand than a question. It was an exact reflection of what I was feeling.
Demanding.
Needy.
And authoritative.
She didn’t answer me, only took my mouth in a hungry kiss and I knew in that moment she agreed.
Chapter Eleven
Trinity
My back arched while Chase kissed along my inner thigh as he moved upward.
His warm breath sent chills over my body and I wanted to scream. I wanted to call out his name when his mouth covered my clit, but I knew I couldn’t. The last thing I wanted was for his grandmother to catch me in this compromising position.
But holy hell, I was humming with such intense pleasure it was almost impossible to withhold my cries.
“Don’t hold back, Trinity,” he whispered. “Let me hear it.”
Oh, he was cruel.
Or he was a god.
I went with that description because at that moment he had me floating.