He collapsed on her, his head buried in her neck as he caught his breath.
Even in their awkward position, he revelled in the afterglow.
Even after his climax, he continued to feel good—a different kind of good—a deeper, more satisfied good that he'd never felt with anyone before.
He didn't want to leave her arms while her hands were gently stroking his back.
A pang of regret intruded his blissful state. No doubt in a few days, they would be moving on. He sighed deeply and gave Kris a longing kiss on her neck, then got up to discard the condom.
As he walked into the bathroom, something nagged him. He was afraid. Afraid of what, though?
He stared at his reflection in the mirror. There were two things that scared him about being in a relationship: One, that he might be just like his mother—unable to commit to a "forever" with the same woman, and two, that he might get hurt again if he allowed himself to fall in love.
He swallowed hard. After tonight, he might as well be honest with himself. When it came to Kris, it was the latter that scared the crap out of him.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Kris' pleasant dreaming was interrupted by a ringing phone.
"Hey, Dyl," a drowsy male voice next to her said. She grinned, wakefulness slowly seeping through. She was in Trey's bed. She'd stayed the night.
"Why?" Trey was saying. "Oh, okay…No, give me an hour…Yes…No. An hour…See you."
She snuggled up against him as he placed his phone back on the bedside table. "Are you having a meeting with Dylan?" she asked.
"Yeah, he's coming here in an hour to discuss a bid we just received for one of our apps," he answered, putting his arms around her and giving her a kiss on the lips. "Morning."
"Morning," she replied.
Trey stared at her, his expression one of wonder and tenderness.
"What?" she asked, placing a hand on his cheek.
He shook his head and kissed her palm before gathering her close and kissing her softly on the lips.
She pressed her body against his, wrapping her arms and legs around him. Before long, they were devouring each other's mouths.
They didn't exchange any more words. Instead, they traded kisses and touches and moans, and brought each other to climax yet again.
*******
"We better get up. Dylan will be here soon," Trey murmured in her ear.
"Okay," she said, kissing him soundly before languidly getting out of bed and heading for the bathroom.
As she took a shower, her mind replayed the night they had together. The sex, just like their first night, was fantastic. Some people said you could tell if a man was good in bed by the way he danced. That myth had been busted. There was no way anyone could equate Trey's sexual performance with his dancing abilities. They were on the opposite sides of the spectrum.
She sighed contentedly as her mind circled around something that seemed different last night. She could swear there was a deeper, unspoken connection between her and Trey that wasn't there before. Perhaps it was from knowing a little bit more of each other from their conversation in the restaurant during dinner.
Her mind went back to Trey's relationship with his mum. It was clear he wasn't happy with his mother getting married again. He even considered her a gold-digger.
Her heart thudded hard in her chest. Was that where his hang-ups with women came from? Did he think girls would only be interested in his wealth? She knew Ari encountered similar problems with Dylan about that very issue when they had just started going out. Perhaps Trey had the same worry?
She must remember to fish more information out of Ari when she got the chance. The more she knew, the more she would understand him and discover why he chose to steer clear of relationships. She wanted to know what it would take for him to change his mind.
She smiled wryly at herself. Here she was again, wanting to turn a playboy into a committed man. She pushed that thought aside as she briskly dried herself with Trey's soft, fluffy towel. She didn't want to ruin her good mood with thoughts of her past or anxiety about the future.
As she got dressed, she mentally reminded herself to bring an overnight bag the next time she saw Trey. That would be okay, wouldn't it? She hoped he wouldn't think she was being presumptuous if she did, but she disliked wearing clothes she'd already worn the day before.
When she was ready, she went out to look for Trey and found him in the kitchen, freshly showered and making coffee.
"Next time, you should just join me in your shower rather than use the guest bathroom," she said to him as she sat on a bar stool by the breakfast nook.
Trey grinned and kissed her forehead as he placed a steaming mug in front of her. "I thought about it, but decided it wasn't a good idea. We could easily spend another hour there together and Dylan could walk in on us."
"Walk in?" she asked, sipping from her cup. Hmm. He made her coffee just the way she liked it, and it gave her a warm and fuzzy feeling.
"Yes. We have keys to each other's places, and we usually just walk in for scheduled meetings. But it's different now when we meet at Dylan's place. He instructed us to always buzz after he started going out with Ari."
She giggled. "Well, I'm sure they wouldn't want you catching them while in the throes of passion."
"No," Trey agreed, looking thoughtful.
Right that moment, they heard a click and in walked Dylan.
"Morning, Tr—" Dylan stopped in his tracks when he saw Kris sitting in Trey's kitchen. "Hi, Kris," he said in obvious surprise.
"Hi, Dyl. How are you going?" she asked, getting off the stool to give Dylan a hello hug and a kiss.
"Uh, good," Dylan responded. "You're here…early," he added, evidently still getting over his shock.
"Um, actually, I'm just about ready to go," she answered, a blush creeping up her cheeks.
"Go?" Trey asked. "Am I not driving you back? You can hang around here and have a proper breakfast while Dylan and I do a video call with Adam. Or if you like, you can go for a walk, have breakfast outside or something, and come back in an hour. We shouldn't take longer than that."
"Oh, don't worry about taking me home. You have work to do. I'll catch public transport. It'll be nice to move around like a local."
Trey stared at her uncertainly.
"Seriously, I'll be fine," she assured him. "I'm going now so you guys can start your meeting. Plus, Sam and I plan to go to Ari's today to make sure she's all set for the move tomorrow," she added with a bright smile at Dylan.
Dylan grinned back at her. "Thanks, Kris. I really appreciate you guys helping Ari out. I'll be there later this afternoon to start moving some of her stuff that she didn't want to load in the truck."
"No problem," she said, grabbing her purse that she left lying on the coffee table and slinging the strap on her shoulder.
She walked up to Trey, took his face between her hands and kissed him swiftly on the lips. "Bye."
"Bye," he responded, pulling her back for a more lingering kiss as his hands tenderly stroked her back. "I'll call you later."
*******
Kris was making her leisurely way to the bus station when she heard her name being called. She swivelled her head and saw Blake approaching her with a wide grin.
"Hey, Blake. Fancy seeing you here."
He chuckled. "What are you doing here? Shopping?"
"I'm actually on my way to the bus station. I spent the night at a friend's." She felt funny saying that, but she didn't think she could claim Trey as her boyfriend—yet.
"You going home?"
"Yes. Then I'm going to another friend's place to help her finish packing. She's moving in with her boyfriend tomorrow. He lives a few streets from here."
"Oh. So does that mean you'll be around here a lot, then?"
"Yes, I'd say so. Until I go home, anyway," she said with a laugh, thinking about how she'd love to spend most of that time with Trey.
"Do you have time for coffee?" Blake asked.
<
br /> She checked her watch. Ari wasn't expecting her and Sam until around midday. She had time and was actually feeling slightly peckish.
"Sure. Coffee—and maybe a bagel or croissant—would be good."
"I know just the place," Blake said.
They walked to a coffee shop around the corner, with Blake telling her about the musical he was choreographing.
While they were waiting for their orders, Kris decided to ask Blake what she'd been dying to know the answer to. "Ah, Blake. I was just wondering if you're any close to making a decision about the contract job?"
Blake sighed loudly. "If the complications I can't tell you about didn't exist, I would have announced my decision by now. I'm still working on a few things. But…I can tell you I'm very impressed with you. That's all I can say right now."
She grinned. "So if those complications didn't exist, or when you're able to resolve them, would it be fair to say I have a very good chance of being offered the job?"
Blake chuckled. "Do I have to answer that?"
"If you want to."
"Do you want me to?"
"Yes."
"Then, yes."
She gasped. "So if you get everything sorted out, I get the job?"
Blake stared at her for a long moment, his eyes dancing and a small smile playing on his face. "Yes. But…"
"I know. It's not one hundred percent certain that you'll be able to get rid of those pesky complications," she answered with a genuine smile. "I'm just glad I'm on the top of your list."
"How can you not be? You're wonderful," Blake said softly.
"Thank you," she said shyly.
*
"I'll walk you to the station," Blake offered as they left the café.
"Okay."
They strolled in companionable silence until Blake asked her nonchalantly, "So, Kris. Is there a boyfriend back home who'll get disappointed if you stayed here in Sydney?"
She glanced at Blake's profile, surprised by the question.
"No," she answered truthfully.
"Great! I mean, I won't have to worry about you not being able to concentrate on the job because you're missing someone in Melbourne. If you get the job, that is."
She chuckled. "Honestly, Blake. You are the biggest tease when it comes to offering a job."
Blake chortled. "I'm sorry," he said, before touching her arm to stop her from walking. "I promise I'm working hard to sort this stuff out. If I can't, then no one can substitute for me while I'm away for the musical."
She looked at him uncertainly. "Geez, Blake. I hope you get everything sorted for your sake. Please don't worry about what I think. I know you'll have to make the decision that's best for your business."
He smiled. "I want to give the job to you. That way I'll have the opportunity to see if you'll be suitable for the Melbourne role. Just give me some time. I'll find a way. Don't worry your pretty little head about it."
As they proceeded toward their destination, a nagging feeling bothered Kris. Was Blake interested in her? She hoped he wasn't keen to hire her just because he fancied her.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
"Okay. So we're all on the same page with everything?" Trey asked Dylan and Adam as they wrapped up their meeting.
"Yup," the two guys answered.
"Great. Anything else we need to talk about?"
"Yes," Dylan said. "I've been trying to hold my tongue about this for the last hour as I want to get this meeting out of the way first. Now that we're done, let me get Adam up to speed with what shocked me this morning."
"What?" Adam asked, his eager expression evident from the computer screen.
Trey took a deep breath. He knew this was coming. He was surprised Dylan hadn't grilled him straight after Kris left.
"Well," Dylan drawled, "When I rang up Trey earlier this morning to arrange this meeting, I said to him I'd be arriving in twenty minutes. Lo and behold, he told me to give him an hour. One hour. Adam, how much time did you need to drag yourself out of bed and have a shower so we could talk about a multi-million dollar deal?"
"I would have been ready in two minutes," Adam quipped. "Why would I even need to take a shower when only the two of you were going to see me?"
Dylan snickered. "Well, since I was coming here, I thought Trey might want to at least brush his teeth, so I thought twenty minutes was plenty of time."
"Oh, for heaven's sake, Dyl. Get to the point," Trey said in resignation.
"Yeah, what is this all about?" Adam queried.
"You want to tell Adam about it?" Dylan asked Trey, arching an eyebrow.
"You started it, you finish it," Trey responded.
"Okay," Dylan said, facing the webcam so Adam could see his full facial expression. "I walked in here and discovered that not only had Trey broken his own Rule Number One again, but he also broke Rule Number Two."
Adam gasped in surprise. "He brought a woman to his apartment again? She stayed the night? Holy hell. What's happened to you, bro?" he asked Trey.
"What do you mean what's happened to me?" Trey responded with a frown. "I thought I've made it clear to the both of you that Kris and I are having a three-week fling."
"Yes, I get that. But after our discussion the other day about her, I was surprised you took it even further," Dylan said animatedly. "Trey, I sincerely hope you're not leading her on. Kris is not just anyone. She's my future wife's and my sister-in-law's best friend."
"You've proposed to Ari already?"
"Not yet. But you know what I mean," Dylan said. "And don't change the topic."
Trey raked his hands through his hair. How was he going to explain himself when he didn't fully understand what was going on either?
"Dyl, I don't think Kris is interested in me for the long-term. You know what she's like. She's very frank and open. She said she was only after a fling and I believe her."
Dylan sighed. "Okay, granted that's the case, but what's with you breaking your rules?"
"What's wrong with me breaking my rules? They're my rules to break. But since you guys are so interested, I'll have you know I did it for convenience. And don't forget, Kris will be leaving in just a little over two weeks. She's not some Sydney chick who could knock on my door at any time," he said in heated defence.
He felt a twisting in his gut at his words. Kris would be gone soon. Why did that upset him?
"I just don't know what to make of this," Dylan said, shaking his head.
Neither do I, Dyl. Neither do I, Trey thought to himself as he took a sip of water to hide his confusion.
"So, what now?" Adam asked. "I suppose that when all of us are together with the girls, including Kris, we just don't say anything? Act like it's no big deal?"
Trey shrugged. "Yeah. Why should it be any different?"
Dylan smirked and stared at him with watchful eyes. "It's different because I didn't know where to look when you kissed each other goodbye this morning. You say you're not together, but you acted like you were."
"Wait, wait," Adam piped in. "They kissed each other goodbye? How?"
"Lovey-dovey, mushy, tender kiss goodbye," Dylan replied.
Trey gasped. "Hey, it wasn't like that," he protested.
"Wasn't it?" Dylan asked, his eyes narrowed in challenge. "That was what it looked like to me."
Adam laughed out loud. "The great Trey Andrews falling for a chick. I've been waiting for the day you eat each and every single word you've said about how you've become immune to love."
Trey sagged in his chair and groaned. "You guys are just annoying the shit out of me."
Dylan chuckled. "We're obviously pushing a big button here, dude. Come on, it's us. Out with it!"
Trey sighed, rubbing his hands on his face. "Look, I'm seriously attracted to Kris. I'm not denying that. But how do I know this is not just a passing fancy? There had been women in the past that I've been really attracted to, and you both know that after a couple of weeks or so my interest went downhill fast. I just don't want to take th
is any further than a casual fling if I'm just going to disappoint her afterwards." Or if she's just going to disappoint me.
"So what do you plan to do?" Dylan asked.
"Just enjoy her company. If it leads to something more serious down the track, then so be it. But I don't want to purposely get us to a serious stage. Besides, at this point in time, it's just my dick dictating my actions. It wants Kris bad."
"So all that lovey-dovey kiss goodbye didn't mean anything?" Dylan pressed.
"I blame the afterglow of a great night of sex."
"What if in the next few days you realise that—shock, horror—you want something more than casual? What would you do then?"
Trey fell silent as he thought about Dylan's question. Was he ready to become vulnerable again with a woman? Was he now open to a relationship, or at least the possibility of it?
He allowed himself to look back at the short time he'd had with Kris and the reality surprised him. There was a great deal of passion between them, but there was also just as much tenderness. Could he fall in love without being aware that he was in the process of it?
Whoa. That was a scary thought. But it dawned on him that he might not have any choice but to go with the flow. He'd gone this far with Kris without even noticing it.
"How do you fight it if you don't want to fall for someone?" he asked out loud.
"In my experience, I don't think you can," Dylan answered quietly.
"Well, then, that's the answer. If I can't fight it then I won't. Mind you, it remains to be seen where exactly Kris and I are heading," he said with an unconcerned lift of his shoulders, wanting to make light of the situation. "Anyway, let's put the spotlight back on you, Dyl. Since today is your last day of living alone in bliss, how about we go out tonight and do a pub crawl?"
Dylan laughed. "You better save that for my buck's night, bro. I'm going to Ari's to help her move some important stuff that she wanted to transport herself; so, unfortunately, I'll be busy tonight."
"Oh, you guys need any help?"
"I'm not sure. The girls said it's all under control."
Secret Moves (Secret Dreams Contemporary Romance 3) Page 9