“I was sick,” Kiera reminded him.
“I’d saved an entire paycheck and made reservations for dinner at Emile’s, the most expensive place in Gauthier.” He continued speaking as if she hadn’t said a word. “But then I got that call from you telling me you were sick and that you weren’t coming home.
“Your brother had another theory. He came over here to Decker’s later that day and insisted that his prediction was coming true. He told me you were pretending to be sick so that you could cancel our plans and hang out with your college friends who were so much better than good-for-nothing me.”
“That’s not true—” she started, but he cut her off.
“So, I decided to prove him wrong and went to visit you at school that evening.”
A sickening feeling filled Kiera’s gut as she remembered how hurt she was that Trey hadn’t called to wish her a happy birthday. She’d tried to play it off as if it wasn’t a big deal, and had even allowed her dorm mates to take her out for pizza.
“I went up to your dorm room with flowers and chicken soup that I made from the recipe you taught me, ready to nurse you back to health,” Trey continued. “You can imagine my surprise when I found out from your roommate that you had indeed gone out with friends.”
“Trey—”
“So, I went outside and sat on the steps of your dorm. I sat there for three hours, holding a dozen roses and a carton of soup.” He looked over at her, his eyes filled with so much hurt Kiera felt it down to her toes. “When you finally came back to your dorm, you and your group of friends walked right past me. You never even noticed me sitting there.”
Trembling fingers flew to her lips, but an anguished gasp still escaped.
“Trey—” She started again, but she couldn’t think of what else to say.
“That’s when I realized that Mason was right. I was good enough for passing a good time out here at Decker’s garage, but I couldn’t compete with all that college life had to offer you.”
“That’s not true,” she whispered.
“You were the only thing keeping me in Maplesville, so once I realized I’d lost you, there was no reason to stay. Early the next morning I called that garage in Houston to find out if the job was still available. It was, so I packed up what I could fit in my trunk and was gone within the hour.
“When I got to Houston I thought about turning around and coming right back home, but you know what you said about looking like a fool for chasing after someone who didn’t want you?” He shrugged. “So, instead, I called to tell you that it was over. After I ended that call with you, I went to a bar, got sloppy drunk, and met Angie. The rest is history.”
He snorted another of those humorless laughs. “It was stupid to think that what had started out as a ploy to piss off your brother could ever turn into something real.”
“But it was real,” Kiera said.
“It never would have worked, Slim, especially once you left for college and saw this whole new world outside of Maplesville.”
Kiera wrapped her arms around her middle. “I didn’t know you were there,” she said in a small voice.
“It’s okay.”
“It’s not.” She shook her head. “I can’t imagine how that made you feel.”
“It’s all good,” he said with another shrug.
“Trey, I really was sick that weekend,” she said. “I’d only started to feel better later that evening, but it was too late for me to go home to Maplesville. My girlfriends took me out for pizza because I was so upset about you not calling. I’m sorry about what Mason told you. He was wrong.”
“Was he? You made it clear from the very beginning that you were using me to get back at Mason, and I was all too happy to be used.”
“But it was more than that, Trey. You know it became so much more than that.”
“It did.” The air between them was heavy with shared regret. “I was in love with you, Kiera. I never expected someone like you would want anything to do with a guy like me. But we clicked. And you…you became my everything.”
His softly spoken words sent an arrow of sorrow tearing through her soul.
“I’m just so sorry,” she said. “For…for everything. For using you. For blaming you all these years.”
“I’m sorry I left without telling you why,” he said. “I just thought it was for the best. Mason was right—”
“No, he wasn’t,” she said.
“Yes, he was, Kiera. You didn’t need a guy like me holding you back.” He walked up to her and cradled her face in his hands. “The guy I was back then, I wasn’t good for you. You deserved better than the old Trey Watson.”
She swallowed deeply, her throat clotted with emotion. “What about the new Trey Watson?”
His thumb brushed her cheek. “He’s trying to be the kind of man you deserve.”
Kiera took his hand from her cheek and kissed his palm. “You’re more than enough for me, Trey. You’ve always been more than enough.”
He let out a low groan before dipping his head and capturing her lips in a slow, deep kiss. A mixture of love and passion invaded every corner of her heart, raw and beautiful and powerful. This was Trey as she always wanted him, showing her how he felt with his warm, gentle kiss.
One hand traveled down her waist, settling on her hip, while the other pulled her in closer, encouraging her to bring her body in to his as his tongue glided along the seam of her lips. He sucked on her bottom lip before pushing his tongue into her mouth.
Kiera’s soul melted as she lost herself in his kiss. Everything about this moment felt right. It was what she had been missing for so long.
Over the years she had tried to tell herself that she was over him, that Trey Watson was just a boy from her past. She’d convinced herself that the only reason he crept into her mind ever so often was because he was her first love, someone she was destined to remember forever.
But she’d been wrong. He was so much more than that.
Trey was the only man who had ever captured her heart. They had been young, but their love had been real. And in these past few weeks she’d learned how quickly she could fall in love with Trey again.
As she devoured his familiar flavor and experienced that rush he always brought her, Kiera realized that there would never be another man in her life who could measure up to the one in her arms.
He was destined to be her everything.
He became more ardent, his tongue plying her mouth with fiery, passionate kisses. The response from her body was equally passionate as he backed her up against the wall of the garage, her skin tingling with need.
Trey cradled the back of her head with one hand while the other slipped underneath her tank top. His fingers brushed back and forth over her hardening nipple, his thumb and forefinger pinching and plucking until it stood erect. The sensation of the lace bra abrading her skin caused goose bumps to pebble all over Kiera’s body, while another part of her body went liquid.
As if he sensed how much she needed him there in that very moment, Trey wedged his thigh between her legs and rubbed up and down her core. The need to give herself to him completely was overwhelming. She wanted him to have all of her, every single part. Kiera fitted herself more securely against him. She ground her pelvis into his, riding his leg, gasping as he hit all of her sweet spots.
Trey pulled her tank top over her head and tugged her bra cups down, freeing her breasts. He sucked one nipple into his mouth and then the other, deep groans escaping his throat as he went back and forth between the two, giving them equal attention.
His mouth still on her breast, he unsnapped her jeans, and hooked his thumbs over the waistband. As he dragged both her jeans and panties down her legs, his lips followed, peppering her body with wet kisses and long, luxurious licks.
Kiera released a soft moan, her head falling back against the dusty wall as her heart reacted to every spot he touched. With every tender kiss it grew heavier with love for him, until she was sure her heart would b
urst from her chest.
Trey made his way back up her body and filled her mouth with another deep kiss. With a haste that sent tingles down her spine, he quickly unzipped his own jeans and freed himself from the confines of his boxers, not even bothering to push the jeans down past his hips. He hefted her up, and Kiera wrapped her legs around his waist.
Every inch of her skin tingled, anticipating the moment his thick erection would find its way home. The moment it did, a groan tore from her throat.
“Oh, God,” she gasped. She hooked her ankles at the small of his back and crossed her wrists behind his head.
Trey palmed her backside, holding her in place up against the wall as he advanced and retreated, establishing a rhythm that had an orgasm building inside her within seconds. Kiera pitched her head back, staring up at the dilapidated ceiling, but seeing nothing. All she could do was feel.
The fragrance of their lovemaking collided with the faint smell of motor oil still lingering in the air, catapulting her back to that summer when Trey had become her entire world. And here they were, back here, being everything to each other once again.
He buried his face against her neck and sucked, the soft bristles of his barely-there beard stubble abrading her delicate skin. Every nip and bite sent a shot of pleasure coursing through her. With relentless passion he rammed his body into hers, going as far as he could possibly go, until a swift, all-consuming orgasm roared through her bloodstream.
Trey’s release soon followed, his limbs trembling as he clutched her to him.
Her head fell forward. She fought for air, her lungs hurting as she tried to inhale. For several moments she couldn’t speak, could hardly think.
But there was one thought that would not relent. Despite the mind-numbing pleasure imbuing every part of her brain, it would not let go.
“Trey,” she said against his shoulder. “Tell me you forgive me.”
He pulled his head back and looked at her. “Forgive you for what?”
“For what happened on my nineteenth birthday. I need to know that you forgive me.”
Trey secured his arm underneath her backside and brought his other hand up to cradle the back of her head. He looked into her eyes, his gaze penetrating.
“Slim, I forgave you a long time ago.”
Her chest squeezed tight, overwhelmed with emotion. Trey captured her mouth in an achingly tender kiss, his erection once again swelling inside of her.
“There is nothing you can do that I won’t forgive, Kiera. That’s what happens when you give your heart to someone. You’ve had mine from the moment you asked me to take you out for hamburgers after the high school football game; I’ve never truly given it to anyone else.”
“I love you so much,” she whispered against his lips. “Always, Trey. I have always loved you.” She grabbed fistfuls of his shirt as he started to rock inside of her again. He thrust his hips, his thick erection driving deep. Filling her. Stretching her. Touching the very heart of her.
Kiera cried out, the orgasm hitting her with a fierceness that left her breathless.
Hours later, she snuggled up against Trey; wrapped in an old wool blanket he kept in the cab of his truck, she grazed her fingers lightly across the arm he’d draped over her stomach.
“You know what’s funny?” she whispered.
“What’s that, Slim?”
She looked over her shoulder and smiled at him. “I thought that email from the contest director would be the best thing I got today.”
“I guess we still have a lot to celebrate, don’t we?” Trey said as he buried his face against her neck. “It’s a good thing we’ve got all night.”
Chapter Seven
Kiera stopped short when she spied Trey through the food truck’s open back door. Bent over, wiping down the under shelf of the prep table, he provided a view that made her pulse quicken. Her fingers itched to stroke the soft denim hugging his tight butt. She stuck her thumb and index finger between her lips and blew out a loud wolf whistle.
“Lookin’ good there.” He whipped around, and a cocky grin spread across his face. He was too cocky for his own damn good. “I’m talking about Kiera’s Kickin’ Kajun,” she said.
He climbed out of the truck and pulled her to him. “The hell you are,” he said against her lips. “Though I have to say this truck does look damn good.”
Kiera nodded, brushing her lips across his. “I love that I can finally show it off. Thanks for driving it over.”
Trey had taken the inaugural drive, bringing the food truck from the industrial park to her catering building where it would be parked when not on the road.
“Holy crap, that looks amazing!” Macy’s excited voice rang out. They both turned to her. “I can’t believe this is the same truck.”
Kiera gave her a tour of the interior. Both she and Macy were planning to spend as much time as possible over the next few days testing out the food truck’s equipment.
They were down to the wire. The safety inspector was scheduled to arrive in an hour. Once she got through the health inspection, she could head to City Hall to get her operator’s permit. It took three days to process the operator’s permit, which meant she had to get everything squared away by the end of the day if Kiera’s Kickin’ Kajun was going to be operational by the start of this weekend’s shrimp festival.
As they descended the fold-down steps Trey had installed on the back of the food truck, a late model Chevy Suburban pulled up next to the building.
“That must be the health inspector,” Macy said. She held up her crossed fingers. “Good luck,” she called as she headed back into the building.
“He’s early,” Kiera said, shielding her eyes from the sun as she looked toward the SUV.
A cagey smile lined Trey’s lips. “That’s not the health inspector.”
A tall guy wearing a t-shirt with a traffic light on it walked up to them.
“Thanks for coming, Tim,” Trey greeted with a handshake. “Kiera, this is Timothy Ryan from the Ready, Set, Geaux Food Truck. He’s also part of the New Orleans Food Truck Consortium.”
“Yes, of course,” Kiera said, shaking the man’s outstretched hand. “Your truck is one of the rock stars of the local industry.”
“I don’t know about that,” Tim said. “But we do okay.” He nodded toward her truck. “Looks as if you’re ready to give me a run for my money. You’ve got yourself a nice kitchen there.”
“Thanks.” She tried to curb the huge smile hurting her cheeks, but when the owner of one of New Orleans’s hottest food trucks complimented your truck, restraint didn’t come easy. “The shrink wrap was finished just yesterday.” Kiera took out her cellphone and brought up an old picture of the truck. “You would never believe that it looked like this just a month ago.”
Tim’s eyes widened as he stared at the phone. He whipped around to Trey. “You did all of this in a month?”
Trey shrugged. “I hired an electrician to do the wiring.”
Kiera turned to him and laughed. “Is modesty in the air today or something?” She turned back to Tim and pointed at Trey. “He pulled off the impossible. This truck was a disaster, but he turned it into a thing of beauty, and in record time.”
Trey took her hands between his and gave them a squeeze. “I’ve been talking to Tim about something he and a few of the other trucks are putting together. Tim, you want to explain?”
He nodded. “A group of us are looking to build a food truck park like the ones in Seattle and Austin. There’s a patch of land available for rent in the Bywater area of New Orleans.”
Kiera frowned in confusion. “I thought there was an ordinance against a food truck being in one place for longer than two hours?”
“There is, but we’re fighting the restaurant association over it. We got the city council to do away with the 600 feet buffer zone around brick and mortar restaurants; we’re hopeful they’ll do the right thing again. We have nine trucks that have already agreed to join up, but we have space for
three more.”
“And you want Kiera’s Kickin’ Kajun?”
“Trey and I have been talking about it this week and we think your Cajun wraps will be a good fit.”
“I…I don’t know what to say,” Kiera said. She looked over at Trey whose eyes were glowing with excitement.
“I’ve been lurking on some of the food truck message boards and saw some chatter about it. It looked like something you needed to get in on.”
Kiera could only manage a small smile. She climbed into the truck and listened as Trey gave Tim a tour of Kiera’s Kickin’ Kajun’s interior.
“This is impressive,” Tim said as he looked around. “And after seeing the before picture, I’m even more impressed.” He stuck his hand out to Trey. “You do good work. When Ready, Set, Geaux is ready to expand, I know who to call to renovate the next truck.”
“Sounds good to me,” he said, patting Tim on the back as he walked him to his SUV.
Kiera felt a measure of excitement at the prospect of Trey eventually coming back to work on a food truck for Tim, but she couldn’t quell the disquiet settling in her stomach. Discovering that the two of them had apparently spent several days discussing her business without her knowledge didn’t sit well with her. She knew Trey meant well with his surprise, but making plans for her food truck without even consulting her?
She had too much business savvy to turn down the offer. Aligning herself with some of the area’s most popular food trucks would alleviate a huge part of the burden of getting her name out there, but her gut still churned with unease. This felt reminiscent of too many of those instances when Mason had done what he thought was best for her, without bothering to discuss it with her.
This was her business. Trey should have talked to her before ever contacting Timothy Ryan.
Just as she turned to tell him her feelings about it, his cell phone rang.
He looked down at the number, then back up at her. “Can you give me a minute?” He answered the phone. As Kiera listened in on his conversation, the disquiet she was feeling just a minute ago took a back seat as her blood began to pump excitedly through her veins.
Just A Little Taste (Moments in Maplesville) Page 11