Love Renewed (Love Trilogy)

by C. S. Janey

  As she walked towards the table finally, Trevin glanced back down at his food, finishing it up quickly. When she sat down, he looked at her in the face, which for some reason caused her to lower her eyes immediately. That was when he noticed that she was wearing make-up again, which was something she hadn't done since the accident happened.

  Standing up abruptly, he saw the flash of irritation on her face as he walked away, but it was gone almost as quickly as it had appeared.

  He washed his dishes off in the sink, listening to her humming behind him and getting louder by the second. Turning off the water, he turned around and lifted a brow at her, knowing that she was going to irritate him until she got whatever she wanted from this visit.

  “What did you come here for Shelby? I am gathering that it wasn’t just to visit, and you usually don’t dress up so nicely, so now I’m suspicious,” he remarked, crossing his arms over his chest while glaring at her.

  She grimaced, mimicking his actions as she crossed her arms over her chest too. “I don’t know what you are talking about, Trevin. I just came to see you, like always.” He watched her stick her lower lip out, and he didn’t know why, but he wasn’t buying her reasoning today. Something just seemed off.

  He slammed his hand down on the counter, causing her to jump and her eyes to widen in surprise. “Don’t lie to me, Shelby!” He lowered his voice to indicate his anger and frustration as he said, “Tell me why you are here, actually looking like a grown up and as if you are trying to get a man’s attention.”

  She was utterly silent for several minutes after that remark, but he stood patiently and waited for her to answer him. Finally, she lowered her arms from her chest and folded them in her lap, notching up her chin defensively as she spoke.

  Staring at Trevin, she declared, “I remember the argument.”

  Not knowing what argument she was referring to, he gave her a confused look. “What? What argument? Did someone pick a fight with you?”

  She stood up then, pushing her chair back angrily as she slapped her hands onto the kitchen table and raising her voice just slightly as she glared at him. “No! I remember our argument. You know, the one we had the night of my accident?”

  It was Trevin’s turn to gape then, shocked speechless. Before he could say anything, she continued on, her voice sounding rough to his ears as if she were going to cry.

  “It was a few days ago,” she admitted, glaring at him. “I recall you telling me that I would regret if anything happened between you and Charlotte. Then, I got hit by a car.”

  Over his shock, he let out a bark of laughter. “Are you kidding me, Shelby? You remember the argument after all this time, do you? Are you actually standing here and accusing me being the one to hit you with the car? I know you damn well remember that it was a woman who hit you as you were walking across the street when it was pitch black outside because she came to visit you in the hospital!” His voice had risen as he felt on the verge of shouting at her ugly accusation.

  And before she could reply, the front door opened, and Charlotte’s voice rang out.

  “Trevin! Are you here?”

  Chapter Nine

  “Shit!” The word slipped out before Trevin could stop it and looking over, he could see that Shelby was utterly terrified. He hadn’t told Charlotte about Shelby yet, and he did not think this was an opportune time for that conversation, especially with her accusation hanging in the air now. “She can’t find you here! Stay quiet!”

  At her nod, he walked to the front door to greet Charlotte. She was standing just inside the doorway, gripping her purse as she held it in front of her like a shield. She was wearing an ankle length black skirt with a white long sleeve blouse, her brown hair hanging straight down her back. She caught his eyes as he walked towards her, and he smiled uncertainly, unable to read her expression.

  As he drew near her, he could see the sudden intake of breath she took as if trying to steady her nerves.

  Casually sticking his hands into his pockets, he stopped about a foot before her. “Hey. What are you doing here? It’s pretty early; I wasn’t expecting anyone…”

  He trailed off, his eyes focusing on her biting her lower lip as if she weren’t quite sure what to say. When she licked her lips and still didn’t say anything, he walked closer until they were nose to nose. His lips were inches from hers, and although her eyes widened, she didn’t step back as he murmured, “What can I do for you Sprite?”

  “I…I…” she stammered, before taking a deep breath and trying again. “I just…came to tell you that I am sorry…for slapping you last night.”

  His eyebrows rose in surprise. “You came all the way to my house just to tell me you are sorry for hitting me? You could have just called me.” He smirked, lowering his voice just a little to indicate he didn't believe that was her only reason for coming. “Are you sure that is all you came here to say?”

  He saw her swallow as she gave a quick nod and he was about to step back when he saw her glance at his mouth before looking up into his eyes again.

  “Why are you so nervous Charlotte? You look like a lamb about to be eaten by the wolf.” He grinned then, his statement causing her to blush and to take a step back.

  Not willing to let her get away just yet, he stepped forward - a movement that put her right up against the door. He knew her sudden inhalation was in recognition of her current predicament. Putting his hands on either side of her, he leaned into her, his mouth close to her ear.

  She stood still, her head turned slightly as she was afraid to look at him. Bringing his right hand up, he gently moved some of her escaping hair behind her ear and nipped at her earlobe.

  Her slight jerk in reaction, as if he had startled her, made him chuckle, and she looked up at him then, her eyes so dark they were almost black. To him, they looked like melted dark chocolate which made him want to gobble her up even more.

  His hand sliding down to cradle the side of her neck, he quickly touched his lips to hers in a sweet caress, his thumb stroking her cheek. Pulling away just enough to speak, he whispered, “What do you want right now Charlotte? Tell me.”

  He heard the sound of her purse hitting the floor seconds before her arms wrapped around his neck, looking into his eyes as one word escaped her lips.

  “You.”

  With that one word, Trevin felt his stomach drop as his heart jumped into his throat. Many thoughts flew through his head as he debated what he should do.

  Shit! Damn it! What am I supposed to do? Shelby’s hiding in my kitchen accusing me of having something to do with her accident and Charlotte is hitting on me. Why the hell did they both have to show up here at the same time? He mentally cursed at his predicament, coming to a decision he prayed he wouldn’t regret. Shelby would hopefully figure out how to leave the house without making noise.

  With that thought, he put Shelby out of his mind. Then, reaching down and pulling Charlotte against him, he took possession of her mouth with a ferocity that made them both moan. Keeping one hand against her back to hold her close, he brought the other up to grip her hair, his tongue and hers touching and gliding against each other in the now shared space of her mouth.

  Gliding his hand under her shirt, he skimmed the palm of his hand along her back, which was warm underneath her clothing. She moaned her appreciation into his mouth, her body seeming to unconsciously move closer to his as her breasts rubbed against his chest, nipples puckering instantly due to the sensations. Taking advantage of their position, he pushed her back against the door, moving along with her to trap her altogether and moved his hand down to the waistband of her skirt before bypassing it with his hand.

  Her nails were biting into his shoulders as she arched her body towards his. Slipping his hand inside her panties as well, he gripped her ass, making sure she could feel his arousal trapped between their bodies, causing them both to moan with the friction of their movements.

  Breaking their kiss and keeping hi
s grip on her hair, he tilted her head slightly to growl into her ear, “this is what you do to me. This is what you have always done to me.” Urging his arousal against her again, they moaned in unison. “You, Sprite. Only you.”

  As he was leaning to capture her mouth once again, she suddenly tensed in his arms.

  Oh, no. That was his first thought.

  “What’s wrong, Sprite?”

  Looking up into his eyes, she whispered, “I think I heard something. Footsteps. They were coming from your kitchen.”

  He cleared his throat, relaxing his grip on her. “Oh yeah, about that…”

  Before he could say anything, Charlotte's eyes widened, and Trevin groaned.

  Releasing Charlotte, he turned around, already knowing what he would find.

  Shelby was standing in the kitchen doorway with a frown on her face.

  ~*~

  Charlotte was pretty sure that Trevin was going to start undressing her right there in his foyer. They were clutching each other, as close as two people could be with their clothes on, their lips locked with his hand on her bare ass. She had surprised him along with her own self when she told him that he was what she wanted even with everything else going on. Not until that moment had she admitted how much she wanted him to touch her out loud, but the way he’d been staring at her was not something that should be ignored. He had looked hopeful, hungry and just a tad bit desperate to touch her.

  It was so lovely being this close to him again. She didn’t want to come straight out and say it, but she hadn’t come just to say she was sorry. She knew he had just been frustrated with being unable to fix things because she kept blowing him off and hadn’t meant what he had said. The fact he loved her was written all over his face and she knew the problem was that she just didn’t know how to move past the hurt she’d been carrying around.

  “Only you,” he said in her ear before moving back to bring his mouth near hers, both of their eyes closing as he moved in to kiss her. That was when she heard the noise and tensed, her eyes flying open as she looked towards the kitchen.

  She knew she said something to Trevin, but her head was buzzing at the appearance of a woman in his kitchen doorway.

  Not recognizing the woman, she took a deep breath to try and clear her head as Trevin released his grip on her and turned around.

  Nobody said anything for a few moments, which appeared to make the woman nervous, her hands twisting together as Charlotte stared at her. Deciding to break the silence on her own, she turned to Trevin and crossed her arms over her chest.

  “Aren’t you going to introduce me, Trevin?” Her voice came out a bit low, the remnants of desire evident. Clearing her throat, she waited expectedly.

  Confusion crossed Trevin's face as he looked from Charlotte’s face to Shelby’s and back again. “You don’t recognize her?”

  She huffed, throwing her hands up in the air in exasperation. “Why would I? I have been gone for ten years, and I don’t ever recall seeing this woman before.”

  At that, the woman busted out laughing, and Charlotte whirled to face her, glaring as she put her hands on her hips. “What is so funny about this? Who are you?”

  The question only seemed to make the woman laugh harder. Trevin must have noticed Charlotte getting pissy because he stepped towards her, grabbing her arm gently as he turned her back towards him.

  “Charlotte, this is Shelby. She’s…my friend,” he finished lamely as she noticed the pause in his statement.

  What is he not telling me right now? She searched his face, and he grimaced, shaking his head as if he wanted her to avoid asking the obvious question right now. She decided to ask anyway.

  “Your friend? That may be true, but I can see that you are holding something back that you don't want to tell me. What is it?”

  The woman’s laughs had subsided, and Charlotte glanced her way. She was staring at them, her head cocked to the side as if contemplating the situation in front of her. Something seemed not right with the girl, her eyes looking distant with a smile playing on her face, but Charlotte wasn’t sure she wanted to ask.

  When Trevin finally sighed, she looked back at him, and he was frowning.

  “Lets go into the living room and sit down. I have a feeling this is going to be quite the conversation.”

  Following him seemed like the only option if she wanted her question answered, so she did as Shelby trailed behind them, humming softly.

  What is this lady’s problem? She didn’t voice her thoughts at that moment, knowing that it would be rude even if Shelby were being impolite, as well. What is so funny about this that has her laughing as if it were the most hilarious thing she had ever witnessed? And why is she humming and flitting about behind us like a kid that can’t walk quietly?

  As they entered the living room, Charlotte had a feeling the answers to her questions were about to be answered. She watched Shelby walk over the window and sit on the seat there, staring out while twirling her hair with her fingers as Trevin sat down on the couch and patted the seat beside him.

  A feeling of dread spread through her. She knew with sudden clarity that whatever she was about to hear was going to upset her because Trevin was watching her with a sad smile on his face.

  “I have a feeling that you are going to tell me something I do not want to hear. Why is that?” She shot a look at Shelby before looking at Trevin expectedly.

  He cleared his throat. “Well, you may not like it…”

  “Spit it out. You’re making me nervous the longer you make me wait,” she said, her shaking leg bellying her words.

  Giggling, Shelby turned away from the window and sent Trevin an amused glance, seeming to find his inability to spit out the words funny.

  Stammering, Trevin spoke. “I’m trying to tell you that she…” he blew out a strong breath, opening his mouth to continue when Shelby interrupted.

  “What Trevin is trying to tell you is that he and I have been friends since a few weeks after I was hit by a car on the same night you left town.”

  Charlotte raised her eyebrows in surprise at the same she saw Trevin whip his head around to stare at Shelby, a questioning look on his face as she continued on.

  “I had met Trevin in the twelfth grade - before you had started high school - and even though I was two years older, I really liked him,” she said with a self-deprecating smile as Charlotte watched her, listening. “I thought I had a chance with him and could make him see that.”

  With sudden clarity, Charlotte knew where this was going and she stood up abruptly, backing away from them both. Shelby put up a hand in protest.

  “Wait! Let me finish!” she yelled out, the high-pitched demand making Charlotte pause and listen even though she wanted to escape. “I threw myself at him that day because I wanted him to have the same feelings for me as I did for him. I knew you were coming to the house that day; I had overheard your guys’ convo about it, so I made sure I beat you to his fathers house.”

  Putting her hands on her hips, Charlotte glared at Trevin who looked pretty nervous at that moment.

  “You expect me to actually believe this explanation, especially when it is coming from a woman who has obviously lost some of her faculties?”

  As Trevin gaped at her obvious insult, the only warning Charlotte had of Shelby going off was a loud, ear-splitting screech.

  ~*~

  Shocked that Charlotte doubted Shelby’s story and had blatantly insulted her, it took Trevin a moment to respond to Shelby going off.

  A high pitch screech was the only sign that she was about to have a full blown tantrum. Seeing her head towards Charlotte her face flushed in anger, he knew she had gotten offended, but he had to stop her from attacking before someone got hurt.

  Springing into action, he let her fly past him before standing up and grabbing her from behind, holding her arms against her sides. She struggled against him, kicking her legs while growling and hissing like a wild cat who wa
nted to scratch the face off of the person holding them against their will.

  Charlotte stood wide eyed, her face white as she stared at Shelby while she threw her fit. Trevin lowered himself to the floor, restraining her against him while she still thrashed around trying to free her body from his firm grip.

  After a few moments, Shelby must have become tired and realized she was not going to get free because she stopped struggling against him, promptly bursting into tears.

  Trevin looked up at Charlotte, who had taken a seat on the couch at some point, addressing her over Shelby's quiet sobbing.

  “Listen, I know it is hard to believe, but she was not lying just now. She thought she could get me if she could just get rid of you. At the time, she claimed that she needed to use the phone, so she came over to my father's house because it was the closest house of somebody she knew. I had just finished taking a shower and had barely gotten dressed when she showed up, but I let her in, and then I went to get the phone,” he shoved a hand through his hair, sighing as he continued, Charlotte staring at him with round eyes. “When I came back, she had taken off her shirt and threw herself at me, wrapping her arms around my neck before kissing me on the mouth. I heard your arrival, but by the time I could react to her doing that and you showing up, you had already gone.”

  He knew Charlotte did not know what to say because she just sat there, staring at him with a stunned expression on her face. As Shelby had calmed entirely down, he could tell she was listening as he proceeded, sadness creeping into his voice.

  “Her accident was my fault. We fought after you left and I told her that I loved you and only you. Then, I told her that if she did not leave right then I would make her regret it. I was so angry at her behavior that I just wanted her to leave me alone and get out. I did not even stop to consider that it was getting dark outside and that perhaps I should offer her a ride home. She had been so upset that as she walked home she didn’t pay attention to her surroundings and stepped in front of an oncoming car near the downtown area. The impact threw her into a tree, giving her a traumatic brain injury as well as two broken legs. She was in a coma for months."