by Mari Carr
“Don’t even bother to finish that, Lisa.” He turned and looked at Ellie’s friend. He dropped the shield and let her see the real him. “I’m interested in everything.”
Lisa laughed. “Well, in that case… Go get ’em, tiger.”
She and Trey clinked glasses and then Trey watched Lisa walk back to the table to rejoin their group. He started to follow her, but stopped when he caught sight of Derek running his hands up and down Ellie’s back as they danced.
His vision went red. He’d made a promise to help her meet guys who didn’t work at Preston, but after listening to Lisa, he was reconsidering. He wanted Ellie. Bad.
Lisa’s warning gave him reason to pause. He’d told Ellie’s friend he wanted everything. Was that true? He’d never wanted more than casual relationships or occasional hook-ups. He wasn’t exactly proud of it, but he had a booty call list in his cell phone. Women who didn’t mind his late-night, spur-of-the-moment visits. He hadn’t used the list in over a year, but he still had the numbers stored there.
Looking at Ellie, he knew the last thing he wanted with her was casual, but he’d have to proceed with caution if he was going to convince her to take another chance with a guy from work.
When Derek leaned down and tried to kiss Ellie, Trey felt the cable snap. For the first time in his life, jealousy snaked through his body and he started toward the dance floor. He pulled up short when he saw Ellie break away from Derek, whispering something in his friend’s ear. Derek headed back to the table, while Ellie took off in the direction of the ladies’ room.
He debated which direction to go and then he followed her. She’d just entered the small restroom when he pushed the door open, walking in after her.
“What the hell—” she started.
He cut off the rest of her complaint with his lips. He turned and pushed her back against the door as he claimed her mouth. He’d wanted this for too long. Pure instinct drove his actions as he allowed his brain to shut down. He was tired of thinking and analyzing and worrying about how to proceed with Ellie.
Raising his hand, he flipped the lock. It wasn’t until he’d secured them inside that he realized she wasn’t fighting him. She’d raised her arms, wrapping her hands around his neck. She was kissing him back. Seriously kissing him. Her fingers caressed the back of his neck and Trey moved closer, wanting more. Needing more.
If he hadn’t been so into her sweet kisses, he’d have been grinning his ass off. For several moments, he let himself fall into the pleasure of simply holding her. He licked her lower lip before pushing his tongue inside to taste the slight tang of the tequila and lime. She returned the touch.
“Ellie,” he whispered, but she stopped him from saying more, pulling him tighter, keeping his lips pressed to hers.
Finally, they parted, staring at each other and breathing heavily.
“I don’t like you dancing with Lisa,” she said.
Her words tweaked something inside him. She wouldn’t go out with him, but he wasn’t allowed to dance with anyone else? For a second, his brain failed to process the fact he didn’t want to dance with Lisa. “Tough shit. I don’t want you kissing Derek.”
She narrowed her eyes. “I can kiss anyone I want. I don’t belong to you.”
“Like hell,” he growled, kissing her once more.
Ellie gripped the front of his shirt tightly as she roughly pulled him closer. He knew what was driving his hungry motions. It was jealousy, pure and simple. It appeared Ellie shared the sentiment. She raised her leg and wrapped it around his waist. He took the cue. Gripping her ass, he lifted her so that she could raise both legs. The position pushed her skirt higher and made it easy for him to press his denim-covered cock against her pussy.
Trey reconsidered his previous assumption. It wasn’t jealousy driving this moment. It was desire.
He pushed against her as they kissed, the temperature in the small room rising until Trey decided it wasn’t enough.
“Put your legs down,” he said as he sucked on her lower lip. She followed his command and he lifted her skirt. Shoving her damp panties to one side, he thrust a finger into her dripping cunt.
Ellie jerked at the strong touch before her head fell back against the door.
Her hips met each reentry of his finger. He gritted his teeth and struggled not to come in his pants. She was hot and wet and her inner muscles clenched against his finger.
And she was tight. Holy fuck. He felt lightheaded as he realized just how good she’d feel gloved around his cock.
“God,” she cried out when he added another finger to the dance. Her fingers dug into his arms as she rode his thrusts. She was a firecracker poised to detonate.
He leaned down and kissed her once more. He wanted to taste her screams as she came. He wasn’t disappointed. After a few more thrusts, he rubbed her clit with his thumb and she exploded. He continued to kiss her as he gentled his motions, relishing her slight tremors as she came down from her climax.
The scent of her arousal surrounded them. Trey pulled his fingers from her quivering pussy and lifted them to his lips. She watched through heavy-lidded eyes as he licked her juices from his digits.
She moistened her lips and he couldn’t resist stealing one more heated kiss. He could already see the wheels in her brain whirling. It wouldn’t be long before her common sense returned and she pushed him away.
He gave her a quick, hot kiss that promised there was more to be had. If only she would ask.
“Shit,” she whispered.
The sadness in her voice made Trey pause.
What the hell was he doing? He considered his heavy-handed actions and guilt suffused him. She wasn’t the only one to return to earth with a hard crash.
“Ellie. I’m sorry.”
She closed her eyes. “Don’t. Please. Don’t say you’re sorry. I was a willing participant in all of that. Jesus, I think I might have pushed it further along.”
“No. I followed you in here, intent on getting my own way. You’ve told me your feelings and given me some pretty understandable reasons why you don’t want to date me. I ignored them all because the fact is I want you. I want you so bad I can taste it.”
She blushed and looked at his still-damp hand, as her essence lingered on his lips. “I’m trying, Trey. Trying to do the right thing. But I’m screwing up when it comes to you. Big time.”
“I hear that. By the way, I’m never setting you up with another one of my friends,” he said as she laughed sadly. “My heart can’t take it.”
She nodded. “Agreed. Lisa’s one of my best friends and tonight all I could think about was ripping every hair out of her head whenever she got near you.”
“Ellie—” He wanted to ask her to reconsider her vow, but something in her face stopped him. She’d been hurt. Badly. It was clear those wounds hadn’t completely healed and with his jealousy and desire, he’d torn a few open again.
“This can’t happen again.” Her words cut him like a knife. Lisa had warned him, told him the timing was wrong. She’d been right.
Ellie straightened her spine, returning her clothing to rights. As he observed, she wrapped herself in that hard-earned pride. He imagined this was the face she’d worn everyday last year as she dragged herself to work. She was amazing and strong. She was also ripping his heart out.
“Please.” She whispered the word, but he could hear the agony infused in that single syllable. She turned, unlocked the door and walked back to their table. He followed her, struggling to figure out how to proceed from here. She’d accept his friendship, but nothing more. Taking a deep breath, he made his own vow. She’d receive his friendship.
For now.
But only for now.
Chapter Three
First Quarter
Ellie sat in the passenger seat and laughed as Trey told her about a project a student had presented in his class that day. The student had decided to rap about the dangers of smoking and Trey was recapping some of the funnier lines.
Trey shrugged. “I don’t remember saying I had a straight face. The whole class was cracking up.”
“I hope you gave him an A. Sounds like it was a brilliant project.”
“Damn right I gave him an A. Best thing I’ve seen in years of teaching. That kid could give Jay-Z a run for his money. Of course…” He paused for effect.
“Of course what?”
“This is the same kid I overheard calling you Hottie Hunter in the locker room a couple weeks ago.”
Her laughter died a bit and he wondered if the nickname bothered her more than she let on. “In that case, fail his ass.”
Jamie and Trey had confessed their nickname for her shortly after the beginning of the school year. They’d told her it was meant as a compliment, but his gut told him she worried about it. After spending the previous school year being gossiped about, he didn’t blame her for her sensitivity. Since then, he’d taken care to squelch the name among his friends.
He’d even tried to deflect the attention away from her, convincing her it was only fair she give them nicknames as payback. Jamie Fisher was now Fish the Dish, but she’d taken to calling him Just Okay Trey to annoy him.
“You know, I’m not totally convinced those boys from my class didn’t pick up that nickname because they overheard it from you and Jamie.”
He shook his head. “I swear to you, we didn’t say a word about the nickname in school.” Then he reached over and ruffled her hair playfully. “You’re gonna have to face facts, Hunter. You are very hot.”
She snorted and rolled her eyes, pulling her jacket more tightly around her. It was only mid-October, but a recent cold front passing through made it seem more like December.
It had become a tradition for him and Ellie to hit a small diner every Friday after a home football game for hot chocolate. After the incident in the bathroom at Bristols, he had remained true to his promise to offer her friendship without pressuring her for more, but it sure as hell hadn’t been easy.
“Thanks for driving me home.” Ordinarily Ellie drove to the games herself, but she’d taken her car to be inspected that afternoon so Jamie and Grace had driven her to the game. When Trey learned she was car-less, he’d offered to take her home.
“No problem. You’re gonna have to give me directions, though.” He looked across the front seat of his car at her. “You know, I just realized I’ve never been to your place.”
She shrugged. “Yeah, well. Don’t get excited. It’s not exactly a nice neighborhood.”
“Yeah. So Lisa told me. Not sure I like the idea of you living in the ’hood,” Trey said.
She shook her head. “It’s not really that bad. That’s just Lisa worrying. I shared an apartment with her before I moved in with Joel. Unfortunately, she got a new roommate, so when things went belly up between me and Joel, I was left scrambling to quickly find a place I could afford. This rental house was available immediately so I snatched it up. If I hadn’t been so anxious to get the hell out of the apartment with Joel, I might have looked a bit harder. The house itself is nice, but well, like I said, the neighborhood sucks.”
As she gave him directions, he decided suck was an understatement. “Jesus, Ellie. You can’t be serious. Shawn gets 9-1-1 calls from there all the time. Have you considered moving?”
She nodded. “Only about every other day, but I’m tied to a lease now. Add to that the fact I just switched jobs, moving would be a total pain in the ass. I only need to hang in there a few more months until the lease runs out. I’m going to start seriously looking for a new place after basketball season this year.”
He stared at her, wishing he could convince her to look now.
She raised her hand before he could continue the argument. “I lost my job, Trey. I’m not about to sign a second lease until my life is more settled. I can’t afford to do that on just my salary anyway.”
It was a hard argument to counter, but when he turned onto her street, he knew he wasn’t going to be able to rest easy until she was out of this neighborhood.
“I’m the third one on the right.”
“Holy fuck,” he muttered. “Shawn’s told me there are four crack houses on this street alone.”
“Really?” She feigned surprise and then chuckled. “Wanna know which ones they are?”
“This isn’t a joke, Ellie. You’re a young, single woman living in the middle of the fucking ’hood.”
“Again with the ’hood.” Her laughter grew and he narrowed his eyes at her cavalier response to his serious concern. “Believe me, there’s no ’hood in this Podunk town and I’ve never had any trouble with my neighbors. I keep my distance and they keep theirs. Promise.”
They pulled into her driveway and Trey turned off the car. When he started to get out, she stopped him. “You don’t have to walk me to the door.”
He looked around the street, gritting his teeth when he realized she came home this late every Friday night after their hot chocolate dates. If he’d known where she lived, he’d have been walking her to her front door every night.
Then he considered all the late-night practices and basketball games they would have once the season started. He was going to have to institute a texting rule, insisting that she text him the second she got inside her house and locked the door. Crap. Even that thought didn’t relieve his worries.
“I’m walking you to the door.”
She shrugged as if to say suit yourself and they walked in silence up her front steps. Ellie was looking down, digging in her purse for her house key, when Trey noticed the door was slightly ajar. Glancing to the side, he saw a large, cloth bag on the porch that seemed out of place.
Ellie had just pulled her keys out when the front door swung open and a man tried to dart by them. It was obvious the man had expected Ellie to be alone and no threat to his escape. Ellie’s cry of surprise assured Trey this was no friend.
The stranger took one look at Trey and ran back into the house, attempting to slam the door. Trey followed, shoving the door open hard and chasing the man into the living room. He tackled the stranger from behind and a minor fight ensued as the man tried to escape. Trey could hear Ellie talking behind him. Obviously she’d called the police and he listened as she gave directions to her house.
“Trey,” she said, walking up beside where he sat astride the stranger, holding him facedown against the floor. His legs had trapped the man’s arms at his side, making escape impossible.
“It’s okay, Ellie. I’ve got him. I’m not going to let him go.”
She walked over to turn on a light in the living room and as he watched she bent down to look at the man’s face. “Who the hell are you?” she asked.
The guy glared at her and Trey could tell the guy wasn’t completely in his right mind. In fact, he looked strung out. “Just wanted some money. Lemme go and I won’t fuck you up, bitch.”
Ellie gasped as Trey shoved the man’s head against the floor.
“Looks like you’re the one who’s fucked.” Trey’s heart was racing, adrenaline pulsing through his veins. He knew exactly how dangerous a man could be while under the influence. God knew what chemical this man had flowing through his blood system.
Sirens sounded in the distance and the man began to struggle anew, kicking his legs with renewed force. Trey used all his strength to keep the man under his control, but it was becoming more difficult. Suddenly, Ellie’s foot appeared in front of him and she applied just enough pressure to hold the man’s face to the floor. Unable to move his head, the fight left the man and he lay still beneath them.
Heavy footsteps sounded on the porch and soon the living room was filled with police officers. They cuffed the stranger and took statements from Trey and Ellie. A thorough investigation of the house proved the man had pried open a window in the basement. He’d made a mess of the upstai
rs—emptying drawers and closets looking for anything of value to sell for drug money. It appeared he’d only just started his destruction downstairs when they’d arrived home. The bag on the porch contained Ellie’s laptop, some jewelry and the small television from her bedroom.
Shawn showed up when he’d heard Ellie’s name blasted over the police scanner. As Ellie checked the house with another officer to confirm that nothing else was missing, Shawn pulled Trey aside.
“The other cops seem to think you helped us nab a man suspected of robbing several houses in town. Description of the suspect definitely fits. Lucky thing you were here, Trey. Guy is fucked up on some serious shit. Put up a hell of a fight when they tried to put him in the police cruiser. They found a switchblade in his pocket.”
Trey felt the breath leave his body when he realized exactly what could have happened if Ellie had returned home alone. The guy’s threatening comment as well as the weapon confirmed exactly how much force he might have used in order to get money from her. The anger Trey had beaten down once the man had been taken into custody reappeared. He wanted to punch someone. Hard.
“The robbery MO only partially fits. Guy we’ve been looking for usually stakes out a house, familiarizes himself with the occupant’s schedule, comings and goings. He finds an obscure way into the house, one someone wouldn’t notice right away. He’s in and out with as much as he can carry on his back before the homeowner returns. This hit seems a bit closer to home for him, though. His last few hits have been in more upscale neighborhoods. I’m wondering if he was desperate for money and knew Ellie was a single woman living alone. Might have made him braver.”
“Jesus.” Trey dropped down onto the couch behind him and Shawn knelt in front of him.
“Fuck, man. I’m sorry.” Shawn stared at him for a long, quiet moment before speaking again. “I have a bad habit of thinking out loud. The guy was obviously just here for money. Chances are good he would have grabbed Ellie’s purse and run off. You said yourself he looked like he was planning to escape when he saw you blocking his path.”