by A. C. Arthur
Speak of the devil.
He’d waited as long as humanly possible, giving her the time and space Linc said she probably needed. A lot had happened in her life since Saturday and while it was Trent’s way to make a bold presence he adhered to his big brother’s advice and left her alone.
But he’d ached for her. The last two nights alone in his bed had been torture. There had never been another woman to spend the night in his bed until Tia and now it didn’t seem right without her. The fact that he’d been coming to terms with his own feelings for her while following up on her stalker and the case he’d left behind in Connecticut only made seeing her more difficult. Trent made a concerted effort to keep his mind on business—that was the only way he could hope to keep Tia safe.
Larice Summerfield was the daughter of Roland Summerfield, the man indicted for attempted murder and a host of other crimes back east.
Trent had gone to help his friend Sam protect the Bennetts, an influential family, and find the person threatening them. Larice had been stalking one of the men in the Bennett family and Trent had been the one to arrest her. Now she was missing.
And Tia was being stalked.
The connection was just farfetched enough to be possible and Sam had arrived in Vegas yesterday to add his input and help into finding the stalker. Devlin had flown out to Dubai earlier this morning. Josh was already there. Now it was up to Trent and Sam to get to the bottom of this. And then he’d be leaving.
Trent didn’t want to think of that right now. However, it was just that fact that had him leaving Sam at his condo and riding over here at almost ten at night to see Tia. If he was going to be leaving her in a week, not knowing when or if he would return, he needed to be with her as much as possible.
A couple of weeks ago he’d told her that three days was just too long for them to be apart, now he was thinking that two might be pushing it, as well.
Adam knew what had kept him away just as he knew that Trent would eventually show up at his door. He hadn’t said anything when Trent arrived but “She’s in the gym.”
The brothers had been spending a lot of time together these past two days trying to get a grip on what might be happening with Tia and how it could affect them all. Adam was initially worried about Camille and the backlash CK Davis Designs might have but with the Larice Summerfield connection in the back of all their minds, that seemed less than likely. If Larice were behind the break-in and tire slashing then the blame rested solely on Trent’s shoulders.
Guilt, lust, and anxiousness were not a good mixture for a man like Trent. So when he’d walked into the home gym and seen her lifting the free weights, her mind focused, her gaze straight ahead as she breathed with each repetition, he’d become more than aroused.
Like a vice around his heart her presence engulfed him. Tugged and squeezed him until Trent had to struggle to breathe. It was so beyond the way her taut body looked in those tight exercise shorts and even tighter sports bra. Even more than the enticing way her skin shone with the light sheen of sweat she’d worked up. And three times as alluring as the sweep of her hair over the line of her back.
The physical had shifted to emotional as easily as a carefree summer breeze over the trees. He’d avoided this type of connection all his life and now it was here, settled quite comfortably in the pit of his stomach. And just as Trent did with all things in his life, he’d thought about the effect these feelings would have on him, his family and this woman. And determined that no plan of action could have ever prepared him for this. He loved Tia St. Claire regardless of his dangerous job or her troubled past, or even the reputation he’d worked to keep intact.
He wanted to tell her, to see the look on her face when he actually said the words but her back was to him and the need to touch her overwhelmed him. He’d taken slow, measured steps that caused his body to ache even more as he approached her. Straddling the bench he scooted until her body fit perfectly against his, then his lips and his hands did what they’d been craving to for the last two days.
“I’m beginning to think you have a problem with my workout regimen,” she said in a shaky voice.
Beneath his hands she trembled, her neck angling to fit against his shoulder as he continued to slide his tongue along the smooth column.
“I have no problems with you at all,” he mumbled, then sank his teeth lightly into her skin only to soothe the spot with his tongue once more.
“Really?” she asked and leaned forward to put her weights on the floor. Turning slightly she grasped his chin in her hand. “Well, I have one major problem with you, Trent Donovan.”
His body instantly tensed. While the look in her hazel eyes said simply “Take me now,” her other features were stern as if she were prepared to scold him.
“I’m a great problem solver,” he said, determined that if he wasn’t making love to her he’d keep the mood as light as possible.
“Then maybe you can tell me why three days is too long for us to be apart but two seems to be okay.”
Yes, he definitely loved this spunky, dangerously beautiful woman.
“Two days are also too long.”
She stood then, looking down on him. “Don’t let it happen again,” she told him, moving his legs so that they were together and she could straddle him.
“Never,” he said loving the smooth way in which she positioned him the way she wanted him. His hands quickly went to the delicious curve of her bottom while her arms went around his neck.
Lifting his face to hers he met her kiss, touching his tongue to hers lightly at first, then with more urgency. “I missed you,” he groaned as she pressed her body closer to his.
“Not as much as I missed you,” she answered.
With a growl his hands came up her torso where he pulled up the rim of her sports bra until her full breasts were bared before him.
“I missed these,” he crooned then licked a tongue over one already erect nipple.
“Mmm.” She arched her back.
He palmed both globes, loving the feel of their fullness in his hands. Back and forth he paid close attention to each one letting the arousing sounds of pleasure spur him on.
Knowing that would never be enough, Trent slipped a hand down into her shorts, pressing farther until he’d moved past her thong to find the moist haven he’d been looking for. She bucked above him just as his fingers parted her already wet folds.
“I definitely missed this,” he groaned, positioning his other hand at the center of her back as she arched again.
“Trent,” she sighed, her entire body quivering from his touch.
He drove her hard and fast. She needed release and he desperately wanted to watch her receive it. Her hair hung in its ponytail swaying back and forth as she moved. Her exposed breasts swayed and his mouth watered. Switching from one finger to two he moved deeper inside of her, his mind a complete blur to anything other than this woman, the warm feel of her arousal gripping and coating his fingers. The sound of her voice chanting his name. She was taking him to heights he’d never even imagined.
When her thighs shook on top of his Trent touched his thumb to the tightened nub of her center, applied pressure while his two fingers continued to work her on the inside. She screamed, yes, screamed his name. It sounded so sweet, so blissfully erotic that Trent didn’t give a damn if Adam and Camille, who were somewhere in the house, most likely in their own bedroom on the second level, or anyone chancing to drive by the house heard her.
Exhausted from the exertion Tia fell forward, resting her forehead on his shoulder. He held her there, bringing both arms to wrap around her waist.
“I need you,” Trent whispered as their hearts beat frantically against each other.
“I’m right here,” she said lifting her head to plant butterfly kisses on his forehead, down his cheeks, then over his mouth. “Take me.”
Trent needed no further direction.
Standing with her in his arms, he released her so that she slid sinuously down his body. Grabb
ing the sports bra, he pulled it over her head then bent down, pushing her shorts and her thong down to her ankles while she stepped out of them. On his way back up Trent kissed her calves, her knee caps, her thighs. His lips touched the dark triangle of close cut curls at her juncture whispering erotic compliments over her as he went. Moving upward again he kissed her navel, delving his tongue quickly inside until her hands clenched his head. Continuing, he licked and kissed all along her torso until he was once again at her lovely breasts.
“Beautiful,” he whispered. “Sinfully beautiful.”
Then he took her mouth in a kiss that left no question of what he wanted, no, needed from her. The way she moved into his embrace, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck said she acquiesced.
In moments Trent had turned her, bending her over to flatten her palms on the weight bench. His pants and boxers released and fell to his ankles in no time as he positioned himself between her legs and sank his aching arousal firmly, deeply inside of her.
She moved forward, dropped her head and sucked in a breath. He was deeper inside of her than he’d ever been and he knew it was a lot for her to take so he remained still for a moment while she acclimated herself. A second later her hips shifted and Trent gritted his teeth.
He pulled back and thrust inside of her again, choosing a rhythm that both stoked his feral desire and glided along this emotional buildup that threatened to overtake him.
He loved her. Everything about her from her smile to her tears, her laughter to her anger, it was all emblazoned in his mind, finding that place he’d never allowed another woman. He loved being inside of her, touching her so intimately she had no choice but to think of only him.
“Tell me you missed me, baby. I need to hear you say it again.”
“Yes, Trent,” she panted. “I missed…you…so…much.”
His hips moved faster, his fingers gripping her at the hips, holding her still. He couldn’t see her face but her hair brushed over her back and he reached forward pulling the band away until it cascaded over her back and off her shoulders. The sight aroused him more, making him need more from her, crave more from her.
Lifting his palm he tapped her lightly on the bottom and was rewarded by a shiver of her entire body. He’d done this before, just a soft tap and she’d responded so deliciously he knew he’d do it again. With the other hand he tapped the other cheek.
Her nails dug into the vinyl of the weight bench, her toes curling as he moved inside her. This position had become a ritual with them, as familiar and essential as breathing. When his palm landed on one cheek she gasped, letting the tiny thrill spikes run rampant through her body.
“More,” she groaned.
He smiled.
Tap. Thrust. Tap. Thrust. Tap. Thrust.
On and on until he couldn’t hold back any longer.
“Tia!” Her name was a guttural moan ripped from his throat at the same time his essence was milked from his soul.
It was on the tip of his tongue, the words he’d never said to a woman before. He felt it as he leaned forward, holding her tightly. Like a blanket covering them both he felt his feelings evolving, wrapping in the form of his arms around her. He needed this woman more than his career or his bachelor status, more than he needed to breathe.
She needed to know, he needed to tell her. He kissed her shoulder, swallowed and opened his mouth to speak. Then his cell phone rang.
After the interruption of Sam’s phone call he and Tia had re-dressed in the gym and gone up to her room to shower. As he’d sat on the bed digesting what he and Sam had talked about combined with these new feelings for her Tia had sat across from him in another chair.
She looked, for the first time since he’d met her, nervous and unsure. When he’d asked what was wrong she’d tried to play it off by changing the subject.
“Who is Sam?” she’d asked.
“A friend of mine from back east. He owns a private investigation firm.”
“And he came all the way across the country to help you run down a stalker?”
Trent shrugged. “When I left a couple of months ago I went to Connecticut to help Sam with a big case he had going on. I guess he’s just repaying the favor.”
“Camille told me about that case. It was pretty big and dangerous, she said.” She’d lifted her legs in the chair, wrapping her arms around them.
She looked like a frightened child and Trent’s heart hurt for all the turmoil she was going through.
“Nothing I haven’t seen before.”
“Is that the way you felt about his sister?” she asked, startling Trent. “That she was nothing you haven’t seen or done before?”
Wow, he’d never had to justify his actions to another woman. Hell, he’d never justified them to anyone. There was no question how she’d found out about Lynn—from Camille. Adam would not have wasted any time telling his wife about it. No wonder the two of them were so convinced that he was up to no good with Tia.
Still, there was no doubt that Trent would make Tia understand the differences between her and Lynn Desdune and all the other women he’d been with.
Leaning forward with his arms resting on his knees, he looked at he intently. “Lynn and I were attracted to each other. We acted on that attraction. At no time were there serious feelings involved.” But being with Lynn and her son had started him wondering about a family of his own.
She nodded but Trent couldn’t tell if that was a good or bad thing. “She has a son?”
“Yes. She has a son and he’s a great kid. Whatever you’ve heard,” he began honestly, “know that I don’t play with people’s emotions. Lynn and I both knew the score. Every woman I’ve ever been involved with has always known my limitations, otherwise I don’t get involved at all.”
“Your limitations? So you never intend for anything serious to develop from your relationships?”
Trent heaved a sigh. She was right on target, but the words coming from her mouth made him feel lower than dirt. Still, he’d opted to take the honest route—there was no use stopping now. “No. It was just about sex.”
For a moment she’d looked shocked and Trent wondered what he could come up with to fix whatever he’d said that was wrong. Then her lips had spread into a nervous smile and she’d released her legs to stand. Holding her hand out to him, she led him back to the bed. “I’m tired, let’s get some sleep,” she’d said.
Still baffled Trent wasn’t sure what to do but he stood and walked around to the side of the bed with her. She pulled back the sheets and he stopped her.
“That first night you wanted me to stay with you because it was the anniversary that you didn’t want to relive alone.”
She nodded. “Yes. Having you there made the bad dreams go away.” Looking up at him, she smiled again, tentatively. “You’re a hero, even in dreams.”
Trent lifted a hand to her cheek, cupping her face. She turned in slightly, kissing his palm. “The other nights you sent me home.”
She closed her eyes and for endless moments they stood there just like that.
When she opened them again it was with some semblance of resignation. “And tonight I’m asking you to stay.”
“Is there any particular reason for that?” Trent asked, for the first time wondering about Tia’s feelings for him. She’d asked about Lynn almost as if she were jealous or hurt by the thought of him with another woman. But then she’d let the subject drop like yesterday’s news.
“I’m tired of being alone, Trent,” she’d said simply, those luminescent eyes weaving a tight noose around his heart.
And so he’d stayed.
He’d slept in that bed beside her, holding her, watching her as she slept, wondering what he’d ever done in his life to deserve her.
“Good morning,” Camille said as she walked into the kitchen the next morning.
She didn’t look too surprised to see him at her kitchen table at a little after eight in the morning, having a humongous bowl of cereal. Trent assu
med Adam had told her he was there last night.
“You’re out of Cap’n Crunch,” he said to Camille as she moved from one part of the kitchen to the next, opening and closing cabinets to put a pot of coffee on.
“Then you can go to the store and get some,” she quipped. “You would think that you and your brother would have a wider range when it came to your breakfast food. I swear Adam goes through about four boxes of that cereal each week.”
Trent laughed. He and Adam used to fight over the last bowl like it was a gold coin. Then his mother would patiently come in from the pantry carrying another box and end their momentary war. Linc was an oatmeal man, which disgusted Adam and Trent, so he was never a part of their cold cereal wars.
“I have to meet with Sam in an hour then I’ll be back later to pick Tia up for dinner. I’ll be sure to have a box of cereal with me when I return.”
Closing the refrigerator, Camille took the seat across from Trent, said her grace and stuck a fork into a thick slice of cantaloupe. Chewing the fruit she watched him contemplatively.
Trent sensed what was coming next but continued to eat the last remnants of his cereal.
“So what are your intentions toward Tia now?”
Good ole Camille. She was a nurturer by impulse. Despite the tumultuous childhood she’d endured, she was hell-bent on taking care of anyone and everyone around her. Anyone and everyone she cared about.
“I want to keep her safe,” he answered, knowing it wasn’t going to be enough.
“And after you’ve caught the bad guy?” She speared a piece of watermelon this time and stuck it into her mouth.
To anyone just walking into the room they looked like two normal family members having breakfast. But Trent knew things were on shaky ground with him and Camille, since she’d been a little at odds with him getting involved with Tia. Camille was putting her cards on the table and how he played the hand she dealt him would dictate their relationship from this point on. He immediately thought of Adam and how much his brother loved this woman. Then, he thought, with a warm feeling how much he cared about this woman. In two months she was going to be his sister-in-law, but right now, at this very moment she was like blood kin. And as such he would not lie to her nor would he do anything to purposely hurt her. Of that there was no doubt.