He grabs ahold of my wrist. “I’m hearing the right words, but your body language says there’s something wrong here, what is it?”
How do I tell him this is all moving too fast for me? I don’t believe in love at first sight even though I felt something special for Lennon the moment I saw him in that hospital bed. And there is still the baby thing to think about. If Lennon is the father of Kelly’s baby, how will that play out for us?
“Trinity?”
I turn my gaze back to him. “It’s nothing.”
“It’s something. Sit down and talk to me.” He nods to the chair next to his at the table, and I sit.
“When a relationship is born of traumatic or difficult circumstances, they often don’t work out. The passion and feelings are strong at first but fade when the adrenaline and newness wear off. I don’t want to get hurt, Lennon. You might be the father of Kelly’s baby, and you’re still recovering from a serious brain injury…”
“Stop it. We’ve discussed this before. The baby thing will work itself out, and our relationship wasn’t born of traumatic or difficult circumstances. You were my nurse, I was your patient. You helped me heal and get some of my memories back, period. Don’t read so much into things. You’re overanalyzing. We belong together because we both have deep feelings for one another. Or am I alone in thinking that way? You do have deep feelings for me, don’t you?”
He looks like a worried child sitting across from me fidgeting in his seat with his big expressive eyes. How could anyone not love this man? Love. Is that what I’m feeling? I’ve never been in love before, so how could I know?
“Yes, I have feelings for you. I’m just worried about getting hurt.” I close my eyes and clasp my hands in my lap.
“There’s nothing to be worried about with me. I’ll never hurt you. In fact, I’m making it my number one goal in life to make sure you’re the happiest woman alive. Got it?”
“Yes, sir,” I say, mockingly. One corner of his mouth slides up in a smirk.
“I think I like the sound of that.”
“Don’t get any ideas. I’m no Anastasia Steele, and you’re not Christian Grey.”
“No? Why not? I have plenty of room in the house to build a red room of pain for you.”
My jaw drops. Has he read those books? Is he interested in that sort of kink? Am I?
“That’s exactly what I was talking about when I said we need to get to know each other better before we make any big decisions.”
He throws his head back and laughs. “Touché, Angel, touché. And by the way, I’m not into that sort of thing. I’m also not opposed to it.” He winks, and my stomach settles. The last five minutes have been like a bungee jump. We started out on a high with talk of spending time together at my place and then plunged to a low voicing concerns of having my heart broken and snapping back up with comments about kinky sex.
“Come on, let’s go to my house. I could use some ocean air.”
“Do you mind if we make a stop on the way?”
“No, where?”
“My office. I need to pick up some files for a case I was working on before I hit my head.”
“You’re going back to work?”
“Not yet, but I don’t want to get any further behind. I can work from home until I’m one hundred percent. When do you think that will be, anyway?”
“Well, when you get that cast off and you have most of your memories back, I suppose.”
“When does the cast come off?”
“Four weeks.”
“That’s forever. Can’t I get a walking boot instead?”
“You’d have to ask the doctor. It depends on the break.”
He huffs and stands with the help of his crutches. I smile and follow him to the elevator.
Upstairs, I help him pack a bag for a week at my house. We’re going to be in my tiny house together for a whole week. If that’s not a good enough test of the waters, I don’t know what is.
After a thirty-minute search for Bikini, we’re on our way to Lennon’s office. When we pull up, and I’m shocked to find his office is located inside of a huge Victorian home from the 1800s.
“This is your office?” I ask.
“Yes, you look surprised. What were you expecting?”
“I don’t know maybe some kind of modern skyscraper.”
“Now who’s reliving the Fifty Shades of Grey story?”
I frown until I remember the scene outside of Grey Enterprises right after Ana meets Christian for the first time. Is that what I’m comparing our situation to? Rich man meets middle- income woman and sweeps her off of her feet into a different kind of lifestyle.
“That’s not true. This just isn’t what I’d imagined, that’s all. Don’t be cheeky.”
He looks at me with hungry eyes and leans in to kiss me with toe-curling passion. When he pulls away, I’m breathless, and Bikini is meowing her disapproval from her carrier in the back seat.
“I don’t think she likes me,” he says, hitching a thumb toward her.
“She’ll warm up, she needs time.” He doesn’t ignore the reference to needing time and smiles with understanding.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes unless you want to go inside. I wasn’t sure if you wanted to leave the furball in the car in this heat.”
“Do you need help?” A sidewalk with a few stairs at the end runs down the center of the yard to the front doors of the house. He’s been doing well with his crutches, but this is the first time he’s been away from home with them.
“I’ve got it, thanks. Sit tight.” He opens his door, and I hand him his crutches from the back seat. I watch as he smoothly maneuvers to the front door and disappears inside.
While I wait, I check my messages on my phone. While listening to them, I have the strange sensation that I’m being watched. I look around the quiet, perfectly manicured neighborhood and decide that I’m being paranoid but not before locking my doors. BJ is in jail locked away from me for the time being. I’m not sure if he even knows it was me who helped his girlfriend vanish in the night, but if he finds out, I suspect he will be around.
Bikini settles down in her carrier and naps. Twenty minutes later, I’m starting to think about going inside to check on Lennon when the front door opens. Two young men carrying file boxes lead Lennon out of the house and to the trunk of my car. I pop it open, and they load the files inside.
Lennon knocks on the passenger window when he’s ready to get in, and I hit the unlock button. He hands me his crutches, and I maneuver them into the back seat.
“Got everything?” I ask.
“Yes, I think so. Why did you have the doors locked? This neighborhood is one of the safest in California.”
I look out my window at the tree-lined street. “Do you ever get the feeling someone is watching you?”
“No. Do you think someone is watching you?”
“I’m being paranoid.”
“About BJ getting out of jail?”
“Yes, I suppose so.”
“He’s already out. I had my secretary check with the jail, and he was released into his mother’s custody this morning on the grounds that he will stay with her and not go near Kelly.”
“That was quick. I can’t believe he got out already.”
“Domestic abusers aren’t a priority. The jails are overflowing with murderers, drug dealers, and human traffickers.”
“Then they should build a bigger jail or more of them. Too many women don’t turn in their abusers because they know they won’t be held long.”
“I agree. Now, let’s go to your house and stop talking about murders and domestic abuse.”
I nod and pull away from the curb still having that weird feeling in the pit of my stomach that I’m being watched.
21
Lennon
Bernard Jason McCall, aka BJ, has quite the laundry list of arrests. I had my secretary do a search on him while I was getting my files together. He’s been in trouble with the law sinc
e he was twelve years old. His rap sheet includes everything from burglary to aggravated assault to extortion and fraud to mention a few. I don’t like that Trinity has gotten herself tangled up in this thing with Kelly and BJ.
I don’t know if she’s in any danger, but I’m having someone watch her house for a few weeks just to be sure. Who knows what he might do if he figures out it was her who whisked his girlfriend off to rehab, and that I’m paying for it.
I should have taken her out of town to keep her out of danger for a while until things cool off, but when I called Dr. Carmichael and asked about travel, he recommended I not fly yet. He also grumbled about me leaving town via car stating that any other doctor wouldn’t be as up to date on my care if something were to happen when we were out of town.
I’m willing to ignore his advice if I think BJ is going to make trouble for either of us, but for now, I think holing up in Trinity’s beach house will be fine.
“What are you thinking over there?” she asks, turning onto Sugar Street. How appropriate that the street such a sweet woman lives on is named Sugar Street.
“Is this your street?”
“Yes, my house is right up there,” she says, pointing at a small bungalow-style house halfway up the road. She pulls into the driveway, and I can almost see the pride rolling off of her in waves. She loves this little house and everything about it.
I chuckle when I see the house number, it’s six, nine, nine. “Don’t even start. I couldn’t do anything about the number of the lot. It is what it is.”
I hold up my hands, palms out in a show of surrender. “I didn’t say a word.”
“You thought it though, admit it.”
“Yes, yes, I did have a momentary lapse of manners when I saw it. I’m finished now. I promise never to tease you about it again.” Hah, until the next time we pull into the driveway, that is.
She gets out and helps me with my crutches. “That’s Bodhi’s house,” she says, pointing at a multimillion-dollar mansion built into the rocks next door.
“The surfer Fiona has it bad for lives there?” I’m shocked. I figured Bodhi lived in a grass hut on the sand. He dresses like an adolescent and speaks in thick surfer slang like he’s stoned.
“Yeah, I told you he’s really successful.”
“You did. I wasn’t aware professional surfers did that well. You learn something every day.”
“Come on, I’ll help you inside and come back for your things.”
I hate that she has to help me with everything. I should be the one opening doors and carrying things into the house instead of her.
She unlocks the door and steps back to allow me inside first. I’m taken aback with the whiteness of her home. It’s no wonder she is uncomfortable in my house. This place is alive with white shiplap, splashes of color, bright sunlight, and the sound of the ocean crashing against the shore out back.
Just like her, the house is open and cheerful and healing. I find myself never wanting to leave the moment I step inside.
“So, what do you think?”
“I think it’s beautiful and very white.”
“Me, too.”
I turn and admire how she stands out among the crisp white walls and colorful accents. Her dark skin looks even more beautiful against this background.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asks, her face suspicious.
“You’re gorgeous in your house that you love surrounded by the lifestyle that makes you happy. Beach living suits you.”
“It can suit you, too, you’ll see. I need to get Bikini before she claws her way out of her carrier. Be right back.”
I watch her walk away and appreciate her perfect ass as she goes. When she’s out of sight, I decide the couch is the best and possibly the only place for me to sit. When I have my foot propped on a small coffee table, I look around at the photographs of Trinity and her parents. They are a handsome couple, on the older side to be the parents of a woman in her twenties. They look more like grandparents. I wonder how much criticism they faced as an interracial couple back when they got together. I imagine they did and that saddens me.
The front door opens, and Trinity drops two duffle bags on the floor and carries her cat carrier to the kitchen where she opens it. Bikini bolts out and hides under or behind the couch. I’m not sure which, she was moving at the speed of light.
“Is she scared?” I ask, not knowing much about cats.
“No, she hates car rides. It takes her a good hour to get over it. She’ll be out nudging you for scratches soon enough, no worries.”
“Not worried at all. Dog guy, remember?” I say, pointing at myself with my thumbs. I love dogs, and I’d love to have one, but I don’t for the same reason she doesn’t. They aren’t self-sufficient at all. I’m not usually around the house enough to be a good pet owner.
“How could I forget? I’ll be right back. I’m going to get your files out of the trunk.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that.” As soon as the words leave my mouth, I know how utterly stupid they sound. I brought the work to do at her house, and I can’t bring them in myself so who else would be lugging them inside?
“It’s no problem. Be back in a jiffy,” she says, closing the door behind her. I sit helplessly as she makes two trips back and forth from the car to bring in my boxes and places them in the guest bedroom.
“There’s a desk in that room that you can work at if you want,” she says, hitching her thumb over her shoulder as she emerges from the bedroom. “Are you thirsty? I need to order some groceries, but I think I have sparkling water and maybe a Coke.”
“Thank you for the workspace, and no, I’m good. Why don’t you come sit down and rest with me?”
“Let me grab my laptop and a water. I really do need groceries.”
“Do you always order your groceries to be delivered?”
“Only when I’m too busy to shop, which is often, I guess.” She returns to the couch and sits next to me. “Lift your leg. I’m going to pull the table closer, so your knee isn’t hyperextended.” I watch as she goes into nurse mode pulling the table up next to the couch and propping my leg onto a pillow. “There, much better.” She sits down close to me again, and I drape my arm along the back of the couch behind her shoulders. “Would you like a tour of my house?” she asks.
“But we just got comfortable.”
“Oh, we don’t have to get up.” She points toward the bedroom to our left. “Guest bedroom.” She swirls her hand around indicating the room we are in. “Living room, kitchen, dining area, and eighty percent of the house. And my bedroom and the bathroom are down that little hall just past the kitchen.”
“Funny, the only room I’m interested in is the one you aren’t showing me.” I wiggle my eyebrows, and she laughs out loud.
“You’ll get to see it soon enough. My house is small, I’m building anticipation. We also haven’t gone out on the deck, that’s my favorite spot. Maybe we can have dinner out there and watch the sunset.”
“That sounds good. Then will you show me your bedroom?”
“We aren’t even going to get to dinner, are we?”
“I hope not.”
We do make it through ordering groceries which I find to be interesting. Callahan always does the shopping at my house. I haven’t been in a grocery store in years let alone one online. You can order anything, even wine, which I did.
When we’re done, she rests her head on my shoulder, and before I know it, she’s breathing deeply and drooling on my shirt. I don’t mind except that my arm is falling to sleep. Bikini decides it’s safe to come out from under the couch and joins us snuggling against Trinity’s side. Realizing she’s not awake, the cat rises and walks over her master to me for some scratches just as Trinity said she would.
When we have made friends, Bikini settles on my lap, and I must have fallen asleep because when I open my eyes, Trinity is in the kitchen putting away groceries and the sun isn’t high in the sky anymore.
“Why did you let me sleep?”
“Why not? I figured you must be pretty tired if you slept through the doorbell when the groceries were delivered.” She places a box of pasta on the counter and looks at me. “Hey, did you notice a black sedan outside my house when we got home earlier?” she asks, trying to sound casual and not succeeding.
“Why do you ask?”
“Because it was still out there when the groceries were delivered, and it’s still there now.”
Time to come clean and tell her I have the house under surveillance. “It’s my security service. I asked them to watch the house for a few days. Just to be safe.”
“And you didn’t think to tell me this, why?”
“I didn’t want you to feel watched. This is your home. You should be comfortable here of all places.”
“Next time you decide to do something for my own good, let me know, okay? I’ve been feeling creepy since we got home because of that car. If I’d known it was security, I would have been able to relax.”
“I apologize. I had my secretary look up BJ’s arrest record. It’s much more extensive than Kelly was aware of. He’s a dangerous man with a lot of connections. I want to make sure he doesn’t bother you.”
“What about you? He’s been targeting you for months. You need to be careful, too.”
I smile at her worrying about me. She hasn’t seen me at my best. I can handle myself just fine when all of my limbs are in working order. But, since I’m one short, I brought a little extra reinforcement in the form of a Glock in my duffle bag.
I’m in love with Trinity. I know she thinks I’m moving too fast, but that’s how I feel, and I know sooner or later she’ll catch up with me. In the meantime, I’m not letting anyone, or anything, take her away from me.
“I’ll be fine. What are we having for dinner?” I ask, changing the subject.
She gives me a look that says she knows what I’m up to, and she doesn’t like it. “What?” I say with all the innocence I can muster.
“You can change the subject all you want, but the issue is still there.”
“I’m glad we agree the subject needed changing. Can I help with dinner?”
Rich and Seductive: The Fraternity Brothers Series Book Three Page 17