by Bella Andre
It was almost like a taunt of the way their lips used to crash together in a collision of hot passion and greed. Feeling his body pressed to hers, their hearts dancing to a frantic rhythm, made her body react like the past ten years had never existed. In that instant Reese knew she was in serious trouble. And when he slid his hand to the curve of her back she heard herself moan.
She had no business burying her fingers in his hair, but she was holding on to only a shred of rational thought, and it was fraying fast. He groaned, a needy, guttural sound that sent her brain firing again. She pushed from his arms, and swallowed hard against the desire to forget right from wrong and kiss him, because this wasn't just some guy. This was Trent. But not the lawyer who gave up everything they had to climb his corporate ladder.
The mouth that had just brushed over hers, the hands that had caressed her, and the eyes that were staring back at her were those of the man she'd met a decade ago--and that was enough to scare her back to reality, because she knew he'd left that Trent behind ages ago.
"What was that?"
"Us," he instantly replied. "Inescapable, unbreakable us."
He was right. It was why she'd had to leave all those years ago--one touch from Trent could make her forget everything. She'd known it then, and she knew it now as she fought the urge to seal her lips over his and melt back into his arms. She took a step on shaky legs and reached for the car to steady herself while she tried to regain her resolve not to end up beneath his amazing body.
Reese was restless on the drive to Bay's Edge as she fought to make herself keep distance between them when she desperately wanted to be closer. Her body was still vibrating from their near kiss, and she had to silently remind herself again and again that this was a talking outing, not a making-out date.
Trent parked, then came around to open her door. He reached for her hand, and electricity shot up her arm and through her chest like fireworks. How was she supposed to navigate between her new, even more powerful feelings and the underlying worries of repeating the past?
She had to ask him, "How are we going to do this?"
"I don't know, Reese. But I'm hoping we can figure it out together."
A car honked, which yanked her back to the parking lot they were standing in. "We should go in to see Tilly. She's one of my favorite people, and I know she'll love this book."
*
BETWEEN THE LUST running through his veins and the desire on Reese's face, Trent was sure they'd both spontaneously combust. But he could see how important her friend was to her, so he forced himself to put his hand on the small of her back and lead her through the parking lot.
"Hi, Kathleen," she said to the woman behind the reception desk. "Is it all right if I stop in and see Tilly? I brought her a book."
"Sure, Reese. Hello, Trent." Kathleen ran her eyes between the two of them, and her lips curved into a smile.
"Great to see you again, Kathleen. How's Tom?" Trent had played baseball with Kathleen's son when they were in high school.
"He's doing just fine. I wish he'd visit more often, but you know how that goes. Everyone's so busy these days. I heard that you and Quinn and Derek all moved back to run the resort. Is that right?"
"Yes, and it's good to be back. Please tell Tom I said hello."
Trent instinctively reached for Reese's hand as they headed down a wide hallway. "How often do you teach here now?"
"Once a week, at least," she said as they came to the game room. "Don't hold my hand in here. It's hard for me to concentrate when you do."
"You do realize that makes it even more tempting."
She glared at him, but there was a hint of humor in her eyes. As he followed her into the game room, he fantasized about how fun it would be to watch her squirm with desire. But Trent knew he was getting ahead of himself. Just because she was still reeling from their almost kiss, just as he was, that did not give him permission to act like she was his, no matter how much he wished that she were.
"Reese!" A bald man waved from a table, where he was playing cards with two women and another man, who was sitting in a wheelchair.
A television played loudly on the left side of the room, across from a couch, where there were another two women sitting beside each other.
"Hi, Morris," Reese said as she walked toward him. "Hi, Norma," she said to a gray-haired woman who was watching them with inquisitive eyes. "Are you playing bridge?"
"Nope. Strip poker. Want to join us?" Morris winked at Trent.
Reese laughed. "Not tonight, but thanks for the invite."
Trent noticed that two women sitting at the next table were watching them with interest, too.
"Reese, don't you want to introduce us to your gentleman friend?" Norma asked.
"Of course." Reese held Trent's gaze for a beat too long, and he knew she was trying to figure out how to introduce him. "This is Trent Rockwell." Not her ex-husband and not her almost-date for the night, either. Just his name. "Trent, this is Morris and Norma Rickenbacker."
Trent held out a hand to shake Morris's. "Nice to meet you both." He took Norma's hand between both of his and held it for a moment. "Does your granddaughter Katie own the florist shop in town?"
"Yes, she does," Norma said. "You were in school together, weren't you?"
After he said that he had been, the two women from across the room called out, "Reese?"
"Hi, ladies. How are you tonight?"
"We're fine, but aren't you going to introduce us, too? I'm Martha," one of the women said to him.
"Hi, Martha." Trent went to greet her as Reese asked where Tilly was.
"And I'm Carin," the darker-haired woman said. "Are you two on a date?"
Before answering, Trent turned to see if Reese wanted to chime in, but she was crouched between Norma and Morris, talking with the couple.
"I sure hope so," he finally answered. He answered several more questions about himself and then Martha interrupted.
"Reese is really sweet."
"Yes, she is," Trent agreed.
"And pretty, don't you think?" Carin added.
"Gorgeous." Clearly, these women were intent on a little matchmaking, which he was all for.
"Don't forget smart." Morris tapped his finger on his forehead. "Our Reese is a very bright woman."
Trent turned to agree just as Reese rose to her feet and looked toward the entrance to the room.
"Tilly!" Reese went to greet a tall black woman who was pushing a walker into the room.
Tilly's eyes lit up when she saw Reese. Reese embraced her, and Tilly closed her eyes while returning the hug. It was obvious how much both of them treasured their friendship.
"I didn't expect to see you tonight, Reese," Tilly said, eyeing Trent with questions in her eyes.
"I promised to bring you this book." Reese walked with her over to an armchair by the television, and Tilly lowered herself into the chair.
"It looks like you brought more than a book. Who is this handsome man?" Tilly coughed and pulled a tissue from the sleeve of her thick sweater.
"Are you getting a cold?" Reese's eyes filled with concern.
"It's nothing." Tilly stuffed the tissue back into her sleeve. "Just a little cold." Tilly had a very friendly face, and Trent could tell by the way she squeezed Reese's hand that she didn't want Reese to worry about her. "Hello there. I'm Tilly."
"I'm Trent. It's nice to meet you."
"Very nice to meet you, too. It was kind of you to come by with Reese."
"They're on a date--at least he hopes they are," Carin called from across the room. "Aren't they cute together?"
Reese's eyes widened as Carin added, "He's very nice, too. He's a Rockwell, and he's just moved back to the island to help run the resort."
"Carin used to work in human resources," Tilly explained to them. "She can get information out of a stone." She coughed again, and Reese crouched beside her chair.
"Would you like me to ask someone to get you cough medicine? Or would you like a g
lass of water?"
Tilly's eyes warmed again. "Thank you, sweetheart, but I'll be fine. It's just a little cold. Go have fun tonight and thank you for the book." She pressed her hand to the cover. Reese gave her another hug, and Tilly held her tightly again before pushing her back and saying, "Don't you worry. I'm as tough as they come. A little cold isn't enough to break me."
When Trent leaned down to embrace Tilly, she whispered, "She's a wonderful girl."
He whispered back, "Yes, she is."
Trent turned to find Carin and Martha standing with open arms, waiting for their hugs, too. By the time they left, Trent had hugged Morris and Norma, too, and Reese was shaking her head.
"Do you have to be so darn likable?" she said with an exasperated tone as they climbed back into the car. "Those poor women will be dreaming about you all night long."
Trent fought the urge to lean across the console and take her in an intoxicating kiss as he said, "It's not them I want to dream about me."
Only you.
Chapter Thirteen
CROAKERS PARK WAS bustling with children giggling and running about, while friends sat chatting on benches and families walked through the flea market. Several tented booths created a horseshoe-shaped border around the grassy lawn where the children were playing.
"Do you remember the last time we went to a flea market together?" Trent asked after they'd gotten out of the car.
Of course she remembered. She'd never forgotten one second that they'd spent together. It was crazy that the sparks between them hadn't faded one bit--if anything, they felt stronger after being apart for so long. But she couldn't let herself forget how quickly he'd changed in New York. She shouldn't be pulled right back into his arms without some sort of assurance that he'd really changed.
Unfortunately, knowing she shouldn't and fighting her attraction to him were a world apart.
"We went behind the boulders," she finally answered.
He reached out to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. "You were so sexy, Reese."
"We almost got caught so many times." She flushed with the memory of that afternoon. They'd been looking at arts and crafts, and every time Trent touched her, she wanted him more, needed him more. And then finally--finally--when neither could hold back another second, they'd stolen off to a secluded area of the park and made love behind a screen of boulders.
Now he gazed into her eyes and said, "I never could get close enough to you. In the months we were together, all I wanted was to love you more, to become part of you."
She tore her eyes away, her throat thick with emotion. Painful emotion now, rather than the attraction that had been bubbling back up between them. "If that's true, then you quickly lost your way." And she still didn't understand why he had let her go without even fighting for her all those years ago.
Her voice brought him back into focus. "I did lose my way. I didn't know how to handle our relationship back then, but I've changed, Reese. And I promise I'm going to prove it to you."
She wanted to believe him, but she'd given him unconditional love and trust before, and he'd been reckless with it. How could she trust him now?
She watched a young couple walk through the market carrying a bouquet of fresh flowers and holding hands. Why did it look so easy for everyone else? Then again, it had felt so easy for them at first, too, before they'd gone to New York.
Was it this island? Could their love survive only in this fairy-tale environment?
But even as the questions went around and around inside her head, she knew better than to try to figure out the last ten years in the next ten minutes. She needed to get their outing back on track, but now that talking had evened the score with almost making out, she wasn't sure what she wanted anymore. Talking about the past was heartrending. Whereas almost making out was incredibly drugging and delicious.
"Maybe we shouldn't make any promises today," she said softly. "Maybe we could just browse and enjoy the day, okay?"
For a moment, she thought he might push his case again, but then his lips curved up into a smile and he said, "I already am enjoying the day, Reese. More than I've enjoyed anything in a very long time."
There was nothing more beautiful than Trent Rockwell's smile. And even though they'd been skirting the edge of some really difficult memories so far today, her heart suddenly felt like it was flying.
*
THE SUMMER TRENT had met Reese and everything had seemed so new and exciting, they'd often visited flea markets, galleries, and old bookstores. He'd just come out from under several grueling years of law school, and while he knew that just about anything would feel like a reprieve, what he felt when he was with Reese was miles beyond anything he'd ever experienced.
Now, just getting to hold her hand as they walked from one booth to the next, rocked him to the core. This was what he wanted--another chance at a life with Reese.
But would she ever want that, too?
Sometimes, when she forgot the past, she smiled up at him so easily. Other times, however, he could see the clear hesitation hovering in her eyes. She was here with him today, but that didn't mean she'd forgiven him for hurting her. Or that she ever would forgive him enough to give him a second chance at loving her the way she deserved to be loved.
He was so incredibly lucky that she'd agreed to this date, and he wanted to understand everything she was feeling so that he could make sure he never made the same mistakes again.
But he knew Reese well enough to understand that she had to be totally, one hundred percent ready. Until she felt she could handle it--all of it--it didn't matter how much he pushed. He'd only push her away if he wasn't careful. His mother, Abby, had always said, Reese really thinks things through. It's one of the things I love best about her--that I always know she'll give every option careful consideration. Trent loved that, too, and now all he could hope was that she'd carefully consider being with him again, rather than outright rejecting him for his past mistakes.
He'd wait as long as it took for her to make up her mind. He felt as if he'd lived a lifetime in the last ten years, and now he knew what would fulfill him and what he'd been holding out for all these years.
Reese.
Just then she made a happy little sound and tugged him toward a booth full of books. It was just what she used to do when they would go to a flea market together, and yet again he prayed that this outing meant she was going to give him a chance at reconciliation. Because he honestly wasn't sure how he could ever move past her again.
Again? Who was he kidding? He'd never moved past her in the first place. Wasn't that why he'd found something wrong with every woman he'd dated since their divorce? Wasn't that why the idea of moving back to the island had been slowly simmering for all these years? Wasn't that why he'd bought the wrapping paper and why almost every other thing he'd ever purchased had been with her at the forefront of his mind, from linens--Ooh, let's get the super-high thread count. I love the softness!--to the shirts he wore--I love you in black and navy.
Reese picked up one of the books to show to him. "Are you still looking for this one?"
He was an avid collector, and it meant a great deal to Trent that after all these years, Reese still remembered his treasured list of books. In the first weeks they'd dated, he'd told her about the books he wanted to read. The books weren't the old classics, but they had been suggested to him over the years by friends with similar interests, professors, his family. They ranged in topics from philosophy to nonfiction recounts of war stories. Reese had suggested that he start a list, much like her inspiration notebook. She'd jot down things she wanted to paint. When she was in search of inspiration, she'd flip through the list and find a note she'd scribbled at an earlier time, and it would spark a painting. Before they'd married, she'd bought Trent a special leather-bound notebook for his list, which had become one of his treasured possessions.
"I am. And I can't believe you remember the list so well still."
"I remember everything, Trent. Not
just the bad, but the good, too."
He couldn't help but press his lips to hers. For a second she went still, but he didn't want to pull away, and when a soft, surrendering sigh escaped her lungs and filled his, he knew he didn't need to.
Their mouths moved in perfect harmony, and right there beside a table in the flea market, with people milling about and their bodies creating enough heat to ignite the book in Reese's hand, he felt as if their hearts were reaching for each other, coming back together, bridging the years with silent hopes for a future.
Or was that just wishful thinking?
Her soft curves melted against him, and as they drew apart, she sighed. It was a dreamy, wanting sound that sent him reeling with desire.
"I can't forget about Tami," she whispered.
It took a minute for his lust-drenched brain to remember who Tami was.
"I should go see her before it gets too late," Reese said as she set down the book. "If you want to stay to look through the rest of these books, I could come get you when I'm done."
"I want to be with you, Reese. More than anything else in the world." He slid his arm around her waist and held her close as they went in search of the eager, budding artist.
*
TAMI PRESTON WAS eighteen years old and full of youthful dreams and fangirl enthusiasm. She gushed over meeting Reese and kept smiling at her mother with an I-can't-believe-she's-here look in her wide eyes. Reese was happy to let Tami know just how great her artwork was, while also sharing a few thoughts on ways to bring more depth to her paintings and sketches.
It warmed her heart to see Trent paying for one of Tami's paintings. He was so thoughtful. But then, fast on its heels, came that same question she'd been circling again and again since he'd come back into her life: Why did he let ten years pass before seeking me out? She still found everything about him alluring, from his wit and charm to his willingness to give her space when she needed it. But why, oh why, had he waited so long?
Ten years ago, she'd felt selfish asking for more of him when she knew he was working so hard to make a name for himself in his new profession. But she'd grown up with parents who put their relationship above all else, and that's what she'd thought she'd found with Trent in those early weeks of their whirlwind romance. What's more, she'd seen that same commitment in his parents' relationship, and she'd believed Trent when he'd assured her that nothing would ever come between them.