by Scarlet West
“Just okay?” I probed. It didn’t look that way to me. Her expression spoke of suffering, and, suddenly, desperately, I needed to know about it. “What happened after I left, Trina? Tell me.”
“Drake,” she closed her eyes, her mouth tensing at the corners. It was an expression I recognized. It meant, stay out of it.
I leaned forward, feeling desperately awkward. I should have known that I would have to account for myself, that my past actions weren’t going to just disappear now. Ten years later, Trina was still angry with me, still mistrusting me.
And I deserve it.
I closed my eyes, trying to get perspective. I had been nineteen, stupid, and selfish, and I could have handled things much better. I would have handled them better now.
“Trina, I know I never said goodbye,” I said. The words grated in my throat and I tried to soften them, speaking from my heart. “I was an ass,” I said softly. “I didn’t say anything because I had no idea how to say it. I was nineteen and clueless. But I always wished I had said goodbye properly. I missed you, Trina. I still do, sometimes.”
Maybe it was the welcome drink, before I could stop them, my sincere words were out.
Trina stared at me.
“Really?” she asked.
“Really.”
I hadn’t planned for it, but as our eyes held, my fingers slid across and laid over hers. She tensed, and then relaxed.
Underneath my fingertips, her fingers felt cool and soft.
“Trina,” I began.
“Shh,” she whispered.
I listened.
Together, in the fragrant silence, we sat. My fingers moved over hers, and my body tingled as I felt her soft skin, so pliant and warm, below my fingertips.
Close, breathing in, I could smell her; lavender and flowers, like always. It set my body on fire.
“Trina,” I whispered, urgently.
“What?” She turned to face me. Her hand shifted on mine and I felt her fingers lace through mine, clasping them. My heart stopped.
“I don’t know if we…” I trailed off.
“You’re with someone else.” Her voice tightened.
“No,” I chuckled, letting the laugh resonate inside me. “I’ve never wanted to settle down with anyone.”
“Really?” she was surprised, clearly. I laughed again.
“Yes. Really,” I said. “You?”
“I haven’t dated for years,” she said.
“Seriously?” It was my turn to be astonished. “Why?” I asked.
“Because, I…” she bit her lip, shaking her head. “Because my life is complicated, Drake.”
“Is it because of your…”
“Trina!” Breathless, a woman with long blonde hair tied fiercely back in a bun ran up. “Oh.” She stopped, staring at the pair of us together.
“Skyler.” Trina’s voice was tight. I remembered the name. This was her best friend.
I stood. “Evening,” I said.
“Trina. Oh, man. I’m so sorry,” the woman said, out-of-breath. “I just had to find you. There’s been a mess in the kitchen and I thought maybe you could…” she trailed off, looking from Trina to me and back. She looked distressed.
“What is it, Skyler?” Trina said.
“You know what? Randall can handle it,” Skyler said quickly. “I shouldn’t have disturbed you.”
“No,” Trina said, taking her hand from mine. “I’ll help. It’s okay. I was about to come find you anyway.”
As her friend led Trina away, I closed my eyes and slumped my shoulders. How could I have been so stupid as to try and bring up her daughter? If she had wanted me to know she’d had a child, she’d have told me. No, I was nothing but a reminder of a broken heart and she would keep me at arm’s length for as long as she could.
Damn it. You really messed up.
I decided in that moment that there would be no probing questions.
I made a promise to myself to let it go. Then, drawing in a shuddering breath, I got to my feet. My poor body was awash with responses and emotions I barely understood. I was tired, and I was aroused.
She still makes me want her so badly I can barely hold back.
I adjusted my dick in my pants and went back to join the guests.
I spotted Trina as we filed into the dining room. I drifted between the guests toward her and managed to end up opposite her at the table. Thankfully, there wasn’t assigned seating, and we could all sit where we chose to. She met my eye, but her expression was closed.
Be careful, Drake. Very careful.
If I wanted to win Trina back, I was going to have to tread like I was walking in a minefield.
“Tell us about your movie, Mr. Stone.”
The woman beside me had turned to me, brown eyes wide. I cleared my throat, feeling self-conscious, as Trina was sitting opposite me, blue eyes watching intently.
“Well, the movie is a docu-drama, set on the local mines. When I heard about the closures, I decided I had to document it. It’s one thing for big corporations to pull out of small communities, but another thing when you see what a mess they leave behind.”
“Did you ever work in the mines?”
“No, I did not,” I wet my lips, feeling under scrutiny. “My uncle was a shift boss, and so I have some of his stories that I plan to use.”
“I see.”
“Yes, I plan on putting together the stories of the families and the businesses that are affected,” I said. “Have you interviewed them?” Trina asked. “Found out their stories? Asked the mothers with kids who have to be the breadwinners now?”
I swallowed. “Well, we’re just getting started on finding the people to interview,” I said, feeling somewhat impotent in that moment.
“You’d do the town a lot of good by focusing on the people. It would be more of an emotional pull than just how it is affecting the bottom line. Real people are what is going to drive your project,” she said. ”
“Yes!” I was suddenly feeling inspired the way she had always inspired me back when we were kids and full of plans. I nodded, seeing the whole project in my mind – the format, the room where the interviews would be held – everything was there. “You’re right! Do you know anyone who could give an interview?” I asked sincerely.
“Mrs. Harris at the grocery store,” she said. “And her sisters – they could all talk. I know Mr. Harris got laid off two months ago, and they’ve been struggling. And then there’s Amberly, and Gabi…”
“Wow,” I nodded. “If you could help round up, say, five women? I would be really grateful.”
“No problem,” she said. “I think this is a great project.”
“Thanks,” I said. “You seem to really know the community.”
“I have lived here all my life, remember,” she countered. “And as a hairdresser, you get to know everyone. Especially the community’s women.”
“I bet,” I nodded. “It must be a tough job, sometimes.”
“Lots of time on my feet,” she said, nodding. “And funny hours. It takes quite a lot of organizational skills, working around the appointments. Skyler helps.”
“She seems like a good friend.”
“She is,” she nodded. “And you? You have friends, in New York?”
“Some.” I shrugged. “In show business you meet so many different people that your social landscape changes with each production. And the whole cast is like your bosom-buddies until the next cast comes.”
“Oh?”
We talked on and on. I confided things in her that I would never have believed I’d tell anyone. She told me about life in Bridgeway. My vision had narrowed during the dinner. I could see only her. It seemed as if we were two alone in the restaurant, the conversation rising and falling around us, a shifted, blurring backdrop of sound and noise and laughs.
“It’s so good to talk to you again,” I whispered.
“Drake.”
Our eyes held. In that moment, the years rolled away, and it felt as
if I was seeing the young Trina, overlaying the woman she was now. She grinned out at me from those blue depths, and my heart yearned for her.
Dessert arrived. Chocolate and cherry cakes. I took a mouthful of mine, closing my eyes in pleasure. Opposite me, Trina bit into a cherry, those red lips parting and meeting round it. The image was so sensual that dick twitched in my pants.
I want her so much it hurts.
I clenched my fists under the table, struggling to control the wave of sensations that seared their way through my body, making me want her irresistibly. I watched her, oblivious of her effect, eating her dessert. My eyes were drawn, again and again, to those sweet red lips, parting round the spoon.
“You hungry?” she asked.
“Uh, kind of.” I realized I hadn’t touched my own dessert save for that first bite.
“If you’re going to eat it, I will.”
I grinned. “Okay,” I said. I passed the dish across. It was a pleasure, seeing her eyes brighten up.
We sat and she ate and I let my mind float in a blissful haze of longing.
Dinner eventually came to a close. From somewhere, music began to play. Guests stood, and I noticed one couple move out onto the terrace, dancing.
I glanced across at Trina. Cheeks flushed, eyes bright, she had drunk a bit too, though I don’t think she’d had quite as much as I did. I still felt okay, though, and when I stood I was remarkably steady.
“Shall we go?”
Trina shrugged. The table was being cleared, and the other guests were heading off either toward the dance floor or out into the garden. I shrugged back and nodded.
“Let’s go.”
As if by mutual consensus, we headed out into the garden.
Trina knew the place and I didn’t, so I followed her to the deserted corner by a big tree. We stood together, silent. So close to her, my body started to shiver, my loins tense, every part of me straining against temptation.
“It’s cool outside.”
“Would you like my jacket?” I shrugged it off, reaching eagerly to place it around her shoulders.
“Thanks.”
Our eyes met. I stepped forward, taking that one little motion that would close the gap between us.
She stepped closer, into my awaiting arms.
Our lips met. I felt hers press to mine and, my whole body straining with nerves, I parted them gently with my tongue. I could feel myself quiver and I knew my feelings for her were obvious. Her eyes closed. She let her lips close round my tongue, and I felt a jolt of intense pleasure ricochet through me as I kissed her.
Her body was pressed to my chest, and I tightened my grip around her, drawing her closer. I could smell her hair, that sweet flower-and-warmth scent. I drew her closer, my cock painfully hard, my body aching. I needed her like I had never needed anything before.
“Drake?” she murmured. She had broken the kiss. I gasped as she looked up at me.
Her face wore a little frown, just as I remembered.
“Trina?” I whispered. My voice was raw, thrumming with longing. I didn’t care. I wanted her to know, to hear how much I wanted her. I drew her against me, breathing in her scent.
“Shall we go?”
Her face was against my bicep and I didn’t really hear at first, the words seeping through to me slowly, one at a time. Then they came together in a meaning so unbelievable I had to pause and think it through. Had I really heard it right?
Yes, I had.
“Yes,” I whispered. “Let’s.”
We walked, hand in hand, down the pathway to my hotel.
7
Trina
I let my hand clasp Drake’s tighter as we walked up the path to his hotel. Inside, my body was a seething mass of hormones and emotions. Worry, hope, longing. All of them mixed together into a tumultuous cocktail that had me shivering with uncertainty and longing.
“Drake.?”
He heard me, despite the fact that my voice was a low whisper. We were in the parking lot of his hotel, now, one of the nicest buildings in town looming before us –.
“What?” he whispered, gently. “Trina, we don’t have to do anything you don’t want.”
“I know we don’t,” I said, impatience and humor mixing inside me at his words. “But if I want to?”
His face was irresistible. His big blue-green eyes stretched in surprise and a small, hesitant smile played over that generously-lipped mouth.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
Together, we slipped into the hotel.
He walked straight past reception, where a man in a suit pointedly ignored us. Humor and misgivings mixed inside me but all of them were overridden by longing. I followed Drake into the elevator and it shut behind us.
Instantly, Drake was all over me. His lips pressed firmly to mine, his hands sliding down my waist, gripping my ass. I groaned, my body tingling as he kneaded it and drew me closer, his cock hard and pressing at my waist.
I closed my eyes and pressed closer, my body tight against his, breasts flattened against his chest, which was every bit as toned and firm as it had been way back when.
I let my fingers drift down his well-muscled back and up into his hair. I could smell his after-shave – something spicy and way more mature than what he wore as a teenager – and his maleness.
I parted my lips for his tongue.
We stopped on his floor and the door opened and we half-fell into the hallway.
We giggled, and he lifted me up, helping me to my feet. I stared at him.
Everything was happening so fast, it felt so surreal. I followed him to the door and he unlocked it, then, as soon as I crossed the threshold, leaned against it and drew me into a searing kiss.
My body was melting now, every cell of me crying out with wanting. He seemed to sense that, for he stroked my hair, very gently, teasing me. I felt every nerve ending crying out as his fingers tickled down my back, over my waist, down my thighs.
Then, as abruptly as it arrived, his playfulness evaporated. He drew me against him again, his lips hot and hungry. Growling my name, he tightened his grip around me and pushed me back to the bed.
My eyes flew open. This was a new Drake – an urgent, uncontrolled Drake – and my body wanted him feverishly. His hands undressed me quickly, and I felt his gaze on me as his fingers struggled with the clasp of my bra.
As it parted, finally, he let out a gasp.
“My God, you are stunning.”
I lay back on the soft coverlet, feeling his eyes feasting greedily. I flushed as they came back to my naked breasts, then wandered to my panties.
He feasted his eyes a moment longer, then pulled them off, working them down my legs before tossing them to the floor.
“So fucking beautiful.”
I blushed. It was dark, the only light coming from the street outside, which was a good thing; he couldn’t see the telltale silver marks on my tummy that would indicate that I had carried a child.
“Trina…”
“You have an advantage over me,” I purred, reaching for him and twisting my hand in the fine linen of his expensive shirt. “You’re still dressed.”
“So I am,” he said. It sparked humor in his green eyes, and he grinned, then stood.
“I can fix that,” he said.
I lay back and watched him undress. I knew I could have helped him – a part of me wanted to get it done sooner – but another, stronger part, teased myself. I watched his body appearing from underneath the shirt and pants and let myself savor every second.
He is every bit as stunning as he was back then; probably more.
Stronger, his muscle denser and his body slightly thickened at the abdomen, his abs dense and hard, he was a gorgeous specimen.
I let my eyes wander down his nakedness, lingering at his hips and the proud maleness there. I felt a wet warmth flood my body.
He saw my eye on him and grinned. Then, losing patience, he came and joined me on the bed.
“I want you so much.”
“I want you too.”
It was the last word I said for a long while. His hands stroked my hair and then, pressing his body down on mine, driving me into the pillows, he plunged his tongue between my eager lips.
I sighed and parted my lips for his even as my thighs parted to admit a knee. He was pushing against me, his cock sliding over my stomach. I pressed against him and he gasped and shifted, letting himself enter me.
We both sighed, the pleasure filling me up from within, making me ache. He moved out and in again, and suddenly I realized how desperately hungry my senses were for him.
I felt a tension in his shoulders, and he pulled out of me, leaving an emptiness behind. He kissed his way down my body, stopping to lap at my nipples and pull them into his mouth one at a time to suckle.
I bucked and writhed under him as he continued his decent down my flesh. Once he settled between my legs, he looked up at me and grinned. Our eyes locked and I relaxed as he pushed my legs wider.
Gently, he parted my thighs and his finger stroked my clit as he did so. I gasped.
When his mouth closed over my folds, I had to struggle not to scream my longing. Biting my lip, I twisted and he held me in place, hands pressed to my thighs as he licked and stroked and sucked me.
I was gritting my teeth, groaning with pleasure as his touch and tongue tickled me. I could feel a rich, throbbing sensation welling up in my clit and blazing down my nerve endings, and into my limbs.
I tried to hold back, tried to let it last just a bit longer, tried not to give into the pleasure, to let it flood my nerves and my brain and my soul with lakes of fire.
“Drake!”
I heard my own voice give a scream of pleasure and then my nerves were utterly flooded with a sweet, clinging backlog of wonder.
He lapped at me as my orgasm subsided and then crawled back up over me. He bent his head down and kissed me deeply, allowing me to taste my desire on his tongue. It was possibly the most arousing thing I’d ever experienced.
Wrapping my legs around his waist and pulling him to me, I felt Drake slip into my wetness easily. He groaned and stilled himself for a moment before delivering slow, even thrusts.