Defying Desire (18 page)

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. Grabbing 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 assumed 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.

“After I’ve caught the bad guy I want to see where things can go with us.” He raised a hand to stop her next words. “No, not like that. It’s more than just sex now, Camille. It’s much more.”

She was chewing a grape then and she dropped her fork, letting it clink against the glass bowl as she sat back in her chair. “I can’t believe it,” she said, narrowing her eyes to look at him.

“You can’t believe what?”

She chuckled softly. “Jade said it would hit you hard. That it would shock you right along with the rest of us.”

“What are you talking about? What’s hit me hard?”

“You’re in love with her, aren’t you?”

She was staring at him, not that it made him uncomfortable, but he was getting tired of admitting this to everyone except the person whom he needed to hear it most. Lifting his bowl, he drank the milk then put it back down. Using the napkin she’d tossed at him, he wiped his mouth, then sat back in his chair similar to the way she was.

“Yes, I’m in love with her.”

In seconds Camille was up out of her chair coming around to wrap her arms around his neck. “Oh, Trent! That’s fantastic! I’m so happy for you two. Tia needs somebody to take care of her although she’d never admit it. And I’m so happy it’s you.” She pulled away from him then. “Because you need someone to keep you in line and Tia’s just the woman to do it.”

“Are you making moves on my woman now?” Adam asked half jokingly as he walked into the kitchen.