Chapter Eighteen #2
“Hooters?”
“Deal.”
They killed fifteen minutes ripping on each other, much to the amusement of the sound crew.
“Okay, Trent, Dred. Thanks for that.” Pam was back, looking slightly more harassed than the last time they’d seen her. “We have some tattooers set up for you to—”
“Tattoo artists,” Trent corrected.
“Sorry,” Pam said. “Tattoo artists set up for you to work with to see how you would interact with the contestants.”
It was a total mixed bag. A kid, Johnno, who didn’t look much older than twenty and an older guy, Buck, who had been tattooing most of his life. A woman, Daisy, who reminded him so much of Lia it was uncanny.
“You don’t need to change from your liner to your shader if you’re doing such a small touch-up on the line there.
Just turn it sideways so the needles line up straight, like this,” Trent instructed, motioning for Daisy to move out of her chair so he could sit.
He picked up the shader to show her what he meant.
“Need to win a tattoo parlor, buddy?” Dred laughed at him for sitting in the contestant’s chair.
“Come over and learn something so you can stop with all the ‘That looks deadly, man’ crap you’ve been spouting all afternoon.”
One face wash with industrial-strength soap and a few hours later, he was back with Michael.
“You did awesome today. I’m really pleased with what I saw.
We gotta put the tapes in front of our target audience, but you brought just the kind of vibe to the set that we hoped you would.
We managed to get everything we need today, so we don’t need you to come in again tomorrow.
Safe trip back, Trent. I have a feeling I’ll be back in touch with very good news soon. ”
Thankful that Michael’s assistant had been able to get him onto the earlier flight the next morning, Trent turned down Dred’s invite for another night of drinking and opted for an early night at the hotel. Half asleep, his thoughts drifted to Harper.
Hours later, he was rudely awakened by the shrill ringtone of his cell phone. He opened one eye to look at the clock on the nightstand. Five o’clock. He grabbed the phone and saw Cujo’s ugly mug staring up at him. With one arm over his eyes, he answered.
“This better be good, Cuj,” he answered groggily.
“Sorry to wake you, man, but the front of the studio was vandalized overnight. Just got here to open up.” Christ. He rubbed his hand over his face to wake up.
“How bad? Did they smash the glass?”
“No,” Cujo responded. “Just some spray paint on the glass outside. We’ll try and scrub it off.”
“What did they spray?” He hoped it wasn’t something totally offensive. Tattoo shops weren’t always the most wanted stores as neighbors, the middle-America crowd a little scared of the kind of clientele they could sometimes attract.
“That’s the weird part, it seems like Italian. Amor condusse noi ad una morte,” Cujo offered in a butchered Italian accent.
“Could be worse, I suppose.” Trent yawned. “Hate to do this but we should call it in to the police. If it doesn’t come off, we’ll need a police report for the insurance I guess.”
“Junior would be disappointed in you.” Cujo laughed.
“Yeah, well. If the little shit who did it had stuck around, maybe you could have offered him an apprenticeship.”
Once a cleanup plan was agreed upon, Trent hung up. At least whoever did it had shown a little bit of class. Love brought us to one death. A famous quote by Francesca in the second circle, canto five. If he weren’t so pissed off, he’d be impressed.
* * *
“It’s him, Lydia. I know it is,” Harper said into the phone. She paced the break room, dragging a hand through her hair.
“I don’t know what to tell you, Taylor. I had my tech expert check out the messages you sent. The technology exists to bounce messages from all over the world. It could be from anywhere.”
Harper kicked the uniform hamper hard, spilling dirty aprons across the floor. She cursed and bent to pick them up.
“So what do I do? Just sit here and wait for him to come finish the job?”
“Taylor, he’s abiding by the terms of his release. You know I’m on your side. I agree with you that it’s highly likely Nathan is behind this, but there’s no proof.”
Harper remained silent, fighting to rein in her temper, which was about to blow.
“Listen. I’ve told you that you need to go to the police.
Given this is likely Nathan, the police asking questions won’t really tell him anything he doesn’t already know.
And if by some miracle he isn’t implicated in this ugly mess, it will only narrow it down to Miami. This is their job. What they do.”
The door behind her opened and Drea hustled through on her way to the washroom, casting a worried glance in her direction as she passed by.
“I have to go, Lydia. I’ll call you.”
Harper hung up and blew out a sharp breath, caught up in the ugly feeling of being cornered. Telling Lydia hadn’t helped, telling the police wouldn’t help, and telling Trent would only involve him in something she wanted him to be kept far away from.
Harper sunk down onto one of the plastic chairs and dropped her head into her hands. She closed her eyes as Drea rubbed the top of her head, soothing her.
Drea crouched down in front of her and took her hands. “You gotta come with me. I have a present for you that I know is going to cheer you up.”
“Can I get six éclairs with a side of welcome-home sex, please?” Harper heard as she followed Drea out into the restaurant.
Trent stood on the other side of the counter with a huge smile on his face. He held out a small pink bag with white handles.
Harper flung herself into his arms and allowed him to lift her off the ground for a thoroughly hot welcome-home kiss. His dark hair was completely disheveled, and his eyes were hidden by dark sunglasses.
“The éclairs I can do. The sex is going to have to wait,” she whispered against his lips, pushing the shades up onto the top of his head so she could see him properly. She sighed with relief as he held her tight, resting her head on his strong shoulders.
“Really?” He moaned. “I honestly thought you’d just drop ’em right here for me.”
Harper hit him hard against his arm.
“What?” Trent laughed in mock horror. “I even came bearing gifts.”
Harper dropped to the floor as he let go and presented her with the bag he was still holding.
Harper cautiously put her hand into the bag and shifted the tissue paper covering her gift.
The black-and-white polka dots were a dead giveaway as she pulled out the tiniest string bikini she had ever seen.
“Hope it fits because I’m not going to be able to return it anytime soon.”
Harper ran the small ties through her fingers. It was beautiful, but she’d never worn a swimsuit so tiny.
“It’s a bit … well, small, isn’t it?” Harper felt her cheeks go red.
“Yep.” Trent leaned down to kiss her slowly again, gently tugging at her lower lip with his teeth before pulling away.
“And I think you’ll look sexy as hell in it.
” He pulled her tightly against him by the waist of her apron, and she could feel, from the erection pressing against her stomach, just how hot he thought she was going to be in it.
“Thank you,” Harper spluttered. If spontaneous human combustion really did happen, she was likely very close.
As he kissed her again, Harper felt all the pieces tumble together.
Her heart burst with the knowledge that she had fallen in love with him, despite her best intentions.
That even with all the horrible things going on around her, he had become her rock.
“Go. Go home.”
Drea broke through Harper’s daze. Pulling away from Trent slightly—not that she could get very far with the grip he had around her waist—she turned to look at her best friend.
“Seriously, go! I’ll cover for you. You only had an hour left anyway.”
“Thanks, Drea.” Harper pushed away Trent’s hands and laughed as he harrumphed at her escape. “I’ll just get my things.”
“My place or yours?” Trent asked as he leaned forward to start the car.
“I’m easy. If you missed your place after being away we can go there, or you can come to my place because I have food.”
“I’m starving … so yours it is.”
The drive home felt painfully slow even though Trent broke just about every conceivable speed limit. His hand barely left her thigh, stroking smooth circles with his thumb.
Trent pushed her through the door of her apartment, dropping his bags on the floor with a loud thunk before he reached for her.
Hands pushed up her blouse and pulled it up over her head before she could make it out of the entrance hallway.
“Thought you were hungry!” she exclaimed between kisses.
“I am … can’t you tell?” Pulling against the waist of her shorts, he ripped the button and zipper apart before dragging them down her legs. Every part of her was alive with excitement as he reached for her and pulled her hard against him.
“I missed you, sweetheart,” he groaned before crushing his lips against hers.
Harper reached between them and lifted his T-shirt over his broad shoulders.
She needed this. Needed to get out of her own head for a little while.
Would she ever get enough of the sight of him naked?
She dragged her nails softly down his chest, scraping across the tight buds of his nipple, laughing at the heartfelt groan that escaped from his lips.
Trent picked her up, pulling her tight against his chest as he carried her into her bedroom. Thank goodness she’d made her bed before she’d left for her shift.
Laying her down on the soft comforter, Trent removed the rest of her clothes before giving her a knowing smile.
He lifted her pillow and pulled out his Tool T-shirt.
“I dreamed about you in this shirt,” he said softly. “I might have been hammered, but holy shit, you’re hot on the phone, darlin’.”
* * *
Trent pulled his T-shirt over her head. It was a shame to cover up such beautiful breasts, but he wanted to see how she looked versus how he’d imagined her.
Harper lay back on the bed, legs slightly spread, the hem of the T-shirt covering what he needed to see.
Taking a moment, he kicked off his boots and reached for the button of his jeans.
Christ, Harper took his breath away. Lips swollen from their kisses, a soft flush across her cheeks.
That dark blanket of hair spread across the white comforter, her eyes a deep, emerald green. And a smile. Just for him.
This was all he needed. This is what he had wanted to come home to. His heart lurched in his chest as he realized that this was it. This was the only thing he craved.
He shucked his jeans and boxer briefs, pausing to pull a condom out of his wallet. Grabbing his pounding erection in his hand, he stroked it a few times before rolling the condom on.
Harper was rubbing her thighs together on the bed in anticipation. As his T-shirt rose up her stomach, he could see the glistening moisture pooling between her thighs, all for him.
“Darlin’, I’d seriously love to go down and taste you right now, but if I don’t get inside you soon, I think I might explode.”
Trent crawled up the bed until he was positioned directly over Harper. For a moment, he studied her intently, could see the unspoken emotions in her eyes, could see everything he was feeling reflecting back at him.
Lifting his weight onto his forearms, he pushed firmly into her, breaching her soft warm lips, where she was wet and ready for him, until he was embraced deep within her.
He couldn’t hold back the deep groan that escaped as he thrust to the hilt. Giving Harper a moment to adjust to him, he smoothed her hair off her face and lowered to kiss her softly.
“I missed you, darlin’. So much.” He withdrew from her before plunging back in with a hard drive. “Tell me you missed me.”
Harper’s face was so incredibly expressive. “I missed you too, Trent. So much it scared me.” She wrapped her long legs around his back and tightened them, pulling him deeper.
Kissing her with a softness that betrayed his need, he slid back into her. Her fingertips dragged slowly up his sides, across his ribs, making him shudder at the playful intimacy.
“I missed this,” he murmured softly against her lips. “I missed being so deep inside you. I missed the way you gasp when I slide in hard. I missed that moment just before you come for me.”
Pulling back out, he held himself poised at her entrance. Harper let out a soft keen, lifting her hips against him, pulling at his back with her nails.
He thrust back in, faster this time, until he was tight inside her. Heels pressed against his ass, hard. She wanted him there.
“I just fucking missed you,” he growled before devouring her. He licked the skin along the side of her neck, nipped the lobe of her ear, and kissed her with a need he felt he could die from. He relished the sensation of her tightening around him; her skin soft and warm pressed up against his.
Thrusting hard, groaning hard, he pushed and pushed until he could feel his balls tightening. He continued to pump until he could feel her coming apart around him. Harper moaned, her back arching as she milked his release.
Looking deep into the eyes of the woman he loved, he came harder than he knew was possible.