Chapter 9
Bastain held onto his consciousness for as long as he could.
Picking Trinity up and holding her on his lap, he adjusted himself in the chair so that she was across his legs instead of across his lap.
Having no strength to do anything more, he laid his head back and closed his eyes, hoping that no one would come into his office where the two of them were.
There were clothes strewn around the floor. Shoes near the trash can and one inside. Her hair clips were gone; when he’d pulled them out of her hair, he’d tossed them away. No, this was not a sight that he would wish on anyone, yet he was very proud of the room.
His mind had shut down while making love to Trinity.
He was afraid that he’d hurt her in some way and would feel badly about that.
She wasn’t delicate or anything, but her poor body had been through so much that he wasn’t sure if it could take much more.
Just holding her like he was, Bastain thought that she’d wake up and tell him what a bastard he’d been. Or that she loved it.
He was sure that she had enjoyed herself.
He certainly had. And when she’d come down his throat, it was all he could do not to stand up and fuck her then.
But he wanted more from her, and she was giving it to him.
Bastain thought that he could happily die a happy man right now and that they’d never be able to remove the sappy smile from his face.
He’d die like this with her in his arms.
Bastain thought about what they’d been talking about before they’d made love.
She was worried for him, and he thought that was wonderful.
As they were making love, she had told him several times how much she loved him.
Smiling, he laughed a little when he started to get a cramp in his leg.
He’d been standing up doing something that he’d never done before, and he was afraid that he’d pulled a muscle.
When Trinity started to stir, he watched her.
She opened her eyes but didn’t move, and he still watched her.
Telling her how beautiful she looked embarrassed her a bit, but when she looked at him again, he smiled down at her.
Asking her if she was all right, he was glad to hear that she was just fine.
He still worried about her leg and the way they’d made love.
“It hurts a little, but nothing I can’t live with. My toes are sore too now that I’ve tried wiggling them.” He looked down at her leg and smiled. “Your mother painted it for me. I’m surprised you didn’t notice before.”
There were flowers painted on her cast. Not small ones either, but large, beautifully shaped ones that made him think of summer and the rain coming to water them. He loved the small daisy that was near her ankle. It was the way that she signed all her paintings. He looked at Trinity and smiled.
“I had other things on my mind.” Kissing her again, he helped her sit up a little so that her back was to his chest. He was sticky hot, but nothing bad. When she asked him if he was hurting, he laughed hard. “I don’t hurt at all. I feel like a new man.”
“We didn’t use protection, and I’m sort of glad.” He said that he’d be that way too if she were happy. “I never thought about it because I never expected us to have sex right now. I’ve never been on the pill, and I’m happy for that.”
“Would you like to have children right away?” She said she’d never thought about it.
“Now that we’ve made love, it’s something we should think about.
I don’t want to not use protection months from now, and we decide that we don’t want to have children.
It’s up to you if we do. I’d just be a happy man if you were to allow me to sleep with you nightly. ”
“That’s a good idea.” He was confused for a second.
“You sleep with me. That bed is sort of big for one person to sleep in. I have loved that set since I found it at an auction once when I was with Aunt Tilly. She didn’t much care for it, but I did.
She told me that when I had some money, she’d sell it to me.
I don’t think I could have afforded her prices. ”
“She did mark things up a great deal.” She said that she never understood her reasoning behind that either.
“I told you that I bought the building and contents from Mark, didn’t I?
He was so glad to be rid of it that he only charged me the money I had in my pocket.
I had cash too, but he wouldn’t think of that, he said.
So I got it all for less than fifty cents.
I can’t wait to sell everything in it so that I can move my office in the building. I love the old charm of the place.”
“It was just a house before she had it renovated. It has seven bedrooms and five baths. I think a formal dining room as well as an eat-in kitchen.” He said that he and Dayton had walked around the place and couldn’t believe how big it was.
“She hated the house. Uncle Mark had purchased it for some other project that he had been thinking about, and he told her that she could use it or not. I think he was just happy she was out of his hair. She tended to make him out to be the worst kind of man when he was around her.”
“He moved away three days ago.” She asked him if he’d gone to Tennessee. “Yes. I didn’t know you knew about that place. He said that Tilly didn’t.”
“No, she’d not. He’d go hunting a couple of times a year. I don’t think he ever shot a gun in his life, but it was his chance of just getting away from her.” He told Trinity that he could understand that. “I can too now that I know about her lists.”
“He was never mentioned in the books. He said that he looked hard for his name before he turned them over to me. I guess he was surprised by that as much as I was. But I bet he would be now. He told me that she was really pissed off that he’d sold the house and building.
I don’t know that he told her for how much, though.
” She said that he probably had just to piss her off more.
“I wouldn’t doubt that. He was really pissed off when he was talking to Dayton and myself about her. Do you suppose he ever loved her?”
“I do. He would talk about her all the time to me when they were dating. I was only a child then, but I thought it was romantic how he would pick her up from her job and take her out to eat. That was before they were married, however.” He asked her how things had changed.
“She did. She must have gotten tired of waiting for him to marry her, so she signed the prenup when he asked. I guess she figured that she could get out of it once they were married, but I’m assuming that never happened. ”
“It didn’t. He had a judge order the prenup in full force, whatever that meant.
I’ve not dealt with divorces very much. Once I think, but it was pretty cut and dry.
” Trinity stood up and began pulling her clothing back on.
He nearly swallowed his tongue when she bent at the waist and picked up her panties.
Steading her when she nearly fell, he was glad that the desk was there so he could sit her on it.
She was still sitting there when he handed her the rest of her clothing.
“I didn’t tear anything up, did I? I tried to be easy with things so that I’d not have to figure out a way to get something for you to wear later.
” He laughed. “Like I was thinking that far ahead.”
He was glad when she laughed as well. “I have to be able to see the doctor in the morning. I don’t have many clothes here.
I have a few from when I was hurt, but most of them are covered in blood.
Do you think you can go by my house and see what you can find?
I don’t want to have to go back there. I’m afraid that I’d have nightmares if I were to return.
” He said that he could do that for her easily.
“There isn’t that much there either. When my mom was living with me, I had to consolidate everything so that she’d have room in the house.
I didn’t need much in the way of clothing, but what I did have was serviceable.
I was glad too that I had a job that I loved, and they were able to give me time off when I needed it.
I hope I still have my job when this is all over. ”
“I’m sure they’ll have you back. When one of my brothers told me that you were working with him on a case, I couldn’t believe how much I didn’t know about you.
We’ll spend the rest of our lives doing just that.
Getting to know one another until we know it all.
” She told him that she loved him. “And I love you. I never thought that I’d hear those words coming from someone’s mouth again. Much less me saying them to someone.”
“Where does Debra live? I just assumed that she lived far away from here.” He said that she lived two towns over. “I had no idea. Does she bother you much? I don’t think I ever heard anything more about her other than she was a bitch and that you’d divorced her.”
“She lives with her mother. They’re like two peas in a pod.
Both of them are looking for the next man to tangle with.
I think that she’ll never sign a prenup again.
When we divorced, she fought for support, telling the judge that I’d allowed her to live up to a certain standard and that she needed money to be able to continue that lifestyle.
She was laughed out of court.” Trinity laughed with him, and he felt better for talking about her than he had in a long time.
“She made me so bitter that I thought all women were like her. Lucky for me, you came into my life.”