Prologue #2
Something in his expression changed. It was as if he could suddenly read every thought in my head.
The longing, the desire I’d felt for him for months.
In an instant there was a flare of heat that hadn’t been there just a moment before, so hot it turned the gray to liquid.
The intensity of it made my knees buckle, and I would have hit the floor, embarrassing myself even further if it hadn’t been for Trick’s other arm banding around my waist and pulling me tight against him.
The look in his eyes was enough to make my breathing ragged as my heart pounded against my ribs.
“Trick,” I panted as my breasts swelled and my nipples hardened.
“You wanna get outta here, sweetheart?”
I did. I really did. So I gave him a little nod and followed eagerly as he took my hand once more and led me from the dance floor and out of the tent, excitement coursing through my veins as I skipped to keep up.
A loud thump followed by a quietly hissed “Shit” startled me out of a dead sleep.
I blinked my eyes as they slowly adjusted to the darkness surrounding me.
My fuzzy brain had trouble recalling what was going on, but when I rolled toward the noise that had woken me, the twinge between my thighs was enough to bring the whole night back to me.
Trick dragging me from the wedding reception, loading me in his truck, and driving like a bat out of hell. The way his jagged voice abraded against my skin when he asked, “Your kids home?” and the soft breathiness of mine as I replied, “They’re with their dad this weekend.”
Everything that came after was completely and utterly out of this world. It was a dream come true. No, actually it was better than anything I could have dreamed up. He was better.
Trick Wanderly was the best lover I’d ever had—not that I had many to compare him to, but still.
He’d fucked me hard and rough, he made love to me slow and gentle, he made me feel a million things I’d never felt before, and he spent hours doing it thoroughly until we both passed out from exhaustion.
My body ached in the most delectable ways from the workout he’d given it, and as I finished my roll, a smile spread across my face so wide my cheeks ached. That was, until I caught a glimpse of Trick’s shadowed frame in the dark.
Twisting around quickly, I flicked on the lamp beside my bed and spun back to him. “What are you doing?”
He finished pulling up the tuxedo slacks he’d been wearing before I slowly stripped him out of them hours earlier.
His shirt was already on but unbuttoned, revealing tanned skin over ripped muscles from his chest all the way down to where that sexy V dipped into his waistband and the small smattering of hair sprinkled over his pecs.
I’d never considered myself a fan of chest hair, but Trick’s was minimal and extremely hot.
“I was gonna wake you.”
My fingers clenched in the comforter, lifting it higher to cover my bare breasts as a chill rushed across my skin. “You were gonna wake me… what? Before you bailed out at—” I jerked around to look at my alarm clock. “—four fifteen in the morning?”
That chill turned biting when Trick blew out a deep sigh and dropped his head, reaching up to rub at the back of his neck.
The Trick who’d looked at me on that dance floor in a way that made me tremble with desire was long gone.
This Trick made my stomach churn while my throat threatened to close up.
“I’m sorry, darlin’,” he started uncomfortably, making everything so much worse. “So damn sorry.”
I’m sorry. Two words no woman wants to hear after sleeping with a man she’s been crushing on for months and months.
“You’re… sorry,” I repeated, doing a slow blink as I stared up at him, feeling my heart shrivel up in my chest.
His head shot back up, those piercing gray eyes pinning me to the mattress as if he could hear the heartache in my voice. “I wasn’t gonna sneak out, sweetheart. I’d never do that, not to you.”
“But…?” I asked, because I just knew there was a but coming. I might not have wanted to hear it, but I needed to get this over with. Like ripping off a Band-Aid, swift and without hesitation so he could leave and I could curl up into a ball and have myself a good long breakdown in privacy.
“I shouldn’t have done this.”
Okay, that killed. Squeezing my eyes closed against the onslaught of tears burning my eyes, I turned my head away and pulled in a much-needed breath.
The mattress dipped a second later, and I felt the tips of his fingers under my jaw, turning my face back to his. With no other choice, I opened my eyes and realized I’d gotten it wrong. What I felt a few seconds ago hadn’t killed. The guilt in those grays just then did. “I’m so, so sorry.”
“You said that already,” I croaked, my words thick with sadness.
“Because it’s true,” he responded softly.
“You have to believe me, darlin’. I didn’t realize I wasn’t ready for this until—” He stopped, his throat bobbing with a hard swallow.
“I thought I was there, that enough time had passed. You deserve better than what I can give you, Nona. I never would’ve gone there if—”
“God, please stop.” I held my hand up to silence him as my face twisted in pain. His words so far had sliced into me deep enough; I didn’t think I could handle anything more. “Just stop. I get it.”
“Nona—”
“No, really,” I cut in again, this time shoving my way off the bed with the sheet wrapped around me to hide my nakedness.
“Like I said, I get it.” I began frantically moving around the room, searching for my panties.
“Your divorce was basically just finalized.” I tagged them and struggled to get them up my legs without dropping the sheet. “I totally understand.”
“Nona, please just—”
I shuffled toward my dresser, nearly tripping over my own feet.
“I should’ve thought about that. I didn’t mean to put you in such an awkward position.
” I got the drawer open and pulled out the first nightie my fingers landed on, somehow managing to get it over my head and down my body without flashing Trick.
“Sweetheart. If you’d just—”
Now fully clothed, I felt more equipped to handle the crushing blow of rejection he’d just landed. I whipped my hair out of my face and turned back to him, inhaling through my nose in an attempt to calm my frayed nerves.
“Please. Just go,” I spoke, my voice weak and quiet, revealing the ache centered in my chest. “Please, Trick.”
His face fell, and the sympathy in those stormy eyes nearly did me in. “I don’t wanna leave things like this.”
My head started bobbing on a nod. “Because you’re an amazing man. But I’m asking you, please, just go.”
I could see the struggle written all over his face. He didn’t want to leave until he was certain I was okay. He was just that good of a guy. Problem was, I didn’t think I’d be okay for a good long while, and I needed him gone so I could deal with everything I was feeling on my own.
He took a few steps closer, reaching up to place his hand on the side of my neck and brush his thumb across my jaw. As hard as it was—and it was agonizing—I managed to stay still and not flinch away as he took that last piece from me. “You know I care about you, right? That’ll never change, Nona.”
My head tilted of its own accord, pressing deeper into his touch. “I know.” But that knowledge only made me feel worse.
Trick remained unmoving, his eyes scanning every inch of my face as something played across his features I couldn’t even begin to understand. Then, with a gentle, sad smile, he finally dropped his arm, turned to gather the rest of his stuff, and moved out of my room.
I heard the front door close seconds later, and with it, the first tear fell.