Choosing the Hart: A Love Triangle

by René, Dani

  She looked over at me with disdain. She flashed him her best smile and fluttered her fake eyelashes. “Good! I just landed the CK job! I am ecstatic. When are you going to do my shoots again! I miss you.” She reached out and stroked his chest. I felt bile rise into my throat, and all I could do to keep from puking was to take a deep breath.

  He grabbed her wrist, pulling it off his chest. Releasing it from his grip, he gave her a small smile. “I’m a busy man these days, Jen. This is my partner in crime, Emily.” He gestured to me. I smiled and nodded, not wanting to talk to this woman who blatantly wanted Triston. She gave me a small smile and looked back at Triston.

  Without a second thought, she carried on talking to him. “Will I see you while you’re here?” He shook his head and grabbed my hand. He gave it a small squeeze. I wasn't sure if that was a sign of him reassuring me or to provide her with the idea we were together.

  “Emily and I are here on vacation, planning a private event.” His voice was clipped and serious. I glanced at him. What was he talking about? She frowned and leaned in closer to him.

  “Don’t tell me you got engaged!” She playfully slapped his arm. I could tell she was definitely not joking. She seemed shocked, and it made me smile.

  “Not yet. I have to go, Jen. See you around.” He gave a small nod and turned around.

  He pulled me against him, and we walked off toward the beach. “Who on earth was that?” I asked him when we were out of earshot.

  “Can we not talk about her, please?”

  I stopped before we reached the end of the promenade. Triston halted mid-stride. “No, Triston, I’m asking you a question.” His eyes glanced behind me, and he wrapped his arms around my waist. I reached up to push him away when he held on tighter.

  “Just stand still, Miss Reid!” he ordered as I struggled in his embrace. “She is watching. Just smile and listen to me.” I stopped and watched his eyes dart back and forth between me and the blonde who was clearly not taking the hint. “I slept with her on a shoot a few years ago. She was infatuated with me; the feeling isn’t mutual. It was a long time ago, and she means nothing to me. It was a fling. She clearly thinks otherwise.” As he told me, his eyes never left mine. The sincerity burned into me, and I felt at ease.

  “So, you prefer blondes?” I questioned slyly. Seeing his eyes flicker with annoyance at my challenge, I giggled.

  He leaned down, his tongue tracing the shell of my ear. I felt his hot breath on my neck, turning me on as my breathing faltered. “Miss Reid, if you continue to push me, there will be consequences!” he hissed, the words making the butterflies in my stomach do somersaults. His mouth found mine, and he kissed me deeply. The passion radiating from him made my body melt into his. His tongue caressed mine, and there was an urgency in his kiss. Pulling my body tighter against him, I felt his rigid arousal. The electric sparks that shot through my body were present as always.

  When his lips left mine all I could do was stare at him. “Now do you think I prefer blondes?” he smirked and grabbed my hand. “Let’s swim. I need to cool down.” He adjusted himself, his erection straining the front of his shorts. We got close to the water when he pulled off his tee and dropped it next to his shoes. I took in the tanned, sculpted body walking into the water, and I ached to feel his wet skin against mine.

  “You coming?” He ran into the water, and I watched the surf splash against him. I pulled my top off and slid my shorts down. Leaving my clothes in a heap with my flip-flops, I walked into the water. Grateful that it was warm, I stepped in farther, enjoying the waves against my hot skin.

  Triston turned around. He was completely soaked, his shoulder-length, brown hair dripping down his back. As he stepped into the shallow of the surf, my eyes roamed his body, his sculpted abs dripping wet, his low-slung shorts heavy from the water, which seemed to pull them lower. The oblique muscles more prominent, I couldn’t help but lick my lips. “Do you like staring at me, Miss Reid?” he asked with an amused expression. I nodded slowly. I couldn’t hide it anymore — I wanted him, and he knew it.

  “Mmm, we should do something about that. But first, I want to get you wet!” He grabbed me and lifted me against him. I squealed as he walked us into the water. I splashed water as I kicked back. His words and his body making the apex between my thighs moisten. I giggled as he spun me around in the warm, crashing waves. All the worries and concerns were melting away with his arms around me. We both laughed as he walked farther into the ocean. “Triston! Put me down!” I shouted. I held onto his strong shoulders, and I felt the muscles flex under my touch. He felt so good against me.

  There had to be a chance for us. I did not imagine the feeling between us.

  “I don’t think that’s an option, Miss Reid. I am not letting you go!” His words held more meaning than we both cared to admit. I held onto his neck and felt the warm water slowly soaking my hair. He reached up with one hand and pulled my hair tie off, freeing my long brown hair. I leaned back wrapping my legs around him, wetting my hair. It felt refreshing.

  “You look better with it down anyway.” He smiled as I pulled myself back up. Holding on to Triston’s neck, his face inches from mine, his eyes a midnight blue. “You’re beautiful,” he growled in a deep scratchy voice that tugged at my core. I smiled and stared into his glistening eyes.

  “You’re handsome,” I whispered back. He kissed me then, a deep soft kiss full of longing, with his tongue invading my mouth, stroking mine as they danced together. His lips felt like they were made to be on mine. He held me so close like I was part of him. My heart hammered in my chest, and my skin tingled at the current between us. I pulled away breathless. My lips felt cold at a distance between us.

  “Then we make a good match. I just—” He looked away, pain so evident in his face.

  “What, Triston? You need to be honest with me, please?” I begged. He nodded.

  “Emily, I want you to know me. I want you to know everything. I’m just scared if you do, you’re going to disappear. I’m not easy to be with, and I’m not used to opening myself up.” His solemn expression made me sad. Something was hurting him, and deep down it pained me to see him like that.

  I grabbed his face in my hands. “I am not going anywhere. Get used to it!”

  He smiled. “You’re a stubborn little one, aren't you?” I nodded.

  Chapter Seven

  “A bottle of your Hauté Cabrieré Merlot 2007.” Triston handed the wine list to the waiter. He looked over at me and gave me a smile that made me melt. I spent the afternoon wrapped in his arms in the warm LA ocean. “Did you have a good day?” he asked seriously. I nodded and smiled. A blush warmed my cheeks as the memories of our day washed over me.

  “How could I not enjoy myself? I spent the day in a beautiful city with you. I forgot all the things that bothered me, which was good.” I blushed at my honesty.

  He smiled. “Emily, I asked you to forget the world and be with me, and you did. Thank you. I keep pushing you away, but for some reason, I can’t stay away from you. I don’t know what it is, or what is between us, but I can’t fucking think straight without you. It frustrates me because I feel” — he looked down — “out of control. You need to decide if it’s me you want.” His long slender fingers intertwined, I had never seen him nervous, but right now he was. “Before you do, though, there are things I need to tell you. If you choose me, I want you to know who I am. I need to be honest with you. Brutally honest.” When he looked up at me again, his eyes held such sorrow I felt my own heartache.

  “Triston, we all have demons in the closet. I have my fair share. Everyone has a past, but that’s not where we live. And nobody is perfect.” He nodded. The waiter brought our wine and opened it with a flourish, pouring a taste for Triston.

  He sipped it leisurely. His eyes locked on mine. I watched him licking his lips — something that always stroked the fire inside me. He nodded at the waiter for our glasses to be filled, and Triston ordered dinner. He loved the control, and I
let him have it.

  The waiter disappeared, and we were left alone with our confessions. I wasn’t near ready to share mine with Triston. It was something I needed to come to terms with. If I wanted a relationship with him, I had to be honest. I needed to tell him why I left home and why I could never go back. He picked up his wine glass, his mouth lingering on the crystal lip. I watched his tongue lick the drop of wine from the glass. The knot in my stomach tightened, and I wished his tongue was on me. He was deep in thought, and when his eyes met mine, a smile curved his soft lips. “So, I suppose I should start.” I nodded. He was quiet for a minute as if collecting his thoughts.

  “Triston—” I whispered. His soft gaze looked haunted.

  “I am not the easiest person to be with as I don’t do relationships. Since my ex-fiancée, I am somewhat . . .” He took another sip of wine just as my heart begins to race. He was engaged. I remember Jessie mentioned it. “I push people away, Emily. People who care are difficult for me to deal with. I’m not used to it. She didn’t love me. I realized it when I walked in on her and my brother fucking.” He was so blatant as I felt my heart constrict at this bit of information. “That is one reason why we don’t speak anymore.” He looked up again. His guard went up, and I could see pain evident in his handsome features. “I find being alone easier, less painful.” I sat in shock. That’s why the brothers were so hostile to each other. Something Bash said that night hit me like a rock.

  “…no wonder my brother wants you, but I get you first.”

  He was staking a claim; I was even angrier now than I was before.

  “I enjoy the control I have over my life and those around me. I guess that’s what makes me a good businessman. It’s the only way I know how to survive. I feel that if I don’t control a situation or person, I can’t trust it or them.” His fingers twisted the stem of the wine glass. “I didn’t have the easiest childhood. There are things I did, things which I am not proud of. When I was younger, I got mixed up with the wrong crowd. How cliché is that? I did and sold drugs, and I stole from people, even my own family. I was completely fucked up, Emily, in so many ways.” His eyes burned into me, pleading.

  I placed my hand in his when he reached out to me — feeling the familiar soft, warm skin, aching to hold him. I knew I had to let him get it all out before we could move forward. “I tried to kill myself, Emily.” He averted his gaze, ashamed. My heart shattered into a million pieces. “I overdosed. I felt like I needed to stop doing what I was doing, and that was the only way.” I wanted to tell him to stop. I could see this was hurting him, but he carried on. “I don’t believe I’m capable of being loved or of loving anybody. I didn’t believe it then, and I don’t believe it now.” His eyes met mine, challenging me.

  “Nobody is brave enough to put up with my shit, Emily.” His gaze on me was so intense my breath caught. “Except you.”

  I stared at him and nodded. I saw the pain disappear from his eyes. “Yes, I am brave, Mr. Hart, because I know what I want. I want you.”

  “Why?” His voice was a raspy whisper, his eyes darkening. He caught me completely off guard. Why would he ask me that? “I . . . I . . . don’t know,” I mumbled.

  A look of frustration crossed his face. “Miss Reid, that is not an answer.”

  I looked into those beautiful, midnight blue eyes as they changed color in front of me. “What did you want me to say, Triston? Yes! Okay! I want you. Even in your most broken form, I want you! I want to pick up the pieces and put you back together!” My voice challenging him, his fist clenched, and I watched him take a deep breath. Frustration at me evident on his handsome face. I know he didn’t want to hear me say that because he didn’t believe he was worth it. I could see he was at war with himself, my words adding fuel to the fire. I didn’t care. I wanted him to know I wasn’t going to run away from him. What he had done was in the past, and I don’t believe people should be judged.

  “Are you sure about what you’re saying?” His calm demeanor faltered, and he sounded almost hopeful. I nodded and smiled to lighten the mood. He smirked. Rolling my eyes at him, I giggled at how almost childlike he was sometimes.

  His eyes darkened at my insolence. “I want to take you back to the hotel room right now and put you across my knee for such blatant disrespect!” His face took on a dark, dangerous look. I squirmed in my seat. Moist at his threat, my whole body was on fire. Squeezing my thighs together, I picked up my wine, sipping it. I looked up at him.

  “Mr. Hart, I think you would enjoy that a little too much.” I smiled sweetly at him. Taking another sip, teasing his gaze to my mouth. I licked my lips, paying extra attention to my bottom lip, chewing on it. His grip on my hand tightened. I smiled inwardly. I was enjoying the rush of making him feel so out of control. His eyes dark, almost black, and my body trembled at what lay before me and the choice I had just made. Triston called the waiter over. “Ask the chef to package the food. We need to leave urgently.” The waiter nodded and ran off to the kitchen.

  “What are you doing Triston?” I asked, completely shocked. Why would we leave we hadn’t even had our starters?

  He smirked at me. “We need to leave . . . Now!” Midnight blue eyes burned into me, and I squirmed again, my panties wet from the ache I felt for him.

  “Triston, we haven’t even had starters. And our wine—”

  Cutting me off abruptly, his voice was a deep, low growl. “Fuck the starters! We are going back to the hotel for dessert.”

  * * *

  We walked through reception at breakneck speed. Triston pressed the call button on the elevator. I was a jumble of nerves because I wasn’t sure if he was angry or just plain frustrated with me. He didn’t say a word all the way back to the hotel, and I didn’t know what to say to him.

  We stepped inside the elevator, and he pressed the button for our floor. I could feel the energy radiating off him. It was magnetic. I could feel the pull my body had toward him, and I couldn’t deny it any longer, I wanted him, and I wanted him now. The elevator felt like it was moving at a snail’s pace, and I urged it to hurry.

  The elevator doors opened, and Triston grabbed my hand, pulling me behind him. I was still carrying our dinner in the take-out bag they gave us. As we made our way down the hall, I fell in step beside him. He released my hand and placed his fingertips on the small of my back. Electric currents zinged through me. My hand was shaking as I slid the key card into the door.

  I walked into the room and placed the food on the cabinet. I stood at the desk sliding my shoes off when I felt Triston’s body behind me, his hands on my shoulders. His warm breath on my neck, he whispered in my ear, “Now, Miss Reid, I am going to do things to you that will make you think twice about rechallenging me .”

  His husky voice made me tremble. “I want you to stay still; do not move. Do you understand me?” I nodded. As soon as he walked away, I felt cold. I heard him rustling around in the cupboard and then in his suitcase. I wondered what he was doing, but I didn’t dare turn around. I was aching to feel his lips on mine again, but somehow, I knew he was going to take his time, teasing me.

  It wasn’t long before he was behind me again. “Close your eyes, Miss Reid.” As soon as my eyes closed, I felt soft fabric covering my eyes. He tied it around my head. “Is that too tight?”

  “No, Mr. Hart.” I breathed, my whole body yearning for him.

  He unzipped my dress. His fingers trailing down my spine, leaving goosebumps in their wake. He slides the straps over my shoulders, the fabric slipping down my body, and falling to the floor. He groaned. “I do love your taste in lingerie, Miss Reid.” His tongue traced the shell of my ear, making me shiver. I felt self-conscious standing in my black lace bra and panties. He planted feather-light kisses from the back of my ear down my neck. When he reached my shoulder with his teeth, he gripped the bra strap and pulled it off. His hands, soft and warm, lingered on my arms.

  He repeated the process on the other side, and I was entirely at his mercy now. I was ac
hing, yearning and trembling for him. My body was on fire, and the heat between my thighs was unbearable. He unclasped my bra. “Take it off.” I pulled the bra down my arms and dropped it on the floor next to me. The cold breeze made my bare nipples rock hard. With my sight taken away, all my other senses were heightened. I felt every nerve in my body respond to him. His fingertips trailed my arms again up to my shoulders. He unpinned my hair, and it fell down my back.

  “Mmm, you are beautiful.” His left hand slid over my shoulder, wrapping his fingers around my neck in a firm grasp. The act so dangerous, but so sexy. His right hand slid down to my breasts. His grip on my neck tightened, pulling me into his rock-hard body. I could feel he was as aroused as I was. He leaned in close to my ear, nipping it with his teeth. I was slick with desire, aching to feel him inside me. I arched my body and pushed my ass into his groin. His right hand pinched and pulled my nipple, sending shock waves flowing through me.

  “Do you want me, Miss Reid?” His voice dripped with lust. His words were almost predatory, the darkness in them pulling at my core. I nodded. He tweaked my other nipple, sending another shock of electricity through me. “Triston!” I moaned out loud.

  His tongue trailed a hot, wet path from the shell of my ear to my neck. “I want you to bend over. You will put your hands on the table, and you will not move. Do you understand me?”

  “Yes,” I whispered, my voice barely audible.

  Triston placed a flat hand between my shoulders and eased me over the table. I was bent over at the waist, the top half of my body on the cold wood, my arms straight in front of me holding onto the edge of the table. I felt Triston’s finger tracing a line down my spine, making me shiver. “You look fucking delectable.” His voice was raspy and deep. “Now tell me, Miss Reid, do you still want me?” His hand moving over my ass, sensually. “Do you want the dark parts of me? You have to be completely honest. Understand?” His hand stopped on my lower back just above my ass.