Greta jumped and turned toward him with pale cheeks and startled eyes. “I thought you were out riding. I didn’t see Lucky in the barn.” Her voice held a shaky tremor, and her gaze darted everywhere but at him.
“I’m done. Where are you going?” Even as he asked, a rolling sensation began in his stomach. Something was wrong.
A mask of nothingness settled over her once-loving and glowing features. It was a look he knew well, since he felt it on his own face every day. She didn’t want to tell him. This breakdown in communication was one he cultivated. The cool contempt in her eyes, when once she looked at him as if he were her sun, was his creation. Seeing what his coldness had done to her cracked a little of the shield he had built around his heart.
“I’m going to Seattle. There’s an art show.”
The news eased a bit of his tension. “Oh. When are you coming back?”
She blinked at him once, then twice. “I’m not coming back.”
His brain knew the words, but he didn’t comprehend. “What?”
“I’m not coming back,” she stated, as if that was the end of the discussion. She closed the hatch then moved toward the driver’s door.
“Wait, wait. Just wait.” He blocked her way. The blood pounded in his ears and his lungs struggled for air. This was not part of the plan. She was supposed to stay here where she would be safe. “You’re just leaving? Like that? Without even telling me?”
Her eyes widened, and that spark of fire within her that hadn’t completely died flared. “You left over a year ago. I’m just making it official.” She dodged to the left.
“Stop, just stop.” His hands shook as he lifted his hat to wipe the sweat off of his brow with his sleeve. She was right, he had checked out, but the thought of her leaving made panic claw at his chest with rusty fingernails. “I know I’ve been distant, but I needed,” he swallowed hard, “I don’t—I can’t—” Damn it, didn’t she know? Didn’t she understand?
“He was my son, too.” Her low tone was a mixture of compassion and contempt. “Don’t you think I hurt? That I don’t miss him every day? But I’m grateful for every second he was mine. I want to talk about him, remember him. You want to pretend that he never existed. I’m not going to hide in a hole and wait to die. I want to live. I want love. I want a partner who will always be there, no matter what. I deserve better.” She stood there, shoulders back, chin up, so proud. The strength that flowed from her was so much more than he was capable of. He both envied it and cursed it.
“Greta, please.” His throat burned as he felt her slipping away. He was supposed to lose her when he died of old age, not because she walked away. “I’ll try. I promise. Just give me a chance.”
“No. You can stay here and rot, if that’s what you want, but I’m not going to rot with you. I’m done.”
“Please!” he barked. All of the emotions he bottled up for the past year started to boil. He had to stay calm and settle this rationally. “Let’s go inside and talk this out.” If he just got her inside, he could convince her to see his side.
“No. Don’t touch me.” She brushed away his outstretched hand. “It’s over, Trey. I’m done talking and I’m done waiting.”
“Greta, please,” he tried again. She had to stay. He latched on to her arm.
“Don’t touch me!” she screamed and shoved him in the chest with so much force, he stumbled back a few steps.
Now it was serious. Greta had never physically struck out at him before. She was an expert at putting someone in place with her words, but she had never laid a hand on anyone. Without a single clue as to how to respond, he stood there and stared at her.
Taking advantage of his stunned silence, she jumped into the car. Her face contorted as she tried to hold back her tears. Gravel sprayed all over as she tore out of the driveway, barely missing him by inches.
He didn’t know how long he had stood there staring in the direction of her taillights. The dust from the tires had long since settled by the time he remembered to blink. The sun had started to set over the hillside, and the temperature dropped and a chill settled in his bones, but the cold he felt in his heart was not due to the weather.
Numb to the world, he began to walk. One heavy plodded footstep after the other, he kept moving. Not seeing, not feeling, he hadn’t even realized he had climbed back onto Lucky until they were a few miles away from the house.
As if sensing his shock, the world froze around him. The air was still, not a bee buzzed past him. Even the sound of the horse’s hooves was absorbed by the hard earth.
Be careful what you wish for, they say. Wasn’t this what he wanted, to be left alone? Two smoldering embers sat behind his eyes. A fiery hand gripped his heart and he doubled over the horn of the saddle. It wasn’t supposed to hurt this bad. He had closed himself off so that when he lost her to death, it wouldn’t hurt. This pain was a thousand times worse because he lost her to his own stupidity.
No longer able to control his stomach, he bent over and gulped in a great big lungful of air. Only the reins looped around his hand kept him from tumbling off the saddle. His head felt like a lead balloon and his entire body went from icy shivers to sweaty hot flashes.
God, he was such a fool. Greta was only going to live in the shadows for so long. Who would want to stay married to someone who treated you like the center of their world one minute then like you didn’t exist the next?
Under the horse’s hooves, the landscape changed from lush grass to a field of wildflowers. Lucky led them right to the huge elm tree by the stream. Their elm tree. The place where Luke was conceived. Trey had always felt safe and loved under the leafy branches. His stomach lurched again at the thought of Greta never holding him again on a warm summer night under the stars.
This couldn’t be it for them. What, she leaves and he’d never see her again? Never hear her sing? Despite holding his wife at arm’s length, he was always aware of where she was and what she was doing. He never stopped loving her. He was just afraid of the cost he paid for loving her.
The knowledge that she was going to start a new life, love someone else, was unacceptable. He wanted her. He wanted to bask in her light. He wanted to make her smile.
He was tired of being alone.
Trey straightened in the saddle. This was not the end. She still cared for him, otherwise she wouldn’t have been so upset when she left. There had to be a way to convince her he was going to change. Not knowing where she went would slow him down, but he wasn’t going to let that deter him. He’d make some phone calls and hunt her down.
Nothing else mattered but getting her back.
* * *
Trey blinked as Luke’s tiny shirt came into focus. His memory of everything after deciding to go after Greta was gone. Nothing but blackness and shadows. Perhaps he would never know how he became injured, but now he understood the truth about his marriage.
After smoothing out the creases in Luke’s shirt, he placed it back in the box with the others. His own shirt sleeve made an impromptu handkerchief as he wiped at his wet cheeks. For a guy who prided himself on being a tough guy, he was sure doing a lot of blubbering lately. But these were good tears. He had his answers now, and he knew what he had to do to go forward. It was time to confront Greta and make her come clean.
17
“You left me.” Trey’s voice cracked like a whip in the silent kitchen. His raw throat made his statement sound harsher then he intended. Maybe he should have started with “Hello.”
The pen in Greta’s hand went skidding across the paper. Her entire body appeared to freeze where she stood at the counter before her head whipped around so fast, the ends of her hair slapped her face. “What?”
“The day I got hurt. You left me.”
The beautiful blush drained from her cheeks. She sagged against the counter. “You remembered.” It wasn’t a question.
“Yeah, I remembered. Everything.” He took a step closer. His arms hung loose by his side in case she bolted and he h
ad to give chase. “I remember Luke, and the day you left.”
She didn’t move. She didn’t even look as though she was breathing. Wariness and fear darkened her eyes and turned the knuckles of her hands white where they gripped the edge of the counter.
“How did you find out I was hurt?” he asked.
“Mark called me.”
The mention of Mark made his eye twitch, but he stayed on task. “Why did you come back?”
The muscles of her throat worked as she swallowed. “You were hurt,” her sweet voice rasped. “They didn’t know what happened. When Mark called, he said that you were found bleeding and that it was bad.”
“So guilt brought you back?”
“Yes. No.” She closed her eyes, shaking her head. Her breathing began to escalate and her hands flitted from her throat to her hair then back to the counter. “I didn’t want you hurt. I never wanted you hurt. The longer you were unconscious, the more scared I was that you wouldn’t wake up, but then I was afraid that if you did—” she broke off and spun away. She sucked in big gulps of air as she fought back tears.
“Don’t.” He stepped behind her, trapping her in his arms. “Don’t hide. Tell me, good or bad.”
A small whimper escaped. “I was afraid you were going to wake up, and it was going to be the same. Part of me wanted you to stay asleep forever.” Self-hatred glistened in the eyes she turned on him. “How horrible is that? I love you so much, but I hate what you became. I’d rather you died than wake up and have things the way they were. What kind of person does that make me that I wanted you dead?”
“Baby doll,” he moaned when the first teardrop slid down her cheek. He pulled her stiff body against him. She hunched into a ball and he bet she would have disappeared into the floor if he’d let her. “Please don’t feel bad. You were right,” he murmured into her hair. “You were right about everything. Losing Luke hurt so badly, and if I lost you, I knew I wouldn’t survive. And I didn’t.” He placed his hands on either side of her face, resting his forehead against hers. “I don’t want to live without you, Greta. Losing you like that was the most painful thing I ever felt, because it was my fault. I stopped living, but without you… God, Greta, you’re my world.”
“I don’t want to be your world.” She blinked up at him with shimmering eyes and curled her fingers around his wrists. “I just want to share it with you.”
This was why he loved her. She never sought to change him, who he really was. She only wanted to share experiences, to build, grow, and learn with him.
“I love you. I know I don’t deserve you,” he whispered against her lips. “But I’m not letting you go. Not again. I need you.”
She took a deep breath through her nose and tightened her lips to keep them from trembling. His Greta, always so strong.
“I love you, Trey.” She pressed a kiss to the corner of his lips.
“Thank you.” It was an inadequate response, but it was the best he could think of at the moment. He had used up all of the flowery words and sentiments he knew.
Well, there was one other way he knew of to convey his love and need.
He tried to keep his kiss gentle, but the relief that everything was going to be all right drove the tumultuous river of his emotions over the banks. For a man who tried to remain in control of his feelings, the day had been a tornado that left him raw.
Her downy-soft lips parted, letting him give and take as he pleased. He felt the trust she placed in him like a physical caress on his soul. “Lord, woman, you drive me insane. Please, don’t leave me.”
“I won’t. Not unless you go away again.” She brushed the hair off his forehead. Her eyes squinted with menace even as her lips quirked up at the corner.
“I promise.” He chuckled as he trailed kisses down her neck.
Her vanilla and jasmine scent intoxicated him. It soothed his weary heart and made his blood race at the same time. The cotton work shirt and jeans he wore suddenly felt rough and scratchy. Like a sponge, he needed to soak up her heat and love. Needed her velvety soft skin against him.
“Trey,” she gasped when he had her shirt over her head a second later. “What are you doing?”
“I’m claiming my woman,” he stated between kisses. “Right here, right now,”
Thank the lord for snaps, he thought as he stripped his shirt off while walking her back toward the table.
She fought his hands as he pulled at her jeans. “Trey, not here. Someone could walk in.” She hissed when her bare butt hit the table’s cold surface.
“This from the woman who surprised me in the horse barn one afternoon wearing nothing but a smile?”
“You remember that?” She was so cute when she blushed.
“Oh yeah, magpie. Every sigh, every moan. The way you screamed so loud, you actually caused a stampede.” His fingers found her wet and open. She could protest all she wanted, but her body was ready and eager for him.
“It was only six cows,” she panted, trying to keep her hips still.
“We should try it during mating season. Give them some inspiration.”
Her pink tongue flicked out to wet her lips when he freed his cock. He pushed his jeans down just enough to give him some room. When she took him firmly in hand, his eyes rolled to the back of his head. There was his wildcat. In a few firm strokes, cum beaded at the tip and his balls drew up tight. No way he was going to last.
He pushed her back onto the table and stepped between her spread thighs. “That’s it, baby doll. Guide me home.”
He loved the way she held her breath as he pushed his cock in deep. Her nails scored his back then dug into his glutes. “Please. Hurry.”
“This time,” he agreed with long hard strokes. “But later, I’m gonna love you any way and every way.”
“Promise?” There was a little too much sass in her voice for his liking. Trey was ready to weep at the pleasure gripping him, and he needed her to beg for the same relief.
“Oh yeah,” he promised. Then he set a hurried pace that had the heavy table rocking on its legs in a frantic rhythm.
The love in her eyes would have brought him to his knees if he hadn’t been half lying down already. She was here, in his arms, and he was inside her. Not just physically, she carried him in her heart, just like she was in his soul.
The elation he felt brought him to the edge, fast and hard. Thankfully, she was right there with him. Her pussy squeezed him tight, little ripples promising paradise. “Come on, baby doll. Come with me.”
When it hit, the release nearly blew his head off and had spots dancing in front of his eyes. Greta writhed beneath him, trapped by his hips. Blood tinged her mouth from where she bit her lip to keep her screams in. Tears leaked from her eyes as her compact body milked him for every drop he produced.
His arms gave out the same time her legs fell from his waist. Exhaustion the likes of which he had never felt before swamped him and dragged him under. After such an intense, roller coaster of a day, his mind was ready to shut down.
“Holy shit,” Greta breathed out in a shaky voice.
Trey lifted his head in surprise at her language. His laughter started with a few chuckles, then gained in momentum when she joined in. He was so sated that he fell to the floor when she pushed him off her.
“It feels so good to laugh.” She pushed a tangle of hair off her wet cheeks as she sat up.
“Yeah.” He nodded and tried to sit up. Nope. Not happening. He lifted his head off the tile and met her gaze. “We’ll be doing more of that, too.”
The smile she gifted him with told him she understood. They really were going to be all right. The weight that lifted off his shoulders made him feel like he was suspended in zero gravity.
While he floated in a warm, fuzzy cloud of satisfaction, Greta slid off the table and reached for her jeans.
“Why are you covering up?” He frowned.
“I’m not giving the guys a free show. Unless…” She smoothed her hands over her plump breasts as s
he straightened her T-shirt.
He was on his feet in an instant. “No way, magpie. I don’t want to give Steven any ideas.”
The sound of the back door closing followed by heavy footsteps had Trey rushing to tuck his shirttails in. Mark paused in the doorway with his hat in his hands.
Trey silently cursed as Mark’s eyes darkened. He could only imagine what the two of them looked like, and by the tightening of his friend’s features, he had a pretty good idea. The last thing he wanted to do was throw this in the face of his best friend.
“I take it you two are all right now?” Mark spun the hat between his palms with a nervous energy.
“We’re going to be fine,” Trey answered. “I got my memory back.”
A dark eyebrow hitched up at that. “All of it?”
“Pretty much.”
“Well, that’s- that’s good.” His shuffling feet made Trey anxious. “That makes what I’m going to say easier then.”
Trey’s gut clenched. Mark was hurting, and there was nothing Trey could do to help. And Mark knew that too, which made the entire situation extra shitty. If Trey knew his friend at all, Mark wasn’t going to wallow in self-pity. Which begged to question what was Mark thinking behind his dark eyes.
“I’m leaving.”
Greta’s breath hitched as if she’d been stabbed. Trey placed a comforting arm around her shoulders.
“Where are you going?” he asked, understanding why Mark needed some time away, but damn it, he didn’t want his friend to go.
“Don’t know yet. I think I’ll see my mom for a bit.”
“When are you leaving?”
“Tomorrow.”
“For how long?” Greta asked.
His gaze landed on the tiles at his feet. “I may not come back.”
“No!” “Why?” Trey and Greta shouted at the same time.
“Look,” Trey started again in a more reasonable tone. “Greta, Mark has some things he needs to take care of, and now that I’m back on my feet, he can take care of them.” He turned back to Mark. “Go do what you have to do. Just remember that you always have a home here. You’re family. Always.” He blinked his eyelids faster as Mark’s image began to waver.
Hearts on Fire: Romance Multi-Author Box Set Anthology Page 127
