by Nia Arthurs
Her eyes gleamed when he decided to help her along by fumbling with the belt of his pants. She ran her hand down his thigh and pressed her body against his until Trenton thought he would explode.
At last, he freed himself from his trousers and watched as Sheila undid the strings of her top.
Breana wants a divorce anyway so really, I’m not doing anything wrong here. I mean, she can’t expect me to be a saint when I have needs that aren’t being met.
Sheila smiled seductively and put her finger in her mouth. Backing up until she sat on the bed, she pulled the finger out and used it to beckon him.
Trenton’s heart was about to beat right out of his chest. Blood rushed downward, and he knew that he could have a good time with no strings attached if he only took those three short steps to the bed.
His desire urged him forward, bawling for him to find the release he’d been denied for far too long.
Breana will never know. Breana will never know.
He closed his eyes and took that first step, forced himself to take the second, but when his foot lunged out to complete the third, he froze.
“What’s wrong?” Sheila tilted her head and pouted, her shiny red lips glinting in the dim light offered by the lamp.
Trenton shushed her and pressed a hand to his chest. Beneath the pounding of his heart and the roaring of his groin, he heard a keening wail.
Sheila frowned and bounced on the bed so that her bare chest caught his attention. “What are you waiting for?”
Trenton bent over, almost brought to his knees by the ringing in his ears. He stepped back, a pained expression on his face.
“Don’t tell me this is your first time,” Sheila said.
Trenton blinked and looked carefully at her. Studied her face. Saw the cracks starting to form beneath her heavy makeup. Saw the insecurity creep into her eyes as he hesitated. Noticed the slight tremble in her lips as she glanced down to see if something was wrong with her.
And there was, he realized with a gasp. There was something wrong with her.
“What is it?” she demanded.
“You’re not her.”
“What?”
“You’re not Breana.”
“I can be anyone you want me to be,” Sheila said, standing and slowly undoing the ties of her bikini.
The material slipped away and she stood naked before him. The wailing in his head climaxed and then it stopped.
Froze.
As if it had never been there in the first place.
Beneath the undercurrents of tension flowing in the room, Trenton felt… empty. Hollow. Carved out from the inside.
You’re overthinking things. Just do it and deal with the consequences tomorrow. Breana will never know. She’ll never…
That was the thing. He’d know. He’d know, and he’d never be able to look her in the eyes or promise her that she could trust him if he took what Sheila was offering.
He wanted to. Oh, yes, he knew what he’d be missing if he did something stupid like walk to the bathroom while Sheila looked on in confusion.
Knew the pleasure he’d be rejecting if he returned to Sheila’s side and draped the terry robe over her body.
Knew the ice cold shower he’d be in for if he ushered her out the door and told her to enjoy the rest of her stay in Belize without him.
Trenton knew, but he did it anyway. As soon as the door was closed, he high-tailed it to the showers and stood underneath the icy blasts until his raging testosterone had calmed.
“Idiot!” he cried, bashing the wall with his fists. He had no guarantees that Breana would eventually be intimate with him. She may never reach that place. Was he signing himself up for an indefinite period of celibacy?
Trenton should walk right back out that door and haul Sheila in here. He could do it… he could… he wouldn’t. He felt no happiness at the prospect of casual sex. Wanted no one but Breana Moore beside him in bed. Longed for no other touch than his wife’s.
He was so whipped.
Trenton groaned and stepped out of the shower to dress for a night-in. He passed by the phone on his dresser and stopped. He’d asked Merna to check in on Breana last night, but he hadn’t heard back from her.
Trenton picked up the phone and dialed, waiting impatiently for his mother-in-law to answer.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Merna!”
“Trenton!” she said happily. “I’m sorry. I can’t hear you very well. It’s hard getting used to this fancy phone.”
“If you want, we can go back to the dealer and exchange it for a more suitable one.”
“No, no. I love it. Thank you for buying it for me.”
“You’re welcome. Did you get a chance to check on Breana?”
“I did,” Merna said. He could hear the hum of conversation in the background and figured she was in a crowd. “I’m actually out getting soup for her right now. She’s not feeling well.”
“What?” Trenton shot to his feet. “What’s wrong?”
“She has a high fever and a bit of a cold.”
Trenton pulled his hands through his hair and paced his hotel room. “ I had no idea.”
“Is something going on between you two, Trenton? I got the sense that Breana was sad. She claimed it was because she missed you, but I wonder if it’s more than that.”
“She said that?”
“Said what?”
“That she missed me?”
“Yes, but Trenton, you should give her a call. I got the impression that you weren’t in touch with her. Of course I could be wrong—”
“Merna,” he yelled, gathering his things, “please take good care of her until I can get there.”
“Trenton—”
“I’ll see you soon.” He hung up and haphazardly threw the rest of his clothes in his travel bag.
Trenton made quick work of checking out of the hotel, glad that he didn’t run into Sheila on his way through the foyer. Ten minutes later, he paid the taxi driver and turned to walk into the Belmopan bus station.
The scent of fried plantains and other Belizean snacks permeated the air. Students sat in the wooden benches, huddled in groups or sitting off by themselves with headphones in their ears.
A variety of professions were also represented here with nurses to businessmen waiting in line to board their bus.
Trenton had never ridden in a bus before. He had always been chauffeured. Even in school, his friends drove in luxurious vans to whatever destination they were headed.
Public transportation was way out of his league, but it would be faster than waiting for Jamison to find a driver that could take him to the city.
“Excuse me,” he turned to a woman sitting with a baby in her arms, “what is the difference between the express line and the regular?”
“The express doesn’t stop,” she said. “But it’s a dollar more.”
The price did not affect him in the least. “Thank you, miss.”
She nodded and continued to rock her baby. Trenton took his place at the back of the line and waited for the bus station managers to open the gates so that he could board. Surely, the process of getting on the bus would be a clean, concise, and civil production.
Trenton was wrong.
As soon as the workers opened the doors leading to the Belize City bus, the people in front of and behind him surged forward. Trenton was swept along in the tide and was promptly hit in the mouth as a pair of students tried to wiggle past him.
There were nearly fifty people waiting to get a seat and the door could fit one at a time. The war that ensued stole his breath. He soon learned to use his height and brawn to his advantage and pushed a few kids out of the way so that he could claim a spot.
It was a barbaric sport, but as Trenton settled into his window seat, he felt a wave of victory. He’d made it! Ha!
One of the male students swung into the seat and spared him an abrupt, disinterested glance. Trenton returned in kind, settling into his chair and waitin
g for the ride to take off.
He’d figure out how to tell Breana about his near-affair (if the conversation even needed to be broached) later. For now, she needed him and Trenton would move the heavens and the earth to be there.
Chapter 21
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Cool fingers brushed her curly hair away from her forehead. The touch spread warmth through her chest and Breana smiled in her sleep, turning toward the palm that cupped her skin so tenderly.
Soon, the pull of consciousness convinced her to open her eyes. In the haze, she saw Trenton’s handsome face and blinked in confusion. Was she still sleeping? Perhaps this was another lucid dream?
She lifted her hands and traced the face that gazed down at her. Pale skin. Square jaw with a five o’clock shadow that was course against her fingertips. Piercing, dark brown eyes. It looked so real. He felt so real. Could it be?
“Are you up?” she heard his voice and realized that Trenton was no dream. She sat up suddenly, her head woozy from the move. “Whoa, whoa,” Trenton said. “Slow down, Bree.”
“You’re here,” she said, unable to keep the happiness from her voice. “You’re really here.”
“Are you that excited to see me?” he said, his warm eyes taking her in. His presence beside her was like finding the missing piece to a puzzle. Breana was too weak to pretend that she was anything but overjoyed.
That didn’t mean she could simply roll over and accept his behavior.
“You left without saying good-bye,” she croaked.
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“I thought you were mad at me. I thought—”
“It’s okay.” He brought her head to his chest and cupped her chin. “I’m here now, and I promise the next time I leave on a business trip, I’ll give you a proper goodbye.”
Breana squirmed out of his embrace and punched his arm. “You jerk. You didn’t even call.”
He winced. “About that…”
“Don’t think I’ll let this slide.” Breana wiggled her finger, but dived into his arms a moment later.
“I know.” He hugged her back. After a while Trenton let her go and she frowned in disappointment. “I see you barely touched your soup,” he said.
“I wasn’t very hungry.”
“Come on, Bree. You need to eat so you can get better.”
Breana arched an eyebrow. “How did you know I was sick?”
“Your mom called.”
She clutched her chest. “Did you cut your business trip short for me?”
“What?” Trenton sputtered. “I would never—”
“You did, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
She smiled nervously. “Should we… talk about what happened before you left?”
His expression turned pained, and Breana wondered if she had spoken out of turn. He’d left so quickly after kissing her Sunday night. Wasn’t it something they should address?
“There’s nothing to talk about,” he said.
“A-are you sure?”
He seemed to shake his funk and chucked her chin. “Positive. Right now, the only thing I’m going to focus on is making sure you get back to a hundred percent.” He glanced around the room. “But… why are you sleeping in here?”
She shrugged. “It was cooler.”
“Do you want me to install an air conditioner in your room? I can call some guys and get it done by next week.”
Breana picked at a thread in her blanket. “Why go to so much trouble when we can just share the one in here?”
She stared into Trenton’s eyes and raised both eyebrows. Did he understand what she was saying? Was that too subtle?
“Oh…” he blinked.
Dang it! That flew completely over his head.
“Trenton, I—” Her stomach did its best imitation of a whale call, effectively drowning out her words. Breana glanced sheepishly at her abdomen. “You know what? I am feeling kind of peckish.”
“Need some help?” Reaching out, Trenton pulled her out of bed and supported her down the stairs.
As they walked side-by-side, Breana felt a hundred times more confident in her decision to open her heart to him. It had taken her a long time to admit it, but this was exactly where she wanted to be.
“How was the business trip?” she asked as Trenton settled her in the kitchen and went through the motions of warming the soup.
“My trip?” he asked, his back to her. “It was okay.”
“Are you sure? Your voice sounds funny. Did something happen?”
“Just the usual. The project is coming along really well, despite the problems we went through trying to get it off the ground. Things have been a little too quiet, though. It makes me suspicious.”
“I heard about something like that from Jovanah. George Camal, right? He’s the guy who runs the other major construction company in Belize.”
“He’s gunning for me. I’m on my toes waiting to see what he’ll do next.”
“You’ve got this,” Breana said.
“How can you be so sure?” he asked, setting the soup in front of her and leaning his elbows on the counter. “He’s got more experience at this game than I do.”
“I’ve seen how capable you are when you put your mind to something. This Camal guy? He doesn’t stand a chance.”
“Thanks for the support.”
Pleased that she could make him smile, Breana continued to eat her soup.
“Oh, I heard Cady is back. How is work now? Is she still angry about us?”
“Strangely, no. She’s super laidback and nice to me now.” Breana laughed. “It’s like she was abducted by aliens and replaced with a double. I have no idea what’s gotten into her. Well, actually I do. She met a guy in Mexico.”
“She did?”
“His name is Juan, and he gave her this giant jade necklace that weighs a ton. Cady wore it to work Monday and swears she has it locked up now so she can guard it with her life.”
“I hope Juan knows what he signed up for.”
“I’m just glad my boss is no longer out to get me. If being in love is to blame, then I say love on.”
Trenton gave her a sappy grin and she lowered her fist. “What?”
“I’m just… really happy.”
She snorted. “Trenton, it’s a little too early to be so cheesy.”
“Is there a rule that I can’t be cheesy before ten p.m.?”
“There should be a rule if there isn’t one already.”
Breana bent her head to slurp another sip of her soup and when she glanced up again, Trenton’s goofy expression had returned. What was up with him? He’d made some cheesy lines in the past, but this time, he seemed extra… intense.
“Oh, before I forget, your mom told me to remind you to call Ms. Jen. Any idea what that’s about?”
“Remember the really nice rehab center we found in Guatemala?”
He nodded.
“It’s starting its session soon, so Ms. Jen and I have to go down with Mom and settle her in.”
“What’s the problem?”
“This isn’t the first time we’ve tried to get Mom into rehab, and she’s all happy about it until the day comes. That’s when she disappears from sight and we have to track her down. So Ms. Jen and I came up with a plan to hide the actual date from Mom so she doesn’t have a chance to run.”
“That sounds… efficient.”
“You married into a crazy family. What can I say?”
“You’ve always had to do this alone?”
Breana nodded. “Mom isn’t close to her family, and I wouldn’t even want to meet them now. They had twenty-two years to be there for me and they weren’t.”
“What about your dad?”
“What about him?”
“What if he showed up out of the blue and wanted to get to know you?”
“I’d tell him to hit the road and come back when I cared.”
Trenton nodded. “Sounds reasonable.”
“Are
you being sarcastic?”
“Of course not.”
“I can hear sarcasm in your voice.”
“Do you?” He rounded the counter and hugged her from behind.
“Trenton,” she laughed, “what’s gotten into you?”
He kissed her temple and held on tight, murmuring against her hair. “Don’t be sick, Bree.”
“It’s not something I can control—”
“Don’t be hurt either,” he said, his tone serious. “If you ever feel like it’s all too much, if you ever need to rant and curse and cry, come to me. Okay? Don’t go through it alone.”
Emotions welled in her throat and she nodded. It was the reminder that she needed to continue trusting him, and with every little prompt, Breana found it easier and easier to do so.
Trenton kissed her temple again and released her. “Now, finish that soup. I don’t want to see a drop left in the bowl when you’re done.”
She turned and frowned in disappointment. “Are you going back to the office now?”
Trenton undid the button at his cuff. “Work? How can I possibly go to work when my baby is sick?”
“Can I get some nachos with that cheese?”
Trenton scrunched his nose. “Leave the jokes to me, babe.”
“Did you get it?” Breana grinned. “Because it was so cheesy, I needed nacho chips.”
Trenton patted her shoulder patronizingly. “We’ll work on that.”
“Trenton!” She laughed as he turned to walk into the living room. “That was good! Come on! You’ve got to admit it!”
“Never!” His cry was faint, but full of teasing.
Grinning like a maniac, Breana finished every drop of her soup.
Chapter 22
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Trenton withdrew all the documents he needed from his Cayo trip and then threw the bag—and everything inside of it—into the corner of his closet. He wanted to completely and effectively separate himself from that episode in his hotel room.
The bag was out of sight, and thus, that fateful afternoon was out of mind.
He spent the rest of the day tending to his wife, making sure she was comfortable and drinking lots of fluids. Trenton even broke the norm and, at Breana’s behest, watched a chick-flick about a woman who lost her memory and fell in love with the wrong guy.
