Playing with Fire

by Amy O'Neill

  He saluted her and opened the car door. “Then let’s get going.”

  She motioned to the car, “I should have guessed you were a Corvette man.”

  Trent smiled and nodded. “Yes I am. My Tío Ricardo used to own a body shop and he got me into cars. This is a ’77 convertible that was a total mess when he found it at a junk yard. We rebuilt it together. She only comes out on special occasions.”

  “She?”

  “Yeah, she. We dubbed her Belleza Blanca which means ‘white beauty’.”

  Noelle took a long look at the car and then him. “She looks amazing. You guys must have put in a lot of work, but I would have never guessed you for a guy to get his hands dirty.”

  He shrugged. “I have my moments. There are a lot of things I think you’d be surprised to know about me.”

  She looked over her shoulder at him and smiled. “We’ll just have to see about that.”

  He smiled back, liking this flirtatious side to her. He motioned for her to get into the car and then shut the door for her.

  He walked around to the driver’s side and slipped in behind the wheel. It was a gorgeous early November night. The sun had set an hour earlier, and the final tinges of red were fading into the horizon as they drove down near the beach.

  “It’s so beautiful.”

  Trent looked over at Noelle. She had her elbow on the windowsill and her chin in her hand as she gazed out across the ocean. Her hair danced in the wind coming through the open window.

  “Yes it is. Maybe sometime we can come here earlier in the evening and you can get the full show.”

  She looked over and gave him another smile. Trent knew in that moment he was done for.

  He drove south into San Diego to one of his favorite restaurants. “Do you like Mexican food?”

  Noelle shrugged. “If Taco Bell counts then it’s alright.”

  Trent gave her a sour face. “That isn’t real Mexican food. I’m going to take you to this hidden gem I know that is almost as good as what my abuela makes.”

  “Your who?”

  Trent laughed. “Abuela. It means grandma in Spanish.”

  Noelle tested the word and did wonderfully. “That’s a pretty word.”

  Trent nodded. “It fits her. She’s a beautiful woman, both inside and out. But I’m a little biased.”

  Noelle smiled. “So you are close to her?”

  “Absolutely. I’m close to almost all my family. In our culture family is everything. Just yesterday I was at her house and there were several dozen family members there.”

  Noelle gave him a look of disbelief. “Really? What was the occasion?”

  Trent shook his head. “There wasn’t any. It was Saturday and that means dinner at my grandmother’s house. It’s like a standing appointment. Are you close with your family?”

  Noelle shook her head but didn’t give any other answer. She dropped her hands into her lap and picked at imaginary lint balls.

  “You’re a very private person aren’t you?”

  She nodded, but kept her eyes on her hands. “I have to be.”

  Trent pulled into the parking lot and turned the car off. He shifted in his seat so he was facing her. His right arm rested on the back of her seat and her shoulder was mere inches from his fingertips. He wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch her, but from her body language he could tell it wouldn’t be welcomed.

  “I get the sense that there’s something you’re hiding. Did you break the law or something? Afraid I’ll find out and turn you in?”

  She shook her head. “No laws were broken. But there are some people who I don’t want finding me.”

  He knew if he asked much more she would clam up - ten years on the police force had taught him that. “If you ever choose to tell me, I swear your secret is safe.”

  She nodded. “Ok. Thanks. Now can we eat?”

  She was out of the car before he had a chance to open her door, but he did manage to get to the restaurant door first. As he opened it for her, the smells of home assailed him. He inhaled the familiarity of chilies, cilantro, and lime. “The aroma alone makes my mouth water.”

  Noelle smiled and he knew she hadn’t completely shut down on him. The hostess greeted them with a smile and kissed Trent on the cheeks.

  “Hola, como estas?”

  He nodded, “Bien. Monica, this is my friend Noelle. Noelle, this is Monica. Her brother Hector owns this place, our families are old friends.”

  Noelle nodded in greeting and Monica showed them to a booth and took their drink order. “Lupe will be waiting on you tonight, she’s new so be nice!”

  Trent laughed and a few minutes later a petit girl brought them a bowl chips and fresh salsa before giving them a few minutes to look at the menu.

  Trent dug right in but Noelle only stared at the menu. “I don’t know what most of these words are!”

  He reached over and closed the menu on her. “Please let me help with this. What do you like? Tacos? Enchiladas? Quesadillas?”

  She shrugged. “All I’ve ever tried are tacos and burritos. My food palate is rather basic.”

  Trent waved her off. “That was before, time to start exploring. Do you prefer chicken, beef, or pork?”

  “Chicken.”

  “What about beans and rice? Do you like those?”

  She nodded again.

  “Okay, we’re getting somewhere. How about a chicken enchilada platter? Enchiladas are corn tortillas stuffed with shredded chicken and cheese and baked in a spicy sauce. Do you like spice?”

  He couldn’t help putting huskiness to his voice. Her response was immediate as her head snapped up and she stared into his eyes. A flush slowly crept along the swell of her breast and made him want to follow its path with his mouth.

  He cleared his throat. “Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.”

  She shook her head. “No, don’t be sorry. I’m just not used to this kind of attention. And as for your question, I’m willing to try a little spice.”

  Trent didn’t miss the teasing in her tone and nodded in response. “Well alright then, it’s settled.”

  When the Lupe returned, Trent ordered for them in Spanish.

  Once the waitress left, Noelle asked, “So Spanish is your first language?”

  He shook his head. “My mother is Hispanic and we grew up living with her and my grandmother. My grandmother was very adamant that we learn her language. Nowadays she speaks English, but not too much. She knows I prefer it so we mix them and speak Spanglish.”

  Noelle raised her eyebrow. “Spanglish?”

  He nodded and laughed. “Yeah, Spanish and English mixed. She will be in the middle of a sentence and switch languages.”

  Noelle nodded. “Oh, you did that to me once, when we first met.”

  Trent thought back to that day and found it hard to believe it was only a week ago. “Usually I don’t mix them unless I’m talking with family or something has me riled up.”

  She tilted her head. “I riled you up?”

  Trent laughed and pinched his fingers together. “Just a little bit. You’re feisty like my abuela.”

  Her smile faded and her shoulders fell just a bit. “That’s bad, I’m sorry.”

  Trent shook his head. “No way, don’t apologize. I like feisty. It means you’re spirited and stand your ground. I like a strong woman.”

  Noelle gave him a sad smile. “I don’t know that I’m very strong. And standing my ground has gotten me in a lot of trouble.”

  Trent wanted to ask her something that had been on his mind since their first meeting, but now wasn’t the time. He’d observed enough to know someone had treated her poorly and he wanted to track the bastard down and teach him a lesson on respecting women.

  He could feel his temper rise and took a long drink of his water. He decided it was safer to move onto a new topic. “So what do you like to do for fun?”

  Noelle shrugged. “Today was my first day off since I got here and I just laid around in my ja
mmies all day. I like going to the beach. What kind of stuff do you do when you aren’t working or stalking me?”

  Trent smiled. “I don’t know. That’s been my favorite pastime for the last week.”

  She smiled again and he knew he’d be willing to do just about anything to keep it on her face. “Well you seem to be pretty good at it.”

  He waved his hand. “Aw thanks, I do my best.”

  Noelle relaxed back into her seat. “You have a good sense of humor. I like that.”

  Other women had complimented Trent before, but in his arrogance he’d brushed them off as if the admiring remarks were to be expected. Coming from Noelle, however, the kind words took on a whole new meaning. Before he could say anything else the food arrived.

  Trent waited for Noelle to take her first bite so he could see her response. She quickly grabbed for her water and took a drink. “Wow - that’s got some kick to it.”

  “You don’t like it?”

  She shook her head. “No, I like it; I guess I wasn’t as ready as I thought. Might take some getting used to is all.”

  Trent took a bite of his rice and tried not to say anything. She must have read his mind.

  “I was talking about the food, not you!”

  He nodded. “Sure, whatever you have to tell yourself. It’s okay if you like me, you know.”

  She shrugged. “But I don’t know. I mean it’s not that I don’t like you, it’s just I don’t know how okay it is to go there with you.”

  He tilted his head. “Go where exactly?”

  “I don’t know. I guess getting involved, being with someone.”

  Trent reached out and placed his hand over hers on the table. “How about we just don’t worry about wherever ‘there’ is and just enjoy ‘here’. I’ll admit it’s far less frightening that way.”

  She slid her hand off the table and placed it in her lap, but gave him a soft smile. “I like that idea. Why do you think it’s frightening?”

  Trent laughed. “I’m sure you’ve already guessed, or else Delphine has said something, but this whole spending-time-with-one-woman thing is new to me. For years I’ve never invested more than a night or two in getting to know someone. And even then it was a pretty superficial level.”

  She nodded, “Yeah, I gathered as much. So, no long term relationships?”

  Trent shook his head. “Nope. I guess I was trying to sow my wild oats while I could.”

  “Delphine told me that, too.”

  Had anyone else been talking about him behind his back, Trent would have been mad. But he knew Delphine had a good heart, and if anyone knew where he was coming from besides his family, it was her. “She’s one of a kind. A little rough around the edges, but great when you get to know her.”

  Noelle laughed. “That she is. When I first checked-in, she was asking all kinds of questions to make sure I wasn’t a drug dealer or prostitute!”

  Trent shook his head. “That sounds like her. She’s been running that hotel for nearly twenty years and there’s no telling who’s come in and out of her doors.”

  They ate in a comfortable silence for several minutes. When Noelle was finished eating she used her napkin to wipe her mouth and then laid it on the table. “That was delicious.”

  Trent finished chewing his food and set his fork down. “Do you want any dessert? They make the best fried ice cream.”

  “Fried ice cream?”

  Trent laughed and explained what it really was. Noelle finally shook her head. “Though it sounds like heaven on a spoon, I think I’m good. Thank you for tonight. This was really nice.”

  Trent handed the waitress his credit card and turned back to Noelle. “What makes you think this is all we’re doing?”

  She shrugged. “Why? What else do you have in mind?”

  What he wanted to say and what he did say were two totally different things. “I didn’t plan that far ahead. All I really want to do is get to know you better.”

  “Excuse me?”

  Trent held up his hands. “I don’t mean it that way. I mean talk and get to know you. I just like talking to you. I love that southern accent of yours.”

  She blushed. “Well I like that accent you got going on when you say certain things.”

  Once the waitress returned and he signed the receipt, Trent reached out his hand to Noelle. “Shall we go?”

  He saw the hesitation in her eyes as she stared at his hand. Finally she took hold and nodded. “Lead the way.”

  They walked out of the restaurant and he rushed to open the car door for her. Once he got behind the steering wheel he put the car in reverse and headed back to La Jolla.

  He was tempted to drive around for hours just so he didn’t have to take her back to the motel, but for now having her by his side for any amount of time was good enough for him.

  Noelle sat in the passenger seat and watched the city fly past. She felt like there were a million butterflies congregating in her heart. Trent reached over and gently put his hand in hers.

  She looked up and smiled at him. He was focused on the road, but when she tightened her grip on his hand, he turned his head and smiled back.

  He used his thumb to rub a small circle on the back of her hand. It was a nice, safe feeling. She was amazed how at ease he made her feel.

  He pulled over at a scenic area overlooking the ocean. The waning moon shined brightly in the dark sky, with a billion stars scattered around it.

  “I thought maybe we could sit here and talk. Do you want to get out? I have a blanket in the backseat.”

  Noelle gave him a sarcastic grin. “Well, of course, you have a blanket in the back seat.”

  Trent laughed. “It’s not like that. Come on Smarty pants.”

  She patiently waited as he laid the blanket out on the hood of his car. When she finally sat back, using the windshield as a back rest, she let out a sigh.

  “This reminds me of when I was younger and my momma and I would stargaze. That’s Pegasus over there and Aquarius is right below it.”

  She pointed south at a cluster of stars and used her finger to drawn imaginary lines between them.

  “Huh, guess there’s some things about you that are going to surprise me too.”

  She smiled. “I guess so.”

  “What does your mom think about you moving out to California?”

  Noelle thought for a moment about what her mother would say. “I think she’d be proud of me. She passed away last year.”

  Trent reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what I’d do without my mother.”

  “It’s been hard. Lots of regrets about stuff, but since her passing I’ve really started to see that you only get this life once and you have to make the most of it. She used to say that all the time.”

  He nodded. “That sounds like sage advice. Your mom must have been a great lady.”

  Noelle smiled. “That she was. It was just me and her for most of my life. I really miss her.”

  She was surprised at how easy it was for her to say those words to him. Any time she’d verbalized her feelings with Lenny he had mocked her and told her to get over it already.

  Trent slid closer and put his arm around her shoulder. She’d never had a man comfort her like this. “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “For listening.”

  He pulled back a little and looked at her. Even in the darkness, his chocolate brown eyes made her feel like she was melting a little, sending warmth across her skin.

  “I’ll listen any time you want to talk about her.”

  Noelle could feel her throat tighten as her eyes grew damp. After a moment she found her voice and whispered again, “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  He smiled at her, and she wanted more than anything in that moment to lean in and let him kiss her. But she stayed where she was, afraid of what opening that door would bring.

  They laid back and watched the sky progress overhead as
the minutes ticked away. Noelle snuggled closer to him as a cool breeze floated across them.

  “I have a sweatshirt in the trunk if you’d like it.”

  She shook her head. “No, this is fine.”

  His teeth gleamed white in the moonlight when he smiled at her. “I’m enjoying myself. I hope you are too.”

  “I am. More so than I thought I would.”

  “Do I really seem like I’m that bad a guy?”

  She looked at him for a moment. “It was never that you seemed like a bad guy, it was that you seemed like you wanted to charm the pants off me.”

  He laughed. “I will admit that was my initial thought, but I promise you it turned into something more very quickly.”

  “Well, I figured you were either really persistent or totally desperate.”

  He laughed again. “I don’t know if I’ve even been desperate, but you definitely make me want to work to win you over. How am I doing so far?”

  She squinted at him. “Hmmm, I’m not sure I want to answer that just yet.”

  Had she been standing at that moment, the look he gave her would have had her knees buckling. Her breath caught in her throat as the air around them seemed to grow thick with anticipation.

  “Will this help my case?”

  He leaned in and pressed his lips softly to hers. Slowly, he increased the pressure and she couldn’t stop the moan that escaped her. The kiss was brief, but left her lips feeling as if they would be permanently marked as his.

  After a moment, he drew back and brought his hand up to cradle the side of her neck. He rested his forehead on hers and let out a labored breath. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that. I told myself I wasn’t going to rush this.”

  Noelle pulled away to look at him. She rested her hand on his chest for balance and felt the rhythmic cadence of his heartbeat. “Don’t be sorry. I’ve wanted you to do that all night.”

  He smiled. “Really?”

  She bit her lip and nodded. “Honestly I’ve had a few thoughts about it these last few days.”

  He raised her hand off his chest and to his lips, where he placed a kiss on the back of it. “I hope it lived up to your expectations.”

  Noelle tried not to smile, wanting to make him squirm just a bit longer. She shrugged. “Eh, it was alright.”