by Abby Wood
Low lights lit the path leading up to the house. More lights came on the closer they walked to the front door, and she got her first glimpse of the mansion. She tugged Doreen closer and slowed down.
“One glass. Then we’re going home,” she whispered.
“Two, and I want to check out the inside of the house.” Doreen leaned against her. “Take a look at the freaking rock on the front of the house. It’s real.”
“Sh.” Katina walked the rest of the way keeping her opinion to herself. She hated to admit it, but she was vibrating inside to get a glimpse of Trent’s house.
The front door opened, and there he was. She held her breath and ignored Doreen squeezing her hand. What she saw in front of her was even better than she’d expected.
Trent in worn jeans, ripped on one thigh, and molded to perfection in all the right places. A dark blue T-shirt showed off his broad shoulders and hard chest. His hair, wet from a shower, fought to fall forward, and he ran his fingers over the side of his head. She caught his eye, looked down, thinking she’d stay away from staring at his face, and groaned. He was barefoot.
There was something both intimate and sexy about a man walking barefoot in his own home. As if he wanted to invite her into his cave and claim her for his own.
“Right on time.” His deep voice caressed her nerves. “Come on in.”
She had to take control of the situation, so she walked past him into the foyer without stopping. “This is my friend Doreen. I hope you don’t mind that I invited her. You know, to be safe and all, since I barely know you.”
“Nice to meet you, Doreen.” He shook her hand. “I’m Trent Bauer.”
“Yes, you are.” Doreen, not playing it cool, ogled his home. “This is wonderful. I mean, beautiful. Who did your color design?”
“I’m afraid that was the previous owner. Feel free to look around.” He nodded at Tim. “Why don’t you show the house to Doreen, and later you both can join us for a drink.”
“No problem.” Tim motioned for Doreen to walk in front of him.
Katina watched her only excuse to stay away from Trent make a fast escape out of the foyer. Acutely aware of Trent gauging her reaction, she steeled herself. How big could the house be? It’d take them ten, fifteen minutes, tops.
“I’m glad you came,” he said, his voice dropping more than normal.
She squeezed the life out of the strap of her purse. “Thanks for ordering me to come.”
“Smart move, bringing your friend. The more the merrier.” He walked beside her. “The dead bolt working well?”
“I don’t know. No one has tried to break into my apartment, since you.”
“That’s good to know.” He chuckled. “This way.”
All of her bitch attitude vanished when he led her into the kitchen. She gasped and placed her purse on the counter to run her hands along the top of the island separating the kitchen from the informal dining room. She’d wanted to do a kitchen with dusty-blue granite since she saw the samples at the conference last year. She turned, searching for what would make this night the best freaking moment of the day, and smiled in delight. Yes.
Stainless-steel appliances with moss-green custom-made cupboards. She soaked in the area. She’d picked out the same design for her own future kitchen someday. No matter if the styles changed, she wanted this exact color scheme. Rich, clean, and yet homey.
“Are you redecorating my house?” His cheek twitched.
She shook her head. “I wouldn’t touch a thing. It’s perfectly”—she twirled in a slow circle, taking it all in—”marvelous.”
“Oh?” His brows rose, and he looked around his own kitchen. “I haven’t given this room a lot of thought, since I don’t cook.”
“If it was my kitchen, I’d sleep in here.” She laughed, relaxing. “Honestly, this is the most beautiful kitchen I’ve seen. Last year, when everyone was going for black granite, dark woods, and accenting with bright tiled colors, I knew they were missing the mark. I put together this exact kitchen. I used different throw rugs, but that’s an easy fix.”
He brought out glasses from the cupboard. “You love what you do.”
“Yeah.” She leaned against the counter. “I started college thinking I’d be an accountant. Wrong choice.”
He opened the cooler inside the island and removed a bottle of wine. “Listening to how excited you become over colors, I can’t imagine you crunching numbers.”
She swallowed. Embarrassment over having taken off the matching panties and bra, and wearing two different styles hit her sideways. She couldn’t explain why she’d done it. She sighed. Yes, she could. He seemed to approve and appreciate the fact that her underwear didn’t conform to the norm the other night.
“So…” She couldn’t stop gazing around the room. “Maybe I should go see what’s keeping Doreen and Tim.”
“They’re fine.” He poured the wine and handed her a glass. “Relax. Drink.”
In her flustered state, she gulped too much wine. She breathed through the rush of sensations. Sweet mixed with—her knees weakened, and she sagged against the island—the most delicious heady aftertaste. It was almost…orgasmic.
A low growl, so deep and soft, she would’ve missed it if she hadn’t been staring right at Trent. Her shallow breath filled her ears. Clarity came swiftly.
He was setting her up, and she was falling smack-dab into his plans. She set the glass down. He knew she’d come. He knew she’d react to the wine. He knew she wanted him. He’d probably even found out her dream kitchen design, hired a crew to perform the task in twenty-four hours, and shrugged it off nonchalantly by explaining the previous owner did it.
Well played. Too well played.
“I’m sorry.” She grabbed her purse. “I have to go.”
Chapter Four
Trent caught her wrist. Katina’s stomach fluttered. Of course, he’d touched her before. He’d guided her out the door of Colby’s apartment building and to the limo. But he hadn’t actually touched her, skin to skin.
The experience was different. Okay, it was wonderful. And scary. The flutters, the shortness of breath, the way her breasts peaked and her hips loosened, these reactions weren’t supposed to happen in the kitchen of a man she barely knew. He was too domineering, too used to getting his own way, too perfect.
“Stay. Please.” He softened his grip and let her arm go. “Doreen and Tim are here, and I want to get to know you better.”
“I think this is a bad idea,” she whispered.
“I want you, and you’re running. I know you don’t trust yourself around me, but I aim to make sure you never doubt what is happening between us. There’s no reason to be nervous. If I thought you were uncomfortable, I’d be the first one to have Tim take you home.” He tilted his head and met her eyes. “But you’re attracted to me. I can tell you want to stay here, but something inside your head is talking you out of enjoying an evening with me. I don’t know you well enough to fight against whatever it is, so I’m asking you…stay.”
Maybe it was the fast pace that Trent set, the mystery behind the man, and the fact that he was way out of her league that made her feel unable to resist him. The only way she’d be able to survive the evening was if she somehow got into the position where she could control how she reacted.
“Kiss me,” she said.
He studied her and finally spoke when she began to feel as if she’d lost all self-respect. “I will in my own time.” He lowered his head, hovering over her lips. “Part of learning about each other is figuring who makes the first move. You’ve stepped forward, and I appreciate it. It makes it easier for me to understand you.”
Standing close enough she could feel his warmth on her face, she trembled. Her pulse raced. Any moment, she’d make a fool of herself and throw herself against him.
“Just kiss me,” she said. “Get it over with, so I can deal with what is happening.”
His breath left him in a soft whoosh. God, that was hot.
&
nbsp; Making the situation worse, he looked magnificent. He wanted to kiss her, she could tell. His gaze shifted from her eyes to her mouth, and he moistened his lips with his tongue and slowly rubbed them together. She ached to know how he’d taste.
“In my time,” he murmured. “That’s something you’ll learn about me if you stay.”
“You’re driving me crazy.” She swallowed. Her voice sounded breathy even to her own ears.
He pulled back several inches. She leaned forward, not wanting him to go. His gaze locked on hers, and he mumbled, “Fuck.”
“Please.”
He held her gaze, and she not only sensed but also saw the desire in him escalating. Whatever held him back was not being kind to him. Unable to grasp what was going on with her and why she reacted so strongly, she only knew she wanted their first kiss over with so she could go back to being herself.
He inhaled. “Hell, you’re cute.”
She warmed, and bit down on her lower lip.
What was he doing to her?
“A first anything shouldn’t be rushed, not when there are two other people in this house that could walk in at any moment and stop me. I know once I kiss you, I won’t be satisfied until I have all of you.” He stepped away.
She teetered without his body in front of her. “W-what?”
“Drink your wine, Katina.” His smile reached his eyes, and he lifted his glass to his lips.
She raised her hand, surprised to see she still held her drink. She had no time to think about what had happened, because Doreen hurried into the room.
“My God. You should check out this house.” Doreen’s face lit up with excitement. “Gorgeous. There are open beams in the living room that must’ve been shipped from the Philippines.”
“I’m glad you approve.” Trent spoke to Doreen, but he watched Katina.
Doreen took one of the extra glasses of wine on the counter, sipped, and moaned in satisfaction. Katina stood, never taking her gaze off Trent. There was no way Doreen and Tim couldn’t feel the electricity popping in the air.
Trent winked. “Let’s go into the living room.”
Katina shook herself. “Let’s stay in the kitchen.”
She narrowed her eyes, challenging him to tell her no.
He raised his brow and nodded. “Sure.”
Everything that was Katina Lindtson urged her to power through and beat him in the end. She’d stay longer than necessary, act as if she was sitting down talking to old friends, and then walk out of his life without looking back. At the end of the evening, he’d suffer over not getting his way.
The voice she ignored was the one wanting her to turn to Doreen and ask her to let Tim take her home early, alone. She wanted to ease the ache inside her that had stayed with her since Trent punched Colby’s lights out. And she wanted him to see that her bra was black and her panties were blue.
It was the mixed feelings he brought out in her that made her sit at his table, drink the rest of her wine, and accept a refill. At least she could breathe again with him sitting across the table from her.
“How’s your sister, Tim?” Trent ran his finger along the stem of his goblet.
“Back home and doing great. The doctor gave her a clean bill of health. Three months.” He smiled at Doreen. “My sister, Lisa, had breast cancer. The doctors were able to remove all of it with the last blast of chemo.”
“That’s wonderful.” Doreen laid her hand on Tim’s arm.
Katina took in Doreen’s smile, the lingering touch, and shook her head. Freaking, no way! That’s crazy.
Doreen only met Tim fifteen minutes ago. How much could they have gotten to know each other in such a short time? She glanced at Trent. Oh, God.
She’d gone hot for him the same way. All he’d had to do was punch her ex-boyfriend out and take over the situation afterward for her to lose all self-respect. Dammit. She changed her underwear for him.
“What about you?” Trent asked.
She swallowed the rest of her second glass of wine. “Excuse me?”
“Sisters? Brothers?”
“One of each. Both older than me.” She nodded when he lifted the bottle to refill her glass. “My whole family lives in Seattle, so I see them often.”
“Close?” Trent glanced at Tim.” “Why don’t you grab another bottle for us, will you?”
“You got it.” Tim left the table.
She leaned back. “Yes, we’re close. My parents are divorced, even though they don’t act like it. Becky and Joe run the family business now that my dad’s retired.”
“Yeah?” Trent leaned forward. “What kind of business?”
“Construction.” She sipped. “This is really good. You were right.”
Every phone call and visit, she was reminded about how she should be working for her father. Each time, she stood up for what she was doing, forging her own career path. Her family refused to believe she’d made the right decision.
To her family and everyone else, she’d always be known as Becky and Joe’s little sister, or Hank Lindtson’s daughter. Or, the daughter to Tilda.
Her mom was eclectic and special, to put it nicely. A former Miss USA, born flirt, comfortable in any social gathering, and a gravitational magnet with the opposite sex, she was Katina’s polar opposite. When in the same room as her mom, she felt incomplete and lacking.
It wasn’t that she believed she wasn’t pretty. She had nice hair, a perfect nose, but it was the sparkle, the ability to stay content and satisfied the way her mom excelled in life that seemed to escape her. That included men.
She crossed her legs under the table. “Is your family in the area?”
Trent shook his head. “My mom’s moved to Florida. My sister lives in Oregon, and my brothers have made a career of the army.”
Tim strolled back into the room with a new bottle of wine. “Thanks to her son. Britta, Trent’s mom, loves the sunshine and lives in one of the nicest condos on the East Coast.”
Trent chuckled. “I could fire you for that.”
She watched the exchange. More was going on between the two of them than Trent pushing his authority over his employee. “You two are friends.”
“Since sixth grade.” Trent punched Tim in the arm before opening the new wine bottle. “His mom babysat Julie, my sister, and me after school while Mom worked. They didn’t notice another couple of kids hanging around, because there are eight in his family.”
“Holy shit.” Doreen laughed. “Where are you in the lineup?”
“Smack in the middle. All boys, except the youngest. That’s why we all took Lisa’s diagnosis hard. She was the pampered one. The one we’d all do anything for.” Tim smiled softly.
Trent topped off Katina’s glass again. Katina sighed, content to listen to the easy banter between old friends. The two of them had a lot in common with Doreen and her. Doreen was her best friend, and they’d spent every spare moment together growing up.
“Why don’t you two enjoy the rest of the bottle? I want to show Katina the backyard,” Trent said.
Her body tightened. Her lower stomach fluttered, and the little flip put her back on notice. She needed to pay attention. He would not make her lose control.
After two and a half glasses, she was aware that she should be on guard around Trent. Then he touched her back, and she floated out of the chair. She needed to figure out a way to make him keep his hands to himself.
She caught a glimpse of a large, high-ceiling living room, done in beige, as he ushered her through the house. A hallway without any trappings on the walls extended toward the back of the house. Most of the doors she’d passed were closed, except one. Disappointed not to get a peek at his bedroom, and instead a view of the downstairs bathroom, she glanced at Trent.
“You do know that it’s dark outside, and I won’t be able to see anything, right?” she said.
“You’ll be able to see.” He opened the back door.
He was right.
The lights in the in-groun
d pool lit up the immediate area. An intimate oasis surrounded by foliage and green space beyond the shimmering water. She set her glass down on a low table and moved forward without Trent. No matter how much she tried not to let Trent impress her with his fabulous kitchen, community, and sexiness, she couldn’t deny how at this moment, she was glad to be here to see it all for herself.
She slipped out of her heels and sat down at the edge of the pool, dipping her legs into the water. The warmth settled in her, along with the slight breeze coming off the Sound. She gazed over her shoulder.
“You don’t play fair,” she whispered. He sat down beside her, pulled the legs of his jeans to his knees. She sucked in her bottom lip and rolled her eyes. God, that’s sexy.
“Never said I did,” he said.
The lights played off his face. She leaned closer. That kiss she’d wanted earlier was child’s play. She wanted everything he could offer. Whether it was the wine, the house, the pool, or Trent, she could only deny herself so long.
He put his finger on her lips. “Don’t say it.”
“But—”
“You asked me before, and I told you it would happen in my time,” he whispered. “Don’t take that time away from me. I’m going to kiss you in a moment. I’ve wanted to kiss you since you blinked up at me on the sidewalk that first night. But, like all special things, they shouldn’t be rushed. Our first kiss…can never be replayed. It’ll be the one we both remember for years. The one we’ll look back on, evaluate, judge, and know without a doubt pales in comparison to any other kiss we may have.”
Oh. My. God. She rubbed her lips together and swallowed.
He removed his finger and studied her. “Ready?”
She nodded, staring at him in disbelief.
He hooked his hand behind her neck, lifting her head toward him as he lowered his. His fingers sank into her hair, holding her in place. Her eyelids fought to close, but she was afraid to miss any of this.
“Fuck, you’re beautiful,” he murmured.
Then, he kissed her.
No, he kissed her.
Trent wasn’t the first man to kiss her or the first person she’d thought about sleeping with, but there were no words to describe what he was doing to her. It was soul shattering and thorough. Deep and hypnotic. It was freaking fantastic.
