“Close your eyes. I have a surprise for you,” he whispered.
Her eyes fluttered closed at his request. One hand left briefly as he shifted slightly before returning to the prior position. A finger touched her lips. It was wet and smelled like chocolate.
“Oh Trevor, not here. This is my workspace.”
“Shhh. I know. Enjoy. We’ll clean up later and won’t use this for anything but play.”
She opened her mouth to accept the chocolate-coated digit. While he pumped in and out, her tongue deftly swirled over and around to lick off all of the delicious sweet.
He tugged her tight against his body and she recognized the evidence of his arousal. As his other hand slipped down her abdomen and under her panties, her skin tingled from the top of her head down to her toes. Deciding that two could play this game, she slipped off her glove and reached into the nearby bowl of whipped cream frosting to swipe two fingers through the fluffy topping. She raised it to his mouth and he sucked it in.
“You love this, don’t you?” His warm breath tickled her neck.
His whispering added an edge of excitement to the scenario. Dana sighed and nodded, unable to speak because his fingers had found her pleasure nub and circled it. Her insides vibrated. Ah, he knew the perfect spot to touch. Damn, he was good!
“That’s it, baby, enjoy.”
Two fingers slid along her slick juices and inside her. As he cupped her mound, pressing down upon her engorged bud, she moaned.
“Oh yeah. That feels wonderful, doesn’t it?” His voice was low and his words as smooth as the chocolate he had her lick off his fingers.
Suddenly, she snapped out of the trance. The voice coaxing her to give into her carnal desires was not who she originally assumed he was.
“You’re not Trevor!” She swung around to face him.
A slow smile spread across Trace’s face. He regarded her through heavy-lidded eyes as he pulled her against his hard body once again.
“I know, but you weren’t complaining. Actually, that sounded like you were begging for more.”
She slapped his face and struggled to free herself from his embrace. “Oh! Let me go, Trace.”
His smile grew bigger as her handprint turned red on his face. He seemed to enjoy her embarrassment and was not bothered by the fact that she had sullied his clothing with frosting.
“Now why would I do that when all I want to do is kiss you? I promise you’ll like it.”
She shook her head slowly back and forth, but she couldn’t drag her eyes from his lips. They parted and his tongue came out to lick them. She swallowed hard.
“You may be shaking your head ‘no’ but your eyes are telling me ‘yes’.”
He backed her away from the table toward the wall and pulled the other glove off her hand. When she bumped against the hard surface with nowhere to go, he fulfilled his promise. Dana’s breath caught in her throat as his mouth descended upon hers. There was no mistaking his intent. She was the object of his lust and he planned to get her as horny for him as he was for her.
She wiggled against him in an attempt to escape, but he held her face. His kiss became a feeding frenzy. As his tongue swept into her mouth, she struggled against him. He pulled back and looked at her.
“There, that wasn’t so bad, was it? I think you may have even enjoyed it, if you think about it.”
She kneed him in the groin and shook out of his embrace before rearranging her clothing to cover her nakedness.
“Ow!”
“How dare you! Ugh! You think every woman wants you, don’t you? So it’s really hard to accept the fact that I’m not interested in you, isn’t it? Well, get over yourself, Trace. I care about your brother.”
He stood before her, eyes dark with desire, lips slightly swollen by the fevered kiss and a rock-solid cock straining against his pants. His gaze focused on how prominent her nipples had become and he smiled at her.
“Now who’s in denial? You just think you’re enamored with my brother. I say your body wouldn’t respond to me that way if that were the case. Look at your nipples. They’re plumped, and between your legs, oh yeah, so hot, so wet. No, Dana. You want me. Why don’t you just try me once? I think you’ll understand why all the women want me.”
“Get out of my store now, Trace, before I call the police.” She walked over to the counter where she was working and reached for the pan of chocolate. Lifting it, she held it a ready position. “Come any closer and I’ll hit you with this.”
Trace’s gaze followed the chocolate spilling onto the floor. “Aww, look what you’ve done now. You’re wasting all that delicious chocolate. And I have plans for it.” He focused on her breasts. “Those look good enough to eat. They’d taste so good covered in chocolate.”
He reached down to scoop up some of the melted chocolate from the floor and displayed it to her. “Think about it Dana. I could drizzle this on your breasts and all over you, then lick it off slowly. You’d taste so good that I wouldn’t want to stop.”
She made a dash for the door, but he positioned his body in between to prevent her escape.
“Okay, I’m sorry. Apparently, that doesn’t interest you. Fine. But please just listen to me for a minute. If you still want me to leave after you hear what I have to say, I will.” He gave her that little boy look and she paused to contemplate his request.
“Do you promise?”
“Scout’s honor.” He held up his fingers.
“All right. You’ve got one minute.”
She crossed her arms over her chest.
“You’re still upset with me because I was drunk the first time you met me. Isn’t that true?” His voice was tinged with sadness.
She shrugged. “That’s not the only reason. But what does that have to do with anything?”
He shook his head. “Because you can’t forget that first impression and it’s affected every encounter we’ve had since then. I thought you accepted my apology. Look, I know Trevor has probably told you that I am a lush, but I swear to you I am not that way. He’s just trying to make himself look good.
“Think about it—have you seen me high or drunk since that first night? I had a good reason for being drunk that night. I took the red-eye from Venice and was tired from the jet lag. I knew I needed to talk to my brother, so I had a high-energy drink with a shot in it to keep awake.”
Dana took a deep breath and let it out. She realized Trace hadn’t been drunk when he came to the store to help her or when he sat for the sculpture. His comment seemed valid.
“So? What’s your point?”
“Dana, I knew from the moment we met that you were someone special. I wanted to kiss you badly that day in the supply room, but I hesitated because I didn’t want you to think that I was only interested in you for sex.”
“I had already been out on a date with your brother.”
“And you practically admitted that you weren’t in a relationship, so you were fair game.”
“That doesn’t matter anymore because your brother and I have grown closer since then.”
“Well, it matters to me. I have a lot of respect for you and your talent. I think you are one hell of an amazing woman. I’m sorry if I got carried away here.”
Dana took a step back and hugged herself. “Apology accepted. But now you know how it is between us, so you need to leave.”
Trace walked over and took her hands in his. He looked down into her eyes.
“I will. But I told you before that Trevor is keeping something from you and I think it’s important that you know what it is before you get even more involved with him.”
“What are you talking about?”
Trace shook his head. “Trevor doesn’t want you to know the truth about his past because he’s afraid that if you did, you might not feel the same way about him. Unlike him, I have no ghosts in my closet. You can ask me anything and I will answer honestly and freely.”
“He has ghosts? What kind of ghosts?”
A half smile lifted the corner of Trace’s mouth.
“Look, I wasn’t going to say anything, but you deserve to know the truth. He hasn’t told you about what happened in Italy with Serena, has he?” His brows knitted together.
“No. What about her?” Dana swallowed hard, almost afraid to hear the answer.
“Serena killed herself because Trevor refused to marry her.”
“What? No!” Dana pulled back, shocked and put her hand over her mouth. Her eyes widened upon him.
“Yeah. She jumped off a building. It was pretty gruesome. She was pregnant too.”
“Oh my God!” Dana’s breaths came in short bursts. She could imagine how desperate the poor woman must have been to do such a drastic thing. “What did he say?”
Trace shrugged. “What could he say? He was angry at the world and took it out on me. Why do you think he walked off the set of our photo shoot three years ago and quit the modeling business? It’s because he wanted to get far away from those memories. They still haunt him to this day.”
“I had no idea,” she said, a sinking feeling settling into her gut.
“Of course not. It’s not something he’s proud of. He’s a very private person. Listen, Dana, I’m just warning you to be careful. He’s got quite a reputation for being a heartbreaker. When he finds out someone loves him, he moves on. The same thing could happen to you. I don’t want to see him hurt you.”
Suddenly, the air seemed to be sucked out of her lungs. Dana turned aside so he wouldn’t see how disturbed she was by his news. She walked to the other side of the room, nibbling her fingernail. Could this possibly be true? It doesn’t seem like something Trevor would do. But what do I really know about him?
Trace’s voice from across the room brought her back to reality. “Dana, are you all right?”
She shook her head to compose herself, straightened her back and walked toward him.
“I’m sorry if this information upsets you. I’m telling you this because I care. The difference between me and my brother is that I’m the real deal. With him, you get half-truths and lies, plus possibly a broken heart. You don’t need someone who could bring you down. I know what he’s capable of, Dana. You deserve so much more, someone who truly appreciates you…someone like me.”
She sniffled. He raised her chin with his thumb and she looked into his dark, expressive eyes.
“Look, I hope you’ll give me another chance. I think I’m falling for you.”
Dana had a hard time concentrating on what he said. She was still reeling from the news about Trevor.
“I need to sort this out. I can’t think about anything else.”
“Hey, I understand. It’s okay, really. Take your time.”
“Trace, don’t say anything to him about this, all right?”
He gave her a half smile. “Sure, anything you say. Listen, this may not be the best time to bring this up, but I’ve attended my fair share of art shows and I can tell that you’ve got real talent. It’s hidden here in this candy shop. It should be shared with the world! I have connections with the most influential people in the art world. I can take you anywhere you want to go so you can showcase your talent. Please think about what I’m offering, Dana, before you push me aside for Trevor.”
The world was spinning, or so it seemed. She wanted to run away, to forget what she just heard. But now every word was burned into her memory.
“Trace, you’ve just given me a lot of information to process. Please, I need to be alone right now.”
He nodded and hugged her tightly against his chest. “Of course you do. I understand. Take your time. But if you need me, I’m just a phone call away. I’m available all this week to help you prepare for the holiday rush. Call me. Promise?”
She regarded him through glassy eyes. “Yes, I promise. Thank you. That’s very kind of you to offer. I’ll definitely keep that in mind.”
His smile radiated confidence.
“That’s all I ask. Okay, I’ll leave you now. You’re sure you’ll be okay?”
“Yes, I’ll be fine. Goodbye.”
Dana waved to him in a zombie-like trance as he walked away.
Trace left the store thoroughly pleased with himself. Life had just gotten very interesting. His version of the truth had planted enough doubt in Dana’s mind to give Trevor a run for his money. She was no longer a sure thing for his brother. If he kept up the pressure, he was sure Dana would give in. Even if Trevor didn’t come back to the business, he’d have the satisfaction of knowing that he had ruined yet another of his brother’s dreams. That would be payback enough.
Chapter Twelve
Trevor couldn’t wait to see Dana again. She had been on his mind all day long, ever since his conversation with Trace. He hoped to go directly to Decadent Delights, but his store manager called with a problem that needed his attention. It had taken hours to deal with the order screw-up that Trace caused, but fortunately his fast thinking had saved the day. Otherwise, they would have been short of product for the holiday and, even worse, would have lost a valuable supplier due to a misunderstanding.
During his short breaks, he picked up the phone to call Dana. She didn’t answer her cell phone or the store phone. She didn’t even respond to his phone messages. That’s odd. She usually returns my calls. He brushed it off, figuring she must be working hard in preparation for Valentine’s Day. A smile crossed his lips when he imagined the advertising scheme she would use to attract customers to buy her candy creations. It would be something outrageous, no doubt.
He drove by Decadent Delights at eight o’clock that evening to discover that the lights were out and the display window empty. It was good to know she wasn’t working overtime. A wave of relief overcame him. He worried about her doing everything herself.
Okay, she must be at home working on the sculpture.
As he passed her house, he noticed that the lights were off there too. He rang her home phone, but she didn’t answer. Trevor swallowed hard. Something was wrong. He could feel it in his bones. Dana was a creature of habit, yet he couldn’t find her in any of her usual spots. Where is she? I hope she’s all right.
He called her cell phone again and tried to avoid sounding frustrated when he left his sixth message.
“Dana, hi. I’ve been trying to reach you all night long. If you get this before you go to bed, please call me. I need to talk to you.”
He headed home, his heart heavy with disappointment at not getting to see her or talk to her.
* * * * *
Dana walked to the shoreline and sat just beyond the reach of the water rolling in with the tide. She dug her toes into the sand and watched the sun melt slowly into the horizon. Memories of the night she shared with Trevor making love on the beach came rushing back and tears stung her eyes. Why? Why does it always happen when I think I have found someone to love?
She couldn’t work, couldn’t sculpt, in fact, couldn’t do anything that made her happy. Not after the news Trace delivered. When he left, she walked around the store in a daze, running her fingers over the boxes piled on the displays. She was grateful that no customers came in, because they’d probably wonder what was wrong with her. It was difficult—no, impossible—to muster a smile.
If she didn’t snap out of this funk soon, she’d have no one to blame but herself for ruining what possibly could be the best sales week at her store since its grand opening. Decadent Delights had become a household name. People on the street were talking about the wonderful, creative candies she sold. She overheard comments that the owner was cheerful and gracious. Who was that person they were talking about? At the moment, she couldn’t relate to her.
She wished that she hadn’t been so attracted to Trevor. The image of his smiling face hovered at the edge of her mind. How could she face each day without seeing him? The thought of never hearing Trevor’s clever banter or being kissed by him was more than she could bear. But how could she look at him again without thinking about what happened in Italy?
<
br /> Dana picked up a handful of sand and threw it at the water. “Ugh! What do I do now?”
A little voice in the back of her mind reminded her that it happened a long time ago and she didn’t know the entire circumstances. But would Trevor tell her the truth? As Trace said, why would Trevor confess if he knew it would push her away? Yet, who knows how many other women he hurt? Good-looking guys are a magnet for women.
She sighed heavily. “Oh, Mom, I miss you so much! How I wish I could talk to you about this!”
Tears clouded her eyes and she brushed them away. There was no one to give her advice. No one on whose shoulder she could cry. The decision was hers and hers alone.
Perhaps she just needed to take a step back from Trevor to protect her heart. With the holiday around the corner, she could focus on work and put off making a hasty decision, especially if it was one that she might regret. In the meantime, Trace’s help at the store would be the perfect distraction from thinking about Trevor.
She stood and brushed the sand off her legs. Darkness settled across the Gulf of Mexico and swallowed the beach where she stood. It was time to go home.
Chapter Thirteen
Decadent Delights was packed with customers two days later when Trevor decided to pay Dana a visit. Though he preferred to speak to her during the hours when both of their stores were closed, he had no choice but to arrive at a peak shopping time three days before Valentine’s Day. His patience had worn thin waiting for her to return his calls and the many messages he left on her various phones.
Since she didn’t respond to having her store overloaded with bouquets of flowers again, he decided he couldn’t put off confronting her any longer. He needed to find out what was going on and was determined to get an answer.
He saw her blonde head bobbing up and down near the cash register. She was busy ringing up sales of her baskets of love. Once again, she had cleverly devised a scheme to get her customers to buy her candies. Packed with hard candy rose petals, chocolate-dipped strawberries and heart-shaped wrapped chocolates tucked between a variety of candles and bubble bath, the baskets inspired love.
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