Hazel St. James - Fighting For You (Redemption#1)[

by Hazel St James

  They rode in silence for the remainder of the ride, except Peyton did reach across the seats to hold his hand. Tristan was glad for the contact, and brought their joined hands up to his mouth to kiss her knuckles before resting them on his thigh.

  It was almost seven o’clock by the time they’d picked up supper and arrived at the location for their first official date. Well, Tristan was calling it their third date in his mind for nefarious reasons.

  “This is it,” Tristan told her as they pulled into a lighted parking lot on the top of a tree covered hill.

  “You brought me parking?” Peyton giggled nervously and Tristan barked out a return laugh.

  “No, baby. But if you’re only here for my body, then let’s skip the formalities and get this over with,” he mock acted like it would pain him greatly to do so.

  Peyton rolled her eyes at him and gave his shoulder a firm push. “Jerk.”

  Tristan opened his door and motioned for Peyton to do the same. Come on, fancy pants. Let me show you why we are here.”

  “Why do you call me fancy pants? You said it a few other times, and I never really thought much about it. But, now you’ve got me curious.”

  Tristan laughed, “I was wondering when you would finally cave and ask me what that meant. The very first time you were in my apartment, you bent down to pick up some clothes off the floor, and your ass was so fucking hot in those pants you had on, and in my brain it morphed to fancy pants.”

  By the time he finished explaining, Tristan had grabbed their supper and a couple of large blankets from the back of his Jeep. Peyton was glaring at him, with her arms crossed over her chest and tapping her foot against the asphalt. “Seriously? That is why you call me fancy pants?”

  “Yup,” Tristan didn’t back down at all, and gave her a quick peck on the cheek as he walked past her.

  “And if I told you that I didn’t like it?”

  Tristan didn’t stop walking, and shot back over his shoulder, “I wouldn’t say it anymore. But I think you like it, baby. Otherwise you would’ve said something before now.”

  Peyton must have jogged to catch up with him, but Tristan was purposely walking slower now that he was at the edge of the parking lot and they were about to go into the darkness.

  With a cute pout on her face, Peyton said, “I guess it’s not so bad. Be careful, though, I may resort to calling you Pook, or something.”

  Tristan held out his arm so that Peyton could hold onto it, and said, “There aren’t any lights down the steps, but I know where we’re going. Do you trust me?”

  She sobered up quickly and stood there for a minute, looking forward into the darkness. He could still see enough from the lights behind them that she was smiling. She whispered, “I can hear water. Are we at a lake?”

  “Yeah, baby, we are. There’s a secluded beach down and around the corner. It’s somewhat warm for this late in November, but if you get cold, I have plenty of blankets with. I thought we could have a moonlight picnic on the shore.”

  Peyton was hugging his arm close to her, and whispered, “That sounds perfect, Tristan. Thank you.”

  Tristan kissed her hair and started walking down the stairs and Peyton followed behind, holding onto his belt loops. It was pitch black, and the stairs were surrounded by trees, but as they inched closer to the water, the moonlight reflecting on the water made it easier to see. Plus, their eyes were adjusting to the darkness.

  When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Tristan turned to walk along the shoreline, and felt Peyton stumbling behind him. “You okay, baby?”

  She absently answered, “Yeah, I can’t see a whole lot, but it’s absolutely breathtaking out here. The water is so calm, and it looks so peaceful.”

  Tristan stopped for a minute to look out over the water himself, and he tried to keep the memories from this lake tucked inside, but it wasn’t easy. He’d spent a lot of time here as a kid with his dad and they were all good memories. But it still wasn’t easy to keep the bad stuff from coming back to him with the good. Still, this was supposed to be a romantic evening with his favorite girl, so he needed to buck up.

  “There’s a bit of a sheltered area on the other side of that bent over tree. That’s where we’re headed.” Tristan pointed out in front of him at a large shadow on the shoreline. He knew from memory that the shadow was a very large weeping willow tree that had grown so large that its top half dangled over the water.

  Tristan led the way to the area and stopped a few times to check around them. It had been almost six months since he’d been here last, and a lot could have changed in that time. When they got close enough to the tree, he held the branches back so that Peyton could duck under with him and they made it through to the other side. Tristan knew from experience that there was no way to see from up above to this area, and the only way to see from the opposite side was if you were on a boat. It was a perfectly secluded location for a romantic picnic.

  Spreading the first blanket out, Tristan motioned for Peyton to sit down on the thick comforter, while he worked on unpacking their supper. They’d picked a simple dinner of roasted chicken, homemade rice pilaf and salad from Gabriel’s Supper Club. It was a good idea for Tristan to taste the food from the place he was going to work at before he started spouting off that he recommended anyone eat there.

  They ate dinner in amenable silence, with Peyton offering the bits of her salad she didn’t like to Tristan on her fingers. He was more than happy to take the extras, especially since it gave him the opportunity to lick her fingers when he was done. At first, Peyton didn’t say much to him, but the next few times he did it, she would whimper a little when he would bite the pads of her fingers. It was hot, and had his insides stirring.

  “I’m so full,” Peyton announced after finishing her dinner. She wasn’t a picky eater, but she didn’t have too much to add when they were choosing meals. It seemed as if she didn’t have an opinion on trivial things.

  “That’s too bad because I brought a piece of double chocolate fudge cake. But, I’ll be glad to eat the entire thing if you aren’t hungry anymore. I will gladly take one for the team,” he mock sighed as he opened the Styrofoam container. He purposely had picked up all their previous containers and utensils so that there wasn’t a way to eat the cake, except from his fingers. But before he got creative with food, they needed to have a discussion about a few things first.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Peyton eyed the cake hungrily, and licked her lips. “Mmm. I love chocolate.” She was reaching for the container, so Tristan pulled it back out of her reach.

  “Not so fast, baby. I want to ask you two questions, and if you answer honestly…” Tristan tapped the container with his finger and it made a faint ting. “I’ll give you a reward.”

  Peyton narrowed her eyes, “I’ve never lied to you, Tristan. This isn’t necessary. Ask your questions.”

  Tristan laughed at the firmness of her voice, and flicked the tip of her nose, “I didn’t say if you answer truthfully, I said if you answer honestly…”

  Scowling, she shot back, “Same difference.”

  “Nope. Truthfully means you won’t lie. Honestly means that you not only won’t lie, but you’ll tell me every little bit of your answer, not the PC version.”

  Peyton huffed, but said, “Whatever. I will answer honestly...” she played out the last word so she sounded as if she was speaking like a child.

  “Okay, question number one…do you think if you hadn’t been hired to work with me, you would’ve given me a snowball’s chance in hell?”

  Peyton laughed, but it was laced with hostility. “We are kindred spirits, Tristan. If we hadn’t been put together, I know fate would have brought us together eventually. And, why don’t you think I would date you?”

  Tristan ignored her question, and lifted the chocolate cake to her lips, brushing the edges until some of the pieces fell and landed in the cleavage of her V-neck long sleeve shirt. She gave him a smirk as she took a big piece
off the cake, biting his fingers in the process. Growling low in his chest, Tristan set the piece of cake back in the box, and leaned down to lick the crumbs of cake from her chest.

  Peyton moaned when he nibbled on each of her swells after cleaning up the crumbs. She tipped her head back and playfully mewled in frustration when he stopped.

  Tristan nonchalantly picked up the cake again, and said with a smile on his face, “Second question…You don’t require a pre-nup before I make you scream, do you?”

  Peyton recoiled as if he’d struck her, and then moved from her reclined position, to up on her knees directly in front of him. “That was mean, asshole. I would think being safe rather than sorry with sex would have been something that you would value. I know that you used to fuck everything that moved, but I’d hoped that if you stayed with me, even when I didn’t put out, then maybe I meant something to you.”

  Tristan realized he’d boxed himself into a corner with this one, and what was supposed to be light-hearted had escalated into a conversation he wasn’t ready to have. He knew that he wanted a lot more with Peyton, but there was no way that he was ready to go for it; there were too many issues in his brain he couldn’t handle yet, and didn’t want to bring her fully into the fold. He needed to lighten up the conversation, or this was going to put him in the middle of something he wouldn’t be able to walk away from anymore.

  Steeling up his nerve, Tristan casually told her, “I was just playing around, baby. Don’t get all worked up.”

  “Damn it, Tristan! I told you from day one that I don’t just fall over with my legs up in the air. I have to know that you feel something in here,” Peyton gently laid her palm over his chest. Time stood still as Tristan lowered his eyes to see where her palm was connected with his chest. Clutching his eyes shut tight, he desperately tried to hold back the feelings that were trying to escape from the fortress deep within his soul. He knew that he wasn’t good enough for Peyton. There was no way that his battered mind, body and soul could handle the mental intimacy that she deserved…that she needed.

  Tristan watched as Peyton lifted her other hand to rest on the other side of his chest, and then she splayed her fingers on top of his shirt. She took a deep breath, slowly letting it go, before she quietly continued, “I’m not saying that I won’t sleep with you unless you love me. I’m not that naïve, Tristan. Can you give me some indication that I mean more to you than the trash that you would pick up from a bar?”

  The word coming from Peyton’s mouth made him wince, as it was almost too painful to hear. She had summarized with one word what Tristan had accomplished with the last few years of his life. Trash. Never had he ever felt bad about being a love ‘em and leave ‘em kind of guy, until this very moment.

  Willing his body to move, Tristan carefully peeled his lids open, and focused on the sultry green eyes that were staring back at him. Peyton was studying him carefully, waiting for him to answer. There was a longing coming from those emerald green orbs, but it was mixed with something else. Peyton was looking at Tristan with more than just a physical longing, but a mental longing, too. She saw something in him that was worth all the pain, and the heartache that he was bound to give her.

  Peyton was seeing in him what no one else ever even dared to look for. When she relaxed her shoulders and added a small smile to her lips, Tristan knew exactly what he was seeing in her eyes. She was able to see the good in every person, and Tristan was no exception. Deep in the dark recesses of his mind, he knew he wanted to have more with Peyton, wanted to see that light in her eyes keep getting brighter.

  Tristan finally answered her question, “You will always mean more to me than anyone else ever has. I gave up a long time ago on feeling anything other than lust. But with you, I know that I want more, but how much more…I honestly don’t know. I can’t handle forever, Peyton. Just say you’ll give me right now.”

  Peyton closed her eyes, letting her smile spread all the way across her face, giving him all the answer that he needed. She hadn’t moved her hands from where they lay on his chest, making it easy for Tristan to close the bit of space there was between them. As he pulled her in closer, Peyton’s hands inched up his neck and wove into his hair. He could feel her hot breath on his face as he leaned down to her lips. He hesitated at the last second, and whispered, “I care about you more than I have about any other person on this entire earth.”

  Tristan softly brushed his lips against Peyton’s at first, and then he deepened the kiss when he tilted his head to the side and used his tongue to part her lips. Peyton had moved her hands from his hair, and instead was using them to stroke up and down his covered back. The slow and sensual kiss was quickly becoming a catalyst for all the sexual energy that the two of them had worked up over the last month. Peyton released a soft moan that Tristan gladly drank from her mouth and then he gave her lower lip a quick tug in between his teeth before he released her. They were both panting, but Tristan wasn’t ready to move on.

  However, Peyton had her own ideas. She slipped out of his arms, and yanked her shirt over her head and was working on her tennis shoes and socks. He’d seen her breasts before, but the red lacy bra that encased them tonight was a thing of beauty, and he wanted to savor the view. Tristan was left stunned by her excitement to undress, and wondered how he’d lost control of the moment. This was supposed to be a long, delicious love-making session that left them both completely exhausted and sated. The way Peyton was currently ripping off her own clothes, she was trying to speed things along.

  “Hey, baby girl. Wait…” Tristan stilled her movement with his hands. “Slow down.” He took her other foot in his hand, and Peyton tipped herself back onto her elbows. He slipped her foot out of her converse and laughed at the bright pink socks that she was wearing. His mood shifted back to highly turned on when Peyton brushed her other already bare foot against his jean-covered erection.

  He growled from somewhere deep inside his chest and told her, “I plan on worshipping every inch of your body for the next few hours. Hell, maybe even until the sun comes up.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  The moonlight was highlighting her dark tresses from behind, and she was looking at him almost as if she was all of the sudden shy. He finished removing her socks and tugged on her jeans as she lifted her hips, and they slid down her legs. His breath caught in his lungs when he caught a glimpse of the lacy red boy shorts that she wore; they perfectly matched the red bra that she had on, and the color was highlighted by her dark skin. The sight nearly made him lose his mind, but what he could clearly see now, was the brightly colored lotus flowers that covered her ribs and went all the way down to her hip, tucked into the band of her panties.

  Tristan held open his arms, and she slowly rose back up and slipped into his embrace. “No words tonight. Let me show you my feelings, Peyton.”

  She nodded, and Tristan delved back in, encasing her mouth with his own. Within seconds, she relaxed into his arms, and he eased them both back down to the blanket. There were goose bumps on her skin, so he grabbed one of the extra blankets and covered them both with it. It had gotten cooler, but it was still fairly warm. He hoped that she was shivering from anticipation and excitement rather than being cold, but he didn’t need her focused on anything but him.

  Tristan knelt over the top of her, and pulled his shirt up slowly and over his head. He was aware that Peyton had not really seen him with bare chested, and she was going to want to ask questions about all the ink that covered his chest and abs, as well as his piercings. That was one of the reasons he’d asked for no words. He didn’t need to elaborate on his past right now.

  Peyton was working on sitting up and was reaching for his chest, with a smile on her face, but Tristan just shook his head and laughed. She fell back on the blanket, and laughed with him.

  Tristan crawled in between her legs and pushed her legs out further, grabbing her left ankle and placing feather lite kisses all the way from her cute toes, up the inside of her leg, and back
to her hip bone. He completely bypassed the apex of her thighs, knowing that once he got close enough to smell her excitement, he wouldn’t be able to focus on anything else. He was an ass man for sure, but fuck if he didn’t love the way a woman squirmed underneath him when he used his mouth to bring them to the edge.

  Continuing his progress up her stomach, Tristan nipped and licked the swells of her body until his face was over the top of her sexy red bra and perfect breasts. He used his nose to press into the flesh of the mounds, slowly brushing it back and forth against her skin; he snaked his hands around her back, and undid the clasp on her bra and the material loosed enough so that he was free to dip underneath the material. He could clearly see the silver beads on either side of her erect nipples, and smiled before nibbling on the sides, and tugging first one, and then the other, outward just enough until she gasped.

  Tristan pulled her bra from her arms, and tossed it to the side. He lay on his side next to Peyton and covered them both with the blanket. She was watching him with wide eyes, and every breath she took seemed labored. Tristan didn’t take his eyes off her face, and used the tips of his fingers to caress her face, and her neck and then languishly ran them over her breasts and nipples, barely touching them on each pass. Peyton closed her eyes, and gave him a quiet moan, but he quickly told her, “Open your eyes, baby. I need to see you.”

  Her eyes shot open again and she kept them trained on Tristan as he continued to skim his hands down her belly, and sides and then down to her mound. He cupped her gently and could feel the heat rising between her legs. Peyton’s back arched from the simple touch, and he knew that she would be writhing with need if he kept toying with her. Still he wasn’t ready to stop his exploration of her body, but she needed some relief.