by Amy Marie
“I don’t know what you want me to do, Alex.” I stand up, bringing her into a hug, something I never saw myself doing.
“Love my men, Noelle.” She cries into my ear as she wraps her arms around me. “Love Trent and love Jason and love them fiercely because I do. And forgive Trent for using me as a crutch not to go after you because that is exactly what he is doing.” She pushes me back to look at me. “He’s holding back because he wants to focus on me and that’s not fair to either one of you. Nothing would make me happier than to make sure they are getting the happiness they deserve. You’re holding back too. I can see it in your eyes you love him. You need to stop fighting what you feel and stop holding onto what you believe is easy. Love is hard, but so worth it.”
An hour later Erin waits patiently in the car as I find myself standing in front of Jace’s door. We haven’t seen much of each other and things since the bar have been very tense but now it’s time to release all that. We’re grown adults.
I hold my finger up to Erin to signal that I want her to wait for me, and I see Trent’s living room light still on. I want to rush over there, but I have to take care of this first.
Even though it’s close to midnight I ring the doorbell. Within a minute, Jace is standing in the doorway in nothing but boxers.
Holy hell!
Focus Noe.
Though I see the shock of my presence he still half-heartedly smiles. “Hey, Noe.” His hand reaches out to pull me to him but I tug to show I’m not staying.
“Jace, I’m sorry,” I start to say and his cheerful expression drops. “I can’t let this go on any longer.”
He leans into the doorframe, his muscles flexing with every move. He crosses one foot over the other daring me to continue. He doesn’t look mad, though, but maybe like he’s been expecting it. After the tumultuous weeks we’ve had since the bar, I don’t think he should be surprised.
“I think you’re an amazing guy,” I keep going, “but I think I need to go where my heart is telling me to go.”
His eyes flash across the street and then back to me. “Well, I can’t say I’m happy or surprised. I just hate that you used me to figure out if you wanted him or not.”
“It wasn’t like that.” I defend.
“It wasn’t?”
“No! I truly thought I wanted a relationship with you it’s just that I was wrong. It felt wrong, didn’t it?”
He steps down and inches closer to me. “It did, I guess.” He agrees kissing me on the forehead. “There is no use trying to make something work that just won’t.”
Wrapping my arms around his torso I squeeze tight. “We can be friends, right?”
His body shakes with laughter releasing me. “I highly doubt that will fly with him. We’ll just have to see what happens.”
I scrunch my eyebrows in defiance. “He has no say and I don’t even know if we’re ever going to be a couple.”
He laughs again. “Make sure you invite me to your and his wedding and good luck,” he says pointing across the street. “You let me know if he doesn’t treat you right. I’ll take care of him for you.”
When I turn around I find Trent standing on the porch looking this way. I pull Jace into a hug and kiss him on the cheek. I turn around and the door behind me closes. I take a deep breath as I head across the street. I pass Erin’s car and even in the darkness I see her toothy grin. I continue up his driveway, and he makes no move to meet me halfway so I look down at the ground as I approach.
“So, you run to Jace without letting me explain?” His arms are crossed over his chest and his anger is creating a vein to pop out of his neck.
I look back to make sure Erin is still waiting for me. I wouldn’t put it past her to ditch me now that I am in the hands of her brother.
“Answer me...” he starts bringing my attention back to him.
“She told me, Trent,” I interrupt.
“What did Erin tell you now?”
His fists are clenched as he drops them and his knuckles turn white. I step closer and slide my thumbs between his tightly held grip. He loosens up and the scowl on his face slowly dissipates with my touch.
“Not Erin,” I explain. “Alex.”
His body stills and he twists his wrists to he can cover my hands with his. One by one his fingers slip between mine and I lose my breath.
“I wanted to tell you, Noelle. I just couldn’t and I’m sorry.”
Drawing our connected hands behind my back bringing us even closer, I bring my body against his. It’s electric, and I can still remember the last time I initiated physical contact with him. It’s freeing but won’t go past this porch. Not tonight.
My head falls back and I look deep into his dilated brown eyes. “I’m going to say a few things and I need you to hear me.”
His nose dips down to mine and drags along the side, bringing his mouth dangerously close to mine. “Why were you at Jace’s house?” He whispers into the side of my lips.
“I was ending it,” I speak softly.
His tongue flicks out and gently licks my upper lip.
“Why are you here, Noelle?” He pushes my arms further together behind my back, and my breasts push out a few inches more and brush along his chest.
“Because I couldn’t wait a minute longer to tell you I’m not a lost cause. That I understand, and I won’t deny what my heart is telling me but we need to take it slow, Trent.” I breathe out trying to grasp onto my last bit of sanity. “If you’ll have me.”
“I don’t like slow.” Another lick to my bottom lip and he grabs both my wrists into one hand and brings his free one around to cup my neck. “Neither do you.”
Be firm, Noelle. Firm.
“Let’s make a deal,” I say trying to compromise. I know his resolve is strong and his patience is thin, mine is too. “I promise to try ‘us’ if you promise to go slow. You need to focus on Alex.”
With a flip of his hand, my chin is turned up and my mouth is a pant away from his. Just the briefest touch of his lips slides over mine. I tug on my bound hands to grab onto him, but his hold is strong.
“Tell me, Noelle.” His forehead brushes mine and then falls to my shoulder.
My teeth are right next to his ear. I want to nip at it. “Tell you what?”
Tilting his head to the side, he sprinkles my neck with gentle kisses as his hand slides down my arm and back up. He aggressively grabs my jaw.
“To kiss you. I assure you I’ll take it slow.” He promises lifting his gaze to mine.
His thumb brushes over the soft skin of my cheek and then pushes down onto my lip, unfastening it from the other.
“Please,” I plead. “Kiss me, slowly.”
My hands still bound behind my back, my neck inclined to meet his face. My heart is beating a mile a minute, and my arousal is dripping down my thigh. He unhurriedly places a kiss on my lips. A shockwave shoots down to my toes, and I struggle against his hold wanting to push him into me.
The kiss is earth shattering. I can do nothing but move my mouth in sync with his, and even though it was slow, he ends it quickly. He rips his mouth away from me and drops my hands. I circle them around to get the feeling back in them and stare at the Adonis in front of me.
“I can do slow, Noelle. For now.”
“What are you so smiley about? I don’t think I’ve seen a smile on your face in months.” Hadley calls out my good mood the next morning.
I take a deep breath and my smirk widens reminiscing about all the slow kissing we did before Erin took me back to her house. She wasn’t happy that she had to sit in the car and turn the other way well past midnight. I stayed the night at her house and woke up to a text from Trent claiming I could call him molasses because he would take things so slow I would be begging to speed them up.
So, yes. I’m smiling.
I look over to her and my grin falls to a frown. “Erin already told you didn’t she?”
She throws her hands up in retreat and pushes away from her desk. “A
ll I know is that you’re smiling, oh, and some guy called this morning and made a 9:00 A.M. appointment for a consultation.”
I glance down at my calendar annoyed at a last minute change. Nothing is written down for today until 11:00 A.M., which aggravates me more since Hadley knows I like my calendar updated immediately.
“Hadley, I see no 9:00 A.M. appointment, which means it doesn’t exist.” I turn my eyes on her, and she’s smirking. “What the hell is so funny? Who is it?”
“Me.” A cavernous male voice echoes in the room. My heart beat immediately picks up at the sound of it and butterflies take off fluttering inside my stomach. It’s amazing how just his voice can send my body into overdrive.
I look to the door and find the possessor of the sexy voice. Trent. And he looks like a new man. Different but exactly the same.
He smiles at me then turns to Hadley extending his hand towards her. “Nice to officially meet you. Trent Decker.”
“Yes, you are,” Hadley states practically undressing him with her eyes as she takes his hand.
“Alright, Hads. Down girl. You’re happily taken.” I laugh and look at Trent. “You don’t need an appointment to see me. You know that right?”
His brown eyes, brilliant as ever, take in my body from head to toe. “I do, but it’s business related.”
The happy feeling at the thought he came to see me fades a bit. “What kind of business? Stuff for Erin’s wedding or something you want planned for your company?”
I do all sorts of events but small corporate events are my specialty.
“Can we talk in private?” He asks glancing around looking for, what I assume, a private place to talk.
“Sure. We have a conference room this way.” I reach my hand towards the hallway and he takes the lead.
Hadley’s arm comes out to reach me as I pass her by, not so quietly whispering. “Make sure to lock the door.”
I shake her off and follow behind Trent.
My nerves run rampant as I walk down the short hallway to the room at the end of the hall knowing I’m going to be alone with him. My hand goes to my stomach to calm the anxiety but it doesn’t help.
He’s already sitting when I walk in and I’m taken aback by just how sexy he looks. His black “Decker Construction” hat covers up his hair but emphasizes his eyes, which are focused straight on me, looking through me. His black t-shirt with the same logo as his hat perfectly fits over his broad shoulders. I’m sure he’s paired all of that with carpenter jeans and work boots. I mentally remind myself that I’m trying to take things slow with him.
A lot of things were not said and it made for a shit couple of months. If he would’ve told me about Alex or if she would’ve told me sooner maybe all the turmoil and bullshit wouldn’t have happened. I still have some reservations about it not working out and losing my second family but my heart is screaming at me to throw caution to the wind and just go for what I want.
I pull a chair out next to him and grab a notepad and pen from the center of the table. I can feel his stare on me and I keep my attention to the top of the paper as I write his name.
“So,” I start finally looking at him. His facial expression is unreadable. “What sort of event are you planning?”
He leans back into his chair bringing his arms behind his head and looks up. “A merger of sorts.”
“Oh! Okay, well I do party planning not mergers,” I tell him confused. He knows this. I’m planning his sister’s wedding for Christ’s sake.
His hands come down clasping together and he leans down on the table. Lowering his head he looks up at me through his eye lashes and I have to cross my legs to keep my want at bay.
“A merger, an acquisition. Either way you want to say it, I know I’m talking to the right person. You see, last night I was told of a, uhm, company that would like to merge with mine but she is hesitant and I need to see how one can obtain such a highly demanded asset,” he finishes tilting his head to the side.
I shake my head, scrunching my eyebrows, trying to figure out what the hell he is talking about. All of it makes no sense...and then it does.
Me.
I drop my pen on top of the notepad and lean back in my chair. “A merger?”
“Yes. I know I’m going to obtain her company eventually, I just need to know the terms, and how long the deal is going to take to finalize.” His face is still unreadable and I can’t help but laugh.
Deal?
Terms?
Okay, I’ll play along.
“Well, you know it’s going to be a tough road. I heard she is a ball buster. Plus, I believe she would prefer a merger over an acquisition. Sounds less archaic.” I raise my eyebrow and finally break his façade.
“Hmm,” he mutters pushing his chair away from the table and doing the same to mine. He pulls us together so our knees touch but his hands stay on top of mine. My skin burns at the touch and I wish he would raise them higher. “Well, I’m a very persistent man. When I see something I want and know they want it too, I push to make it happen.”
This man, this infuriating man, makes all common sense go out the window. His fingers slide over my sensitive skin causing reactions that only he can give my body. I have to move myself back to reclaim my senses.
“Okay, then. Let’s talk. So you want to ‘merge’ the two ‘companies’, am I correct?” I ask.
“Yes,” he says scooting his chair just a tad closer, repositioning his hand on my knee.
I swallow down the desire his touch does to me. “So, tell me how I can help you acquire what you wish to acquire.”
“We can cut the shit now, Noe. I thought about your visit last night and I can take things slow but I need to know how to do that. I’m not a patient man and knowing you are free to be mine has me wanting to claim you immediately.”
“What do you want to know?” I ask my voice coming out hoarse.
“Well,” he starts rubbing the inside of my thigh with his thumb. “Someday soon I promise to make you officially mine but I know you’re still hesitant. Are you only going to see me?”
“Yes.” The one word answer comes out immediately. No question.
“I’m allowed to kiss you, I know that. What about touching you, Noe?” He grabs the seat of my chair and aggressively pulls it his way again. “I need to be able to touch you.”
“Okay.” I agree like an idiot. Where the hell are my full sentences?
“Sex? I’ve been thinking about the night we had sex ever since. How your skin felt under my touch.” His hand raises higher up my leg. “How you came apart.”
“We can’t, Trent,” I say stepping out of Cloud Trent briefly without conviction. “We need to see if we have more than physical attraction.”
I know we do, I can feel that we do but in order to make my issues of losing everyone in his family, like what happened with my ex, if we don’t make it then I need to be sure we do.
“So, no sex?”
I shake my head no as my skirt pushes up higher.
“But we can go on dates? Show you we have more than this?” He asks moving his mouth closer to mine.
“Right,” I whisper closing my eyes at the feel of his skilled hands climbing higher up my legs until he reaches the crease between my hips and my legs.
I tense up knowing what he will find.
“Are you not wearing panties, Noelle?” He asks grabbing me tightly.
“I didn’t know you were coming,” I say pushing my hand down to try to stop him from reaching any further.
“Do you want me to be?”
“You’re making this hard, Trent.”
“You like it hard, Noelle,” he retorts.
“We have to stop,” I protest.
“I don’t want to stop.” He wedges my legs open. “I can kiss you, right?”
I nod, that whole mime thing coming back to haunt me.
“I’m going to kiss you now but you have to promise not to stop me.” He waits patiently for me to protest.
> Hadley is the only one in the office, and it’s not like if she walked in she would see anything she didn’t know would happen if we were alone.
“I promise. I like when you kiss me.” I smirk and push my lips out waiting for his to meet mine.
He lets go of the hold he has on my thighs and grabs both of my hands, lifting me up off the chair and down onto the table.
“Scoot back,” he orders.
My eyes go wide. “What are you doing?”
“You promised, Noe. Scoot back.” His tone is commanding and not to be reasoned with.
I sway my hips side to side to bring my ass back further onto the table. Trent steps between my legs and grabs my face in his hands. His eyes lock on mine but I can see his tongue jut out and wet his lips. His face inches towards mine and just before we make contact he lifts my chin up then closes the distance.
His kiss is warm, sensual, slow. I’m intoxicated. As he kisses me I feel him gently nudge me down onto my back. When we can no longer keep our connection he uses his hand to lower me the rest of the way, making me thankful for the sturdy table.
“I thought we were kissing, Trent.” I lower my chin to look towards him. He circles his hands around my thighs and presses them to the side opening me up. His touch has my body on fire, and I shamelessly allow them to fall all the way open.
Lowering his head between my legs, he slides my dress up to my waist and takes a deep breath. “I am.”
When his mouth connects with my core, I jump up off the table. He holds me down using his hands to keep my hips in place.
“Oh, God! Trent! We’re supposed to be taking things slow. You have to...” I can’t finish because I’m distracted by his long, thick caresses of his tongue gliding in me, through me, outside of me.
“I’ll go slow, Sunshine, just relax,” he says between glorious licks.
I hear the chair slide across the floor and for a brief moment his mouth leaves me. I’m about to stop this, but his hands grab my hips and pull me to the edge of the table.
“If I’m going to make this last I’ll need to get comfortable,” he whispers and then makes contact again.
