What Might Have Been: Daniels Brother #4 (Daniels Brothers) (23 page)

It took him a little longer than normal to reach Abby’s apartment. Two blocks from her place, a family of geese had stopped traffic trying to cross the road. Thanks to them, he was late.

He jogged up the sidewalk, but before he could knock, she pulled the door open. Abby was a vision standing there in a flowery dress full of pinks and purples. Her long hair fell around her shoulders in soft waves. He couldn’t hold back any longer.

She squeaked as he crushed her against him.

“You’re late,” she whispered against his lips.

“Sorry.” He bent his head down and kissed her, taking his time. “I’ll try not to let it happen again.”

Abby grazed her hands across his chest, making him reconsider the notion of going anywhere with her except straight to her bedroom.

He cleared his throat and took a step back before his thoughts could go any farther down that path. “You ready to go?”

She took a deep breath, which drew his gaze to her chest. The rise and fall of her breasts did nothing to help calm the desire racing through his veins.

“Yeah,” she said. “Let me get my purse.”

He waited outside, not trusting himself. If he crossed her threshold, they wouldn’t be going anywhere tonight.

Abby emerged from her apartment a couple of minutes later with a small white purse slung over her shoulder.

“Ready?” he asked.

She nodded. “Ready.”

Chapter 18

Abby climbed inside the cab of Trent’s truck and waited for him to settle behind the wheel. She hadn’t cried in almost twenty-four hours, and it was all thanks to him.

He put the truck in gear and reached for her hand. The look in his eyes made the muscles in her belly clench in the most pleasurable way. She released a contented sigh as he laced their fingers together and pulled out onto the road.

In some ways, Cincinnati had changed since she’d been gone. It others, it hadn’t. The city still felt like home even though she hadn’t called it that for over fourteen years.

When he started heading south, she figured they were going back to the riverfront. She wouldn’t say no to another boat ride. Their first one had been fun and romantic. So when he turned into a parking garage instead of continuing on toward the river, she was intrigued.

He reached behind the seat and pulled out a folded up blanket once he’d found a parking spot not far from the entrance. Abby raised her eyebrow, but didn’t say anything. Whatever he had in mind for tonight was fine with her, as long as they were together.

They met at the back of the vehicle and Trent took her hand again. She held on tight as they walked past the parking attendant out to the sidewalk. Once they were clear of the concrete structure, Abby saw the park. “Wow.”

“They opened it a few years ago. I’ve driven past it, but I’ve never been down here myself.” He squeezed her hand. “Never had reason to before now.”

She felt the heat rising in her cheeks.

“Come on.” Trent tugged on her arm. “Let’s get moving before I change my mind and drive us back to your place.”

Abby giggled, but followed him willingly.

They crossed the street and into the park. Even though it was the middle of the workweek, there were plenty of people about. Kids were playing, their squeals of delight sending a pang of regret.

Trent must have seen her reaction. “Do you want more someday?”

She turned her gaze from the children and looked at him. “Yes. Hopefully.”

He released her hand and circled his arm around her shoulders. She took the offered comfort and leaned into his strength. While she wanted to have children again, it scared her. Abby didn’t know if she could handle the possibility of losing another baby.

Trent brushed his lips against her forehead, and led them farther down the path toward a line of food trucks. “I thought we could get something from one of the trucks and enjoy a picnic on the grass.”

She looked in the direction he was indicating and noticed a large grassy area not that far away. People were scattered around doing various things. Most were either reading or eating, but there was one couple playing Frisbee. “Sounds good.”

It took them several minutes to decide what they wanted. She hadn’t paid much attention to the food trucks in New York. Max tended to have more expensive tastes and more often than not she tagged along with him for lunch. When she looked at the offerings in front of her she was shocked at the variety. They had a little bit of everything. It was somewhat daunting.

In the end, they decided to try a truck that served Korean barbecue. It had been a while since she’d had barbecue at all, and the smell coming from the truck had her mouth salivating. The man at the window took their order and a few minutes later, he handed them each a nicely wrapped container of food.

With their dinner in hand, Trent and Abby found a quiet spot on the lawn. She held their food as he laid out the blanket. He took the containers from her and waited while she got comfortable before lowering himself down beside her.

The food was delicious. She couldn’t believe it had come from a food truck. It was as good as any meal she’d had in a restaurant.

“What do you think?” Trent asked, pointing to her food.

“It’s really good. I don’t remember food trucks serving food like this when we were younger.”

“They didn’t. Things have really changed in the last ten years. I’m glad, though. Food trucks have saved my stomach more than once when I’ve been out on a jobsite.”

Abby grinned. “I’m glad you found something you enjoy doing. I always worried that you wouldn’t.”

He leaned in, invading her space. “You worried about me?”

“Yeah.”

Her eyes fluttered closed as he removed the distance between them. The feel of his lips grazing against her cheek caused her to sigh.

“You don’t have to seduce me, you know. It’s a pretty sure bet that you’re going to get lucky tonight.” She’d meant it as a way to lighten the mood. Otherwise, she was going to end up jumping him right there in the middle of a public park.

Trent lay down on the blanket, propping himself on one arm, a satisfied smirk on his face. He’d finished his food before she’d eaten half of hers. “What do you do back in New York when you’re not at work? For fun.”

“I don’t get much downtime, to be honest. Being Max’s personal assistant keeps me pretty busy. But when I do get some time, I usually read or go for a walk in the park.” She didn’t mention that most of those walks included a stroll by Kaylee’s grave.

He was quiet for a while. “I’m supposed to give you a hug.”

“What?”

“Ma asked me to give you a hug.”

He said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Maybe it was fifteen years ago, but not now. Not after what happened.

“Abby?”

She looked up and met his gaze.

Trent took what was left of her food and set it off to his right before scooting closer to her. No words were spoken as they sat there, but the way he looked at her spoke volumes. He cupped the side of her face and rested his forehead against hers. “You need to let go of the guilt, Abby. It was a long time ago.”

It was amazing how well he could read her. “What if I can’t?”

He grinned. “Well then, I’ll just have to stick around and remind you, won’t I?”

Trent didn’t give her a chance to respond before he kissed her. This one was so slow and deep that she could feel it all the way down to the tips of her toes. The way he took his time, not seeming to care about anything outside their little bubble, had her inching closer to him.

Something landed on their blanket, startling them both. They jerked apart.

A little boy was running toward them. He skidded to a stop a couple of feet away. The boy looked at them and then down at the ball resting in the crook of Trent’s knees. “Can I have my ball back?”

Trent picked up the baseball and tossed it back to the boy. He caught it with little effort and mumbled, “Thanks,” as he ran back across the field to where an older man waited for him. The man had a cheesy grin on his face which made Abby wonder if the ball had been misthrown on purpose. Considering how their kiss had probably looked to the outside world, she really couldn’t blame the man if that’s what he’d done. It was too easy to forget where she was when Trent was around.

She heard a snicker beside her and glanced over to see Trent trying his best not to double over in laughter.

“You know he did that on purpose, right?” he said when he noticed Abby staring.

“Yeah.” She grinned. “I guess we did kind of get carried away there.”

He picked up her hand and brought it to his lips for a soft kiss. “It seems to happen quite often.”

“You’ve noticed that, too?” Although she’d phrased it as a question, she hadn’t really expected him to answer.

Trent smiled and stood, not letting go of her hand. “Come on. Let’s take a walk down by the river before we get any more balls thrown at us.”

She laughed.

It took a few minutes to clean up their little picnic before they headed down toward the water. Trent had the blanket tucked under one arm as they walked hand in hand along the path. She loved the water. There was something soothing about it. If she was being honest, it was one of the things she’d missed most about living in New York. Although you were surrounded by water, the city swallowed you up. Here, even with the city right behind her, Abby still felt a connection to the water.

For the next hour, they strolled along the path, stopping every now and then to get closer to the river’s edge. It felt normal and very peaceful. Abby knew she had Trent to thank for that. When she was with him, she could be herself. It was a good feeling. She only hoped it would last.

***

Trent couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a more enjoyable evening. As they’d ambled along the riverbank, they’d talked some more about their time apart. He’d learned that Abby had gone back to school a few years ago and become a paralegal. Max had thought it might come in handy from time to time when dealing with clients.

It was such a beautiful summer night that they drove back to Abby’s apartment with the windows down. Her hair was blowing in the wind and she kept trying to hold it down. He loved seeing her so relaxed.

Abby shot him a look from beneath her flying strands of hair. “Are you laughing at me over there?”

Of course her indignation only made his smile grow wider. “Nope.”

Abby rolled her eyes and turned toward him. She rested her head on the back of the seat. “Thank you.”

“For what?” he asked.

She just continued to stare at him and grinned.

When they arrived at her place, he helped her out of the truck and followed her up the walkway to her door. He was hoping she’d invite him in, but he had no idea what was going through that mind of hers.

Trent got his answer when she pushed the door open, reached for his hand, and encouraged him to come inside. She barely gave him time to shut the door and turn the lock before she fell against him, pushing him against the door. She gazed up at him for a moment and then placed a barely there kiss against his lips while drawing circular patterns on his chest with her fingers.

The sensations were completely opposite and it was short-circuiting his brain. He went to put his hands on her hips, to bring her closer, but as soon as his fingers grazed her skin, she backed away from him.

Abby strolled across the room, swinging her hips seductively. She glanced back at him for a brief moment before returning her attention to the bookshelf in front of her.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

Soft jazz music filled the room.

She came to stand in front of him again.

“Did you have a sudden desire to listen to music?”

“We need music to dance.”

Trent raised his eyebrows and looked at their surroundings. “You want to dance? Here?”

“Uh-huh.” Abby didn’t wait for him to catch up to her way of thinking. She ran her hands up his arms, rested them on his shoulders, and began swaying her hips. He had no choice but to follow her lead.

Trent wasn’t the best dancer, but he could hold his own. He held her close and moved them in a small circle.

Abby had rested her head on his chest and he wondered if she could hear the thunderous beating of his heart. She belonged in his arms. He never wanted to let her go. He was hoping he wouldn’t have to.

“If you’d told me you wanted to go dancing, I could have found someplace that had a little more room.”

She shook her head. “This is perfect.”

He didn’t argue with her. Although it would have been nice to have a little more space, he couldn’t dispute the advantages. They were completely alone. To emphasize that fact, he lowered his hands and cupped her ass.

Abby tightened her grip on his shoulders before going up on her tiptoes. She brushed her lips along his collarbone, snaking her tongue out for a lick.

Trent chuckled and dug his fingers into her backside. “You’d better be careful. You’re playing with fire.”

“Oh really?” she asked, before nipping at the skin at the base of his neck with her teeth.

A hiss escaped his lips.

With one hand still firmly on her ass, he braced the other at the base of her neck and brought her mouth to meet his in a hard kiss.

Abby gasped and clung to him as he thrust his tongue into her mouth, taking what he wanted. He was so hot for her—so turned on. It felt as if his erection would rip through his shorts at any given moment.

He backed her against the nearest wall and slid his left hand under her dress until he found the edge of her panties. The lace scratched at his fingers as he worked them down her legs with little finesse. He didn’t care how he did it. The only thing he cared about was getting them out of his way.

Finally, he let the material fall from his fingers. Abby kicked off her shoes and the panties that had bunched around her ankles.

As soon as she was free, he wasted no time going after what he wanted.

Abby moaned and arched against him as he touched her. She was more than ready for him, but he wasn’t going to give in quite yet. There was a part of him that wanted to hear her beg for it—beg for him.