Divine (4 page)

Time flew. The days of skipping rocks across
the Potomac River ended. Trina sat on the footbridge, watched the
water flow beneath her, and wished time would stand still. She had
goals. Her dreams no longer consisted of a garden nursery or
petting zoo, but the ambition to be a doctor, like her parents
wanted. Their endless chatter on how the career would take her
further in life got through to her, and she gave up her childhood
idea. “Just a fantasy anyway.”

Knowing what she wanted out of life not only
grounded and excited her, it scared her to death. It meant she’d no
longer see her best friend. She ached from the idea of not seeing
Matt in a longing, miserable way.

One week left before she ventured into a new
life. Not him. Nope. Tomorrow he left for the Marines. If his
parents were alive, would they have given their permission for him
to join the military before he turned of legal age, as Travis had?
Two months after graduation, he wanted to fight in the war on
terror. She didn’t get it. However, she was sure he didn’t
understand why she dropped her childhood dreams to go to medical
school, yet he accepted it. Typical Matt, he always went with the
flow.

He was her rock, the lone person who truly
understood her.

“Hiya, kiddo.” Matt’s sexy-as-hell timbre
reached out, stroking her like a soft caress.

She wiped the tear sliding down her face. She
didn’t want either of them to remember their last night together as
the time when she totally lost it and begged him not to go.

He stepped onto the footbridge, kissed her
forehead, and sat beside her. His long legs hung down farther than
hers did. He draped his arms over the railing and propped his chin
on the bar. “I’m gonna miss this,” he said.

She hooked an arm around his and leaned her
head on his shoulder. “Me, too.”

Five years ago, almost to the day, they
kissed but not since.

Gorgeous, tan, and muscular, his sweet and
caring personality filled her with so much warmth she couldn’t
catch her breath. She liked everything about him from his
bluish-green eyes to his funny second toe that was longer than the
first.

“Do you think your parents will ever accept
me?” he asked, even though he knew the answer.

Mom and Dad tolerated her seeing Matt. Still,
she hated the times when they badgered her with questions and
threatened not to pay for college if they ever dated. “I can
hope.”

“Me too,” he said, his tone low and face
forward. Unusual for him, he always made eye contact when he
talked.

“Tonight is tough,” she said, meaning it more
than she believed possible. “How will I deal with not seeing you?”
Moisture filled her eyes. She promised herself she wouldn’t fall
apart and do this to him, to her. “I don’t want you to go.”

“Aw, sweetheart.” He slid an arm around her
and tucked her close. At five-three, she snuggled against his
six-one frame perfectly. “We knew this day was coming. Neither one
of us can renege on our commitments.”

“What about the one we have to one another?”
The words spilled out without a care. They hadn’t discussed their
bond.

“Nothing will change,” he said, his manner as
absolute and resolved as it had been since they first met. He
controlled his actions and his feelings. Kept a handle on what he
wanted, and what he needed to do to get there.

She wasn’t as strong or as sure. A
double-edged sword played devil’s advocate in her mind. She wanted
him, the forbidden fruit. Thankfully, he hadn’t complicated matters
by pursuing more of a girlfriend-boyfriend relationship. His
thoughtful and protective manner opened the door for their
friendship to flourish. Wonderful, yet depressing—she wanted a
taste, an adult sample of the man he’d become.

She admired his generosity, humility, and
most importantly, his no-nonsense way. Despite her parents’
warnings not to date him, she couldn’t stop from entertaining the
idea. Long ago, she accepted she couldn’t have him, not really
accepted but endured. Her path in life would take her down a road
of money and status. Things Matt didn’t care about. She’d rather
have these lovely moments with him, than take a chance he would
tire of the ongoing battle against outside forces—her parents—to be
together.

Love existed; she knew it but didn’t expect
to experience the big bang love others raved about. Her parents
didn’t have it. Her brother hadn’t found it. Although part of her
imagined she could have the big bang love with Matt, she wouldn’t
take the risk. The unknown wasn’t worth losing her best friend, her
right arm. She’d settle for a nice home, a complacent love, and not
worry about the amazing, panty-wetting desire her friends gabbed
about.

Yet…

For the last year when he brushed against her
with a hand or a shoulder, her body hummed. She’d resisted the urge
to press against his chest and kiss his lips. Instead, she
fantasized about arriving at the footbridge pantyless, like tonight
when she carried out the silly girl notion. She sucked in a deep
breath, shifted to make sure her skirt covered her butt. She’d hate
to get a splinter.

“There’s Trina.” He pointed at a
constellation he’d named for her eighteenth birthday two days
ago.

“You’re so sweet. Like I said, I don’t know
how I’ll handle not seeing you.” She kept her focus on the night,
the stars. Otherwise, the puddle of tears she worried about turning
into would become a reality.

“I’m sweet. That’s me.” He chuckled with no
lilt. “We’ll call each other. Message. Hey, we can even video chat.
You can send me naked pictures.” He let out a strained laugh.

She closed her eyes. If certain no one else
would see the pictures, she’d carry out his fantasy.

He shifted and slid his fingertips along her
arm. “I’m heading to sniper school.”

She loved Matt’s drive to save lives. Ever
since the day he said he wanted to become a sniper, the idea of him
shooting someone worried her. Worse, if he got hurt… She couldn’t
think about it. Her stomach twisted and bile rose in her throat.
“Let’s not.”

“Talk about it?”

Yes, but she wasn’t being fair. He listened
to all of her doctor stories. “Don’t you need years of service
before you're accepted?” The little she learned about the military
had come from Matt regaling stories his father had told.

“I plan to zip to the end of the requirement
list quickly.”

He’d taken her shooting enough times that she
knew he was an ace shot. Thanks to his teachings, she could even
hit a target a few hundred yards away.

“What time do you leave for Aruba
tomorrow?”

Desire begged her to grab him and ask
questions later. “At dawn, before the crows caw.”

“Is Milton still getting after you for
sleeping in?”

“He did this morning. Dad doesn’t understand
today was the last time I could possibly sleep late. Vacationing
with my family is non-stop activities from dawn to well past dusk.
My brother Bradley and I won’t get a chance to do what we want,
like sunbathe or shop. As soon as I return, I don’t even have time
to unpack before I head to Dartmouth.”

His gaze lowered to her mouth.

She stilled. The moment they’d avoided
arrived. She wanted to kiss him more than she wanted anything.

Their lips touched. The fire banking low in
her belly came alive. She pressed her breasts into his chest, her
nipples hardening to pleasured peaks. Their tongues mingled, slow
and steady, as they appreciated and savored each other.

“You taste so good.” He drew in a sharp
breath and smoothed the hair away from her face.

She shifted to get closer. While she’d
arrived pantyless, hoping for intimacy, their kiss caught her by
surprise. She didn’t want it to stop. Quite the opposite, she
wanted more. She craved to feel his naked body, to feel him buried
deep inside, to feel him throbbing when he claimed her. Her body
begged, pleaded, and pulsated. “I want you so much it hurts.”

Pressing his forehead to hers, he released a
long drawn out sigh. “I want the same.” He whispered, yet his voice
cracked. “But…”

She inhaled his intoxicating cologne that set
him apart from every other man she’d met. Damn, would he throw
water on their heated bodies?

“Is this the wrong thing to do?”

She touched her lips to his neck, sucked in
another Matt-fortified-scent. “I don’t know.”

The moon cast shadows over the bridge and
him.
How will she live without seeing him every day? How will
she survive not hearing his voice? How will she deal with not
knowing if he’s alive or not?

Right then, the truth to her apprehension
came to life. The thing she feared the most. Not wanting to lose
their precious relationship wasn’t a lie, yet she held a deeper
fear she’d rather keep tucked away. If she made love to Matt, if
they closed the last little bit of distance between them, she would
lose her soul and never recover. If Matt’s journey ended the same
as so many others before him, she didn’t know how she would manage.
Military families possessed an amazing strength. Courage she didn’t
have.

This line of thinking, while selfish, kept
things real. Making love to him the way she craved, only to lose
him, would break her beyond repair. She’d lose focus on college, on
herself. She’d worry nonstop. The concern would remain, but it
wouldn’t be the same as if she went the next step with him, would
it?

“Want to tell me what you’re thinking?”

She wouldn’t speak of her reservations. It
wasn’t worth the chance of jeopardizing his excitement about the
Marines. “I think you’re right, the timing is off. I’m leaving for
college. You’re heading to who knows where as soon as you finish
boot camp. Four years is a long time apart.”

He watched her intertwine their fingers. “It
is. I’m not gonna lie. Not seeing you will be the hardest thing
I’ll ever have to do. It’s pretty high on my shit list.”

She giggled, but a question haunted her.
“Speaking of lists, how ‘bout we put each other on our individual
bucket list.”

“Trina naked against me,” Matt air wrote.

“Do you think…” She shifted to view him
directly. “If we are together, do you think we’ll ruin our
friendship?”

“Sweetheart—”

She melted.

“Trust me when I say our relationship will
endure anything.”

How could he be so sure? Still, she refused
not to take what this moment offered—a taste of Matt. “You’re
driving me insane.”

“Right back at ya,” he said with a groaning
laugh and kissed her.

His hot lips ignited a hunger. If she didn’t
get enough of him, she’d die of starvation.

She slid her hands into his hair, grasped the
strands, and didn’t let go.

A twig snapped and a scurry sound
followed.

He eased away, surveyed the area briefly
before turning his attention back to her. He kissed her nose,
nipped her throat, then worked his way to the spot below her ear.
Her eyes rolled, and she leaned into him. “Matt,” she moaned.

“Right here,” he said, his breath hot and
seductive. “I got to have you.”

Lord help her, she threw rationale out the
window along with her college education. “Let’s take the
chance.”

“Are you sure?”

Sure she wanted him, yes. Sure being with him
would send her on an emotional tornado for the next four years.
“Yes.”

“Trina.” He sucked in a deep breath and
buried his face in her neck. His arms tightened around her,
bringing her as close to him as he could. “I’ve been waiting.”

“You never said anything.”

He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear
before cupping her face. “I didn’t want to rush you.”

He was too good. The whole deal, every
quality she wanted in a man sat beside her. “Then it’s past time
we—”

“Trina!” Bradley called out, interrupting
them and the passion running between them. If Bradley was here, her
parents weren’t far behind. She bolted to her feet.

Matt groaned. “I’m gonna kill him.”

“You’ll have to wait in line.” She smoothed
out her skirt, fixed her shirt before pushing her disheveled hair
out of her face, and eyed the woods.

Her brother’s sun-streaked hair emerged. “You
ready?”

“Did Dad have you find me?”

“How’s it going, man?” Matt stood and clasped
Bradley’s hand.

The two men stood next to one another at
almost eye level, her brother falling short about an inch.

“I’m not looking forward to this trip with
the folks.” Bradley jutted his chin out toward her. “If it wasn’t
for Sis, I wouldn’t be going.” He shoved his hands into his
pockets. “How about you? You ready to become a Marine?”

She loved how the guys had become friendly
with one another. Though they didn’t hang out now, she suspected
after Bradley got out from under their parents’ iron fist, they’d
become good friends. Once Matt told her, “One Lovett child in
constant trouble because of me is enough.”

Matt slipped an arm around her shoulders.
“I’m gonna miss home,” he said, squeezing her close.

Bradley shook his hand. “Return in one
piece.”

“Will do.”

“I’ll see you at the road,” Bradley said.
“Good thing I jumped out of the car before Dad did. Your college
tuition would have been nonexistent.”

She exhaled.

“Mom and Dad are parked on the shoulder with
the flashers on.”

She withdrew from Matt, as if he had stung
her, and stepped to the edge of the footbridge. Immediately, she
felt ashamed. In her defense, she’d prepared to go to college for a
long time. She needed it, needed the independence. If one of her
parents had walked up on them, it would have ruined everything she
worked so hard for.

Now, anger at her parents’ lack of respect
overrode her fear. “You’re kidding me!”