Authors: Melanie J. Cole
CHAPTER 37
TRENT
I’m lying in Jude’s old bed, staring up at the ceiling. I keep replaying that kiss over and over in my mind. I’ve dreamed and fantasized about what our first kiss would be like, so many times, and none of them even came close - to the real thing. Her lips were even softer and more tantalizing than I could ever imagine. Karma’s across the hall in my old bedroom. The thought of her lying in my old bed - has my pulse racing. I wonder what she’s wearing. I wonder if she’s thinking about our kiss, too. Damnit! I sound like a little bitch. I reach down to double check that my dick is still attached. Yep, he’s there, hard as a rock. Fuck! I want her so badly. The kiss has only made me want her more than ever.
I’m getting ready to reach down and relieve myself, when my door opens up. Karma steps inside wearing a long dark colored t-shirt. It comes down to her knees, and somehow
, she still manages to make it look sexy. “Are you awake?” Her voice is a soft whisper.
I push up onto my elbows, so that I can see her better. “Yeah, are you okay?”
I really hope she isn’t regretting our kiss.
She slides her foot back and forth in the carpet. “Yeah, I just don’t want to be alone. Can I sleep in here, with you?”
“Sure,” I slide over to the side
, giving her plenty of room. The last thing I need is for her to feel my erection, and run for the hills. I start thinking of things to help get my dick in check. Jude in his underwear, yeah that seems to work. My dick starts to deflate like a balloon.
Karma makes her way over to the bed
- painstakingly slowly. She slides beneath the covers, and her sweet peach scent assaults my nose. Jude! Jude! Jude! My dick can’t seem to control itself around her. I’m beginning to sweat. “Did you have a nightmare?” I have to get my mind off of that kiss, and how good she smells.
She rolls onto her side so that she’s facing me. “No. I just couldn’t go to sleep. I think you chased away all of my nightmares.”
“Yeah, I couldn’t sleep either. I’m sorry for the way I acted, when you told me about Aaron. If you want to talk some more, I promise, I’ll stay calm this time.”
Hearing about the way Aaron treated her, will definitely keep my dick in check. I’m done getting pissed over Aaron. He’ll be getting his soon enough. I called Jimmy earlier this afternoon, and even though I didn’t get to talk to him, I left him a message with Aaron’s name, and what little info I had on him. This is the fucking DEA we’re talking about, here. They won’t just barge in and arrest him. They’ll take their time, stake him out, and gather massive amounts of evidence - before they make their move. When they’re done with him - there’s no way in hell - his parents will be able to get him out of it. I just have to sit back and be patient.
She lifts up onto her elbow. “Why did you freak out?”
She asks, dragging me out of my own head.
I shake my head back and forth. “There are things about my past that you don’t know, Karma.”
She studies me for several seconds. “So, tell me.”
I don’t mind telling her my business. I trust her, and I want her to know everything about me. Besides, it’s the least I can do. She’s opened up to me. “Before I was adopted, I grew up in an abusive family. Up until I was ten, I watched my Dad beat my Mom - constantly.” I shake my head bitterly. “There wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it.”
“Did he ever hit you?” Her bottom lip has a slight tremble to it.
“Only once, that’s when child services stepped in.” I reach out, and wipe a tear from her cheek. “Don’t cry for me, Karma. Being taken away from that home was the best thing that ever happened to me. But when I seen Aaron shove you onto the ground that night, it took me back to my past, and I totally lost it.”
She scoots over and puts her head onto my chest. “What happened to your Mom?”
I comb my fingers through her long hair. Somehow this movement, and feeling her against me, calms me down. “She called a couple of times to check on me, and then she just disappeared. She never tried to fight for me. I haven’t heard from her in years.”
She throws her arm across my chest. “I’m so sorry, Trent.”
I lean forward and kiss her forehead. “Don’t be. It was a long time ago.”
CHAPTER 38
KARMA
Having Trent open up to me about his past is heart wrenching. I feel so bad for him. No wonder he totally flipped out when I told him how Aaron treated me.
“Hey,” he’s running the tips of his fingers up and down my spine.
“Hmmm,” I lift my head up
, and look at him.
“Do you want to tell me more about your relationship with Aaron?”
I bite down on my bottom lip, contemplating. I’m not so sure if that is a good idea. “Are you sure you want to hear it?”
“I want to hear anything that you want to tell me. I’m here for you. I always will be. If talking about it will make you feel better - and help you to move on - then I’m all for it.”
I sit up and pull my knees up against my chest. “I already told you the worst part. The rest is pretty much the same. He’d get totally pissed off - for no reason at all - drive me out into the middle of nowhere, beat the shit out of me, and then we’d have sex. Well actually, he had sex with me. I’d just lay there and cry. I don’t even think it was about the sex. With Aaron everything was about control. He wanted to control everything that I did. He told me how to dress, where I could and couldn’t go, who I could and couldn’t hang out with.”
I shake my head bitterly. “Poor Dusty, I can’t even remember how many times he tried to call me. He thought he had done something to piss me off. Anna told me that he was so upset, that he actually thought about dropping out of school, for awhile. That’s what I hated most of all - hurting him. He’s like a brother to me. He forgave me so easily after Aaron. It made me feel even worse.”
I glance over at Trent, to see how he’s handling everything. He has a solemn expression on his face, as he stares at the wall. I lean my head against his shoulder, and sigh. “It’s weird being able to talk about all of this with someone. Since I’ve been spending time with you, it seems like all of this happened so long ago. Is that weird?”
He turns his head and kisses my forehead. “No. That’s not weird. I wish there was a way that I could erase it all from your mind. No, scratch that. I wish there was a way I could fix it, so that it never happened. I’ll never let him hurt you again.”
I pull back and look at him. The gold flecks in his eyes are illuminated by the sunlight, coming through the window. I can’t help myself. I lean in and kiss him. God, he’s an amazing kisser. The way he nips and sucks on my lips, as he caresses my face. He absolutely takes my breath away. I swear, I could spend the entire day wrapped up in his arms.
I pull away abruptly. I don’t won’t to move too fast. “I need to go and get dressed.” I slip out of the bed
, and walk across the hall to his old bedroom.
The ride home seemed so much quicker
, than the drive to his parent’s house, had been. I remove my helmet and let him help me off of the bike. “Thank you. I had a really good time.”
He pulls his helmet off, and grins at me. “So did I.” He leans ove
r and plants a gentle kiss, on the tip of my nose. “Come on. I’ll walk you to your door.” He takes my hand and laces his fingers through mine.
CHAPTER 39
TRENT
Last night was a huge success. She even let me kiss her, and damn, what a kiss it was. It’s like her lips were made just for me. I fall back onto my bed, and put my hands behind my head. The way she trusts me enough to sleep in the same bed as me, and the way she opens up to me - it makes me feel like I’m ten feet tall. As much as I’ve dreamed, and thought about her over the years, it was nothing compared to the way I feel, spending time with her. She’s everything.
“Hey, where were you last night?” Jude’s standing at the foot of my bed, glaring at me. What in the hell did I do?
“I took Karma to Mom and Dad’s, why?”
He creases his brows. “I thought they were on vacation.”
I sit up so that I can look at him. “They are. I used my key.”
“Why in the fuck did you take her there?”
I shrug my shoulders. “Because, I wanted to go swimming.”
He keeps eyeing me suspiciously. “Doesn’t the university have a pool?”
“Yeah, but I wanted to be alone with her.”
“Ah, I see. Was it everything you dreamed it would be?” He
bats his eyes, taunting me. The asshole!
“Actually
, it was.”
His eyes go wide. “So, you finally cracked her good-girl act. How was she?”
I grab my book and throw it at him. I’m aiming for his nose, but unfortunately, he dodges it. “Stop saying shit like that - about her.”
He rolls his eyes. “I’m confused. Did you fuck her or not?”
I grind my molars together. “No, I didn’t fuck her! I’m not trying to get into her pants.” I say exasperatedly. Don’t get me wrong, whenever she’s ready, I won’t turn her down. But that isn’t what this is about. I’m not using her. I have feelings for her – strong feelings. I want to spend every minute, of every day, with her. She’s all I think about.
“What do you want, anyway?” I know he didn’t come in here to ask me about my night with Karma.
He leans back against the wall. “We’re a little short handed down at the garage. I was wondering if you’d be willing to help out. It would help you out, too.”
I cock my brow at him. “How would it help me out?”
“It pays twelve dollars an hour.”
Okay, now he has my attention. “What would I have to do?”
“You’d help out wherever we needed you. Mostly, you’d be changing oil. Do you think you could handle that?”
“Yeah, I can handle that. When would I start?”
He tosses a work shirt at me. “Right now.”
Okay, so this is not the way I’d planned on spending my Saturday morning, but I’m going to roll with it. The extra money will be nice. I’m thinking about buying a motorcycle.
I can’t hide my smile as I remember the way Karma felt pressed up against me, on Jude’s bike.
“Hey Trent,” Jude slaps me on the back of my head.
“What the fuck, Jude?”
“I need you to stay focused.” I turn to face him
, and see he has another guy with him. “This is Coby. He started working here a couple of weeks ago. He’s going to show you what to do. If you need anything, I’ll be in my office.” Jude turns around and walks towards the back of the building.
I nod my head at Co
by. “Hey, I’m Trent.”
“Yeah, I know. Jude told me he was going to try to get me some help. It’s been crazy the past couple of days.” He wipes his hands on a piece of cloth. “Come on
, I’ll show you what to do.”
I follow him across the garage
, to an old Chevy pick-up truck. He pops the hood and looks back at me. “Do you know how to change spark plugs?”
I nod my head. “Yeah,”
it’s not rocket science. I’ve changed the plugs in my truck plenty of times. Chevrolets are pretty easy to get to, especially the older models.
Co
by hands me a wrench. “Well get started, and let me know when you’re finished.”
Yeah, this is definitely not the way I wanted to spend my Saturday. It’s okay, though. I get off at three, and I’ve already made plans to go to Karma’s. We’re going to watch the first season of Bates Motel.
CHAPTER 40
KARMA
“Get up sleepy head!” Anna is bouncing up and down on my bed.
I drag my covers up over my head. “What do you want?” I was having a really good dream about Trent, and I’m a little pissed that she’s disturbing me.
“Dusty’s here and we’re going to go shopping.” She squeals, clapping her hands together.
Okay
, she’s redeemed herself. I haven’t been shopping in weeks. I push my covers off. “Okay that sounds good, but I have to shower first.”