Page 18 of Bastain

“Mom wanted to get home and get some things done with her rooms. She’s taken a few of the antiques, too. One of them is a large, tall boy that she is going to use for her long dresses. She used to go to dinners with me when I was working for a firm. It’s nice to have someone on your arm when you just want to go home and take a long nap.” She was in such a good mood that she didn’t get pissy with him. She didn’t know what she’d be mad at him about, but she was cooling her temper so that they would not fight again. “Have I said something wrong?”

“Not at all. I just hurt a little bit, and I don’t want to take it out on you again. I’m trying to get along with you.” He smiled and took her hand into his. She noticed the difference right away. “I’m afraid that you’re going to be more disappointed in me than you were in Debra when you two were married. I’m not like her at all. Even though I don’t know her, I’m sure that I’m different from her.”

“You are. In so many different ways, it’s almost as if you’d been born to be her exact opposite. Where you’re calm and don’t shout when you’re angry, she’s loud and screams when things don’t go her way. If she were laying here where you are, she’d be wanting me to massage her toes or something like that. I know that if I tried that with you, you’d more than likely hit me in the face with your cast.” She told him that she would, too. “See? Big differences. And she would want this room filled with tokens of my love for her. Even though I didn’t love her all that much towards the end, she’d still want what other people didn’t have so that she’d feel special. I doubt very much you’d like cut flowers any more than I do.”

“They die.” He nodded and smiled at her. “I know I brought her up and spoke to you about her, but I don’t want to talk about your ex-wife again. She’s out of the picture, and I’m not her.”

“No, you’re not.” He leaned back in the chair that he was sitting in, and she wanted to ask him what he was smiling about. “You’re beautiful. Even banged up as badly as you are, you’re the most beautiful creature that I’ve ever seen.”

“Thank you. You’re full of shit, but I thank you.” He threw back his head and laughed. She didn’t know what he’d found so funny, but it made her smile that he was laughing with such abandonment. “You don’t laugh much, do you?”

“Not for a long time, no. Just since you’ve come into my life, have I felt like I can find humor in things again. I thank you for that.” She told him that she didn’t know what she’d done. “Just being you. Your honesty and your humor. You might not mean to make me laugh, but you do anyway. It’s a lot of fun for me to find things to laugh at again.”

“I’m happy for you. But are you saying that you’re laughing at my expense?” He shook his head, his smile sort of lazy, and his eyes half closed. “Right now, you look like you’ve got something on your mind that I’m not going to like. What is it?”

“I’d very much like to kiss you. I’ve thought about it all day and even last night. The thought of tasting your lips makes me hard, too.” She glanced down at his lap and looked away, embarrassed. “I’m sorry if I embarrassed you. But I told you that I wanted you sometime soon.”

“I’m not all that special.” He told her that she was to him. “I don’t understand that. I’m just a plain woman who doesn’t waste any time in fibbing around things so that you don’t get your feelings hurt.” He sat up, and she did as well. “What are you going to do, Bastain?”

She couldn’t believe how husky her voice sounded. When he moved to stand close to the bed, she felt her nipples tighten and her breath shallow. As he leaned down to take what he wanted, she held her breath. She knew that he was going to kiss her, but she didn’t know if that was what she wanted or not.

At first, it was just a brush of his lips over hers. Then, as he deepened the kiss, she felt his tongue at her entrance. Opening her mouth just enough for him to gain entrance, she moaned when his tongue curled around hers. It was as if he was taking her mouth for himself and leaving her behind. When his hand touched the back of her head, she cried out a little because it was so intimate. Even as he touched her breast through the gown, Trin put her hand over his and held him there. It wasn’t until he pulled away completely that she felt bereaved of his warmth.

“Someone is knocking at your door.” She didn’t know what he was saying, so she looked around. “There’s someone wanting into your room. I’m sorry. I heard them.”

“I’m sorry you did as well.” She looked at the door, then at Bastain. He was sitting down again, but he was adjusting himself. Once he nodded that he was all right, with burning cheeks, she said for the person on the other end of the door to come in. She didn’t know who it was, but she was pissed off at them. How dare they interrupt them? Then she realized what they’d been doing. What she’d allowed him to do. Looking at the door again, she couldn’t believe it when his mother was there. And she looked as if she might have known what they’d been up to. Putting her hand over her mouth, she felt the bruising there.

“I’m sorry.” She told CarolAnn that it was all right. They’d been talking. “Yes, I can see that. I’m sorry, all the same. I just came with Bastain, and I needed a ride home. I’m so sorry.”

“Of course, he can take you home.” She heard the low growl and thought that it was sexy. “He can take you home and go to bed. Alone. He’ll be alone in his bed tonight. Every night. Forgive me. I’m babbling.”

After they left, she felt horrible. Like she’d been a fool in allowing Bastain to kiss her. But it had been more than a kiss, it had been touching too, and she’d liked it. Lying back on her bed, she vowed never to be alone with him again. He was simply too dangerous.

When the door opened again, there he stood. Before she could say a word to him, he pulled her up from the bed and kissed her. Kissed her deeply and full of passion. She was laying back in her bed, her covers all askew, and he was gone. Damn it, man, she was going to kill him the next time she saw him. And she’d never even got to kiss him back.

Chapter 7

Bastain had to get up and take another shower. He’d been thinking of Trinity all night, and it was getting him nowhere but hard as stone. As soon as he got out of the shower, having jerked off again, he didn’t feel any better than he had before. Nothing was working to get her delicate kisses and touch out of his mind so that he could sleep.

Finally, he just got up. Getting dressed for the day, he realized that it was four in the morning. He thought about going by to see Trinity again, but she’d be sleeping, and he didn’t know if he’d be able to leave her again. The first time had been hard enough, and he didn’t know how he’d done it then. Pulling on his jeans and t-shirt, he was headed to the antique building on Maple so that he could lose himself in picking out things for his house. The master bedroom was finished. All he had to do now was finish the other four rooms, and he’d be done. His mom’s room was finished as well.

“I didn’t expect to see you here.” He was startled out of his thoughts when Dayton spoke. He told him he couldn’t sleep. “Me either. I’ve been excited about moving into my own house, so I thought I’d come by and see if there was anything left for me to snitch. I guess there is more here than I thought.”

“Seven rooms. That doesn’t count the antiques in the four bathrooms. She had stuff everywhere.” Dayton said that he was looking for a kitchen table and chairs that he could put in the kitchen. The block table that was in the room was too big for him to be able to have meals there. “I’m sure there are plenty. Did you look in the kitchen areas?”

The two of them looked around for some of what Dayton needed and found just what he was looking for. Bastain told him he could have it, as he had already picked out one for his home. He told him that it was only for about three people, but it was the perfect size for the place he wanted it at.

“I’m finding all kinds of things in this place that I never thought to put into my house. Did you know that there are baskets around here? They’re handy for putting extra towels in when you need them in the bathroom.” They went to the area where Tilly had stacked up baskets from the floor to the ceiling in three large stacks. They were beautifully made, too, and even though he didn’t know what he’d be using them for, Dayton took a couple to his home, too. “When is David moving out?”

“Next week. He’s leaving behind most of the furniture. He wants to start fresh, and so he’s not taking a great deal with him. He said that I could keep it or burn it for all he cared. I think he’s just looking forward to getting out of town while he can. Did you ever hear back from the testing group about Tilly?” He said that he’d heard this morning. “And? What did they say? I’m hoping that she’s unfit to stand trial so that she can be put away somewhere. Whatever gets her out of everyone’s hair. I have a good source at the prison who said that she’s still going on about the checks like she deserves them. That Trin had no right to have them when she was her sister. I wonder if anyone has pointed out that she was her mom to her?”

“They have. It’s been a nightmare since she got it into her head that the money belonged to her. And the Social Security office isn’t pressing charges against Trinity either. They’re saying that she went well and above her job in trying to get someone to stop sending them to her mom.” He thought about some of the horrible things he’d said to Trinity and the one shot about her mom being dead. “I’ve fallen in love with the girl.”

“Congratulations. I never saw that coming.” He said that he’d fallen in love with her from the first time he’d seen her, but was too pissy to realize it. “I’d say that’s about right. You were pretty mean to her when she started talking to you. What changed your mind?”

“I don’t know. I’m not supposed to do this anymore, you know, compare her to Debra, but she’s nothing like her. I think that’s what I was expecting her to become. Another Debra and wanting all my money.” He laughed. “She told me that she’s not signing a prenup because she doesn’t want my money. Hell, Dayton, she barely wants me around.”

“Are you sure that’s…Never mind. Of course, your money is safe with her around. She might not have much of her own, but she wouldn’t touch yours either. She might even put hers with yours just to keep her money safe.” The two of them laughed and patted each other on the back. “She’s something else. I can’t wait for her to be my sister. She feels like she is already.”