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“I know,” she said, unable to say more for the lump in her throat.
His gaze seemed to devour her, and Crystal shivered from head to toe. “You don’t own a single dress like this,” he said in a low voice. “Your clothes are classy. This is—is something a call girl would wear.”
His angry voice shook her to her bones, but she was still too furious with him over his offer to “keep her” to stay on the side of caution. “Isn’t that what you wanted me to be? Actually, this dress ought to fit the image you have of me much better.”
He shoved a hand through his hair. “Will you never forget about that? You’re the most stubborn woman!”
Her anger drained away at his description. Was she truly that stubborn? She had no retort. Nothing at all came to mind.
Trent cupped her face in his large, calloused palms. “I don’t want to keep picking at this wound. You’re here now, and I want to show you something.”
Crystal looked around and realized Brad had disappeared. “Yes, I’m here. I’m not sure why I haven’t walked out yet, though.”
“Come with me,” he said as he led her to the private apartment upstairs. Once inside, he flipped on the light and said, “I’ve missed you.”
“Trent,” she said his name in warning as she crossed her arms over her chest.
His expression was one of comfort, as if he was trying to let her know that everything would be okay. His anger dissipated, and he was once again in control of his emotions. She wished she was so quick to bounce back. But then his heart wasn’t breaking with every sliver of time she spent with him. He didn’t know that she was deeply, madly, helplessly in love.
Trent reached out for her hand, and Crystal stared at it a moment as if in a daze, then finally she took it. He held it tight and pulled her over to the bed. He gently sat her down on the side of the bed, then to her utter shock, he knelt in front of her and said, “I’m sorry for what I said. I’ve been slowly dying since you left me.”
In that moment, Crystal saw a vulnerable side to Trent. He’d seemed so confident and in control. Watching him now, she knew she wasn’t the only one with their emotions in overdrive. It went a long way to soothe her ravaged heart.
“You don’t want any other men except Mac and me,” he whispered. “You sure as hell don’t want Brad.”
It wasn’t a question, but she answered him anyway. “No, and it’s frustrating, believe me.”
He frowned. “Why does this bother you, baby?”
“Because you’re no good for me, Trent. You insulted me, and still here I sit.” She covered her face in her hands and groaned.
Trent pried her fingers away and brought them to his lips, where he kissed each fingertip with relish. Crystal opened her eyes to see Trent staring at her hands.
“You were slipping through my fingers, like water. I thought to capture you before you were gone completely.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I reacted badly with you,” he explained as he looked back up at her. “I wanted you to stay and you made me feel . . . needy. I’m not real good at feeling needy. It goes against my very nature.” He stroked her cheek with his thumb and murmured, “You send me out of control every time you’re near me.”
She understood because she felt the same way. “This may come as a shock, but you aren’t the only one who hates that feeling.”
Trent’s eyes held hers captive as he wrapped his hand around the nape of her neck and drew her close. “Mm, so I’m beginning to see,” he murmured, then he kissed her. It was so brief and soft, she barely had time to take in his scent before he pulled away. “This evening is for you.”
She had no idea what he meant by that, but when he released her and pushed her backward until she was sprawled atop the cool blankets, she forgot everything she was thinking. Her worries flew
out the window as erotic images of her gorgeous lover filled her head.
Trent, in all his bronzed and dark-haired glory, stripped out of his clothes and spread out on the bed next to her. His well-muscled body and the intensity in his eyes were enough to have any woman drooling, but the heavy weight between his legs made her face burn. He was hard and ready, and he was all hers.
Crystal tore her eyes away from his erection and searched his face for answers. He didn’t wear his heart on his sleeve the way she did, but Crystal could still make out his thoughts. It was as if he was trying to reassure her, even encourage her to take the lead. She was lost to this new type of lovemaking.
Trent wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her stiff body in tight. She was as rigid as a wooden plank, every muscle strung tight with nerves and fear.
“Relax. Leave all the big questions for later. For now, just feel my body against yours,” Trent softly commanded, his voice so rich and smooth, sliding over her skin, soothing and firing her blood at the same time.
“It all feels different now. I’m scared,” she confessed and buried her nose into his side.
“I know, but it will be okay,” Trent promised.
