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“I’m not some virgin,” Trenton said, taking a healthy swallow of his drink. “I was married, you know.”
“Come on, guys, she’s my cousin,” Malcolm said.
Blake nodded. “And your first love. Don’t think I’ve forgotten how you used to ditch us for her company when she moved in with you.”
Malcolm’s face darkened. “There was nothing romantic about that. A lot was going on at the time.”
Celia’s words from the night before came back to Trenton. Some things you can’t ever leave behind, she’d said. He’d thought she meant the breakup, but she’d denied it. “I don’t remember why she moved in with you.”
“Malcolm never said.” Blake reached over, downing the rest of Trenton’s drink and making a face. “I forgot you drink that crap. Blech. Anyway, I remember it all being hush-hush. I figured it had something to do with her sick mom. Celia wasn’t around much because she always had to take care of her.”
“Was that it?” Trenton asked, trying to think back and ignoring the way his pulse jumped at the idea of having something in common with Celia. He had also helped out while his mother was sick.
“Leave it,” Malcolm snapped, scowling at them both. “No good can come of dredging up the past.”
“Whose past?” Celia asked. Tension had filled her body, making a tremor run through the plates in her hands. “Are you all talking about me?”
“I was reminding them about how you wanted me even back then.” Blake winked at her.
Celia rolled her eyes, the lie letting her move toward the kitchen again. “That’s some serious false memory you’ve got there.” She moved past them with the dishes.
Trenton stared after her.
“That was frightening. No one should be that smooth.” Malcolm turned away as the bell chirped that an order was ready in the window.
“Even I almost believed you,” Trenton said, though his gaze didn’t move from the kitchen door until a plate clicked down in front of him. He turned back to find his turkey sandwich on rye with a side salad.
Blake groaned. “You’re in a tavern. Can’t you eat a burger and fries like the rest of us?”
The sight of the food reminded him of how hungry he was. He grabbed half of the sandwich, digging in and trying to avoid the guilt that came from lying to his new roommate, even by omission.
Chapter 11
Celiastaredintothedim light of dawn filtering into her room, her fist pressed to her chest, covering the pounding of her heart. She shivered as sweat trailed down her spine. It was ridiculous, having another dream about her mother.
Sleep would evade her again. The few hours she’d grabbed after Trenton had driven them home the night before weren’t nearly enough, but they would have to do. Shoving herself up from the bed, she padded through the dark hallway to the light of the living room. Trenton left a lamp on there, as if it were perfectly normal for a grown man to have night-lights. The cool glow of the bulb was soothing in the corner, not too bright on her eyes.
The tile of the kitchen was cool under her bare feet as she approached the countertop. That was right, she remembered. Trenton didn’t have coffee. She stared at the emptiness, kicking herself for not swinging by the store earlier in the day, before she’d gotten sucked into Malcolm’s tavern needs. She could have done a few hours’ sleep with a hit of caffeine.
While she stared blankly ahead, wondering if it was too early to make a store run, Trenton’s bedroom door opened. The man himself came striding out, no tired shuffle in his step despite him getting the same amount of sleep. She wanted to accuse him of having a hidden camera since, as soon as she couldn’t sleep, he seemed to know. Only he hadn’t acknowledged her at all, instead pressing against the wall to do some sort of leg stretch.
He was in a different pair of running shorts and a tank top, this time in her favorite dark blue. Celia had never thought she was into workout clothes on a man. A nice suit was more her style. Still, Trenton had firm calves below his shorts, and toned arms flexed as he gripped his other foot. He bent into the next stretch, and she admired the way the fabric clung to his ass, which was high and tight.
“Good morning,” she said, her voice husky from sleep, she told herself. Not from ogling him.
Trenton dropped his foot and turned to her with his signature smile. “Good morning. I didn’t expect you to be awake already, not after working that late yesterday.”
Celia shrugged. “Couldn’t sleep.” She glanced at the empty countertop with another sigh.
Trenton followed her gaze, wincing. “I forgot to pick up a coffee maker. Sorry, it slipped my mind yesterday.”
“I didn’t expect you to buy one. You don’t drink it.”
“But you do, and you’re the guest.” Trenton’s smile slipped as his lips firmed.
Celia crossed her arms. “That would make me a freeloader, and that’s not what I am. If I want coffee, I’ll buy it.”
“There’s no reason—”
