Lucille combed and cut on the last layer of hair. “You’ve seen the plans on Trent’s house?”
“Several times. I went with him to draft the prints up and worked with him through each step of the way.” She laughed a little. “I guess next we’ll be looking at house paint and carpets.”
She got the eyebrow in response from Charlene and Tonya was able to breathe a sigh of relief because it was finally coming. She could see it on Charlene’s mind. “How is Marc doing?”
The smile that started to cross Tonya’s face would have been way too big for this moment. To hide it, she reached up and scratched her cheek. “I’m not sure. We broke up about four months ago.”
Charlene and Lucille’s mouths dropped at the same time. Lucille recovered first. “I hadn’t heard.”
Tonya could only shrug. “It was a mutual thing. He wants to stay in the military and I don’t want to leave my diner.” They were both silent. She didn’t know what else to do but keep talking. “We’ve just grown apart.”
Lucille nodded and returned to cutting. “Well I can see how that can happen. You’ve been apart a long time.”
Charlene swished her cup, stirring up her green mash of things. “It’s hard being away from the one you love while he’s gone to war. My husband went to war. Gone for a long time. I wasn’t sure how it was going to work out when he got back, but I stayed faithful and look at us.”
Um. Okay? She wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Lucille saved her. “You were married. You couldn’t just walk away. And him going to the war wasn’t by choice. He was drafted, if I remember right.”
“He was.”
“See?” Lucille pointed with the tip of her extra sharp scissors. “Completely different than what Tonya’s been doing. He just up and left her high and dry.”
That smile she was feeling earlier was nowhere around. No one was supposed to go under the bus here, as much as she’d like to see Marc under there. The less the better. The less to gossip about, the faster it would go away. “We just grew apart. No hard feelings.”
Lucille hummed. “Then you’re better than I would be. I thought you should have left him the day he left and didn’t take you with him.”
“I wanted to stay. This was going to be our home.”
“Home is where you park it as a family. Not the dirt you’re standing on.”
She bit her lip. Probably best not to say anything further. The truth was out. The news of it would spread soon. That would be the end of it. No use getting in this further and saying something she’d end up regretting.
Chapter Nine
Trent sat at the chair behind Tonya’s desk and fed the small stack of papers into the shredding machine. If he didn’t do it, Tonya would let it back up until paper covered the whole desk. So one at a time, he fed the cheap machine paper. What she really needed was a bigger and better shredder. He had the money. He could get one for her.
In fact, he should do that right now. Anything had to be better than sitting around and thinking of last night on her couch. Remember her being flushed. Her breathy pants. The grip of her hand around his cock.
He groaned and quit messing with the paper in favor of scrubbing over his face. For some crazy, stupid reason, he’d just left last night. Left while she was naked and sprawled across the couch. He’d dumbly walked out.
Because that’s what you did, right? After the moment was over. You left. Exactly how things worked—but not with the girl he wanted the next day, the next week, hell the next year maybe. He tapped his cheek. He should have cuddled. Or at least hung around long enough to see if she’d wanted a round two. Of the real deal. Not some hand moments that was embarrassing.
My God
. He brushed a hand over his face. The night replayed over him as he recalled blowing his wad with her for the first time in her hand. In. Her. Hand. What was he, fifteen?
The doorknob twisted and clicked. In peeked the woman he wanted wearing a big smile and a shirt that fit in all the best ways possible. Her hair was down. He frowned, wondering if he’d ever seen her in the diner with her hair down. Rarely was it ever down at all, but especially not in the diner. It was a food hazard, as he’d heard her explain to nearly every new employee who stepped foot in the kitchen.
“Thank God you’re in here.” She pushed the door closed and leaned against it, her hands behind her back.
“Looking for me?” He lifted his phone and didn’t see any messages or missed calls from her.
“I was coming here to check on things. I saw your truck in the back and was hoping you were in my office.” She was breathless. Cheeks were flushed too.
“Samantha said you’d stepped out for a few minutes. Are you all right?”
She swallowed and nodded. Then pulled in a long, slow, deep breath. It all whooshed out of her in seconds. “It’s done. I told Lucille. And as bonus, Charlene was there. They both know. Everyone will know soon.”
“Already?”
She nodded and walked to him, her hands coming up to cover her face. Fingers shook a little against her cheeks. “I called first thing this morning and got a hair appointment. I usually always call last minute and it’s at least a couple days. She had a highlight cancelation though and got me right in.” She rung her hands, paced the small office. So small that she made about two steps before turning and making another pass of two to three steps and then back. “I just can’t believe it’s over. It’s done. Out of my hands. All this time and it’s done.”
He smiled at her, wondering if he’d ever seen her this…happy before. It was everything about her. The bounce in her step. The ringing over her hands. Not to mention the big, broad smile on her face. Hell, it didn’t matter how they turned out, he was happy for her. After all this time, he knew it wouldn’t be an easy thing to do. “No regrets?”
“Are you kidding?” She took another big breath and stared up. “I should have done that ages ago. It’s just this huge weight unloaded off my back in the span of twenty minutes. I can hardly believe it. I keep thinking to myself that’s it’s not real. That I didn’t get the courage to finally do it. That I’m going to wake up any minute. And you know what?” She quit pacing, turned on her heel and faced him. “It’s not a dream. I’m not going to wake up.”
He reached forward and caught her hands, pulled her forward until she stood between his parted thighs. He pulled more. Pulled her over so that she bent at the waist and forehead landed on his. “I’m glad you’re happy.”
She closed her eyes and nodded a little. “Happiest day of my life in a long time. I finally quit peddling in place.”
He tipped his head back and found her mouth, sealing his lips across hers. He didn’t have to tug anymore. She was on him. Over him. Stepping over his thighs and sitting on his lap. The heat of her center sat against his zipper and the damn thick denim barred him.
All these clothes. Another horrible position to get out of them. Why did they keep ending up like this?
And yes, he knew they were in her office. And no, he didn’t give a shit. That door locked when it closed. Nobody was coming through it. Anyone who was here was busy working. She opened for him and he tasted something strange.
He stopped, pulled back, smacked his tongue in his mouth. “Why do you taste like grass?”
She tipped her head back and laughed. “Payment for telling my secrets. I had to drink some nasty spinach soy thing. I’m not sure what all went in it, but it wouldn’t surprise me if grass was included.”
He rubbed a hand over his mouth. “You taste like a lawn mower.”
She leaned forward and hung her arms off his shoulders. “Does it turn you on?”
He leaned back, smelling it on her breath now. “Not really.”
“It’s something to do with some sort of diet Charlene is on.”
“You don’t need to diet.” He leaned back for fresh air.
She shook her head. “Never. I drank it to save face, that’s all.”
He reached in the drawer and she opened for him as he popped a white mint in her mouth. “You should have said no.”
“You don’t say no to Charlene. Not even when she’s handing you something that looks like a blended leprechaun.”
He nodded. Good Charlene. Nice lady when you’re on her good side. An evil bitch who could twist the best of stories and situations around when you weren’t. “Good job taking one for the team.”
She leaned across him, hands sliding around his head and lips touching his. “How do you like me now?”
Sweet mint fell from her tongue against his. Cool at first, then warm heat.
He stood, gripping her ass, molded his hands around her sweet curves and moved to the futon bed against the wall. He sat her down, grabbed the railing and jerked the couch out to a bed. “Do you know how much I’m digging this bed in your office right now?”
She ripped her shirt overhead and tossed it aside. “And you said it was wasted space.”
“It was. Now I have a good use for it.” He stripped his clothes off, tossed them to pile with hers and then ran back to his wallet for a condom.
She visibly relaxed. From breath falling out of her to head tipping back as she stared toward the ceiling. “Thank goodness you had that.”
“Yeah. It would have sucked to get dressed and drive home just for a condom.”
She laughed and grabbed him by the shoulders, pulling him down. “Hell no. I would have called Samantha and had her slip me one under the door.”
He rested on his elbows over her and combed his fingers through her hair. So soft. And thick. He twisted the ends around his fingers. “I like it down.”
She glanced at his fingers turning it. “I haven’t gotten it back up since I had it cut.”
“Wear it down when you’re home.”
A brow lifted and he combed through it again. That brow softened, her eyes drifted closed and she moaned. “Play with it like that and I’ll wear down as often as I can.”
He wrapped the strands around his palm and gave a little tug.
She started, her legs bent up on either side of his hips and eyes flew open.
“What if I play with it like that?”
“Pull it out and we might have a few problems.” She dragged her nails over his head and chills swept down his spine. “I think we’d be too
matchy
if we we’re both bald.”
He laughed, dropped her hair and kissed her. Took her deep. Thrust his tongue past her lips and she opened for him. Wrapped her arms around his neck, held him close.
This was how he wanted her. All the dreaming, wanting, desiring was about adding this to what they already had. Now that he had her, she was his. For a year he’d sat on the sidelines, wanting more than their close friendship. Having to basically rip himself away from her at night and force each agonizing step to his trailer in the lot next to hers.
For a year.
He sealed his mouth firmer over hers. Hugged her tight to him. All that was over now. He knew how to treat her. He wasn’t going to be an idiot like that fool who’d left her behind and neglected.
Her legs slid against his hips and he kissed her jaw, neck. Tasted the sweet heat of her skin. Finally discovered the pert tip of her nipples on his tongue and best of all, the breathy way she whispered his name.
Needy.
Achy.
Desiring.
One long exhale where she arched under him. Thrust her breasts closer to him.
Mine
. All his. Her nails raked over the top of his head and she held him, tugged him. “Trent,” she whispered again in that honey sweet voice. “Please.”
Her hips lifted against his stomach and he eased up, her legs opened wider and the tip of him waited at her entrance. He pushed against her slow. Eased in, pulled back. Stretching and giving her time. He wasn’t sure how long it’d been for her, but to his knowledge she’d remained celibate.
He tested a little further. Her entrance was tight, gripping. He wanted to plunge forward, but he squeezed his already fisted hands and backed up, pressed in again. Her breath caught, the air stopped and slid out across his shoulder with each thrust he made. God, give him strength. He bit down and held still a few moments as her whispered pants brushed against his skin.
He pushed further. Couldn’t stand to pull out and inched ever so slightly closer. Her breath stopped again and he was helpless. Reduced to aching need and he slid the rest of the way in as her fingernails surely left marks over his shoulders while a whimpered moan vibrated out her throat.
Somehow he managed to remain still. Every last pulse thudded between his ears. Nearly deafened him to her breathing, but not quite enough. He loosened his hands so to move hair from her forehead. “Okay so far?”
“Fantastic.”
He kissed her, got her to let go of that bite she had on her lower lip. The grip and dig of nails in his shoulders eased. He needed the slowdown himself before he absolutely just lost it. And she was so easy to get lost in. Not just lost in her kiss, but everything. Especially time. Time…it didn’t matter. It didn’t exist. Any obligations or promises made just seemed to disappear when he was with her.
While kissing? Everything was gone. It was her. And that’s it. All that mattered. His girl in his life. Someone he didn’t think he’d ever find.
Her legs softened, caressed up and down his hips and thighs. He pulled back, arched a little, and moved against her slick, tight heat. She held him firm, each thrust and movement a pass of friction and stronger aching want.