Trey set his empty glass on the table then turned toward me, the flames from the fireplace battling the shadows in the room and casting a warm glow on his olive-toned skin, highlighting the sharp angle of his strong jaw. I sipped at my drink, hyperaware of his leg touching mine.
“It’s getting late, and I’ve got a conference call early tomorrow morning.” Trey stood and gathered everything but the drink I’d curled my hands around. I forced myself to get up and followed him into the kitchen. “What I can’t figure out”—he set everything down, took the glass from me, then stepped close and brushed a stray curl behind my ear, and I shivered in the wake of his touch—“is why Sofia never introduced us.”
Me too. “As I said, I’ve only met her for lunch or coffee outside of shopping. But we had met before.”
“I remember that night well. And I’m sorry for the way I left things.”
I shrugged, doing my best to make it seem as if his rejection hadn’t cut me to the bone that night. “I understand. Sofia shared a little with me.”
He towered over me, and I had to tilt my head back because of how close he was standing. My gaze darted to his unwavering stare. Then he threaded his fingers with my hand. His dilated pupils crowded the warm brown of his irises. Excruciatingly slowly, Trey bent toward me, and I held my breath in expectation of what he was about to do.
In the gentlest of caresses, his lips brushed over mine. Pings of electricity followed in the wake of the kiss, and I leaned into him, my other hand resting on his solid chest, wanting more. Locked together in the tender moment, a jolt of desire hit me like a bolt of lightning. Heat pooled low in my stomach, and he urged me closer so that my body was flush against his. On a gasp, my lips parted, he deepened the kiss, and the world blurred in a breathtaking rush. A burst of need sizzled through me at the connection I felt at his touch, and I gave myself over to it, never wanting it to stop.
Trey
Kissing Hailey hit me with an intensity I couldn’t deny. The kiss was meant to be a peck goodnight, a gentle brush over her lips, and nothing more. But everything changed in the moment we touched. My head buzzed with desire—I had to have more of her.
The warmth of her skin urged me closer, and we pressed our bodies together. I devoured Hailey’s soft lips. A sexy moan slipped from the back of her throat, acting as an aphrodisiac, fueling the powerful desire that’d sparked from the first touch of the woman I’d found myself inexplicably attracted to from the start.
The hold I had on my control thinned as we kissed, and I knew I would have to stop or I would urge her to take things to the bedroom. It was too soon for both of us. When I drew back, my body fought me. The sensation of holding her in my arms was something I’d never experienced before. There was no explanation beyond it feeling right. She fit. I reluctantly slowed the tempo of our frantic kiss to what it had been when we’d first touched, a tender caress. Her grip tightened on mine, and I slid my other hand from the back of her neck, easing away so there was an inch of space between our bodies. I rested my forehead against hers for a moment then slowly untangled us.
Her lashes fluttered open, and her vibrant green eyes met mine in an unfocused daze that called to me, attacking my resistance. I stepped farther away, breaking the addictive contact.
“What was that?” Hailey swayed unsteadily.
I lightly grasped her hip to steady her, secretly pleased she’d been as affected as I was. “That was worth exploring”—my voice was low and raspy, riddled with want—“but not tonight.” I guided her in the direction of the bedrooms. “Get some rest. We’ll talk more in the morning after my conference call.”
I stood there another couple of seconds after she’d disappeared into her bedroom, the shock at what had happened and how I felt keeping me rooted to the spot. I’d mourned Teresa’s loss as though she had been the one, but that kiss had just blown that theory to hell. It shook me to the core.
I gripped the back of one of the living room chairs as the sound of Teresa’s light and bubbly laugh filled my mind, and my eyes drifted shut. She’d allowed me to forget who I was, in a way. Her carefree smile and easy vibe let me slip into the skin of a regular guy.
I could never hide the omnipresent threat of violence, given my family. The way I would react if there was trouble and the deep, instinctive drive to protect those I loved that would surpass anything else. She’d known that about me. It would have been impossible not to. But she’d acted like I was another college guy and would insist we go out on dates to the movies, to get ice cream, to walk on the goddamned beach without guards. She wanted to be normal because that was what she was. And for the short time I was with her, I pretended.
Hailey wasn’t innocent like Teresa was. Not fully. She bent the law to her whim, something my family did all the time. I couldn’t deny the way I felt with Hailey, but I wasn’t ready to let the memory of my time with Teresa go just yet. I ran a weary hand over my face and pushed away from the chair. I needed sleep and to examine what I could potentially have with Hailey with a clear head.
As I passed her closed door on the way to my room, I paused, my hand halfway to her doorknob before I caught my subconscious intent and pulled back. Even though I knew I shouldn’t, I stood there for a moment, listening. No sound came from beyond her door. My room wasn’t far, and I forced myself to go inside and shut the door behind me before I peeled off my clothes and dropped them on my way to the bathroom. After brushing my teeth, I face-planted onto the mattress, shut my eyes, and fell into a deep sleep.
CHAPTER NINE
HAILEY
My face heated as my fingers fluttered to swollen lips that still tingled from his touch. Realization set in that I’d kissed the guy I’d been secretly crushing on for over a year, and my heart stuttered.
When he’d eased back after the kiss then put added space between us, it could have devastated me, but his huge pupils told me he was just as attracted to me, even if the timing wasn’t the greatest.
With the bedroom door shut behind me, I leaned against it, pondering what the heck I was going to do. I’d already decided to stay. With someone as powerful as Trey La Rosa taking on my quest, it just made sense. Something inside me clicked, and for the first time in a long time, I felt like I was where I was supposed to be. I pushed off the door and headed to the bathroom to get ready for bed. It was going to be a long night filled with dreams of that kiss.
Hours later, I awoke to sunlight spilling into my borrowed bedroom. I shoved off the blue-gray blanket that matched the accent wall behind the headboard. It was day two of my grand plan to ransom the money from Allen. I felt the second hand on the clock like a ticking time bomb for several reasons. The priority was to find and redistribute the cash to where it should have gone in the first place, but another issue taunted me—the finite remainder of my stay with Trey.
I pushed the worry aside for later and slid my legs over the side of the mattress until they rested on the pretty rug that reflected the colors in the room. It covered a portion of the light-colored wood floor and was warm beneath my feet.
After a quick shower, I used the new toothbrush I’d found in the bathroom the night before. I got dressed in the only clothes I had—gross. But at least I’d washed my panties in the sink before I’d gone to sleep. Fortunately, they were clean and dry by morning.
Back in the bedroom, I bent to retrieve my sweatshirt from where I’d dropped it. After threading my arms through the sleeves, I pulled it over my head and adjusted it until the soft material hung in place. I’d done the best I could with my hair, which wasn’t saying much. I wasn’t willing to let it bother me.
When I went into the main living space, it was to find Trey already seated at the island with a serving of eggs in front of him. He turned when I neared. His smile was blinding, and my stomach fluttered in response.
“Morning.” Then he dragged forward another plate that had been blocked from my sight. “I made some for you too.”