I leaned down and kissed him, and he pushed off from the floor, sending us into a spin.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
As a sea of drunken and happy people passed through the Red Door, the party kicked into full swing. Raegan and I were buzzing behind the bar at full speed, in metallic dresses and high heels. Our tip jars were overflowing, and the live band was busting out a decent rendition of "Hungry Like the Wolf." A long line wrapped around the building as people waited to be let in as others left. We were at capacity, and it didn't look to be slowing down until close--typical for New Year's Eve.
"Yeah!" Raegan said, bouncing her head to the beat. "Love this song!"
I shook my head as I poured a cocktail into a glass.
Trenton, Travis, and Shepley made their way through the crowd to the bar, and I was instantly happy. "You made it!" I said. I pulled their favorite beers from the cooler, popped the tops, and set them on the bar.
"I said I would," Trenton said. He leaned across the bar and pecked my lips. I glanced over at Travis. "Did you happen to say anything?"
"Nope." He winked at me. A guy a row back from Trenton ordered a Jack and Coke, and I began to pour, trying not to stare as Trenton walked away. The holidays were always fun, and I loved working when it was crazy busy, but for the first time, I wished I was on the other side of the bar.
The boys found a table and sat. Shepley and Trenton seemed to be having a good time, but Travis was sipping his beer, trying to pretend he wasn't miserable, and failing.
"Jorie!" I called. "Keep that table loaded with beer and shots, please." I set up a tray, and she took it over.
"Yes, ma'am," she said, shaking her ass to the music as she walked.
A curvy redhead approached the Maddox table, and hugged Trenton. A strange, uncomfortable feeling came over me. I wasn't sure what it was, but I didn't like it. She spoke to him for a few moments, and then stood between the brothers. She had that look of hope in her eyes I'd seen many times when women spoke to Travis. Pretty soon the crowd obscured my view. I grabbed cash out of someone's hand and rang him up, handing him his change. The leftover dollars dropped into the tip jar, and I started on the next order. Between Raegan and me, this one night would pay our rent for the next three months.
The band stopped playing, and those standing at the bar looked around. The lead singer began to count down from ten, and everyone counted with him. Girls were pushing through the crowd, rushing to be next to their dates for the first kiss of the year.
"Five! Four! Three! Two! One! Happy New Year!"
Silver and gold ticker tape and balloons fell from the ceiling, right on cue. I looked up, proud of Hank. For a small-town bar, he always went all-out. I looked over at Trenton's table, seeing the redhead's lips on his. My stomach felt sick, and for half a second, I wanted to jump over the bar and pull her off of him. Suddenly, Trenton's face appeared in front of me. He noticed me staring at his table and smiled.
"She had it bad for Travis before he even got here."
"They all do," I said, breathing a sigh of relief. Damn the Maddox boys and their identical DNA.
"Happy New Year, baby," Trenton said.
"Happy New Year," I said, sliding a beer down the bar to the person who had ordered it.
He jerked his head to the side, gesturing for me to come closer. I leaned across the bar, and he put his lips on mine, cupping his hand gently at the back of my head. His lips were warm and soft and amazing, and when he let me go, I felt a little light-headed.
"Now I'm fucked," Trenton said.
"Why's that?" I asked.
"Because the rest of my year will never live up to the first thirty seconds."
I pressed my lips together. "I love you."
Trenton looked back, noticing that Travis was back alone at their table. "Gotta go," he said, seeming disappointed. "I love you, too. I'm the breakup support team. I'll come back!"
Not a minute later, I saw Trenton waving frantically. Travis's face was red. He was upset, and they were leaving. I waved, and returned to the demanding crowd, glad to have something to keep my mind off of Trenton Maddox's lips.
When I got off work, Trenton was waiting at the employee entrance, and he walked me to the Smurf. He shoved his hands in his jean pockets while I unlocked the door, and when I hopped up into the driver's seat, Trenton frowned.
"What?"
"Why don't you let me drive you home?"
I looked past him to the Intrepid. "You want to leave your car here?"
"I want to drive you home."
"Okay. Care to explain why?"
He shook his head. "I don't know. I just have a bad feeling about you driving home. It's been bugging me every time I see you get into the car."
I watched him for a moment. "Have you ever thought about talking to someone? About what happened?"
"No," he said, dismissively.
"Seems like you've still got some anxiety going on. It might help."
"I don't need a shrink, baby. I just need to drive you home."
I shrugged, and then climbed over the console.
Trenton turned the ignition and put his hand on my thigh while he waited for the engine to warm. "Travis asked me about you tonight."
"Yeah?"
"I told him you were still with your California boyfriend. Damn near made me sick to say it."
I leaned over and kissed his lips, and he pulled me closer. "I'm sorry you had to lie to him. I know it's stupid, but it would start a conversation I'm not really ready to get into just yet. If we had just a little more time . . ."
"I don't like lying to my brothers, but I hated even saying you were with someone else. Made me really think about what it would be like to lose you. Made me really think about what Trav is going through." He shook his head. "I can't lose you, Cami."
I touched my lips with my fingers, and shook my head. He was trusting me, and making himself so vulnerable, and I was keeping so much from him.
"Can you stay with me tonight?" I asked.
He lifted my hand to his mouth, turned it over, and kissed the thin skin of my wrist. "I'll stay here as long as you'll let me," he said, as if I should have already known.
He backed out of the parking spot, and then drove out of the lot, heading for my apartment. Trenton's frown from earlier had all but disappeared, and he looked lost in his thoughts as he drove with his hand in mine.
"When I get up enough money saved, I thought maybe you could help me find a place."
I smiled. "I can do that."
"Maybe you might like it enough to move in."
I stared at him for a moment, waiting for him to tell me he was joking, but he didn't, instead he pressed his brows together. "Shit plan?"
"No. Not necessarily. That's a ways down the road."
"Yeah. Especially since I lost a quarter of my savings to Travis's ex."
I giggled. "What? Are you serious? How did that happen?"
"Poker night. She's some poker phenom. Hustled us."
"Abby?"
He nodded. "Swear to God."
"That's kind of cool."
"I guess. If you like thieves."
"Well . . . her dog's name is Crook."
Trenton laughed and squeezed my knee as we pulled into my spot. He turned off the headlights, leaving the front of my apartment in the dark. With Trenton's fingers entwined with mine, we walked inside, and then I locked the chain on the door.
"Ray's not coming home?"
I shook my head. "She's staying with Brazil."
"I thought they broke up?"
"She did, too. But when she got a huge bouquet of flowers the next day, she decided they didn't."
I walked backward to my bedroom, pulling Trenton by both of his hands. He smiled at me as he walked, knowing by the look on my face what I had in mind.
I stood in the middle of my room and stepped out of my heels. Then I reached back, unzipped my dress, and let it fall to the floor around my ankles.
Trenton unbuttoned his
white shirt, and then unbuckled his belt. I walked over to him, and unbuttoned his jeans and pulled down the zipper. We were looking into each other's eyes with that serious and sleepy stare that made my thighs ache. The look that meant something amazing was about to happen.
Trenton leaned in and barely touched his lips to mine, letting the full softness of them graze my mouth, and then down my jaw to my neck. Once he reached my collarbone, he returned his gaze to mine. I ran my hands down his chest, and then his stomach, kneeling as I grasped the waistline of his jeans and pulled down slowly. His black boxer briefs were directly in front of my face, and once Trenton stepped out of his jeans, I looked up at him, gripped the elastic, and pulled them down, too.
His dick was already fully erect, and I was glad I had the Magnums in the drawer of my nightstand, because we were definitely going to need them.
I kissed his stomach, and made a trail from his navel to the base of his shaft. The moment I put him inside my mouth, he tangled his fingers in my hair and groaned.
"Oh. My fucking. God."
My head bobbed back and forth, and I looked up at him. He was watching me, with that same amazing, serious look in his eyes. My fingers and palm slid nicely over his tender skin, and the deeper I took him into the back of my throat, the louder he groaned and the more he swore.
I moved my hand from his front to his backside, and gripped his tight ass with both hands, pushing him even deeper into my mouth. His fingers were knotted in my hair, and for ten minutes, he hummed and groaned and begged me to let him inside me.
When he seemed like he couldn't stand it anymore, I backed away, and lay back on the bed, my knees apart. Trenton followed, but instead of situating himself between my legs, he turned me onto my stomach, and pressed his chest against my back. His wet dick was nestled between my ass cheeks, and his lips were against my ear. He licked his index and middle finger, and then slipped his hand between the mattress and my stomach, reaching down until his warm, wet fingers were touching my pink, swollen skin.
I hummed as he caressed me, kissing the tender skin behind my earlobe. Once the sheets below me were soaked, I reached for the drawer. Trenton knew exactly what I wanted, and paused long enough to grab a square package, tear it with his teeth, and easily slide the latex over his rigid erection.
When the warmth of his chest and abs returned to my back, it nearly sent me over the edge. He reached beneath me, lifted my hips to prop up my backside a few inches, and guided himself inside me, slow, and controlled. We both groaned, and I arched my back and bucked my hips up to his, allowing him to go deeper.
As he began to rock against me, I gripped the sheets. When he reached down to touch me with his fingers again, I cried out. The feel of his hips and thighs against my bare ass was incredible, and I just wanted him deeper, closer, harder.
Trenton raked the strands of hair away from my face and out of my eyes. My entire body was overwhelmed by the most wonderful intensity. It enveloped me, and I cried out as it traveled like electricity throughout my body.
"Goddamn, keep making that sound," he said, breathless.
I wasn't even sure what sound I was making, I was so lost in the moment, lost in him. He rocked against me harder, each thrust sending shock waves from my pelvis to my toes. He bit my ear, firm and gentle, exactly how he was fucking me. His teeth set my ear free, and his fingers dug deep into my hips. He growled as he drove himself into me one last time, his body twitching as he moaned.
He collapsed beside me, breathless and smiling, his skin glistening with sweat. I know I had the same flushed, satisfied expression on my face.
Trenton gently brushed my damp hair from my face. "You're fucking amazing."
"Maybe. But I'm definitely in love with you."
Trenton laughed once. "It's crazy feeling this happy . . . are you as happy as I am?"
I smiled. "The happiest."
And that's when it all came crashing down.
CHAPTER TWENTY
And just sign here, and here, and you're good to go," I said.
Landen Freeman made a few squiggles on each line, and then leaned against the counter, onto his elbows. I'd seen him around Eastern State's tiny campus when I was taking more classes, but I hadn't seen him in over a year, and it wasn't surprising that he didn't recognize me.
"What time does this place close?" He stared straight into my eyes, flashing a sexy smile that I imagined he had been perfecting in a mirror since puberty.
I pointed to the writing on the door with the pen, and then purposefully busied myself with his paperwork. "Eleven."
"Mind if I stop by? I'd love to take you to the Red Door. Have you been there?"
"Have you?" I asked, slightly amused.
"Once in a while. I'm loaded down with twenty hours a semester. Trying to finish and get the hell out of here as quick as I can."
"I know the feeling," I said.
"So . . . what about that drink?"
"What drink?" I asked.
"The drink I want to buy you."
Trenton appeared beside me, picked up the papers, and began looking through them. "If you're wanting this freehanded, Calvin's your guy, and he's not working today."
Landen shrugged. "I'm cool with whoever. It doesn't have to be freehand."
"You want me to do it?" Trenton asked.
"Yeah, I mean, I've seen your work on the website. It's badass."
"I'll do it, but you're going to have to stop staring at my girl's tits."
I craned my neck at him. I hadn't caught Landen staring at my chest once.
"Uh . . ." Landen said, stammering.
"On second thought, you better call and make an appointment with Cal. I'm busy." Trenton tossed the waivers, and they rained down around us. He turned his hat to sit off center, and I watched, unimpressed, as Trenton strolled back to his station. He walked with an arrogant swagger--the way he did before beating someone down.
Landen looked at me, then down the hall, and then back at me.
"I'm . . . I'm so sorry," I said, handing him our card. "Here's the number for the shop. Calvin works on Wednesdays and Thursdays, by appointment only."
Landen took the card. "I didn't know," he said, smiling sheepishly. The door chimed when he left, and I turned on my heels, stomping down the hall into Trenton's room.
"What the hell was that?"
"He asked you out!"
"So?"
"So? I should have beat his ass!"
I sighed and closed my eyes. "Trent, I handled it. You can't run customers off every time they flirt with me. That's what Cal hired me for."
"He did not hire you to be flirted with. He hired--"
"A hot piece of ass to work the counter. A job you offered me, don't forget."
"He didn't even ask you if you were single, first! At least the douche nozzle could have started with that."
"I had it handled."
"I didn't hear you turn him down . . ."
My nose wrinkled. "I was dodging his question! I can't just shut him down while he's out here in the waiting area! It's called professionalism."
"Oh, is that what it's called?"
I narrowed my eyes at him.
"You could have told him you have a boyfriend."
"Is that what this is? That I'm not holding up my new label like a picket sign? What if I just tattoo TRENTON'S GIRL across my forehead?"
His face softened, and he chuckled. "I will gladly tat that somewhere else."
I growled in frustration and walked back to the front. Trenton jogged after me.
"It's not a horrible idea," he said, only half teasing.
"I am not tatting your name on me," I said, disgusted that he was even entertaining the idea. Trenton had already filled in the poppies the first week of Christmas break with a striking cherry red, and then two days before Christmas, he'd added some tribal art and black and bright green swirling clouds to the same arm. A week after New Year's, I had a gorgeous blooming red rose with yellow accents. I was on
my way to an intricate, badass sleeve. We had begun to refer to our sessions as pain therapy. I would talk, and Trenton would draw and listen. I loved sharing that time with him, and knowing that I carried his beautiful pieces of art with me everywhere.
He sat on the counter, his palms planted flat against the Formica. "Maybe I'll hide it in one of your tattoos one of these days."
"Maybe I'll break your machine into a million pieces," I said.
"Whoa. Shit just got real," he said, hopping down to stand next to me. "I'm sorry you're angry that I ran the guy off. I'm not sorry for running him off, but I am sorry I made you mad. Think about it, though. I wasn't going to tat him up after he hit on my girl. Trust me. It was best for everyone."
"Stop making sense," I snapped.
Trenton wrapped his arms around me from behind, and then buried his face in my neck. "I'm almost not sorry for making you mad. You're fucking hot when you're angry."
I playfully elbowed him in the ribs, and the door chimed again. Colin and Chase walked toward the counter, and Chase crossed his arms over his chest.
"Tattoos?" I asked. They weren't amused.
Trenton's grip relaxed. "How can we help you, guys?"
Colin frowned. "We need to talk to Camille. Alone."
Trenton shook his head. "Not gonna happen."
Chase narrowed his eyes and leaned toward us. "She's our fucking family. We're not asking for your permission, Maddox."
Trenton raised an eyebrow. "You are, you just don't know it yet."
Colin's eye twitched. "Chase is here to talk to his sister. This is family business, Trent. You need to stay out of it. Camille, outside. Now."
"You can talk to me here, Colin. What do you need?"
He glared at me. "You really want to talk about this here?"
"What do you want to talk about?" I asked, trying to remain calm. I was sure if we went outside, Colin or Chase would lose his temper and a fight would break out. It was safer to stay put.
"You didn't show up for Thanksgiving. Dad said you had to work. Whatever. But then you don't show up at Christmas. Then your chair is empty again at lunch on New Year's Day. What the fuck is going on, Camille?" Chase asked, incensed.
"I have two jobs, and I'm taking classes. It's just the way things happened this year."
"Dad's birthday is next week," Chase said. "You better fucking be there."
"Or what?" Trenton said.
"The fuck did you just say to me, Maddox?" Chase snapped.