Chapter Fourteen

Now…

Whitney quietly slipped out of bed early the next morning, shutting off her alarm before it could sound and wake up Trent. She’d heard him slip in the night before, sometime after three. She stared at him now, sprawled across the bed on his stomach, his arms and legs sticking out of the blankets. Out cold. She’d never met anyone who could sleep as soundly as Trent.

Though it must be easy to sleep when there was nothing to keep him up worrying at night. Trent was such a great man, and karma treated him accordingly.

Bringing her dinner at the office the day before had been a sweet gesture, obviously spurred by her vulnerability she’d shown the night after the haunted house disaster. She would normally be disappointed in herself for having shown the moment of weakness, resulting in him wanting to take care of her, but instead she was actually feeling a lot better.

Maybe breaking down sometimes wasn’t such a bad thing.

The day before, after a good night’s sleep in Trent’s arms, she’d felt refreshed and more motivated in the office as she and Scott had worked on the Race Across America pitch together. She was keeping her promise to let him be involved, and it actually wasn’t so bad to have another opinion on the project. Scott was also funnier than she’d allowed herself to discover and an overall nice guy. He’d had her in stitches with stories of his own failed attempts at surfing. And it was true, laughing was therapeutic.

Getting out of bed, Whitney grabbed her work clothes she’d laid out the night before, and after kissing Trent gently, she left the room. She headed to the bathroom down the hall to get ready for work instead of using the en suite, not wanting to wake him.

She turned on the shower and undressed. Her vision blurred slightly as she went to step into the tub, and she closed her eyes tight, waiting for it to pass. She carefully opened them again and still, the little blue fish on the sea-themed shower curtain swam together.

She climbed in under the spray anyway and took several deep breaths as the water cascaded down her back. Her vision issues were always the worst first thing in the morning and late at night. Stressing about it only made it harder.

She reached for a shampoo bottle and poured the liquid into her hand, realizing too late that it was the conditioner. Damn bottles looked identical. Guess she was co-washing that day.

She lathered her hair, rinsed it, and by the time she shaved her legs, her vision was mostly back to normal.

As she reached for the tap to turn off the shower, she heard the bathroom door open. Trent peeked a sleepy-looking face around the curtain. “Want some company?”

“Why aren’t you sleeping?”

“Because I heard there was a sexy, naked woman in here,” he said with a grin.

Those damn dimples. She could never get enough of that grin. Whitney pulled the curtain back and nodded for him to get in.

He yanked off his underwear and stepped in with her, closing the curtain again behind him.

Her heart raced at the sight of his nakedness.

He took her into his arms and turned their bodies so that they were both under the hot spray.

Being in his arms had always made her feel the safest, and today was no exception. If anything, she craved the sensation even more.

He kissed her forehead, and she wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her forehead against his chest. “Sorry about yesterday. Dinner was a really nice gesture.”

“I know. I’m a good fiancé,” he said teasingly.

And right there was one of the reasons he was the most perfect man in the world.

She lifted her face up toward him, and he stared down at her lovingly. That look had never changed over the years, never dulled. Every time Trent looked at her, it was like he was seeing her for the first time. It gave her chills and butterflies in her stomach.

He leaned his head closer and placed a soft kiss to her lips.

And another one.

And another one.

She pressed her body closer, and when his lips met hers a fourth time, she tangled her hands into his hair and held him there. She ran her tongue along his bottom lip and separated them, deepening the kiss.

His hands trailed lower down her sides and around the back of her to cup her ass. He squeezed and pressed his lower half against her. She could feel him thicken against her lower stomach, and her pulse raced.

The craving she felt for him was unexpectedly intense as her body sprang to life. His desire-filled kisses revealed he felt the same way. There was always so much emotion in Trent’s kisses—passion, lust, love, and a tantalizing teasing that always left her wanting more.

He broke contact with her mouth to lower his head to her neck, sucking and biting gently on her wet flesh. She clung to his back as he moved them toward the wall and continued his trek with his mouth down her chest, between her breasts, and lower along her stomach.

She closed her eyes, savoring the sensations flowing through her at his touch, his caress, his kisses. He was the best lover she’d ever had—caring, considerate, unselfish, undemanding, yet in gentle control and command. She’d do anything and everything he wanted. She had full trust in him…except for when it came to his reaction to her secret…

She pushed the thought away as she gently lifted his head back up to hers. “I love you,” she said, because she desperately did, and yet there were so many other things she just couldn’t say.

“I love you more,” he said, gripping the back of her thighs and lifting her body over his erection. “You ready?” he asked.

She nodded eagerly. She was so ready to have him inside her. Needed it.

He lowered her slowly, forcing his cock in through her tight, wet opening. She moaned and clung to his shoulders as he went deeper, filling every inch of her with his long, thick shaft.

The water from the shower cascaded over them as he moved her body up and down over him. Slowly at first, then faster and harder as their passion rose.

“Whitney, you’re amazing,” he said, staring into her eyes.

“I believe you’re the amazing one,” she said, her breathing labored as he pleasured her in ways no one else possibly could.

“Whitney, if there’s something else you need…anything you’re not getting…” His voice was slightly strangled as he spoke.

He actually thought there was something more he could give her? Didn’t he know he gave her absolutely everything she needed and so much more? It was her inability to give him what he deserved that caused her pain and hesitancy and doubt.

Not him. Never him.

“You are everything,” she said, holding the sides of his face and staring directly into his questioning gaze.

He nudged them backward again until her back was against the wall. She used her legs around him to steady herself as he moved his hands to her breasts and massaged.

Damn, it felt so good. His cock inside her and his hands teasing her nipples.

She kissed him hard and bit his lower lip roughly, silently commanding him to move into a more intense direction.

Trent knew her so well and knew exactly what she wanted as his fingers pinched her nipples. Hard.

The combination of pleasure and pain searing through her had her gasping and clutching to him frantically, her nails digging into the flesh at his back as he thrust into her harder and faster against the shower wall.

Out of breath, she pulled back and leaned her head against the wall as he plunged in deeper, his orgasm reaching its peak the same time hers toppled over the edge. He pumped in and out of her body roughly a few more times before he stilled, pushing himself in as deep as possible.

This time, her vision blurred from the overwhelming sensation coursing through her body. She felt herself throbbing around him, and Trent released a deep moan as he came inside her.

Her body relaxed as she wrapped her arms tight around him. He rested his head against her shoulder as he slowly pulled out and gently put her back on her feet.

“Good morning,” she whispered.

“Perfect morning,” he said, holding her tight.

…

An hour later, Whitney pulled into the lot at the mayor’s office and headed inside. Entering her office, the heat from the sun coming in through the open blinds had her immediately reaching for the thermostat. Her body was still heated from the hot and steamy shower with Trent. She turned the air-conditioning to freezing before going to her desk. She opened her email and, seeing forty-six new ones in her inbox, she got to work.

She didn’t look up again until Kim paged her office later that afternoon. “Whitney, you have a visitor.”

“Who is…” The words hadn’t left her mouth before her friend Lia appeared in the doorway.

“Surprise!” The booming, cheerful voice made her jump.

Her lawyer friend who now lived in New York was one of the biggest personalities Whitney had ever met. The year before, she’d come back to Blue Moon Bay for a family reunion they hosted at the B&B, and she and Sarah had finally put behind them a silly frenemy thing they’d had going on since high school.

Whitney had been relieved, as she’d always really secretly liked Lia, but her loyalty to Sarah had forced her to choose sides.

“Hey! What are you doing in town?” She hadn’t expected to see Lia and her husband, Malcolm, until the holidays, so she was genuinely thrilled to see her.

“I have a legal convention in San Diego in a few days, so I thought I’d extend my trip. Was a little shocked to see the inn transformed into a nightmare house. Someone could have given me a heads-up about that…but I’m staying at the Radisson, so it’s all good.” She entered the office and shivered. “Damn, it’s freezing in here.”

“Sorry…I’m always so warm,” she said as Lia sat across from her, pulling her appropriately colored for the season orange cardigan around her thin, athletic frame. “How long are you staying?”

“Just two nights. Thought we could all get together for a girls’ night?”

Whitney hesitated. She was far too busy for a girls’ night, but Lia was rarely in town, and she really did want to hang out with her. Lia was their big-city friend, and Whitney always loved the chic vibe that exuded from the woman. It made her ache for that herself, having always hoped to live the fast-paced lifestyle in the concrete jungle before her mom got sick. If she couldn’t get that fast-paced career Lia had, she was at least able to be in close proximity to someone who did.

“That sounds great,” she said.

Lia’s cell chimed with a message, and she smiled as she read it. “Perfect. Sarah and Jess are in, too. Halloween party at Trent’s Tavern tonight it is.”

Halloween party? She consulted her calendar. Right, today was Halloween. Where had the month gone? “Tonight…oh…um…”

Lia shot her a look. “Do not even think about trying to bail on me.”

Whitney sighed. She didn’t want to bail, and the last few days, she’d been learning to appreciate a bit more downtime. “Eight?”

“A little early, but we’re all getting too old to be there when the twentysomethings crash in close to midnight,” she said with a laugh. “And…I have the perfect group costume for the four of us,” Lia said, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

Group costume. She knew there was no point in arguing. “Wonderful,” she said with a forced smile.

…

That night, the place was going to be packed, so it was all hands on deck. Max was already positioned at the front door, and Angel was restocking the bar with extra bottles of everything. Trent filled the ice coolers as his additional help, Danielle, set up a shot table near the dance floor. The twenty-two-year-old had the friendliest, bubbliest personality Trent had ever come across, so he told Max to keep an eye on things. He preferred hiring older staff, but Danielle was saving for her film school tuition, and the tips she’d make working the shot bar that evening would definitely help.

“Man, I remember having optimism like that,” Angel said with a tired laugh as she returned from the shot table, where she’d stocked Danielle with whiskey and tequila.

Trent laughed. “The joy of being young.” He eyed Angel. “How are things?” They hadn’t talked since a few nights ago, and he was curious about the situation with her ex.

“Well, Brad’s working his angle with the boys. They’re spending Halloween in the city with him tonight. The annual Halloween party tradition continues, apparently,” she said, her tone slightly bitter.

“Don’t worry. They’ll see through their father’s bullshit,” he said.

“At least I don’t have to be worried about what they’re getting up to tonight, left to their own devices.”

That was one good thing. Halloween in Blue Moon Bay was usually fairly controlled and uneventful, with police surveillance circulating on the streets. In addition to Max, there would be an officer parked in front of the tavern as well, in case of any trouble.

Angel checked her watch. “I guess I should get my costume on. Do you need any more help before I change?”

Trent scanned the bar. Everything looked ready to go. “Nah, I’m good. I should get ready, too.” He reached behind the door and grabbed a cowboy hat from the hook, then put it on. “There. Ready.”

Angel laughed as she shot him a look. “That’s your costume?”

“Every year.”

His cell phone chimed with a text, and he smiled seeing it was from Whitney saying she’d be there that evening with Sarah, Jess, and Lia.

She hadn’t been at last year’s event, and he was thrilled she was going to make it.

See you soon, he texted, then put the phone away.

Picking up a box of Halloween-themed party favors—miniature trick-or-treat baskets shaped like pumpkins, skulls, and witches’ cauldrons filled with candy and chocolate—he carried it around, positioning them on the tables already adorned with black-and-orange plastic tablecloths.

As he emptied the box and broke it down, he saw Angel coming out from the bathroom. Gone were the jeans and black T-shirt, replaced with a skin-tight, leather-looking black catsuit. On her head were cat ears, and the six-inch heeled leather boots she wore looked impossible to work in all evening. Someone else was looking to compete with Danielle for those tips.

“Jesus,” he heard Max say, and when he turned toward the bouncer, the man’s jaw was practically on the wooden bar-room floor.

Trent grinned as he walked toward him. “Close your mouth, buddy.”

Max coughed and cleared his throat. “What kind of idiot let her go?”

“A big one,” Trent said. He tapped his friend on the back. “Keep an eye on her, too, tonight, okay?” His locals he wasn’t worried about. He knew they all knew he’d take no shit in his bar, so no one would act inappropriately toward his staff, but out-of-towners may not be as familiar with the rules.

“You’ve got no worries about that, man,” Max said. “I’ll be lucky if I can peel my eyes off her.”

At that moment, Angel glanced their way and blushed as she caught Max’s stare. Trent fought an irrational sense of longing at the way his employees were vibing each other. Could he and Whitney get back some of that spark outside the bedroom?