For Trevor, nothing about tonight was work-related. The fundraiser was something his firm believed in and attendance was mandatory, but nobody conducted business at these kinds of events. Most attended with their husbands, wives, or significant others and it was as much a chance for people to catch up personally as it was to raise money for the charity. Normally Trevor hated these things. He’d have to dig up a date, either a woman who bored him to tears or one who thought she could be the one to catch him when no other woman had been able to before.
At first he’d questioned why this was on the reporter’s schedule of events, but he realized Alex wanted to showcase both Trevor and the firm’s commitment to altruistic causes. He’d resigned himself to sucking it up because at least he’d be with a woman who had no expectations. Once he’d discovered the reporter was Lissa and after he’d made the deliberate decision to let go of the past for this short time they were together, he’d begun to look forward to the evening.
As for her insistence that she’d take a cab? It was easier to let her think she’d gotten her way than to argue. And it had been worth the waiting time in the lobby to get his first glimpse of her uncensored expression the moment she’d laid eyes on him as she walked out of the elevator. Pure, unadulterated pleasure lit her gaze, along with a definite dose of female appreciation, before wariness shuttered her emotions. And her skin glowed radiantly, her emerald eyes twinkling with delight she tried hard to hide.
It was enough for him to know he’d gotten to her the same way she affected him.
Only then did he allow himself the full pleasure of viewing her in all her glory. Dressed in a gold gown, Grecian in design, that draped over one shoulder and hugged her curves in all the right places, she looked like a princess. The back dipped enticingly low, giving him a glimpse of her olive skin and affording the perfect place to settle his palm possessively against her back.
They made the ride to the Waldorf in silence and Trevor let her squirm. He knew she was questioning his motives and what he wanted from her. He liked her nervous and a bit wary. That was when she’d be most unguarded, letting little things slip.
There was much to revisit, much still unsaid, and though they had a limited amount of time together, most of it would be one on one. Just not right away.
As soon as they arrived at the hotel and walked into the ballroom, all eyes turned to look at them. Trevor understood. Lissa, with her Mediterranean olive skin, jet black hair, and green eyes, made an impression. She had a regal look and he was proud to have her on his arm.
“I’m the envy of every man here,” he said, escorting her toward the bar.
“Flatterer. Have you seen the other women here? They’re at least twenty pounds lighter and have much tinier waists,” she said, laughing without seeming uncomfortable.
“I hadn’t noticed. I can’t take my eyes off you.” He drew a deep breath. “Would you like a drink?”
She nodded. “A glass of white wine.”
The bartender had heard her, so Trevor merely added, “And a Scotch on the rocks for me.”
A few minutes later, they had their drinks in hand. “Let’s walk,” he said, steering her into the crowds. The sooner they did the obligatory meet and greet, the sooner Trevor could dance with this woman and take her to bed. They passed the next thirty minutes talking to the important people at Wittman Financial and other people in the industry. Trevor was careful to introduce Lissa to the movers and shakers by both name and company affiliation, knowing that despite the personal nature of their time together, when all was said and done, she had a job to do.
“Trevor, Ms. Gardelli, I’m so glad you could make it.” Trevor turned at the sound of Alexander’s voice. “I see you two have worked out your… differences?”
“It’s a pleasure to see you again, Mr. Wittman,” Lissa said, extending her free hand.
Instead of shaking it, Alex lifted her hand and placed a courtly kiss on top. “You look ravishing.”
Lissa blushed.
“I was just telling her the same thing myself,” Trevor said, unable to hide his pleasure at being with her.
Over the years, as Trevor had escorted various dates to these types of evenings, he’d envied Bradley Banks, thinking the man was taking Lissa to country club events, showing her off and then taking her home and making love to her.
Trevor’s stomach turned at the thought even now.
How much time had he wasted by not finding out the truth of how her life had been?
Which reminded him, he had some crow to eat. He turned to Alex. “I already apologized to Lissa and now it’s your turn. I was shocked to see her after all these years and I let emotion cloud my judgment. I was rude earlier today and I apologize.”
Trevor wasn’t a man prone to saying I’m sorry, but in this case, he owed his boss and mentor and intended to prove he understood his mistake.
“I don’t know what happened between you two in the past, but to have such an explosive reaction means great passion was involved.”
A small hiccup came from Lissa, a clear sign of shock.
“Alex…” Trevor said in warning.
The other man waved away Trevor’s concerns because in Alex’s world, people were meant to be paired off. He was a romantic to the bone.
“Speaking of passion, Emma sends her best, but she’s home with a headache and she wants to make sure she’s better for tomorrow night’s dinner party. Which means I’ll be leaving early,” he said with regret.
“I hope she feels better,” Lissa said. “I’m looking forward to meeting her tomorrow.”
Trevor stepped closer to Lissa and slid an arm around her waist. She stiffened for a moment before managing to relax. “Please send Emma my best wishes. And we’ll see her tomorrow,” Trevor added.
“She’s looking forward to it, as am I.” Alex nodded. His perceptive gaze locked on Trevor’s possessive hold on Lissa and a smug grin settled on the man’s face. “I’ll see you two later,” Alex said and headed off to finish making his rounds.
Trevor gave Lissa a few minutes to enjoy her drink in silence and take in the ambiance in the ballroom. He finished his and turned to face her.
“Dance?” he asked.
“Sure.” Lissa handed her wine glass to a passing server.
Lissa steeled herself for the next few minutes in Trevor’s arms.
It was hard enough to see the heat and appreciation in his eyes whenever he looked at her. Harder still to make herself believe he meant it. She didn’t doubt he wanted her. She desired him just as much. It was how she felt about that look in his eyes that frightened her. As he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close, the warmth of his body and the thrill his touch inspired scared her even more.
Yet when he looked down and into her eyes, she practically melted on the spot.
“This feels familiar,” he said as he slowly moved to the strains of the music.
She laughed, remembering their junior prom. They hadn’t made it to their senior. “As I recall, we were more awkward then.”
He shrugged. “Practice makes perfect.” He stroked her bare back with his thumb and she shivered.
“Do you come to these things often?” she asked.
“It’s part of the job. There are charitable galas, holiday parties, things like that.”
“And that’s where you got all your practice. Who were your partners?” she asked, forcing a smile while they talked.
“Is that on the record? Or more of a personal question?”
She tried to pull away but he tightened his hold, continuing their glide around the dance floor. “Well?”
“I think you know.”
He nodded. “I do. And the answer is, nameless, unimportant women.”
Her heart stopped beating. “All of them?”
Again, he nodded.
“Why?” she asked softly, unable to believe they were having this conversation.
“Are you sure you want an answer?”
Was she sure? Ten years of wondering if Trevor ever thought of her. Lonely nights of imagining him taking other women to bed, falling in love with one of them, eventually marrying one and having children. Jealousy had eaten away at her even as her rational self knew she had no right. She was the one who’d turned to someone else. She’d had another man’s baby.
She met his gaze and nodded.
“Okay, but once you get it, there’s no turning back.”
She couldn’t suppress a smile. Because she had the sense there was no turning back anyway. “I’m sure.”
His dark eyes smoldered with need. “They were all nameless, unimportant blurs because they weren’t you.”
“Oh, Trevor,” she said as his words wrapped around her heart.
His grip on her waist tightened, his large hand cupping her so hard she thought he’d leave marks. The thought of him marking her in any way aroused her beyond reason. So did the hardened erection pressing into her belly, telling her how very much he wanted her.
That was what she could believe in. The only thing.
The feelings behind the desire? Those were emotions she no longer let herself trust.
“I need to get out of here,” he said gruffly.
Lissa nodded. She’d never wanted anything more. Another night with Trevor was more than she’d ever imagined—and now it looked like they’d have at least two before she went home to Serendipity and the life she’d chosen so very long ago.
* * *
Instead of going to Lissa’s hotel as she’d expected, Trevor gave the driver his Upper East Side address, which for some reason made this next step seem all too real. To see where he lived, what his life was like… She shivered.
“Cold?” he asked from his seat beside her in the car. She shook her head. “Ah. Then you’re thinking too much.”
She smiled, amazed he could read her so well after all these years.
“Guess I’ll have to remedy that.” He reached up and slid his fingers beneath her hair, cupping her neck and pulling her close. Then, without wasting any time, he sealed his lips over hers.
His instincts had been correct, she thought. At the sizzling connection between them, all coherent thought stopped completely.
He’d always been talented with his mouth and that hadn’t changed. His lips slid back and forth over hers, taking her for a blissful, mind-numbing experience that quickly turned hot and arousing when he grasped her hair in his hand and deepened the kiss.
The slightly aggressive move was somehow erotic too, and her body liquefied with the tug against her scalp. With a moan, she returned each swipe and thrust of his tongue with equal fervor and need, wanting nothing more than to crawl into his lap and get as close as possible given the barrier of clothing.
When he suddenly pulled back, her entire body protested the loss of his mouth over hers. “What’s wrong?” she asked, feeling dazed and unfulfilled.
“We’re here,” he said.
Lissa looked out the window. “Oh,” she said, shocked to see the car had stopped in front of a building.
He grinned and slipped his hand in hers. “Thank you, Tony,” he said to the driver.
Lissa blushed and ducked her head, embarrassed they’d been making out with the man right in front.
“He’s paid to be discreet,” Trevor said, laughing, making Lissa wonder if he made this a habit, seducing his dates on their way home.
She didn’t want to know if he did.
More sober now, she followed him inside, aware of his arm around her waist but not feeling as relaxed as she had earlier. Which was ridiculous, all things considered.
He lived in a building with a doorman, which meant another stranger to nod to as she passed by, walking with Trevor to the elevator. They stepped off on the twenty-first floor and headed down the long, lit corridor to the end of the hall.
He unlocked the door and motioned for her to step in ahead of him. He’d left lights on and she was able to look around immediately. He tossed his keys on a shelf in the entryway before taking her hand and pulling her into the main living room. A wall of windows overlooked the glittering skyline of Manhattan.
“The view is incredible,” she said as she walked to the windows.
In fact, the entire apartment was a thing of masculine beauty, with its heavy, rugged furniture facing an oversized wall-mounted television, shelves with books and other decorator chosen pieces, and picture frames. It was the photographs that gave the place a lived-in, homey touch and at a glance, Lissa recognized the various photos of Trevor’s family, his parents, his sister and her husband, and their new baby.
“The view is the reason I chose this place. There’s no highrise to either block my visibility or give anyone an unobstructed look into my private space. I can leave the shades open most of the time.” He stepped up beside her and she immediately felt his body heat.
“Do you miss living in Serendipity? The wide open spaces?” she asked, wondering if she could give up small-town living for Manhattan.
“I miss some things more than others,” he said in a deep voice.
Taking her off guard, he moved around her and wrapped his arms around her waist. His front pressed into her back and he cuddled her in his embrace, a feeling that made her feel so safe and secure that warning bells went off in her head.
But she couldn’t bring herself to heed them. His warm breath fanned across her neck while his impressive erection pulsed against her backside, as together they looked over the brightly lit city.
God, she’d dreamed about this.
About the day he’d come back for her and make everything right in her world. Except then she’d been a naïve young woman, despite her pregnancy, still too much of a teenager to understand what she’d done to her life. She was a woman now and knew better than to put stock in adolescent dreams, but for this one night and maybe tomorrow, he could be hers again. Nobody would begrudge her some new and better memories to keep with her on lonely nights.
Not wanting to waste a second more, she turned, looping her arms around his neck and looking into his eyes. “Kiss me,” she said, deciding to take what she desired—and what he obviously wanted as well.
Trevor had been worried she’d come to her senses and change her mind, so he didn’t need a second invitation now. Cupping her face in his hands, he backed her against the plate glass windows and kissed her long and hard, so deeply she couldn’t mistake his desire. He swept his tongue inside her mouth and everything in his world righted itself once more. He teased her, brushing his tongue back and forth, relearning her touch, her taste, her scent, the way she felt.
Back when they were kids, they’d spent hours kissing as though nothing else mattered and they had all the time they’d ever want together. Though he knew better now, he could still kiss her for hours. Only her.
With other women, he’d rush through the foreplay and get to the deed because, ironically, he’d always found the preliminaries more intimate, more telling about someone’s feelings. Post-Lissa, knowing he’d closed his emotions off, he’d made it his mission to arouse his partner quickly and leave her satisfied, but with no question that he wasn’t lingering before or after. The women he was with knew the score. It was a reputation he’d perfected, and though he wasn’t proud of it, at least he was honest.
He was equally so now. He began to thrust his tongue deeper into her mouth, mimicking the act his hardened body craved with near desperation. Lissa moaned and hooked one leg around his, arching her pelvis into him and pulling him tighter against her. The small circles she made with her hips drove him insane and the barrier of clothing nearly killed him.
Still kissing her, with one hand he reached for the side zipper of her gown and eased it down as far as he could manage. With the other, he yanked the silky material off her shoulder.
She wiggled her upper body and the entire gown pooled around her on the floor. Needing the visual, he finally broke the kiss and stepped back to admire her, but no sooner had they separated than she reached up to cross her arms and cover herself.
“Uh-uh.” He grabbed her wrists and pulled them away from her body. “Keep them down there,” he said in a voice he barely recognized.
She’d always had gorgeous, voluptuous breasts and that hadn’t changed. He brushed his thumb over her already distended nipple and she let out a sound, half sigh, half groan as it hardened even more beneath his fingertip. Then he did the same to the other breast. A brief touch and it, too, puckered for him.
Trevor grinned. “Still so damned sensitive.”
“And yet you’re taking your time and torturing me,” she said in a shaky voice.
“I’m savoring you.” Her entire body trembled but he wasn’t finished. Before she could react again, he cupped her full breast in his hand and lifted it to his waiting mouth.
Her skin smelled like peaches and she tasted sweeter than he remembered. He savored one nipple thoroughly, nipping, teasing, blowing cool air over the puckered tip before moving to the other one and giving it the same care. By the time he was finished, her head was thrown back against the window, her hips bucking forward seeking relief.
His dick felt as if it would shatter at any moment and for him, this part of the foreplay was over. “Bed, sweetheart?” He held out his hand.
She looked at him with glazed eyes and nodded, placing her hand inside his. He helped her step out of the dress surrounding her and realized she still wore high-heeled crystal-looking sandals, a matching pair of panties… and nothing more.
Her stomach, while not flat, fit with the rest of her curves and he wondered how he’d gone so long without feeling her surrounding him, becoming a part of him.
He led her to the bedroom, aware she was naked and uncomfortable but doing her best not to show it. As soon as they reached the bed, he stripped off his clothes, not wanting to wait another second to feel the heat of her skin flush against his. But when she reached to remove her sandals, he shook his head.
She narrowed her gaze. “Seriously?”
He grinned. “What can I say? It’s been a fantasy of mine, fucking you while you’re wearing nothing but endlessly high heels.”
“You fantasized about me?” she asked, sounding well and truly shocked.
His heart nearly stopped but the admission was out there. “Nobody else has ever done it for me the way you do.”
She opened her mouth and he used the opportunity to settle his naked body over hers and stop any further conversation. They’d have to talk, but it wasn’t happening now.
He let his weight ease against her, gritting his teeth as he came into contact with her damp heat. “Oh, baby.” He cupped her hips in his hand and ground himself against her.
“You don’t play fair,” she murmured, her arms coming around him.
“Why? Because I don’t want to talk anymore?” He braced his hands on either side of her and buried his face between her neck and shoulder, first merely kissing her, then using his teeth, tugging hard until she moaned and bucked beneath him.
“I don’t want to talk, either.” She bent her legs, making room for him. “I need you inside me.”
He lifted his head and looked into her eyes, dying for exactly the same thing. “Do I need protection?”
She shook her head, her pretty green eyes wide and glassy. “I’m on the pill.”
His body trembled at the thought of entering her bareback.
“You?” she asked.
“I’m safe. I’ve never had sex without one,” he assured her. He’d only asked now because it was Lissa, and more than anything he wanted to feel all of her when he was finally inside her again.
She drew a deep breath. “Well you don’t have to worry about me, either. It’s been so long I’ll be lucky if I remember how,” she said, forcing a laugh he knew she didn’t feel.
He brushed her tangled hair off her cheek. “Nobody since your divorce?” he asked her, surprised yet oddly pleased.
She bit her lip before finally speaking. “Nobody since not long after my marriage.”
Trevor ignored the thrill the admission brought, knowing it was selfish to be happy she’d been so alone, yet pleased she hadn’t been with anyone but him and the ex he refused to think about.
Lissa sighed. “After the divorce I dated one guy—you might remember Russ Mason—but I couldn’t bring myself to be with him that way.”
Trevor hated talking about any other men, but he knew it was necessary. He cocked an eyebrow in question.
“Just no desire.” She blushed, but he appreciated her honesty and kissed her cheek. “Anyway, the relationship ended quickly after that. Russ thought I was frigid and frankly, I didn’t care.” She lifted her shoulder in a delicate shrug.
Unable to hold it in, Trevor barked out a laugh.
“What’s so funny?” She frowned at him.
“Any guy who thinks you’re frigid must need lessons. You’re so hot you’re burning me alive,” he told her, meaning every word. “Watch.”
Dipping his head, he licked at first one nipple, then the next. Those rosy peaks were quickly becoming his favorite part of her because she was so damned responsive. One touch and she grew immediately slick and wet, which he intended to show her. As he reached down and slid his finger through her moist folds, her hips arched up and into him, seeking deeper penetration.
“Soon,” he promised her. First he came up with the proof to back up his claim. “See? So not frigid.”
Her genuine smile nearly undid him. Her words finished the task. “It’s you, Trev. It’s always been you.”
Unable to hold back any longer, he raised himself over her. “I can’t promise slow and easy,” he said, apologizing ahead of time.
“Then it’s a good thing hard and fast suits me just fine.” She clasped his erection in her hand, rubbing her fingertip over the moisture pooled at the tip.
He gritted his teeth, nearly coming from the intense pleasure of her touch as she guided him toward her slick heat. Only when he was poised at her entry did she release her hold so he could ease his aching shaft inside her.
She was tight and hot and he tried desperately to at least start slowly.
“You promised you wouldn’t take it slow.” She rocked her lower body and snapped the last of his self-control.
It hadn’t been difficult to do. Even though he’d tried not to let himself remember them or consciously think of her, he hadn’t lied when he’d said she was and remained his greatest fantasy.