Perfect for You (Short Story) (Fire and Icing) (3 page)

“You know…I didn’t completely hate you, either.”

He winced. “Well, a lack of complete hatred is a place to start.”

She ducked her head and laughed. “No, I only meant that there was something about you.” She glanced up at him through her lashes, those long, smoky lashes that had always made her look a little too exotic to have been born in Tennessee. “Something interesting. Aside from the muscles and sexy jaw and all that.”

“So you think I’m sexy?” Trent shifted the pool cue to one side, clearing the space between them.

“I said your jaw was sexy,” Dawn said, a hitch in her voice.

“Sorry, my mistake.” He leaned closer, until he could feel her breath warm on his face and her cinnamon and smoke smell filled his head and the knowledge that he was about to kiss Dawn Fuller made his pulse race. “I find all of you sexy.”

“Yeah?” Her lips parted.

“Completely.” He closed the distance between them, brushing his lips across hers, tentatively at first, but with increasing confidence as Dawn leaned into him and her free hand came to rest on his chest, her fingernails digging lightly into his skin through his shirt.

After only a moment, the kiss deepened and Trent’s tongue swept into her mouth, tasting her for the first time. She tasted like hops and French fries, but with a hint of sweet smokiness he knew immediately was Dawn’s taste. It reminded him of the first breath of early morning air before a big race—fresh, sharp, exciting, and filled with possibilities—and kissing her was every bit as addictive as he’d imagined it would be.

Once he started, he didn’t want to stop. It wasn’t long before his arm was around her waist, pulling her closer. He fought the urge to moan as her slim body pressed against him and the kiss grew even more intense, entering Inappropriate for Public Viewing territory with a swiftness that made his head spin.

“Maybe we should stop?” he said, mumbling the words against her lips.

“Probably.” Dawn pulled a few inches away. “Though I have to admit I haven’t enjoyed a kiss that much in ages.”

“Me either,” he said, keeping his arm around her. “Does that mean we get to do this again?”

“Kiss?” Her eyes widened. “Dear God, I hope so.”

Trent smiled. “Can I take you out Wednesday night? I have Beatrice starting first thing tomorrow through Wednesday morning, but I’m free after that.”

Dawn hesitated only a moment before nodding. “Wednesday sounds good.”

“We could try this Ethiopian restaurant down the street from my place if you’re game,” he said. “I’ve been getting out and trying new things. Breaking out of my sports bar routine.”

“I’ve never tried Ethiopian,” Dawn said, “but I’m game. It sounds great.”

It sounded better than great. It sounded like a long forgotten fantasy being brought back to life. But so far, the real Dawn was more intriguing than any fantasy.

He was suddenly grateful for the past six months of bad luck with the opposite sex. If he hadn’t struck out with those other women, he might not have been free to take a chance on the girl who got away.

Chapter Three

“Tell me Trent and I should slow down.” Dawn stood at her apartment window, staring down at the street where Trent would be arriving any minute, waiting for her best friend, Maddie, to talk some sense into her.

But she should have known better. Now that Maddie’s own whirlwind romance had become an engagement, she was all about rushing in.

“No, you shouldn’t slow down!” Maddie squealed with excitement, loud enough that Dawn had to pull her cell away from her ear until Maddie stopped squealing and started talking again. “This is amazing news! I’m so happy for you. What a perfect way to spend your break between semesters. And I bet he’s kept you from missing the kids, too, hasn’t he?”

“I’ve still missed the kids,” Dawn said. “But Trent is pretty good at keeping my mind off my troubles when he’s around.”

Boy, was he good at keeping her mind off her troubles.

They hadn’t made it to the bedroom yet, but Trent had already proven he knew exactly what to do with his hands. After their epic make out session on his couch last night—during which he had managed to bring her over the edge without removing a
single item
of her clothing—she was beginning to realize how much she’d missed by marrying her high school sweetheart.

Dave hadn’t been bad in bed, but even after years of marriage he hadn’t handled her body with the easy confidence that Trent did. Trent was clearly more experienced than she was, but it didn’t make her feel anxious or embarrassed. It made her feel safe to let go and let someone else take the lead, to follow him into abandoned places she’d never visited before.

When she was with Trent—high on his kisses and the electric feel of his hands moving over her body—she forgot that she was a single mom who struggled from paycheck to paycheck, or a woman whose romantic dreams hadn’t come true. She forgot that she was lonely, because when she was with Trent the loneliness that had trailed after her like a shadow since her divorce faded into the background.

She was finally starting to imagine what it might be like not to fly solo anymore, a dream that was almost as terrifying as it was exciting.

Still, it was too soon to be thinking a month down the road, let alone any longer, and she wanted to make sure she and Trent didn’t leave behind any collateral damage. Surely, once Maddie remembered there were kids involved, she’d be an advocate for caution.

“But you can’t know something’s going to work after not quite three weeks,” Dawn said. “I shouldn’t let him introduce me to his daughter. It’s too soon.”

“He wants to introduce you to his daughter?” Maddie squealed again. “That’s so sweet! And you’re so good with kids! She’ll love you!”

Dawn laughed. “If you squeal again, I’m hanging up on you. I think you almost shattered my eardrum.”

“Okay, okay,” Maddie said in a more controlled voice. “Jamison just gave me the stink eye, too. I’ll try to hold it together, but I’m so happy for you. If Trent wants to introduce you to his daughter that means he’s thinking long-term. As long as you’re thinking the same thing, I say go for it.”

Dawn bit her lip. “I don’t know. What if Beatrice doesn’t like me?”

“Why wouldn’t she like you?” Maddie asked. “You’re great.”

“There are tons of reasons, the main one being I’m dating her dad and she and Trent have a very close relationship. She could get jealous and decide I’m the enemy. Then things with Trent will be ruined, and I really don’t want them to be ruined. I haven’t had this much fun in years.”

She sighed as she leaned against the wall near the window, images of her dates with Trent dancing through her head. “He’s nothing like Dave. He loves getting out of the house and is always up for trying something new. We had Ethiopian food, went to a Chinese opera last weekend, and made reservations for “Overnights at the Aquarium” for tomorrow night. We’re going to take our sleeping bags and camp out by the shark tank.”

Maddie sighed. “That’s so romantic.”

Dawn laughed. “It is not. It’s awesome, and a little creepy.”

“And romantic,” Maddie insisted.

“And romantic,” Dawn grudgingly agreed, fighting the smile that pulled at her lips.

But when Trent’s black Ford pickup pulled up in front of her house a second later, there was no controlling her grin. It burst across her face like zest from an orange peel spraying into the air, filling her heart with zing.

“He’s here,” Dawn said, already reaching for her keys. “I’ve got to go.”

“Call me in a few days,” Maddie said. “I want to hear all about camping out with sharks.”

Dawn promised to call her and zipped her cell into the pocket in the back of her biking pants before bounding down the stairs from her second story apartment. Before Trent, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d bounded anywhere, but in the past nineteen days, bounding had become a part of her daily routine.

“Hey, sexy,” Trent said from the bed of the truck where he was busy unlocking bikes from the rack, his eyes lighting up when he saw her emerge from the doorway and skip across the grass. “I like you in bike pants.”

“Thanks.” Dawn propped a hand on her spandex clad hip, not feeling at all self- conscious about the fact that she had the muscle tone of a woman who spent most of her time in front of an easel or camped out on her couch grading papers.

Dave had always complained that she was on the scrawny side and urged her to make more time for the gym, but Trent obviously thought she was God’s gift to women. She’d never felt more beautiful than when he pulled away from a kiss with that pained-awed-blissed out look in his eyes, as if he couldn’t quite believe she was real and in his arms.

She wasn’t sure she deserved that look, but she wasn’t about to try to change Trent’s mind, not when her confidence in her own desirability was finally making a comeback.

“So how far are we going to go?” Dawn asked, helping him unload a sweet-looking black bike with a skull seat cover.

“Five or six miles.” Trent handed her a helmet before setting his own bike down against the truck and vaulting out of the truck bed with an athleticism that made Dawn’s pulse beat faster.

She’d never been one to geek out about big muscles or a ripped body, but when that ripped body was inhabited by a man who loved his daughter fiercely, could carry on an intelligent conversation, and read at least a book a week, she was as helpless against the stud factor as any other woman.

“Is that too far?” Trent asked, jolting her from her thoughts.

“What?” Dawn asked with a laugh. “Sorry, I was zoning out.”

Trent grinned. “Five or six miles. Is that too far?”

“No, I think that’s fine.” Dawn strapped on her helmet. “I was only wondering if I needed to bring a snack. I get snacky when I exercise.”

“No worries, I’ve got us covered,” he said, motioning to the saddlebags strapped behind his seat. “Snacks and water, but no protein bars because they—”

“Taste like dog biscuits,” Dawn finished with him, nodding her approval. “Glad you’ve been paying attention.”

“Where you’re concerned—always.” He hooked his arm around her waist, pulling her in for a kiss. Dawn went willingly, her entire body filling with flutters as her lips met his. She pressed closer, relishing the delicious strong, solid feel of him, knowing she wouldn’t be able to wait much longer to have him naked in her bed.

Trent pulled away with a soft moan. “We have to stop. I’m wearing spandex, and I’m going to embarrass myself.”

“Nothing to be embarrassed about,” Dawn said with a naughty wink. “Not from what I felt last night.”

“Stop it,” he warned, a heat in his eyes that made her feel flushed all over. “Or I’m going to lock these bikes back up and chase you up to your bedroom.”

Dawn grinned. “But then we wouldn’t get our exercise.”

“Oh, we’d get our exercise,” he said, letting his hand slide down to cup her bottom through her pants. “I promise.”

For a moment, Dawn was tempted, but she forced herself to pull away. “No. Not until after I meet Beatrice. If she hates me and you decide to call it quits I don’t want to have any regrets.”

“She’s not going to hate you,” Trent said for the tenth time since he’d brought the idea up last week, releasing her to reclaim his bike. “She’s not that kind of kid. She’s never met a person she didn’t like. I told you, the only thing she hates is dolls and that’s because she watches too much
Dr. Who
and there was a scary episode about dolls that may have scarred her for life.”

Dawn swung her leg over her bike with a shake of her head. “A six year old who loves
Dr. Who
. I have to confess I’m excited to meet her, even if she’s going to loathe me.”

“She’s not going to—”

“I’m the first woman you’ve ever introduced her to,” Dawn said as they started down the block toward the park and the miles of biking and hiking trails that had been part of the reason she rented this apartment. “You have no idea how she’s going to react.”

Trent thought on that for a moment. He often took a moment to think about what she’d said, a quality she adored almost as much as his bone-melting kisses. After marriage to a man who sought escape in his office or his pot stash every time she came to him with a concern, a man who listened and took her thoughts and feelings into consideration the way Trent did was definitely something she valued.

“Okay, you’re right,” he said after a minute. “But even if Bea is freaked out, it’s not going to change the way I feel. And besides, her mom got remarried six months after we separated and Beatrice didn’t have any trouble adjusting to Harry. They were buddies by the end of the first week.”

“That must have been hard,” Dawn said, switching gears as they headed uphill, enjoying the easy way the bike handled. Unlike her own bike—which was on its last wheels and squeaked relentlessly whenever she and the kids went for a ride—this was a slick machine.

“It was
hard for me,” Trent said. “But I was glad for Bea. Harry’s a decent guy. He and Bea aren’t as close as we are, but they have fun together and I’m glad she’s not stuck in the middle of a bad situation. Harry and I both do our best to get along and put her needs first. There’s no trash talking or tension or anything like that.”

Dawn shook her head. “Wow. That sounds amazing. Dave’s wife, Sadie, and I have just agreed never to talk. Ever.”

“Why?” Trent glanced over at her as they turned down the path that looped around the outer edges of the park. “Because he was having an affair with her before you two split up?”

“No, I mean, that was hurtful, but it was more that Sadie felt compelled to give me parenting advice,” Dawn said, glad that she’d finally been able to loosen up and talk about the divorce with someone other than her therapist. But Trent was so easy to talk to, and it helped that he’d been through a divorce himself.

“One weekend she decided the kids weren’t flossing correctly and sent me a long email about it,” Dawn continued. “The next weekend she said Marshall was using inappropriate language and it reflected poorly on me and Dave. And this because Marshall said ‘shit’ when he burned his finger on a hot griddle while trying to make pancakes.” Dawn broke off, catching her breath before adding, “I mean, it wasn’t the best choice of words, but he wasn’t saying it to hurt anyone, and I always tell the kids it’s not words that are bad, but the way you use them.”