That Kind of Special (8 page)

“That’s it, baby.” He stroked her back. “You’re okay. Let your emotions out.”

She managed to nod once.

He leaned against her, kissed her bare shoulder, and whispered, “Relax. I’ll take care of you.”

She trembled. How did he know? Always one who fought for her independence, she craved someone who would take that power away from her. Doreen was right. She did want a man stronger than her.

Trent gave her an excuse to take a chance, to let down her guard. No. He demanded she pay attention and open herself up to him. No other man had the strength to force her to let herself be vulnerable.

“You’re very wet and ready for me,” he said.

Her position kept her from moving away from the slow glide of his finger through her wetness. She leaned her head against the mattress, caught up in the titillating pulses drumming her body. He forced her to feel things she’d always denied herself before.

Each stroke built her up higher. She silently begged him to skim her clit. It wouldn’t take more than that to set her off.

Suddenly he removed his hand and pushed up inside her with his cock, leaving her gasping as blinding pleasure seared her core. She stiffened.
Oh God, oh God, oh God…

In.

Out.

In.

Out.

Then her whole body constricted in ecstasy. Hard, powerful, and wild.

He pushed into her, buried fully inside her, until she was balancing on her tiptoes, clinging to the edge of the mattress. She shook worse than if she were stuck outside in freezing weather. Butt naked.

Every thought centered on the pleasure drowning her. She wanted to wallow in the feelings forever.

He grunted, leaning over her back as he pulsed inside her, sending aftershocks of desire through her. His weight came down more, and she collapsed her upper body on the bed.

Then suddenly, he pulled out of her and wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her in a standing position. She missed the fullness of him inside her. He filled her with more than his body, and she wasn’t sure how to hold on to the feelings he created.

“From now on you always lock the damn dead bolt. When you’re home, when you leave, when you run down to do laundry. Every. Single. Time.” He kissed the side of her cheek.

She nodded. “‘Kay.”

After a minute of silence, he guided her onto the bed. He helped her lie down on her back. He gazed at her intently, and she marveled at the way his eyes appeared more gray than blue at the moment. She tried to get her brain to work, to understand what he was going to do next, but her mind melted away when his mouth came down on her mound. His hot breath caressed the already wet parts of her.

A surge of pleasure rolled through her. She raised her hips, grinding against his tongue, his lips, and his face. My God, why hadn’t she dated a man so determined before?

The incredible feeling of having his face between her legs, touching all her hidden spots, drove her higher. To her amazement, her body recovered quickly, and her core throbbed with need. He sucked her nub into his mouth and tapped his teeth against the sensitive exposed nerves. Her skin warmed, and the cool temperature of the room created more sensations over her hot upper body.

He sucked her clit. Hard.

Catapulted into the most exquisite orgasm of her life, she screamed his name, as spasm after spasm racked her body from the inside out to her limbs, consuming her entire body and leaving not one spot untouched.

Trent massaged her legs, letting her come down easily to enjoy every moment. His face appeared stern, but there was softness in his eyes. “Do you trust me, baby?”

She hesitated. He never gave her any reason to think he was anything but earnest. She liked that part of being with him. His dominance gave her permission to take a chance. That if she failed or weakened, he would be here to protect her.

“Yes.”

“Good.” He pushed off the mattress, walked out of the room, and returned after what she suspected was an errand to rid himself of the condom. “This is what’s going to happen. I’m not playing around anymore. We’re together. Because I give a damn about how my girl is protected, you will lock that dead bolt and be aware of your surroundings. When you agree to be only with me, I want us together all the time, except when we both have to work. If you want your friends around for company, then you damn well invite them over. I’m going to have Tim drive you around, because I would feel better knowing the most important person in my life is safe and protected. He’ll take you to your job sites and return to take you home when you’re finished. When you have an errand to run, call him, and he’ll take you. Are we clear?”

She stared up at him from the bed. The reality of what he ordered her to do penetrated her sexually satisfied brain. “Oh, shit.”

Chapter Nine

Trent sat on the couch in Katina’s apartment. Now that he’d set the rules, he expected the backlash. Katina had stayed in her room for an hour and then busied herself in the kitchen for another ten minutes before daring to glance in his direction.

He could wait.

She tried hard to hide her need to have a handle on the situation. From the bright red T-shirt and the knee-high boots she wore over skintight jeans after coming out of the bedroom, to her lack of smart-ass comments she normally threw at him, she was struggling to maintain her safe little world.

She reminded him of a Swedish warrior. Ready to cuss him out and go to war against the strongest of men, and she had his attention. He latched his hands behind his head and stretched his legs out, crossing his ankles. He had nowhere to go tonight, and he wasn’t leaving the apartment until he believed she was on board with his plans.

Her thick auburn hair hung loose and wild around her shoulders. Her large, high breasts, wide hips, and solid thighs pleased him, and he hardened. Again.

He couldn’t get enough of her. She was a woman who wouldn’t break under his weight and had enough curves for him to lose himself in.

He threw his arm along the back of the couch. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

“Just taking everything in and trying to grasp what just happened.” She pursed her lips and walked back into the kitchen to stand behind the counter.

With the open floor plan, he could still keep his eye on her. She attempted to show him indifference, but her mood told a different story. He suspected she couldn’t handle what was happening, and he was trying to figure out why.

She walked to the window, putting her back to him, and gazed outside. He stood, his patience growing thin. No doubt, he’d gone overboard in the heat of the moment.

“Kat?”

She cupped her elbows in her hands. “What are we doing?”

He joined her at the window, wrapping his arms around her from behind. “Will you relax? Take what we’re doing, and roll with it. There’s no hidden agenda. I’m not playing a game. I want you to be comfortable. Most of all, I want you to be real.”

“Like you are?” she whispered.

“Yes.”

She pushed out of his embrace, turned around, and laughed. The sound showed no humor. “You’re so full of shit. You orchestrated this whole thing. You’re acting like the perfect man, saving me from the ex-boyfriend”—she pointed to the door—”drilling a hole in my damn apartment for a lock, and giving me mind-blowing sex, while showering me with more attention than I deserve. How am I supposed to relax when you’re…you’re bossing me around, and I don’t have time to tell you no?”

“Remember what I told you that first day after I punched your boyfriend—”

“Ex-boyfriend,” she mumbled.

“Right.” He inhaled deeply. “There’s a certain way you treat a woman, and laying your hands on her without her permission is not acceptable.”

“Fine. That explains that, but what about earlier at your house? What about an hour ago when you ordered—yes, I said ordered—me to bend over and assume the position? Hm?” She planted her hands on her hips. “What about that damn dead bolt?”

He stepped to the right and leaned against the wall, grinning. “Baby, you should know something. The huffier you get, the more you turn me on. I got the biggest hard-on for you right now.”

She glanced down to the front of his jeans and swiftly inhaled. He laughed when she crossed her arms to cover her breasts. A pointless action, since he could read her response on her face. Her facial reactions showed every bit of pleasure she experienced, and he loved how innocent she seemed.

“I’m letting you know where I stand if you want to be with me.” He lifted the corner of his mouth and shrugged. “I take the safety of the woman I care about seriously. It’s a hazard that comes with the kind of business I run.”

“I get that.” She frowned and then whispered, “There’s more to it than that, isn’t there?”

He looked down at the floor. The guilt over his inability to protect those he loved most would always eat at him. It never lessened. “My sister was raped”—he cleared his throat—”when she walked out of a restaurant to the car while her boyfriend stayed behind to pay the bill. It happened fast. Nobody heard her screams in the alley. She thought she was safe to walk out alone, because her boyfriend was soon to be out after her.”

“Oh, God.” She covered her throat with her hand. “Is she okay?”

He nodded. “Now, mostly. After it happened, no.”

“That’s awful,” she whispered.

“Yes, it was.”

She turned and walked away from him. She trailed her finger along the edge of the table. She straightened the lampshade, picked up a dirty shirt on the floor, and tossed it down the hallway.

She stayed on the other side of the room, but turned around. “You confuse me. I feel like what we have is going to disappear at any moment, because that’s all I know. Every single man I’ve dated has disappointed me. It’s not their fault, it’s me, really. I set high standards. Impossibly high ideals. Everything you’ve shown me makes me think you’re the man who is going to prove that I need you. I don’t want it to go away. Yet you’re talking long-term…at least for the immediate future. I can’t wrap my head around it all, and I don’t know if I want to.”

“You don’t like what we’re building?”

She swallowed. “I like the sex. I like how I feel when I’m around you.”

“Fair enough.” He nodded. “That’s a start.”

“You’ll settle for that?” She tossed her hair over her shoulder. “Don’t you feel like I’m cheating you out of some emotional need?”

He studied her and realized he wasn’t getting inside her head, but receiving a firm take-a-hike message she probably delivered to all the men she dated. “More than I can express.”

“Then do something, dammit!” She crossed her arms. “We’ve talked and talked, like two old women at tea time. I don’t get why you asked me out today or why you showed up at my apartment instead of calling. I take that back—I get the sex part. I want to know what’s there behind the sex. Why me?”

“Not until you finally decide to stop lashing out at me. You’re overthinking things that haven’t even happened yet, and trying to find an excuse that we shouldn’t be together.” He pushed off the wall and walked toward her.

“Because that’s what I do.” She stiffened. “I’m not bargaining with you.”

He hooked her behind the neck and pulled her toward him. “Babe, I get it. You’re scared.”

She challenged him with a stare.

“So.” He kissed her, stepping back, so she’d have no trouble understanding what he was going to say next. “I’m going to prove to you that you can’t push me away just because you’re frightened of your feelings. And you’re scared because I’m not going to let you get away with this bullshit.”

“What bullshit?” she mumbled.

“Give me the truth, babe. You want a man stronger than you. Someone who won’t let you get away with turning into a fucking bitch, just so you can have your own way. You like that I take care of you, and have the balls to tell you no.” He lowered his voice. “That’s the kind of man you want, so you can give yourself permission to open your arms, take a chance, and let someone else take care of you.”

She narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips. He wasn’t backing down. “Yes or no?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

“Then, dammit, come here.” He patted his chest.

She dived into his arms. He held her against him, tucking her head underneath his chin. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m not the kind of man who’ll let you push me away, and you’re too special for me to walk away without regretting it for a lifetime.”

Her body relaxed in a whoosh. He stroked the back of her head. Finally, he felt like he’d gotten past her shield and was holding the real Katina. He admired her for her goals, her determination to succeed in developing a business that would support her, and her struggle for independence.

Yet there was an unbelievable strength in her determination to go about it by herself. She wanted to succeed at an unhealthy level that caused her to suffer for what she really wanted. He didn’t get that. He kissed the top of her head and leaned back, making her tip her head back to meet his gaze. “Are we good now?”

She nodded. “We’re good…for now. I’ll have to think about it more when I’m by myself.”

He chuckled. “You do that.”

“Although you’re probably going to turn into a stalker, huh?”

He threw back his head and laughed. Yeah, he was going to enjoy their new relationship. “Yeah, baby. I’ll be your stalker.”

Chapter Ten

Seattle boasted of having some of the best underground music anywhere, and at the Cavern, Katina believed it. She held Trent’s hand and followed him off the dance floor. The laughter kept coming. She couldn’t stop.

For someone who’d proved he was fast on his feet, a smooth talker, and a marathon man in bed, Trent couldn’t dance to save his life. She leaned her head onto his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

“Right,” he muttered, pulling her to his side and continuing to walk back to their table.

“Next time, I promise I won’t make fun of you.” She bit down on her lip to keep from laughing and failed. “Seriously.”

“Real cute.” He kissed her quick. “Those moves should only be made in bed. With me.”

She stuck out her lower lip, but even then, she couldn’t follow through with her pout. Tonight was everything she’d hoped it would be. Good food, delicious drinks, and the company of their friends.