Unpredictable Love (17 page)

“
These are for you,” he said, his
voice cracking a bit.

“
Thank you. Come in.” She took the
flowers and stepped to the side. Trent followed her to the kitchen,
where she found a pitcher to use as a vase. She fixed the blooms
and placed them on the dining table.
“They’re
beautiful. Thank you. Would you like a beer or wine?”

“
Maybe just one. Wine. If it’s open.
You’ve got a beautiful place here.” His gaze swept the room,
stopping on the sliding glass doors to the yard.

“
I picked the first floor so I could
have feeders.” She poured his drink.

He took the glass, glancing at her, then
away. He drifted over to the back and stopped to watch the finches.
“Nice bunch,” he said, nodding.

“
I’ve got some cheese, if you’re
hungry,” she said. “Please, sit down.”

He joined her on the sofa. Fear kept her
from making eye contact. She stared at her drink.

“
You’ve come here to say something to
me. Please, the anticipation is killing me. Like a Band-Aid, if you
pull it off quickly, it hurts less. So, please, spit it out and get
it over with.” The sting of tears started behind her eyes. She’d
hoped to care less for him when she saw him, but that wasn’t the
case.

In fact, she swore she’d loved him more as
he stood there on her threshold, looking so gorgeous. She’d fought
the urge to grab his lapels, yank him in the door, and smother him
with kisses. She gripped the arm of the couch, steeling herself for
the harsh words to come.

“
What do you think I’m going to
say?”

“
Just get it over with,
please.”

He inched closer.

Fear instinctively urged her to move away,
but she resisted, shutting her eyes instead. “Please, Trent. This
is torture.”

“
Jory, I…” He stopped, took a breath,
then started again. “Jory, I was totally surprised to find out you
were you. That sounds weird. You know what I mean.”

She nodded and sucked down more wine. She
pushed her thumb into one eye, where a few tears stubbornly refused
to leave.

“
Look, it’s not what you think. Sure,
I was pissed off at first. Damn pissed off. I felt like an idiot.
Marines are supposed to be smarter than that. To be fooled that
way. Well, I felt dumb.”

“
I’m sorry,” she whispered.

Trent put his forefinger against her lips.
“Stop apologizing. But when I got to thinking about it, I kind of
figured, so what? You know?”

“
Huh?” She opened her eyes
wide.

“
Yeah. I mean, so you don’t look like
Amber. So what? I think you’re beautiful just the way you are.” He
tipped her chin up so she had to meet his gaze.

A tear slipped out of the corner of her eye.
“You do?”

He nodded. “I do.”

“
You’re crazy.”

“
No, I’m not. Have you taken a look in
the mirror lately?”

“
Duh, yeah. Every day.”

He stroked her hair. “Your hair is
beautiful, your eyes, like wow. So big and expressive.”

“
I’m too thin. No boobs.”

He laughed. “That’s not what I thought in
the hospital.”

She could feel a blush stealing into her
cheeks. “Not like Amber.”

“
You filled my hands. That’s all I
need.”

“
But all the things you said in your
letters about my body and being beautiful.”

“
Yeah? So? Those still apply, but to
you, not Amber. I don’t know Amber, but I do know you. You’re
beautiful on the inside too.”

“
So, you’re not mad
anymore?”

“
Nope. You didn’t lie in your letters,
did you?”

She shook her head hard. “No way! Every word
was the absolute truth.”

“
I’m still in love with
you.”

“
You are?” she squeaked
out.

“
Yep. You’re the woman I fell for. And
that hasn’t changed.”

“
You forgive me?”

“
Just don’t ever lie to me
again.”

More tears trickled down her cheek. Trent
wiped them way with his thumb.

“
I promise.”

He slid closer and pulled her onto his lap,
closing his arms around her. She curled up, resting her cheek
against his chest.

“
You’ve had a bad time of it, haven’t
you?”

Choked with emotion, she nodded.

“
I’m sorry about that. If you’d come
to me sooner, we’d be past it by now.”

“
I was a coward.”

“
Afraid of me?”

Again, she nodded, filled with shame.

“
Don’t ever be afraid of me. I have a
temper, but it’s the quick flare-up and quick die-down type. I
never stay angry long. And I’d never rip you apart.”

“
You attacked Amber in the
store.”

“
Oh, yeah. Forgot about that.” She
felt the rumble in his chest as he laughed. “Oops. I have
apologized to her.”

“
She told me.”

“
I suppose if you cheat on me, I could
get that kind of mad again.”

“
I’d never do that. I’m not a cheater.
Are we still together?” She leaned back to gaze at him.

“
I hope so. I could never find another
woman like you.”

He kissed her then angled his head to deepen
it. The rush of her emotions practically knocked Jory off his lap.
His tongue made love to her mouth, arousing her desire. His hands
gripped her waist, holding her against him. Desire flowed through
her veins, kicking her pulse into overdrive, speeding up her
breathing and sending pleasure through her.

Jory pushed back. “Maybe we should eat
something,” she said, straightening her dress.

“
Can I take you out to
dinner?”

Her head snapped up. “Great! There’s a cute
little mom and pop Italian restaurant down the block.”

“
I love Italian food.”

“
Okay, then. Let’s go.” Jory grabbed
her bag off the kitchen counter.

“
Uh, could you give me a
minute?”

She glanced down at the bulge in his pants.
“Maybe we should do something else first, before dinner?”

“
Uh, no. I’m hungry, and I don’t want
to rush anything, uh, later.”

She grinned. “Sounds good to me.”

He came up behind her, gripped her
shoulders, and kissed her neck. “Oh, yes. It’s going to be very,
very good for you.”

Chills shot down her spine at his touch.
“I’m a fast eater.”

“
That’s good,” he said, bestowing one
more kiss on the sensitive column before heading for the door. “I
hate waiting.”

Jory stopped in the bathroom to wash her
hands and pinch herself. She sported a grin that wouldn’t quit.
Dinner at Fiorello’s with dessert in the bedroom. Her heart thudded
against her chest, loudly in her ears, and her breathing was a bit
shallow.

Trent opened the door for her and took her
hand as they strolled to the restaurant. Jory tried to focus on
food, but her appetite had traveled lower in her body. Trent
ordered wine. They munched on breadsticks while they picked out
main courses. He ordered lasagna and she, ravioli.

He sat back, smiling at her, and lifted his
glass.

“
What are you staring at? Is something
showing?” Jory checked her bra straps.

“
Just looking at my beautiful
lady.”

“
Where?” Jory pretended to look to her
left then her right.

“
Stop it. Your chestnut hair is an
incredible blend of brown and red. Your face is perfect. And your
body? Well, hell, I can hardly keep my hands off you,” he said,
reducing the last part to a whisper as he leaned closer.

A blush of pleasure stole into her cheeks.
She slid her fingers under his, and he tightened around them. The
waiter brought their wine and a small plate of antipasti.

“
We didn’t order this,” Trent
said.

“
I know, but the chef loves lovers.
So, he sent this over with his compliments.
Amore
, eh?” The man winked at Trent, which
caused the Marine to blush and laugh.

As they picked at the plate loaded with
tidbits of sausage, cheese, pimento, and other Italian delights,
Jory cleared her throat. “We don’t know each other very well.”

“
Oh?”

“
I think we should have a round robin.
I’ll ask a question, then you answer, then you ask and I’ll
answer.”

“
Suits me. Ladies first.”

“
Here goes. Your favorite
color?”

“
Blue. Yours?”

“
Pink. Your favorite car?”

“
Maserati. Yours?”

“
Rav 4.”

“
My turn. Your favorite
song,”

“‘
Too Late for Goodbyes,’” she
said.

“
Mine too!”

The server arrived with their food.

“
One more,” he said. “Your most
embarrassing moment.”

“
So many, it’s hard to choose,” she
said, grinning.

Conversation took second place to food as
they traded stories around bites of tender, homemade pasta. Jory
confided in him, embarrassing herself several times. They finished
their wine, their food, and nursed cups of coffee, still
talking.

At nine, they were given the bill, which
Trent paid, and politely ushered out into the cool, June air. When
she shivered, Trent wrapped his jacket around her shoulders. They
laced fingers and took their time getting back to Jory’s apartment.
She gazed at the stars and made a wish.

“
Have people always compared you to
Amber?” Trent asked, pulling her closer.

“
Not my parents. They never did. But
everyone else seems to.”

“
Nan?”

“
Oh, no. She never would. But I’d hear
phrases like, ‘never mistake you for twins’, and ‘Amber’s the
pretty one, Jory’s the smart one.’ Stuff like that.”

“
Ouch! Did people actually say that?”
His brows rose.

She nodded.

“
Bet that hurt.” He slipped his arm
around her shoulders.

“
After a while, I got over it. Began
to enjoy being the smart one.” She cuddled into him.

“
I think you’re smart and pretty.” He
leaned down and kissed her hair.

“
Thank you.” The scent of his freshly
ironed shirt teased her nose. Ripping it from his body crossed her
mind. She hugged him around the waist, ignoring the tingle caused
by coming up against his firm muscle.

He squeezed her once, hard, before releasing
her to unlock her door.

Once inside, the two lovers attacked each
other. Trent grabbed her, clasping her to his chest as his hungry
mouth found hers. Up on tiptoes, Jory braced herself with her hands
on his shoulder and opened for him. Their kiss, hot to start, grew
hotter. He hitched her shift up, dipping his fingers under the hem
to squeeze her flesh. She fumbled with his buttons, opening them as
fast as she could.

He shucked his shirt, letting it slip to the
floor, before yanking her dress up and off. She took his hand and
almost ran to the bedroom. While he removed his pants, she pulled
down the covers.

“
Are you?”

“
No.”

He pulled out two condoms and put them on
the nightstand. Jory reached around behind to undo her bra when a
big hand stopped her.

“
Let me do that. Please.”

Shyness washed over her as she realized,
though they had made love before, and he had touched her, he’d
never seen her naked.

“
You’re blushing. Are you embarrassed?
We’ve already done the deed,” he said, flipping open the
hooks.

“
But you’ve never seen me…uh,
undressed.”

“
Oh! That’s right! Well, let me take a
good look,” he said, laughing.

Jory giggled, but covered her chest with her
arms.

“
Come, come, don’t be shy with me.” He
shed his pants and boxers and lay down on the bed, beckoning her to
join him.

Undressed, he was magnificent. Jory hadn’t
seen all of him, either, between the bandages and the cast. Her
mouth hung open.

“
You’re gorgeous.”

“
Men aren’t gorgeous. Women are. Come
over here, beautiful creature. Let me see you, Jory, honey. Don’t
be shy. I love you.”

His soft words melted her fear. She dropped
her arms and climbed up on the mattress next to him.

“
Now, the panties.”

She slipped them off and tossed them on a
chair.

“
God, you’re gorgeous,” he
whispered.

Before she could face him, a warm hand slid
down her side and gripped her hip. She folded her legs up
underneath and rolled onto her back. Propped up on his elbow, he
feasted his eyes on her.

“
You’re amazing,” he said, caressing
her neck and shoulder before dipping his head to taste her. “These
are perfect.” He closed his fingers around her breast. She pushed
her fingertips into his back muscles a bit, feeling the power of
his body.

Peeking over his shoulder, she spied his
butt. That had not been visible in the hospital. It was perfect and
begged her to give it a squeeze. But he was too tall for her to
reach. She inched down, but still couldn’t touch it. He raised his
head and shot her a quizzical look.