Mara looked down at the clothes in her hands. "At one time I would have agreed with you. Now I'm not so sure."
"I'm sure. You can handle anything. You've never been the type to take crap off anyone."
Suddenly, she raised her head, a spark of her usual sass in her eyes. "You're right. I haven't had the luxury of being shy. Especially working in the legal profession which is such a good old boys club. So why am I so meek and mild around everyone here?" Then her face twisted and she threw the sweater she held down. "Well, it's actually not that hard to figure out. I feel out of place here. Completely and totally out of place."
"Well that's not possible since this is your place. You belong here with me."
"No, I really don't. This is your place, Trent. You own this penthouse. You own these clothes. None of this is mine."
He held her cheeks between his palms gently, tracing the sides of her face with his thumbs. She relaxed into the caress and closed her eyes. He nuzzled her cheek, just breathing in her scent.
When she opened her eyes again, he held her gaze as he said, "Well you own me. I am yours. So all the rest doesn't matter."
Chapter Eleven
MARA CLOSED HER eyes, soaking up the warmth of Trent's love. Shivers of sensation radiated from her cheeks where he was caressing her face all the way down to her toes. She'd always felt like she could tell him anything. Her greatest fears and insecurities seemed like obstacles to conquer instead of mountains when he was with her.
"You own me, too. I wouldn't be here otherwise."
At her words, his eyes shuttered, like he was pleased by her words. His lashes lowered as he leaned forward. Their lips met and clung, his taste lingering even when he pulled back to kiss the tip of her nose.
"What's really bothering you, baby?"
Mara looked behind her at the massive pile of packages on the bed. Shopping with someone like Sophia made her realize just how empty the activity could be. Growing up, shopping had been something that she and her mother had done together when they needed a way to reconnect. After she'd decided she didn't want to compete in any more beauty pageants, it had been harder and harder to find common ground with her mom. Looking through the sale racks and finding the perfect thing to complement an outfit had been a low-pressure activity that they could do without arguing. At the end, they'd both be more relaxed and go home with something pretty.
Mara looked at all the clothes and shoes and handbags spread across the room. It looked like a spread from Vogue. Truthfully she'd never owned so much in her life but it brought her no joy. She didn't look at all the pretty things and attach them to happy memories. And despite her closet being filled to the brim, she had a feeling it would still seem empty.
"This whole day was about changing me. Every time Sophia would look over at me, it was like she was seeing all my flaws and trying to find a way to make me more acceptable. Like I'm not good enough as I am."
One of Trent's hands skimmed up her back and tangled in her hair. Her mouth fell open as her heart beat faster. God, she loved it when he held her like this. One hand in her hair and the other on her hip, like he was never going to let her go. Like he was completely and utterly enthralled with her.
"All those clothes can go back where they came from as far as I'm concerned. You know how you look best?" He rasped the question in her ear, the husky timbre of his voice sending chills down her spine. "Ask me," he ordered.
Mara shivered, completely turned on by the power and authority in his voice. He was no longer her easygoing, laid-back Trent. His other side, the autocratic self-assured business scion was back and slowly kissing his way down the side of her throat.
"How do I look best?" she managed to get out between gulps of air.
Trent pushed her hair out of the way, clearing the path for his tongue to find the curve of her collarbone. "You look best in nothing at all. So you can take all that stuff back to the fucking store if you want."
He spun her around so she was facing the bed. Her head fell back on his shoulder.
"And you see all those shoes? Every time you wear a pair of those sexy-as-hell stilettos I want you to remember that as soon as you get home they're going to be on my shoulders."
"Oh god," she panted as the imagery his words evoked triggered a deep throb in her belly. The arrogant statement made her clench her thighs together, desperate to stop the ache in her core that made her feel suddenly, desperately empty.
He must have sensed the movement because he moved, his thigh forcing her legs open. It was ten times as intense this way, when she couldn't close her legs. She could feel how wet she was and when his hand pushed firmly, inexorably down the front of her jeans, she knew that Trent would feel it, too.
"And do you see this ring I bought you?" He held up her left hand, the diamond on her third finger sparkling in the light. "I went back and forth for weeks about it. I knew it would cause talk to buy you a diamond this big but I wanted you to have the best. But it doesn't even matter. Because no diamond can shine the way you do. You don't need jewels or any adornment at all. I'm almost blinded every time I look at your perfect naked skin." His voice was gruff, almost angry.
When he curled his hand, his fingers sliding through the slick lips of her sex, Mara couldn't hold back a scream. He turned her head and his lips covered hers roughly, swallowing the sound. She’d never thought of herself as the helpless type but in that moment, she was completely dependent on him. If he'd moved or let go, she'd drop to the floor in a quivering puddle of need.
There was nothing to do but allow herself to be swept along as he ravaged her mouth, nipping and biting as she rode his hand. Her entire being was focused on the movement of his finger circling her clit, rubbing slow circles that were driving her closer and closer to losing her mind.
"Now that I have you here, I won't allow anything to hurt you. Do you understand? I exist to protect you. And you exist to make my life worth living."
She opened her eyes, completely caught up in the intensity of the words he'd whispered in her ear and the physical storm caused by his clever fingers. Trent's eyes were fixed on her, his face twisted into a mask of obsession and desire. Then his eyes narrowed and he twisted his fingers, hitting a spot inside that ignited a firestorm deep within.
"Trent!" His name was all she could manage as the world shifted and splintered as she came apart.