Nana marches off toward the front door then turns around. “Don’t forget to ask Darby about her first kiss.”
For the love of God, Nana!
“So tell me—”
“No.” I sidestep him.
He grabs my arm. “Spill.”
I grumble, nothing in particular, as I turn with a sour face. “My first kiss was the day I graduated from high school. My father and Rachel had a party for me.” I stare down at my feet, rocking back on my heels while tapping the toes of my sandals together. “No kids from my class came, just friends of my father and Rachel. One of the neighbors … well, their child was home from college and kissed me out back in the rose garden.”
Trick chuckles. “An older guy, huh?”
I risk a glance up at him with a sheepish grin. “An older girl.”
Lip twitch. I’m impressed by his control. “You kissed a girl?”
“She kissed me.”
“Did you like it?”
“Shut up. I had a shitty childhood, not that you would—”
Oh. Fuck!
“Trick, I’m—”
“Don’t.” He kisses me, resting his forehead against mine.
“But you grew up with nothing—”
“And you grew up with everything.” He kisses me again. “I’m glad it was that way and not the other way around.”
“Trick—”
He shakes his head, probably seeing the tears of regret in my eyes. “Come.” Taking my hand he pulls me toward the front door.
As soon as we enter, we’re greeted by the cloying tone of Rachel’s voice because seriously … God wasn’t cruel enough to actually give someone that as their natural voice. “We’re in here.”
Trick starts to pull me toward the voice like he lived here, not me. I love everything about him, even the things that drive me crazy. He has a sexy bad-boy appearance with a reserved demeanor, but he’s confident and dominant as hell when he wants to be.
“Hey…” I tug on his hand and wrap my arms around him before we reach the formal living room “…thank you for this.”
He leans down toward my neck and I tilt my head, begging for his mouth to claim my skin. “You can thank me in a more proper way later.” He sucks and bites at my sensitive flesh.
“Ah hem …”
I start to move, but Trick takes his time, not even flinching before he gives me one last nip.
“Good evening, Rachel.”
Trick lifts his mouth from my neck with his back still to Rachel. He wets his lips then rubs them together; I swear he fucks me with his eyes and a smirk that says I-don’t-give-a-damn-who-just-walked-in-if-I-want-you-I’m-going-to-take-you. God, I’ve never wanted to be bent over that wooden banister so bad in my life. Desire used to be an afterthought, a luxury. Now it’s a rash that I can’t stop scratching.
“Trick this is Rachel Hart, my father’s … wife.” I fake a grin.
Trick turns and offers his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
Rachel looks like she could pass out, the color draining from her face and her chest rising and falling with rapid, shallow breaths. It’s the Trick effect. Her wide eyes dart back and forth between his face and his hand. Trick glances over at me with his hand still held out and gives me the knitted eyebrow look.
I roll my eyes and shake my head because I don’t know what her problem is. She has a peculiar personality. “Rachel?” I say in two slow syllables.
She swallows then clears her throat. “Uh … yes, sorry. It’s nice to meet you too.” Accepting his hand with hesitation, she eyes him as if she’s waiting for him to say something more.
Trick releases her hand and looks at me with a subtle squint that shows lingering confusion in his eyes.
“Well, shall we?” Rachel motions with a head nod to the living room. Even her Botox brow doesn’t hide her tension as she forces a tight-lipped smile while blinking as if she just got contacts.
“There’s my girl.” My father holds out his arms.
I release Trick’s hand and hug my father. Nana winks at me with a sly smile stealing her lips. “Father.” I step back, grabbing Trick’s hand again. “You remember Trick.”
My father nods once as his face falls sour. “Yes, I remember. How nice of you to indulge my wife’s thirsty curiosity by joining us for dinner.”
“I’m indulging your daughter, not your wife.”
“Maybe for now. Let’s eat.” My father plasters on his politician’s smile while everyone drudges through the thick tension, making our way to the dining room.
I recognize that look in my father’s eyes. It’s his way of saying, “See you in court.” Tonight the dining room will serve as the courtroom, and Trick will be on trial for the duration of dinner.
Trick pulls my chair out, but I don’t think his faux gentlemanly manners are going to earn him points with my father. He sits next to me and leans over to my ear as I take a sip of water. “The only thing that’s going to get me through tonight is knowing that when it’s over I’ll be fucking you into the middle of next week.”