Trey reached for her instinctively, pulling her into his arms. She buried her face into his neck, shaking, and one of her hands fisted in his shirt. Ah, shit. Yeah, he'd read the report, but none of Marli's tortured feelings had come out of that. Christ. He ran his hand down her back, and even though she was half-naked in his arms, he just wanted to hold her and comfort her.
"Hey," he said, after a while, "you can't torture yourself like this." Although he knew only too well the feeling.
She sniffled. "Easy to say," she said. "I asked you this once before...do you follow your own advice?"
He smiled against her hair. "You know I don't. But don't do as I do. Do as I say."
"I don't take orders from you, Special Agent Nicholson."
He kissed her hair. "You told me once that you were jealous of Krista's hair."
"Yeah." She pulled back and looked up at him, confused. "So?"
"Does that mean you didn't love her?"
"Of course not. I did love her."
"So Krista could be jealous of your...outgoing personality, but that doesn't mean she didn't love you, Marli."
She stared at him, and another fat tear rolled from her eye. "You're right," she whispered, looking at him in wonder. "God, you're right, Trey."
He hugged her closer. "I know that doesn't help with all the big questions, like why it happened. I know you feel guilty about not stopping her. Because you're a good person. But what happened to her is not your fault, Marli. No way, no how."
She curled into him, hanging onto him.
He'd never felt closer to anyone than he did to her at that moment. Not just physically, although she was as close as they could get without him being inside her. But emotionally, he connected with her, knew what she was feeling, understood where it was coming from. God, he'd never even felt like this with Lisa, sad to say.
His hands moved over her back soothingly, stroking her soft skin with the intent to comfort, not arouse. They lay like that, curled together, for long, quiet moments, tenderness and some indefinable emotion making something in his chest expand and soften.
Chapter 10
Well, she'd killed that mood.
Marli nuzzled her face into Trey's neck. God, he smelled good. She sniffed at him, then pressed her mouth to his skin, a soft, open-mouthed kiss. Emotions rose and fell inside her like lava in a lava lamp. It was such a relief to have finally told someone how she felt. Somehow, it shrunk the guilt and anguish down to size. Didn't get rid of them...and that was okay. But now, maybe she could handle it.
Trey was so amazing. How had he known? She supposed in his work he'd dealt with so much grief and sorrow he knew what people were going through. The fact that he understood her when she barely understood herself, though, touched something deep inside her. Made her soften, warm to him more than she already had. Jesus, next thing she knew she'd be thinking she was falling in love with him. Her hero.
She had to remember Trey was a cop, doing a job, passing through town, a man with shadows and secrets of his own that dogged him. Definitely not someone to fall in love with.
Slowly, she pulled out of his arms and again rolled to the edge of the bed, reaching down to the floor for her tank top. She slipped it over her head so she was semi-covered, although a quick glance down at her chest saw her beaded nipples were clearly on display through the thin white cotton.
She swallowed words that would tell him about the strange, soft emotions she was feeling for him. "I could use some food," she said instead.
He lifted his wrist so he could see his watch. "Yeah," he said. "It's seven o'clock. By the time we get something to eat, it'll be time to go."
She nodded, her tummy tightening. But tonight Trey would be with her. Really with her. Looking out for her.
She stood and went to find clothes to change into. She pulled her jeans out of her bag and slipped out of the loose yoga pants. Hmmm... She'd change her underwear. A quick glance behind her told her that, yes, Trey was watching her, with those intense eyes. She paused, then put her thumbs into the elastic band of the panties and shimmied out of them, her back to him. She felt his eyes burning into her like a brand as she searched for clean panties. She'd never felt so self-conscious in her life. She, who never felt self-conscious. She knew he was watching and wanted him so much to like what he saw.
She found the pink thong she'd tossed in, and stepped into it, adjusting the thin straps on her hips. Then she reached for the hem of the tank top and pulled it over her head, dropping it into the duffle bag. She tugged out a pink cotton T-shirt bra. Not her sexiest underwear, but that's not what she'd been thinking about when she'd fled her house last night. This morning. Whatever. She fastened the bra behind her and then pulled a long, snug navy blue T-shirt on. She ran her fingers through her hair and then glanced again at Trey before going into the bathroom.
He was still watching her and made no attempt to look away, all smoldering, dark intensity, lounging there on the bed with one knee bent, his shirt untucked and half unbuttoned. She turned so fast to go into the washroom that she ran smack into the wall.
"Ow!" God, how embarrassing. She fled into the bathroom and closed the door behind her with a sharp click, setting her hands on the counter, leaning forward. Her entire body burned. Things were getting way too intense.
She splashed cold water on her face, combed through her wildly tangled curls, touched up her makeup.
When she came out, Trey was just zipping up the fly on his jeans. He'd left the white shirt on, loose over the low-slung jeans, but he'd done up one more button over his chest. He ran his hands through his own mussed hair.
She met his eyes, and the air grew charged and hot around them. His pupils shot wide, making his eyes even darker.
"Trey."
"Mmm."
"I do want you."
No sense beating around the bush. When she had something to say, she said it.
His lips quirked. "Yeah?"
She nodded. "I don't know what's going to happen tonight. So I just wanted you to know that."
"Christ, Marli, nothing's going to happen tonight. And now I have to sit in that bar all night with a hard-on, just waiting to get you back here so I can have you."
Her knees went so soft she thought she might fall. That aching need between her legs was back. Her fresh panties were damp already.
"Me, too." Her eyes made him promises he seemed to understand and reciprocate.
"Let's go."
They ate in the restaurant in the inn, a family-type place full of parents and their kids on holidays. Marli picked at a club sandwich and fries, while Trey devoured another huge meal, a steak sandwich, fries and a big piece of apple pie with ice cream.
When they finished, they looked at each other.
"Showtime," Trey said quietly. He paid the bill and they went out to his car in the dusky parking lot.
Trey drove around and around until he found a spot on the street not far from Marli's car. When they left, he wanted to be close to her. He parked and they started toward Cactus Jack's. He stopped her on the sidewalk around the corner from the bar.
"We can't go in together," he said quietly. "We want it to look like you're there alone again. Just go sit at the bar. Try to find two chairs so I can join you."
She looked up at him with wide eyes. Christ, he hated sending her in there alone after everything that had happened. "I'll be right behind you," he said roughly. "Even if I don't sit down right away. Okay?"
She nodded.
"Remember. Don't look at just the guys with blond hair. You have to look at everyone."