“Yes, love,” he said, bobbing his head. “Ever heard of it? I love you, and you know what? It scares the hell out of me. I’ve never been so gut-twisted in all my life. You’ve rung my chimes worse than any linebacker ever did. I haven’t known whether I was coming or going. I’ve never felt like this, been this much out of control. I’ve never been more miserable or felt so damn good. It’s terrible.”
He demonstrated just how terrible it was by sealing her surprised mouth with his. Walking her backward, he maneuvered them to the sofa. Still holding her against him, he fell onto it. His hands had no regard for his own shirt. He tore it open, freeing her breasts for the wild caresses of his mouth. Just as frantically, he rid himself of his shorts.
Their union was swift. He secured himself deep inside her. Only then did he become still, while the heat within him simmered. His lips flirted with her ear, and he rasped, “In case I haven’t yet made myself clear, I love you. Here’s how much.” He began to move.
She enfolded him with her limbs, with her heart. When the tumult came, it was explosive. They didn’t recover from it for a long time.
Rana closed her eyes and let the shower’s spray pound over her body. She washed carefully, lathering more lavishly than usual and sliding her hands over her body with an appreciation for it she had never had before. She was acutely aware of each sensation. What did her skin feel like to Trent? She tried to imagine, smiling as she recalled every adoring word he had whispered as he loved her.
He had been disappointed when, after a nap on her couch, she had suggested that he return to his own room.
“Why?” he had asked, snuggling closer. “I like it here. And here. And here.” With caressing hands he indicated all the parts of her body he loved.
She swatted his hands away before they got the best of her common sense. “Ruby might come back at any time. What if she checks up on us and finds us together?”
“What if she does? I’m a big boy.”
“Hm, I’ll say.” She sighed, caressing him.
His sigh turned into a groan of arousal. “Darlin’, that’s not a very good way of talking me into leaving. Or did you change your mind?” He eased her onto her back as his mouth reached for hers.
“No, I didn’t change my mind.” She shoved him away, and he had to jump to his feet or lose his balance and roll off the couch.
“How about a quick shower?” he suggested as she pushed him toward the door.
“How about a long one?”
“You mean it?” he said, his face lighting up.
“Alone.”
“Oh.” His smile collapsed. “Do you want to jog first?”
“You go ahead without me. I don’t have the energy.”
That brought his smile back. “I feel like I could climb Mount Everest or take on all the Pittsburgh Steelers or slay a dragon.” He kissed her hard and swiftly before leaving.
Now, stepping from the shower, Rana played that scene again in her head, as she had recalled every precious second of the night since he had first taken her in his arms. She went over every word, every touch. She relished them, treasuring them, because she had never known a love like this.
And why not admit it? She was in love with Trent
She gazed at herself in the foggy bathroom mirror, wondering if the evidence of that newfound love was shining in her eyes. Those exotic eyes she took such pains to hide stared back at her, limpid with emotion. What would Trent think if she allowed him to see them? Would he think they were as mysterious and lovely as they were touted to be? Would he think they were beautiful?
She opened the cabinet and took out a brown eye crayon. She turned it over and over in her hand, the way a former smoker handles a forbidden cigarette. A stroke of the crayon here, a dab there, a smudged line underneath the lower lashes. Should she? Just a subtle highlight to enhance the almond shape of her eyes? A whisk of cheek color in the hollow beneath her cheekbones? A little lip gloss?
She thought wistfully of all the white clothes left behind in New York. Their color made her olive complexion and dark red hair breathtaking by contrast. Cinched waistbands, provocative necklines, flowing skirts, and tailored slacks made the most of her figure. For just a moment she yearned to be as beautiful as she possibly could be.
What would Trent think of his lover then?
“You can’t really love me,” she had whispered in the aftermath of their passion.
“I do.”
“I know what kind of woman you’re usually with. I’m not that type.”
“Maybe that’s why I love you so much. I’ve dated many beautiful women, but they’re so damn shallow compared to you. You have substance. A soul. I love your body. I love what it does to mine. But I fell in love with what you are on the inside. You’re not just a pretty shell. You’re a complete woman.”
Rana returned the eye crayon to the shelf in the cabinet and closed the door firmly. She covered her face with her hands and breathed deeply. Feminine vanity tempted her to be beautiful for him. But would he still love her if he knew she had been exactly the kind of woman he now scorned?
She wasn’t under any illusions about their future. They had none. There wouldn’t be a happy ending. In only a short time he would be leaving for training camp. When he left, she would lose him forever.
But now, while she was with him, she would bask in his professions of love. There had been so few satisfying emotional relationships in her life. Her mother didn’t really know what love was. Morey had loved her, but for some reason he hadn’t felt that he could confide in her.
Every time she thought of his death, she was devastated all over again. Had he taken his own life? The possibility plagued her, but Trent ‘s loving had soothed even that deep wound.
Their time together was destined to be fleeting. But she would live every minute of it without regret. She would be Ana Ramsey, because that was what he needed right now.
She had barely pulled on a pair of sloppy jeans and an oversized blue chambray shirt when he knocked on her door. “Open up.”
“Coming. Please don’t come crashing in again.” When she opened the door to him, she asked, “Are you going to repair the lock before Ruby sees it?”
“Are you going to give me a kiss?”
“You’re drenched with sweat!”
“My lips aren’t.” She leaned toward him and touched only his puckered lips with hers. “Guess that’ll have to do for now,” he said grudgingly.
She laughed. “Are you hungry?”
“We had breakfast at four A.M. In a case like that, what does one eat at nine?”
“How about grilled-ham-and-cheese sandwiches?”
“Sounds great.”
“I’ll start them. You go shower, please,” she said, waving her hand in front of her nose.
Ten minutes later he joined her in the kitchen. “You certainly smell better,” she said laughingly. “I sliced up some fruit for a salad and-”
He stopped her speech by hauling her toward him, encircling her with his arms, and planting a damp, hot kiss on her mouth. He touched her slightly crooked teeth with his tongue. “I love the way you taste.” His mouth slid down her throat. “All of you,” he mumbled into her cleavage. His mouth returned to hers and his tongue delved deep.
“Your sandwich is getting cold,” she murmured drowsily when they came up for air.
“And I’m getting hot.” He nuzzled her middle with his.
Rana cleared her throat and stepped out of his embrace. “You’re shameless. Now, sit down and eat.”
“You’re getting as bossy as Aunt Ruby.”
They ate their brunch, but went about itslowly, because they often lapsed into staring spells. He mentioned her glasses again and asked if she would take them off. “Then I couldn’t see you,” she explained, and diverted him by pecking a string of kisses along his jaw and finally finding his mouth.