“I’m glad you came to me.” He wiped his mouth with a napkin and smiled at her.

  It was dazzling, and she felt herself falling again. When this whole thing with Alex was over, there was no way she was letting him go again.

  “I’m glad I came to you too.”

  He stood, pulling her out of her seat and up into his embrace. His hand went to the back of her neck, eliciting a shiver. It felt so good to be held by him. Trenton kissed her on the top of her head and just held her. Toya sighed. Every bit of tension she had in her body and every worry forced away as a burden on her shoulders lifted. Just like when they were younger, all of it disappeared when she was with Trent. She nestled into his chest, trying to ignore the incessant ringing of his cellphone, but reluctantly, she stepped out of his arms to let him answer it.

  Trenton dug into his pocket, pulling out his phone. “It’s Riley.” He placed the phone on speaker, setting it on the table.

  “What’s up, Ri?”

  “Trent. Holy shit! You are not going to believe what I found.”

  Toya’s heart stopped as she and Trenton stared at one another, but if it had anything to do with Alex Graham, Toya wouldn’t be surprised.

  Chapter Twelve

  Next Steps

  Trenton didn’t expect Riley to call him back so soon. He looked at his watch as she blared expletives through the speaker. It hadn’t been more than five hours since he called asking her to use her social media skills to find any criminal activity involving Alex Graham or anyone in his family.

  “Trenton!” she shouted. “Holy shit! You are not going to believe this.”

  “Calm the fuck down and spit it out, Riley.” His gaze locked with Toya’s, anticipating the worst, he was sure.

  “Okay, so I did some digging like you asked.”

  Trenton remained silent, hoping it would prompt his over dramatic sister to go on.

  “So, I found some old Tweets where a girl mentions him as being a pervert and a rapist,” she continued. “I went through the comments, and a few other women were saying he was handsy and couldn’t take no for an answer.”

  “And it wasn’t deleted?” He was surprised if they weren’t.

  “What! Of course, they were, but I have a guy.”

  Trenton rolled his eyes. When she said that phrase, he knew Riley really meant she had a follower or someone she was sleeping with at her beck and call. That shit was going to get her caught up one of these days.

  “Were charges ever filed?” Trenton asked. Toya sat down at the table with him.

  “Doesn’t mention that part. Anyway, that’s not my department. You’ll have to tap Richard’s sources for that one. I also found some more deleted Tweets by—I’m assuming—a close friend. They mention parties with willing teen girls at the Graham’s place.”

  “How in the hell didn’t Torren know about any of this?” Trenton blew out a breath. “Graham was his friend.”

  “I don’t know, maybe they weren’t as close as we thought, but I’m glad he’s not mixed up in any of this mess,” Riley voiced. And so was Trenton. If the Tweets were true, then Alex had been doing this shit for a long time.

  “Did you find anything from Alex?” Everything so far was he said, she said. None of it would stick.

  “Something on Facebook, but I didn’t know how to take it or if it’s even important.”

  “Doesn’t matter. What is it?”

  Trenton didn’t want to leave anything off the table if there was a chance what Riley found could be used against Alex. Trenton kept his fingers crossed.

  “Basically, he’s saying something about the bitch got away. I’ll find you, and when I do, you’ll be sorry,” Riley read.

  Trenton’s blood ran cold, and Toya’s eyes stretched wide. Even though he didn’t mention her name, they both knew the post was about her. Toya was the one who got away, and Trenton would be damned if he’d let Alex get anywhere near her.

  “Don’t worry,” he mouthed to Toya, and she nodded. It prided him that she had so much confidence in him.

  “Now, are you going to tell me what all this is about?” He could imagine Riley with her arms folded over her body, tapping her foot as she waited. His sister could still be a brat, but he should tell her. His other siblings had been clued in. So, it couldn’t hurt.

  “My girlfriend from college saw him kill a young girl,” he confessed. “She went into the witness protection program because of it.”

  Before he could get anything else out of his mouth, Riley bellowed out in laughter. “Really, Tren. The witness protection program? What is this? A romance novel?” Riley laughed again.

  Trenton sighed. His sister could really piss him off sometimes. “Ri. Stop bullshitting and listen. Toya came here for business. Alex recognized her, and now he’s after her. She’s been in hiding for ten years.”

  Riley was silent for a moment. “You’re serious?”

  “Why would I joke about something like this?” Trenton was annoyed with Riley; he slumped in his seat and rubbed his temple, trying to stave off the oncoming headache. Toya came around, trailing her fingers across his shoulders. She squeezed both, massaging them to relieve the building tension. It was hard for him to swallow the groan in his throat. Damn, he hadn’t realized how stressed he was.

  “Okay, so what do we do?” Riley asked.

  He sat up, loosening Toya’s grip on his shoulders. “We don’t do anything. You’ve done what I needed you to do, Riley. Now I’ll call in a favor.”

  “But Tren…”

  “No buts,” he cut her off. There was no way he’d put Riley on Alex’s radar. He already had one of the women he loved running for her life. He didn’t need another. Trenton wouldn’t allow it, and Alex certainly wasn’t going to get his hands on Toya either. Trenton swore he’d keep her safe or die trying.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Not The Right Time

  Toya could admit when she was in over her head. This was one of those times. She was so grateful she swallowed her pride and asked Trenton for help. Toya was also grateful he didn’t pressure her to be with him again. Did she miss him? Of course, but she wasn’t in a position to rekindle their relationship from ten years ago. They were different people now. What happened yesterday in his office was an anomaly. Just two people clinging to old memories, which was obvious by his insistence she stay in the guest room instead of his bed.

  Toya sighed, throwing off the duvet then slowly sitting up. Her muscles and between her legs were sore. Something she hadn’t felt in a long time and had only felt with Trenton. Toya lifted her arms over her head, stretching, then leaning from side-to-side, trying to work out the kinks from their intense lovemaking.

  She pushed up from the bed and padded her way into the hallway to use the toilet, then hit a wet brick wall that was Trenton’s sweaty, hard chest. He grabbed her by the shoulders before she toppled to the floor.

  “Sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going,” she stammered as her eyes roamed over Trenton’s body.

  “Keep fucking looking at me like that, Toya,” he warned, his voice deep and husky.

  Toya swallowed. “Like what?” she asked, her voice laced with lust.

  He smirked. “Like you want me to fuck you.”

  Am I looking at him like that? Do I want him to fuck me?

  Her thoughts strayed to how he took her against his office door. Her tender pussy throbbed because of her salacious thoughts. Damn, her body was betraying her.

  “That wouldn’t,” she cleared her throat and continued, “that wouldn’t be a good idea.”

  “You don’t think so?” He raised an eyebrow and lifted her chin with his index finger so she could look him in the eyes. Toya knew exactly what he was looking for and knew he would find it because her body tingled with the slightest touch from him.

  “No,” she whispered, “I don’t.”

  It took everything in her to force those three words out of her mouth because, more than anything, she wanted to feel Trenton deep inside her. She wanted to be his again. She wanted to tell everyone this was the man she had always loved. But the time wasn’t right.

  Toya stepped back, putting space and the fire out between them.

  “You don’t?” he questioned, with a self-assured look like he knew Toya was bullshitting, and she knew it too.

  Trenton Blue always had been able to play her body like an instrument, plucking her pleasure like an expert guitarist. He understood that just because she tried to fight the inevitable didn’t mean she meant the words coming out of her mouth.

  “Are you sure about that, Toya?”

  The fucker licked his lips, and her eyes followed the path his tongue made across his bottom lip. Toya nodded because she didn’t trust her voice.

  Trenton shrugged, letting go of her chin. “Okay then,” he said. “I’ll see you in the kitchen in an hour. We have a lot to discuss.”

  She watched him as he made his way down the hall and into his bedroom, shutting the door with an emphatic thump. Disappointedly, she drug herself to the restroom. Eventually, she would kick herself for turning him down. She just knew it. Even more so when she finished her business in the bathroom and heard the shower inside his room.

  A slick, wet, muscle-clad Trenton, dripping. Toya’s imagination ran wild. She could see herself stomping toward Trento’s bedroom door, pushing the door open so hard that it bounced off the wall behind it, confidently strolling to the bathroom—while undressing, of course—and stepping under that spray with Trenton. When she snapped out of her reverie, her legs had moved to do just what she’d imagined, stopping just outside his bedroom door. All she had to do was step forward and turn the knob. Sex with Trenton would be an awful idea, no matter how much she wanted it. It was not the right time. She sighed. What she wouldn’t give to join him.

  Chapter Fourteen

  That's My Girl

  To be honest, Trenton didn’t expect Toya to turn down his offer since lust hid behind her gaze and laced her voice. Toya wanted him as bad as he wanted her. What was getting in her way? Yesterday was explosive and passionate, just as it always had been. Admittedly, he used the fact she wanted him after all these years, but he rather she came to him next time.

  Trenton quickly took his shower, dressed, and adjusted himself. “Damn, this is going to be hard.”

  All Toya had to do was breathe, and his dick was hard. But, there would be time for that once this was all over, hopefully. They had a lot to discuss when it came to her situation.

  Trenton headed to the kitchen where Toya was making breakfast. He breathed in deeply.

  “That smells good.” He made his way to the bar and slid onto one of the stools to watch her work.

  “Nothing special,” she called over her shoulder. “Bacon, eggs and grits.”

  “Special to me.” He took a sip of the juice she sat in front of him. “I haven’t had a breakfast I’ve wanted to actually sit down and enjoy with someone in a long time.”

  “Not even with your family?”

  Trenton leaned on his elbows. His family was a whole other story. Right now, he and his siblings got along pretty well. But there were times when things were almost unbearable. His mother had mellowed out some since she found out she was about to be a grandmother. But to be honest, he didn’t want Toya to meet his family until this mess was over. There was no way he would let Toya go back to her life in South Dakota—or wherever the fuck it was—but they’d discuss that when the time came.

  Toya placed his plate full of breakfast goodness and a cup of coffee in front of him. Then she placed sugar and creamer on the bar, sitting beside him. It was nice and something he could get used to. But for now, he’d keep that to himself. He didn’t want Toya to be anymore skittish than she was this morning. He shoveled a spoon full of grits and eggs into his mouth, then swallowed.

  “This is really good,” he praised.

  Toya smiled and dipped her head in acknowledgement.

  Why am I stalling? I know what needs to be done.

  “I have a plan,” he began, “but you may not like it.” He wiped his mouth with a napkin and took a sip of his now lukewarm coffee as she stared at him.

  “That bad, huh?”

  Trenton nodded. “Alex believes you’re the one who got away.”

  “Right. He said that much in his post,” she reminded him.

  “So, I figure, let’s give him what he wants.”

  The troubled look on Toya’s face almost made him rethink his plan. When the look turned to terror, he was ready to go back to the drawing board and come up with something different. He needed to explain his thinking a little more.

  “What I’m saying is, let’s show him you’re not fazed by him.” Trenton paused, letting what he’d said so far sink in. “My family is opening a new building on the West Coast for Blue Enterprises. Torren wants me and my team to design the building and the grounds. When I saw you in the crowd, and my brother mentioned the project, I was determined to find you.”

  “You were?” Her eyes stretched in surprise at his admission, but she shouldn’t have been. She should’ve known as soon as he saw her, he wasn’t going to let her slip away again. “After all these years?”

  Trenton sighed. “Toya, not a day has gone by that I didn’t think about you or wonder where I went wrong. You were everything to me.”

  Tears welled in her eyes, but she didn’t let them fall. “I’m sorry, Trenton.”

  “No need to apologize.” He reached over and wiped the tear that escaped down her cheek. “You’re here now; that’s all that matters. We go on with the project as planned. Get you out in the open. He’s bound to slip up.”

  “In other words, you want to use me as bait.”

  He nodded. “I think it’s the only way to draw him out.”

  Toya looked almost sick. She pushed her plate away and wiped her mouth with her napkin. The silence was thick with anticipation and foreboding. Even though Trenton thought it was a good plan, he didn’t necessarily like it either. If something happened to her, he’d never forgive himself. Ultimately, it was up to her.

  While he held his breath and waited for an answer, it felt like minutes ticked off the clock instead of seconds.

  “Let’s do it,” she said. “If it means me not looking over my shoulder anymore and getting that fucker put behind bars, I’m game.”

  Trenton grinned. He knew that fire was somewhere in there. He nodded, leaned in, kissed Toya lightly on the lips, and then pulled back.

  “That’s my girl.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Getting What He Wants

  “I’m ready for this. I can do this,” Toya muttered to herself over and over as she followed Trenton to the bank of elevators. They drove separate cars to his office―the first step in Trenton’s plan. If Alex was watching her, they wanted him to believe she was at Blue Enterprises working on a project. Which wasn’t a lie. Trenton explained to her last night Torren’s plan for opening a new branch of Blue Enterprises. One of his first ventures as the new CEO.

  Toya rocked on her heels as the elevator slowly made its way up.

  “Toya, stop worrying. This is going to work.”

  She took a deep breath and released it. “That’s what I’m worried about.”

  Trenton pulled her into his chest, then kissed the top of her head. “I won’t let anything happen to you,” Trenton promised. “I just got you back.”

  Toya could admit she didn’t think it was a good idea for them to be intimate again, she loved being in his arms. Toya embraced her feelings and emotions swirling inside her, then pushed herself out of Trenton’s arms.

  “I know you won’t.”

  She believed he wouldn’t let Alex hurt her. She just hoped Alex wouldn’t get the chance. Toya followed Trenton off the elevator to his office where she put her laptop down on the table he had brought in.

  “Are you ready to get down to business? It will take our minds off the situation.” Trenton unrolled a set of blueprints. “These are the plans for the building.”

  He pointed out some of the unique qualities of the design. It wasn’t like the building they were in. It looked almost futuristic. The building’s top sloped at a forty-five-degree inverted angle where the vertex was at the top. Even though she didn’t need to see them, technically, the concept looked amazing.

  “What is this going to look like when it’s built? Do you have any digital drawings?” she asked. If she had an image of the building, then she could get ideas about the landscaping.

  Trenton smiled, then quickly grabbed his bag from his desk, retrieving his laptop. When they were in school, he did digital drawings. They were so realistic like they were popping off the screen.

  Trenton scooted his chair closer to her, then powered the computer on. In no time, Toya was looking at the most beautiful glass building with white steel crossing its hundreds of windows.

  “This is amazing, Trenton.” He was one of the best engineers in the world. If anyone could make this building last for hundreds of years, it was him.

  “I’m glad you like it because you’re going to make it even more amazing.” He grinned.

  “I see you’ve done most of the work for me.” The pieces on the drawing worked well with the aesthetics of the building. “You chose well.”

  His grin widened with her admission. “Well, I just thought about what it would look like if you designed it.” She was flattered he believed in her work so much. Toya promised herself no matter the outcome, she’d do her best work on this project.

  They hunkered down and got to work. Each of them threw out ideas that would best suit the functionality of the building while keeping in mind the climate and ecosystem.

  “That’s a good idea. I think these types of flowers would work best for the climate. We wouldn’t have to come back and replant flowers for the warmer weather,” she informed.

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7