CHAPTER EIGHT

 

Theresa looked at herself in the mirror as she put on the earrings Trevor had bought for her at the market. They were the perfect complement to the jumper she’d be wearing to dinner. Fine dining on a cruise ship always added something special to the occasion. She and Trevor would be dining alone. No seniors to keep her busy while she tried to process that he was there with her. It partly felt like a dream, seeing him here, but if she were dreaming, that meant Mrs. Reed would have been dreaming too. It was too cute to see the feisty older woman melt at the sight of her globe-trotting grandson.

The knock on her cabin door brought her back to the present. She opened it to find Trevor looking dapper in a tailored tux.

His eyes widened when he saw her. “Reese. You look. Wow.”

“Thanks.” She touched his bowtie. “You clean up pretty good too.”

“Shall we go?”

“Yes.”

“We’re eating at seven o’clock in the evening. We’re the trailblazers of our group.”

“Stop it.” She giggled.

They continued down the hall, got on the elevator, and took the short ride to the dining deck. They made their way to the dining room and were about to approach the maitre d’ when someone called out to her.

“Hi, Theresa.”

Theresa turned to see Regina, a perky, chatty woman she’d met at the spa the other day. She’d seen Regina and her husband Rod around the boat since their initial chat. They were a cute couple, wearing matching shirts everywhere they went.

“Hi, Regina. Are you enjoying the cruise so far?”

“It’s been fabulous. Rod and I are really enjoying ourselves.”

“This is my friend Trevor.”

“Nice to meet you, Trevor.”

“It’s a pleasure Regina. Rod.” Trevor nodded.

“Regina. Rod. Theresa. Trevor.” Regina laughed. “Someone’s going to arrest us for being too cute.”

“There are worse things to be jailed over.” Theresa laughed too, but tried to step away so they could get to the maitre d’.

“Speaking of jailed, did you hear about that awful incident that happened at the market?”

Theresa frowned. “No. What?”

“Some guy stopped a couple from being robbed. He took down three guys by himself. It was all very dramatic. One of them had a knife.”

“Oh my gosh. We didn’t see anything like that.” Theresa tugged on Trevor’s arm. “We must have missed it.”

“I guess so.” He shrugged.

“Your table is ready.” The maitre d’ approached.

“It was nice seeing you and thanks for the info,” she barely had time to say before Trevor whisked her in the direction of their seats. Once seated, they were given their menus and a list of the specials.

“Can you imagine that?” Theresa said.

“No, I can’t. It’s important to be aware of your surroundings when you’re traveling. Hopefully that couple will have learned a valuable lesson. What are you in the mood for?” He tapped on her menu.

The conversation quickly changed from robbers to the multitude of things to do on the floating city. Soon they were eating dinner while the jazz quartet on stage did a medley of greatest hits from notable jazz musicians. She remembered how easy it was to talk to Trevor. There was never an awkward pause or gap in their communication. They both just knew when it was time to chatter on endlessly, and there were times when their silence was comfortable like an old married couple.

“Why don’t we go out for a night stroll?” he asked after they were finishing up.

“I’d love to.”

Soon they left the dining deck and made their way outside. The shining stars illuminated the night sky as they strolled around the deck. He took off his tuxedo jacket and draped it around her shoulders.

“The sky is so clear and bright tonight,” she said.

“But it’s only half as bright as your smile.”

“Why is it that with most guys that would sound super cheesy and transparent, but with you, it almost sounds like a compliment?”

“We have the luxury of having grown up together. I can’t shine you on because you could see through that. You could always tell when I wasn’t being honest.”

It was the look in his eyes. The cheerful gleam that was always present faded a bit when he was doing something he wasn’t supposed to or trying to avoid saying something he didn’t want to.

She caressed his cheek. “I told you a long time ago that you never had to hide anything from me.”

“I know.” He took her hand in his and kissed her palm. “If I don’t tell you something, it’s to keep you safe.”

She tried to make things light again. “Even though you did hide the fact in high school that you got the lead in the school play, but you turned it down because Bernadette got the lead opposite you.”

“No, I turned down that role for pure preservation reasons. Being in drama club was one thing, but I didn’t want to get ridiculed and beat up every day on the way home from school. Mostly by my cousins. The tier for extracurricular activities in our family went football, basketball, baseball, and soccer. Flouncing around in tights would’ve been problematic.”

“You were going to be Danny in the musical Grease. No tights required.” She gave him a nudge.

“OK, I knew Bernadette was kind of your arch enemy, and I didn’t want you to feel jealous if she laid on her performance of Sandy really thick to get back at you.”

“You could have told me.” She gripped his arm tighter. “At sixteen I wouldn’t have understood, but you could have told me.”

“Besides, Bernadette always wore a ton of perfume. You remember that scent that was a big seller when we were kids? What is it called? Attraction?”

She wrinkled her nose. “It was more like Repellent.”

“It smelled like cotton candy, musk, and bubble gum had a fight in a beaker glass. The school was filled with that stench.” He laughed. “Every time Bernadette came near me, my gag reflexes would ramp up.”

“Estas loco.” She let out a hearty laugh.

“Solo loco port ti.”

“Ah.” She sighed. “My mom loved the way you spoke Spanish. She said she didn’t have to go from Spanish to English back to Spanish for you to follow the conversation.”

“I liked talking to her. She was so worldly and wise.”

“I miss her so much,” she said, trying not to let the emotions carry her away.

“I know you do. I’m so sorry she was taken from you so soon.”

“Who would have thought, after all the living she’d done, she’d be cut down by leukemia.” She sighed. “Toward the end, she was doing and saying unusual things. She thought she saw one of her deceased brothers. She even told me one night when I called to check up on her that you’d visited her that day.”

Trevor remained silent.

Theresa searched his face. “Were you there?”

“I visited your mom on a few occasions in the hospital.”

She gasped. “I thought she was out of her mind from the pain meds. You never told me.”

“I’d done so much damage popping in and out of your life, I didn’t want to do any more. And I knew I couldn’t stay long. I didn’t want to disrupt your life.”

“What did the two of you talk about?”

“Lots of things. She talked about her childhood in the Dominican Republic. Sometimes she’d ask me to read bible passages to her. And sometimes I just held her hand.”

Trevor is going to watch over you. He promised me. The words echoed in her mind. Her mother had told her that a couple of days before she died.

“Did you make any declarations to her?”

“I did. I promised I’d watch over you for the rest of my life.”

“That’s a bold statement to make to a dying woman.”

“I meant every word.” He stared into her eyes. “I apologize for missing the funeral. By the time Charisma was able to get in touch with me, it was too late. I have flowers placed on her grave every month.”

“I had a feeling that might have been you.”

“It wasn’t enough. I should have been there for you.”

“I may not have much family left, but the Reeds made up for that. They were there to support me. All five hundred of them.” Although she was devastated about her mom’s surprise passing, her heart swelled with love when the Reeds had comforted her in her time of need. In a way it made her feel like Trevor was there.

“There are times when I like being part of a big, loving family. They come through, big time when you need them.”

“I know you would’ve attended if you could. She loved you. She hated Tony. She didn’t want me to marry him.”

“I didn’t like Tony either.”

“You didn’t know him.”

“I knew he was going to marry my girl. That’s all the reason I needed.”

“I hadn’t been your girl in quite a while.”

“You will always be mine.” Trevor pulled her close and kissed her.

Theresa opened up as he parted her lips with his tongue. They'd just shared a kiss in her office, but it felt like it had been so long since she felt his soft lips and the stubble of his five o’clock shadow. The smoldering, sensual energy that had already been between them came alive again as he delved deeper into her mouth. When she pulled back because she wanted to get some answers, he deepened the kiss and caressed the small of her back. He knew the right places to touch and how to make her forget to ask him the tough questions.

“Why is that every time we kiss it feels like the first time?” she asked softly.

“I know the feeling.”

She looked up at the stars. “Do you remember that night?”

“How could I forget the first time we made love?”

“I was so nervous.” She shook her head. “I didn’t know what to do, but you were so patient and loving with me.”

“I didn’t have a clue what to do either.” He smiled. “Well, I knew the mechanics of what went where, but I also didn’t want to look like some awkward, horny idiot. I just wanted to be with you.”

“You could have fooled me. I felt like such a clumsy, unsophisticated virgin.”

“I just wanted to be with you. I want to be with you now.” He kissed her again. “Let’s go back to my cabin.”

“Yes.”

Theresa felt good as they made their way below deck and back to his cabin. He closed the door and took her into his arms. His kisses, his touch, everything was as she remembered, but with more confidence and the passion of a skilled lover. The adult Trevor had perfected his technique, and she loved it.

There it was again. The old spark of the Trevor she loved. This Trevor was open, loving and warm like she remembered. It was easy to be with him. He had a great sense of humor and he was handsome but he didn’t let it go to his head but he was self-aware enough to love fine clothes and meticulous grooming.

She looked at him for what seemed like forever. “Who are you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said. You’re not the Trevor Reed I grew up with and loved with all my heart. The guy who wanted to be a lawyer and have a practice in the city. Where do you go when you’re away from home so long?”

“Reese.” He caressed her arms. “I’m the same man I’ve always been. Sure, I made a drastic career change, but I always had a love of photography. We always talked about traveling the world together.”

“Yeah. We did, then you left me.”

“Do you really want to know?” He pulled her closer.

“I want to know what was so important that you left me like I didn’t matter to you.”

 

 

Trevor took a deep breath and tried to calm his mind. What he was about to do was insane, but it had to be done. Lifting the veil to Theresa about his life in the shadows would be a crucial turning point from which there would be no turning back.

“I just ask that you keep an open mind,” he said.

“I’ll do my best.”

He led Theresa over to the couch, then went over to the fancy clock radio, placed his cell phone on the docking station, and put on some music. As an occupational hazard, he’d done a sweep of his room this morning for listening devices, and he’d hacked into the security feeds for the ship so he could see when someone opened his cabin door. It never hurt to take extra precautions. He wanted the music to help cover his voice. He was about to break protocol big time.

He took a seat next to her and took her hand in his. “I was recruited in college by a government agency to be an operative. My job is to track down people harboring nefarious intentions with the purpose of stopping events that would have global consequences.”

“You’re a…spy?”

“Yes.” He exhaled. It felt like the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders.

She looked at him for a moment. “That’s not good enough. You could have stayed. Hell, maybe you’d have lied to me, but we would have been together. I’ve seen spy movies. Spies lead double lives all the time.”

“I thought I could have a double life too, but then something happened that made me realize it wasn’t safe for anyone I loved.”

“What do you mean?”

“I made a mistake early on in my career. I wasn’t careful and I left a trail that led them to you. It nearly broke my heart when I almost lost you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Remember when you were run off the road and suffered a concussion? It wasn’t an accident. Someone was trying to send me a message by trying to kill you.”

“No, the police said it was a reckless driver who had road rage.”

“There were three cars involved in the accident, but they never found the two other drivers, right?”

“Yes.”

“I was pretty green back then and naïve. I thought I could keep in contact with you and my family. I was meticulous about contacting everyone on burner phones and untraceable e-mail addresses, but I got sloppy. I was on an undercover op to take down a vindictive son of bitch who found out my real identity. He sent someone to kill you.” He ran a hand over his face. “The person who’d tracked you down was in the car that hit your bumper and fish tailed you. I was behind him in the third car and advanced when the passenger he was driving with stuck a gun out of the window with the intent to shoot you. I got him first.” He closed his eyes for a moment. He still had nightmares about that day.

“But there were no bodies found. I woke up in the ambulance.”

“The agency intervened pretty quickly. The local police had no choice but to go with the story that you were the innocent victim of a road rage incident because it had been sent down from my agency to wrap it up.”

“I don’t believe this.”

“I pulled you out and waited until the ambulance arrived. After that day, I knew I’d rather die than see any harm come to you. So I embraced my persona of the globe-trotting photojournalist and never looked back. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do in my life, but I learned from my mistakes.”

Her eyes widened. “You’re the person who’s been sending me those travel packages?”

“You are and have always been my greatest weakness. I couldn’t be in your life, but I couldn’t stay away either. I created Fantasy Locales Travel. You’re a travel agent. If anyone was watching to see if I was in contact with you, they wouldn’t think twice about some travel company located in Spain sending you promotional items.”

“Why Spain?”

“I have a villa there that no one knows about, not even my employers. I spend my downtime there. The few times I’ve had downtime in my career.”

She rubbed her temples. “This is so much to digest.”

“I know.” He could hear the hesitation in her voice, and her body language had become rigid. “I’m taking a hell of a chance telling you this, but I feel it’s time you knew.”

“You were hurt on a mission, that’s how you got injured.”

“I was grazed by a bullet. I was lucky it didn’t penetrate and hit any major organs.” He shrugged. “I was careful that day, but sometimes these things are unavoidable. After that, I just wanted to come home. By the time I got to my grandmother’s house, I was so exhausted, I just sacked out. I didn’t expect that someone could come back before I woke up and—”

“There’s no place like your grandma’s house. You’ve told me before when we were kids. Charisma and Trina say the same thing to this day.”

“It’s true. Being there is my safe haven, it always has been. I guess old habits die hard.”

“Does anyone in your family know?”

“Charles and Derek.”

“It must be so hard to be away from your family…”

“It’s been difficult, but I’d like to believe my personal life suffered in the name of making the world a better place.”

“It was you who Regina was talking about? The guy who stopped that couple from being robbed.” She stood. “That’s why you came to bus out of breath.”

“Yes.” He stood too. “I saw those idiots scoping them out when we were in the marketplace. The tourists, well, they were so distracted by each other, young love and all, they hadn’t noticed they were being followed for at least thirty minutes.”

“You could have been hurt.”

“I neutralized the threat, and they scurried away.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Listen, I—”

Trevor braced himself as Theresa jumped into his arms and kissed him.

He broke the kiss. “Reese. Wait. I have so much more to tell you.”

“Save it for later.” She kissed that spot behind his ear that drove him crazy. “Right now I think it’s hot that you saved that couple from being a crime statistic on their vacation.”

He wanted to give in to the desire raging through his body. It had been a while since he’d been with a woman, but it felt it’d been an eternity since he’d been with the woman he loved. He needed to start with a clean slate and unfortunately that meant he had to confess about the things that he’d done in the past.

“I want to be with you too.” He took her hands into his. “Trust me, you have no idea. But there’s something I need to tell you.”

“OK.” She furrowed her eyebrows.

“I did some investigating on Larry.”

“Lawrence.” She corrected him.

“Turns out he’s not newly divorced or separated. He’s still living with his wife and kids.”

“Married with kids? I’m going to knock his lights out.”

“There’s more.” He swallowed hard. “When I found out, I was going to send him an anonymous e-mail telling him to knock it off or face the consequences. But I visited you at your office and you’d put it together that something was off about him and dispensed of him on your own. Yes. I know it was wrong of me to interfere, but I got a bad feeling from that guy right away.”

“Well, turns out your gut feeling was warranted. He thought he could talk me into having revenge sex with him to show you for horning in on our date. Like I’d fall for that bullshit. I forgive you.” She leaned in to kiss him.

“Does this mean you’re not mad at me?”

“No.” She caressed his cheek. “I’m furious as hell at you for butting in, but I’m also touched that you care.”

“I’ll take it.” He kissed her hard.

Trevor found the zipper on the side of her backless jumper, while Theresa unraveled his bow tie and unbuttoned his shirt. It was all he could do to contain himself when she stepped back and the jumpsuit slid to the floor. She looked spectacular, standing there in a pair of black panties, but with this intricate design of her outfit she’d opted to go braless. She was just as beautiful as he remembered, but time had given her supple, sensuous curves and full breasts only a woman could have. He immediately took her nipple into his mouth and sucked on one while rubbing his thumb over the other. When she groaned, a shiver went down his spine.

He unfastened his belt, pulled down his pants and boxers, then kicked off his shoes and placed her on the bed in one deft movement, catching her by surprise. He removed her heels and threw them on the floor, then proceeded to kiss her all over.

He parted her legs and placed feather light kisses on her thighs. He thrust two fingers into her and massaged her clit, priming her to receive him. She groaned in satisfaction as he picked up the pace. He gently suckled her clit, probing inside her, mimicking what he was going to do to her when he finished with his fingers.

He paused long enough to get a condom and sheath himself quickly then positioned himself between her legs. He stopped and hovered over her, just wanting to look at her for a while. She’d been haunting his dreams for years, and now it was a reality again. It was almost surreal to him, and he didn’t want it to end.

He sank into her and the electric connection between them heightened as she grabbed his ass. He had been waiting so long for this perfect moment. He didn’t know what he’d done to deserve her, but he was going to cherish every single moment forever…