CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Blaze
Sometimes when I dress up for these parties, I don’t even recognize the person staring back at me in the mirror. No, that’s a lie; I do recognize myself, but the me I see is the one who let everyone else control her life. It’s the sixteen-year-old girl who was being groomed to marry a rich man and become a society maven. If I close my eyes and think hard, I can still see her. With her platinum blonde hair, wearing her pearls like a southern debutante does, clear eyes innocent as hell only wanting to please her parents.
I can remember her very clearly. She wore pink lipstick and looked at men underneath long eye-lashes, and she giggled when a boy with proper family lineage would pay attention to her. Daphne would shrink into the crowd, smile prettily, curtsy, and be the envy of every other southern debutante in the room.
The memories aren’t happy and I don’t like reliving a past that’s painful. Squaring my shoulders, I lean closer to the mirror, making sure the fake lashes I’m applying are even. “Nice,” I grin at myself, running my tongue over my teeth to make sure my bright red lipstick isn’t on the white enamel. The little black dress I’m wearing covers the tattoos on my arms, and for one night, I look like what my parents truly want their daughter to look like. As I turn in the mirror to look behind me, making sure my ass is covered, one of the waves I’ve curled my hair into escapes from my updo. It’s an easy fix before I put earrings in my ears and a bracelet on my wrist. One last time, I give myself a once-over before spritzing perfume on my pulse points and leave Trevor’s bathroom.
Entering the bedroom I hear a wolf-whistle. He’s standing in the doorway, actually standing there, with his hands above his head braced against the frame. He takes my breath away for a moment, because he’s so damn fine. I mean dayum, I’m going home with that tonight. As usual, he’s oblivious to how hot he is.
I’ve only seen Trevor in a tux once before, at a work associate’s wedding. I’d been a guest and Trevor had been in the wedding party. Back then we hadn’t been together, and all I wanted to do was go up to him, push the jacket off his broad shoulders, and throw my arms around his neck. Tonight, that’s what I want to do, too.
Instead, I know I need to get my head in the game. We have appearances to make. It’s so good to see him without crutches, but I’m worried he’s pushing himself too hard. “You okay?”
“Am I okay?” he raises an eyebrow, watching as I put my feet into a pair of Louboutins – one of the only extravagant purchases I’ve allowed my mom to make for me in the last few years. There are certain things I’ll skimp on, but one thing I do love are a pair of fuck-me pumps with the red sole. “Woman, are you okay? You fell down from Heaven and landed in my house. Fuck me,” he winks at me.
“Did you really just feed me that bullshit pick-up line?”
“I’m hoping it helps me get lucky later on tonight,” he pushes off the door frame and slowly makes his way over to me.
Since he’s been laid up with his injury, he’s lost weight, but it looks good on him. Just like it’ll look good on him when he gains it back. Trevor has the type of body that can carry some muscle and be lean as fuck. He’s hot both ways. My hands itch to curl around his midsection as he approaches me. There’s a small hitch in his stride, but if I weren’t looking for it, I wouldn’t even notice it.
“You look beautiful,” he whispers as he finally gets within touching distance. Grabbing me around the waist, he adjusts his stance so we’re eye level.
I smile slowly, averting my eyes downward. When I look this way and he looks at me the way he is now, it makes me shy. Right now, I’m all Daphne. A part of me wants to bury my face in his neck until I come back out like Blaze. “You think?” He knows I’m not fishing for compliments. What I’m wearing, what I’m portraying, just isn’t me.
His finger slides under my chin, tilting it so that I’m looking into his blue eyes, clear as the water bordering the Bahamas. “I’ve never lied to you before, why would I lie to you now?” He reaches in, kissing me softly but powerfully. As he pulls away, he licks his lips before breathing out a harsh breath. “And I’m one of the only people in the world who knows what you have hiding under that dress covering you completely up. Do you know how hot that is? You know what a lucky bastard I am?”
“About as lucky as I am,” I go in for the kill, curling my arms around his midsection, pulling him close. “You look good enough to eat in this tux.”
He leans in, his breath hot on my ear, his voice deep and sexy when he speaks. “If you’re hungry later, then please, let me be your main course.”
God, I love this man. He matches me in everything I do, and I never shock him. In fact, sometimes he shocks me. I’ve never in that kind of relationship before and now I’m letting him meet my parents.
“Why’d you get so quiet?” he questions, his eyes searching mine.
“Are you ready to meet the parents? Like truly, are we at this point in our relationship?”
Trevor pulls me so our bodies touch, his palms cupping my ass. “We’re whatever you need me to be. You’ve done everything you can to help me over these past few weeks, you’ve stuck by me when other people would have run. If you’re ready for me to meet your parents, then I’m proud to stand by your side and be the man you need me to be.”
Unexpected tears clog my throat and pool behind my fake eyelashes. Trevor’s a sweet guy, but he’s also sweet in his gestures. He’s not always the most talkative, so for him to say these words to me and mean them – it makes me love him even more. My parents have scared away more than one of my boyfriends. Knowing that he’ll be with me no matter what is one of the most freeing feelings I’ve ever had.
“You ready?” he asks, checking the chunky, black watch he wears on his wrist.
I know from experience the watch is what he likes to wear because it’s practical, but it’s also the sexiest watch I’ve ever seen in my life. Hell, maybe it’s everything Trevor is and does that’s sexy. If anyone asked me, I probably wouldn’t be able to explain it.
“I am,” I answer, leaning up to kiss him on the cheek.
“Your lipstick doesn’t smear when you kiss me,” he comments, running the pad of his thumb along my lower lip.
“Nope, it’s a stain. It’ll stay for a few hours at least,” I playfully nip at his thump, sucking the nail up to the knuckle and running my tongue around the tip. “See, didn’t smudge at all.”
A flame lights in his eyes and I can almost guess what he’s thinking. “Interesting,” he lets me go. “Is my hair okay? Did you want me to wear it down?”
It’s up in its normal man bun, and surprisingly he looks well-kept with it up like it is. “No, keep it, I like it.”
“I trimmed the beard up for you,” he runs a hand along the tamed hairs on his chin.
“Thank you, but you know more than anyone, I love you just the way you are.”
He pulls on my hand. “If you had to button up and look presentable, the least I can do is the same.”
“You look way more than presentable, Mr. Trumbolt. You look edible.”
He groans deep in his throat as I turn, swaying my hips as I walk out of the bedroom. I can feel his eyes on me, so I make an even bigger curve with my hips, swiveling them as I turn around to face him.
“So do you, Ms. Coleman. I’ll have a lot of fun eating you later on tonight.”
I can feel my face blush and I’m positive it’s crimson in color. “You be good,” I warn him.
The smartass grin he gives me tells me he’s not going to be good. It tells me we’re going to tempt fate, and we’re going to do things in my parents’ home that my dad’s only done with his mistresses. “I always give it to you good, baby. This time won’t be any different.”
I close my eyes, sighing deeply. Let the man off his crutches, put him in a boot, and he’s already making promises about his sexual prowess. Only thing is, I know better than anyone, Trevor’s not making promises he can’t fulfill.
He’ll make good on every single one.