Her eyes stung with unshed tears.His words warmed her, overwhelmed her.
“Wanna know what else I see?”Flashing both of his dimples, he cocked an eyebrow, and Harper felt compelled to nod.
Trent leaned in and breathed into her neck as he spoke.
“On the surface, and I’m just being honest here, I see a smokin’ hot woman with the most passionate eyes, deep pools that reflect her mood.”
He nuzzled the sensitive spot under her ear, making her shiver.
“On the inside, I see a woman who is witty and clever, who is using ten percent of her brain to work in a coffee shop when she is clearly capable of so much more.”
He moved to kiss just under her jaw as he gently nudged her backward into the sand.
“And I see a woman I really wanna kiss again, and I’m kinda hoping she’ll let me.”
He rose above her now, his lips inches away from hers, waiting for her permission.Her heart raced, whether from panic or passion she wasn’t quite sure.She could feel his soft warm breath on her mouth and she shivered.
“Yes,” Harper whispered.Trent slowly lowered himself and brushed his lips across hers softly as a whisper.
She felt his hand reach up her side, move along her waist and over her shoulder in a slow trail, and slide into her hair.His eyes remained open, holding her gaze, terrifyingly intimate.He pulled back slightly and studied her.
“You’re beautiful,” he whispered.
As his mouth met hers again, she felt the defensive walls of ice inside start to melt a little as she opened up to meet him.
The soft brush of his tongue across hers sent shivers down her spine.His hand sliding through her hair, his actions becoming more urgent as her tongue moved along his upper lip, desperate to taste him.The pressure of his mouth on hers intensified, sensations flooded to parts of her dormant for too long.She felt his erection against her leg and her body responded, pushing gently against him.
A soft moan escaped her as he kissed her one more time before he lifted away and raised himself on his forearms.
“I am seriously crushing on you, Harper Connelly.”He trailed a finger across her forehead and down her nose before running his thumb along her lip.
He groaned, leaned in for one more kiss before smiling and getting to his feet.He dusted the sand off his seriously fine ass.“Before you totally make me forget we’re on this beach, though,” he said, reaching a hand down to her, “I think it’s time I took you home.”
Harper grabbed the hand he offered, relishing that she actually craved his touch.
Chapter Seven
Trent zoomed in on the logo on the front window, adjusting the lens until the angle was perfect.He smiled as his handiwork came into focus.It had been worth every hour he’d spent finding the right shades of black, silver, and gray.The perfect circle holding the words “Second Circle Tattoos” was simple and bold.Cujo still ripped on him for the days he’d taken fiddling with the font and size of the text.But the image the circle contained—a stylized real heart being ripped apart by tornados of air—was his masterpiece.The contrast of true love and lust against a backdrop of the winds of unquenchable desire was his personal favorite out of all the art he had created.
He fiddled with the exposure settings to see if he could get more light into the shot, wanting the silver highlights to reflect more.He hated lying to the team about why he was all Annie Leibovitz this morning—he’d told them he wanted new shots for the Web site, though in fact Michael had asked him to bring a series of pictures of the studio with him to LA.
He checked the image again, liking the contrast between the logo and shining glass.His mom had been, and still was, a Dante nut, an English major with a specialty in Italian poetry.Christ, their home had been filled with graphic images from the texts.He’d grown up learning about Dante’s pilgrimage through Hell.Guided by Virgil, he’d had to go through all nine circles.
The First Circle, limbo, was for those whose only sin was rejecting Christ and the Church.Boring to a boy who wasn’t remotely religious.
The Second Circle, however, was lust.Far more interesting to his horny fourteen-year-old self.A place for people who let their appetites sway their reasoning.For those overcome by the need for sensual love in their life.Plenty of people would think lust was worth being punished by a violent storm blowing them backward and forward forever.
Who didn’t like a bit of sensual love in their life?Trent’s mind wandered back to Harper on the beach.His thoughts over the last twelve hours could definitely land him there.
Heading back inside, he noticed that Eric and Lia were just wrapping up clients.As he walked back to his office to ditch his jacket, he heard Pixie holler her arrival.For a tiny thing, that girl certainly had pipes.
Fridays were always busy.Maybe not quite the manic craziness of Saturdays, but still all hands on deck.If he didn’t save his thoughts of Harper for later, he wouldn’t get anything done.
***
The buzzing surprised her.Harper took a quick look at her phone.
What you doin’?
