“I expect to see toothbrush, toothpaste, your shampoo, and whatever it is that makes you smell like vanilla in here.”
“You like the vanilla?”It never ceased to surprise her, the details he remembered.
Turning, he grabbed her cheeks in both hands and kissed her hard.He trailed kisses behind her ear and inhaled deeply before returning to face her.“Absolutely.I fucking love vanilla,” he murmured against her lips before kissing her again, softly this time.“Oh and I’d better see a box of tampons too.”
“Oh my goodness, you are beyond!”Harper blushed furiously.
“I want you for so much more than just sex, Harper.”
He grabbed her hand and took her back into the bedroom before yanking open all of the closet doors.Within minutes there was hanging space and empty coat hangers.
“I’m going to pack up some stuff right now, and then we are going over to your place to do the same thing.I’m moving into your place and you’re moving into mine today.”
“Ow,” Harper squeaked as Trent gently swatted her butt.“What was that for?”
“Because I can’t keep my hands off your perfect ass.”His quick grin made her heart clench.“I’m getting you up and to your place before you change your mind.”Harper watched as his mighty fine form walked toward his newly arranged closet.She nearly melted as he dropped his pajama bottoms.Looking over his shoulder, he winked at her.
Chapter Twenty-two
Harper locked up Trent’s apartment and smiled at her new key ring, the pink and sparkly skull with a little bow on top casting reflective rainbows on the door.
The last four years had given her a renewed appreciation for the small things in life.They’d gotten keys cut to each other’s places and Trent had bought her the key ring.So not her, but cute.He’d put their respective condo keys on it and handed it back to her.Who knew a skull could make her the happiest girl alive?He’d also presented her with an awesome new phone, complete with new number, as the police had taken hers away.
She headed over to the mall to meet Drea.They walked to Drea’s favorite store and not half an hour later, Harper was sitting on a fitting room bench watching her pull on a pair of bright red jeans.“So Dre, what’s the deal with you and Cujo?What happened the other night?”
“Urrgghh!He’s infuriating.I don’t know why you don’t see it.”
“You’re right, I don’t.He’s been nice to me, sweet, even.”Harper shifted to lean forward, watching Drea turn from side to side to check the fit.
Drea slumped next to her on the bench.“Doesn’t it bug you?The way he treats women.You saw how he was with that blondie the other night.And he treats me like I’m stupid.I know I only work in a coffee shop, but I help José manage it.I’m not stupid.”
Harper put her arm around her friend.“No, you definitely aren’t.Are you sure there’s no way you’re mixing signals?I work in the coffee shop, technically beneath you, and he doesn’t make me feel small.”
Drea sighed.“I don’t know.I don’t think so.Maybe he just doesn’t like me, and you’re the boss’s girlfriend so he has to make nice with you.”
Could that really be it?It was a possibility, but somehow that just didn’t sit right.She remembered him sitting with her through her first tattoo when she had been so clearly upset, laughing and joking with Trent until, together, they had seen her through it.
“I know what you’re saying, Dre, but I just, I don’t know, I really struggle with that.I’m not saying it’s you or him… I just wonder if you got off on the wrong foot with each other.”
“Don’t you see how arrogant he is?Thinks he can take what he needs from a woman and then drop her as soon as there’s responsibility to be had.Doesn’t care who it affects and how much it hurts.He’s just like my dad.”
“I had no idea, Drea.”
“Shit.”Drea wiped furiously under her eyes, taking in a deep breath.“You know what?It’s fine, Harper.He doesn’t like me, that’s fine.He won’t even speak to me if you aren’t around and even then it’s usually to say something mean.I’ll just avoid him when we’re out together.”
Harper looked at her friend, wondering if she was even aware how unhappy she sounded about that.
As Drea paid for the jeans, Harper pulled out her phone to text Trent.He was going to love the cute little bra and panty set Drea had encouraged her to buy.A rich emerald-green satin with black lace.She swiped the screen and then stopped when she saw the incoming message.
There’s nowhere to run.
***
Trent sat up on the weight bench, his muscles burning with the satisfying pain that only came from a good workout.As he took a long drink of water, he scoured the gym until he found her.
Wearing red wraps on her hands, bound tightly to protect the small bones and joints from fracture, Harper alternately kicked and punched the hook and jab pads Leon held, looking like a pro.Her body was definitely more toned than before and it looked seriously good on her.When Frankie yelled, “Stop!”Harper dramatically fell to the floor, laughing as Frankie threw the towel at her.
He watched as she joked with some of the guys in the gym.Gone was the nervous, timid, albeit courageous girl who’d come to see him that first night.In her place was a strong, capable woman.He could swear he was more worried about the text messages than she was, which was why they were heading out to the police station when they finished at the gym.
