Rush of Innocence (Rush Series #1) (4 page)

Once
she stepped outside of the airport, her breath was taken away by the brisk
coldness. She’d definitely need winter clothing and a coat. She hurried down to
the car rental agency and rented a car equipped with GPS to get her to
Vail
. She plugged in the information and was happy to see
it’d only take her a couple of hours to reach
Sundra’s
condo.

She
was about an hour into her drive when her phone rang for the hundredth time.
She glanced at the display and saw it was her father. While feelings of
frustration and anger rushed over her, old ingrained feelings of obligation and
duty won out.

“Hey,
Dad,” she answered.

“Trinity.
Thank God. I’ve been so worried. Where are you? Alex has been so worried. Why
would you leave like that?”

“I’m
fine. Please don’t worry about me. I’ll see you in a few days.”

“Wait?
What? No, absolutely not! You need to go home right this instant. Do you hear
me, young lady?” he ended on a heated note.

“Feel
better,” she murmured, before clicking off.

Her
phone continued to ring, but she ignored it.

She
pulled into the parking lot of the ten-story condominium complex a little after
five in the afternoon. She parked, called
Sundra
to
let her know she was on her way up, and grabbed her purse. Her beautiful,
red-haired friend met her when she reached the door.

Squealing
in delight,
Sundra
said, “I can’t believe you talked
your father into letting you come. This is going to be so great!”
Sundra
grabbed her and spun her around. Trinity grinned and
let some of the last few hours fall away.
Sundra
always had that effect on her.

“Well,
I wouldn’t say ‘let’, exactly. In fact, I don’t have any clothes,” Trinity
said.

“Don’t
worry about it, you can wear some of mine, I brought plenty! Come on. You’re
just in time to get ready and come out with us,” she said, leading her friend
into the condo. “You can sleep in the room with me.”

As
they walked into the living room, Trinity saw three other girls in various
stages of dressed and undressed.

“Hey, girls.
Look who finally made it,”
Sundra
said
with glee.

The
other three girls were friends of
Sundra’s
, and while
she knew them, it was only by extension of
Sundra
.
They all turned and called out an excited greeting. More somber and reserved
than them by nature, Trinity gave a small wave and followed
Sundra
to their room.

***

The nightclub the girls chose was loud
and dark. After two hours of drinking and dancing with them, Trinity began to
unwind and enjoy herself. Her phone continued to vibrate against her hip, but
she steadfastly ignored it. When the song ended, she excused herself from the
dancing group of girls and headed back to the table. She’d barely sat down when
her phone vibrated again. Annoyed, she reached into her pocket and once again
saw it was her father. She blew a deep breath out and rose from her seat, headed
into the bathroom where the noise was more subdued.

“Hello,
Father.”

“Trinity!
You
will answer the phone when I call. Do you hear me?” her father proclaimed.

Anger
flooded her. She thought over all the years of frustration and angst.
Years of having to tow the ‘proper’ line.
Years
of being controlled and manipulated.
Those days were now over. It was
time she took control of her own life. “You don’t get to decide my life any
longer. You have made the very last decision on my behalf. Now it is you who
has been eliminated. Goodbye.”

She
hung up with a flourish and sagged against the bathroom wall, enjoying her
independence. How dare he think he could make demands on her! He could go take
a flying leap. She was tired of playing by his rules… by everyone’s rules. She
stared at her reflection in the mirror and saw the same uptight, nicely groomed
girl she’d always been.

She
tugged the hairclip from her hair and bent at the waist before shaking her head
wildly. As she rose, she flipped her long hair back. The girl in the mirror now
looked wild and untamed… just like she felt on the inside. Change was on its
way, she decided. She grinned at her reflection before moving purposefully
towards the bathroom door. She was no longer the correct Judge’s daughter… oh
no, now she was Trinity Grace, wild woman!

She
went to the bar and slipped into a chair, waiting to get the bartender’s
attention. A pitcher of margaritas would definitely thrill the other girls.
Maybe she’d even do a couple shots before she headed back.

The
spiky-haired bartender smiled at her. “What can I get for you?”

“I’d
like a pitcher of margaritas and two shots of tequila,” she declared with her
best flirty smile.

“You
got it,” he smiled back.

As
she waited, she turned to lean with her back against the bar so she could watch
the excitement of the room. She tapped her foot in time to the beat of the
music, feeling freer than she’d felt in her whole life – liberated.

She
turned back when the bartender set her order on the bar. She pulled a fifty
dollar bill out of her back pocket and handed it to him.

“Keep
the change,” she said with a laugh.

She
picked up one of the shots and tossed it back, following it by a slice of lime.
The tequila felt like acid sliding down her throat and it exploded when it hit
her stomach. She sucked in a deep breath. Once she was able, she picked up the
second shot and tossed it back, as well. This time, the slide was easier.
Feeling invigorated through her alcohol consumption and independence, she
turned back to the bartender, who grinned at her exuberance.

“Two
more on the house,” the bartender said, setting two more shots on the bar.

She
grinned at him and picked up one of the shots and saluted him before tossing it
back. It barely stung this time.

As
she moved to pick up the second, she heard a husky, male voice next to her
chuckle. “Wow. That must be some celebration you’re having.”

She
turned her head with a smile on her lips to the voice next to her. Her smile
grew even wider when she saw who the voice belonged to.

“Hunter
Amhearst
! What are you doing here?” she exclaimed as
she set the shot down and threw her arms around his neck.

Sliding
his arms down to link his hands behind her waist, he smiled down at her. “For
the same reason you are, I’m sure –
Sundra
invited
me.”

“Where
are you staying?”

“By
coincidence, a friend of mine from Savannah called, and when I told him I was
coming here, he decided to tag along. And when I say tag along, I mean: fly me
here in his plane; and as he owns a slew of condominiums here in Vail, I’m
staying at his place,” he replied.

“Lucky
you,” she grinned.

“Yep,
I am. He’s a pretty good guy, you’d like him. In fact, I’d like you to meet
him.” Looking down to the end of the bar
,
 
“
Well, maybe later, it looks like he’s
tied up right now,” he said with a laugh.

She
looked down where Hunter indicated. Standing at the end of the bar, leaning
negligently against it was the same man who’d sat next to her in the museum
prior to her mad dash from
Savannah.
What were the
chances? Rush Drayton had exchanged his Armani suit for jeans and a white
long-sleeved T-shirt, which molded his broad torso and showcased his chest
splendidly. He reminded her even more of the statues she studied at the museum.
He was perfect, beautiful, and magnificent. She knew she should look away, but
couldn’t force her eyes from him. Currently, his attention was captured by a
young blonde woman in a very short skirt. Trinity swallowed when his face split
into a devastatingly devilish grin at something the girl said to him. She
dragged her eyes back to Hunter’s when he chuckled.

“Yep,
that’s usually every girl’s reaction to him. I don’t see it myself.”

Trinity
had the good grace to blush.

“Where
are you working? You finished school, didn’t you?” he asked.

She
laughed embarrassedly at his prior comment. “I did finish. I’m working at
LaMont
Fine Arts, she responded.

“Wow,
that’s impressive. Gavin Lassiter is a legend. You’ll learn a lot from him.”

“I
absolutely am.”

She
was forced to move aside when
Sundra
rushed over to
hug Hunter.

“Hunter!
When did you arrive? You were suppose to call me, you bad boy. Come on, all the
girls are dying to meet you. Come on, Trinity. Is that pitcher of margaritas
for us?” At her nod, she continued, “Good, bring it with you.”
Sundra
had gone a couple of steps before turning back,
“Hey, you might need to get another pitcher, okay?”

“Okay,”
she answered.

As
she waited for the second pitcher of margaritas, she turned her head and stared
at the man at the end of the bar covertly under her lashes. When he turned his
head and caught her staring at him, she smiled hesitantly at him and gave a
small wave, embarrassed. He lifted his glass and tipped it in her direction
while gracing her with a smile. Once the second pitcher was ready, she paid,
then grabbed both pitchers and headed back to the table.

As
the night progressed, Trinity found herself continually seeking out the man at
the bar. He stood as he had when she first saw him, leaning against the bar. He
seemed a man set apart from everyone else, like an island unto himself. While
he was a part of the room, he was removed from it at the same time. He seemed…
isolated. This was a silly notion, as he was never left alone for any amount of
time. Woman after woman approached him and gave it their best shot, but outside
of the obvious flirtation, they all walked away as if dismissed.

Trinity
made a concerted effort to put him out of her mind and just enjoy her first
night of freedom. Hunter dragged her out on the dance floor time and time
again. She laughed and allowed herself to be the twenty-two-year-old she was.

Hunter
had her back on the floor for what seemed the hundredth time and was spinning
her around, making her dizzy. She laughed up into his face and gripped his
biceps within her hands to stop from falling. His gaze left hers for an instant
to stare just over her shoulder.

He
smirked at her and said, “Well, well. It looks like you are Cinderella, my
queen.”

She
laughed at his words while not really understanding them.

“Cinderella?
What do you mean?” she asked. “Queen?” she said on a laugh.

He
nodded his head at something behind her. She scrunched her eyebrows at him in
confusion.

“What?”

As
the fast beat of the music transitioned into a slower beat, Hunter spun her
around so she could see what had gained his attention. Walking purposefully towards
them was Rush Drayton. As he approached, the heat level in the room seemed to
rise until she was flushed with it. He captured her eyes and held them steadily
as he approached. Without conscious thought, she dropped her arms from around
Hunter’s neck.

Hunter
dropped his arms as well and turned to his friend. “Hey, Rush. I thought you’d
gotten glued to the bar, buddy,” Hunter said in greeting, having to shout over
the music.

Rush
smiled at the words but didn’t take his eyes off hers.

“Small
world, huh?” he asked smoothly.

“It
certainly is,” she replied with a smile.

Her
head buzzed with the heat and the alcohol as she gazed up into his hazel eyes.
He held her gaze for a long moment.

Trinity
watched as Hunter was tugged away by
Sundra
. Feeling
awkward at being left on the dance floor with the gorgeous man next to her, she
gave him a hesitant smile before turning back to the table.

He
caught her hand as she passed and gave a gentle tug, pulling her smoothly into
his arms. “Dance with me.” His words were more of a command than a request.

Automatically,
she followed his instruction, not once considering refusing him. As she had
with Hunter, she placed her hands on his biceps. His muscles were like stone
beneath her fingers. She glanced up and blushed as he grinned at her. With
smooth fluidity, he moved them slowly in time to the music.

He
placed his lips close to her ear so he could be heard over the music.
 
“Well, o
f all the
gin joints, in all the towns, in
all the
world, she
walks into mine.”

She tilted her head to look into his incredibly sexy eyes.

She smiled a little hesitantly.
“
Ahh
.
Casablanca. It’s no
Aristotle
,
but fitting, nonetheless.”