Reckless Exposure (4 page)

She had tried to talk to him about moving their relationship to a more permanent status, but each time she brought up the subject of marriage, he’d start kissing her. Shortly after, they’d be making love, and talks of the future would be put on hold. She was tired of him getting around her with sex. Her mother had gotten married at twenty-five and given birth to her daughter a year later. At twenty-six, Lucy felt her biological clock ticking away.

Even their apartment was a testament to the type of modern, fast lane lifestyle Rand enjoyed. The expensive Italian black leather couch and matching loveseat, coupled with the black glass tiered coffee table screamed “no kids allowed.” Their bedroom was no less modern. The king-sized bed with the white leather headboard and red comforter wasn’t exactly Homes and Gardens. She loved the furniture they’d chosen for Rand’s apartment after she’d moved in, but now that she was thinking about having kids someday, all she saw in her mind was a toddler banging into the sharp corners.

Their apartment was a baby’s worst nightmare!

Where did that leave her? Did she give up her dreams to keep what they already had? Or was it time to move on? The very idea of never seeing Rand again sat like a lead ball in the pit of her stomach. But what choice did she have?

As she finished, she turned off the shower and stepped out.

Lucy nearly fell when she saw Rand sitting on the counter wearing nothing but a pair of black gym shorts and a grin. He was so hard, the all over kind of hard. Six pack abs, large biceps and powerful thighs. The tattoo on his right shoulder did crazy things to her, too.

It was an intricate web of black lines and curves. It covered his entire shoulder and snaked down his bicep. He’d told her he’d gotten it right after his first big shoot as a way to celebrate.

Her clit swelled and throbbed as she dripped onto the rug beneath her feet. Rand handed her a towel and pointed to a cup of steaming coffee beside him. She took the towel and wrapped it around her, holding it tight.

“The shower’s all yours,” she said, still a little perturbed at his high-handedness earlier.

He jumped off the counter and came toward her. When his head descended on hers, the kiss wasn’t anything like she expected. It was gentle and sweet, a light mating of lips, no pressure, no demands. She melted.

He lifted away and said, “I’m sorry. Forgive me?” Yeah, as if any sane woman could stay pissed after that! She pointed a finger at him. “You are dangerous to my health.” He chuckled and smacked her ass as she moved around him.

“You’re damn lucky Trey’s waiting on me.” She turned and glared at him, but he was already naked and slipping into the shower. He heart squeezed tight as the water started up. She couldn’t see him through the dark blue curtain, but she could imagine his powerful body, the water sluicing down his chest to his cock. Wet and slippery and edible. Oh God, leaving him would tear her apart. But staying hurt too.

Sometimes life sucked.

***

Lucy loved her classes. She didn’t understand why people com-plained about college. Even as a kid she’d enjoyed learning, a trait that set her apart from most of her classmates. As a result she’d been inducted into the nerdy group. They understood her and appreciated her quirky ways. She slung her purse and satchel over her shoulder and looked at her watch. Four o’clock. Her last class had just let out. As she waited for a cab, someone behind her called her name. She turned to see Trey sprinting toward her.

“Hey, Lucy.”

“Hi, Trey. I hear you bought some new furniture,” she said, not-ing his long-sleeved black shirt and snug jeans. He was a powerful man. He had a different build than Rand, but equally powerful.

Both men were lean and strong, but Rand’s was a street-tough appearance while Trey’s aggressive nature concealed itself behind an infectious smile and quiet disposition.

“Yep. I don’t know what I would’ve done if Rand hadn’t been there.”

“He was glad to do it.”

Trey pointed at the large brick building behind her. “Did class just let out?”

“Yeah. If I ever catch a cab, I might actually make it home before midnight,” she grumbled as yet another cab sped by, ignoring her completely. “I should just take the subway.” Trey placed his hand on her elbow. “You have a few minutes for a cup of coffee?”

She searched his face for signs he was hitting on her. When all she saw was a friend offering to buy her cup of coffee, she smiled.

“Sure. I could use the caffeine fix.”

They started down the street in silence. As they came upon a little coffee shop that boasted the best beans in New York, Trey stopped and held the door for her.

“Thanks,” she said, appreciating the fact that some men still held doors for women. She wasn’t seeing nearly enough of that sort of thing since leaving her small town in Ohio.

Spotting an empty table, she headed toward it. Their waitress took their order and quickly went off to fill it, leaving Lucy with a silent and watchful Trey.

“Rand and I were talking about you the other day,” she blurted out, needing to break the uncomfortable moment.

“Is that right?” Trey said as their coffee arrived. He thanked their waitress, who promptly began to stutter and tremble, clearly taken with him.

Lucy poured cream in hers and noticed as Trey dumped four packets of sugar in his. The man must have a terrific metabolism.

“Yeah, we were just saying that you’re awfully quiet. You don’t socialize much. Have you made many friends since you moved here?”

“Nah, I try to keep a low profile. You and Rand are enough for me.”

“Wouldn’t a single guy like you rather hang out where he might see some action?”

He chuckled. “Action? You have no idea how much action I’ve seen over the years, Lucy. Action isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.” She couldn’t seem to stop herself from asking, “Do you have a girlfriend tucked away?”

Trey stayed quiet as he stirred his coffee. Finally he said, “No, there’s no one for me. Sometimes it’s best that way.”

“Maybe you just aren’t looking in the right place,” she said softly, hating the note of sadness in his voice. It seemed wrong for a guy like Trey to be alone. Surely women drooled over him every-where he went, so why was he single?

“I’ve got too much unfinished business, Lucy. Until it’s settled, there won’t be any Mrs. Trey Madison to warm my sheets.” He paused before adding, “Besides, I stay pretty busy counseling.”

“Counseling?”

“Yeah, I counsel couples.”

She perked up at the prospect of learning more about him. “Like a marriage counselor?”

He grinned. “More of a sex therapist.”

Lucy blushed. “Oh.”

Trey winked at her. “You and Rand won’t be needing counseling, that’s for sure. Now there’s a marriage waiting to happen.” She cringed and looked away. “No. Rand doesn’t do marriage.” He cupped her chin and forced her to look at him, his eyes full of tenderness. “You’re so sure?”

She nodded. “Yeah. Rand likes to live on the edge. He’s too wild to ever consider marriage.”

“Don’t sell him short, Lucy. He may surprise you.” She didn’t want to let herself hope. As the waitress came to deliver their bill, she let out a sigh of relief. Trey grabbed it before she could reach for the scrap of paper.

He stood. “I can buy you a cup of coffee, Lucy.” She thanked him before he turned and strode toward the register to pay. She couldn’t help but watch him walk. He was so well built! Was it such a crime to look? She finished the last of her coffee and scooted her own chair back. Grabbing her purse and satchel, she followed Trey out of the little shop. He walked her to the curb and hailed a cab for her. As it pulled alongside, she smiled up at him.

“If you’re going back to the apartment, we could share?” Trey held the door for her and shook his head. “Nope. I have a few more errands to run before I head home.”

“Well, thanks for the coffee then. And the conversation.”

“Ditto,” he said before adding, “and Lucy?”

“Yes?”

“Think about what I said. There’s nothing in the world worse than looking back and knowing you made the wrong decision.” She didn’t have to wonder what he meant. He was talking about Rand. Trey was convinced Rand would marry her. Why he felt so strongly about it was a mystery. Trey didn’t know him the way she did. Still, a small kernel of hope seemed to take up residence in her heart.

As she waved Trey off, her cell phone rang. The special ring tone meant it was Rand. “Hello?”

“Hey, babe, you busy?”

His deep, hoarse voice always sent butterflies flitting through her stomach. “I just finished. I’m heading home. Want me to stop and get anything on the way?”

“Don’t bother. I was thinking of taking you to that Chinese res-taurant you love so much. Are you in the mood for chow mein?”

“Definitely, and I don’t have another shoot for several weeks, so I can even pig out.”

Someone tapped on the cab window, startling her. “Hang on a sec,” she said into the phone. Lucy turned her head to see Luke Riley, one of her classmates, grinning in at her. She rolled the window down.

“Hey, Lucy,” he said in a breathless voice as he hunkered down so they were eye to eye. “Me and some of the others are getting together at Connolly’s. Want to come?”

Connolly’s was their favorite pub hangout. She’d been there a few times, but usually she was too anxious to get home to Rand.

“Thanks, Luke, but I’ve already got plans.” She smiled to take the sting out of her rejection. “You’ll just have to have fun without me.”

He grinned as he slung his computer bag over his shoulder and began walking backward down the street. “One of these days I’m going to show you what you’ve been missing,” he called out to her.

Lucy laughed, waved him off, and rolled the window back up.

The cabby cleared his throat as if getting annoyed, so she rattled off her address and went back to her conversation with Rand.

“Sorry. That was someone from my art class.”

“I heard. He was asking you out.”

He sounded jealous. She’d rarely heard Rand jealous. He would get a little possessive at times, but jealousy was never a big issue between them. “Not really. He was asking me to go out with him and the rest of the group.”

“The group thing is an excuse, Lucy. Trust me. He wants you.” She thought of Luke. He did tend to flirt with her quite a bit.

At first she thought it was because she was a model. Some men thought scoring with a model gave them extra points or something.

It was annoying as hell. But Luke had asked her out on more than one occasion. Even though she always declined, he persisted and seemed genuinely interested in her. “Maybe, but it doesn’t matter, because I turned him down.”

“I still want to hit him. Doesn’t he know you’re taken?”

“Of course he knows. Everyone at school knows about you. I’m always bragging about the hot photographer I live with.” Rand chuckled. “This hot photographer is hungry, and I’m not talking about the chow mein either.”

Her temperature spiked. “Be good.”

“I’m always good.”

His voice skated over her body in an erotic caress. “I think you’re very, very bad,” she whispered, hoping the cabbie couldn’t hear.

“Come home, baby. I miss you.”

She forced herself to remember her determination to talk to Rand. She needed to put her life on track. She couldn’t live the carefree cover-model existence forever. She needed stability. Love.

A family. It was now or never. She wanted what her parents had, kids and a loving relationship that could withstand the test of time.

And if she couldn’t have that, then it was time to move on.

“Rand, we need to talk. Tonight.”

There was silence over the line for several seconds and Lucy was afraid the call had been lost. “That sounds serious,” he finally said, his voice filled with concern.

Oh god, her heart hurt. It actually hurt. She’d put that note of concern in his voice. How would she ever be able to move out if just hearing his voice had her second-guessing herself? “I’ll talk to you when I get home, okay?”

“You know I care about you, right?”

Care, not love. He’d never once said the ‘L’ word. “I know, Rand.”

“Be careful.”

“I will.”

They ended the call and Lucy felt the first tear trail down her cheek. This wasn’t going to be easy. In fact, it just might kill her.

Reckless Exposure: Chapter 3

She wanted to talk. That couldn’t be good. Rand paced the length of the living room as he imagined every scenario known to man and came up empty. He couldn’t figure what he’d done wrong, and surely he’d done something. Women didn’t say they needed to talk if there wasn’t something pissing them off. Lucy rarely got mad at him, though, and more often than not, she talked it out with him.

From the minute she’d come awake to his camera snapping in her face, he’d known something was off. She’d been different. He shouldn’t have tried to take her picture before she’d had her coffee.

He knew better, damn it. She’d just been so fucking adorable, like a sweet angel from heaven in his bed. He loved watching her sleep.

She snored a little and hogged the blankets, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. With Lucy cuddled up to his side, Rand slept like the dead. He was a hard man, used to life delivering him the shitty end of the stick, but with Lucy he felt happy, warm and content.

He’d die without her.

He shoved his fingers through his hair and paced some more.

When he heard the key slide into the lock, his heart nearly stopped beating. Lucy strode in and smiled at him, but there wasn’t any light behind the action and she looked as if she’d been crying.

Damn, what the hell had he done?

He went to her and took her in his arms. Her body melted against him for a few seconds before she pulled away. She put her keys on the table next to the door and set her purse and satchel on the floor. Rand waited, unsure what to do or say. As she perched on the edge of the couch, he walked silently to the chair facing her and sat on the arm.

“I don’t know how to say this, except to just say it.” She wrung her fingers together and kept her head down.