Trinity (Moonstone Book 1) (18 page)

“Hey,” he said against my head, “I am here, Trinity. And I am not going anywhere. I feel for you—I care—god, I don’t know how I feel but the idea of anyone hurting you—”

“Thank you.”

“Let me get you inside,” he said after a few more moments. I nodded and climbed out the car and followed him into his flat. It was quiet and I realized with relief that Toby wasn’t there. Luke led me through to the bathroom and I stood like a small child and let him pull my clothes off me and then he undressed himself before turning off the water and pulling us both into the shower. I closed my eyes as the water washed over my body. Luke poured shampoo onto my hair and gently cleaned me before soaping my body and washing me clean, in more ways than one. I had stopped crying and let him wash me, taking away every bit of shame and guilt with the suds that dribbled down the drain.

When he was done he pulled me from the shower and wrapped me in a huge fluffy towel before leading me back to his room where he bundled me up in his bed and tucked me in. Crawling up beside me he pulled me close and kissed me as I snuggled against him.

And then I fell asleep, for the first time in my life feeling safe and content and protected.

****

I’d heard about Trinity’s mother but nothing could have prepared me for what I saw when I stepped into the house. The sight of that woman, her face contorted with anger, fury and pure hate, her hands around Trinity’s slender throat as she squeezed the life out of her daughter, out of the girl that I loved.

The girl I loved.

That was the moment I knew I was in love with Trinity. And that was also the moment I realized I was capable of murder. I’d wanted to kill that woman, I’d wanted to take her out back and beat the shit of her. That woman. I couldn’t actually think of her as Trinity’s mother, she didn’t deserve that title.

Now, I pulled my car up outside the same shitty, run-down dump of a home and killed the engine. It’d been three days since I’d pulled Trinity of this shithole and I had had to wait that long to be sure that I was calm enough to come back. Trinity had refused to go the hospital or see a doctor and there was no way I could convince her to press charges, although I had tried. I fucking wanted to see that woman rotting in a jail cell for what she had almost done.

Almost. My guts twisted at the thought of what might have happened if I hadn’t come in. Trinity had been fighting back, but she was already starting to turn a horrid shade of purple when I had burst in.

I shook my head. I didn’t want to think about it anymore, my insides burned when I did. I just wanted to get the rest of her shit, warn that woman again to stay away and get the hell out of here.

I glanced up at the house again and for the first time noticed the car parked in the driveway. A dark colored Mercedes I recognized instantly. I frowned. What was he doing here?

Climbing out I made my way up the house, glancing every now and then at the sedan that looked so out of place in this neighborhood.

Knocking on the door I stepped back and waited. I just need to get her stuff and get out, I told myself for the hundredth time.

The door flung open and Trinity’s mother was there. She was dressed in a pretty, but faded sundress and her face was done up in way too much makeup. Her hair was pulled back and I realized with a pang how much Trinity looked like her. They both had the same coloring and the same eyes. But her mothers were dulled, by life, by drinking and drugs I suspected, and there was a hollowness about her even though she had a huge grin on her face and a glass of wine in her hand.

Unfuckingbelievable. The woman had tried to strangle her own daughter just a few days ago and yet here she was, drinking and laughing, and very obviously not alone.

My stomach did a horrible somersault as I glanced back at the car. Oh shit.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, not bothering to hide the coldness in her voice.

“I came to get Trinity’s things,” I told her, mirroring her tone, “and you are going to let me.”

She made a face. “Whatever.”

I stepped into the house, hoping against hope that I was wrong and that I wasn’t going to see what I suspected I was going to see. But it wasn’t to be.

Fuck.

Fate had a funny way of playing things and I had a feeling that fate, right now, was laughing at me.

The man lounged back in the ratty sofa, a glass of wine in his hand and a huge grin on his face that soon faded as I stepped into the room. I stared at him, challenging him. Letting him know I knew. That I knew everything.

“Luke,” he said, getting to his feet, “what are you doing here?”

“I came to get Trinity’s things,” I told him tightly.

“Trinity?” he echoed as if he’d never heard the name before.

“My daughter,” her mother offered up.

“My
girlfriend
,” I told him, my eyes daring his.

He had the grace to cough and look uncomfortable.

“You, you know each other?” Trinity’s mother stammered, a panicked look on her face.

I grinned. “Yeah. We do, don’t we?”

“Luke is the son of a colleague,” he explained quickly and smoothly, “you know how small this town can be sometimes. And I have so many business acquaintances.”

Trinity’s mother blinked but didn’t say a word.

“And tell me,” I asked, meeting his eyes and stepping forward slightly, “how do
you
know each other?”

“Oh Helen and I are friends from years ago,” he told me and then offered a small laugh that only showed me how nervous he was.

“Oh so your
wife
knows her too?”

His face fell. “Of course not.”

“And what about your daughter?”

“Luke of course not,” he said and then narrowed his eyes, “and
you
won’t tell them.”

I shook my head, disgusted with him. Disgusted with her and this whole fucking situation. “I’m just here to get her stuff.”

I moved past them and down the hall to Trinity’s room. It wasn’t hard to work out which of the two rooms were hers, it was the one that was neat and tidy, a single bed pushed up against one wall, a neat desk stacked with books on one side and a dresser on the other. I paused a moment and looked around, taking the room that Trinity had grown up in. On her dresser were two photos. One of her with an older couple who must have been the grandparents she had told me about, when she was about ten or twelve. Her hair was longer but still blonde and she had freckles scattered across her nose. She stood between her grandparents smiling and my heart broke for the girl I loved who had been dealt such a shit hand in life. Picking it up, I tucked it into the bag I had bought with me before I picked up the other one. A promo pic of her with the girls from the band, Moonstone. I chucked that in too. Then I quickly opened draws and pulled out her clothes and things stuffing them in bags. There wasn’t much to take and I hated that. The girl was leaving with barely a few possessions. No baby pictures, no stuffed animals or other girly shit.

I shook my head resisting the urge to out there and hurt her mother.

And her father.

For a moment the realization that not only had I just met her father but the fact that I knew him. Had known him all my life. Shit. Trinity had told me she had never met him but that as far as she knew he was aware of her. He knew that his mistress had his daughter and he did nothing to protect her from this monster of a woman. Nothing.

I snorted. I had the power to ruin that man’s life now. And I wanted to. I fucking wanted to ruin it so bad right now but I had to stop and think. It would hurt a lot more people than just him. It would hurt his wife and family too, it would hurt Trinity.

“You done?” her mother appeared in the doorway and her eyes narrowed when she eyed all the stuff I had packed. “You aren’t taking shit that belongs to me.”

“As if she wants anything from you,” I snarled, “as if you ever gave her shit apart from broken bones and black eyes.”

For a moment she looked taken aback, and then the hardness returned to her eyes, “What has that ungrateful bitch been saying about me? Lies? Telling more lies?”

“I’m not sure that hospital records count as lies,” I told her, “or what about eyewitnesses.”

She snorted. “Whatever.”

I stalked towards her and seethed down into her face, barely containing my rage. “You are fucking monster. You hear me? And you touch her again and I will make sure you are rotting somewhere real good for a long time.”

“Are you threatening me?” she countered, “you think that I am scared of you and your fancy clothes and car? That I don’t have my own connections.”

I laughed. “You think he is going to stick up for you? You think if you are charged with assault with attempted murder he would anything to do with you? He would wipe his hands of you.”

She shook her head. “He loves me and he always comes back.”

“For a quick fuck,” I spat, “but never for anything more hey?”

I didn’t wait for her to reply but pushed past her and dragged the bags of Trinity’s things out to the car where I threw them in the trunk. The Mercedes was gone I noted with a smirk. He must have run away as soon as he could. I wonder if he even knew what she did to Trinity, if he even cared. I shook my head. I had always disliked that man but now I hated him with a passion.

Pulling away from the curb I really hoped that I would never have to see that house again.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Trinity

“That one, that one is perfect for you.”

Molly held up the dress and waited for my reaction. I blinked and tried to smile as my gaze lingered on the lilac-colored lace dress. It was figure hugging and would fall to my knees. It was pretty, very pretty, and not something I was used to wearing.

“Try it on.” she thrust it at me. “I think it will look gorgeous on you and the coloring is perfect.”

This wedding gig was getting out of control, I thought as I took the dress without comment and disappeared into the change rooms. As I slipped out of my jeans and t-shirt I heard Olivia and Molly discuss the dress Olivia was wearing.

“It looks great on you,” Molly gushed, “you look very elegant.”

Olivia didn’t sound as convinced, “It’s two hundred dollars.”

“But it’s gorgeous!”

I glanced down at the price tag attached to the lilac dress out of curiosity and grimaced when I saw that it was three hundred dollars. I sucked in a breath. There was no way I could afford that.

“Show us, Trin,” Molly called and I had no choice but to pull the dress over my head and zip it up. Then I stepped out. “Wow.”

It felt amazing against my skin. The silk lining moved and glided against my body and the delicate lace made me feel like a princess. Looking in the full length mirror I was amazed at the transformation. The color flattered my pale coloring and gave my skin a glow I had never noticed before. It was true, I thought, money really does change things.

“Oh my god, Trinity, that is the one!”

I shook my head. “I can’t afford it.”

“We are making money on this wedding,” Molly countered, “but we have to look the part and this dress is perfect.”

“But it’s not even something that I would wear ever again.”

“You might,” she argued, “Luke might take you somewhere amazing and you could wear it there.”

Luke already took me to amazing places and I flushed just thinking about them. Besides the places he took me to in bed he also took me to the movies, to dinner, and for long walks. None of which were suitable for a dress like this.

I looked over at Shawna who wore a navy blue pantsuit that flattered her generous curves perfectly and highlighted the red of her hair. “Wow,” I told her, “that looks sensational on you.”

“I know,” she said with a grin, “I look hot don’t I?”

Suddenly the door to the designer boutique we were in opened and the bell dinged. I didn’t even glance that way as I turned back to the mirror, running my hand over the dress wistfully. I had never owned anything so beautiful, and I ‘d never had a prom dress or anything. I had never gone to prom, it just had never been an option. Other girls bought beautiful dresses and went to prom. Not me.

“Get it,” Molly appeared at my shoulder, “I am sure you will wear it again. Maybe you could wear it to yours and Luke’s wedding!”

I giggled at her teasing even though I knew there was no way I could get this dress. I was sure I could find something nice enough for our wedding gig somewhere else.

“Oh my god!”

Both Molly and I spun around at the sound and I found myself eye to eye with Melissa. She stared at me like I was the last person she ever expected to see in here, which I probably was. Stores like this were not generally where I shopped but Molly had insisted on bringing us here to find outfits for the wedding gig that was coming up next weekend.

I offered a tight smile to my nemesis. “Melissa. Nice to see you again.” There was no point being mean or rude. I had Luke and she didn’t. As far as I was aware she had well and truly backed off and Luke hadn’t heard from her in a few weeks, not since we’d been together. And we were together. All. The. Time.

“Trinity isn’t it?” she cocked her head and examined me.

I nodded. She knew my name. I was sure she knew my name. She’d probably named a voodoo doll after me.

“Oh sorry I didn’t recognize you with your clothes on,” she turned to her friend who I only noticed for the first time then. “This is the girl Luke’s been fucking.”

I cringed at her terminology but I didn’t correct her. She was right. Instead I look at her friend and smiled brightly. “That’s right. I’m the girl Luke is fucking. Day and night. All the time.”

The triumphant smile froze on Melissa’s face and her friend stifled a smirk as I turned back from them, ignoring the curious looks on the girls’ faces. I would tell them about Melissa later.

“She isn’t the type I would ever have expected to see in here,” Melissa said loudly to her friend. “I think she normally buys most of her clothes in thrift stores or gets them from dumpsters.”

“Dumpsters?” her friend sounded horrified.

I couldn’t help myself. I met Melissa’s eyes in the mirror. “Yep. Dumpsters. But I thought since I had a very special occasion coming up I’d splurge a little you know.”

“Special occasion?” Melissa echoed.

I smiled, thoroughly enjoying myself. Melissa was being a bitch, I hadn’t wanted to be a bitch, and I was more than happy to let bygones be bygones but if she was going to dish it out then so was I.

“Wedding,” I told her smugly.

Her friends eyes bulged and Melissa’s face went bright red. Molly and Olivia both laughed out loud. I didn’t stay for more but disappeared into the dressing room and quickly pulled the dress off. I had shown off out there in front of Melissa and I regretted it now. I’d been mean and bitchy and it wasn’t me. I didn’t feel good.

I tried to tell myself that she deserved it, that she deserved it, but it felt hollow. It felt like a cop out. Melissa had been with Luke for five years, she was heartbroken over their separation and I should be more sensitive. I could imagine how heartbroken I’d be when Luke broke up with me.

I pulled on my jeans and t-shirt and then stepped out of the change room, fulling intending to apologize.

“Where she’d go?” I asked.

“She left,” Molly told me, “you should have seen her face, Trin. I thought she was going to combust she was so furious.”

That only made me feel worse. “I shouldn’t have been so mean,” I said, “she was Luke’s girlfriend for five years. They were going to get engaged.”

Olivia made a face. “She was a bitch. She deserved it.”

“No she didn’t,” I told them turning away, “she loved him and she’s heartbroken and jealous. I get it.” I knew enough about heartbroken women to know how spiteful and mean they could be. I hated that I had, albeit momentarily, behaved like one.

“So,” Molly said after a moment, “the dress?”

“Is beautiful,” I told her, “but not for me.”

She made a face but didn’t argue. We waited patiently as Shawna paid for her pantsuit and then we headed out. I eventually found a nice dress, a simple pale green shift dress that was a lot more in my price range. Molly admitted it was pretty but she kept on going on about the lilac dress even as she dropped me back at Luke’s house.

“Pick you up at seven?” she asked as I climbed out of her car with my dress.

“Um, actually Luke will drop me off,” I told her, averting my eyes. “He’s staying for the gig.”

She raised an eyebrow at me. “Of course he is.”

I knocked on the door of Luke’s flat and waited for him to let me in. He’d given me a key and told me to let myself in but I couldn’t do that. For one, Toby lived there too and it didn’t seem fair on him to have me coming and going as I pleased, although he didn’t seem to care too much, but still.

“Hey, baby,” Luke said as he opened the door and pulled me into his arms, delivering a slow sweet kiss to my lips. I closed my eyes and sighed. Each kiss was different, sometimes slow and sweet, sometimes intense and passionate, and I loved each and every one. It had been only a few weeks since that day with my mother but I was fast realizing that it might be two weeks, two years or two decades and I would probably never get enough of his kisses.

“How was the shopping trip?” He asked closing the door behind me. I noted that we weren’t alone. About five guys were sprawled on the sofa, including Toby, watching a sports game.

“Successful,” I told him, “I got a dress.”

His eyes darkened. “Want to model it for me? I can offer you my opinion.”

I shook my head. “It’s fine, thanks. I already got the girls’ opinions.” I headed toward the bedroom and then paused. “Oh, and Melissa’s too.”

“Huh?”

I rolled my eyes. “She came into one of the boutiques while I was trying on dresses.”

I went into his room and dropped my bag on his bed aware that he was following. He lingered in the doorway watching me. “And?”

“And, we had words.”

A funny look flittered across his face, and his jaw hardened. “What did she say to you?”

I sighed. “She made some smart-ass comment and I…”

I couldn’t finish and instead glanced down at my fingers.

“And you?” he prompted.

“And I sought of suggested I was buying a dress for…” my face flamed bright red and I couldn’t bring myself to say the words out loud.

“For…”

“For our wedding,” I whispered and cringed regretting how stupid I had momentarily been.

Silence greeted my statement and then Luke suddenly burst out laughing. I looked up at him and frowned but he continued to laugh.

“That is brilliant!” he said eventually, “fucking brilliant!”

****

Luke

“You aren’t angry?” she wrinkled her nose at me, “or annoyed?”

I shook my head. “No. Why would I be angry? That’s a brilliant way to shut her up.”

“Well ‘cos I said…” her voice trailed off, “and she will probably tell your mom.”

I shrugged. “Just give my mom something to talk about.”

She fell silent and I stared at her. “What else?”

“Huh?” she glanced up.

“What aren’t you telling me?”

She bit her bottom lip and I wondered what she could possibly have said that made her so reluctant to tell me. “Well, I kind of implied, I mean I said…”

“Yeah?”

“That we fucked day and night. All day long.”

I stared at her, my body reacting to just hearing her talk that way. “How exactly did you imply that?”

“Well I said it just like that,” she admitted, “It wasn’t a nice thing to say I know I hurt her feelings. I actually went to apologize but she had already left.”

I moved into the room and shut the door behind me before I sat on beside her on the bed. “Don’t be sorry. Melissa can be a bitch and she needs to get it through her head that you are with me. That I’m with you. That she and I are well and truly over.”

She nodded. “I know that.”

“But,” I traced my hand over her knee, “what was that you told her?”

“About the,” she dropped her voice, “fucking?”

I hardened instantly at her hearing the way she whispered the word. “Uh-huh.”

She raised her eyes and they met mine. They darkened and I could see the desire in them. God I would never get enough of this girl. “Well, I said that we were
fucking
all the time.”

“Day and night?”

She nodded.

I lowered my head and kissed her lips, drawing her bottom lip into my mouth and biting it gently. She drew a sharp intake of breath and her hands went to my head, her fingers threading through my hair as she returned the kiss, her tongue swirling with mine.

Suddenly she broke the kiss and sat back to pull of her shirt, tossing it to the floor before she snapped off and discarded her bra on top of it. Then she climbed on top of my lap, wrapping her legs around and leaning down to kiss me again. My hands went to her back and then reached around to palm and caress her naked breasts. She moaned into my mouth and I felt my stomach lurch. I pinched and tweaked her nipples which had pebbled against my palm.

“Oh, Trin,” I muttered against her mouth as she ground herself against me.

Flipping her I dragged her up the bed with me before my fingers went to her jeans, snapping the buttons undone and tugging them down over her hips and tossing them away. Light blue lacy panties covered her and I took a moment to drink in the image of her lying on my bed, her eyes heavy and hooded, her breath coming in short pants, her lips swollen from our kisses.

“Are you coming?” she asked, reaching for me.

I grinned at her, tugging her panties down over her thighs. “Oh I am going to be coming all right,” I told her, “but not before you do.”

Pushing her knees apart I kept my eyes locked on hers as I lowered my head to slowly and carefully lick the length of her. I groaned at the taste of her and struggled to get a grip. On the bed she writhed and thrust her hips towards me begging me for more.

“Fuck, every part of you is beautiful Trinity,” I told her, “even your pussy.”

She moaned and I grinned triumphantly. She loved it when I talked dirty to her.

I dipped my head and tasted her again, licking at her, swirling my tongue over her most sensitive nub before sucking it into my mouth. She cried out and her fingers gripped hold of my hair as her legs floundered around me. I licked her again and again, before pressing my fingers at her entrance and then surging them inside her.