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  Todd had been less than patient and blamed her for the growing problems in their relationship. According to Todd, it was her job as his girlfriend to make time to help him relieve his stress from work. She had been tempted to ask who was supposed to be helping her relieve the stress of caring for a critically ill mother? Instead, she had attempted to meet his needs, but her lack of enthusiasm had been hard to hide. Todd had vacated her life within a few weeks of her mother’s illness.

  Her first boyfriend hadn’t been able to think about anyone but himself. She had given in and had sex with him one time, but when he had started calling her dirty names, she had been so turned off; she had refused to repeat the experience. He had called her a prude, sexless and frigid. She had been glad to see the last of him.

  Then her mother had suffered a stroke. Time for boyfriends had disappeared as Brianna’s entire world had narrowed to caring for her mother and making enough money to provide for those services.

  Trent waited for Brianna to speak, and when she didn’t, he quietly inquired, “Is your head still hurting this morning?”

  Brianna raised her eyes and attempted to nod, only to stop on a groan as the glass shards changed direction in her brain. Closing her eyes, she waited until the stabbing pain stopped before she weakly responded, “Yes.”

  Trent couldn’t stand to see her hurting, and quickly left the bed and returned with two of the pain killers and a glass of water. Trent had never felt this need to care for someone else. Normally, his interaction with women involved being seen at some function with them, providing them with an appropriate token of his affection, and then returning to their place for some meaningless sex, at least on his part.

  He never brought them home, needing the ability to leave on his time frame, not theirs. Pam had often told him that his idea of a relationship was just shy of hiring a local streetwalker, but Trent argued that the women he chose to date were after the same thing he was and everyone knew the score going in. Nobody got hurt, no harm, no foul.

  Caring for Brianna had sparked a thread of humanity in Trent that he frankly hadn’t known was there. Ever since Serena had played him for the fool and then killed herself, laying the blame on him, he had sworn off serious relationships. He had attempted to let his heart guide his actions once before and had it trampled upon. Never again was his motto; at least until Brianna Daughtry had walked into his life. He had this overwhelming urge to take care of her and right all that was wrong in her world.

  Sitting up to take the tablets seemed to rob Brianna of what strength she had left, and she promptly fell back to sleep.

  When she woke several hours later, it was to find herself alone in a luxurious bedroom with the curtains drawn to keep out the sunlight. Rising from the bed, she pulled the sheet around her body and chanced a glimpse out the window. The backyard was unlike anything she had ever seen, except on the TV or in magazines. A brilliant blue pool occupied one side of the yard, complete with a pool house, and the other side of the yard extended to a tennis court.

  She didn’t know where she was, but it was evident that this was not a cheap hotel. Entering the bathroom, she was surprised to see that she wasn’t in a hotel as she had first assumed, but a private residence. Trent’s private residence; his private bathroom to be exact.

  She opened the medicine cabinet and spied the bottles of cologne and couldn’t resist smelling them until she found the one that he had worn all week. He found her standing at the sink, wrapped in the sheet from the bed, eyes closed with his cologne bottle opened and it appeared that she was smelling it. Was she remembering his smell?

  Leaning against the doorjamb, he waited for her to open her eyes and discover she had company.

  Brianna inhaled deeply and then slowly lowered the bottle, closing the lid as she did so. She put the bottle back inside the cabinet and then closed it, gasping as she spied Trent lounging in the doorway.

  Grabbing the sheet with both hands, she turned slowly to face him. “You startled me.”

  “You look like you’re feeling better.”

  She started to nod and then stopped herself, her head was just barely throbbing and she didn’t want to chance the drums starting up again. “I do. I was looking for my clothes?”

  “I gave them to my housekeeper. I’m afraid your skirt was beyond repair and your shirt will most likely be permanently stained from the cut on your head having dripped onto it.”

  Brianna looked down, well that was just great. Not only had she incurred even more medical bills with last night’s events, but she was also down one serviceable outfit, leaving her with only a few shirts and … Suddenly she remembered seeing Trent and someone else in that crummy motel room, packing her stuff and hauling it away? Was that a dream, or…?

  “Did you take my stuff?” she asked.

  Trent pushed away from the door, but before he could speak, she continued, “What I meant to say was, did you and someone else…”

  “My driver, Tom,” Trent provided.

  Brianna looked at him, “Tom… did you and Tom take myself from that motel room?”

  Trent looked at her before answering, “Tell you what. You come back into the bedroom and eat the breakfast my housekeeper fixed you, and then I’ll tell you what’s going to happen.”

  Brianna bristled at his high-handedness. Who did he think he was? He didn’t make decisions for her. She walked back into the bedroom and took the seat he pulled out. The delicate omelet on the plate looked fabulous. A glass of orange juice and a perfectly toasted bagel also occupied space on the breakfast tray. Glancing up, she found Trent sitting on the edge of the bed watching her. At his nod, she turned her attention to the breakfast in front of her and was surprised at how hungry she was.

  Chapter 12

  Trent watched her eat and took a more thorough inventory of his houseguest. She was underweight, had the beginnings of dark circles beneath her eyes, even though she had just slept for nearly twelve hours, and was totally unaware of the effect she was having on his body.

  After she finished eating, Trent outlined the plans he had made on her behalf, “So, your memory was correct in that Tom and I did remove your possessions from that dive. You will not be returning and Tom made that clear to the motel’s personnel. As far as your belongings, please explain to me how someone gets to the age of twenty-four, finds herself living in a place not fit for rats, and the sum of her possessions equals four boxes, 1 suitcase, and a trash bag full of odds and ends.”

  Brianna felt like crying as Trent ruthlessly listed her life in the terms of her meager possessions. She told herself there was no shame in being where she was today, life had been hard and she was a survivor. She wouldn’t always been in this place, she just had to keep working hard and eventually she would rise above the circumstances that had brought her to this place. Who was she kidding? Life had been an excellent teacher and she would be over thirty by the time she finished paying off her mother’s hospital bills. This was her life.

  Trent watched the look of despair and acceptance fill her eyes and wanted to yell at her for being so ready to give in. “I spoke to Janet and she said your emergency contact was a nursing home. I spoke with them this morning and they asked me to convey their well wishes for a speedy recovery and wanted me to let you know your mother was still progressing and would be very happy to see you when you were feeling a little better.”

  Brianna closed her mouth before she screamed in frustration. All of those months she had protected her privacy and in the space of hours he had found out everything there was to know about her. How was she supposed to find the strength to carry-on each day when she would have to see the looks of pity from her co-workers.

  “Brianna, it’s over. You are going to stay here and after you’ve healed, I will help you find another place to live, one that is safe.”

  Brianna felt the tears begin and didn’t have the strength to stop them, “You don’t understand. It takes everything I make just to pay for my mom’s care, and what
I had left over just barely covered the cost of that motel you called a dive.” She reached up and wiped the tears away.

  The sight of her tears was tearing him apart; he had never felt so helpless in his life. Trent Coldwell didn’t do helpless well. He made things happen, but whatever was going on in Brianna’s mind was beyond him to fix. His “Quit crying” came out harsh and he knew the minute it left his mouth that it was the wrong approach to take with her, but he was frustrated and wanted to fix everything for her.

  “Quit telling me what to do!” she replied.

  Trent ran his fingers through his hair, “Then quit crying. It doesn’t solve anything.”

  “How would you know? When was the last time you tried it?” she cried.

  Trent laughed; Coldwell’s didn’t cry. There was no need to. Pushing off the bed, he began to pace across the room as he tried to figure out how to talk to her. She needed help, but she was too stubborn to accept it. “Brianna,” he began, softening his voice and injecting as much calm into it as he was capable, “Look, it’s obvious that you need a friend and you need someone to help you out. I want to be that friend. Please let me help you.”

  Brianna gingerly shook her head, “Trent, you’re my boss. Not my friend.”

  “Who says I can’t be both?” He found himself asking the same question silently, and decided that there wasn’t a valid reason. Brianna could be his friend, serve as his capable assistant during work hours, and spend her free hours as both friend and lover.

  Not since Serena, had Trent considered having a girlfriend be more than just a bed partner. Thoughts of Serena had his mind wandering to the meeting, which was currently taking place at Coldwell Enterprises. He had cautioned security to be on the lookout for Marco Bresi, just in case the man was so bold as to show up during the negotiations and try to cause problems.

  Brianna didn’t have a ready answer for Trent. He could see the indecision on her face as he pulled her from the chair and led her back to the bed. Pulling her down to sit beside him, he wrapped her in his arms and lightly kissed over the bandage at her temple. Running his hands up her sides, he stopped before his hands reached her breasts. With one hand, he lightly brushed the back of his fingers over the nipple that had hardened with his touch.

  He continued to possess her mouth, taking the kiss deeper as she gave in to his demand for entry. While he continued to brush his fingers over her nipples, his other hand slowly pulled at the sheet she had wrapped around her, finally pulling it down enough that his hand made contact with her warm flesh.

  Moulding first one breast and then the other, he felt her tentatively raise her hands to circle his neck and the way her body softened and swayed closer to him. Running his free hand up and down her bare back, he felt her shiver in reaction and let his mouth roam from her lips to beneath her ear.

  Brianna tipped her head back, giving Trent greater access and barely concealed her moan of pleasure. Never had a man made her feel so alive. She let her hands play in the hair that curled at the nape of his neck and tugged at his shirt, wanting to feel his skin beneath her hands and against her. She wanted to rub herself against his chest and breathed a sigh of relief when he pulled his shirt over his head, tossing it somewhere over her head.

  She let her hands wander across the broad expanse of his back and then moved her hands to his front, letting her hands mold the muscles, stopping to play when her fingers encountered his taut nipples.

  Trent was so ready to explode, he felt like a green youth again. He let her play for a moment, and then took the reins back, lying her down upon the bed and pulling the sheet from around her body. He worshipped her with his hands and his mouth, bringing her more pleasure and rejoicing in the sight of her coming undone under his hands.

  Brianna arched backwards as she flew off the edge of the cliff. Coming down slowly, she felt Trent climb into the bed with her, starting to explore her body again with both hands and mouth. She opened her eyes and met his gaze and the desire she saw in his gaze took her breath away. She’d never seen someone look at her the way Trent did.

  Trent wanted to go slowly with Brianna, as he sensed she had limited experience, but the longing to bury himself deep inside her, making them one, was too much for his control. Rolling her underneath him, he made room for himself between her legs. After assuring himself that she was ready for his entry, he found enough control to join them without hurting her. When he was fully embedded in her warmth, he held still and took her lips again; striving to control the urge to move that overtook him.

  When Brianna started squirming beneath him, he took that as a signal that she was ready for more and began to move, increasing his pace as her breathing increased. Trent felt her fly over the edge and followed her, capturing her scream of pleasure with his mouth.

  Chapter 13

  Brianna tried to get control of her emotions as well as her breathing. Beside her, she felt Trent trying to calm himself down. After several minutes, Brianna began to feel self-conscious and reached for the sheet she could see lying next to her on the bed. Pulling it across her body, she was alarmed to feel the wetness between her thighs. Then it hit her, they hadn’t used any protection!

  Sitting up, she quickly wrapped the sheet around her, glancing at Trent to see him gently smiling at her, completely unaware of what they had just done. She quickly calculated the probability in her head and couldn’t contain her moan of despair when she came up with the wrong answer. The timing couldn’t have been worse.

  Trent watched Brianna and thought it was cute as she tried to hide her nudity from him. He had just spent the last hour worshipping her body, and yet she felt the need to hide from him now.

  Brianna saw Trent smiling at her and almost burst into tears. Rushing from the bed, she stumbled over the excess bedding material and would have fallen to the floor if Trent hadn’t sprung from the bed and caught her. “Hey, whoa! Where are you going so quickly?”

  Brianna just needed to get away from him, “Bathroom,” she mumbled.

  Trent helped her get her feet untangled from the sheet and then stepped aside, letting her hide in the bathroom and hopefully compose herself. She looked like she was about to cry again. Trent was confused at her strange behavior, until her turned back to the bed and saw the evidence of their recent activities clearly displayed on the sheet.

  Trent felt his heart drop to the floor as he looked down at the bed and realized he hadn’t protected her. He wasn’t concerned about diseases, but the chance of her becoming pregnant was a very real concern. Surprisingly, the idea of Brianna becoming pregnant from their joining wasn’t all that repugnant. In fact, he wouldn’t mind her carrying his child at all. That concept should have sent him running from the room, but instead, he found himself knocking on the bathroom door.

  He heard the shower going and when she didn’t answer, he pushed the door open, seeing her silhouetted behind the frosted shower door, leaning her head against the shower wall and her shoulders shaking. Damn it! She was crying again and this time it was all his fault.

  Sliding the shower door open silently, he stepped inside and pulled her back against his front, making sure that the spray of water was not hitting her in the face. “Brianna, honey, I’m sorry. I wouldn’t intentionally put you in danger.” Seeing the look of defeat upon her face, he kissed her gently and then slowly awakened the passion in her once again before tenderly washing her body and hair.

  Drying her off with a plush towel, he then carried her back to the bed and held her, urging her to sleep and save their discussion for later. Thankfully Brianna listened to him and he felt her body relax as she turned her mind off and slid into sleep again.

  *****

  When Brianna next woke, it was to find a soft robe lying on the foot of the bed with a handwritten note inviting her to join him downstairs once she awoke. After using the bathroom to freshen up, she donned the robe and headed downstairs.

  She took in her surroundings and wondered what it would be like to live in such
luxury every day. She would never want to leave her house. Finding Trent sitting on a couch, aimlessly flipping through the TV channels, she took a seat on the opposite side of the couch, dreading the coming conversation.

  She had given it some thought, and if she somehow became pregnant from today’s activities, she would just have to figure it out. She wouldn’t expect anything from Trent; after all, she had seen how he treated Chelsea when she had tried to get him to spend more time with her. He had sent his assistant to buy her an expensive bauble and then forgotten about her.

  Trent eyed her and when he saw the steel in her eyes, he figured their coming discussion was going to be full of energy and he looked forward to convincing her that his ideas were the right ones.

  “How’s the head?”

  “It’s fine. Not hurting all that much right now.”

  “You can have more pain medicine whenever you need it.”

  Brianna nodded, “Great. Uhm…I was wondering if you could call me a taxi.”

  Leaving was not an option he had considered she would try. Trent quickly thought of his options and then asked, “Was there someplace you wanted to go? I’d be happy to take you wherever it is.”

  Brianna considered the ramifications of letting Trent drive her to see her mother, and decided it would be the wisest option. She could save the taxi fare, and it wasn’t like he hadn’t already spoken with the staff there. “Okay. I really need to go see my mom. I…”

  Trent nodded and stood up from the couch, “Sure. Let me grab your suitcase so you can get dressed and I’ll get the car out and pull it around front. You did want to go right now, correct?”

  Brianna hid her surprise at his easy acceptance of her wishes. She had only known Trent Coldwell for a week, but he didn’t do anything unless it benefited him. All the way across town to her mother’s nursing home, she tried to figure out how this trip was of benefit to him. She was still wondering that when they arrived at the facility.