She paced back and forth a few times before deciding to change clothes while she waited. Her attempt at sexiness hadn’t worked anyway. She might as well be comfortable in her favorite pair of sweatpants.

The door to her room was slightly ajar, so she pushed it open. The connecting door that led from the bathroom into her bedroom was wide open and bright fluorescent light spilled into the room.

“I don’t remember leaving that door open … ” She stopped talking mid-sentence.

Trent was in her room. Standing next to her bed.

Holding her cotton candy pink vibrator.

CHAPTER FOUR

Trent now knew what hitting the lottery felt like. It was a little bit of holy cannoli mixed with a lot of are you kidding me? all topped off with what the hell? icing. Plus an orgasm. He was pretty sure he’d already had one of those.

Mara, his sweet little Mara, owned a vibrator. A vibrator. Plus an entire drawer of other things he was shocked she even knew about.

The door to the bedroom burst open and Mara stopped in her tracks when she saw him. His brain sent the order to move or at least explain that he hadn’t been snooping but just trying to leave her birthday present on the nightstand. But no, he just stood there with his mouth hanging open.

“What are you doing with all these … ” he stopped, at a loss to describe the contents of the drawer he’d found hanging open.

“Sex toys?” Mara offered innocently.

He was instantly hard as a rock just hearing the words leave her mouth. The silence stretched between them as he thought of all the things in her drawer. He looked over at the purple down comforter on her bed. An image of her nude, reclining on the comforter, her long legs spread while she worked herself with the vibrator filled his mind. He groaned and closed his eyes.

“Yes. Sex toys, if you can even call them that.” He held up the rhinestone encrusted nipple clamps. Mara didn’t even look embarrassed. He, on the other hand, was embarrassingly interested to know if she’d ever worn them.

“I’m not some little kid, Trent. I’m a grown woman.” She crossed her arms and stuck out her chin.

Trent clenched his fists. “Believe me, princess, I know that. I’ve been trying to keep my mind off just how grown you are for the past year.”

Mara uncrossed her arms and marched over to him. She barely reached his chin. “Well, if you think about me that way, why’d you stop earlier? And how come you've never said anything?”

“Mara, I’m not the settling down type. You know that.”

Mara stared at him for a long moment. He cringed under her scrutiny but at least he’d been honest. The two of them together was a bad idea for a lot of reasons, beginning with the beat down he’d get from her brother and ending with the simple fact that she deserved better. Period.

“You’re worried about me getting too attached?” Mara chuckled. Then she broke down into another fit of giggles.

“I fail to see the humor in this.” Trent felt the scowl on his face growing the longer she laughed.

“Who said I’m looking to settle down?” Mara hopped up on the bed and crossed her legs. When he managed to rip his eyes away from the view, she raised her eyebrows.

“You don’t think I have needs just like any other woman? You don’t think I need someone to take care of them?”

“Needs?” he parroted, his throat instantly going dry when she trailed a hand down her thigh and rested it there. He gulped and turned around. He took a deep breath and then another.

“Why are you telling me all of this?” He was angry but he didn’t know who to blame: Mara or himself.

“Because I want it to be you, Trent.” Her voice wavered a little at the end and he turned slightly to see her sit up. She leaned forward until she entered his line of sight. He squeezed his eyes shut. Looking at her on the bed wasn’t helping the situation.

“But if I can't have you, I have my vibrator and my imagination. It’s the next best thing.” Mara’s voice moved closer. When he opened his eyes, she stood directly before him.

“I can't think about that right now. It's hard enough not to think about you that way without the mental image of you …” He backed up as she came even closer.

“Maybe I want you to think about me that way. Maybe I've wanted that for a long time.” Her hands toyed with the waistband of her shorts, revealing the top of her black lace panties.

Trent broke out into a sweat. “Sweet Jesus, Mara. You’re killing me here. I’m supposed to look out for you, not take advantage. I won’t even blame Matt for kicking my ass if we do this.”

Mara stood on tiptoe and pressed her mouth against his. “If you don’t want me that way then just say so, but don’t use my brother as an excuse. He has nothing to do with this.” Her breath came in little pants that washed softly over his cheek.

Trent laughed, a hard crack that carried no amusement. “He won’t see it that way. But damn if I don't care about that now.”

She leaned against him, her breasts pressing against his chest. He held out for all of two seconds before he scooped her up and held her captive for his crushing kiss.

It was like drowning, with her long legs wrapped around his waist and her thick dark hair falling over his face. She tasted sweet and rich like the red wine they’d had earlier. Trent swallowed her shocked moan as he absorbed her taste. She melted against him, her body molding to his as she clawed at his chest, fighting to get closer. She shifted in his arms and he soon found his hands filled with her soft bottom as he leaned against the wall to steady them.