Sins, Lies & Spies (Black Brothers #2)(63)
With my head down, I slipped out of the restaurant, darted across the street, and pulled the spare key to Trinity’s home from my coat pocket.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-SIX
Trinity
My head pounded from crying and not just in one area. It was the whole damn thing from the top of my head to the bottom of my jaw. Even my scalp hurt. I rolled onto my side, but that only increased the dull throbbing in my head. It was official. This had been one of the worst days of my life.
My emotions were all over the place. This morning I’d hopped out of bed determined to find the truth, then by mid-afternoon everything had exploded. The truth didn’t seem so valuable any longer. I didn’t know what I would’ve done without Knox. He hired an attorney to represent me who somehow finagled a meeting with Derrick and his attorney tomorrow evening. Then he carried me to bed and held me for hours while I’d wept over my mother, my relationship with Derrick, and the overall chaotic state of my life. Finally, I’d fallen asleep, but now I was wide-awake again.
Knox looped his arm around my waist, yanking my back flush against his chest. “What’s wrong?”
I twisted in his arms so I could see his face. His jaw was shadowed with stubble. His eyes were heavy-lidded, yet beaming with love. His lips were soft, almost gentle looking. And at that moment, it hit me with the weight of a ton of bricks. I was meant to be with Knox. That explained the instant attraction. If I didn’t know better, I’d think my mother had put Knox in my path to take care of me during this time.
“I’m just thinking about my mother. It kills me that I’ve spent the last fourteen years being mad at her for abandoning me.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“I know.” I leaned into him, inhaling his spicy scent. “Did I tell you how lucky I am to have found you?”
His gaze focused on my lips, his hand slid up my waist, curving around the back of my neck and his warm mouth grazed mine, sliding dreamily back and forth, turning me into knots within seconds.
“I’m the lucky one,” he murmured against my mouth before deepening the kiss. His tongue breached the seam of my lips, moving against mine. I pushed him onto his back and straddled him.
His fingers slipped under my shirt, caging me with his strong arms, and my breath shortened. “You need to sleep.”
I raked my teeth over my lower lip. “I need you more.”
Shaking his head, he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “Not now. Tell me more about your mom.”
I cocked my head to the side. “What do you want to know?”
“What’s your favorite memory of her?”
I rolled off him on to my side, bracing my head in my hand. “She took me to see The Nutcracker every year. I think I already told you that.”
He nodded, his lips curling up at the corners. “Yeah, I remember.”
“Well, so anyway, until I was eight years old, we floated around a lot.” Warmth radiated through my chest as I recalled her bright smile and tinkling laugh. She was so beautiful. I couldn’t believe she was dead. “Sometimes we lived in a big city and sometimes we lived in a tiny town, and The Nutcracker would be some low-budget, no-name production in a school gym. When I turned six, she promised me we’d go to New York City that year. All year, I did favors for neighbors, and we collected our spare coins in a jar. Then she told me we couldn’t go because her car broke down and she used the money for repairs. We ended up at some free show of The Nutcracker put on by three-and four-year-olds.”
“What happened?”
“Obviously, I was a little upset,” I confirmed.
He cocked an eyebrow. “Just a little?”
I snorted. “I threw a tantrum in the parking lot and pouted the entire ride home.”
He grinned. “I can see you in the back seat, arms crossed, and your nose in the air. I bet you were a cute kid.”
I smiled back. “Not so much. My freckles were much more noticeable back then, and my mom dressed me in clothes two sizes too big hoping they’d last longer.”
He tapped me on the tip of my nose. “Still cute.”
I rolled my eyes, but it didn’t stop my insides from warming. “When we got home, I ran to my room, intending to lock her out, but when I opened the door, there was the most beautiful sugar plum fairy costume on my bed with matching ballet shoes.”
“What happened?”
“I put it on, of course, and we stayed up until the middle of the night baking gingerbread cookies. It was the best Christmas Eve ever.” I yawned. “It’s weird—looking back, I can’t believe how young she was. She had me when she was nineteen.”
He brushed his lips across mine. “Are you tired?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Thanks for asking about her. It helps to remember the good times. I tried to push all of that out of my mind so I didn’t miss her so much.”
“Glad I could help.” He pulled me into his arms. “Close your eyes and try to sleep. We have a long day tomorrow.”
CHAPTER
THIRTY-SEVEN
Knox
It seemed like I had only drifted off to sleep five minutes earlier when something woke me. The hair on my arms lifted and my ears zeroed in on the noises inside Trinity’s townhome. A soft click sounded somewhere in the distance. It could’ve been the icemaker or the furnace, but something told me it was much more than that. We weren’t alone.