Going the Distance (No Excuses Book 1) (5 page)

“So are you going to do this again?” she asked.

He set his skates down and picked up one of his shoes. “Not anytime soon, but I’ll try again.”

“Then my mission here is done.”

He looked at her surprised. “That’s it? This is what you had in mind in exchange for an interview?”

“Not quite,” she said as she put on her shoes. “This was part two, remember?”

“So there’s a part three?”

She nodded and stood, skates in hand.

“Do I dare ask what we’re doing next time?” he asked, getting to his feet.

“You can ask all you want, but I’m not telling.”

He gave her a disappointed look and she laughed. “Come on, let’s return the skates.”

They dropped the skates off at the rental station and walked out to the car. The sun was starting to set and the sky was painted a burnt orange. The drive back to the gym seemed to fly by, and before she knew it, they arrived.

“So was it worth your time?” she asked, turning to him.

He grimaced. “Not sure about that. Definitely not worth an interview.”

“You’re tough to please, aren’t you?”

“Not at all,” he said, leaning toward her. “I’ll tell you right now, skating won’t get you anywhere with me.”

She felt her body tingle in anticipation as his hand reached out to the back of her head, bringing her closer.

“No?” The word barely escaped her. “What will?”

He stared at her lips before his gaze locked with hers. “You know full well what will, you little minx.”

His mouth came down on hers hard and possessive, with that beard she wasn’t used to. She didn’t think twice about opening her mouth and letting him in. Fighting him had been so difficult, she was relieved to finally give in. When a moan escaped her, he pulled her closer and deepened their kiss.

“Goddamn, your lips feel better than I imagined,” he said against her mouth, “and you taste like the sweetest fucking thing on earth.”

She didn’t reply and only threw herself into another kiss with that much more vigor. If they hadn’t been in her car, she’d have lost all control and ripped his clothes off. Thank God for small mercies, she thought as the center console dug into her side.

Just as his hands started to do some exploring, she pulled away. He looked as disappointed as she felt.

“Okay, so that wasn’t part of today’s activity,” she said, feeling her lips tingle from his bruising kisses.

He reached out to touch her again. “I got my own plans, babe.”

“Your plans will get us into trouble,” she replied, moving out of reach. “Now be a good boy and get out.”

He shot her an amused look. “I know you didn’t ask me to be a good boy. I’m The fucking Punisher.”

“How could I forget?”

“I’ll make sure you’ll remember going forward,” he said, instantly crushing her lips once more.

She closed her eyes and let herself enjoy that delicious mouth of his for a few seconds, then pulled away again.

“Seriously, you gotta go,” she mumbled against his lips. “You’re jeopardizing my mission.”

“About fucking time,” he said, biting her bottom lip. “When are you gonna let me jeopardize you some more?”

“Next weekend,” she said, smiling. “It’s my third and final act, Trent, and there won’t be any jeopardizing to speak of. You’ll have to keep your hands to yourself.”

“Yeah, yeah, pussycat.”

He got out and slammed the door shut, then walked around the car and placed his hands on her door to look down through the open window. “Wanna give me a clue? Strip poker? Skinny dipping?”

“Not even close,” she said, laughing. “Just wear something decent.”

His brows furrowed. “Like what?”

She shrugged and started the engine again. “I don’t know. Just don’t look like you came out of the gym.”

He grumbled, but released his hold on the car and stepped onto the sidewalk as she pulled out of the parking lot. She saw him in the mirror watching her as she hit the gas and sped off.

Two down, one more to go.

***

A couple of days after his first skating lesson, Trent went to see Emmanuel. They used to see each other weekly, but since the old man wasn’t as quick on his feet, he had a hard time getting around and Trent had to make more of an effort to go see his mentor at home. That’s where he was now, sitting on the barstool in the kitchen, watching Emmanuel cook breakfast.

“Ramirez told me that some woman reporter has been snooping around the gym,” Emmanuel said, scrambling eggs in a bowl with a fork.

Trent grabbed a piece of cantaloupe from the fruit bowl before him. “She’s not snooping around, she’s trying to talk me into giving her an interview.”

“And? Is it working?”

“Nah,” he said, but couldn’t help smiling.

“What’s so funny?”

“She’s got this idea that if she gives me something in exchange for the interview, I’ll agree.”

“Like what?”

“Like ice skating lessons,” Trent said, chewing on a watermelon piece next.

“Say what?” Emmanuel asked, pouring the scrambled eggs in the hot pan.

“Yeah, I don’t know what the fuck she’s thinking. Before that, she took me to have dinner at her old neighbor’s place. Beats the shit out of me what’s going on in that head of hers.”

He’d been trying to figure out what she was up to, but couldn’t come up with anything that made sense. Any other girl would have thrown her panties at him and probably forgotten about the stupid interview, but not this one. Sam, as he was starting to think of her, was one tough cookie. Who apparently liked dining with old folks and going ice skating.

He ran his fingers over his beard in thought. She also drove like a cast member from the Fast and Furious movies and didn’t have any problems throwing him over her shoulder. Where the fuck she’d learned that was a mystery. For someone who wrote for a newspaper for a living, she sure had some skeletons in her closet.

He wondered how willing she’d be to be interviewed herself. Despite his dislike for reporters, he was starting to be interested in this one big time.

“For once you found yourself a girl who’s getting inside that head of yours,” Emmanuel said, scraping the cooked eggs onto a plate, which he set on the counter alongside the sausage links that were already there.

Trent loaded up his plate.

“I don’t need anyone getting inside my head,” he said, irritated with himself. Instead of getting Sam into bed, he’d been fucking ice skating with her. Ice skating! That’s the last fucking thing he expected to do.

“Sounds like she didn’t get the memo,” Emmanuel mumbled between bites of sausage. He set his plate on the counter and took a seat next to Trent. He groaned like an old man and rubbed his left knee.

“Goddamn pills don’t do shit.”

“Did you even take your pills today?” Trent asked, looking at the swollen knee.

Emmanuel waved the question away.

“How do you expect them to work if you won’t take them?”

“I take them alright,” Emmanuel replied gruffly, “so leave me alone, boy.”

Trent exhaled loudly and took a bite of eggs. The man was so fucking stubborn, it was beyond frustrating. Pretty soon, he’d need a live-in nurse, but he was too proud to admit it. Trent would simply have to hire someone to move in without telling Emmanuel beforehand.

“So what’s this girl like?” Emmanuel asked, changing the subject.

Trent thought of Sam. Perfect face. Unbelievable lips. Pretty, long brown hair that was perfect for grabbing and pulling as he drove into her from behind. A body that was made for his hands, and his mouth. And a handful of ass and an equal handful of tits.

“She’s alright, I guess,” he said, shrugging.

“What’s she look like?”

“Average. Tall, brunette, green eyes.”

Emmanuel looked impressed. “She must’ve made an impression if you didn’t mention her rack or tight ass.”

Trent laughed out loud. “Don’t worry, I thought about it.”

“Sounds like she’s still messing with you though.”

“Why do you say that?”

“For starters, I didn’t take you for an ice skating sort of fella,” Emmanuel said, scooping fruit onto his plate.

Damn right, Trent thought. He wasn’t, but somehow, she’d managed to talk him into it. He attributed it simply to the fact that he hadn’t gotten into her pants yet. She was playing hard to get and he was on a mission. A very different one than hers. He’d been patient long enough, and he was starting to get antsy. The only reason he was going along with her crazy schemes was because he knew at the end of it all, he’d get what he’d wanted since Vegas.

“What’s she like?” Emmanuel asked.

“Smart, funny, reckless on the freeway, and she can probably throw a punch like Povetkin,” Trent said with a smile.

“Oh yeah?“

“She slapped the shit out of me when I came on to her in Vegas.”

Emmanuel chuckled. “That’s a first.”

“Hopefully a last.” Trent was in no mood to get slapped again.

“Gotta say, Trent, I like this girl of yours. Got balls,” Emmanuel said, chewing his food.

“Funny, I was thinking the same thing.”

Trent had only let her get this far because he was amused by her. The minute he’d get what he wanted, he’d be done with her. That was the agreement he’d made with himself. She should consider herself lucky he’d been a good sport about their activities, because under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t be doing any of those things.

She’d said there was one more thing lined up and that was the end of it. He wondered what that was. Would it finally be worth his time? Or better yet, an interview?

He shook his head, answering his own question. Nothing was worth an interview, but if she’d spread her legs for him, he’d give it serious consideration.

On Friday night, Sam was getting ready to go out. With Trent. She’d called and told him she’d pick him up at the gym at eight, and now she was getting ready. For their last outing, she’d take him to a movie. Probably not the most exciting thing he was expecting, but it was all part of her master plan, which was thankfully coming to an end. She needed this interview badly and couldn’t avoid her boss much longer. Between getting her regular work done and meeting Trent, she’d been so busy, but felt like she wasn’t showing any results for her efforts.

And then having her parents disturb her peace was another story. She’d called her uncle Roy who had said that her parents were clean and had been for some time. He’d given them Sam’s address because they really had seemed to turn a corner and wanted to see her. She took everything with a grain of salt. It wasn’t that she couldn’t trust Roy, he always had the best intentions and was the only one who had helped her when everything had gone to shit, but she couldn’t trust her parents. Building that trust again would take a long time, and she was in no hurry. At least not when it came to them.

Dealing with Trent, however, had a sense of urgency about it, and she had to get things going. She’d enjoyed spending time with him, despite his impatient and arrogant ways. He was funny and managed to surprise her when she least expected it. The way he’d grabbed her hand in the ice skating rink had been cute and endearing, but then he’d kissed her like he was starved and she’d wanted nothing more than to throw herself into his arms.

She looked in the mirror and assessed her reflection. Makeup, check. Fluffed hair, check. A pale green blouse to bring out her green eyes, a short black skirt, strappy heels, red polished nails and gold hoop earrings to finish. Check.

For the first time ever, she actually had butterflies in her stomach. Even though this was part of her work mission, she couldn’t lie to herself. She liked Trent. There was something about his arrogance that was magnetic.

After escaping the life from hell and being on her own at eighteen, she hadn’t given men much thought. Sure, she’d had partners, but not anyone worth losing sleep over. Growing up in a junkie household and having guys come in and out, dealing and causing trouble, had made her lose interest in people. She’d been angry, cynical, and pissed at everything and everyone.

When she’d moved out, she’d finally been able to breathe and not worry about dealers coming to her house, groping her and making her sick to her stomach. She’d taken self-defense classes, gotten herself a car that was fast enough to outrun those assholes, and found decent people to be around, namely her neighbors and Danielle and Clare. None of them knew of her past and she wasn’t going to fill them in. She didn’t want their pity or nosy questions, which would stir up all sorts of emotions.

But now she’d met Trent, who from the get-go was a lot to handle. She’d thought she could write him off as another guy whom she didn’t want to associate with, but the more she hung out with him, the more she warmed to him. He really wasn’t as bad as he’d first seemed. She just had to get to know him better, and tonight, she’d have another chance.

She wasn’t delusional though. Dating Trent was never going to happen, but for the little time they had left together, she could enjoy herself and the attention he was paying to her. She liked the way she felt in his company and that wasn’t something anyone had been able to make her feel before.

She fluffed her hair one more time, grabbed her purse and jacket, and headed out. Half an hour later, she pulled up to the gym, where Trent was already waiting for her. She had to smile as she took in his clothes. He wore a Chambray shirt, casual gray pants, urban sneakers and that crazy beard was gone, replaced by a barely visible scruff.

He grinned as she pulled up. “What’d you think?” he asked, running a hand over his jaw as he opened the door and got in the car.

“It’s about time you stopped chopping wood in the forest,” she said with a laugh.

He turned to look at her. “Holy shit, you look good enough to eat. Did you remember the crotchless panties?”

This made her laugh even more as she pulled out of the parking lot. “Definitely not.”

“How do you expect to score an interview, babe, when you don’t follow instructions?” he asked, squeezing her thigh.

She simply shook her head. “You’re hopeless.”

“Sure am,” he said, looking her over. “You know, I should be picking you up, not the other way around.”

“Thanks for the offer, but I prefer it this way.”

Meeting him at the gym was safe. A neutral meeting spot where she could keep things professional.

“So where are we going?” he asked, putting his seatbelt on.

“The movies,” she replied, relaxing as they got to the freeway.

He didn’t respond, so she gave him a quick sideways glance only to be met with a frown.

“I got dressed up to go to the movies?”

“Yes, grumpy bear. When was the last time you’ve been to the movies?”

He seemed to consider his answer. “Can’t remember.”

“Exactly. Tonight you can take some time off from your workout and just sit and enjoy a movie. Can you do that? Can you relax for once and have a good time?”

“I always have a good time,” he protested.

“Yeah, I can imagine what kind of a good time,” she said under her breath. The kind that involved naked girls and no movies at all.

“So what’s with your crazy driving?” he asked after a few moments.

“What do you mean?”

“Why do you drive like the fucking devil’s chasing you?”

The question made her uncomfortable and she licked her lips. “I just like being on time.”

She didn’t want to go into personal details, such as the dealers who’d chased her down, demanding the money her parents hadn’t been able to pay.

“Couldn’t you just leave your house five minutes earlier and then not be late?” he asked.

“Wow, I never thought of that,” she shot back sarcastically. “What a novel idea. I’ll have to try that sometime.”

“Smart ass.”

“Next time, you can drive, grandpa.”

“At least I wouldn’t have a fucking heart attack by the time we arrived.”

She smiled to herself as they pulled into the parking lot of the movie theater. “All safe and sound. See?”

He merely shook his head and got out. She locked the car and they made their way to the entrance. She’d purchased the tickets online and had to pick them up, so she asked him to buy a bucket of popcorn. Once both tasks were done, they made their way into the theater. Even though it was Friday night, the place was pretty empty since she’d picked a movie that had been out for a few weeks. She told him to go to the back row since she didn’t like sitting too close to the screen. They plopped down in the middle seats and set their things down.

“Why is it so goddamn empty?” he asked, scanning the rows in front of them. There were only a handful of people out front and the rest of the seats were unoccupied.

“Maybe more will show up,” she said, leaning back in her seat and digging into the popcorn.

“What are we watching?”

“The Awakening.”

She propped her feet up on the back of the seat in front of her just as he turned to fix her with a disbelieving look.

“Are you fucking joking?”

She shook her head. “I figured you weren’t into chick flicks or anything too serious.”

“So you picked a horror movie?”

“Yes. Why?”

“I’m not watching this shit.”

Her hand stopped halfway to her mouth. “Why not?”

“Because I don’t fucking watch scary movies.”

Great. Something she should have researched beforehand.

“I’m sure it’s not that bad,” she said, hoping to placate him. They were already settled in their seats and she didn’t want to walk out now. She had no idea what they could do instead if they left.

“It’s about a girl who’s possessed, isn’t it?” he shot back.

She nodded slowly.

“So how can that not be bad?”

“Let’s just watch the first ten minutes, and if you still think it’s so bad, we’ll leave,” she offered.

He pressed his lips together, but didn’t disagree.

“Here, have some popcorn,” she said, hoping to distract him. For having such a tough-ass nickname, he was the biggest baby, she thought amused.

The previews started and they sat back with the popcorn nestled between them. As she’d expected, all the trailers were for upcoming horror movies and she could tell he wasn’t into it.

“Cheer up, Page, the movie hasn’t even started yet,” she said, throwing a piece of popcorn at him.

It hit him on the shoulder and fell onto his lap. He picked it up and threw it into his mouth. “You’re gonna pay for this, babe.”

She threw another piece at him, to which he gave her a warning look. “Seriously? You wanna play that game?”

He reached for the bucket, but she grabbed it and held it out of his reach. “You’re too slow, buddy. Get your own popcorn now.”

He threw back his head and laughed.

The previews came to an end just then and the lights went out. She placed the bucket between them again as the opening credits started, and they turned to watch the movie.

Orchestral music blasted out of the speakers, setting up the ominous mood. A little girl walked out of a desolate house and went to sit on the tire swing hanging from a tall tree in front of the house.

Sam heard a low growl come from Trent. The girl swung back and forth on the screen, with her white nightgown and long, brown hair flowing in the wind. The camera zoomed in, and out of the corner of her eyes, Sam noticed Trent grimacing. This was priceless. When the girl’s face changed rapidly to an old wrinkled face, even Sam winced.

“This is bullshit,” Trent mumbled and fidgeted.

The music got eerily quiet, setting them up for whatever was to come, and Sam couldn’t help herself. She grabbed some popcorn and threw it at Trent, who just about jumped out of his seat. She had to press her lips together to keep from laughing out loud.

“Very funny,” he said, scowling at her. He adjusted in his seat and took a deep breath. “Has it been ten minutes yet?”

“Not yet,” she said, smiling. “Wanna hold my hand again like you did at the ice skating rink?”

He gave her a level look. “You have no idea how much you’re gonna pay for this.”

She just hoped she wasn’t going to pay for it with her interview. Maybe she should stop teasing him.

She settled back into her seat and he did the same. A few mellow parts came up and he seemed to relax. She was trying to pay attention, but couldn’t help noticing his arm touching hers on the armrest. Suddenly, she did feel like she was on her first date, nervous about brushing against his hand in the bucket of popcorn. It was ridiculous really, since they were both adults, but it was exciting to be feeling something so normal.

After a few scenes, he leaned over to whisper in her ear. “I think your ten minutes are up, babe.”

She sighed and turned to face him, only inches away from her. “Yeah, I guess so. Do you want to leave?”

His eyes ran over her face and she wondered what he was thinking.

“No.”

She was both relieved and surprised. “Good, then watch the movie,” she said, giving him a small smile.

“I don’t give a shit about the movie,” he replied, staring at her mouth.

She, in turned, stared at him. “We can go if you want.”

“I got a better idea,” he said, tempting her with those full lips that were now beard-free.

She didn’t fight it. Instead, she placed her hands on either side of his face and kissed him, too impatient for him to make the first move.

The music came to a loud crescendo, but she didn’t care what was happening on the screen. All she cared about was losing herself in Trent’s rough kisses, claiming her lips as though they were his.

“What are you doing to me, woman?” he asked gruffly against her mouth.

She didn’t dare consider the answer, but when his hands started touching her as though he knew exactly what she liked, she pulled back breathless.

“Sorry, I don’t know what got into me,” she said, shaking her head. This wasn’t what she should be doing, she knew that. Part of her had hoped that he’d kiss her again, but the other part also knew that she was only taking him out to secure her job. As of right now, that interview was still pending and she was throwing herself at him like one of the girls he’d alluded to that night at the Vegas club. She could slap herself this time.

“So far, nothing got into you, babe, but we’ll change that,” he said, pulling her close for another kiss. She moaned into his mouth as his tongue invaded her.

Before she realized what was happening, she felt his other hand on her leg, running over her skin, from her outer thigh inward, until he reached under her skirt. She flinched at his touch over her panties and pulled back from their kiss to look into his eyes.

“I told you you’d pay,” he said, reminding her about the popcorn she’d thrown at him.

She opened her mouth to respond, but he swallowed her words with another kiss. His fingers rubbed over her panties, gentle but firm at all once, making her pant with longing. The shock she’d felt gave way to very different sensations, and she leaned into him, wanting more.

“Oh my God,” she whispered, squeezing her eyes shut.

Just when she’d thought his fingers couldn’t make her feel any better, they slipped under her panties, rubbing between her legs. She was breathing heavy.

“You like that, you little minx?” he asked against her lips.

She couldn’t put words together to save her life. She simply nodded, pushing against his hand.

“How about this?” he asked, sliding two fingers inside her.

She gasped and he crushed her lips to keep her quiet. His fingers slid in and out in perfect rhythm, making her delirious with need, and she pushed against him for more. He rubbed, teased and invaded, making her whimper against him until she couldn’t take it anymore.

“That’s it, babe. Come for me,” he whispered hoarsely. There was no holding back. The words sent her over the edge and she buried her head in his shoulder, holding on to his neck, needing to dig her fingers into something to keep from screaming out.