Love Renewed (Love Trilogy) by C.S. Janey

They were coming from your kitchen.”
    He cleared his throat, relaxing his grip on her. “Oh yeah, about that…”
    Before he could say anything, Charlotte's eyes widened, and Trevin groaned.
    Releasing Charlotte, he turned around, already knowing what he would find.
    Shelby was standing in the kitchen doorway with a frown on her face.
    ~*~
    Charlotte was pretty sure that Trevin was going to start undressing her right there in his foyer. They were clutching each other, as close as two people could be with their clothes on, their lips locked with his hand on her bare ass.   She had surprised him along with her own self when she told him that he was what she wanted even with everything else going on. Not until that moment had she admitted how much she wanted him to touch her out loud, but the way he’d been staring at her was not something that should be ignored. He had looked hopeful, hungry and just a tad bit desperate to touch her.
    It was so lovely being this close to him again. She didn’t want to come straight out and say it, but she hadn’t come just to say she was sorry. She knew he had just been frustrated with being unable to fix things because she kept blowing him off and hadn’t meant what he had said. The fact he loved her was written all over his face and she knew the problem was that she just didn’t know how to move past the hurt she’d been carrying around.
    “Only you,” he said in her ear before moving back to bring his mouth near hers, both of their eyes closing as he moved in to kiss her. That was when she heard the noise and tensed, her eyes flying open as she looked towards the kitchen.
    She knew she said something to Trevin, but her head was buzzing at the appearance of a woman in his kitchen doorway.
    Not recognizing the woman, she took a deep breath to try and clear her head as Trevin released his grip on her and turned around.
    Nobody said anything for a few moments, which appeared to make the woman nervous, her hands twisting together as Charlotte stared at her. Deciding to break the silence on her own, she turned to Trevin and crossed her arms over her chest.
    “Aren’t you going to introduce me, Trevin?” Her voice came out a bit low, the remnants of desire evident. Clearing her throat, she waited expectedly.
    Confusion crossed Trevin's face as he looked from Charlotte’s face to Shelby’s and back again. “You don’t recognize her?”
    She huffed, throwing her hands up in the air in exasperation. “Why would I? I have been gone for ten years, and I don’t ever recall seeing this woman before.”
    At that, the woman busted out laughing, and Charlotte whirled to face her, glaring as she put her hands on her hips. “What is so funny about this? Who are you?”
    The question only seemed to make the woman laugh harder. Trevin must have noticed Charlotte getting pissy because he stepped towards her, grabbing her arm gently as he turned her back towards him.
    “Charlotte, this is Shelby. She’s…my friend,” he finished lamely as she noticed the pause in his statement.
    What is he not telling me right now? She searched his face, and he grimaced, shaking his head as if he wanted her to avoid asking the obvious question right now. She decided to ask anyway.
    “Your friend? That may be true, but I can see that you are holding something back that you don't want to tell me. What is it?”
    The woman’s laughs had subsided, and Charlotte glanced her way. She was staring at them, her head cocked to the side as if contemplating the situation in front of her. Something seemed not right with the girl, her eyes looking distant with a smile playing on her face, but Charlotte wasn’t sure she wanted to ask.
    When Trevin finally sighed, she looked back at him, and he was frowning.
    “Lets go into the living room and sit down. I have a feeling this is going to be quite the conversation.”
    Following him seemed like the only option if she wanted her question answered, so she did as Shelby