embrace but at least she didn’t pull away.
“I was a little girl when
my mother was killed. Whenever my father was and is mentioned in the paper,
there is always mention of the kidnapping and of the ‘tragedy’ of his poor deceased
wife and surviving child. I was never able to forget it,
and neither has anyone else. This is the life we have condemned
our son to. He’ll know and be constantly reminded of our troubled beginning… of
how you were trapped into marriage by a money-grubbing Judge’s daughter.”
“There’s nothing we can do
about that, Trinity. Our history is just what it is. I don’t care what other
people say. I wouldn’t give him up for anything. Would you? If you could go
back and erase that part of our lives that brought us him, would you?”
Slowly she shook her head.
“No.”
“So what do you suggest?”
She lifted one shoulder in
a shrug. “Just promise to keep him safe.”
He turned her to face him.
Tugging her dark ponytail gently, he tilted her face up to his and pressed his lips
softly against hers. “I’ll keep you both safe, I promise.” He
pulled her even tighter against his body in a firm hug before pulling back. “I
hate to do this, but I have to get back to the office for a couple hours. I’ll
leave Radcliff here. If you need anything, just ask him and he’ll assist.
You’ll be safe here with him. Okay?”
After a beat, she
reiterated, “I never wanted you for your money.”
He ran his fingers over her
jawline. “I never thought you did.” With a smirk, he said, “I thought you were
only after me for my body.”
She gave him a faint smile.
Pressing his lips against
her forehead, he said more seriously, “Everything will work out, you’ll see.
Soon we’ll be married and people will find us so utterly boring, the reporters
will have no choice but to report on other things,” he said with a small smile.
She nodded, but inside she
knew better. She’d lived in the public eye all her life.
~*~
It was really late when Rush finally made it home… much later than
‘just a couple of hours’ as promised. Exhausted from the events of the day,
both at home and at work, he inhaled deeply before opening the door, unsure of
what he’d encounter. When he entered, the overpowering warmth of the house
seemed to hit him in the face. It took a moment for him to realize the source
of the heat. In the living room, a fire was burning in the marble fireplace. It
was the height of summer, why would there be a fire in the fireplace? The room
was illuminated only by the flames and it flickered sensuously over the walls
of the living room.
Looking around the room, he
wondered briefly why Trinity would leave the fire burning. It wasn’t until he
was in the middle of the room that he saw them. Trinity and Blake were lying on
a pallet in front of the fireplace, asleep. She had on one of his T-shirts
which stretched down nearly to her thighs. She was lying on her side and Blake
was nestled up near her belly. The sheet she had draped over them at the
beginning of their night had been kicked off and now laid bunched at her feet.
The frustrations from his day seemed to just melt away as he took in the
picture of his family lying in front of the fire. His family … the
words gave him a catch in his chest and the warmth of the room seemed to absorb
itself into his midsection.
Tugging at the tie at his
throat, he slipped it off and began unbuttoning his dress shirt. He tossed them
onto a chair and moved to the air controller and turned it down cooler to
compensate for the fire. He stripped off his belt, emptied the contents of his
pockets, kicked off his shoes and pants, and peeled off his socks. Lying down
next to Trinity, he turned on his side and spooned her from behind. He pressed
a gentle kiss in her hair and wrapped his arm around her, tucking her up
against his hard form. She sighed heavily in her sleep and snuggled her body
into his. While she might have
“I was a little girl when
my mother was killed. Whenever my father was and is mentioned in the paper,
there is always mention of the kidnapping and of the ‘tragedy’ of his poor deceased
wife and surviving child. I was never able to forget it,
and neither has anyone else. This is the life we have condemned
our son to. He’ll know and be constantly reminded of our troubled beginning… of
how you were trapped into marriage by a money-grubbing Judge’s daughter.”
“There’s nothing we can do
about that, Trinity. Our history is just what it is. I don’t care what other
people say. I wouldn’t give him up for anything. Would you? If you could go
back and erase that part of our lives that brought us him, would you?”
Slowly she shook her head.
“No.”
“So what do you suggest?”
She lifted one shoulder in
a shrug. “Just promise to keep him safe.”
He turned her to face him.
Tugging her dark ponytail gently, he tilted her face up to his and pressed his lips
softly against hers. “I’ll keep you both safe, I promise.” He
pulled her even tighter against his body in a firm hug before pulling back. “I
hate to do this, but I have to get back to the office for a couple hours. I’ll
leave Radcliff here. If you need anything, just ask him and he’ll assist.
You’ll be safe here with him. Okay?”
After a beat, she
reiterated, “I never wanted you for your money.”
He ran his fingers over her
jawline. “I never thought you did.” With a smirk, he said, “I thought you were
only after me for my body.”
She gave him a faint smile.
Pressing his lips against
her forehead, he said more seriously, “Everything will work out, you’ll see.
Soon we’ll be married and people will find us so utterly boring, the reporters
will have no choice but to report on other things,” he said with a small smile.
She nodded, but inside she
knew better. She’d lived in the public eye all her life.
~*~
It was really late when Rush finally made it home… much later than
‘just a couple of hours’ as promised. Exhausted from the events of the day,
both at home and at work, he inhaled deeply before opening the door, unsure of
what he’d encounter. When he entered, the overpowering warmth of the house
seemed to hit him in the face. It took a moment for him to realize the source
of the heat. In the living room, a fire was burning in the marble fireplace. It
was the height of summer, why would there be a fire in the fireplace? The room
was illuminated only by the flames and it flickered sensuously over the walls
of the living room.
Looking around the room, he
wondered briefly why Trinity would leave the fire burning. It wasn’t until he
was in the middle of the room that he saw them. Trinity and Blake were lying on
a pallet in front of the fireplace, asleep. She had on one of his T-shirts
which stretched down nearly to her thighs. She was lying on her side and Blake
was nestled up near her belly. The sheet she had draped over them at the
beginning of their night had been kicked off and now laid bunched at her feet.
The frustrations from his day seemed to just melt away as he took in the
picture of his family lying in front of the fire. His family … the
words gave him a catch in his chest and the warmth of the room seemed to absorb
itself into his midsection.
Tugging at the tie at his
throat, he slipped it off and began unbuttoning his dress shirt. He tossed them
onto a chair and moved to the air controller and turned it down cooler to
compensate for the fire. He stripped off his belt, emptied the contents of his
pockets, kicked off his shoes and pants, and peeled off his socks. Lying down
next to Trinity, he turned on his side and spooned her from behind. He pressed
a gentle kiss in her hair and wrapped his arm around her, tucking her up
against his hard form. She sighed heavily in her sleep and snuggled her body
into his. While she might have
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