Trust in Me by Bethany Lopez
“Dinner? You don’t have to do that, Rich. Last night was no big deal.”
Rich looked at her with a frown.
“I’m asking you to go out to dinner with me, Roni. What do ya say?”
Roni looked up at him, not saying anything at first, then replied, “I’m off tomorrow night, then I won’t be off again until Christmas. We can have dinner tomorrow, if that’s what you want.”
Rich smiled at her, “Perfect. I’ll pick you up at six.”
Roni nodded before she turned and walked back towards the kitchen.
Rich went into his office, unsure what his next step with Roni should be. Obviously he’d dated before, but with Roni everything felt different. It wasn’t just that he wanted her; last night hadn’t changed that at all. If anything, he wanted her more now than he had before. But he felt more than just lust. There was something about Roni that made him want to take care of her. To make her happy. He couldn’t dwell on it too much, or it would probably freak him out.
A knock on the door had him looking up. Briana was smiling at him from the doorway.
“Can I come in, boss?” She asked with a chuckle.
“Sure.”
“I just wanted to tell you again how proud I am of you, Rich. This place is amazing, and I’m so happy to get to be a part of it. The Grand Opening is going to be amazing.”
“Thanks, Bree,” Rich said, coming around his desk to give her a hug. “That means a lot.”
“I also wanted to remind you about Christmas,” Briana said.
“I’ll be there,” he replied.
“Great, I’ll see you then.”
He walked her out and said goodbye to her and Roni as they exited the warehouse.
His cell phone buzzed in his pocket, telling him he’d received a text.
Hey, Rich. Just wanted to let you know, you’ve got Roni for the gift exchange. See ya then, Nic.
Of course he did.
Chapter Twelve
Why had she agreed to go on a date with him? Roni wondered as she looked for earrings to match her top. She knew that he was going to want answers for the way she’d behaved the other day. She should be avoiding him, not going out with him.
He’d just looked so cute.
And when she’d looked into his eyes, she would have agreed to anything he asked of her.
She was so confused.
Maybe once he found out about her and her past, he’d lose interest and things could go back to the way there were before she’d jumped him.
God, she still couldn’t believe she’d done that. She’d never done anything so, well, wild, in her life.
She covered her mouth to suppress a giggle as she thought about it.
She’d never felt so free. Free to do what she wanted without fear of rejection or reprisal. It had been invigorating. And although she knew she was probably playing with fire, she loved the fire that coursed through her at the thought of that freedom.
Rich was a guy who liked to have fun. Maybe he wouldn’t mind having some fun with her, totally free of strings or attachments.
Roni looked at herself in the mirror as she put in her earrings. Did she have it in her to have a casual relationship? It was something she’d have to think about.
At six on the dot, Roni hear footsteps on the stairs and took a deep breath. Her stomach jittering as she waited for the knock on the door. Even though she was expecting it, she jumped when Rich’s fist connected with the wood.
She smoothed her hair down before she opened the door.
“Hey,” Rich said with a smile that lit up his face. His hazel eyes glittered as they looked Roni over. “You look beautiful.”
“Thanks,” Roni said, returning his smile. She’d figured he’d be dressed casually, so she’d worn a new pair of dark denim jeans with a peasant top and a navy blue cardigan.
Rich nodded and asked, “Are you ready?”
Roni said she was and turned to lock the door as they walked out. She followed him down the stairs to the car.
She took a moment to appreciate the way he filled out his jeans as they walked. When he turned to say something as he opened the car door for her, she jerked her head up to meet his eyes. Her face reddened at the cocky grin that took over his face.
“You checkin’ me out sunshine?”
Roni rolled her eyes and said, “You wish.” She tried to play it off as she slid into the seat.
“So,” Roni began as Rich started to drive. “What made you decide to open a Rec Center?”
“Colin and I were always goofing off, trying to find a field to play ball in, or shooting hoops at one of the neighbors’ houses. It seemed like the days we couldn’t find a place to get rid of some of that energy, we would end up doing something stupid and getting in trouble.” Rich explained with a smile. “I thought if we’d had a place to go after school, and on weekends, where we could take classes in things that interested us, or play sports, we would have gotten into less trouble. Then I came up with the idea of opening a place for kids and adults in our community.”
“It’s a wonderful idea,” Roni said, playing with her hair absently. “I’m so excited to be a part of it.”
The drive to the restaurant was a short one, and they were pulling in before she knew it. He’d picked Italian, which was her favorite.
“How’d you know that I love Italian?” Roni asked him as they parked.
“I’m that good,” Rich said with a cocky grin. When she looked at him wryly he chuckled and admitted, “I may have asked your brother.”
A warm feeling spread though her at his words. He’d taken the time to find out what she liked. That was nice.
She smiled as he walked around the car to open her door.
“Thank you,” she said.
“Anytime,” Rich responded.
They went in and were seated in a quiet booth in the back corner of the restaurant. Rich asked if she wanted wine, and she said that she did.
They looked over the menu as they waited for the server to bring their wine.
“So,” Rich began, “Are you ready to tell me what that was about the other day?”
Roni felt her face flush and her stomach drop at his question. “Really, that’s what you want to start out with?”
“Better to get it out of the way,” he said softly.
“Okay,” Roni took a deep breath. “I don’t want to go into the whole sordid story. I’ll just say that I used to be married, and I’d found out that day that my divorce was final.”
Rich looked surprised. It was obvious that no one had told him that she’d been married. She’d wondered if they would. It almost would have made this easier.
“Why did you get divorced?” he asked.
Roni smiled at the waiter as he poured her wine. She waited for him to finish and to walk away, before she answered Rich’s question.
“He wasn’t the person I thought he was,” Roni explained, not sure how much information she wanted to divulge. “He was possessive, mean, and cheated any chance he got. He wouldn’t allow me to do anything he didn’t approve of. I just couldn’t live that way anymore.”
Rich was quiet for a moment, then asked, “Is that why you said you hadn’t danced in a while?”
“Yeah,” Roni answered a sad look on her face. “Hank hated how much time my dancing took away from our relationship. He not only made me quit, but he went so far as to cut up all of my leotards and he broke all of the figurines I’d collected throughout my life.”
The memory of the day when she’d come home to see her treasures destroyed and strewn all over her bed brought back the despair she’d felt. That was the day she’d started to truly hate her husband.
“Hey,” Rich said, taking her hand and bringing her focus back to the present. “You don’t have to talk about it. I appreciate you telling me.”
“It doesn’t bother you?” She asked him bluntly.
“What?”
“That I was married,” she said. “And that I basi
Rich almost choked on the wine he was drinking, causing her to laugh. He really was very sexy.
Rich quickly composed himself and shot her a grin and a wink, “You can use me for sex anytime.”
Roni laughed; relieved that he wasn’t making a big deal out of anything she’d told him.
“Seriously,” Rich said. “It doesn’t bother me that you were married, or that you are divorced. As for using me… I’m happy to help whenever you need it.”
He winked at her again, then his face grew serious.
“I do hope, though, that eventually, you may see me as more than that.” He looked down, as if he was nervous of what her reaction would be, or that he couldn’t believe he’d just said that.
Roni sure couldn’t believe it. Her belly fluttered and she squeezed his hand. She hoped he was serious about not caring that she was married before, but she didn’t think she was looking for anything other than a casual relationship. At least not yet. She wanted to be totally honest with him, even if it meant him backing away.
“I don’t think that I’m looking for anything more,” she responded.
He looked back up at her, the disappointment apparent on his face before he quickly removed it with a smile.
“So you mean there’s hope?”
Chapter Thirteen
Rich was disappointed at Roni’s words, but he understood why she’d look to him for a casual relationship. Those are the only kind he’d had since he’d had his heartbroken as a teenager. He knew he would have to prove himself before she would trust him to be anything more.
He had to admit, he was totally surprised that she’d been married. He wasn’t sure who knew about it, but he couldn’t believe that he hadn’t caught wind of it before now. He was being truthful when he said it didn’t matter to him, it didn’t. She was single now, and she was here with him. That is what mattered.
He could only hope that she would begin to feel for him the way he felt about her. Since the first moment Kent had introduced them at the Bar & Grill, he’d known that she was special, and that she stirred something in him that had been dormant for many years.
He watched her smile absently as she rolled her pasta around her fork and talked about her plans for the dance studio. She was absolutely stunning. He didn’t know what kind of man her ex-husband was, but just from the little bit that she’d told him, and the look of sadness that had come over her face when she’d spoken about Hank, he figured the guy was an ass.
Rich hated that anyone could put that look on her face, and he hoped that she’d tell him more about her life. For now, he was happy just to be with her. The candlelight lit up her face, and he would gladly watch her all evening.
“Well, since you shared, I guess it’s only fair that I do as well,” Rich began, pushing his empty plate to the side and picking up his wine glass to take a drink.
Roni just looked at him and waited patiently for him to say what he needed to.
“I fell in love when I was sixteen,” Rich began, his stomach churning at the memory. “Tara and I grew up together. Typical girl next door stuff. I think I began to love her when we were ten and she punched a kid on the playground who made fun of her skinny legs,” Rich chuckled at the memory. “Anyway, when we were kids, the three of us were inseparable: Colin, Tara, and me.” He paused and looked at her.
Roni smiled her encouragement, urging him to go on.
“Things started to change for us when we started high school. We still hung out together, but not all of the time. She started running with a rough crowd and Colin and I joined the football team. We were practicing all of the time, and although she lived next door, we lost touch. We reconnected the summer we were sixteen. I was on break from football, and school was out. Tara and I started spending every waking moment together. I fell completely and totally in love, like only a teenager can, I guess. I was oblivious to anything but Tara. I barely saw Colin at all that summer, but I didn’t care. I only cared about Tara. When practice started back up, I began to hear things. Things about Tara and other guys. I got in a lot of fights, but I was afraid to ask her... I didn’t want it to be true. Finally, Colin pulled me aside and told me that Tara had sex with over half of the football team,” Rich shook his head and smiled sadly. “I didn’t care. I loved her, and what she’d done in the past didn’t matter, but then he told me that she’d been seeing other guys all summer, the entire time we were together.”
Rich paused and took Roni’s hand in his, “I know it doesn’t seem like that big of a deal. Not now and not compared to your marriage, but at sixteen, I was absolutely devastated. When I confronted Tara, she admitted it flat out. She didn’t think it was a big deal. We both said some nasty things and I vowed I’d never let another girl get me so wrapped up again.”
Roni squeezed his hand, and he looked up at her, his grief apparent in his eyes.
“She died our senior year.”
“Oh, my gosh,” Roni exclaimed. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay,” he said. “I hadn’t seen her since we’d had it out that summer.”
“What happened?” She asked.
“Car accident. She was out with her friends and they’d been drinking. None of them survived,” Rich took another sip of his wine and said, “Let’s talk about something else.”
When the waiter cleared their plates and asked if they’d like dessert, Rich looked at Roni and crooked his eyebrow.
“Oh, no, thanks,” she said patting her stomach. “I’m totally stuffed.”
Rich shook his head at the waiter and put his hand out to hold hers lightly.
“Would you like to go to a movie, or rent one?” He asked, hoping she wasn’t ready for their date to be over.
“Nicole and I have a bunch at the apartment, I’m sure we can find something to watch,” Roni answered.
His stomach dropped and cock jumped. “Is Nicole home?”
“No,” Roni said with a smile. “She spends most nights at Kent’s. She won’t officially move over there until after the wedding, but she essentially lives there already.”
Rich felt a flash of heat as he thought about being alone with Roni at her place.
Jeez, his body was reacting like he was fifteen again. He needed to get a grip.
“Okay, sounds great.”
Roni chatted about the items she wanted to get for the resale store while they made the trip to her house. Rich tried to listen, but his hormones were going haywire.
When they’d had sex before it had been totally impulsive and unexpected, he hadn’t had time to think, only to react. Now, it was all he could think about. He realized that they might not even have sex, at least his mind did. The rest of him was fully tuned in and ready to go.
Roni’s perfume teased him every time she shifted in her seat, the timber of her voice rolled over him as she spoke, and he gripped the steering wheel tighter to keep from stroking her long blonde hair. His every sense seemed to be on high alert. It was all he could do not to pull over and ravage her in the front seat.
Oblivious to Rich’s thoughts, Roni reached out and touched his bicep as she spoke. Rich bit back a groan and thanked God when they pulled into the apartment parking lot.
Rich watched the sway of her hips as she climbed the stairs. She paused to put her key in the lock; he leaned in and breathed in slightly. Shit, not only did she look like sunshine, she smelled like it.
Roni opened the door and flipped on the light. Rich looked around briefly, making sure they were indeed alone, before walking up behind Roni and pressing his lips on her shoulder. He felt the shiver run through her body and he lost the ability to think clearly.
“Are you okay with this?” Rich asked breathlessly. He wanted her badly, but he wanted to make sure she was as into it as he was.
“Oh, yeah,” Roni said with a smile, letting her head fall to the side to give him better access to her neck.
His tongue replaced his lips, causing Roni to groan. Rich t
“I know that you want to keep this casual,” Rich said softly. When she nodded he continued, “But while I’m sleeping with you, I am sleeping with only you. I would appreciate the same from you.”
He didn’t want to scare her or put more pressure on her than she wanted, but he couldn’t bear the thought of anyone else touching her.
Roni looked up at him and put her arms around his neck. “I don’t think that’ll be a problem, since my ex-husband is the only other man I’ve slept with.”
Rich’s eyes widened slightly and his stomach coiled with need. He brought his mouth down to hers, kissing her thoroughly as he lifted her and urged her legs around him. He carried her back to her bedroom and set her gently on the bed.
He walked over and turned the light on, then walked back towards the bed, stripping his shirt as he moved.
Roni leaned back on the bed and watched him, her eyes growing heavy with desire. Rich decided to have a little fun with it and began to dance slowly as he took his clothes off. Roni began to giggle at his exaggerated movements.
When he was wearing nothing but a smile, he went to her and leaned his body into hers.
When he put his mouth to hers she said, ”Leave the dancing to me,” then she laughed out loud.
His muscles strained as he held himself over her, only their lips touching. He kissed her until she was no longer laughing.
Her lips felt plump and soft beneath his. He could kiss her all night and never get tired of the way they felt against his. He laid his naked body against her, freeing up his hands to roam over her.
He worked on getting her sweater off, not wanting to separate his lips from hers, but needing to feel her skin against his.
Roni pushed up off of the bed to help him remove her clothes, causing her body to rub him in all the right places. Rich got up to give her the room she needed and helped her remove her clothes. By the time they got to her socks, they were fighting over who got to take it off.