Propositioning Mr. Raine (7 page)

Afterward he kissed her. “How was that?”

“You can wake me up that way anytime.”

He chuckled. “I forgot to tell you I have to get up at six but sleep in as late as you want. Just lock the door when you leave and I’ll see you tonight.”

He went back to sleep and so had Trina. She woke up at five-thirty. She was in the habit of getting up early thanks to her years of being married to Ted. She quietly sneaked out of bed to get dressed and then she automatically started her morning routine. The one she’d done for sixteen years with Ted.

She was halfway through cooking breakfast in Navarro’s kitchen before it dawned on her what she was doing. Navarro wasn’t her husband, it wasn’t her job to fix the man breakfast, and he might mind her cooking in his kitchen since she hadn’t asked his permission.

Embarrassed and unsure if he’d be upset, she finished cooking breakfast, plated it up, and placed it in the microwave to keep it warm as she did the dishes. Since she’d already overstepped by cooking breakfast and the damage was done, she made him a pot of coffee too. She heard his alarm go off at six and suddenly got the urge to flee, knowing she couldn’t face him. Cooking breakfast was something he would probably think was odd and she was nervous that it would upset him.

She had to walk upstairs to get her shoes and purse. Navarro had hit the snooze button instead of getting up since he was still sleeping when she stepped into his bedroom. She hesitated for only a few seconds before walking to the bed, barely able to make out his dim shape in the room since the sun wasn’t up yet. She sat on the edge of the bed and reached out to rub his back. He was stretched out on his stomach with just the sheet tangled over his ass and thighs. His broad, bare back was hot to the touch and she used her nails and fingertips to rub and gently scratch his skin.

3“Mmmmm, that feels good.”

Navarro had a husky voice in the morning, more of a soft growl than a tone. Trina had to smile, thinking that, even half asleep, he still was sexy. “I have to go. I left something for you in the micro and the coffee should be ready.”

He turned his head, his eyelids barely opening, to stare at her with sleepy eyes.

“You made me coffee? Thanks.”

She nodded. “I’ll see you tonight. We’re still on, right?”

He yawned. “Yeah.”

The urge to lean over and brush a kiss on him was strong when she stopped rubbing his back but she resisted. “I’ll see you then.”

She stood and fled.

3
Chapter Four

Trina was nervous when she drove to Navarro’s house that night. She sighed, feeling regret, and was pretty damn sure she’d overstepped boundaries.

She was paying the man to have sex with her and she needed to remember that. She had kicked herself most of the day.
Will he be upset that I made myself comfortable in his
home? Will Navarro think I overstepped when I made him breakfast?

She had been tempted not to come at all. Calling him to make an excuse sounded good but the thought of what she’d miss out on had made her discard that idea. Getting attached to Navarro Raine was a mistake. She knew it and Trina had to force herself to face that as she parked in front of his house.

It was five minutes past eight as she climbed his steps. The house lights were on in the lower floor and the porch light was bright. She was almost to the door when Navarro opened it. Her gaze flew to his to judge his mood and relief hit her when she saw his blue eyes were soft and welcoming when he smiled.

“You’re late.”

“I’m sorry.”

Chuckling, he waved her in. “I’m just giving you shit. You’re probably the most on-time women I’ve ever met.” He closed the door after she was inside and locked it.

“Thanks for breakfast.”

She tensed as she turned to face him. “I’m sorry. It was habit and I hope you aren’t upset. I wasn’t really awake and I was already cooking before I realized you might not want me making myself so at home in your house.”

A black eyebrow arched. “The only thing I was upset about was I had to eat alone and you were gone. Why did you leave so early? I told you that you could sleep in. Just because I have chores at the crack of dawn doesn’t mean I’m going to kick you out of my bed when I leave it.”

Trina hesitated. “The truth?”

A pair of muscular arms crossed over a broad chest as Navarro nodded. “I always want the truth from you. I was hoping that’s an unwritten rule between us.”

“I always got up early to make Ted breakfast so I’m used to getting up.” Her gaze dropped but then she looked back up at him. “I was kind of worried you might think it was weird that I made you breakfast so I left before you were really awake.”

A smile curved his lips. “You’re a damn good cook and I loved breakfast so feel free use the kitchen anytime you want. I’m a decent cook but that omelet you made me was damn near heaven.”

“I’m glad. I took cooking classes.”

3Navarro’s smile fell as he stared at her. “You took cooking classes?”

Is that a bad thing?
She didn’t know how to respond except to nod. “Yes.”

“Let me guess. Your husband wanted a better cook?”

“He wanted me to stay home because he appreciated me being there. I didn’t work so I thought the least I could do was be the best housewife I could be. We didn’t have kids to wear me out or tear up the house so I had a lot of extra time on my hands so I took a lot of classes to fill in my schedule.”

“What other kinds of classes did you take?”

“Well, I took the cooking classes.” She swallowed. “I took a sewing class so I can run a mean sewing machine. I learned scrapbooking which was kind of cool. I took classes on home repair.”

Navarro chuckled. “What kind of home repairs?”

“Basic stuff. Ted was an engineer but he wasn’t good at fixing things like the broken step on the back porch and plumbers charge too much when a tree root would block one of the pipes so I learned how to run a snake. Just stuff like that.”

“Is that it?”

“I took a pottery class. I’m just not skillful though. It was fun but I was horrible at it.

You need to be good with your hands. My bowls were crooked or misshapen. I learned how to line dance. I wanted Ted to sign up with me to learn something romantic like ballroom dancing but he worked long hours. We had a neighbor and he always wanted to learn line dancing so we partnered up.”

Dark blue eyes narrowed slightly. “You had an affair? How was the sex with him?”

Shock hit Trina. “No. I never cheated on Ted.” She frowned. “Jerry, our neighbor, was seventy-two years old. His wife died so he was lonely and the classes got us both out of the house.”

The corners of Navarro’s mouth lifted as he chuckled. “You should have seen the horror on your face at even the idea that you had an affair. Sorry.”

“It’s all right. I know people cheat. We, I mean, I’ve had friends who had their marriages end over that. It wasn’t just always the men who cheated. Some of the women did it.”

“Did Ted ever cheat?”

She shook her head. “I would have left him. Some of my friends kind of put me down for being a housewife minus kids but I wasn’t the doormat they accused me of being.” Her chin rose. “I was loyal to him and I deserved that right back.” She paused.

“And Ted wasn’t the affair type.”

“All men are, under the right circumstances.”

“Not Ted.”

“He was a saint?” Navarro questioned.

3She hesitated. “He was five-foot-five, went prematurely bald, wore glasses, and was a little overweight. He wasn’t outgoing and he wasn’t a flirt. Women weren’t drawn to him and he wasn’t one to draw attention. He was really smart and he was really funny but you had to know him well to see that side of him.”

Navarro blinked a few times, looking stunned. “How did you meet?”

“We met through friends. I’d just come out of a bad relationship and I’d sworn off men but Ted was nice. He took me out to dinner a lot, we got to know each other and fell in love. He was a good husband. I…” Emotion hit her and she closed her mouth.

Navarro walked toward her slowly then gripped her arms above her elbows. The expression on his face turned tender. “You miss him.”

Tears filled her eyes but she blinked them back, swallowing the knot in her throat.

“I am getting past it. At first I was paralyzed. He was my entire world and it was just gone in blink. Him. Our life together. My life.”

“What’s the hardest thing to still deal with?”

She hesitated. “Being alone all the time. I get lonely.”

“Why did you move away from all your friends? You had to have them.”

“Some of them felt sorry for me and they stopped treating me like a person. I became something to pity. Half of them avoided me after Ted died. I think seeing what happened made them afraid it could happen to them. I was devastated at first and withdrew from some of them because I was in my own world of grief. And I gave some of Ted’s friends the wrong impression.” She was still a bit humiliated over it.

“How?” Navarro tugged her to the couch and made her sit while he sat on the edge of the coffee table. “Tell me about Ted’s friends getting the wrong impression.”

Trina forced a laugh. “This is kind of embarrassing but I was used to taking care of Ted and some of his friends through Ted. When his friend Luke got divorced he mentioned to Ted he missed home-cooked meals so sometimes when Ted went there to hang out with him I’d send some meals to Luke so he could just reheat them and eat a few good meals a week. Ted’s friend Gene loved my baked goods. I love to bake so I’d bake extra and send them with Ted to work. Gene was his office partner and also single.”

“And what wrong impression did you give?”

She hesitated as her smile faded. “I was bored and needed something to do after Ted wasn’t there anymore to take care of. I swear it’s embedded in me after all these years. I started making Luke meals and I baked Gene some treats. For a few weeks I dropped them off at their houses. Then…” She blushed.

Navarro rubbed her arms. “Then what?”

She sighed. “This is so embarrassing.”

“Tell me anyway.”

She stared into his beautiful eyes. “Gene showed up one night at my house out of the blue and he hit on me. I was shocked. He was Ted’s best friend and they worked 4together. I didn’t react well. Actually, I kind of freaked out. It was just a few months after the funeral and he came onto me pretty aggressively. Gene told me, because of what I was doing with him and Luke, that he felt sorry for me and that’s why he was there offering to spend the night with me. He said I seemed desperate for a man’s company or he wouldn’t have come over to give me a pity fuck.”

Navarro’s hands stilled and anger gripped his features. “That guy is an asshole.

What you did was nice and he hit on you because he’d always wanted you. Trust me.

He tried to take advantage of you and when you shot him down he turned the blame for his shitty behavior your way. What an ass.”

“I probably did seem desperate and it wasn’t appropriate for me to keep cooking for them. I was never comfortable around either man again so I stopped talking to them.”

Navarro stood and pulled Trina to her feet. “Let’s go upstairs.” He kept hold of her hand until he closed the door to his room. He locked it and turned. “Strip.”

“I don’t think I’m ever going to get used to you just telling me to get naked the second we walk in here.” She removed her shoes and slowly started to undress.

He laughed. “I’m just happy you do it. I don’t want you in your clothes.” He tossed his discarded shirt to the floor. “I’m stripping too.”

“No clothes in the bedroom rule?”

“I like that one. I also want you to follow my orders in here.”

She nodded. “I can do that.”

Something in his eyes flickered and he really looked turned-on. “Seriously? You’ll take all my orders in here?”

“I can do that,” she repeated then paused. “I just don’t want pain or humiliation.”

A frown tempered his lips. “I wouldn’t do that to you. What made you say that?”

“I mentioned that I read books. Sometimes I read these master and slave type books. They turn me on right until it gets degrading or painful. I don’t find it sexy or stimulating and I wouldn’t want to be with a guy who wanted to inflict that on me. I also don’t want to feel icky by doing something I’m not comfortable with.”

He was naked as he moved slowly to Trina. “I won’t ever hurt you and I don’t want to humiliate you. So you get turned-on by light bondage?”

Nodding, she met his curious gaze. “I enjoyed the ropes.”

He reached up so his thumb brushed her nipple. “Still tender?”

“A little.”

“I was thinking about you today.”

“Were you dealing with more shit?” She grinned up at him.

“Nope. I was breaking in a few horses.” His heated gaze ran over her.

Her body instantly responded to his words. The idea of him on the back of a wild animal made her have some racy thoughts. He’d have to be a tough guy to risk life and 4limb to climb on the back of a strong, wild animal. She didn’t look away from him as he stared into her eyes. “So what were you thinking?”

“Do you like toys?”

“Sex toys?”

He nodded. “I went into town today to pay off the loan after I cashed your check.

The ranch is safe. Thanks, by the way. When I got home I went online and ordered some toys I thought you’d enjoy. They won’t arrive until next week but I want you to get used to the idea.”

“What kind of toys?”

He smiled. “Nothing painful. I got things I think will make you feel really good. It will be a surprise.”

“I hate surprises.”

He laughed. “You are unique then.”

“I’m impatient too.”

Reaching out, he lifted her onto the bed. “Me too.” His focus went down her body.

Trina eyed his cock, seeing he was rock hard, and licked her lips. When her attention lifted, there was no missing the passion in his gaze. She moved on the bed.

With him standing next to it he was at the perfect height for what she had in mind. She rolled onto her stomach, reaching for him, hearing him suck in air.

“What are you doing, babe?”