Catch and Release Read online

  The sexual cloud that hung over them dissipated when the waiter came over and asked them if they needed anything else. Trent surprised her when he rattled off something quickly in perfect Italian. The man nodded and walked away.

  He came back quickly with a glass of tea, a large piece of chocolate cake with two strawberries on top, and a large piece of lemon pie.

  Rain grinned and leaned forward to savor the aroma of the sweets. “How did you know I would like dessert?”

  A devilish grin slashed across his face. “How could I not? Anyone as sweet as you has to love sugar.”

  “You are a slick one.”

  “No, I’m just honest,” he responded.

  “Okay, Mister Honesty, which one is mine?”

  “I figured we would share them. I like both. How about you?”

  “I love all desserts, so sharing sounds good to me.” Picking up her fork, Rain scooped up a bite of cake and mmmmmed her delight.

  Trent took a bite of cake and closed his eyes to appreciate the rich flavor.

  Next they tried the lemon and once again groaned as they tasted a little piece of heaven.

  “You like?” he asked.

  Rain nodded. “Won-der-ful.”

  They ate happily for the next few minutes, only bumping forks once.

  The waiter moving to the table across from them drew Rain’s attention. He was placing a few cookies in front of a woman.

  After licking her last bite of cake off her lips, Rain stated, “My friend makes the best cookies in the world.”

  Trent shook his head. “No, my sister-in-law makes the best cookies in the world.”

  Rain raised a brow. “Is that so? Do they melt in your mouth and make you want to beg for more?”

  That devilish grin was back, and she knew she was in trouble.

  “As a matter of fact, they do. Your choice of words intrigues me. I’d love to have you melt in my mouth and beg for more.”

  The sex that dripped from his voice made her nipples harden. To her relief the waiter came by and broke the spell. Trent thanked the man and paid their bill.

  Once the waiter left he turned to her. “Have you seen the ruins of Pompeii?”

  “No, but my friend’s boyfriend told me I should see them while I’m here,” she answered.

  “He is right. You should see them. Let me take you.” At her uncertain look he smiled, showing off both dimples. “Who better than a local? I can tell you things others can’t.”

  Let me take you echoed in her mind. She had a feeling she’d like him taking her a lot. Not able to tell him no, she answered, “I guess so. How does tomorrow sound?”

  “Where should I pick you up?” His face shone with pleasure.

  He is just too friggin’ cute. “I’ll meet you here at eleven.” His brows drew together at her words.

  “Why don’t I pick you up at your hotel?”

  “Good try. Meet me here at eleven in the morning if you want to take me. Otherwise I’ll find my own way.” At his sad look, she added, “No puppy eyes. I eat puppies for lunch. Here. Eleven. Tomorrow.”

  The wickedness that crossed his face let her know she’d once again opened a door for his wild wit. “Are you saying if I give you puppy eyes tomorrow, you’ll eat me for lunch? If so, I’m in.”

  Laughter erupted from her. “Stop. You are terrible. Now leave me alone. I have to go back to work. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  He led her the few steps to the sidewalk then turned her to him and pressed his lips lightly to hers before nipping and licking her lips. Pulling back, he looked down at her. A shiver raced up her spine the second she looked into his piercing eyes. The air around them suddenly crackled supernaturally. He had her full attention when he said, “You are like a breath of fresh air to my soul.” Strong arms tightened around her, drawing her in close to his hard frame for a moment. Sooner than she’d liked, he took a step back and raised her hand to his lips then kissed it. “Until tomorrow.” Turning on his heel, he walked away.

  Rain stood staring at him until the crowds enveloped him. His words echoed in her heart—You are a breath of fresh air to my soul. Those words and the way he’d said them stroked the soft spot in her heart. As she looked in the direction he’d gone, she realized that once again she felt as if he’d taken a piece of her heart with him.

  * * * *

  Trent showed up a little early at the café and ordered some food for them to take to the ruins. The second she came into view, his heart tripled its beat time. She was wearing fitted slacks that looked like they were made personally for her curvaceous body. Long sleeves flowed down her arms, giving her the appearance of an angel when the wind fluttered the light weight material. Her strappy, low-heeled sandals were perfect for walking. A shy smile curled her luscious lips when she saw him. His willful cock stirred, and he had to coerce his caveman side to stay down. It would be uncivilized to throw her over his shoulder and take her straight home to his bed. Deep down that’s exactly what he wanted to do.

  “Hello, bella.”

  “Hi, Trent. Are you sure you don’t mind taking me to Pompeii? I don’t want to impose,” Rain asked in a tentative voice.

  Taking her hand, he kissed it. “It is no imposition at all. I look forward to it. Let’s go. I promise you’ll have a good time.” Grabbing their bag of food, he guided her to his car and helped her in. After getting in himself, he put the food in the backseat.

  Taking in a lungful of air, he relished her scent, so sweet and womanly. “Do you know anything about Pompeii?”

  “Not really, I was just told I should see it before I left Italy,” she replied.

  “I’ll tell you about it as we drive. Pompeii is a city that was buried by ash and pumice when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD. It was lost for over 1,500 years. It was accidentally discovered in 1599. The people who found it were digging an underground channel to divert the river. I would love to have seen the faces of the men that found it. Can you image digging a tunnel and running into ancient walls covered with inscriptions and paintings?”

  “It must have been quite a shock.”

  Trent took in her scent again, loving every bit of it. “Shock is the correct word. The people of that time believed in Priapus, the god of sex and fertility. Quite a bit of their art is of him. His manly parts are extremely large. Some of their art has been hidden several times by prudish people. Now that most of them are dead, the art is on display. I just thought you should be prepared for what you are going to see. The buildings are fun to explore. Two-thirds of the city has been excavated and plants have been planted to give you a good idea of what it would have looked like back in its day.”

  “I can’t wait to see it. I like to see how other people lived a long time ago.” Rain sniffed the air. “What is that wonder smell?” she asked.

  “It’s me,” Trent teased.

  Rain rolled her eyes. “I should have known you couldn’t last long.”

  “Oh, I can last,” he shot back.

  A laugh erupted from her throat. “Not that way, fool. I was talking about your habit of talking trash.”

  “I’m going to ignore that comment about me talking trash. Now let’s get back to the way I smell. You don’t like my natural scent? I’m wounded.” Her giggle delighted him.

  “You smell fine, but I smell food. Delicious-smelling food.” She raised her chin and sniffed loudly.

  “I’m honored that you think I’m delicious.”

  She giggled and shook her head. “See, that’s what I’m talking about. You can’t stop yourself, can you?”

  “Not when I’m in the company of such a rare beauty. Have pity on me. It’s not often I have the opportunity to entertain a precious jewel like you.” The seriousness of his voice startled him. He’d have to be careful not to get too emotionally close to her.

  “I’m going to have to guard my heart around you. I have the feeling you’d break it if I let you. Now be serious and tell me the source of the food smell.”

&nbs
p; “I bought some chicken salad sandwiches, chips, dessert, and a bottle of wine. That’s what was in the bag I put in the backseat. A picnic will help recharge our bodies after we’ve explored for a while. Now back to the subject of your heart, I would never break it on purpose. I just want to spend some time with you making good memories before you go back home,” Trent said.

  A smile played across her lips. “You can bet I’m never going to forget you.”

  “Good, because I’ll never forget you either, my fiery little angel.”

  Pulling into the car park, he parked the car and walked over to her door and helped her out. The jolt that tingled up his arm when he curled his hand around hers surprised him. He quickly looked into her eyes and knew she had felt it, too. The chemistry between them was stronger than any he’d ever felt for another woman. Even Joelle. That thought made his stomach knot painfully.

  * * * *

  The zinger that raced up her arm at his touch caught her off guard. Unbeknownst to her friends, she wasn’t very experienced with men. Maybe this was normal. She’d had sex with her college soul mate. That’s what she’d thought he was until she’d come home one day to an empty apartment. The bastard had even taken her stereo and all her music. All her lost music had hurt more than the loss of him. The sex had just been okay, so she didn’t miss that at all. The next time she cut loose and had sex with a boyfriend, it had been real good until he left her for a man. After two failed relationships, she just couldn’t seem to find a man that made her happy. Possibly she wasn’t supposed to find happily-ever-after. That would explain her looking for the last few years but never finding a man who could keep her attention for longer than two seconds—that is until she’d met Trent.

  Those old memories usually made it easy to keep her distance from men. Glancing up at Trent under her lashes, she felt her clit respond. Damn, the sight of his tall, muscular body washed all her bad memories away and made her desperately want to make new ones. Maybe it was time to explore her sexual side. He sure made her want to more than any other man ever had.

  Rain’s attention turned to the stone streets, sidewalks, and buildings as Trent led her through Pompeii.

  Walking down the street, Rain and Trent peeked into all the homes and shops on the street. They were so small compared to the size of homes and businesses built now. Turning a corner, they came to a larger home and stepped inside. “Wow, someone important or rich must have lived here.”

  “It would seem so. Even the kitchen area is larger. I can picture them throwing lots of parties. Most of their neighbors would have come by, eaten, drank, and danced late into the night.” Trent wiggled his eyebrows, and she knew he was about to say something outrageous, and she was right.

  His voice was playful and sensual. “The later it got, the more erotic the pictures on the walls became. The women probably stood before the fresco of Priapus and drooled over his large man parts. Yes, I can picture them dragging their men home and jumping the poor men.”

  Rain snorted. “If you get any crazier, I’m calling a shrink.” A strange, sexually playful side she didn’t know she had prodded her into action. Moving over to where Trent stood looking at one of the frescoes, she turned him around and pushed him up against the wall. A wild thrill sped through her veins when he gasped in surprise and his eyes stared hotly down at her. Grinning wickedly, she rubbed her body against his. Oh man, he felt so good. He was hot and hard and tall. Unable to stop herself, she wound her leg around his and pressed her hips to his, then whispered, “After a night of drinking and dancing and staring at erotic art, the women would never have waited to get their men home. They would have pushed their men to the ground and rode them hard right then and there. That’s the way I picture it happening.”

  The sound of other people coming in the house had Rain jumping away from Trent.

  Oblivious to the scene she had interrupted, an older woman stated, “These houses are so small. I don’t know how the people lived in them without strangling each other.”

  Rain nodded her agreement.

  Trent took Rain’s hand and headed for the door.

  Once they were a little distance away from the other visitors, Rain stared at her feet and apologized. “I’m sorry about that. I don’t know what came over me. I never attack innocent men.”

  Stopping, Trent turned her to face him and with a finger under her chin raised her face so her eyes could meet his. Green sparks shone in his eyes. Her nipples extended, wanting to brush against his chest again.

  He leaned down and kissed the shell of her ear. A devilish smile crossed his face when chill bumps appeared on her neck and upper shoulder. “I loved what you did. I hope whatever came over you comes back. I would love to play with that sex goddess.” Taking her hand, he led her to a lemon tree. “By the way, I like your picture of party life here way more than my own.”

  Reaching up into the tree, he pulled a lemon off and retrieved a knife out of his pocket and cut the fruit open. He handed her half. “Go ahead. Try it. It’s a little late in the season for them to be harvested, but it will still be good.” He licked his own to show her it was fine.

  “Why not. It smells good.” Licking her own, she smiled then said, “Very good, now all I need is some salt.”

  To her utter surprise, he rolled back his sleeve and extended his arm. She saw that his muscular flesh had a fine sheen of salty sweat on it. The look in his eyes dared her to do it. Before she could stop herself she leaned down and licked his arm. “Mmmmm, perfect.” She licked the fruit then his arm once again. A shiver coursed down both of their bodies.

  He laughed. “You are wicked. I love it.”

  Another couple strolled up and picked a piece of fruit.

  Rain’s stomach growled loudly, causing Trent to raise a brow. “I believe it is time to eat. Let’s go get our food. We can eat at one of the tables or under a tree. Which do you prefer?”

  “A tree. The shade is lovely,” she replied, then laughed when her stomach growled again.

  The trip to the car and back only took a few minutes. The place was getting more packed as the afternoon blossomed. Finding a spot, they laid out their picnic on a blanket Trent had brought. The food tasted great, just like she knew it would. As they ate, they watched people come and go. Others were eating under trees nearby. A fight broke out between siblings over the last cookie. Dad handled it by giving his up. Looking at his wife, he laughed and patted his stomach and said he didn’t need it. Rain thought that was sweet. Too bad more parents weren’t like that.

  Trent stretched out on the blanket, propped up on his elbow, and rested his head in his hand. “Do you have any siblings? A group of rabid brothers that are going to descend upon us at any moment?”

  A smile turned up the corners of her mouth. “Why? Are you scared?”

  He grinned back. “No, I just like to know how many knives I need to carry.”

  “You never stop, do you?” He shrugged his shoulder. Her body purred. She loved the way his body smoothly moved. “Since I can’t seem to stop you, I guess I’ll answer you. I have zero brothers and one little sister. No need to go buy more knives.”

  “A man can never have too many knives. But, I must confess I’m glad you don’t have a herd of brothers. I have two brothers. Sometimes they are a pain in the ass, but most of the time we get along real well. Do you and your sister get along?” he asked.

  “Yeah, she’s crazy. I need to buy her something wild while I’m here. She is always bringing me crazy gifts from other countries,” Rain replied.

  “She travels a lot?”

  “All the time. She’s a fashion journalist.”

  Trent sat up. “That is different. I’ve never known anybody that does that for a living.”

  “She loves it. The travel, the job. All of it. That’s what’s important. The stories she tells us can be quite wild. Never a dull moment around her.”

  They sat quietly for a while just taking in the sights and resting. When a family walked by carr
ying a cooler and looking around for a spot to rest, they decided to leave so others could take a break. The family noticed them packing up, and one of the men asked, “Are you guys leaving?”

  “Yeah, you can have this spot if you want,” Trent responded.

  The man immediately set his cooler down and motioned the rest of his family over. “Thanks.”

  “Sure,” Trent said as he finished loading up their stuff.

  They made a quick trip back to the car then went back to more exploring.

  “Thanks for lunch. It was excellent. Now I’m ready for more exploration,” Rain said as they headed back.

  “I’m glad you enjoyed it,” Trent replied.

  Leading the way, Rain entered a home and sucked in a sharp breath. “Oh my, that’s horrible.” Stepping tentatively closer to the plastered human figures, she turned a sad face up to Trent. “This man looks pained, and the babies are so little.”

  Trent enfolded her in his arms and squeezed her comfortingly before relaxing his grip. Turning her back to the figures, he pressed his body to her back and placed his arms around her waist. “They died instantly, love. No more than a moment’s pain. Look at how they are positioned all in a row with plenty of space between them. If they’d had any warning, they would have scooped up the babies and huddled together. Some would have gone to the door to see what was going on. I believe these people were sleeping, and it happened so fast they didn’t even have time to get up.”

  His warmth and words calmed her. “I like the way you put it. I hope you are right, but I don’t want to stay here.”

  Taking her hand, he led her away. She liked the feel of his hand enveloping hers. It felt right. As they walked down the amazing city street, she felt sorry for all the people who died here. In the distance she could see Mount Vesuvius. It was just five miles away. Back in their time, five miles probably seemed like a good distance, but to a powerful volcano, five miles was nothing.