Page 32 of Ordinary Secrets (Secrets Trilogy #1)

32

TREY

Throughout the night, I think it over. Maybe asking her to move to Europe with me was a little rash. I should have come up with something better. Sadly, with my limited time, it was the best solution I could think of. I just need to get Arella somewhere safe, and Paris seemed like my highest chance of getting her to say yes. My other idea was to ask her to bunker down with me in my parents’ invisible safe house, but since I still can’t find it, I tossed that idea right out the window.

In the morning, the air between us feels stale. The rose petals sprawled out all over the carpet are a reminder of a night gone wrong. Neither of us mentions Paris during breakfast. I doubt bringing it up again this soon will benefit me anyway. As for Arella, she acts as if last night never happened.

As I place our dirty dishes into the dishwasher, Arella mentions going back to her apartment for the weekend. The thought makes me grind my teeth.

“Babe, I still want you to stay the night with me—every night.”

With a smile, she cocks her head to the side. “Are you asking me to move in with you?”

I nod, trying not to look too eager in case she declines my request.

“I don’t know. You’re kind of hard to live with.”

I jerk back a step, my hands still wet. “How so?”

“You’re messy. You leave your dirty dishes in the bedroom. You toss your smelly socks all over the house. You make too much noise, and there’s just not enough space for me here.”

What? “I don’t do any of the bullshit you just listed. If anything, I’m tidier than you!”

The corners of her mouth curve upward.

I roll my head back, half grunting, half relieved. “I never know when you’re fucking with me.”

She laughs adorably. “It’s too easy.”

When I finish with the dishes, I pull Arella into the bedroom with me. Then I make a big show of emptying a drawer, tossing all my stuff to the floor. “See? There’s tons of space for you here.” I head into the walk-in closet and move all my clothes to one side, then gesture toward the empty space. “See? This whole side can be yours.”

She grins as she runs a hand along the bare hanger rod. “You really want me to move in that bad?”

“Yes, baby. I do.” What I actually want is for her to move to Paris with me, but this is a good start.

“Okay, then I will.”

My eyes widen. “Seriously?”

“Yeah, seriously.”

In the middle of the closet, I pick her up and spin her around. I plant a heavy kiss on her lips as she giggles.

“You know,” she says when I release her, “it wouldn’t kill you to put some color into your wardrobe.”

“You don’t like what I wear?”

“All you’ve got are jeans and plain T-shirts. Don’t you ever get sick of wearing the same thing over and over?”

Suddenly, I’m flashed back to elementary school, where the kids made fun of me for wearing that same striped shirt every three days. “It’s what I’m used to...”

Arella slumps her shoulders. “Oh, honey. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”

I know she didn’t. “It’s okay, babe.”

With a seductive look in her eyes, she drops to her knees. “Here, I’ll make it up to you.”

There’s no need to make up anything, but I allow her to anyway. Within seconds, she’s got my zipper down, then my jeans. I’m rock hard before she’s even wrapped her hand around my dick.

When I get my fill of her mouth on me, I pump into her against the closet wall until the pleasure ripples through me, and I jerk myself empty into a clean shirt I tear off a hanger.

“Did you come?” I ask, even though I know the answer. Her emotions didn’t course through my head.

“No, but that’s okay.”

“The hell it is.” I take her hand and lead her to the bed. “Lie down, baby. Let me take care of you.”

It takes her a while to get there. Eventually, she does, and her release sends a wave of her emotions through my head.

I could get used to this.

“Do you mind if I get a workout in before lunch?” I ask as Arella gets washed up.

“Sure. I have to get some work done on my blog anyway.”

An hour later, I saunter downstairs from my workout room to find Arella on the couch, typing away on her laptop.

She looks up from her screen, then frowns. “Did you work out?”

“Yeah, why?”

“You didn’t even break a sweat.”

“I only weight lifted,” I lie because any Ordinary would be sweating through their clothes after the fifteen-mile run I just completed on the treadmill.

Arella knows I’m fibbing, because she gives me a fishy look.

I turn my back to her and head to the bedroom. “I’ma get cleaned up, then I’ll make us lunch.”

When I come back out, Arella is in the same spot, still working. In my palm is her diamond necklace. Sadly, I found it still in its box, where it doesn’t belong.

Standing behind her, I hook the diamond around her neck, then gently pull her long waves out of the loop.

“Trey . . .” she says uneasily.

I knew she’d protest. “I want you to wear it, babe.”

“But I didn’t agree to the Paris thing.”

“Doesn’t matter. I got this for you, and it’s yours whether you agree to the Paris thing or not.”

“I’m never going to agree though.”

Those words tear at me. They hold so much conviction. Gracefully, I flip my legs over the back of the couch and plop at her side. I take her laptop and set it onto the coffee table. Then I squeeze her hands in mine. “Could you at least think about it? Please?”

I hate how quickly she shakes her head. “There’s nothing to think about. I’m not moving to Paris.”

I swallow the dry lump in my throat. “Baby, I swear, with anyone else, I wouldn’t give a damn. But it’s you. I really need you to come with me.”

“If you can help me understand why, I’ll consider it.”

I want to tell her everything. I really do, but I need to get her somewhere safe before I tell her that there are people out there who possess powers she doesn’t know exist, and that I’m one of them. And that for some strange reason I still don’t know, she’s immune to those powers. And that my uncle wants me to bring her to him so he can perform deadly tests on her because I’m doing a shit job at solving the mystery myself. In Paris, she can get mad at me for as long as she wants, but at least she’ll be away from Victor.

I sigh heavily. “I promise you, baby. I’ll explain everything in Paris.”

She yanks her hands out of mine, only to toss them into the air. “This is ridiculous. No, I can’t wait until we’re on another continent to hear why you’ve shipped me away from home. I want to know why now.”

Don’t get me wrong. I love seeing the side of her that’s strong, defiant, and stands up for herself, but does she really have to choose now for it to come out?

With a huff, she folds her arms together. “You know, Liz told me that you like to run when the going gets tough. Whatever happened, Trey, you can’t just run from it and drag me with you.”

“Why the hell is Liz telling you shit like that?”

“It’s not shit if it’s true.” That’s the first time Arella’s ever sworn in front of me. It sounds odd coming from her. “Liz told me what happened after Elliott passed away. About how you ran off to some cabin in Colorado for a month. Did something happen, Trey? Did you get into legal trouble or something? What’s making you want to run again?”

“This isn’t the same as what happened with Elliott.” I choke up a little. It still hurts to say his name. “This is about you and me.”

“Then why are you the only one who’s clued in on the details?”

“I told you. I’ll tell you once we get to Paris. Once we’re safe.”

“Safe from what?”

My eyes fall to my hands. “I can’t say.”

She groans and gets to her feet. “This conversation is getting us nowhere. If you want to move to Paris so bad, then why don’t you just go yourself?”

The words leave my mouth before I can stop them. “Because I wouldn’t be able to breathe without you.”