When Darkness Comes Read online

  Trent got behind the wheel and took a deep breath. “I know that not everyone likes coffee, so I got you a hot chocolate as well, just in case.” He looked at me coyly as he handed me a drink carrier holding three tall cups. He seemed to turn a complete 180 from the guy I just saw a moment ago.

  “I love coffee! Borderline addict! But, thank you for the options. You did well, Ghostbuster!” I smiled, reaching for one of the tall cups that was not marked HC for hot chocolate.

  “I didn’t know if you had eaten breakfast, so I grabbed us some food too.” He handed me a white paper sack.

  Our fingers touched and my skin instantly warmed under his. Looking into Trent’s eyes, my heart forgot to beat and my mouth went dry. I licked my lips and swallowed, exhaling softly. Trent’s gaze was hooded as he looked down at my lips. His expression gave him away, and I knew he felt it too, the intense sparks between us. Trent shifted in his seat and my lips parted automatically, just waiting to be touched by his.

  Trent abruptly turned away and ran a hand through his hair, successfully slicing right through the sexual tension. “We, uh, better get going. We’ve got a bit of a drive ahead of us.”

  Ugh! Don’t show your disappointment, Paige.

  Innocently smiling, I looked away from Trent and opened the sack. My nose was met with a sweet aroma. “Wow! You know, you may just be the perfect man, Ghostbuster. Coffee AND cinnamon rolls?! I totally forgive you for having me out at 4 a.m.!”

  chapter 4

  Ummmm... This is what he planned for our first date?! Am I being murdered? Kidnapped? Held for ransom?

  We pulled up to a row of industrial buildings and my heart began to race. There were a few other cars parked in front of a white metal building and Trent parked the Yukon in an open space.

  “Paige, calm down. I can see the apprehension all over your face. It’s not what you’re thinking, now come on.” Trent patted my knee and climbed out of the SUV.

  Trent appeared at my door and opened it for me. “And if you don’t have fun, you never have to go on another date with me.” He helped me out of the Yukon. Trent reached into the floorboard for my camera bag and proceeded to sling the strap over his shoulder, before shutting the door and reaching into his pocket. With the two chirps from the alarm system as confirmation that the vehicle was locked, he grabbed hold of my left hand and we made our way into the building.

  Wow! All I can say is WOW!

  I was immediately greeted by a man in his fifties with a bald head and graying beard.

  “Good morning! Come right over here and we’ll get your releases signed and then we will be heading out as soon as our other group arrives. I’m Allan by the way.”

  We exchanged handshakes while Trent and I introduced ourselves and then proceeded to follow Allan to a desk. “Okay, Miss Suzette is going to get some info from you two. Have either of you ever done this before?”

  Trent and I looked at each other and shook our heads in unison.

  “Perfect! We love first-timers!”

  We were handed paperwork on clipboards and were directed to a small table in the middle of the room. Trent and I stood in silence as we filled out our information and signed away any liability on the company’s behalf. Placing my pen down on the table, I glanced around the room. On one wall, there was a World map with little push pins marking thousands of locations all across the Earth. The other walls were covered in pictures of hot air balloons as well as pictures taken from hot air balloons. There was an oak cabinet near a hallway which held dozens of figurines. Sculptures of hot air balloons, hot air balloons painted on plates, as well as carvings of hot air balloons, lined each shelf. I knelt down and studied a beautiful black, gray and tiffany blue ceramic balloon. The attention to detail with the weaving on the basket as well as the intricate design on the balloon part was captivating.

  “I like that one too.” Trent whispered, kneeling beside me.

  “These are my favorite colors.” I smiled.

  “Okay everyone! It appears that all of our passengers are here, so it is time to get loaded in the vans. We’ve got a bit of a drive to make it to our departure spot. My riders will be in one van and if Jack is your assigned pilot, please make your way to him.” Allan stated.

  We followed Allan to the van and proceeded to climb in with six other people. We all chatted about where we were from and whether or not we had been up in a balloon before. It appeared that Trent and I were the only locals except for the crew.

  After 45 minutes of driving, we had finally arrived at our destination. As I looked over the lush, green grass throughout the park, I was immediately enchanted by a dozen or so, brightly colored hot air balloons. I unbuckled my seatbelt, but was unable to move any further. The thought that Trent must’ve put into this date… I’m so not used to this. Let’s just say Zane was never one for overly romantic gestures.

  We all climbed out of the van and made our way across the open field, following behind Allan. We came to a stop in front of a balloon, whose myriad of colors appeared in a basket woven pattern. I watched in awe as a crew member opened a valve and a flame injected straight up into the beautiful fabric.

  “I still can’t believe we’re going up.” I looked up at the size of the balloon in astonishment. I had only seen them on TV after all, never in person.

  “We are indeed.” Trent beamed. “Are you nervous?”

  All I could do was smile and shake my head. I wasn’t really nervous at all about going up in the balloon. There was just something about being around Trent that made me feel completely at ease. He asked me to trust him, and I did, wholeheartedly. That was the thing that made me nervous, not this hot air balloon ride.

  “Okay, passengers! It’s time to board! If you look right down here, there are footholds that you can use to climb aboard. Just take it slow and steady and nobody will get injured.” Allan chuckled and pointed to the front of the woven wicker basket while Trent and I took mental notes on how to climb into the balloon.

  “Ladies first.” Trent gestured toward the basket as he offered his hand for support.

  “Okay, but don’t you dare laugh when I bust my ass trying to get in this thing.” Oh no, I just said that out loud…

  “I would never.” Trent grinned.

  I took a deep breath and climbed into the basket with vigilance of a rock climber scaling the Grand Canyon. I had already said ass; I wasn’t about to fall flat on mine as well. Once I made it in, I turned around to see Trent faking a yawn.

  Really? It did not take me that long!

  “Alright, it’s your turn, Ghostbuster.” I glared at him, crossing my arms over my chest.

  “Huh? What? I’m sorry, I must’ve dozed off.” He winked at me.

  My mouth almost betrayed me again, but I successfully fought the urge to call him a smartass. He handed over my camera bag as he prepared to climb aboard. He grabbed hold of the edge and stuck his foot in the first opening. With a few more movements, he proceeded to swing his leg over the edge, and then he toppled over, into the basket. I don’t know exactly how it happened, but Trent had lost his footing and flipped heels over head, landing at my feet. I had to literally bite my bottom lip in order to keep from going into hysterics. That’s what he gets for being a smartass.

  I exhaled and regained my composure. “Trent, are you okay?”

  By this time, Trent was in a kneeling position, his face in one of his hands. He was either completely mortified or he was injured. Oh, please don’t let him be hurt. This first date will be one for the record books if we have to spend it in the emergency room.

  Trent moved to look up at me, and as he lifted his head, the corners of his mouth raised as well. My mind flashed forward to a glimpse of what could possibly be my future, Trent kneeling with his gorgeous grin and me about to say yes to his proposal. Wait. What?! PROPOSAL?! Oh, no! No, no, no, no, no! I blinked and quickly brought myself back to reality.

  “Well, that was smooth.” Trent laughed, standing and straightening his jac
ket. He gave an embarrassed smile and ran his hands through his hair.

  “Happens all the time, sir.” Allan assured him. When Trent eyed him skeptically, Allan added, “Well, more than you would think. Ladies and gentleman, let’s use that as a what NOT to do lesson.” He addressed the rest of the passengers still waiting to board and we all laughed in unison.

  “You good, Ghostbuster?” I smiled sweetly and gently touched the tips of my fingers to the soft wool of his jacket.

  Looking down at where my hand rested on his upper arm, Trent froze. There was no smile on his face, and he appeared to be perplexed by my gesture. He reached for my hand with his and I knew instantly I had crossed the line. I had made a move, a small move but a move none-the-less, and the timing was off. Fan-flippin'-tabulous!

  Trent’s hand was strong, yet unsteady, as he lifted mine and brought it to his lips. He placed a gentle kiss on my knuckles and succeeded in rendering me speechless. Trent gave me a slow wink, lowering our hands and releasing his grip.

  Once everyone had made it safely, and more easily than Trent, into the basket, Allan proceeded to review the readings on his instrument panel and propane tanks. He meticulously went through a checklist in preparation for our impending flight.

  “Okay, everyone, up we go!”

  The feeling of the basket ascending into the atmosphere was unlike anything I had ever experienced. There were absolutely no wind gusts since the balloon travelled at the same speed as the breeze. I reached for the side of the basket and held on as I looked down below. We had already gone up so high.

  The view from the air was positively breathtaking. I bent down to get my Canon EOS 7d out of my bag and I quickly began snapping pictures of the beautiful landscape below, as well as the structural features of the balloon. Since I have never been the biggest fan of shooting landscapes or objects, I decided to do what I do best, capture people. I shot some pictures of Allan hard at work, piloting our balloon. Then, I turned the camera to Trent.

  Seeing him through the lens made me question everything I had been feeling toward him up to this point. He was this incredibly attractive man, who had me thinking about things I had not thought about in a long time, and honestly, it shook me to the core.

  Marriage, or even just love, has not been something to cross my mind ever since my heart got broken by Zane. You see, I met Zane my freshman year of college. He was the university’s resident “bad boy” and the moment I saw him, I was smitten. You know what they say, a girl always loves a bad boy because she thinks she will be the one he changes for. Let me tell you from first-hand experience, it doesn’t work that way.

  Everything was great in the beginning, but as time went by, I started catching glimpses of the person Zane really was. He was a mean, jealous drunk who loved a good party. He worried less about his grades and more about the thin white lines of powder that provided him a refuge. I thought the partying would lessen and the drug use would become non-existent once I spoke up and let him know how much he meant to me. I loved him and I just wanted him to be the man that I knew he could be, but he wasn’t changing and I just couldn’t seem to walk away. When he wasn’t wasted or strung out, he was a sweet and caring boyfriend, and I couldn’t seem to turn my back on sober Zane.

  Three years into our relationship, we finally came to our breaking point. I gave him an ultimatum, either he stopped for good or else he would lose me for good. He started attending class on a regular basis and he finally slowed down the drug and alcohol habit. We were the happiest we had ever been and we discussed our future often. Zane ended up proposing to me on Christmas morning with his grandmother’s ring and I happily accepted knowing he was turning his life around and trying hard to stay clean. One Tuesday morning though, he stood me up for breakfast at our favorite café. I was worried he had fallen ill in the night, so I rushed to his dorm room to check on him. I was completely blindsided when I found him in bed with another girl. A small mirror with a rolled-up dollar bill and remnants of cocaine on it was mocking me from the bedside table. I left his grandmother’s ring on that very mirror and walked out of the room, vowing to never again let myself be naïve enough to think I could have it all.

  Watching Trent while he stared out across the lush landscape below, I wrestled with my brain and my heart. My head was telling me to stay on my toes, that one can never be too cautious, that this one is a bad boy too, and that I may as well cut my losses and run. Who really wants to get hurt again? Not me. Besides, nothing lasts forever and I have an ex-fiancé to prove it. But, my heart… My heart was telling me that this time is different. This guy is different. I don’t quite know which one to trust.

  Shaking my head, I decided to just have fun and roll with it. I had a feeling that soon enough, I would find out if Trent was a royal jerk like Zane or if he was indeed “the one”. I figured my heart would be irrevocably lost either way.

  I decided to continue taking pictures of Trent, since he was just so unbelievably photogenic. It took him a good ten shots to realize that I had turned my focus on him instead of the view.

  “Hey now, I didn’t sign a release for pictures.” Trent deadpanned.

  “I’m sorry. I’ll, uh, delete them.” I started fumbling with the buttons on my camera in a hurry to remove the pictures. I’m such an idiot! I should know that not everyone is comfortable being in front of the camera. Lord knows I’m not.

  Trent reached for my camera. “Let me see, Paige.”

  “I promise I’m deleting them. Give me just a sec.” I think I have truly screwed up this time.

  “Paige, just let me see the camera.” Trent spoke softly as he placed a hand on mine. I surrendered and handed my camera over to him.

  He’s probably going to toss it right over the edge of the basket, my career along with it.

  I bit my lip in anticipation, just waiting for him to chuck it overboard. But it didn’t happen. Instead, he lifted the camera to his eye and placed his fingers on the lens, focusing it on me.

  “Whoa, wait! What do you think you are doing?” I quickly put my hand up in order to shield my face.

  “I don’t care that you took my picture, but I’d like to get one of you in return.” Trent peered at me from behind my camera.

  “Oh, no! I’m supposed to be behind the camera, not in front of. Nobody wants a picture of this.” I said incredulously as I gestured to my face.

  “Yeah, uh, I think you’re wrong.” Trent smirked and my heart melted.

  “Fine! One picture. One!” I threw my hands up in defeat and gave a slight pout.

  “Well, if you insist. One picture of you and then one picture of us together.”

  Oh, he thinks he’s sooooooo smooth.

  I couldn’t help but smile at Trent’s sense of humor and as soon as I did, he clicked the shutter release.

  “That’s my girl. Now, one of us together.” He politely asked one of our fellow passengers if she would mind taking our picture and handed her my camera. He placed himself at my right side and wrapped his left arm tightly around my waist.

  Confused, I turned to look at him. Did he just call me his girl? Did I hear him correctly? Maybe the altitude is making me delirious.

  “What? Do I have cinnamon roll on my face or something?” Trent looked at me out of the corner of his eye and quickly ran the back of his hand across his mouth.

  “No.” I chuckled.

  “Okay then, say Gouda!”

  I turned and looked at Trent. “Gouda?” I chuckled.

  “Well, yeah, you’re supposed to say cheese, right? I just figured we’d be specific, and Gruyère is just too serious of a cheese.” His tone was resolute, even though there was a twinkle in his eye.

  I laughed. This guy would definitely be my undoing. “Gouda it is.” I shook my head and turned my attention back toward the camera.

  “Gouda!” We both grinned and the kind lady snapped the picture.

  “Thank you so much.” I said as I reached for the camera and pulled the picture of us up on
the display.

  Trent looked like he could be on the cover of People’s Sexiest Man Alive issue. A five o’clock shadow graced his strong jaw line, which is quite befitting considering he starts his day when the sun goes down. His full, pink lips were curved into a huge smile, revealing a row of perfect, white teeth. The crows’ feet present at the corners of his piercing green eyes disclosed his 32 years of life. And as for me, I looked… Well, I actually looked happy. Downright exuberant is more like it. If my mom saw this picture, she would say we looked like cream cheese. That was always the expression she used to describe an attractive couple. A couple that looked so perfect together that they could’ve been carved right out of cream cheese. And in this instance, she would be right.

  I placed my hand over the knot of my scarf and tried to catch my breath. Yep, we made one fetching pair. I could just picture us posing for our annual Christmas card, with matching ear-to-ear smiles and two chocolate Labradors at our feet. But… Then again, I could just as easily picture finding him in bed with another woman. My heart and my head aren’t ending this battle anytime soon.

  “Wow.” Trent breathed, tightening his arm around my waist and drawing me closer to him. “I think that may be the best picture I have ever taken.”

  “I know, right?!” I nodded. “I might have to start using Gouda with my clients, if it gets smiles like these.” I turned my head to look up at him. He turned his face toward mine at the same moment and we were mere inches apart. Instinctively, my tongue darted out and licked my bottom lip. I watched as Trent’s gaze shifted down to my mouth, and I knew then that he wanted to kiss me. He shifted his weight and swallowed hard.

  “Well everyone, it’s almost time to wrap this flight up.” Allan interrupted, just as Trent was leaning for the kill.

  My shoulders dropped with defeat and I looked on as Trent closed his eyes and released me from his arms, much to his chagrin.

  “Already? We just got up here.” I couldn’t help but be disappointed. It had been an amazing date and I wasn’t ready for it to end.