When Darkness Comes Read online

  “I love The A Team.” I beamed. It was so nice to find out that we had similar tastes in music. “Where’d you learn to Waltz?” I questioned. He looked perfectly comfortable guiding me across the floor and I have to admit, my curiosity was peeked.

  “My mom had me in lessons when I was younger, much to my father’s dismay. She thought every man should know how to dance, and it certainly came in handy when I had to be an escort for cotillion.” He said as he spun me around.

  “Cotillion, eh?” I chuckled. “Well, I might just have to send her a thank you card for that.”

  Trent quickly averted his gaze as his lips settled into a thin line. “You can’t.” His beautiful green eyes clouded over as he spoke. “She, umm, passed away five years ago.”

  I closed my eyes and grimaced while my steps across the dance floor faltered. I had really stuck my foot in my mouth this time and ruined our perfectly sweet moment. “I’m so sorry, Trent. I had no idea. I honestly didn’t mean...”

  “It’s okay, Paige.” He interrupted, turning his head back toward mine. As he looked into my eyes, his pupils enlarged slightly, the haze having already faded away. “Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight? Because you do.” He leaned in, stopping our movement completely, and softly kissed the tip of my nose.

  Swiftly spinning me, we started dancing again. He pulled me as close to him as I could possibly get, while still properly waltzing. Although, I’m pretty sure our form was suffering. I really didn’t care though, and I closed my eyes, being so content in that very moment.

  When I opened my eyes again, I saw my parents standing at the corner of the dance floor, carefully assessing my dance partner. My father looked dashing in his traditional tuxedo. His dark hair showed faint lines of gray running throughout, and although there was a hint of a smile on his lips, his hazel eyes were full of skepticism. My mother stood perfectly poised with one arm looped through my father’s arm. She was stunning in her cerulean dress, it accentuating her auburn hair and dark eyes perfectly. She appeared absolutely delighted, as she realized this was the man that her daughter had been texting the whole evening before; this was the man that had put such a happy look on her daughter’s face.

  Trent quietly sang along with the last line of the song. “All I know is since yesterday, everything has changed.” I couldn’t help but think of how fitting the words were. Since I met him at Echo two weeks ago, my world had been turned upside down. I wasn’t used to spending my time thinking about a guy. I wasn’t used to spending my nights dreaming of where things could go. I had built up a pretty strong wall around my heart after Zane, and Trent wasn’t just chipping away at it, he was knocking it down with a wrecking ball.

  With a final spin, our dance was over. His large, warm hand enveloped my own as he started to lead me off the dance floor. I stopped abruptly, remembering our audience for our performance.

  “Well, it looks like you get to meet my parents now.” I said out of the corner of my mouth. “I hope you’re ready for this.”

  “I just hope they love Taylor Swift as much as I do.” Trent was straight-faced as he turned to look at me. Then, he flashed his notorious smirk, and I laughed.

  My, oh my, how everything has changed.

  chapter 7

  Hyperventilating. I must be hyperventilating I realized as my chest rose and fell with each labored breath. That’s what I get for doing this tonight. Oh, what was I thinking?

  “Clearly, you weren’t.” I said aloud to myself as I sat down in one of my dining room chairs, dropping my black leather riding boots on the floor by my feet. My breathing was still running rampant, so I tucked my head between my knees to try and slow it. ‘In through your nose, out through your mouth’ became my mantra and I felt relief when air started filling my lungs. I closed my eyes, trying to think of calming things, but my reprieve was cut short, my mind automatically bringing up an image of Trent. Thank you, brain. You certainly know how to leave a girl breathless.

  Honestly, Trent has this amazing way of making me feel completely at ease whenever he is in close proximity. But, this past week, well, this past week has been downright unnerving.

  It all started Saturday evening when he charmed the pants off my parents at Jean-Luc’s wedding. Trent won them over with his wit and civility, and I found myself falling even harder for him. If that’s even possible... My mother was completely smitten and made sure to voice how much more she liked him over Zane. My father, on the other hand, seemed highly suspicious of my date, and I’m betting that is why he took Trent to the bar to have a drink, “man to man”. Although, when the two men returned nearly 30 minutes later, they were all smiles and pats on the back. It was strange to say the least. Afterward, when I questioned Trent about what they had talked about, he simply shrugged and said, “The usual.” What does that even mean?! He still won’t tell me, and if I try to push dear old Dad for info, he just says that I will have to ask Trent. Yeah, because that’s working out so well for me... We still haven’t even discussed my little slip-up of the title “boyfriend”.

  But Trent and I have pretty much been inseparable since the wedding. He took me home that night and gave me a very sweet, but very heated, goodnight kiss that only left me wanting more. Every evening has been spent at his place, ordering food and watching movies. He’s a pizza and beer kind of guy, who enjoys testosterone-filled flicks which include an abundance of gunpowder and explosions. My tastes, however, tend to lean more towards Chinese food and the fright genre. Well, at least when I’m with Trent they do. I’m sure he was not oblivious to my game during the movie, as I would inch closer and closer to his side out of sheer terror. He would simply smirk, wrap me in his arms, and tuck me safely into his side. My plan had worked marvelously. I was as close to Trent as I could possibly get, without sitting in his lap.

  Thanks to our many nights cuddled on the couch watching movies, there have been lots of opportunities for subtle touching, longing glances, and steamy kisses. But, nothing more. Even though our attraction is obvious, I think we’re both scared to take it to the next level. Well, he might not be since he’s used to his relationships being solely about that “level”, but I sure as hell am. I’ve got to protect my heart in all this, no matter how much I want him. And, believe me, I want him. I am plenty frustrated over our insane sexual tension.

  I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard a loud knock at my door. I rushed and put on my boots. Hopping out of my ivory Parsons chair, I straightened the dark grey shirt I was wearing under my black leather jacket, and pulled at the waist of my dark, skinny jeans. I grabbed my red clutch from the black dining table and jogged to the door, quickly catching my breath before opening it.

  My heart melted at the sight of him. Only Trent could look so sexy in a simple black crewneck t-shirt, a black leather jacket, and dark wash jeans. The lazy smile currently residing on his face was a glorious sight, and I had to remind myself to speak.

  “Hi.” I hardly recognized my voice. It was soft and very come-hither, and very, VERY, unlike my normal voice.

  “Hey, gorgeous.” Trent’s deep voice rumbled as he stepped forward and placed a hand on my hip and the other of my face. He placed a sweet kiss on my lips, and then pulled back slightly to look in my eyes. “I hope you got a nap today, because we are going to be up ALL night.”

  My pulse raced at his comment, and I cleared my throat. “Actually, I did.”

  “Good. You ready to go?”

  I bit my bottom lip as I nodded my head and stepped out of his grasp. No, I’m not ready to go. I don’t think I’m ready to do this yet. Or even at all.

  My anxiety began to wash over me when I closed the door and locked it. I could feel Trent’s watchful eyes as we stood beside each other in the hall, waiting for the elevator to come. When the doors opened, I had to force my feet to enter the small space. My hands clenched tightly around my fabulous black and leopard Kate Spade satchel, while I looked anywhere and everywhere but toward the beautiful man sharing th
e elevator with me. His gaze never left me though, and I knew I would have to voice my concerns.

  “Can’t we just go back upstairs?” I pouted, leaning against the railing. “We can order Chinese and spend a night in.” I turned toward Trent just as the doors opened to reveal the parking garage.

  “C’mon, babe.” He grabbed my hand, leading me off the elevator. “We’ve stayed in every night this week.” Trent stated, his steps never faltering.

  When we reached the Yukon, Trent opened the passenger door for me, and I stopped in front of him. “I’m just worried about tonight.” I said shakily, looking up into those deep, green eyes.

  “Oh...” Trent’s eyebrow quirked up. “Look, Paige, it’s only natural that you’re nervous, it’s your first time.”

  “I’m scared.” I whispered. “And, what if I’m not good at it?” Truthfully, I was worried that I would be absolutely terrible and fail on every level imaginable. I mean, I had never EVER gone ghost hunting before in my life. And here I was, about to go on my very first investigation with my boyfriend, umm... with the man I was dangerously close to falling for. Yep, like standing on the very edge of a cliff, looking down, about to dive off, kind of dangerously close.

  “You’ll catch on. And, there’s no reason to be scared, babe. I’ll be right beside you the whole time. I promise I won’t let you out of my sight.” Trent reassured me as his warm hand clasped tightly around mine.

  I looked down at our feet, avoiding Trent’s eyes. “What if Jason doesn’t like me?” I questioned.

  Jason Jecklin is Trent’s best friend. They met when Trent moved here and was looking for a paranormal group to join. Jason is in charge of MPS, Montreal Paranormal Society, and he took Trent under his wing, showing him the ins and outs of the biz and the city as well. They quickly became friends and Trent says they are like brothers now, so one can imagine how nervous I must be to meet him.

  “Who cares?” Trent shrugged.

  “I do.” I snapped my head up. “He’s your best friend!”

  “He’ll love you, Paige. How could he not?” Trent lightly touched the side of my face with the back of his hand. He took a step closer to me and used the full weight of his body to push me into the side of the Yukon. He lifted a hand and ran it across my shoulder and up into the back of my hair. Leaning in, he placed a soft kiss on my lips. Our mouths began to move in sync and I took his bottom lip in between my teeth, gently biting down. I garnered the reaction I was hoping for; Trent pressed his hips firmly into mine and growled softly in my mouth.

  “Damn it, woman.” He spoke against my lips.

  My tongue darted out, licking his top lip, begging for entrance. He happily obliged and our sweet kiss quickly turned into something much more passionate as we stood beside the parked car. Breaking apart, breathless, Trent ran a hand through his hair.

  “Now, get your ass in that seat so we can go search for things that go bump in the night.” The lascivious look in his eyes made a chill run through the entire length of my body. It wasn’t out of fear though; it was out of pure excitement I realized when I felt an undeniable heat rising through me.

  “Sure thing, Ghostbuster.” I stood on my tip-toes and gave him a quick peck on the lips before climbing into the giant SUV.

  Trent hurried around the Yukon and hopped into the driver’s seat. He started the engine, glancing over at me. “Mind if I listen to some music? I’ve got to get in the right frame of mind.”

  “Go right ahead.” I smiled as I fastened my seatbelt.

  Trent quickly pulled up a playlist on his iPod and turned the volume up. I startled when a scream engulfed the car along with heavy metal riffs. I eyed him suspiciously, doubting that this was the same man who sang along with a Taylor Swift song while waltzing with me at my brother’s wedding. Granted, his look screamed bad boy, but I knew it was just a facade to overshadow the sensitive man underneath. But, as I listened to the unrelenting drums pounding through the speakers, I realized he really is the perfect mixture of both.

  “It helps get me in the mood.” He said defensively. I raised my eyebrow at his comment. I knew that he meant in the mood for a hunt, but I couldn’t deny the innuendo either.

  “Can’t you help me as I’m startin’ to burn... Too many doses and I’m starting to get an attraction.” I sang along with the first two lines of the chorus.

  Trent quickly picked up his lower jaw and smirked in response.

  “Avenged Sevenfold helps get me in the mood, too.” I said with a wink. Although most wouldn’t guess it, I have very eclectic tastes in music. And, apparently, so does Trent.

  “Careful, woman.” His voice was low and rough. He shifted in his seat and drove out of the parking garage. When I noticed him peeking at me from the corner of his eye, I couldn’t help but laugh. It didn’t matter how much he tried to hide it, I knew my suggestive comment had affected him.

  A few minutes later, as we drove across the Jacques-Cartier Bridge to our destination, St. Helen’s Island, my leg was bouncing nearly as fast as a hummingbird’s fluttering wings. Realizing we were close to arriving at Fort de l'Île Sainte-Hélène, my nerves were starting to get the best of me.

  “Paige, you know you’re completely safe, right?” Trent questioned, reaching over and placing his hand on my fidgety leg, stilling it instantly. “Trust me, I’m not going to let anything happen to you.” He gave my leg a gentle squeeze.

  “I just... What are we dealing with here? Vampires, werewolves, ghosts, goblins, demons?” I rattled off every supernatural being I could think of.

  Trent responded with a throaty chuckle, but stopped abruptly once he saw the scowl on my face. “Babe, there are no such things as vampires, werewolves or goblins. But, if we do run into any of those, they’ll have to answer to me.” He gave me a wink, but it did nothing to help calm my nerves.

  “Oh, but you just expect me to go forth and not be terrified when looking for ghosts or demons! Trent, there’s a reason why they call this kind of stuff “the unexplained”! It’s because nobody lives to tell about it!” My voice ended up coming out louder than I had hoped, but I was starting to get frightened.

  “Go forth?” Trent laughed as he pulled in and parked in between a white GMC Sierra with blacked out everything and a black Chevy Corvette, also with blacked out everything. Both of the vehicles were seriously hot, and I was curious which one belonged to Jason. Probably the Sierra, if he was anything like his best friend.

  Turning off the engine, Trent turned sideways in his seat to face me. “I’ve been on many investigations over the last couple of years and nothing has happened to me yet.”

  “YET!” I refuted, and was quickly reprimanded with an eye-roll from a tightly-lipped Trent before he climbed out of the Yukon.

  I sat in my seat, staring out the windshield and into the wall of trees in front of the parking lot. I knew that just beyond the tree line was a huge grass field and beyond that, a red stone fort built to look like an octagon cut in half. “Man up, Paige. This is no big deal. I doubt there will even be any activity. Yeah, right...” I told myself while waiting for Trent to open the passenger door for me. But he never did. Instead, I heard the rear lift-gate open and I turned to see Trent digging out equipment from the cargo area. Pursing my lips, I turned back around and hopped out of the Yukon. Slamming the door, I crossed my arms and burned a hole through the rear window of the SUV, hoping Trent would read me loud and clear.

  He leaned out from behind the car with his eyebrows raised. “Feel better?” He shook his head in amusement at my antics and smirked.

  “Asshat.” I huffed, as I walked toward Trent, who had disappeared again into the cargo area. As I circled around the back, I was startled when a pair of arms grabbed my waist and pulled me into the back of the Yukon.

  “Sheezus, Trent! You scared the crap out of me.” I smacked him on the arm the best I could, since we were laying in the backend.

  “You’re so cute when you’re mad.” He laughed, rolling me over onto my
back. His expression turned more serious as he hovered over me, holding the weight of his body on his arms. His hair fell on the sides of his face and I reached up with my hand to push it aside. The look in Trent’s eyes and on his face was so vulnerable and I realized in that very moment, maybe I wouldn’t be alone in my cliff diving. Maybe his feelings for me were just as strong as mine for him.

  “I’m sorry I threw a fit.” I apologized and my eyes couldn’t help but leave his to look at his full, soft lips. I swallowed as I fought back the urge to kiss him and decided it would be best to direct my gaze back toward his eyes.

  A throat cleared and our expressions matched those of two teenagers getting caught making out by their parents. Trent gave me a quick peck on the lips before winking at me and turning to look over his shoulder.

  “Never would’ve pegged you for a peeping Tom, J.J.” Trent joked, climbing out of the back of the Yukon. He turned and offered his hand to me.

  I sat up, taking Trent’s hand. He helped me out and I stood awkwardly while I watched the two men exchange a hug. J.J. was a couple inches shorter than Trent and he appeared more... well, this guy honestly looked like he belonged in a rock band. His jet-black hair was short in comparison to Trent’s, but definitely longer than Matty’s or Luc’s. The crazy way it stuck out in all directions was a style only a ruffian would wear, but it was surprisingly attractive on J.J. The black hair on his pointed chin was neatly trimmed and the space right below his bottom lip housed two metal piercings. His chiseled cheek bones drew my attention to his chocolate brown eyes that were framed by dark eyebrows, one of which was pierced by a silver hoop. He was dressed in all black; a black leather jacket, black jeans, solid black Converse, along with a black V-neck t-shirt which revealed a large, black tattoo on his chest. Yep, this guy definitely belongs on the stage with a heavy metal band.

  “You of all people should know you can’t judge a book by its cover, Knox.” J.J. said, slapping Trent on the back.

  Trent simply nodded his head and stepped beside me, throwing a possessive arm around my shoulder.