Degrees of Passion Read online

  Mud from the street marred the floor in a scattered array of footprints. The faded tiles reminded her of an old hospital hallway – yellowed white with tiny beige specks. There was nothing remarkable about the place, nothing but the fact that Trevor waited for her in it.

  As she approached, he stood. The effortless gesture made her smile every time. She loved that he was such a gentleman.

  ‘You look beautiful.’ He kissed her cheek. The chaste act soon slipped into something deeper as he drew his mouth across to her lips. It was the briefest of touches, not lasting long enough to draw attention.

  ‘Thank you,’ Sasha answered when he drew back. She sat at the small table across from him.

  Trevor reached for her hand, rubbing his finger along her palm. ‘I’ve missed you.’

  ‘It’s only been a few days since we ate at your parents.’

  ‘I can’t believe I’m a few months from being done with school.’ Trevor changed the subject, without apparent thought. ‘Mother wants me to move into my old room right after I graduate. She thinks it will be a good opportunity to watch my father at work before I officially start at the company and take my rightful place as the Kingston heir.’

  ‘So, you’ve decided to go into the family business, then?’ Sasha hid her disappointment in his words. Wasn’t it only a few days ago when he said he would never live like his parents? What changed? She glanced from her boyfriend towards the counter, looking for the waitress. The young woman stared at a customer, nodding her head with an air of boredom.

  ‘There really wasn’t any question as to whether or not I’d work for my father,’ Trevor said. ‘It is the Kingston way, after all, and I am their only son. There is no one else.’

  Sasha wasn’t sure what to say in answer to that, so she stated the obvious. ‘I thought you said you didn’t want to enter the family business.’

  She tried to hide her frown, as she studied his face. In the past, Trevor always seemed to rebel against his parents’ wishes, like when he chose to attend NYU to be a business major instead of Yale like his father. She always liked the fact that he was his own man, not letting his parents dictate his future.

  ‘That was before.’ He gave her an adorable, almost boyish look.

  ‘Before?’

  ‘Before I had to go find a job.’ He laughed. ‘At least at my father’s company I won’t be starting at the bottom. I can always leave after a few years. Plus, he’s agreed to buy me a new car and I get a healthy beginning salary with benefits.’

  ‘But you hate the idea of a daily job and you don’t drive,’ Sasha insisted, still stunned by this change. ‘You said you hate dealing with city traffic.’

  ‘That’s what I needed to talk to you about.’

  ‘We needed to talk about something? I thought we were just meeting for breakfast.’ Sasha felt sick to her stomach, not liking the guilty way he refused to meet her eyes. What was happening here? Was he joking? Worrying her on purpose? Was she dreaming?

  Trevor waved at the waitress, who instantly responded, her expression lighting up as she approached. The woman barely looked at Sasha as Trevor ordered a fat-free cappuccino.

  As soon as the woman left, Sasha asked, ‘What do we need to talk about?’

  ‘I’m moving to Switzerland.’

  ‘What?’ Sasha gasped, stiffening in her chair. Her eyes scanned the table, hoping this was some sort of elaborate joke. ‘You mean you’re moving after graduation?’ Her voice had raised an octave and she cleared her throat. ‘You’ve always talked about going to Europe after graduation.’

  ‘I’m leaving tonight.’ He leaned back in his chair, turning his charming smile onto the waitress as she dropped off the drink he ordered for Sasha.

  When the woman lingered, Sasha snapped in dismissal, ‘Thank you.’

  Trevor arched a brow at Sasha’s hard tone. When they again had privacy, he continued, ‘My father arranged for me to do the remainder of my course work there while I learn the international aspects of the business. I’ll be working the entire time. It won’t be fun at all.’

  ‘Doesn’t your father own property close to a ski resort?’ Sasha asked. She remembered Trevor mentioned it a few years back because she’d always hoped he would invite her skiing for spring breaks. He never did.

  ‘Yeah, but I’ll be working on my masters project. I doubt I’ll have time for skiing.’

  ‘But I thought you said your father had people who’d help you on your masters project.’

  ‘Someone will have to oversee them. My name can’t just go on anything.’

  ‘Trevor, I don’t get it. You couldn’t have said something earlier?’ Like maybe the other night between dinner and sex? How hard would it have been for him to give her a little heads up? Sasha took a deep breath, not liking the way her heart began to ache in her chest, like a thousand tiny needles were being shoved into it at once.

  ‘I didn’t want our last days together to be sad. I thought it best to wait.’

  ‘Until a few hours before your flight?’ Sasha leaned forwards, pushing the cappuccino aside. Hot liquid sloshed over the rim of the cup, hitting her hand. She flinched, shaking the scalding liquid from her flesh with several hard flicks of her wrist. ‘Ow, damn it!’

  ‘Don’t cuss. It’s not ladylike,’ he scolded. ‘And try not to raise your voice. People are looking.’

  Sasha ignored the reprimand. ‘How could you not tell me? What about us? Or did that not concern you?’

  ‘It’s only for three months, maybe six, but most likely three. You have this new internship. I’ll be working. You won’t even notice I’m gone.’ Trevor took her burned hand in his, lifting it to his mouth to press a small kiss on the reddened flesh. Lashes swept over his devilishly charismatic eyes and he bit his lip. ‘We’ll still talk on the phone. And –’ he reached to his side, revealing a rather large gift bag ‘– we will still see each other. I thought you could hook this up to your computer and we could . . .’ He let his words trail off, but the meaning was clear.

  Sasha peeked into the bag. He’d bought her a webcam.

  ‘How much time do you have before you have to be at the internship?’ He licked his mouth, a slow, measured act to draw her attention. The man knew how to seduce for her eyes followed every sweeping centimeter. Her lips parted of their own accord. ‘I would really love it if you accompanied me to a more private locale.’

  Sasha glanced around, momentarily jarred from her thoughts. So much for her causing a scene, none of the patrons paid the young couple any mind. ‘There really isn’t any—’

  ‘Follow me to the restroom,’ Trevor said.

  ‘Here? But . . .’

  It wasn’t the first time he’d suggested something so bold. The problem was, she couldn’t tell half the time if he did it to watch her blush or if he was serious. She’d never once taken him up on his suggestion that they have sex in some public place.

  ‘Come on, baby, don’t make me go on the company jet aching.’ He lifted her hand from the table and moved it beneath, close to his knee. Insistently pressing her palm to his lap, he rubbed her fingers against the stiff denim of his jeans. ‘You know how much better I feel when you suck my cock. Don’t make me take care of it myself. I’m so hard and you’re the only one who knows how to do it right.’

  Heat filled her cheeks at his words and she suppressed a laugh. ‘You’re such a gentleman.’

  ‘Can’t blame a man for trying.’ The corner of his lip twitched up. She loved his full lips, the perfect texture of them when he kissed. ‘You’re just too beautiful for words. I understand you have to go, but part of me wants to whisk you away to my bed.’

  Being with Trevor made her feel like a princess. When he looked at her with those dark eyes, she felt like she was the only person in the world. His light humor spread wherever he went, causing everyone to gravitate towards him. He was a star, a beacon, a prince. He was hers and he was leaving.

  ‘Shouldn’t we talk about this?’ Sasha tried to thin
k of the right thing to say. ‘Is something wrong with you? Did something happen that you’re not telling me? I don’t understand what’s going on. Are we all right?’

  ‘I promised Mother I’d take care of a few things.’ He touched her cheek briefly. ‘You really didn’t expect me to turn my back on my inheritance, did you? I’m a Kingston. I have responsibilities. The woman in my life must understand that.’

  Sasha opened her mouth to speak, but the small bell over the door jingled, drawing her attention. She glanced over automatically. A man entered, pausing to shuffle his snow-covered work boots. As her eyes swept to his face, her heart almost stopped. Kevin. Here. Now. What were the odds? She bit her lip, unable to breathe.

  I’m dreaming, she thought. This isn’t happening.

  Fully dressed in black slacks with a matching wool coat and contrasting red scarf, Kevin pulled a black skull cap off his head. He smoothed his hair, trying to tame it. Sasha couldn’t help but remember what he looked like beneath his clothes. The harder she tried to forget, the harder it was to keep it from her mind. She scratched at her forearm, absently rubbing the material hiding her tattoo.

  She willed Kevin to turn around, to not notice her. Luck was not on her side. His brown eyes met hers in instant recognition. For a moment, she thought that he would approach, but then he looked at Trevor and all expression faded from his features. He turned to the waitress, not sparing her another glance as he gave an order.

  ‘You know him?’ Trevor asked, drawing her attention back to him.

  ‘Who?’ Sasha blinked in what she hoped was innocence.

  ‘It’s of no concern,’ he dismissed, squeezing her hand. ‘Where were we?’

  Sasha tried to smile, torn between hiding her face from Kevin behind the fall of her shoulder-length hair and sneaking glances to see what he was doing. She didn’t like thinking of Kevin when Trevor was near. A nervous flutter started in her stomach. The sensation seemed to crawl up her chest, choking her with its intensity. She kept the tentative smile on her face, nodding, unable to speak.

  Trevor frowned. ‘You’re still upset.’

  ‘Well, you did kind of spring this on me. I mean, come on, Switzerland? The semester is already started and we barely see each other as it is.’ Sasha couldn’t meet his eyes, secretly glad that he thought the uncomfortable vibe she was giving off was due to his trip. Well, the trip was part of it. She didn’t like the fact that her boyfriend was taking off for three to six months and was only telling her about it on the day of departure. It didn’t help that he indicated part of his reason for going was to please his mother’s wishes. How many more of his mother’s wishes would he try to fulfill? More débutante balls and society women? He had to have known he was leaving that night they were at his parents, when his mother spoke of Tara Wellings.

  Sasha wanted to be mad at him, but with her sin literally in the same room as them she couldn’t find the justification. The bell rang again and Sasha looked over. Kevin had left. She took a deep breath, thankful that he hadn’t tried to talk to her.

  ‘I know I should have said something before. I just hate seeing you upset and I didn’t want to ruin our time together.’ He straightened, on the verge of standing. ‘Don’t you have to go?’

  Sasha went to look at her watch only to realize she’d forgotten it. She glanced at the wall behind the counter. ‘Yeah, if I don’t, I’m going to be late.’ She stood. Grabbing her now cool cappuccino, she drank it fast. She really wanted to stay and talk this out, but if she messed up this internship she would put an earlier graduation in jeopardy.

  ‘You’re going to be so busy you won’t even know I’m gone.’ He said the words, but his expression indicated he didn’t really believe them. No one could accuse Trevor of not knowing his own worth.

  She picked up her gift. The webcam box was too big to fit into her messenger bag so she was forced to hold the gift bag. Trevor threw cash down on the table, before hooking her arm with his and leading her towards the door. Sasha looked out the window to see if Kevin was out on the street. She couldn’t be sure exactly what she felt, but it was a combination of fear, anxiety and worry. Not detecting him, she let Trevor escort her outside.

  ‘Can I drop you at the museum?’ He waited on the sidewalk and lifted his hand and, as if by magic, a black town car appeared. Sasha waved at the Kingstons’ driver, knowing he’d been waiting down the block for Trevor. A light snow had begun to fall, drifting and twirling in the air, each flake white and perfect for a brief moment before falling to the dirty, trodden ground.

  ‘It’s just up the street.’ She looked up at him and blinked through the snowflakes hitting her face. The cold stung her nose and she didn’t feel like walking in the miserable weather, but if she didn’t she might not make it on time. ‘Traffic is horrible this morning with the icy roads. I can walk there faster.’

  ‘As you wish.’ He kissed her briefly and she knew that was about all she’d get. She didn’t think anything of it. She had learned never to expect public displays of affection from him – at least not anywhere a camera could see them.

  ‘Will I at least see you before your flight?’ Sasha let a small pout come to her lips as she looked up at him from beneath her lashes.

  ‘I’m not sure. I’ll call you later.’ He briefly kissed her again. ‘Knock ’em dead, Sash.’

  She watched him slide into the backseat of the car and waved as the driver took him in the opposite direction that she needed to walk. The taillights disappeared around the corner. ‘This is so not turning out to be a good day.’

  Chapter Four

  ‘I hate today. I want spring. Come on, gods, bring on the warm weather. Give me spring.’ Cold continued to invade her toes and Sasha turned down the sidewalk. The address Collins had given her was nearby. She hugged her arms to her chest, hurrying as quickly as the wet ground allowed. Irritation towards Trevor’s insensitivity and Kevin’s sudden, but brief appearance kept her from dwelling on the miserable weather.

  Hearing a ring in her bag, she reached inside, not breaking stride. A smile crossed her features as she thought of Trevor calling. He’d probably apologize for not telling her, overwhelmed by guilt. It was such a him thing to do. She flipped open the phone and said, ‘That was fast. Miss me already?’

  ‘Well, of course I miss you, or were you expecting someone else?’ Kat’s amused voice answered. ‘Who is he, Sasha? Come on, fess up.’

  ‘No one,’ she lied, not letting her disappointment into her voice. ‘Mom’s been calling again. You know how she gets.’

  Sasha loved her sisters, but there was a reason she didn’t share too much with them. She liked her privacy and space. Growing up the fourth daughter of five, she learned at an early age to value secrecy. Add a meddling mother on top of that many sisters and Sasha well understood her motive for not telling any of them about Trevor or her night with Kevin. In fact, the last time she’d told them about a man in her life had been her prom date, Peter. What an utter nightmare that had been. She could still hear the teasing rhyme Megan had made up. ‘Peter, Peter, came to greet ’er and brought nothing but his peter.’

  ‘Ugh, I understand.’ Kat sighed. ‘She’s driving me crazy, too. She called five times yesterday wanting me to come over and help her pick out colors for a new bedspread she might want to buy next summer. Just because I have an eye for photography doesn’t mean I should be her personal decorator. Have you seen my house? Every wall is as white as the day I moved in. I told her to call Zoe, but she said the tea leaves told her Zoe was too busy with her new job right now. Like I don’t have a life? Hello, I gave them their first son-in-law and I’m the only sister with a kid. Mariah keeps me plenty busy.’

  ‘We can’t all have rich bug scientist husbands,’ Sasha teased. ‘By the way, my roommate wants to know if Vincent can lend her some scary bugs for a short horror film she is working on.’

  ‘Not the militant one.’ She could picture Kat’s wrinkled face as she said the words.

  �
�She’s not militant,’ Sasha said, ‘and yes, Carrie.’

  ‘I doubt it,’ Kat said. ‘He’s pretty protective of his insects, but I’ll ask. Megan’s over at the lab today. She needed his help with some bug larva she saw at a crime scene.’

  ‘What is she doing with bug larva? She’s not working homicide again, is she?’ Sasha grimaced.

  Megan, the oldest at 32, worked as a NYPD detective. The entire family was happy when she’d gotten out of homicide to something safer. She’d become famous when her now husband, Ryan Lucas, took her photograph taking down a serial killer. As the rest of the city cheered her, the Matthews feared for Megan’s dangerous life. She was the only married sister who hadn’t married rich.

  After Megan, Kat was next in line, then Zoe, Sasha and then the baby of the family, Ella. Each sister was different from the others, with distinct personalities and quirks. Zoe married restaurant mogul Jackson Levy, which was actually perfect for her since she was a very talented chef. Ella joined the Navy right out of high school. They didn’t get to see her much, but she did send the occasional postcard from all over the world. No one really expected Ella to settle down.

  ‘No, I think it was found in dirt from a footprint.’ Kat made a soft noise of dismissal. ‘I swear Megan’s got it made. Mom never calls her for decorating tips.’

  ‘That’s because Megs thinks action-movie posters are classy.’ Sasha laughed. ‘Have you seen their apartment? There is a whole wall dedicated to 1980s cop movies. Sorry, sis,’ Sasha continued. ‘You married money and you know our mother takes that to mean you have time to spare. You’d better go over and pick a colour. She won’t leave you alone until you do.’

  ‘That’s not fair,’ Kat defended. ‘Keep that talk up and I’ll tell her you met someone you think can be the future Mr Sasha. She’ll be over to your dorm faster than you can change your address to help you snag him.’

  ‘I thought you had me covered in the son-in-law department. You did give them their first son.’ Sasha stopped walking, glanced around to get her bearings before crossing the street. A car honked, but she ignored it. ‘Besides, you do that and I’ll tell her you want twelve more kids. How is Mariah, by the way?’