Tear Down These Walls (13 page)

“If he says a word to her, he will,” Trent retorts. “I can guarantee
that, because next time, we find him alone.”

Teagan, finally able to breathe with any amount of regularity for the
first time since walking up to the frat house, leans against Trent and exhales.
“Thank you.”

He looks down at her and smiles, “It was our pleasure. I won’t ever let a
guy get away with that sort of stuff.”

“Always my protector,” Teagan grins, batting her eyelashes. Trent laughs.
Teagan realizes he is still holding her hand. She knows she should pull it
away, but the contact feels good. It’s been a long time since she’s let a guy
be so close.

When they get to the truck, Trent finally lets her hand go. Teagan rubs
her fingers together, still savoring the gentle touch. “Thanks guys,” Trent
says. “I will pay you under the table for this.”

“Pay us?” Ian quips. “You have done enough shit for us. I will do it pro
bono.”

“Me, too,” Kyle states. “You can owe a favor or a beer.”

“Sounds good.” Trent nods to Teagan. “I should get her home.”

“It was nice meeting you, Teagan,” Ian says, extending his hand. 

Teagan shakes it and agrees, “It was nice meeting you, too.”

“Hopefully we see you around more,” Kyle snickers, winking at her.

“Kyle!” Trent exclaims.

“What!?” Kyle shrugs. “She’s gorgeous! You should bring her around more often.”

Trent exhales and turns to Teagan. “I’m sorry for him. Let me get you
home.”

“Okay,” Teagan giggles. “Bye guys and thank you.”

“You’re welcome, darling,” Kyle says, winking at her again.

“Leave her alone,” Ian warns. “I hope we do see you again, Teagan. Have a
good night.” With that, Ian pushes Kyle to the SUV.

Turning to her, Trent snorts. “Let’s get you home before Kyle comes back
over here.”

When she opens the truck door and gets in, Teagan looks at Trent. “I
don’t know.  Kyle is pretty cute.” She slides her hoodie back on to ward
off the chill in the night air.

Trent pauses and raises an eyebrow. “My staff cannot date the clientele.”

“So, I am back to college guys, gggrrrreeaaattt,” Teagan teases as she
glides the zipper up to her neck.

“You are so much better than college guys,” Trent declares, as he pulls
away from the curb.

“Am I supposed to not date for a few more years?” Teagan asks.

He shrugs, “I think you deserve a really good, sound guy, a guy who knows
what he’s doing.”

“I only know one guy like that, and he won’t even consider dating me
because he is my self-defense teacher and thinks hanging out with me breaks
some arbitrary rule.”

Looking at her out of the corner of his eye, Trent inquires, “You want to
date me?”

“No,” Teagan laughs. “I was just stating a fact.”

“Mmmhmmmm,” Trent hums, his gaze fixed on her.

A smile spreads across Teagan’s face, and she shakes her head. When she
looks out the window, she asks, “Do you want to know where I live?” Trent
doesn’t reply. Teagan turns to him. “Trent, don’t you want to know where I
live?” He looks at her and smiles. Her jaw drops. “You already know where I
live!”

“Yup, sorry, I hope you aren’t freaked out,” Trent sighs. “I just like
having information on people.” He shrugs and smiles like this happens everyday.

“So, you are stalking me?” Teagan quips.

“What!? No!” Trent exclaims, putting his fingers up in the air.

Teagan starts to laugh. “It’s all right. I will try and stalk you too,
figure out where you live.”

“On Fairy Chasm,” Trent replies. “It’s near Pennsylvania Avenue.”

She bursts out laughing. “The name of your street is Fairy Chasm, oh my
god!” 

“Kya loves it,” Trent chuckles.

“Kya?” Teagan glances over at him. “You have a girlfriend now?”

“What?  Oh…no….niece,” Trent stutters. “My niece, she has a thing
for fairies.”

“Are you close to her?” Teagan asks. “I love having nieces.”

Trent presses his lips into a hard line. “I am sorry Teagan, but my
family stays private.”

“Oh, I am sorry,” Teagan gasps. “You brought it up, so I thought it was okay
to ask.”

“No,” Trent replies, shaking his head. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Teagan states. She reaches over and pats his hand. “I know
where your boundaries lie.”

He looks down at her hand. “Touching is one of them.”

“Oh my gosh!” Teagan exclaims, “I’m sorry!”

“I’m kidding,” Trent chuckles. He grabs her hand and squeezes. “I don’t
like strange girls touching me, but it’s all right if you do.”

“Really?”

He nods, “Yeah, it’s fine, as long as you don’t try to grab my junk.”

“Oh come on, we haven’t been on the sixth date yet,” Teagan laughs.

“Six dates?” Trent snorts. “Wow, okay.”

“Okay, like that’s close to being true. I have had sex once in my life.
It was horrible; I cried, and it was broadcasted on the Internet. I am
surprised I am not in a convent taking a vow of celibacy.”

Trent furrows his eyebrows and shakes his head. “If I go to Michigan with
you, that guy will not come within ten feet of you.”

“Yeah, about Michigan,” Teagan exhales. “I don’t know if that’s a good
idea.”

“Why?” Trent asks. She notices he grips the wheel a little tighter.

She shrugs, “I don’t know. I don’t want to lie to people. I mean, there
is a huge part of me that wants you to go. You’re fun. All the girls would
drool over you. Justin would be scared shitless.”

“What are the cons?” Trent inquires curiously, cocking his eyebrow.

“I don’t know,” Teagan sighs and leans back in her seat. “I would be
lying. I can’t go there and say you are my personal protection. People will
think that I am nuts, but I can’t lie and say you are my boyfriend either.”

“Just explain that I am your friend, your very scary and protective
friend,” Trent emphasizes.

“Is that what we are?” Teagan asks. “You constantly throw
fraternizing
around, and yet you act like we could be friends, and I don’t know what to
think.”

A heavy silence fills the air as Trent drives. He stares out the window
and doesn’t say anything. Teagan doesn’t know what to do because it gets more
and more awkward as the seconds pass. She is about to say something when Trent
exhales heavily. “Listen, I have a past, okay? I’m very protective of my life
and my family, extremely protective. I am very careful and extremely cautious
about whom I bring into my life. I helped you escape those attackers, and I
don’t know how much of this has to do with you really wanting to be a friend or
some infatuation. I don’t want it to be the latter because it makes things
really difficult and horribly awkward.”

“Oh, you think I am going to fall for you because you saved me? Have we
not covered this about me? I’m not ready for a romantic relationship. I just
think…you’d be a great friend to hang out with,” Teagan reassures him, despite
the flutters she feels in her stomach when he touches her hand. “Don’t get me
wrong. I am attracted to you. You’re gorgeous, but one, I don’t really know you
and two, I am still figuring out my own feelings after everything with Justin.”

“So, we can be friends then?” Trent inquires.

Grinning, Teagan says, “Isn’t that fraternizing?”

“Sort of, I usually say that to girls so they don’t get the misconception
that I want to date them.”

“No dates,” Teagan quips. “Maybe lunch or something, but strictly as
friends, we can go dutch.”

“I will pay,” Trent states, giving her a look. “I make a lot more money
than you.”

“Hell no,” Teagan argues. “I can pay for myself. We will just stick to
cheap places, something with a drive thru.”

“And a hell no back at you,” Trent laughs. “We will eat well if we go
out, not some crappy ass French fries from a dollar menu.”

Teagan crosses her arms. “I have to pay somehow. Otherwise, it’s a date.”

“Well, it can be a platonic date.”

“A platonic date,” Teagan giggles. “Really? What does that even mean?”

“It means we’re friends who go out together, but I get to pay.” Trent
replies with a grin. She smirks at him. “So, how do you like the classes so
far?”

She nods, “I am learning a lot. I still have nightmares about what
happened, but I am even starting to fight back in my dreams.”

“That’s awesome.”

“Yeah, it kind of is,” Teagan sighs. She pauses and then asks, “So, what
are you up to for the rest of the evening?”

“Going home and watching the news,” Trent answers. “Why?”

“Want to come up and have a beer?” Teagan inquires. “It’s okay now that
you know that I am not trying to lure you in.”

“Don’t you have class in the morning?” Trent asks.

“At 9:30, we are all good,” Teagan states. “So, are you coming up?”

“Sure,” Trent says. “I am curious to see what your place looks like.”

Laughing, Teagan retorts, “Why?”

“Ex cheerleading captain,” Trent chuckles. “I want to see how you
decorate.”

“Boy band posters everywhere. N’Sync right above my bed.” Teagan
declares, spreading her hands out over her head, trying to put on a serious
face.

“Really?” Trent chuckles.

She bursts out laughing, “Not even close!”

“You never know,” Trent replies, with a smirk.

“No. I have a blue and green color scheme,” Teagan declares. “You will
have to suffer through the furniture; I had to get everything used.”

“Will I be sitting on something gross?” Trent asks.

Rolling her eyes Teagan says, “No, they are very clean. It sort of looks
like a college kid’s dorm room.”

“Been there,” Trent replies. “It will be fine.” Teagan is slightly
nervous about him coming up to her apartment, but the thought of him being
there also makes her smile. She thinks back to the morning to make sure she had
at least done the dishes and thrown the laundry in the hamper as he interrupts
her.  “I don’t remember the exact address, just the cross streets.”

“It’s that brick building,” Teagan says, pointing to the right.

“Not very big for an apartment complex,” Trent states.

With a smile, Teagan replies, “They are very small apartments. I’m the
only apartment occupied on the third floor right now.”

“That’s not good,” Trent looks at her. “If you’re in trouble, no one
would know.”

“You take this security thing to a whole different level,” Teagan laughs.
“It’s okay.  There isn’t much crime around this area.” Trent frowns, as he
pulls up to her building and gets out of the truck. Teagan gets out, too, and
she nudges her head to the apartment building. When they get there, she opens
the front door and they walk in.

“They don’t lock the front door?” Trent grumbles.

“There is a lock, but it’s been broken for a year,” Teagan sighs and puts
her hands out. “Not much I can do about it.” Trent frowns even more. Teagan
giggles and touches his arm briefly. “Will you relax? Nothing is going to
happen!”            

He shakes his head and says, “This crap just worries me. You live alone.
It makes me nervous.”

Teagan tries really hard not to grin broadly. “Always the bodyguard?”

“It’s who I am, I guess,” Trent shrugs his shoulders.

When they get up the steps, Teagan goes to the first door. She takes out
her keys and opens it. The smell of fresh laundry meets them at the door.
Quickly flipping on the lights, Teagan says, “This is my home.”

Trent walks in and looks around. “It’s definitely a girl’s apartment.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Teagan asks, a little offended. She
glances around the room, scanning her small bookshelf next to the couch. The
picture frames on top of the shelf are straight. The wall art hanging
haphazardly around the room add a homey touch, but she knows it’s not all she’s
ever wanted to do with the place.

“The decorating actually looks good. None of the guys I know could make
their place look this nice, especially if they don’t have a lot of money.”

“Oh, thanks,” Teagan replies, grinning. She shuts the door. “Do you want
a beer?”

“What do you have?”

Blushing, she whispers, “Stella. I bought it yesterday.”

A smile crosses Trent’s face. “That would be fine.”

Completely embarrassed, Teagan goes to her refrigerator. She opens it and
takes out two beers. “So,” Teagan says, popping off the tops. “Tell me
something about yourself.”

“Like what?” Trent replies, taking a beer from her.

“I don’t know. You know about me, so let me ask about you. What were you
like in high school?”

“Straight up brawler,” Trent sighs. “Got into a lot of trouble.”

“Really?” Teagan replies surprised. “I wouldn’t have guessed.” They both
take a seat at the small, glass top café table in the corner of the kitchen.
She plays with a napkin between her fingers as she listens to him, watching
him.

Trent takes a sip of beer and nods his head. “They were my rebellious years.
My parents were very proper. My mom was a second grade school teacher, and my
dad was a bank manager. I had two very well behaved siblings  Then there
was me  I tagged along with my uncle everywhere when I was younger 
He taught me my fighting skills, which I put to great use when I became a
teenager.”

“You were a scrapper,” Teagan giggles. She sets the napkin aside while
her fingers run circles on the condensation on the beer bottle.

He smiles; a vaguely reminiscent look crosses his face. “Yes, I was 
I was very disciplined until….well until I stepped foot into my high school,
then I lost it all  I was big, even back then, and I ended up in the wrong
crowd.  The older I got…..the worse I got.”

“You didn’t try out for football with your build?” Teagan inquires.

With a snort, Trent shakes his head. “Sorry sweetheart, I didn’t fall
into the same crowd as you.”

“Hell, I didn’t even fit into my clique,” Teagan sighs, sipping again
from her beer.

“What do you mean by that? Weren’t you the cheerleading captain and
dating the top jock?”