Travis was still focused on her calling his pictures hot. He leaned down and kissed her neck. He loved her neck. She was so soft there and always smelled good. Plus, he knew she liked it, and he also loved getting a response out of her.
“You think I’m hot.”
She hummed and laughed as she pushed a couple of fingers through his belt loops. “I think you already know that. At this point, it would be easier to list the women who didn’t think you were sexy.”
“Hmm … that’s nice, but I only care about one woman’s opinion,” he said behind her ear.
“Stop getting me all worked up. We can’t have sex tonight.”
Kiss. “Why”—kiss, suck—“not?”
“Hello? Stupid Mother Nature.”
He bit her earlobe. “There’s always the shower.” It didn’t really bother him, but he knew that it sometimes bothered the woman, so a shower was always a great solution.
She looped her hands around his neck. “I like the way you think.”
Travis put his forehead against hers. “It’s a date then.”
She grinned. “Is this before or after you have dessert?”
He smiled. “I really love having sex with you, but I’m eating dessert first.”
She laughed, and Travis heard a noise off to the side. He figured it was everyone coming back, but when they looked over, it was Robert with his camera up.
The camera was lowered, and Robert looked sheepish. “Sorry. I should have asked permission first, but I didn’t want to ruin the moment.” He wiggled his hand back and forth. “I can delete them if you want.”
Travis looked to Sydney with a raised brow, putting the decision in her hands.
“Do they look good?” she asked.
Robert scoffed. “Of course.”
“Then, keep them. But I want to see them.”
Robert grinned. “Deal. I’ll send them to you once I go through them.” His eyes moved to Travis. “Everything okay?”
“Everything’s great.”
“I think everyone is coming back. You ready to get started?”
“Yep.”
“How would you feel about taking some photos with Leon?”
“You mean, some male-on-male pictures?” Sydney asked, her eyes wide.
“As long as they’re both okay with it.”
“Sure.” He’d done them before, and the hardest part was him and the guy he was posing with not laughing too much. For him, it was always easier to fake intimacy with women, but he was constantly impressed with how his pictures with other men had turned out. It probably had more to do with the person behind the camera though.
“Yes,” Sydney said. “I can’t wait. Note to self: write M/M novel ASAP.”
Travis collapsed against me as he pinned me to the cold shower wall. It felt good against the heat of his body and the warm water pelting down on us.
“That was amazing,” I told him.
Travis grinned at me while he slowly withdrew from my body and set me on my feet. “It kind of was, wasn’t it?”
I playfully socked him in the stomach. “Kind of? In that case, I want you to know I was fantasizing about Leon while we were doing it.”
Travis gasped mockingly and put his hand on his chest.
I rolled my eyes as I grabbed the body wash, but he took it out of my hand.
He poured a big glob in his hand and began washing my front. He turned me toward the water and began scrubbing my back. “You weren’t really thinking about Leon, were you?”
I grinned and had to bite my lip from laughing out loud. “No.”
I heard his breath release.
“But, to be honest, when I watched the two of you taking pictures together, I did get worked up. It is so hot, seeing two guys together. Until you both ruined it by laughing.”
Travis chuckled. “Sorry, sexy. Sometimes, it’s hard to fake it for long periods of time. Laughing and joking take some of the pressure off.”
I thought about what it would be like to intimately pose with a woman. While I found women beautiful and I could definitely see their attraction, I wasn’t attracted to them. It would be hard, but I assumed it would be harder for a heterosexual man. Women were naturally more intimate with their friends. Harper and I had shared a bed before when there was nowhere else to sleep. It wasn’t a big deal. I bet, if two straight guys ran into that problem, one of them would sleep on the floor. Not all men, but a lot that I knew.
“I understand. I think you both did an excellent job today. I’m hoping to buy one of your pictures for a book cover.”
He wrapped his arms around my middle, and I leaned my head against his chest.
“You know I’m not going to oppose that.” He kissed my cheek. “I just need to quickly wash my hair, and then I’ll get out of your way, so you can have the shower to yourself.”
“Sounds good.” I liked sharing a shower, but it was hard to actually get clean sometimes.
When I got out of the shower, I could hear Travis talking on the phone through the door.
“It went great. Much better than last time. I’ll have to tell you about it when I get home.” Pause. “Really? When?” Pause. “Okay. That would be nice. I’ll have to warn her.”
I wondered if I was the her that he was talking about and what he had to warn me about.
I dried off, slipped on my robe, and stepped out of the bathroom as he was finishing up his call.
“Our plane gets in at five thirty.” Pause. “Okay. See you then.” Pause. “Bye, sis.” He hit End on his phone and threw it on the bed. “Lynn is going to pick us up from the airport tomorrow.”
“Oh.”
His friend Barry had driven us, so I’d assumed he’d take us home. I had yet to meet his family, and we actually hadn’t really talked about it, so I was a little surprised. But it was also exciting that he was inviting me to meet his sister.
He studied me. “Is that okay?”
“Of course.” I smiled. “I would love to meet your sister. I just hope she likes me.”
Travis pulled me into his arms. “She’s going to love you.”
Travis’s sister didn’t love me. Don’t get me wrong; she didn’t hate me. But I did not feel any love coming from her when she met us at the airport.
Lynn ran up to Travis and threw her arms around him. I was a little envious because, even though my brother and I saw each other often, I could never picture either of us running up and hugging each other. We simply weren’t that close.
When they separated, Travis introduced us, and Lynn held out her hand to me. I shook it as she studied me. I hoped she wasn’t wondering what a guy like her brother was doing with a woman like me. She nodded politely after her assessment, but I felt an I don’t know if I can trust you yet vibe.
“Nice to meet you,” I said to her despite her reservations. I was looking forward to seeing another side of Travis.
“Same here,” she said, her voice cool and her face devoid of an expression. She didn’t sound like it was especially nice to meet me.
Lynn had light-brown hair, a shade or two darker than Travis’s dark blond, and the same green eyes. She was pretty but not as good-looking as Travis. But I could be biased.
“Do you need to grab any luggage?” she asked us.
“Nope, we both brought carry-ons,” Travis said.
“Great. Let’s go then.”
I trailed behind Travis and his sister as we walked to her car. They were talking about someone they apparently both knew, so I just followed them, eavesdropping on their conversation about someone who had gotten into trouble with the law again.
When we got to Lynn’s car and loaded our bags in the back, Travis turned to me. “Sorry. We were talking about our cousin.”
I shrugged and smiled. “No big deal.”
I’d had him all weekend. His sister could certainly have his attention for a while.
I moved to get in the backseat
behind Lynn, so I could see Travis in the passenger seat. It took a few minutes to get out of the airport parking ramp, but soon, we were on our way. Seeing as it was the weekend, the traffic was pretty thin compared to a weekday, and I hoped we would quickly get to Travis’s place.
“Last-minute family dinner tonight. How does Cowboy Jack’s sound? Mom and Dad are going to meet us there,” Lynn asked.
“Sounds delicious. But, surprise or not, you should have warned us.” He looked down at his T-shirt and shorts. “I would have dressed better.” He looked back at me and grinned. “I hope I look okay.”
I smiled back, but it took a little effort. I had thought we were hanging out the rest of the evening. Usually, if I went to his place on Sunday, I wouldn’t go home until Monday morning or afternoon when he went to work. But, apparently, he was having dinner with his family. And brushing me off. Although maybe I shouldn’t have assumed we would be hanging out all night.
Travis must have noticed my discomfort. “Hey, is that okay about dinner?”
I reminded myself that I couldn’t be a Travis hog. I was disappointed, but there were things I could take care of at home, too. I didn’t need to be with him all the time.
“Yes, it’s fine. I’m sure your family wants to hang out with you as much as I do.”
He smiled at me and looked at his sister. They exchanged a look, but I didn’t have the slightest clue what it could mean.
“Where is Cowboy Jack’s?” I asked. I had never been there.
“Bloomington.”
Uh-oh. Bloomington was on the way to Travis’s house in Minnetonka. It would be out of the way to go to his house and then turn around and go back to the restaurant. It would add at least an extra half hour to the trip.
“Are you planning to go to Travis’s first?” I asked.
Lynn looked into the rearview mirror and met my eyes. “It doesn’t make much sense to go to his house and drive back to the restaurant. Travis said you lived in Bloomington. Did you need something at his house?”
Just my car. And I don’t live in Bloomington. I live in Shakopee.
I looked at Travis to see if he’d tell her that I needed to get my vehicle, but he kept his mouth shut as he stared out the front window, oblivious to my situation.
I pulled my phone out from my purse. “I left my car at Travis’s, but I can ask someone to come and get me from the restaurant. I live in Shakopee, so you’d have to go out of your way to drop me off at my house or Travis’s place.”
“Sorry, I must have heard wrong,” Lynn said.
I blew out a big breath. We should have discussed tonight’s plans while we were still at the airport. I could’ve had someone pick me up from there. Then, I could have told Lynn that she didn’t have to take me home since I didn’t live in the city she thought I did.
But at least the restaurant would be closer to home and to Travis’s house, so it would be less driving for whoever picked me up.
I saw Travis turn in his seat as I dialed Lexie. As I put the phone to my ear and listened to it ring, I looked up to see him frowning.
I wasn’t surprised when she didn’t answer. She rarely used her phone for talking to people, as with most teenagers. And I didn’t bother leaving her a message, as her voice mail was never listened to. I’d have to send her a text to call me back.
I brought the phone down from my ear and sighed as I hit End.
“What are you doing?” Travis asked.
“Trying to get ahold of Lexie.”
“Why?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Because she’s young and single.” I snorted. “I’d rather bug her to give me a ride than Harper.”
Travis chuckled. “No, I mean, why are you trying to find a ride in the first place?”
My eyes darted to Lynn and back to Travis. “Because you’re going to dinner with your family, and I don’t want your sister to have to drive out of the way to your place or my place.”
I looked away. I was getting crabby with the whole situation. Another joy of having my period. I suddenly wanted to be home and have this night be over, so I could hopefully wake up in a better mood.
Stupid hormones.
I quickly sent Lexie a text to call me right away, but I was probably going to have to bother someone else. I didn’t want to wait outside like a loser while his family was eating inside. It felt weird.
“Syd,” Travis said.
I looked up from my phone. “Yeah?”
“You’re going to dinner with us, you know.”
My eyes shifted to Lynn again. I was pretty sure Travis had that wrong. Nowhere in that conversation had I been invited to eat with them.
Lynn looked in her rearview mirror to meet my eyes again. “Oh, yeah, you’re going. You and Travis have been dating a while, and we thought it was time to meet his girlfriend.”
I looked at Travis, and he laughed.
“You should see your face.”
I could only imagine the look I was sporting at the moment. That was the second time someone had called me his girlfriend.
Does he really see me that way? And why didn’t they just say we were all going out to eat?
I was feeling feisty now. I crossed my arms over my chest. “It’s not like you said anything.”
He leaned over and put his hand on my knee. “We’ve been talking about going to dinner since we got in the car.”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t know I was invited.”
He squeezed my leg. “You’re always invited, Sydney.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, but it didn’t last. A smile broke through my mean look.
But I was still a little frustrated, so I stuck my tongue out at him, too.
Travis laughed, and I picked up my phone to tell Lexie never mind.
Travis’s parents were both nice, regular-looking people. I’d always pictured two supermodels giving birth to someone like Travis, but they were an everyday, average couple.
“Sydney, these are my parents, Chad and Bonnie. Mom, Dad, this is Sydney, the woman I’ve been dating.”
Travis’s father had a full head of hair that was completely gray, and he had a little bit of a belly. In my head, I’d thought he’d be as fit as Travis.
His mother was short and blonde with crow’s-feet. Her smile was bright and sincere.
“Nice to meet you both,” I said. “I’m sorry I’m not better dressed.”
Travis wasn’t the only one wearing comfortable travel clothes.
“That’s okay, dear. We know that you two just got off a plane.”
“Zehler,” someone from the hostess stand called out.
“That was fast,” Chad said.
We were brought back to a long table with three chairs on each side. I made sure to sit by Travis while the rest of his family sat on the other side.
“So, you’re an author?” Bonnie asked.
“Yes. I write romance.”
I waited to see their responses. Some people insulted romance novels even though it was the highest-selling fiction genre. There was still stigma around it that it was smut or mommy porn.
“Oh, I love romance.” Bonnie leaned toward me. “It’s a bit weird to read a novel with my son on the cover though.”
“Tell me about it,” Lynn said. “It kind of creeps me out.”
I laughed. “I never really thought about it, but it makes sense.”
“Do you have any sons, dear?” Bonnie asked.
“No. But I do have a brother and a nephew.” Yikes. “I think I would have to ignore the front of the book and just keep reading.”
Bonnie winked at me. “That’s what I usually do.” After the server came over and took our drink orders, Bonnie asked me, “So, how long have you been writing?”
I had to think about that. “For about six years now. But it was only about a year and a half ago that I was able to quit my day job and write full-time.”
“Oh, what did you do b
efore you were a writer?” Chad asked.
“I was a buyer for Target. I like my job now much better.”
“Good for you for doing something you love,” Bonnie said. “Are your parents proud of you?”
“Well, my mom passed away four years ago, so I had only just gotten started with my writing career.”
“I’m so sorry, sweetheart,” Bonnie said.
Travis put his arm around the back of my chair and kissed the side of my head.
I smiled. “Thank you. It makes me sad, but I like talking about her. And, as for my dad, as long as I can support myself and I don’t start rooting for the Packers, he stands behind whatever I do.”
Travis laughed. “Your dad is funny.”
“You’ve only met him once.”
“Yeah, but all he cared about was if I watched sports. Nothing about his daughter.”
I rolled my eyes. “You noticed that, huh? Yeah, he’s a real peach.”
Dinner went by fast, and before I knew it, we were done eating and picking at our plates. Or more like, Travis was still picking at my plate when the server brought over the bill. His parents wouldn’t let me pay, so I insisted they let me leave the tip.
We walked out to the front of the restaurant, and Chad said, “Son, can you stop over a minute and help me move the couch?”
“Sure. I’ll come over after Lynn drops us off.”
“Just ride with Mom and Dad. Sydney can ride with me. I have to stop and pick up a prescription, and we’ll meet you there.” Lynn put her arm through mine. “We can have some one-on-one girl time.”
Travis looked at me, and I wanted to say no, but I hated to sound rude. I couldn’t say that I was scared to be alone with his sister out loud.
“Sure. That works.”
At his sister’s car, he pulled me into his arms and kissed me. “Text me if she starts getting mean.”
“Hey,” his sister said from the other side of the vehicle.
“I’m joking,” he told Lynn. He looked back at me and shook his head. “Seriously, text me.”
Object of My Desire Page 18