Table for Two

by Jennifer Mckenzie

  She swallowed and wanted to close her eyes, afraid he would read something in them that didn’t exist, that she didn’t want to exist. But she feared it would make things seem more important than they were, that he’d imagine it to mean something other than that she didn’t want to talk.

  She stroked a hand down his biceps. She’d always loved his arms and shoulders. Powerful, capable of swinging her up without effort, of protecting those he loved and carrying heavy burdens. Mal saw his eyes darken, knew he remembered her touch as well as she remembered his. And just as he knew her body, knew the sensitive spots, she knew his, too.

  She knew that he liked it when she rubbed her nipples against his chest, when she swirled her tongue around the edge of his ear and massaged his inner thighs.

  Mal pushed herself into a sitting position, not breaking eye contact. She yanked off her dress, not bothering to evoke images of a striptease or any slow and sexy unveiling, then tugged off Travis’s shirt, too, rubbing her hands over his chest and around his back. Her fingers unerringly dancing along the series of tattoos he had. She’d never liked a lot of tattoos on a man before Travis. Hadn’t liked them on anyone since Travis, either. But on him? Her whole body quivered and begged him to press those tattoos to her naked skin, marking her.

  She rose onto her knees, so she could push against him. True, her nipples were still covered by the silk bra she wore, but it was closer to naked than they had been. She lowered her mouth to his ear and licked.

  She heard his sharp inhalation and his hands came to her hips, gripping, holding her against him. Mal licked again, feeling a mix of power and surrender, twisting and turning until she didn’t know which held sway. Until she didn’t care.

  She might regret this later, but later didn’t matter. Not right now.

  She pressed closer, looping her hands around his neck, feeling the bunch of his muscles as he lifted her up, placed her closer to the edge of the bed. Mal didn’t worry about falling. Travis was there and he’d never let her fall. She didn’t think too deeply about that little realization.

  “Mal.” Her name was a breath on his lips. She felt her heart stutter and put her finger against his mouth.

  “Stop talking.” But this time her words came out as a whisper, too. This was not how it was supposed to go. He was supposed to throw her onto the bed and take her. Their bodies were supposed to come together like thunder and lightning. She was supposed to feel drained and sated when it was over, with her heart firmly intact. It was not supposed to be like this, where her pulse kept hiccuping. A series of tiny questioning beats that could, if she weren’t careful, crack through the guard she’d built up around herself.

  Travis’s hands came up to cradle her face, so light, while he carefully explored her lips. Every touch was thoughtful, attentive. No, it wasn’t supposed to be like this, either. Mal didn’t want a cradle. She didn’t want soft or gentle. She wanted demanding, devouring. She took his hands in hers and put them on her butt.

  Better.

  She reached behind her back to unhook her bra and felt Travis’s fingers tighten. Better yet. She shimmied the tiny scrap of red silk off and dropped it on the floor, then pressed her now-bared chest to his. He sucked in a breath through his teeth as she rubbed against him. Oh, yes. He liked this a lot. Another rub or two and she should be getting that toss on the bed she wanted.

  But after another squeeze of her behind, Travis slid his hands up her back, cradling her again, but this time her whole body, his hands holding her head safe while he kissed her. A tender kiss, one full of feelings and emotions that Mal didn’t want to feel. Not from him or from herself.

  She should take control here. Shove her tongue in his mouth, unzip his jeans and shove them down his legs, push away all these unwanted thoughts pounding in her head. Instead, she rocked back on her heels, letting Travis come with her, his added weight dipping the mattress while he gently laid her back on the bed, watching, always watching, so cautious with her, making sure she was taken care of.

  Mal felt the shiver start in her chest and work its way through her entire body until she felt fragile, delicate. Afraid.

  She looked up at Travis.

  He ran a thumb across her eyebrow, down her cheek, along her jawbone. “Are you okay?”

  Was she? Mal didn’t know. Which meant she probably wasn’t. But she felt herself nod. She would be okay, which was almost the same thing.

  Travis stretched out beside her. The rough weave of denim scraped against her thigh and she shivered. He tugged her into his arms, warming her with his body, but it wasn’t cold Mal was feeling. She shivered again and turned into him, burying her face in the curve of his shoulder and her hands in his hair.

  If they could just get down to the sex, she’d be fine. But she didn’t push again, didn’t put his hands on her or demand that they get things moving with her lips or tongue. She remained in the circle of his arms, their bodies remembering, twining together in a familiar knot.

  Travis didn’t say anything, didn’t rush or push. He simply ran his hands up and down her back in long sweeping motions. Mal felt her worries begin to drift and recede like the tide. Tomorrow would provide plenty of opportunity for wondering what had come over her, what had made her retract her previous thought that the seas would run dry before she’d ever let Travis Kincaid touch her again, let alone touch her in her bed, not even half dressed.

  She tilted her head back, her lips searching for his. But he was already there, waiting, knowing what she’d be looking for. They kissed slowly, barely brushing their mouths against each other while their hands roamed, rediscovering each other.

  Mal had forgotten how much she loved the feel of his skin, the smoothness over his muscular body. She relearned it now, taking her sweet time as she stroked, dipping her fingers beneath the waistband of his jeans and then back out.

  She wanted to think that it was only because she hadn’t been with anyone since Travis, that she was so primed for human contact that anyone could have had this effect on her, but she knew it for the lie it was. It was Travis. Always and only.

  She traced the outline of the Celtic knot on his chest with her fingers. In an easy, familiar motion, her hand slipped from point to point and then followed the circle in a long, slow sweep. She heard his intake of breath, saw the way his stomach sucked in.

  Looking up into his eyes, she saw him smiling down at her, and remembered how she used to trace his tattoos after sex while they talked. She yanked her fingers back.

  “Hey.” Travis caught her hand before she could bury it behind her back like the bad hand it was. “You don’t have to stop.”

  Mal knew she didn’t have to, but she needed to. Just as she needed Travis to put his clothes on and leave. But she didn’t say anything. And she didn’t stop him when he drew her hand back to his chest, placed it on top of the knot, the symbol of something without end.

  She felt the steady thrum of his pulse against her palm, saw the question in his eyes and made her decision. If only for tonight, she would enjoy this, enjoy him.

  Mind made up, she returned to her slow exploration, rediscovering the planes of his body, the velvet feel of his skin.

  His breathing came sharper, faster, and Mal felt the strain of his body as he battled not to overpower, to take control of the situation and her. The guard around her heart slipped just a fraction. She shored it up by kissing him hard in an attempt to remind herself that this was only physical.

  Emotions weren’t required and, in fact, she preferred they not make an appearance at all.

  But they kept rearing up when she least expected it. Like when he stroked the side of her neck before kissing it and the way he rocked his body into hers twice before settling her against him. Little reminders, the routines they’d long ago established that she’d forgotten about until now.

  He ran a hand down her sid
e and stopped on the curve of her hip. Mal felt the warm press of his hand, the heaviness and strength, and felt her body rise in response. Whatever problems continued to exist between them, they weren’t an issue now.

  Travis fingered the edge of her panties, slipping the silky material down and then back up. Running it back and forth along her skin so that even the lightest touch left her breathless and aching for more. She buried her face in the side of his neck.

  “Please.” It was a whisper, barely heard over the rustle of covers and exhale of breath. Mal was embarrassed that she was so responsive with someone she claimed to be over, but her need to be held and touched and taken overcame that. She pushed against him, feeling the rub of her nipples against his chest. “Please.”

  Travis didn’t answer. At least, not in words. With a low growl, he flipped her onto her back, loomed over her. Mal felt another rush of longing, gave a low moan of her own when he slipped a hand inside her underwear and stroked.

  “Mal.” Her name was another moan as he lowered his forehead to hers. His finger stroked again, beginning a sure rhythm that her body remembered. She clutched at his shoulders, his arms, grappling for something to hang onto, something to keep her grounded while he brought her body to the heights of pleasure.

  Her legs fell open, spread wider for him, not only granting access but begging him to take it. She wanted him naked, too, but the signal from her brain to her body got muddled in the pleasure and all she could do was lie back and enjoy.

  He slipped her underwear off, a quick flick of motion, then ran his hands up the insides of her legs from her ankles to her inner thighs. “You are so beautiful.”

  She blushed, though it probably wasn’t visible in the dim light. “Travis.” But his name was lost in another moan as he pushed her legs farther apart and shimmied down the bed to pay proper homage to her nudity.

  She jerked at the first flick of his tongue. Her mind suddenly filled with the unbidden image of the woman in Aruba whom he’d pleased in the identical fashion. “Stop.” She gasped when he licked again, the edges of the image beginning to shimmer. “Travis. Not this.”

  He stopped where he was. She tried to close her legs, but he was nestled between them, the flat of his tongue still pressed against her. When he removed it, the stroke was long and slow and nearly sent her reeling. “You love this.” His voice was sure, the tone of a lover who knew his partner’s favorites well.

  It was true. She did love that. But that other woman...

  She squeezed her eyes shut, tried to catch her breath.

  “Mal?” His breath whispered against her skin, sending another pulse of pleasure rolling through her body.

  “I just...” She swallowed. Was he going to make her say it? Force her to relive the humiliating scene in living color? Some of the heat leached out of her body. Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe she should stop him now and ask him to go before things went any farther.

  Travis’s hands rested on her thighs. His thumbs rubbed in small, soothing circles. “It’s just us, Mal. You and me.” He pressed a kiss to her inner thigh. “Nothing else matters.”

  “We don’t live in a vacuum.” Although wasn’t that what she’d wanted? To encase herself in the thick folds of fantasy just for the night, to have her last goodbye. She sucked in a breath.

  His thumbs circled higher. Mal felt her body respond, eager for his touch. He stroked her thighs and bent his head again, but didn’t touch this time. “Just us,” he repeated.

  Mal nodded slowly and reached for his hands, pulling him toward her, until the lengths of their bodies were pressed together. “Then let’s just be us.” She dug her fingers into the waistband of the jeans he still wore. “Without these.”

  Travis disposed of his jeans and boxers in a flash and settled his big, hard body between her thighs.

  Mal wanted to wrap herself around him. “I don’t have condoms,” she said. There’d been no need, seeing as she hadn’t even dated in recent memory. Until tonight.

  “Good.”

  Mal was so busy kissing him, running her hands up and down his back, over his thighs, desperate to get closer, to feel more, that it took a second for his words to register. “Good?”

  “Yes.” Travis was kissing her back, but his movements were measured and controlled, sucking every drop of feeling from the moment. “Because it means you’ve been waiting for me.”

  “I have not.” Her defense was automatic. But even as irritation rose at his cockiness, his high-handed explanation for why she might not have felt like throwing herself into bed with someone else, she wanted him. Her hands continued to roam, her mouth to taste, though she did give him a little bite on the shoulder, just to show that he didn’t know everything.

  He laughed. “Deny it all you want. Your lack of protection speaks for itself. Not to worry. I came prepared.”

  “I’d say you shouldn’t have bothered, but...” But she’d have been lying, and they’d both have known it.

  Travis lifted his head and ran a finger down her cheek. “I’ll always take care of you, Mal.”

  The overwhelming urge for more now came to a sudden halt. She felt exposed and not because she was naked. “I never asked you to take care of me.” She wanted to sound strong and assured, the kind of woman who knew what she wanted and demanded it without fear.

  “That’s what you do when you love someone, you support them. You care for them.”

  “No one said anything about love.” Her lungs struggled for breath and her limbs felt heavy, but she didn’t push him away.

  “You didn’t have to.” He kissed her then, a light press of lips that started slow and built.

  Mal didn’t stop him and didn’t find the words to respond. She didn’t know how she felt. Or maybe she did and it was something she wanted to keep to herself.

  When he kissed her deeper, his tongue sliding between her lips, she welcomed him. The obliteration of thought and truth, replaced by the sweet release of touch.

  And when he put on a condom and slid inside her, she was pretty sure she’d forget everything, including her own name. But as the yearning for more grew and filled her, she realized there was one thing she still hadn’t forgotten. This feeling that had only ever been provided by this man.

  “Travis.” It was a benediction on her lips, a sigh of approval and gratitude. And as he rocked inside her, arms wrapped around her body, holding her close, the motion slow and steady as opposed to hard and fast, Mal felt everything break. Her body, her emotions, the carefully erected wall around her heart.

  And worried she wouldn’t be able to put herself back together again.

  CHAPTER SIX

  YES, THIS WAS how it was supposed to be.

  Travis cupped a hand over Mal’s hip and pulled her more firmly into his body. He’d missed spooning, matching his breathing to hers, slow and even. Feeling the way she shifted and shifting in return until their limbs and torsos were melded together in a tangle of unity.

  Together, like they were supposed to be.

  He exhaled softly and lifted her hair off her neck so he could press a kiss to that warm, scented skin. He’d be lying if he said that he’d known this would be the end result of his visit. But Travis wasn’t one to question his good fortune. He would just appreciate it and do everything in his power to make sure it lasted. He kissed her neck again, finding it impossible not to taste and touch. He had a lot of months to catch up on and a lot to make up for.

  “Travis?” Mal’s voice was thick and dreamy, and her eyes remained closed.

  “Yes?” he whispered, not wanting to break the moment.

  Her hand found his, laced her fingers through his and dragged his palm to her chest. She wriggled back, snuggling against him more completely. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  He felt the lift of anticipation, the bloom of
hope rise in his chest and played it cool. “Me, too.” He felt anything but cool, and not just because they were naked in bed.

  He heard her breathing even out, grow deeper, felt the slackening of her body as she fell asleep. He closed his eyes, shifted just a little closer and for the first time in a long time felt content. He wrapped his arm around her more fully, blanketing her, not wanting any part of them to be separated. They’d been separated too long already.

  A few hours later, Travis awoke slowly, each part of his body rising to alertness while his mind swam through the slumbering fog. He felt good, rested, fulfilled.

  Mal lay beside him, still dead asleep, her hair fanned out on the pillow. Travis felt one more part of his body rise to alertness.

  His hand was curled around hers and wedged between her breasts. She’d slipped one leg between his while they slept, creating a knot of unity. Good. He liked it this way.

  The sky was still dark, no hint of sun peeking through the blinds in her room, and the clock told him that most people wouldn’t be up for a couple of hours. Travis could go back to sleep, too, but he wanted to enjoy every moment of being exactly where he was. With Mal.

  Travis pressed more fully against her, smiling when she exhaled softly and wriggled closer. She murmured something, but since the words weren’t along the lines of, “What are you doing in my bed?” or worse, “Oh, Josh, Tom, Harry, some-other-man’s-name,” Travis was content. He didn’t move. Not even when his left shoulder began to ache and his right hand went to sleep.

  He’d love to take Mal out for breakfast and then walk her to work before he met with Sara to discuss final concerns about the property. He hoped they might sign the papers today. He couldn’t wait to show Mal. She’d loved The Blue Mermaid and Travis had no doubt that she’d have some thoughts on the changes he should make as he renovated it into a fresh, new spot in the city’s night scene. His lips curved up as he thought about Mal and the bar and the new life he was starting.