“I know.”
“Can I...?” He didn’t finish the question, looking up at her, instead. If she asked him to stop, he would. If it took time for her to learn to enjoy this part of intimacy again, he was up to the challenge.
But instead of gripping his shoulders and tugging him back up, or pressing her knees together in a silent request for time, Mal nodded. “Yes, I’d like that.”
Her legs fell open, spread wider for him, not only granting access but begging him to take it. He ran his hands up the insides of her legs from her ankles to her inner thighs. “You are so beautiful,” he said, and watched the pretty blush rise in her cheeks.
“Travis.” But his name was lost in another moan as he pushed her legs farther apart and pressed forward to pay proper homage to her beauty.
The first taste nearly put Travis over the edge. His entire body swelled, grew hard for her. It sent her reeling, too, judging from her gasping breaths. He licked again, then slowed, taking his time, changing the pace. Driving out thoughts of anyone and anything but what was happening between them right now. He watched as she moaned, her head lolling back as the pleasure swept through her.
Her fingers gripped the edge of his desk. Travis wanted her to grip him, to hang onto him, to know that he wasn’t going anywhere. He unfurled her hands, still slowly licking, his eyes never leaving hers and placed her hands on his shoulders. Then he turned his attention back to the task at hand. Or at tongue.
He felt the first shudder, the small explosions as her legs began to shake and her back arched.
Travis placed a hand on her stomach, riding the waves out with her. When she opened her eyes, he smiled. “Thank you.”
“I think I’m the one who should be thanking you.” Her voice was breathy, her entire body now rosy with pleasure. He admired it for a moment.
“Are you done?” she teased.
His smile widened. “Not even close.”
And when he rolled on protection and slid inside her, Travis felt as if he was home. For the first time in nearly two years, he was exactly where he should be, with exactly the right person.
Mal’s eyes were huge as she looked up at him, her fingers digging into his biceps as their bodies rocked together. Desk sex might never catch on as the next big thing, but it felt right somehow. A return to what had once seemed insurmountable, proof that together they could handle anything as a team.
“I love you,” she said. Travis felt a shudder of pleasure, one stronger and more powerful than any homecoming. “I never stopped.”
“Don’t.” His hips moved faster. “Promise me you’ll never stop.”
“I promise.” Their foreheads were pressed together, eyes locked. Her nails bit into his skin. He rejoiced in the connection, in the way she—unknowingly or not—was announcing that he was her choice, that this time, they’d chosen each other.
He saw the widening of her gaze, the flare of pleasure as he hit just the right spot and he stroked again, keeping up a steady motion until she jerked, arched her back and began to shudder all around him. He came then, too, the initial tidal wave of release followed by slow steady ripples.
Travis didn’t move, didn’t even make a motion to shift, to uncouple or straighten, though his left thigh was beginning to cramp. Small price to pay for the pleasuring of one’s love. He could hear the thump of Mal’s heart, the brush of her breath across his own and her low hum of satisfaction.
“I could get used to that,” she murmured.
“You’d better.” He grinned, plans to make this particular meeting a regular occurrence already thrumming through his brain. And then another thought joined it. One that made desk sex a distant memory, which was a pretty impressive feat considering they were both still naked on top of it.
Travis, being careful to maintain as much body contact as possible, reached down to pull open the top drawer of his desk. His fingers scrabbled among the pens, paper clips and other office supplies that were deemed necessary but rarely used, until he felt what he was looking for.
He pulled out the small blue box and flipped open the lid. The time was now and right.
“Mallory Ford, will you marry me?”
She stilled and then struggled to sit up. “I’m not dressed.” She sounded scandalized, as though clothing was a requirement. Maybe it was for most people, but they weren’t most people.
“The only thing your outfit needs is a ring.” He shifted to a standing position and plucked the ring from the box. Her eyes tracked the movement. “Well?”
She looked at him. “Travis, I...” Her lips pursed and she studied the ring again. “That wasn’t why I came.”
“No, you came for the sex, you stayed for the ring.” He picked up her left hand. “If we’re going to start over, then let’s start over. All the way over.”
He saw her swallow, the nervous flick of her head as she tossed her hair and looked from the ring to him and back again. But she didn’t pull her hand away and didn’t tense when he slipped the ring onto her left finger.
“Mal?”
She looked up from the ring. “Yes.” And she smiled, a sudden brightening of everything. “Yes. I’ll marry you.”
And this time, Travis felt sure it would be forever.
EPILOGUE
MAL’S FINGERS STRAYED to her hip, gently stroking the skin beneath her party dress. The Blue Mill looked amazing. All done up and dressed up for her parents’ surprise anniversary party.
“I still can’t believe you pulled this off without anyone slipping up and telling us,” her mother said, as she hugged Mal with one arm. “It’s just wonderful.”
It was. But then, recently wed in a small ceremony that included just her own immediate family and Travis’s, Mal was inclined to think everything was wonderful. Rose-colored glasses, through the eyes of love or just sheer contentment, she didn’t know. Really, it didn’t matter as long as she and Travis were together. “Well, Grace did most of the planning.”
“I can tell that you all put your own touches on it,” Evelyn Ford said. “Julia’s food, Donovan organizing the limo, Owen’s slide show.”
Owen had dug up family photos from the past thirty-some years and put them together in a slide show that played against one of the walls. Mal had seen the initial iteration, but true to his personality, Owen had added a few extras, including one of her at twelve, with scabby knees and braces, and one of Donovan with the mullet he’d sported at age six. She’d noted there were no such embarrassing photos of Owen in the show.
“Travis’s restaurant, which is lovely. But the idea, the spirit?” Evelyn hugged her a little harder this time. “I know that was all you.”
“It was all of us. Everyone had been excited by the idea, not just me.” Mal was happy to share credit, except for the slide show.
“I know my kids.” Evelyn smoothed Mal’s hair away from her face. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Mal led the hugging this time, her heart so full of joy and love that if it were possible, she was sure it would burst.
“Can anyone join in on the fun or is this a private moment?” Travis’s low voice curled around her like a balm, and disengaged her from one family member to be enveloped by another, his arm slipping around her waist, forearm resting on her hip.
“Travis, I was just saying what an amazing job you all did.” Her mother chattered for a minute, full of gratitude and attitude. “I promise to come back and talk more, but I see Gus.” She started off, calling his name in a tone that Mal knew very well. And when Mal turned to look, her dad was guiltily putting down an extremely large piece of cheesecake.
“Poor guy can’t even eat his own party food.”
Mal leaned her head against her husband’s shoulder. “Poor guy is on his third piece of cheesecake.”
Travis laughed and settl
ed his arm a little more securely around her waist. The side of her hip warmed, lit up as though she’d been spotlighted. She pressed it more firmly against him.
He lifted some of the weight. “Is it still bothering you?” His tone was solicitous.
“No. It’s fine. I’m fine.” She took his arm, flipping it over to display the latest tattoo, inked into the underside of his forearm.
The luckenbooth, two hearts intertwined, an old Scottish symbol of love. She sported a matching one on her hip. Both placements were carefully selected so that when his arm was around her, the tattoos met, a perfect match.
Mal pressed his arm back around her hip, the tattoos touching each other, and smiled. Maybe later she’d let him check it over personally. Perhaps he’d need to give it and her a thorough going-over. Just to be sure that it had healed properly.
Travis had wanted to tell everyone about their shared pieces of body art after the tattoos were inked—a permanent representation of their future together. He’d been so pleased when Mal had suggested getting them, but as much as she wanted to shout their reunion to anyone and everyone, she’d deferred from sharing her tattoo and had ensured that, as well as lining up with Travis’s, it was placed in such a way that even in a swimsuit—so long as she stayed away from string bikinis—it would remain a secret.
While it was true Mal didn’t want secrets, not from her family, not from her friends, there were still some things that were meant to be kept untold.
Known only by a husband and wife.
* * ***
Keep reading for an excerpt from HER HOMETOWN REDEMPTION by Rachel Brimble.
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Her Hometown Redemption
by Rachel Brimble
CHAPTER ONE
FAR TOO QUICKLY for Tanya Todd’s liking, the view from the deck of the ferry filled with Templeton Cove’s shoreline. The beach glimmered beneath the ripples of heat rising from its sands, causing specks to sparkle like diamonds...yet Tanya had no idea if Templeton would offer her riches or rejection. At least, she wouldn’t until she stepped from the boat and waited for the residents’ reaction to her return. Exhaling a shaky breath, she raised her hand to the crown of her wide-brimmed straw hat, closed her eyes and lifted her face to the heat of the midday sun.
Her heart pounded with each crash of the water against the boat, her nerves hitching higher with every jerk and dip. There was no use in denying why she was aboard the ferry, or even why she’d decided to return to the place she once fled; she was running home with more than one job to do. The days ahead would be tough, and even though weakness threatened inside her, she would triumph for both her and her sister.
She dropped her chin and opened her eyes.
The deep blue sea stretched far ahead, white froth rising on the waves as the ferry’s bow sliced through the ocean. Templeton was beautiful. A place where many found salvation and security. A homeland where the residents gathered in solidarity, in celebration or crisis. A place Tanya once found suffocating, limiting...downright nauseating.
Now, in her failure and shame, the Cove was the place she hoped would offer peace to her heart and mind. She would start over from the mess she’d made of her life—and see justice served to a man who had run free for far too long.
Anger and determination rose and Tanya pushed away from the railing. Sliding on her oversize sunglasses, she strode along the wooden planks. The sidelong glances of men and women alike didn’t go unnoticed, reminding her once again how difficult the road ahead might be once the ferry sailed into port.
Sliding off her sunglasses, Tanya carefully climbed down the steel steps onto the lower deck. The space was dense with men, women and children clamoring toward the locker area, eager to reclaim their luggage and start their vacation, or return to their families. Lowering her eyes, Tanya shouldered her way through the crowd to her locker.
Her fingers trembled around the key as she pushed it into the lock and opened the door. She pulled on the sports bag that contained the remaining things that hadn’t been shipped to Templeton a month before.
“Damn it. Come on.” She heaved and tugged some more, but the bag refused to budge. Exasperation broke out in cold perspiration on her brow. “For goodness’ sake—”
“Excuse me, do you need some help with that?”
Tanya snapped her head around and met the dark brown stare of Templeton’s token millionaire and all-round good guy, Jay Garrett.
His eyes widened. “Tanya. My God.”
Heat warmed her cheeks and Tanya forced a laugh. “Jay, fancy seeing you here.”
As Templeton’s premier entrepreneur, Jay’s travel to and from the Cove had always been frequent, but why did he have to be aboard the ferry today of all days?
He gave her a hesitant smile. “Is it really that much of a surprise?”
She dropped her hands from the bag, fondness for him replacing her previous shock. “No, that was my pathetic attempt at ironic wit. Clearly, I need more practice.” She tilted her head toward her bag and grimaced. “Could you...”
“Of course.” He gave the bag a sharp tug and it came free. “There you go.”
“Thanks.”
He pulled it from her reach and winked. “Allow me. Shall we go up? The boat’s about to dock.”
Nerves rippled through Tanya’s stomach but she forced a smile. “Sure.”
His eyes flickered with a flash of concern before he nodded toward the stairwell. “After you.”
Pushing up the fallen strap of her sundress, Tanya took a deep breath and stepped ahead of him. With Jay’s curiosity burning into her back, the line of people in front of her was a welcome distraction. Sooner or later, he would ask her why she’d returned...and then the lies would begin. She wasn’t ready to share her reasons with anyone. At least, not yet.
Tanya stepped forward as the line shuffled toward the exit, and sent up a silent prayer for God to forgive her secrecy and, at the same time, grant her the strength to persuade Templeton’s people to welcome her home.
Gripping the banister, she climbed the stairs. Nowhere other than Templeton could give her the grounding she needed...or be a better place to start her investigations into the whereabouts of her sister’s molester.
When Tanya stepped onto the upper deck, the sun was fierce after the shadow of the lower deck and she slipped her sunglasses back on before turning to Jay. “Thanks for the help with my bag.”
He stared at her, his brow creased. “How long are you staying?”
Tanya faced the ferry terminal that approached at a terrifying speed. “A while.”
“A while? As in weeks?”
“Maybe more.”
“Tanya?”
Tanya took a breath and turned. “What?”
He hooked a finger over the nosepiece of her glasses and eased them down her nose slightly. “Does Liam know you’re back?”
Surprise jolted through her. “No. Why?”
He dropped his finger from her glasses and lifted an eyebrow. “You haven’t told him...haven’t warned him?”
“Warned him?” She jabbed her glasses back onto her face, huffing out a lau
gh. “You make me sound like the Creature from the Black Lagoon.”
He didn’t return her laugh. “Liam’s quite the man around town now. One of the county’s top criminal lawyers, in fact.”
Pride washed through her and she smiled. “I know.”
His gaze softened. “Been keeping tabs on him, huh?”
Yes, but I’m not about to admit that to anyone, including you. “I’m happy for him. I’m sure my coming back won’t immediately fill him with happiness, but in time—”
“He’ll get used to the idea?”
She frowned. “I hope we’ll be friends.”
Jay glanced toward the terminal. “He pretty much keeps to himself these days. Much to the annoyance of more than a few women in town.”
She followed his gaze, fighting her nerves as her stomach lurched. “Well, Liam’s personal and professional lives are none of my concern. It’s a free country, Jay. If I want to come back here, no one can stop me.”
If the protectiveness in Jay’s eyes was anything to go by, his friendship with Liam had grown since she’d last been at the Cove. She swallowed. What else had changed? Had Liam?
Jay studied her a moment longer before lifting his shoulders. “Fair enough, but if you’ve come back to the place that never seemed good enough for you, I hope you’re going to at least try to build some bridges.”
Tanya’s heart picked up speed as she struggled to keep her nerves under wraps. “Meaning?”
“Meaning, you left Liam high and dry when the guy thought things were going well between you. Meaning, you and I had our fair share of arguments in the past, too. I’d rather not go down that path with you again.”
She pulled back her shoulders. “You weren’t always the man you are today, Jay. You’ve messed up, too. Isn’t anyone else allowed to do the same?” His gaze darkened and Tanya resisted the urge to step back. She squeezed her eyes shut. “Give me a chance, okay?” She opened her eyes. “I’ve changed. I just need people to give me the opportunity to prove it.”
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