“It is not the same thing. I’m trained to handle these situations. You can’t even load a gun properly.”
“Because you haven’t taught me.”
“Yet.”
“I’m serious, Bliss.”
“And so am I. You’d have done the same thing I did. Don’t act like you wouldn’t.”
“It’s still different. You could have been killed.”
“I wasn’t. You were there.”
And he had been. Even in those dark, awful moments in the snow, he Came through for her. He was there at every turn and bump in the road. She knew he didn’t see himself as worthy, that he had plenty of baggage, but she also saw the heart of him. Despite the mistreatment from his parents, the bad decisions, and everything else, his heart was good. It took a strong person to experience those things and come out the other side putting others first.
He lowered his forehead to hers. His eyelashes tickled her brow, and their noses bumped.
“What if I hadn’t been there? What then? What if I’d lost you?”
“You didn’t. I’m right here.”
She pushed up on tiptoes and pressed her mouth to his. At first he didn’t move. She slid her hands over his shoulders and pulled him down more. He tilted his head the barest fraction, and his lips went soft.
Yes!
Travis’ hands grasped her ass and lifted. She yelped, but he swallowed the sound, deepening the kiss, and carried her to the wall, pinning her there with his hips. Her head swam, and she wrapped her legs around him. She’d never had a guy even think about doing that to her. Hell, she might as well be Wendy’s size for all the strain it appeared to cause him.
His tongue licked into her mouth, gliding back and forth. He held onto her with a need she felt. There weren’t words to describe it, but she knew what was in him, because now she felt it, too.
They were alive.
It was time to feel like it. Time to embrace what they had and run with it.
She loved him. All of him. Even the parts she didn’t like.
Travis shoved his hands up under her shirt. His rough skin gliding over her stomach to her breasts sent fissures of anticipation through her body. He pushed her bra up and cupped her breasts. She leaned back, her head against the wall and his mouth on her neck.
Back and forth, he swiped his thumb over her breast, driving her crazy. Her panties grew damp and her clit throbbed. She tried shifting against him, but her lower body was prisoner to his strength. He grasped her nipple, tugging on it just enough to make her gasp.
“Travis.”
She bunched his shirt up but never got it over his chest. Her brain short-circuited as he switched breasts, tweaking the already erect nipple.
He jerked at the tab on her jeans until he yanked it open. Somehow he wedged his big hand down the front of her pants until he cupped her mound, fingers pressed into her slit.
“I’m still pissed you risked your life,” he said against her cheek.
“Mm.” She rocked her hips, as much as she could. If only he’d do something with that hand.
“You’re mine.”
Those words...she shivered.
She was his. All of her. Heart. Mind. Soul. Body. He’d taken over her at some point, become her life line, her support, her warm comfort, and now her personal jungle gym.
She loved him.
“You understand?” He curled a single finger, sliding into her.
“Yes,” she hissed.
“You pull something like that again, and I’m going to be more than pissed. Got it?”
“Yeah.”
“God, you feel good.”
“Your cock would feel better.”
He stepped back enough for her to unhook her legs and stand, though leaned was more like it. Her back to the wall, he pushed her jeans and panties to the floor and went to his knees. She kicked out of them and her shoes as fast as she could.
Travis caught her knee, pushed it over his shoulder, and leaned closer. She held her breath and flattened her hands against the wall, looking for something to hold onto. He licked the length of her slit before she was ready. She rocked up on her toes and groaned, pushing her hips forward. He rubbed his tongue over her clit, fingers pressing into her.
She panted for breath, giving herself over to the feel of him. How he made her heart sing. The way they were together.
Bliss twisted her fingers in his short hair. She could come like this. Another few licks and her bones would liquify from the pleasure, but she wanted to come with him.
“Travis!”
He did a thing with his fingers inside and outside of her. A new wave of warmth blossomed low in her belly, spreading from head to toe.
She tugged on his hair again, harder this time.
He kissed her mound, her hip, everywhere in between as he rose to his feet. She captured his face between her hands and claimed his mouth while he picked her up again. She grasped the front of his pants and jerked them open. He shifted, giving her more room to work his jeans and underwear down his hips. His cock slid free and lay against her thigh, trapped between their bodies. She wrapped her hand around it, pumping the velvety soft skin.
This was right.
This was supposed to happen.
They were meant for each other.
She shifted her hips and placed the head of his cock against her.
“Bliss—wait.”
“No.”
She rolled her hips and felt him slide into her.
“Christ,” he groaned. The tendons on either side of his neck stood out and his face twisted up.
“I want to feel you.” She grasped his shoulders and pulled him closer, squeezing with her internal muscles. Her arousal eased his entry, letting him slide deeper.
“You don’t—”
“I know what I’m doing.” She kissed one side of his mouth then the other. “Don’t hold back, okay?”
He took a step and shifted her body with one hand on her bottom. Gravity did the rest of the work and his cock slid the rest of the way into her. She gasped and dug her nails into his skin. It was different without a condom. More intimate.
Travis moved slowly, his hips flexing, hands holding her. She closed her eyes and savored the slow glide of skin on skin. He thrust hard enough that the pots hanging on the wall rattled.
“Yes,” she said again.
His hand settled at the base of her throat, not tight, but possessive. He held her against the wall while his hips moved, in and out, harder and harder. She said things, incoherent words.
“Look at me.”
She opened her eyes, staring into Travis’.
Love.
She knew he loved her, but she saw it, too.
Pleasure spiraled through her body. She gripped him tighter and groaned as the orgasm shuddered through her. He surged once, twice, and stilled, head buried against her neck. She squeezed her legs around him, pulling him a little closer, deeper into her heart and body. Where he belonged.
“I love you,” she whispered.
He blew out a breath.
“Are you sure?” he asked. Those three words almost broke her heart. She kissed his cheek and squeezed her eyes shut, hurting for the boy who’d never been truly accepted.
“Yes. I love you.”
“I thought I dreamed that.”
For several moments they stood twined around each other. It was as if she could sense the locks coming undone inside of him. These weren’t just words they were exchanging, it was a promise. An acceptance of who they each were.
At long last he blew out a breath and glanced up at her. She smiled and cupped his cheek, running her thumb over his stubble. This was right.
He carried her to the bedroom and lay her down. The sheets still smelled of him, of that night—what? A week ago now? It felt like an eternity.
Travis carefully removed the rest of her clothes then escorted her into the bathroom, and left, giving her a few moments of privacy. She cleaned up, still floating
on cloud nine. There was little to no chance of her getting pregnant. She’d practically lived on birth control since she was a teenager for medical reasons. In fact, she looked forward to children, someday. Travis was the kind of man who would make a better father than he ever had. Because he didn’t do anything in halves. He did it with everything he was.
By the time she was done, Travis was naked in her bed. It was a pity she was too exhausted to take advantage of him, but there would be time for that later.
“Hungry?” he asked.
“Yeah, a little. We can order pizza or something in a bit. I just want to lay here for a while.”
“Okay.” He pulled her against his chest and kissed her brow.
Everything with him felt right. A week ago, this would have been daring and new. Now, she couldn’t see her life without him in it. They’d figure out how to make this work. They had to.
“Where do you live?”
“Illinois.”
“No, I mean, do you live in an apartment, own a house?”
“Oh. I rent a place. Two bedrooms. Nicer than anything I’ve ever lived in before. I barely use most the space. There’s plenty of room if you want to come visit.”
The crux of their issue. The distance. The different lives. They were going to have to find solutions.
“I was thinking about that. What if I could work remote? It would take a while to train a replacement, but I could move up there. I realize that’s like, way future plans and all, but I like knowing where I’m headed. And I just thought, I like you, I want to make this work, so why not plan for moving up there?” She leaned back and looked at him to gauge his reaction.
He could say he loved her, but not want her in his space.
Travis’ expression was neutral. Too controlled and closed off. They were going to have some serious battles over the Wall o’ Ration if he didn’t open up on his own.
“What about your family?”
“Mom and Dad have each other. Wendy has Grayson. They don’t need me.”
You do.
“I...don’t want you to think you have to do that.” He frowned, as if he didn’t like the taste of the words in his mouth.
“What if that’s what I feel like doing?”
He glanced away, and his hand coasted up and down her back.
“Or, I could stay here if you’d rather come visit when you can.” Everything in her screamed, No! She wanted to be as close to him as she could be, every minute she was allowed.
“I don’t like that, either.”
“Then what do you suggest?”
“Move in with me. Marry me if you want.”
She opened and closed her mouth.
That was a lot faster than she was letting herself think. She’d already convinced herself after Travis’ bolting act that future plans needed to be broached carefully so he didn’t spook, but he’d barreled through that barrier and into the deep end. Of course, her head was already there...she just hadn’t thought he was, too.
“Or not.” Travis shrugged. “I don’t see the point of moving all the way up there to just rent another place. It’s a waste when I’m not home all the time. But, your family is here, my job is there. It’s...whatever.”
“No.”
She crawled on top of him, needing to see his face. Every so often she could see through that badass SEAL mask. His heart was too big, too bruised to be shown to many people, but he’d let her in, shown her what he was capable of.
He curled his left arm under his head. The bandage over his wound was barely hanging on. She pressed the tape down absently while she studied his face. The tight lips. The unwavering gaze. It was the hand clenched on her knee that was the real tell. Her heart thumped painfully against her ribs.
Never, in a million years, would she have thought this was where they’d end up when she met him back at the police station.
This was it.
If she jumped, he’d catch her, but she still needed the words.
“I’m just...are you serious?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Last time we kicked this around you ran away.”
“I said it was a fucking mistake. What else do you want me to say?”
“That you won’t do that again. That if you need space or whatever, tell me, don’t just leave.”
Travis nodded.
“You have to say it. None of this nodding, grunting, shrugging stuff.” She poked his ribs. “And don’t say that whole line about not being good at crap. That’s a bullshit line.”
“I’m not perfect, but yeah, I’ll communicate better next time something comes up.” His thumb swiped over her skin and his lips curled up. He was still broken, there were old hurts that would never heal, but together, they could be more.
She bent down and kissed him, pouring all her love into that one act. Yeah, they were still strangers, he had no clue how much she loved musicals or the rain or so many other things. But they would make it. They’d figure it out, because Bliss wasn’t about to give up on him. Now, or ever.
“Let’s do it, now. Tonight,” she said.
He frowned.
“Look, I’m all on board this whole live life now train or whatever. I could have died. It’s changed the way I look at things.” She spread her hand over his heart, just below yet another scar that could have ended him. He understood her. “You love me. I love you. Why wait? I don’t see the point in waiting.”
“Your family might kill me.”
“What? No. Mom wasn’t serious. She was just stressed earlier. She’ll love you.”
“No I mean about getting married tonight. Wouldn’t they want to be there?”
“Probably, but this is about us, not them.” Silly man making valid points and crap. But, he was probably right. Her parents, and especially Wendy, would never let her live it down if she got hitched without telling them. Considering the circus that had been Wendy’s wedding, Bliss was still going to be in the doghouse over a small, fast affair.
“Bliss, I’m not going to marry you and piss off your family.”
“Fine.” She rolled her eyes and flopped on the bed next to Travis.
His hand coasted over her thigh toward her inner leg. Her body hummed with awareness of his every movement. She held her breath...
“At least wait until the morning,” he said.
“What?” She dragged her thoughts up, out of the gutter and looked at him.
“There are places that do appointments, right? We could just do something convenient for them, like after breakfast.”
“Seriously?”
“I am if you are.” He squeezed her leg.
“Really?”
“Yeah. I’m not a good person. I’m not going to keep telling you no when I want you with me.”
“Okay. Let’s do it.”
She kissed him, dragging him on top of her.
There were things to figure out, people to text—and crap, where were they going to get rings and clothes and stuff? But first, the engagement sex. Because they were engaged, weren’t they?
TRAVIS SWIPED THE FANCY handkerchief over his brow. Shit, this was almost as bad as being in the sandbox. The tux was a little tight across the shoulders and every time he took a breath he was sure the thing was trying to suffocate him, but Bliss had assured him he didn’t look like an ass before disappearing with her sister to go do...bridal things. Whatever the hell that meant.
His phone vibrated against his thigh. He dug it out of the impossibly deep pockets.
Ethan.
“Hey, man.” Travis glanced over his shoulder into the foyer. People were starting to arrive, most of them with a slightly befuddled expression on their faces.
He didn’t blame them. It was pretty damn surreal to him, too.
“You’re doing this?”
“Yeah.” Unless Ethan had a good reason why he shouldn’t. Nah. Even then, Bliss was worth it. But maybe he should have taken her up on her midnight wedding idea instead of waiting until ten the
next morning.
“Well shit. They’re about to roll me into the common room. I guess Zain got the feed hooked up to the projector in there.”
“Fuck. Why the hell would he do that?”
“Because we all want to see you sweat.” Ethan laughed. “I guess it’ll be too late to throw you a bachelor party when you get back.”
“Yeah, too late for that.”
Five people in black filed into the small wedding chapel.
“Got to go,” Travis said.
“Remember, the ring goes on the left hand.”
“Fuck you.”
He hung up, cutting off Ethan’s laughter. Bliss’ family, and friends he didn’t know, but the feds? He hadn’t expected to see them. He strode across the chapel and shook Ryan’s hand, glancing down the line at the rest of his team.
“Congratulations are in order.” Ryan grinned, the first unrestrained expression Travis had seen on the man. Then again, Ryan was clearly a family man.
“Thanks. I think. I thought you would be on your way out already.” Travis shoved his hands in his pockets. He hadn’t bothered to tell the FBI team because he figured they would be in the air, and why would they care?
“I’m pretty sure Wendy’s screaming woke us up at—what was it?” Connor glanced at Jade.
“It was a little after one.”
“Nearly gave me a heart attack.” Benjamin grumbled.
“Anyway, we couldn’t leave before Elvis sang the vows.” Connor grinned. Despite how they’d butted heads, the Irishman was an okay guy.
In small doses.
“Everyone.” A woman in a pale purple dress, and her hair up in a beehive stood at the chapel’s entrance. “Please find your seats. For those watching at home, the service will begin in five minutes.”
Shit.
Travis swallowed around the lump in his throat.
It was too late to leave, and he’d promised to talk things out with her before he did anything. Like run away from their wedding.
Their fucking wedding.
He was going to be sick.
She had no idea what she was getting herself into.
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