Travis took a deep breath.
He’d counted one hundred and twenty two raindrops, and he could no longer keep up because the heavens had opened up once again which meant they were going to get wet. Travis had no problem with wet actually, but this was ridiculous. Of course, it might help get Kylie out of her clothes faster.
Look at him, all optimistic and shit. Not to mention, just a little scattered. His thoughts were all over the map. Again, he blamed the fact that they were still in the truck!
“All right, what the hell are we waiting for?” he finally barked, staring across the cab at Gage still sitting behind the wheel.
“Damn, that took forever,” Gage laughed. “We were waiting to see how long you could sit there and not say anything.”
Travis glared at Gage, resisting the urge to flip him off. Only because Kylie was there.
“He’s kidding,” Kylie said, putting her hand on his arm. Travis glanced down to see he’d fisted his hands in his lap. “Since you apparently weren’t listening, we were just discussing whether we should go to Gage’s other house. There’s no furniture here.”
“Fuck furniture. The floor will do,” Travis bit out. “Let’s go.” With that, he pushed the door open and hopped out. When it was evident that Kylie wasn’t following him, he shut the door behind him and headed up onto the wrap around porch.
Fan-fucking-tastic. It was a proven fact that these damned covered porches did nothing to protect anyone from rain… when it was coming down sideways.
A few minutes later, Kylie and Gage came bounding up the steps, hand in hand, and Gage was carrying a large duffel bag over his shoulder. They were laughing. Travis would be too if his fucking balls hadn’t turned blue – twice over. Shit, they were bordering more on purple now.
A bolt of lightning shot down from the sky, brightening the world as though the sun was beaming directly down on them. The clap of thunder came less than ten seconds later which meant the storm was upon them again. Kylie jumped, and Travis grabbed her, pulling her against his side, shielding her from the rain as best he could while Gage unlocked the door.
If he’d been edgy earlier, he was damn near chiseled to a fine point now. Due to his short supply of patience, he wasn’t handling all this wasting time well. He had good reason though. At least he thought it was a good reason. When Gage had called a halt to their fooling around, Travis had been hanging by a thread – a thin, frayed, ready-to-snap-in-two thread. He hadn’t argued either. He thought he’d handled himself fairly well up until this point.
He wasn’t making any promises once they walked through that door though.
Travis was once again questioning Gage’s reason for coming there as soon as the first light came on inside. There was nothing but wood as far as the eye could see. Not a lick of furniture to prevent the eye from traveling all the way to the opposite side of the room. Kylie wasn’t kidding, was she?
Oh, wait. He was wrong. There was some furniture. It was… well, it looked like a couch, but then again, it didn’t. More like an oversized chair. Two people could possibly sit on it, but not comfortably. And Travis had to wonder how Gage figured this was any better than having sex in the front seat of his truck.
Gage dropped his duffel onto the floor in front of the chair/couch and then he and Kylie disappeared into the other room. Travis had no idea where they were going, but he damn sure wasn’t interested in studying what type of hardwood they’d used to panel the walls in this place. Seriously. Wood paneling? Shit. Did Kylie even realize what she was up against if she chose to fix this place?
Pushing through the swinging door – yes, he learned the hard way when the damn thing hit him in the ass as soon as he stepped into the room – Travis found himself standing in the kitchen. As were Gage and Kylie.
Ok, now he was almost certain they were testing him.
Despite how crude the idea was, Travis couldn’t deny wanting to get hot and sweaty with Gage and Kylie right now. And truthfully, he didn’t give a shit if it was on the floor or against the wall. (There was wood on both, so the risk of splinters was the same)
Maybe Gage was trying to put Kylie at ease. Although, if he remembered correctly, she’d already seen the house, so he wasn’t sure giving her a tour again was the appropriate way to go. Then again, what did he know?
Gage was more of a gentleman than Travis. Sure, he liked to talk big – especially to himself – but he wasn’t interested in pushing Kylie either. Considering how responsive she’d been in the truck, Travis was still concerned that she didn’t fully understand the dynamic of this little trio. At this point, Travis was willing to offer up his left nut for the opportunity to sink deep within her body and feel her milk him for all she was worth. And he didn’t doubt that Gage felt the same way. But that could potentially send her running hard and fast in the opposite direction if they weren’t careful.
Travis shook off the thought because honestly, it wasn’t fucking helping. Fuck.
Letting the image in his mind’s eye of Kylie riding him hard and fast dissipate into thin air, he remembered where he was. He also noticed that he was once again the only person in the room. Where had they gone? That’s when he heard their voices echoing from somewhere else. He took a couple of wrong turns but wound up right back in the room with the chair/couch.
He didn’t have to stand there long to realize they were talking about the house. As much as he wanted to listen to these two talk it up about remodeling and shit, Travis suddenly needed some fresh air. Without saying a word, he headed back to the front door.
Stepping out on the porch, he had to wander around to the side just to get the house to block some of the rain coming at him. He settled against the wall and stared out into the distance, enjoying the view of the tree line that surrounded the property, lit up each time another strike of lightning came down. It was nice out here. Would be even better if the weather would cooperate.
He wasn’t sure how long he’d been standing outside when he heard the door creak open and then a muffled click as it closed.
“Where’s Kylie?” he asked when Gage stepped around the corner.
“She’s upstairs taking a shower.”
Awww, hell. Now that was an image he could get behind. Kylie naked, water pouring over her.
“And why are you down here?” Travis knew if it were him, he’d have been following her up the stairs. Hell, he’d have carried her just so they could get there faster.
“Checking on you.” Gage’s response caught him off guard, and he stared back at the man. Wasn’t very often someone was checking on him. For any reason. “Everything all right?”
The lust in Gage’s dark brown eyes, his need to rebel against what was obvious between them was like gasoline to a flame and Travis was more than ready to get burned.
Being left alone with Gage – especially when he wasn’t all riled up – was a test he wasn’t sure he’d be able to pass. Then again, he happened to be quite fond of Gage any way he could get him.
♂♀♂
As soon as Kylie disappeared at the top of the stairs, Gage had headed for the front door. Of all the people he would’ve thought would have a hard time with this situation, he damn sure hadn’t thought it would be Travis. But, so much had happened in the last couple of hours, starting with whatever Kylie and Travis were talking about when he came upon them at the lake, followed by the blowup between him and Travis. And to round it all out, the three of them damn near combusting inside his truck until somehow he managed to put the brakes on. He could see how that might test Travis’ resolve a little.
From the moment they made it across the low water crossing which was still flooded but manageable, Gage knew there was no going back to the point they’d retreated from. At least not unless Kylie changed the direction things were headed. Based on how at ease she seemed to be, Gage didn’t think she was going to be the one to alter their course though. At the moment, he was worried about Travis.
As he stared at Travis, waiting to
see if he would open up even a little, his pulse took off like an Olympic runner at the sound of a gunshot. Just looking at the guy made his blood run hot. Whatever this attraction was between them, it was potent. If it had to have a warning label, it would read: handle with care – contents under pressure.
Gage had more than his fair share of experience when it came to threesomes, but he admittedly had little knowledge about anything other than sex for the sake of pleasure. He wasn’t prone to relationships. Not that what was happening here could constitute a relationship, but that little thing called hope was leaving him feeling unsettled.
There was something about Travis Walker that intrigued him and yes, he didn’t doubt for a second that sex between them would light his fucking world on fire. It was the aftermath that Gage feared. There wasn’t enough water in the state of Texas to extinguish the wildfire they would ignite if and when things went south.
But it wasn’t sex that had Gage worried. Maybe it was because he was going on thirty three in just a couple of weeks. Or maybe he was just tired of playing the same games he’d been playing since he was a teenager. He couldn’t deny that he was hoping to find something worthwhile, something like Kaleb and Zoey had found with each other. And whether he liked it or not, Gage was secretly hoping he’d find that with Kylie and Travis.
Gage had a strong feeling Kylie could be the woman who caused him to settle down, if only she reciprocated. But then there was Travis. And Gage didn’t trust his intentions, and that was mainly because he didn’t know what the hell they were.
When it was clear that Travis wasn’t going to respond, Gage did the one thing he did best. He walked away. At a quick clip. He didn’t stop until he was inside the house and leaning up against the tacky wallpaper on the wall in the kitchen. At that point, he closed his eyes.
He should be getting a little worried because this was becoming quite the habit. Walking away from Travis because he was so overcome by feelings he felt were out of place, mostly because he got the impression that what he was looking for wasn’t quite what Travis had in mind. Sex, sure. More than that. Well, Gage didn’t think Travis had much more than that in him.
What the hell was wrong with him? His heart was pounding like he’d just run ten miles. The only thing Gage could think about was the argument he had with Travis and his need to push the man into responding. When he’d seen Travis at the lake, he had been bombarded by a red haze of anger when he realized who was in the truck with him. The mere sight had sparked something dark and possessive in his gut.
Shit, they’d almost gone toe to toe the night before because Travis was insistent that Gage wouldn’t be asking Kylie to stay with him while she handled the renovations on his house. He’d understood what Travis was stating, but the way the man went about it was all wrong. If they stood half a chance of this working, there was no room for jealousy between them.
Yet the green eyed monster had reared its ugly head. Last night with Travis and then again this morning with Gage. That didn’t bode well for where this was headed. How did they expect to share Kylie in any way with them both pulling the alpha bullshit that should be relegated to animals in the wild?
And still, they both seemed to be dedicating much of their energy to taunting one another. When Travis bolted toward him at the lake, Gage had wanted a reaction and he’d certainly gotten one. For one second, Gage had seen more than just the anger and resentment that Travis had been consumed by lately. But that’s the way Travis had always been for as long as Gage had known him. Detached. Aloof. Promiscuous. The man didn’t do relationships, and Gage knew from being Kaleb’s friend exactly how stand-offish Travis was. The man was centrally focused and everything revolved around work, whether it was Walker Demolition or the new resort, and his extracurricular activities, which were random and one-nighters at best.
But Gage had sensed some emotion in Travis recently. It started when Travis kissed him that first time, then the second, but most importantly, he’d seen it when he brought Kylie to Kaleb’s house. He’d set out to get Travis fired up, and it worked. Not quite the results Gage was going for, but something had changed.
And the absolute last thing he expected to come of this was some sort of twisted ménage, although Gage damn sure wasn’t against it happening. He just hadn’t expected it. He anticipated that he and Travis would collide in the most passionate of ways. Eventually. But for Kylie to be involved, becoming the center of both of their attention was somewhere out of left field.
His thoughts back tracked to the day he’d made love with Kylie at her house. The way she rode him, giving herself over to the passion that erupted when they were in the same room together still made Gage’s head spin. The memories caused a strange constriction around his heart. One that had become persistent over the last couple of months.
Gage leaned over, putting his hands on his thighs as he tried to catch his breath. He was beginning to think he was having anxiety attacks. He was overwhelmed, and he didn’t know whether this was something he’d brought on himself or if it had something to do with the two people who were now under the same roof as he was.
When the door swung open, Gage stood to his full height quickly, not wanting to let Travis see him at a weak moment.
“You ok?”
Why did it sound like Travis cared? From what Gage knew, Travis only cared about himself. That reminded him of what Travis had said to Kylie earlier:
You were never my play thing, Kylie. Never. Nor would you be now. What I felt for you, I’ve never felt for anyone else.
If there was something more inside of Travis, was it possible that there was a chance he’d feel the same about Gage at some point? At least something more than the chemistry that he knew flickered between them like the electrical storm that was brewing outside.
“Fine,” he growled, turning to walk away before Travis had a chance to see what was written all over his face.
Travis’ strong fingers gripped his bicep. Before Gage could pull away, he found himself being pushed up against the wall, Travis all up in his face. He wasn’t intimidated easily, but the reaction his body gave to Travis’ aggressiveness wasn’t what he expected. Although Travis was a few inches taller, Gage was bigger. But it didn’t seem to matter because even at two hundred and ten pounds, Gage felt as though Travis could take him down with a breath. His entire body reacted as though he were a submissive and Travis was his master, which he knew damn sure wasn’t the case.
“When are you going to get tired of running?” Travis asked, his face incredibly close. Close enough that Gage could see the stubble on his chin and the storm clouds brewing in his impassioned blue eyes. Somewhere along the way Travis had ditched his cowboy hat, his dark hair haphazardly spiked like he’d run his hands through it one too many times.
“I didn’t run,” Gage answered, knowing it was a lie. He’d been running for months now. Ever since Travis cornered him at the Walker’s house. Ever since he made love to Kylie.
“The hell you didn’t.” Travis’ voice lowered, his head moved in closer. “You’ve run from me since the first time.”
“What do you care?” Gage asked, trying to push him away without much effort.
“I don’t want you to run.”
Gage stared deep into Travis’ eyes, wishing like hell he could see right into the man’s soul. What was he getting at? Aside from wanting to fuck? “No? You’d rather I stand here and give you what you want? Is that it?”
“And just what the hell do you think I want?”
“Me.”
“You don’t want me to want you?”
Gage didn’t know where this conversation was going, but, Lord help him, he was getting hard. Here he was, trying to piss Travis off, getting way too defensive and the look in Travis’ eyes backed up his words. Now, more than ever, Gage wanted this man.
He didn’t respond. He couldn’t say a word, so he just stood there, staring, waiting… Hell, he didn’t even know what he was waiting for.
Tr
avis gripped his chin, and Gage’s entire body went rigid. It didn’t matter how the man touched him, but whenever their skin came in contact, his body lit up from the inside out. He sucked in a breath, anticipating what Travis would say or do next.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you wanted me to kiss you,” Travis goaded.
Reality slammed back into Gage at the tone of Travis’ voice, and he pushed him at the same time he flipped their positions so that Travis was pinned against the wall.
“Yeah? You think that’s what I want from you?”
Travis glared, not an ounce of fear in his expression. Gage could sense that he was being taunted and damn it all to hell, he didn’t give a fuck.
Slamming his mouth down on Travis’, Gage took everything Travis offered and then some. There was no hesitation when he shoved his tongue into the hot recesses of Travis’ mouth, tasting him, damn near inhaling him. And when Travis gripped the back of his head, holding him close, unwilling to let him back off, Gage found himself pressing fully against Travis’ rock hard body, a deep, rumbling growl emerging from his chest.
Fucking hell. Gage wanted to strip Travis bare right there in the kitchen and bury himself deep inside of him until neither of them could breathe from wanting that release that seemed just out of reach. The game they’d been playing was becoming more than a little tiring, and Gage wanted more. Hell, he wanted anything and everything Travis would give him.
Groaning as the kiss slowed and intensified at the same time, Gage thrust his hips forward, seeking the friction he desperately needed. That’s when Travis snaked his hand between their bodies, stroking Gage’s steel hard cock behind the zipper of his jeans. Fuck. Shit. He was surprised he didn’t come right then and there. He was unable to remember his own name when Travis slid his fingers into his hair, angling his head just slightly so he could delve deeper, his tongue thrusting, dueling… robbing him of everything that he was.
Travis (Alluring Indulgence, #3) Page 20