“We’re not finished. Maybe a few more hours.”
“I can’t believe you got this much done. It’s fantastic,” she said with excitement.
“Did you get what you needed to get done?” Travis asked as Kylie once again led them toward the kitchen with the others.
As Gage waited for her to share how her day went, he wanted to glance down at their joined hands just to reassure himself that this was real, but he fought the urge.
“We did. Zoey’s a machine,” Kylie laughed. Turning to Gage, she said, “We got the flooring selected, managed to stop by this amazing place where I got to pick out some replacement pieces for some of the trim work, and we ended up at a nursery. You’ll probably hate what we picked out, but your yard’s going to stop traffic.”
Stop traffic, huh?
Funny how little he cared about the whole renovation gig until he saw how incredibly happy Kylie was to do it. If it were up to him, he’d be content bringing in someone to throw some carpet on the floor and replace the outdated appliances in the kitchen. Other than that, he didn’t care what he was surrounded by.
But Kylie’s enthusiasm made him want to go out and buy a dozen old houses and keep that radiant smile on her face always.
The three of them joined the masses in the kitchen, everyone filing around the island where the food had been placed, filling plates and then moving to get out of the way. Having spent a lot of time at the Walkers’ house growing up, this scene was familiar. Everyone knew the drill.
With the containers scraped clean and all the plates full, everyone found a wall to lean on as they ate and talked amongst themselves. A solid ten minutes had passed before Zoey spoke up, addressing the room as a whole.
“So, I know most of you have met Kylie, but I think there’re a couple who haven’t,” she said as she glanced around at the faces. “And with so many of us, I’m sure she’ll need to be reintroduced several times.
“All right, I’m going to start from that side of the room. That’s Chase Jameson, a Walker cousin. He goes by CJ. That’s Beau, and of course this here is my man, Kaleb. Over there we’ve got Sawyer, Brendon, Braydon, and Ethan. The woman brave enough to be standing with the twins is Kylie’s sister Jessie. That beautiful lady over there is my best friend Vanessa – we call her V. And that’s the guy I’m sharing her with, Zane. Did I miss anyone? No? Good. Oh, and everyone, meet Kylie.”
“Hey, darlin’,” Braydon grinned at Kylie with a sly grin.
“Dude, she’s so not interested,” Brendon choked out a laugh as he pulled Kylie’s sister against his side.
“How do you know?” Braydon asked, feigning innocence.
The room erupted in laughter, and Sawyer clamped his hand on the back of Braydon’s neck, forcing his head down to get his attention back on the plate he was holding in his hand.
As if that was going to hold his attention for long.
When the food was gone about half an hour later, the group dispersed, and Gage left Kylie, Jessie, Zoey and V in the kitchen. They’d refused his help to clean up and told him to quit making excuses and get back to painting. Pretending to be horrified by the idea, he slipped out of the room and resumed his position on the ladder once again.
Gage hadn’t expected everyone to get back to work, figuring the big meal would bog them down, but the guys went right back to it. Not that he should’ve expected less from them. The Walker brothers were a tight knit group who came together to support one another, regardless whether those who were close to them had been born into the family or not.
The ruckus reignited as the music was turned up and more paint was brought in. Another four hours sped by before things settled down. Gage hadn’t even looked up – or down rather because he was painting the ceiling – so he didn’t even realize the sun was beginning its slow descent.
The women moved through the house cleaning up as the guys finished, so by the time the rest of them were calling it quits, the house was almost back in order. The paint cans all had lids, the rollers were missing from the handles and the tarps protecting the floor were still perfectly in place. Ladders were positioned in the corners rather than standing proudly in the middle of the room.
“Who’s up for meeting at Moonshiners?” Zane’s deep voice bellowed from the other room. A rumble of male voices erupted, some in agreement, others making excuses why they couldn’t.
“Y’all good here?” Zane asked Gage and Travis when he stepped into the living room they were both still working on. It was the only room that wasn’t currently back in order.
“We’re good. Go on,” Travis said as he dropped his paint roller into the tray, wiping his hands on his now paint splattered jeans.
“You guys want to join us?” V asked when she eased up against Zane’s side. “You can watch me kick his ass at pool again.”
“You better be careful, woman,” Zane grinned as he peered over at her. “I might just show you what else a pool table is good for.”
V chuckled at the same time she turned bright red.
“We’re gonna finish up here tonight. But thanks for the offer,” Gage told them.
“We’ll be back bright and early to finish up in here and start on the outside. We might not be able to paint out there, but we can at least get it prepped.”
Travis clapped Zane on the shoulder and turned him toward the door. “Thanks for all your help.”
Gage stared back at the big man, a surge of something foreign erupting in his chest. Travis had taken everything in stride that day. He’d interacted with his brothers and the others like he did it every day of his life. Never once was there a grumble or a complaint.
Trying to ignore what the strange feeling actually meant, Gage followed Travis and his brother to the door, watching as the others were filing out. He stayed inside when Travis followed Zane and V out onto the front porch, and that’s when Sawyer stopped him on his way out.
“I’m not sure what’s going on with my brother, but you and Kylie are good for him.” There was a knowing gleam in Sawyer’s blue-gray eyes, but he wasn’t cocky about it. With a quick clap on the shoulder, Sawyer said his good-byes and headed out with the rest of them.
Gage was stunned silent as he stared at Sawyer’s back.
He expected that Travis’ brothers would’ve been the first to notice the complete three sixty, but Gage wasn’t sure whether he should be worried or reassured by that statement.
Chapter Forty Five
♂♀♂
Kylie listened to the familiar creaks and groans of the old house now that the rooms were empty. Aside from the intermittent whoosh of Travis’ paint roller going across the wall or the random creak of the ladder as Gage moved up or down, everything else was silent. After being thrust into the chaos for the last several hours, Kylie welcomed the quiet. Although she’d enjoyed herself immensely, it would take her some time to get used to so many people gathered together.
Until being thrust into the melee of Travis’ brothers’ interactions, which were more than a little amusing, Kylie hadn't known what a big family did when they got together. Her family gatherings were small, intimate, but fun all the same. Just not quite to the extent of what she’d just witnessed. Even Jessie seemed a little overwhelmed, which explained why she asked Brendon to take her back to the hotel she was currently staying in – despite Kylie’s begging for her to stay at Gage’s for the time being. Although, at that moment, she was relieved that the three of them were the only ones in the house.
Without disrupting Travis and Gage now that they were back to work after seeing everyone off, Kylie headed for the main staircase. As she moved slowly up the stairs, she admired the fresh coat of paint that had brought the house back to life almost instantly. No longer were there yellowed walls or jagged cracks where the house had settled over the years. In their place, a clean, delicate ivory gleamed on the walls.
It was soothing and peaceful, sort of like the aroma of fresh cut grass and honeysuckle that drifted in the slight br
eeze upstairs. In order to ventilate and push out the sweet smell of paint, it looked as though the guys had opened windows in all of the rooms. As she moved through them, admiring all of the hard work that’d been done, Kylie breathed in deep.
She really could get used to this. Both the day spent with friends and family, as well as the peaceful night that was descending upon them, Gage and Travis’ presence a vivid reminder that she wasn’t alone.
When Kylie reached the master bedroom they’d been sleeping in, she noticed that the bed was made, but there weren’t any tarps laying over it. No one had painted in there, and she was happy to see that it was left untouched. Kylie wanted to work on that room herself. She wanted to put her own unique touch on the room that Gage would sleep in night after night even when she was back home in her own bed.
After turning off the lights that weren’t needed, Kylie made her way back down the stairs, but before she made it all the way to the bottom, she stopped suddenly, nearly stumbling down the last couple of steps.
Oh, Lord.
That was not what they looked like when Kylie went up the stairs just a few minutes ago.
Both Travis and Gage were still working in the same position they’d been in when she ventured through the first time, but now they were shirtless. She was overcome by the sight of ropy muscle, hard angles and planes and tan skin that glistened in the light coating of perspiration covering their upper bodies. She could imagine they smelled of clean male sweat.
She could also imagine they were up to something.
Figuring it was only fair that she put forth just a little effort to help before she indulged in what would hopefully come next, Kylie turned on the sound system, switching to a country station, and found a spare paint brush. After checking to see what was left, she decided to start on the wall closest to Travis and just below Gage, pretending that their half-naked bodies had no effect on her whatsoever.
Glancing down at her from his perch on the ladder, Gage smiled. As though it were just a normal day in the neighborhood, and he went around painting houses without a shirt on, he asked, “What are you doing?”
“Painting. What does it look like I’m doing?” she answered as she slapped a coat of paint on the wall, ignoring the way her body heat was sky rocketing.
“’Bout time,” Gage replied with a laugh before turning his attention back to the ceiling.
The three of them worked in unison for a while, the music from the sound system keeping them from chatting, but not helping at all in keeping Kylie from sneaking a peek at the sensational male flesh on full display.
She was doing a damn good job pretending. She had to be.
Realizing her brush was dry, Kylie dipped it in the paint can before slapping it against the wall a little harder than she meant to. She was forcing herself to pay attention because dry brushing paint on the wall was just a waste of time and it seemed she’d been doing it for a while now. She was finally making progress when she felt something drip onto her head. Sliding her fingers up to see what it was, they came back sticky with ivory paint, which meant…
Another drop splattered on top of her head.
Looking up, she choked on a laugh. “You’re getting paint in my hair!” She had to dodge another paint drop to keep it from landing on her face.
“You’re standing under me. Not my fault.” Gage said as he continued to focus on the ceiling as though it were a mere hazard of the job.
Kylie went back to the paint can and once again dipped her brush in. On her way over to the wall, she lifted her arm and “accidentally” wiped the brush along Gage’s pant leg.
“What the hell?” he asked with a booming laugh. “That was not an accident.”
Kylie laughed. “Sorry, I didn’t see you there.”
From out of the corner of her eye, she saw Travis move and Kylie knew it was on. The mischievous grin said he was about to join in the fun.
Holding out his roller like he was going to run it down the wall, he turned and ran it right down the front of her shirt, directly over her boob.
“I can’t believe you did that!” she squealed, running over to the paint can, hoping to get more ammunition before he did the same. She heard the sound of paint rollers hitting the ground and knew she was running out of time.
A quick dip and then a flick of her wrist and Kylie sent speckles and drips of paint right down the front of their bare chests. She couldn’t stifle the giggle that erupted inside of her. She was laughing so hard, Kylie couldn’t even hold the paint brush, and when Travis grabbed her, she kept on laughing.
“You’ve got paint on you,” Travis told her in as serious a voice as he could muster, which wasn’t much.
“You must be talking about the paint right there,” Gage said as he grabbed the same paintbrush she had dropped and proceeded to brush more paint across her chest.
“Stop!” Kylie couldn’t stop laughing as Travis held her in place from behind while Gage stared at the masterpiece he’d just created. Before she could try to get away, her shirt was lifted in one smooth rush and pulled right over her head.
Kylie was still laughing as she stared up at Gage. “That’s not fair,” she said between giggles, “you’ve got paint on you too.” She pointed to his leg.
“Hmmm,” Gage said, staring down at his jeans before quickly ridding himself of them and his boots. He was now standing in a pair of black boxer briefs, and Kylie’s laughter died somewhat.
God he was beautiful.
But this wasn’t over. As soon as Travis let down his guard just a little, Kylie escaped from his arms and ran around the couch that had been pushed to the far corner of the room.
That’s when Gage dove for one of the paint rollers and they both successfully trapped her by blocking her only escape routes. She was laughing so hard, she couldn’t run so when Gage stalked her with the roller, she could only watch to see what he was doing. Tears were streaming down her face from laughing so hard, and that’s when Travis grabbed her again, lifting her totally off of her feet.
“Looks like you’ve got paint on your bra,” he said and when she looked down to see, he ran the paint roller over her right breast. “Time to take it off.” A quick flick of his fingers on the front clasp and Kylie’s bra was falling down her arms.
And just like that, the laughter died and in its place a turbulent whirlwind of passion and desire as the three of them came together. Travis lifted her and deposited her on the couch in front of them, his hulking body coming down on top of her.
“You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, you know that?”
His head dipped down to her chest, and Kylie moaned as Travis took one of her nipples in his mouth, sucking firmly as she writhed beneath him, grinding against his hard, ungiving thigh.
Then Gage was perched beside them, his mouth latching onto her other breast and Kylie was in heaven. Two mouths, four hands, the pleasure was all-consuming, and she didn’t think she’d make it until they got the rest of her clothes off.
As though they read her mind, they started pulling at her clothes and then Travis was removing his jeans until all three of them were naked and in a heap on the couch.
“You know, we should take this upstairs,” Kylie told them as they continued to press hot, wet kisses against her skin.
“Why’s that?” Travis asked, impatiently sucking her skin.
“A couple of reasons,” she said breathlessly as Travis’ fingers slipped between her legs.
“What are they?”
Neither man seemed at all interested in having to relocate, but Kylie did think they were good reasons.
“First of all, there aren’t any window coverings so anyone could see us.”
“Let ‘em watch,” Travis groaned and then sucked her nipple into his mouth.
The idea of someone peering through the windows was kind of hot, so Kylie let that excuse drop. Could’ve also been that she forgot it when Gage slid his hand between her legs alongside Travis’.
“What’s the other reason?” Gage asked.
She squirmed against their invading fingers.
Hell, she didn’t remember. Her back bowed as two fingers speared her, the exquisite pleasure taking over. She was writhing and moaning until the other reason hit her.
Panting, she managed to get the words out. “Because that’s where the lube is and if you plan to take me at the same time, we’re gonna need it.”
Kylie had never seen two men move quite so fast.
“Umm, hey guys,” she called out to them as they moved across the room with purpose. They both stopped suddenly and turned to face her. “Yeah, I’m thinking you might want to take me with you.” Kylie started laughing and didn’t stop until Travis had carried her all the way up the stairs, following a few feet behind Gage.
To her surprise, they didn’t go to the master bedroom. They chose the only other room with a bed in it, one that was covered with a large cloth tarp.
Ahhh, nice thinking. They did have speckles of paint on them, and this would keep them from ruining the big bed they slept in at night. Gage disappeared from the room as Travis dropped her to the mattress and resumed the position he’d been in downstairs on the couch. Kylie put her arms around his neck and held him to her.
“You want both of us at the same time?” he asked as he placed open mouthed kisses along her neck.
Kylie tilted her head, giving him better access as she moaned her agreement. The sexy rasp of his tongue against her skin made her body succumb to the onslaught of sensation.
By the time Gage was back a few minutes later, Travis had reversed their positions, and Kylie was straddling his hips. He went to work distracting her by latching onto her right nipple, sucking, licking, and nipping the hypersensitive flesh.
“Ahhh,” she moaned.
“Do you even know how sexy you are?” he asked as he released her breast. Kylie didn’t answer. The question was probably rhetorical, and right now, she felt sexy as hell just by the way they both reacted to her, as though she were the only woman on the planet that had the ability to heat them up like this.
Travis (Alluring Indulgence, #3) Page 39