by Clay, Ann
Moans escaped her lips in a song that nearly sent him over the edge, but Travis maintained his tempo. Determined to take his time, and to give her everything he had. He kept the rhythm at a pace that made their bodies move in concert. They rocked back and forth until Autumn moved her legs and arms slightly down, pulling him in closer. The move tightened the muscles around him. With that, Travis lost what little control he’d managed. “Oh, baby,” he moaned. He held her steadfast as he pushed in once, twice, and then lastly before they fell over into a thunderous orgasm.
As they rested in bed, they cuddled. “I called my bank and had the credit card company send you a card. You should get it in a couple of days. Let me know if you don’t get them.”
She squinted. “You—”
“You’re my wife, Autumn. I want you to have access to what I have. You don’t have to use it, but if you want to or need to use it, it’s there for you, okay?” He interrupted her before she completed her reply.
“Okay.” She rested against him, listening to the steady cadence of his heartbeat.
* * * *
Travis took a seat and Autumn sat next to him at the airport. He opened his right hand toward her. She dropped her hand into his and he lightly squeezed it before bringing it to his lips and placing a soft kiss on top of her knuckles. “I’m going to set it up so you can book your travel to my account.” He’d already called his lawyer, his bank, the insurance company, and a few other places to add Autumn as his beneficiary.
He looked at her briefly and then changed the subject. He’d made up his mind already, just as he had about Romeo. It took all the restraint he could muster to not jack the S.O.B. up last night as he had watched him put his hands on his wife. Travis knew he’d seen him approaching and had taken off like a coward. “You’ll be home in two weeks, right?”
“Yes.” She looked at him thoughtfully. “You promised you wouldn’t tell anyone about our marriage until we can do it together.”
“I know, sweetheart. I will wait.”
“And make sure you put a muzzle on Trae and Michael. I know Reggie can keep a secret but Trae, Michael, and Denise, I don’t know.”
“They won’t say anything because they know I’ll take a plug out of their tails. Besides, Trae and Reggie are too wrapped around this new baby. And Denise has her own wedding to plan.” The idea of a Brooks’ first baby caused a lot of excitement for the family.
Autumn smiled every time she thought about them. “And what about Michael?”
“If Denise gets the wedding she wants, Michael won’t have a chance to breathe.”
Once the time moved closer for his flight, they moved closer to the security checkpoint. They walked passed a sitting area and didn’t stop until they were close to the first-class checkpoint. He reached for her hand before moving her close and capturing her mouth. He held her face and deepened the kiss. He waited another moment to savor the kiss before he spoke. “Stay away from Romeo.” His eyes darkened and his lips drew tight. His hands still cupped her face, only inches from his own.
Autumn tried to move back to gauge his expression, but he held her. From what she could see, Travis was dead serious. “Why?” She once again tried to move from his grasp.
He firmed his hold on her and pulled her back into his body until his lips touched her ear. “I’m serious, baby. Please do as I tell you. Now that he knows you’re off limits, he will test you, and when he does, I’m going to have to come back here and snap him in two.” He released her and stepped back.
Autumn instantly felt the coolness as she looked into the face of the man who was now her husband and wondered what she’d gotten herself into. Reggie, on occasion, had told her hard-to-believe stories about the Brooks men. After meeting them, she knew firsthand how serious they were about protecting their own. Is he telling me who I can and can’t talk to? she wondered. The thought almost infuriated her, and she was certain this would put them at odds.
She took a calming breath instead before she spoke. “I—”
He covered her lips with his fingers and shook his head. “Autumn, it’s not up for discussion, baby.”
They stood and stared at one another for several seconds. The tension between them could cut straight through steel. Travis broke the stare-challenge first and moved back to her. “I would never do anything to hurt you. Trust me,” he paused. “I love you and I’ll call you when I get to New Orleans.”
He pulled away without any intention of kissing her again. Autumn caught him by his hand and moved into him. “I love you. Be safe.” She kissed him one last time.
“I love you, Autumn.” He moved away and headed for the security gate. He didn’t look back for fear that he wouldn’t be able to leave her.
Autumn hoped he would turn around, but his wide back was ramrod straight, and he continued through the checkpoint. She pulled out her phone to call him, but dropped it into the bag, and waited several minutes until he disappeared.
Travis twirled the band on his left hand before he moved it to his right hand and held it to his lips. His marriage to Autumn would remain a secret until she came home in two weeks. His body warmed just thinking about her. He closed his eyes at the memory of their lovemaking that morning. He could love her for days and not tire of her. The warmth and yielding of her body intoxicated him, which made it hard for him to focus on anything else; to keep his raging passion in check.
He didn’t want to leave her in New York. He looked out of the window into the clouds and could visualize images of her; images so vivid that they burned into his memory. He hoped he could hold out two weeks without rushing back to New York for her. He didn’t care what it cost.
Once Travis made his connecting flight from Atlanta, he was anxious to get home. He called Autumn but got her voice mail on the first ring. “Baby, I’m on the ground. I’ll call you back when I get to my office.” He snapped the phone back into his belt and made his way to long-term parking. His phone rang as he navigated through morning traffic. He clicked the button on his blue tooth, “Hi baby, I’m headed to the office.”
“Sorry, I couldn’t get to my phone earlier. I’m glad you made it home all right. How was your trip?”
“I miss you already.”
“I wish I would have come home with you, Travis.”
“Then come home, Autumn. You don’t have to wait, baby. I don’t want you to wait.” He touched the earpiece with his finger to turn up the volume. He listened to Autumn’s shaky voice and it distressed him.
“I have some things to take care of at work.”
“I thought Saturday was your last show until the next show in a month.”
“It was. We still have some post-show things to take care of. But it shouldn’t take me long. I hope to be done in a couple of days.”
“Come home, sweetheart. Whenever you’re ready you should get on a plane. I’m ready for you today. So when you make your plans let me know, okay?”
“I will. It will probably be in a couple of days.”
“That would be fine with me.”
“I’ll call you later.”
“Okay, babe.”
“I love you.”
“I love you, Autumn.” He hesitated before leaving his vehicle. He pulled into the lot as he ended his call with Autumn. He welcomed her decision to come home earlier than planned. He made a mental note to get things ready for her arrival. Once in his office, he called Trae, and then Michael
* * * *
The next day, Autumn rushed around the apartment tossing things into a bag. She’d managed to book a flight leaving New York at ten. Even though the forecast called for thunderstorms in New Orleans, she dressed in a slim short sleeve dress and carried a brightly colored cardigan just in case she got chilly. On the plane, she totally ignored the tropical storm brewing in the Gulf, headed toward Mexico. Those storms formed all the time. After all, it was the season for tropical storms and hurricanes.
She called Travis after she boarded the plane and it was pullin
g away from the gate. “Have you been watching the news, Autumn? Baby, there’s a storm that’s been upgraded to a category two hurricane. If the airport hasn’t closed yet, there’s a good possibility that it will by the time you reach your connecting city.”
“Travis, I can’t talk long. I’ll call you when we land. I love you,” she rushed through her call, knowing Travis would try to deter her from coming home. A storm was headed in that direction and she had every intention of beating it there. So, she ended the call before he could respond.
“Autumn. Autumn.” Travis pulled the phone from his ear and looked at it. “Damn.” He sighed heavily. The last thing he needed was to worry about Autumn coming home in the middle of a hurricane. He’d released most of his employees already to go home and take care of their families. The path of Hurricane Emma was still iffy. The last several hurricanes in the region had caused such a nightmare, especially Katrina, that the authorities didn’t take chances anymore. They encouraged residents to seek high ground early, in the event Emma changed her mind and hit land on the coastal regions of Louisiana.
He called his brothers as they headed to Clem’s house to make sure everything was secure. Dianne inherited her uncle’s house despite opposition from his children. The house had been empty since Clem’s repast. “Listen, guys, I’ll meet you over at momma’s house. I have a few things to patch up at the Lake warehouse.”
“Take care of the warehouse, Travis. Michael and I will go over and help Dad board down things at the house,” Trae told him.
“I’ll have what I need done by the time you get there. Besides I have to wait and see what’s happening with Autumn. She’s on her way here as we speak.”
“What? She may end up stuck someplace, bruh. I doubt that they’re letting anyone into the city today.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of. So, I’ll have to keep an ear open for her. I’ll let you know.”
“We’ll see you at the house.”
“Later. We’ll talk when I get there.”
* * * *
The rain had come down steadily and the wind gusts increased as the clouds grew darker. Travis scurried through the rain after he left his office. People moved about as typical during times like these. He stopped and picked up several cases of water and some other dry goods. One could never have too much of either on hand.
He tried hard not to concentrate on Autumn, who still hadn’t called him back. His anxiety grew when he called her cell phone and it went straight to voice mail. “Baby, please call me as soon as you can. I love you.” He left a message.
CHAPTER 29
The storm grew progressively worst as the day went on. Travis stopped by his house first, before heading to his parents’. When he got there, Trae, Michael and Denise were in the basement, securing the open patio area. His mother gathered blankets and pillows in the huge family room where they usually bedded down during a storm. Trae caught and held Travis’s gaze, hoping to find any sign that he’d heard from his wife without actually coming out and openly asking him if he had. But Travis’s expression was tight and unyielding.
* * * *
Autumn paced the gate area. It was the third one since she’d landed. She found herself racing from one gate to the next. No sooner than she got to one, she was directed to go to another. And then it happened, the announcement from the gate agent. “Sorry ladies and gentlemen, all flights headed to New Orleans have been cancelled.” Autumn tried calling Travis but all the circuits were busy. The last time she talked to him she promised him she would let him know her status. Her text messaging attempts met the same fate, no signal, as did her unsent messages on her tablet.
The airline offered the passengers discount coupons for hotels in the area, but Autumn wasn’t interested in staying in a hotel. She was trying to get home. Everyone else was trying to get away, and all she could think about was getting to Travis. She decided not to think about how worried he would be once she talked to him. Instead, she focused on getting home.
Autumn checked for flights into Baton Rouge and Shreveport. Nothing. There were flights headed to Dallas, so she took the first flight she could get on. And it just so happened that one of the companies that Tempest worked for flew back and forth to Jefferson Parish, particularly during the storms, to transport personnel and equipment in and out of the area. As soon as she landed, she called Travis again to let him know her plans.
Earlier, Autumn’s excitement had been shattered when Mother Nature’s plan tried to delay her efforts. She could hardly suppress the anticipation of being with him. She decided not to linger on her negatives too long. She had a plan, and if it wasn’t tonight, then by the next, she planned to be in Travis’s bed. When she finally was able to get a signal, Autumn had pressed the single number on her phone, and now waited for Travis to pick up.
* * * *
Travis and his family kept a close watch on the forecast, but he still worried. His mother watched him. She touched his arm. “Everything okay, son?”
“I hope so. Autumn is traveling in this direction and I haven’t heard from her yet.”
“Don’t worry, sweetheart. Hopefully, she stayed put. I tried calling your Uncle Ted and couldn’t get a line. All the circuits are jammed.”
He prayed his mother was right. His heart leaped when his phone rang and he recognized the ringtone. He already knew the Louis Armstrong Airport was closed to all inbound and outbound traffic, as was most of the traffic in the southern portions of Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas.
“Where are you, Autumn?” His voice rushed through the phone as he failed miserably to hide his anxiety.
“Hi, baby. I’m headed to Grand Isle.” She braced herself. Unless Travis surprised her, he wasn’t going to like her answer.
“You’re what?” He shouted, garnering the attention of his family. He held their curious glances for only a few seconds before he left the room.
“My flight was cancelled and I could only get to Dallas.”
“Why didn’t you go back to New York, Autumn? You should have turned around and went back to New York.” His censure was harsh and direct.
Autumn didn’t like being treated like a child. She understood Travis was upset, but she’d been taking care of herself well before he came along. She took a cleansing breath. “I’m headed home, Travis. I’ll be fine there, and I’ll call you when I get to the island.”
Travis tried to calm down before he spoke. Going to the coastal island was the last place she needed to be. “Autumn, honey, just stay in Dallas and we can decide tomorrow what to do. The storm will likely blow over by tomorrow.”
“It’s too late, Travis. Don’t worry. I’ll call you when I get home. We’ve lived through over ninety years of these storms. Mer Drace’s house has always survived, no matter the severity of the hurricane.”
Panic set in. It made no sense to him that she would choose to go into the storm. Travis knew he didn’t want to lose his one love in a damn hurricane. He had to reach her. He would go crazy if he didn’t. “If I leave now, I can be in Dallas in seven or eight hours. So please just wait there for me.” He thought back on the day of the bungee jump accident.
“Don’t be mad, Travis, and don’t worry. I love you. I’ll call you in a couple of hours.” She hung up before Travis had a chance to respond.
* * * *
Autumn boarded the twin-engine craft her brother’s company had chartered. It was flown by Jonathan, Tempest’s friend, who he worked with offshore. He learned that Tempest’s little sister was stranded in Dallas, and was happy to help her out. He was already headed home to Grand Isle, so he made a small diversion on his way to work to pick her up before they headed to the private airport near the refinery. He added her to the manifest with no problems. “Hey, little one.” He hugged Autumn briefly before taking her single bag and tossing it in the back of his truck. The last time he saw her, she was still wearing contact lenses, but not today. “It’s been a long time.” He smiled at her.
“
Yes, a very long time. You look great.”
Jonathan grinned so hard she could see all his teeth. His red hair usually lightened to a bright blond color in the summer months. His skin had tanned a brilliant bronze from years of working out in the sun. “You picked a fine time to come home, you know.”
“Tell me about it.”
Tempest called their mother to tell her that Autumn was headed home. And when he met Jonathan and Autumn at the air pad, he handed her a rain slicker before she exited the plane. “My sweet little sister, what are you doing here in the middle of this storm?”
“Here to see you, my darling brother.” She hugged him, and handed him her bag before she jumped into his truck.
When they pulled into Mer Drace’s driveway, her father was already boarding up the windows and moving anything that might get blown around by the strong winds. She eagerly hugged him. “Hi, Daddy.”
“Hi baby. I’m so glad to see you. Your mother and Mer Drace are in the house. I have to go and help your Uncle Damon in a little bit, but I’ll be back.”
It was no surprise to Mer Drace or her mother that she was there. They almost always knew when she was near. Neither inquired as to why she was home. Somehow, some way, Mer Drace already knew.
* * * *
Instant, heat rose up Travis’s neck and his heart pounded so loud he could hear it in his ears. He came close to heaving the phone against the wall. He frowned and balled his hands into tight fists and swung at the air. For the life of him he couldn’t imagine what Autumn was thinking. Fear the size of the Super Dome filled his chest. He blew out several quick breaths as he contemplated what he planned to do next. He only had one choice; go to Grand Isle to get her.