His lie to his mother was weighing heavily on his mind and he had pretty much lost his appetite, but he didn’t want to seem ungrateful or disrespectful of his generous host. Especially not after kissing her; so he ate until his bowl was empty.
She stood up and carried her half eaten salad over to the fridge, slamming it down onto the top shelf. Travis flinched and stood up, walking across the kitchen floor in three long strides, standing just behind her. He set his bowl into the sink and then wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her against his body and bending to press a kiss to the side of her neck.
“I’m sorry your brother upset you,” he murmured softly between kisses to the arch of her neck. Laurie groaned and reluctantly pushed him away. “I need to get some sleep, or I’ll be no good in the shop tomorrow. If you’re in such a hurry to get out of here, I need to be on my A game. Sorry, I don’t have a guest bed, but you can sleep on the couch… it’s a pull out. There are sheets and blankets in the hall closet. The bathroom is the second door on the right. Goodnight, Travis.”
Having said that, she ran down the hall away from him and all Travis could seem to do was watch and wish he had the right to follow her. He’d never been so drawn to a woman in his life. Knowing that she was so independent only made matters worse for him.
Just thi nking about how much further he’d wanted things to go between them made his body even harder. He sighed in resignation and headed down the hall to get what he needed to make up the sofa bed. What Laurie had said had been true. They both needed sleep because morning came early, and they both needed to be at their best the following day. In order for that to happen, they both needed sleep, and a lot of it.
Chapter 4
The next morning when Laurie came down the hall, she was half asleep. She hadn’t slept much the night before. Every time she’d closed her eyes, all she’d been able to do was see the sexy hunk who was sleeping in her living room, leaning over her with desire written all over his face. She looked in the mirror and cringed at what she saw. Her eyes were bloodshot and she had dark circles under them.
Knowing there wasn’t much she could do about it since she wasn’t the sort to keep make up around the house; she started the shower and climbed under the pulsing spray. It felt reviving, sluicing over her heated skin and she tipped her chin down with her back turned to the showerhead to allow it to massage her tired muscles.
Travis heard the water in the shower and his groin tightened again. He grumbled, groaned and gave up on falling asleep. He’d lain there all night, trying to stop thinking about how hot she’d made him… how good she’d felt in his arms… how much he’d longed to pick her up and carry her to her bed and take those kisses to their natural conclusion.
He swung his legs over the edge of the mattress and stood up. His legs carried him across the room and down the hall, seemingly without him even realizing what he was doing until he was standing just outside the bathroom door with his hand on the doorknob.
“What are you doing, Robbins?” he asked himself, shaking his head in disbelief at himself. “Kissing her is bad enough… you can’t just let yourself into her shower and take her up against the tile wall… she doesn’t even know you… and you don’t know her.”
His hand fell from the doorknob and he leaned his forehead against the bathroom door with his eyes closed in regret. “Just walk away, Robbins,” he demanded, but he couldn’t seem to make himself do it.
The water turned off and he heard the soft sounds of her stepping out onto the linoleum. A deep groan came from the back of his throat as he pictured her standing just on the other side of the door in all of her naked glory. The next thing he knew, the door he had been leaning on was yanked open and he was faced with a wet irate woman standing in front of him with just a towel wrapped around her body.
He knew it was wrong, but he couldn’t seem to drag his eyes away from her long exposed legs. When he finally managed that fate, they landed on the slopes of the tops of her breasts where the towel was tucked and his groin tightened even more than it had been before.
“Just what do you think you’re doing?” she demanded angrily. She really was adorable when she was mad. It was all his lust addled brain was capable of thinking for a few minutes. Then he realized how angry it would make her if she knew what he was thinking and made an effort to focus on what she’d asked him and giving her an answer.
“Following my instinct,” he answered honestly. “I wasn’t even aware of what I was doing when I headed towards the sound of your shower… Honest to God,” he said, when she shot him a glare of doubt. “When I realized what I was about to do, I was trying to talk myself into walking away and leaving you alone… but it wasn’t a very successful pep talk. You’re a very desirable woman, Laurie.”
Her large eyes blinked and she turned around to face the bathroom. “So you say. Just… let me get ready for work and we’ll get to the shop. I’ll get your car fixed up for you and you can get out of town the way you’re so anxious to do. My brothers made me promise I wouldn’t get myself wrapped up with anyone else that was just using me… and knowing what a rush you’re in to get out of town, there’s no doubt that it’s what you would be doing.”
Travis nodded his head and turned back towards the living room. “I’ll pick the bedding up and put the couch back together for you,” he offered, wondering at the
disappointment that zinged through him. It was something to think about.
They were both quiet as Laurie drove them back to the garage. Travis watched her climb out when they got there and run to the door. She unlocked it and then flipped on all the lights. Pointing to a chair by the front counter, she headed towards the bay, talking to him.
“You can sit out here or you can come back; just stay out of my way.”
Travis followed her out to the bay where his car sat silently. He watched as she rolled her sleeves up over her elbows and then unbuttoned the bottom of her shirt and tied it just under her breasts. His mouth was watering at the sight she made and he found that all he really wanted was to back her up against the side of his car and ravage her.
She didn’t even look up at him before she had the hood up on his car and her head bent over the engine with her arms reaching down inside of all that metal that made no sense to him. She pushed on hoses, tested fluid levels and then, biting her lower lip, she removed the cover over the air filter to look inside.
Already, she’d done more than he knew how to do when something went wrong with his car. It was clear this woman definitely knew what she was doing. She was silent as she examined something. He couldn’t tell what it was she was looking at, and even if he could see it, he probably wouldn’t have known what it was.
“Do me a favor…” she said, not looking up. “Turn on the radio over on the counter, and make it nice and loud. It’s easier for me to think when I’ve got my tunes on. I hope you like 80’s rock.”
“Normally, I tend to lean towards Country,” he answered, following her directions. “But if it helps you concentrate, I’ll happily deal with whatever music does it for you.” She glanced up at him and he saw the raw heat in her eyes. The sight jumpstarted his libido and he groaned; pointedly turning his attention to the car instead of her hot body.
“So… any clues yet?” he asked, desperate to get her to stop looking at him. If she didn’t take her eyes off his body soon, he would no longer be able to behave himself around her. One step in his direction on her part, and he couldn’t be held responsible for his own actions, because his mind would have been too clouded by lust to realize what he was doing.
Laurie shook off the thoughts that had taken her mind over when she’d seen the heat in his eyes and looked back at the car. “Not yet. I’m going underneath to take a look from the bottom to see what I can find.”
Travis watched as she lay down on a rolling creeper and pushed herself under his car. He cleared his throat awkwardly. “Would you mind if I took your truck and went to go pick us up some lunch�
� I saw a diner on the way here. I must admit, there’s not much I can do to help here…. I know next to nothing about cars.”
“Sure,” Laurie said, feeling relieved. With him in the garage, she was finding it next to impossible to concentrate on much of anything other than him. She could have looked right at the problem with his car and not even seen it. “Why don’t you grab us lunch, bring mine back here and then go ahead and go back to my place. If anyone comes by and tries giving you a hard time, tell them to give me a call and I’ll let them know you’re allowed to be there. I’ll call the house when I’m ready to come home for the night if the car’s not ready. If your car is done, I’ll just drive it back home at the end of the day.”
Travis stepped forward and touched her arm, rubbing upwards towards her shoulder. He leaned down and brushed a soft kiss across her mouth before grabbing her keys out of her back pants pocket where he’d seen her stash them and then turning and walking out the back door without saying another word.
Laurie had the transmission almost completely torn apart when her phone rang. Sighing heavily, she wiped her hands on the grease rag and walked over to the counter. She saw a bag of food sitting there next to the phone and she couldn’t help but smile. Clearly she hadn’t heard Travis when he’d stopped by to bring her lunch to her before heading back to her house. She was humming when she picked the phone up, half expecting it to be him.
“Hey sis,” Jeff’s voice said, sounding entirely too chipper. “Just wanted to let you know the trip didn’t take nearly as long as I expected. I’m back in town. Did Eric ask after me?”
“I told him about your idiotic plan to spend per fectly good money on an animal, yes. But I didn’t say anything about the fact that it was a bull that would later on try to kill you,” she answered, feeling annoyed at her little brother.
“Come on, Laurie… I thought we had a deal. I don’t pester you about your choices in life, and you don’t lay into me about mine.”
“Are you actually going to hold to your part of the bargain?” she asked in disbelief.
“That depends,” he said, chuckling. “Are you?” “I will if you will,” she answered, looking back over at the car, thinking about its owner and the way he made her feel; the way her brothers liked to play overprotective Neanderthals with every man who dared pay attention to her. Especially the ones that she showed interest in, and she was definitely interested in Travis.
“Why do I get the feeling there’s something you’re trying to get away with?” he asked suspiciously. “Do we have a deal or don’t we? If you’re going to insist on butting into my life, I will do the same to you. Remember, Jeff… I’m the older sibling here, not you.”
“Fine,” he said, sighing heavily. “How about dinner tonight? We should do something nice for Eric and Maddie.”
“I’m working on a car, Jeff. I’ll be here as long as it takes… the owner is in a rush.”
“This is our big brother we’re talking about here, sis. Not to mention his very heavily pregnant wife.” “It might be a few days before I can get out there, Jeff; I’m sorry. As soon as I can, you have my word; Eric’s place is the first place I’ll go.”
Her brother finally hung up and Laurie felt as if she’d been put through the ringer as she settled it back on the hook. At this rate, she’d be hearing from Eric next. It would be really nice if just once, she could get through an entire day without her two well-meaning but obnoxious brothers bombarding her with their insane need to baby her and tell her how to run her life.
Chapter 5
It was getting late and Laurie was exhausted before she finally gave in and called her house to ask Travis to come and get her. When he got to the garage, she’d climbed into the passenger seat of her own truck and closed her eyes, sighing in relief. It was nice to have someone else who could do the driving without having to lean on one of her brothers. There was definitely something to be said for having someone around at times like this.
“Thanks for coming to get me,” she said, yawning widely. “I couldn’t have kept my eyes open for another ten minutes to save my own life,” she told him, reaching for her seat belt and rolling her head to the side. “I just want to crawl into my bed and sleep for twelve hours straight.”
“Was it that bad?” he asked, pulling the truck back out onto the road. “My car’s that much of a mess?” “The transmission needs a complete rebuild, you have an exhaust leak, one of the lifters in the engine isn’t lifting, and there are at least four vacuum hoses I’ve found so far that are either cracked or just flat out busted. It’s a miracle the car got you more than five feet before it broke down.” “Ouch,” he murmured under his breath. “Do I even want to know how long that’s going to take to fix? I’m not going to be stuck here for months, am I?”
“I don’t mean to brag,” she answered, yawning widely again. “But I’m damn good at what I do. I’ll have you back up and running in no time. I just have to wait until a few of the parts I need for the transmission get here before I can put it back together. It should be ready in a few days. By the end of next week at the very latest, and that is definitely the worst possible case scenario. I honestly don’t think it’ll take anywhere near that long. Your car is my number one priority,” she assured him. “I won’t stop until it’s fixed or until I’m ready to fall down each day.”
It was a promise Travis could tell she intended to keep and his respect for her grew ten-fold. “I appreciate your making it the most important thing on your to do list,” he told her quietly. “My Ma would thank you too, if she knew what was going on. I’d tell her, but I don’t want to freak her out. She’s got more than her fair share of problems without having to worry about my car.”
“Didn’t you say she was expecting you, though? Wouldn’t it be best for you to let her know you’ve been delayed?” she asked, glancing over at him out of her half-lidded eyes. She was nearing sleep and she knew it.
“She is expecting me… but I told her it might take me a few days longer before I could start out than it actually did. Plus, she most likely thinks I’m stopping at night along the road. It’s a mighty long drive from Kentucky to Wyoming. So far, I’ve just taken catnaps in my car, only stopping for food or gas. I’ve made crazy good time... or at least I had been until my car crapped out on me.”
Laurie was silent the rest of the way to her house and when Travis parked the truck; he looked over at her to find her sound asleep. Grinning widely, he got out of the truck and went to go open the front door. After it was standing wide open, he went back to the truck and picked her up. His long legs ate up the distance between the truck and the house as his body reacted to the hot body in his arms.
When he lowered her into her bed, he couldn’t help but kiss her. She was too beautiful and his body was primed and ready for action. A simple kiss was necessary; it wasn’t too much to ask for. Not when she was sleeping and would never remember anyways. All would be well with the world.
She groaned when his lips brushed across hers and her arms snaked up and around his neck. Her grip was strong and she tugged him down onto the bed with her, her lips, teeth and tongue desperately clung to his mouth. She was like a sexually charged nymphomaniac as she wrapped her legs around his waist, forcing him to settle his body between them. If it wasn’t for their clothes, they would have been going at it hot and heavy already and Travis wasn’t even sure how it had happened; nor did he quite frankly care. He was too hot for her to do anything more than take whatever she was willing to offer him.
His hand shook as he moved it to the buttons on her shirt. He needed to touch her, skin to skin. The way she was making him burn by rubbing up against him, he was lucky he hadn’t caught fire altogether.
The phone rang over on her dresser as he popped the fourth and final button open on her shirt. A deep groan escaped from him as her eyes popped open in shock and she sat upright, knocking him to the floor. “What?” she asked, looking around her in confusion. She saw the way he was half dressed and
her eyes snapped down to her own open shirt.
Shaking the sleep from her mind while trying to come to grips with the fact that her dream was actually reality, she got up, tugging the edges of her shirt together as she headed for the phone. “We’ll talk about what was going on here when I get off the phone,” she told him in a shaky voice.
Travis hung his head between his legs to try to force the blood back into it. It had all rushed south to the body part that was most anxious to see where Laurie had meant to take them. He was sure, if that phone wouldn’t have rang, he would have been buried deep within her body, bringing them both extreme pleasure by now.
Laurie smiled so widely, all Travis could think about was dragging her back into the bed and taking those hotter than Hell kisses to their natural conclusion. This woman was entirely too gorgeous for her own good. He tried concentrating on her side of the conversation, but he was too far gone to pull it off. All her words sounded like the adults voices in the Charlie Brown movies to him. When she hung the phone up and turned around to face him, he almost stumbled and fell at the sight of her brilliant smile. “That was my supplier,” she said excitedly. “They got the parts I needed for your car and guaranteed me delivery in two days’ time. At this rate, you’ll be able to get back on the road towards your Mom’s house before the week’s end.”
“That’s amazing,” he said, rubbing his hand over his head, wondering what to do about the fact that he had completely forgotten about his mother and what she was going through, thanks to his intense desire for his host.
“I aim to please,” she told him proudly. “In that case, you could come back to bed…” the words were said huskily with a pleading tone that told Laurie in no uncertain terms just how hard stopping in the middle of things had been on him.
Texas Heat (Stubborn Texas Siblings Book 2) Page 3