“Ugh, why are all men so daft?”
“Daft?” he harrumphed, offended. “What, Sky? What do you want me to say to make this better, huh? I’m a man, dammit. I have needs too. I—”
She shook her head, lips curled in anger, and he wanted to explode at the frustration he felt in that moment. Nothing he said was gonna make this better. She thought he was daft…and dammit, maybe he was.
He took another sip of coffee and slammed the mug down onto the countertop. Sky shook as if he’d slapped her and a realization dawned on him. It smacked him hard across his head and he reeled. “Wait. You’re mad that I came out here and jacked off? Why?” he asked and took a step forward. “You didn’t want me to fuck you, so how can you be mad about that? Do you realize how crazy that is?”
She turned away from him and sighed heavily. “You can’t possibly understand.”
“No, I can’t, not when I continue to be punished for the actions of others.”
He realized her anger at him was a defense mechanism and tried to calm down, after all he really couldn’t comprehend the pain that she’d experienced.
“My anger isn’t directed at you.” She verified his thought and turned, batting at the angry tears on her cheeks. “Dammit, I hate that I cry when I’m mad.”
He pulled her to him by her wrist. Her face remained hard and closed off, but he forced it up with his thumb and index finger. “Sky, that’s because you’re not actually mad, are you?” She shook her head, her blue eyes looking hard into his. “You’re…hurt?” he asked, trying hard to understand why she would be so upset at the fact that he hadn’t forced himself upon her. “Please baby, you gotta spell it out for me. I’m ‘daft,’ remember?” When her lips turned up in a smile, he separated the distance between them, caging her in with his arms as his hands settled around her waist. He rested his forehead against hers and implored her. “Talk to me, my fiery goddess, tell me. Make this aggressive god inside me understand.”
Skyla’s lips quivered as she attempted to rein her emotions in, shame taking hold of her as his knuckles brushed her cheekbone. “I—I thought...” She paused, and Travis realized how difficult this was for her. He frowned again and leaned down to kiss her cheek. “That you didn’t want me to do it for you,” she stated quickly and looked up, disappointment marking her beautiful face.
“Now, why would I not want you to get me off?” he asked, and she answered with a cute little shrug. “Oh, Skyla. If you only knew how much I wanted it... Hell, it might’ve frightened you.” He gave a humorless laugh and pulled her into his chest, cradling her head and kissing the top of it. “Want me to tell you exactly what I wanted last night, my sexy, little Aphrodite?” She nodded against his chin and he felt his need for her grow between them. “I wanted to fuck your mouth, your tits, and your pussy, baby. Then I wanted to pull out and come all over your perky little ass. Want me to keep going?” he asked again and pulled her back to see her face, which was as red as he’d expected, getting a laugh out of him. He chucked her chin again and looked her in the eyes, staring hard into them. “While I was fisting my cock like there was no tomorrow right here at this counter last night, I was imagining how amazing being inside your body would be and I came in two seconds flat, no joke. Now, does that sound like a man who doesn’t want you to finish him off?”
Sky gulped and looked away for a second before shaking her head.
“No, it doesn’t. I’m a man who wants you so badly that my erection seems to be constant whenever you’re around. But I know you’ve very recently been jilted, and I wasn’t gonna push you into doing anything you’re not ready for. So I came out here and took care of myself that way you didn’t feel obligated to return the favor. I was tryin’ real hard last night to be a gentleman, baby doll, despite that I pride myself on being the bad boy.” He smirked and stroked her cheek, leaning down to kiss her softly on the lips. “But whenever you’re ready for Him, you’re getting Ares. And try as you might, He’s not letting you go until you’ve been thoroughly fucked. Every delicious inch of you.” He licked her lips slowly with his tongue and stepped back, letting her digest his words as he moved to the stove to stir the veggie mixture.
She wanted “The Ram,” by God, she was gonna get him.
Sky gaped as she looked over at the gorgeous sex god stirring the veggies at the stove like he hadn’t just soaked her panties with both his naughty words and enticing tongue. She’d never been spoken to like that before, and Lord help, she wanted to hear more. Since graduating college, she’d been drawn to men who she deemed were “safe”. She didn’t date anyone who wasn’t what she’d considered husband material or had a reputation that was as sterling as their career choice.
In college, most of her “fuck buddies” had been law students like herself, not really random so much as convenient—as much friends as actual lovers, as no real love had been made. Sky felt shorted, like she’d missed out and knew this might be her one and only chance to have erotic, raw, unadulterated sex before she settled down with a man who married her more for her brain than her looks or what she could do in the bedroom. Sky was too successful for love, she needed security, valued reality over fantasy. Fate didn’t produce Prince Charmings. As much as she wanted to believe the fairy tales she read, she knew they didn’t exist, knew destiny had thrown her a bone when it had thrust Travis Redmond back into her life. This was her final chance to act on her feelings before shit got real. And she was going to take that damn bone and gnaw on it until there wasn’t anything left, she realized. After all, who was she to look a gift horse in the mouth?
Skyla pulled in a deep breath and stepped up behind Travis. She leaned into his flannel shirt and inhaled him, letting her nose settle between his shoulder blades.
“What has the goddess of love made her lover for breakfast?” he asked, grabbing the wrist she moved to his hip and stroking it with his thumb. “I don’t know what turns me on more: that you were mad at me and made me breakfast anyway, or that you can cook.”
Skyla smiled as his head turned to give her a sexy grin. “And what if I were trying to poison you, Ares?” Her brow went up.
“Damn, woman, that’s not very nice. Sounds like something Athena might do.”
Sky laughed heartily. “I told you Aphrodite was the wrong name for me.”
“We’ll see about that.” His eyes roved over her, and she bit into her lip. “You gonna answer me?”
Sky frowned in confusion, racking her brain for the question he’d asked. “Oh, breakfast,” she recalled suddenly. “Southwestern omelets.”
He grinned again. “Yum.”
The tone of his voice made her wonder if he were talking about breakfast or her as his eyes settled at her breasts. If he were trying to unnerve her, he was doing a fantastic job of it. She wasn’t used to being scrutinized so.
She moved away from him, garnering every ounce of her courage, to the fridge where she grabbed a carton of eggs. She focused on the task at hand, cracking eggs into a bowl, whisking them, and adding seasonings. Travis continued to stir the contents of the small frying pan, humming and Sky relaxed some, confident he wasn’t gonna bend her over the table and have his way with her...well, not right that second anyway.
As alluring as the prospect of finally being with him was, there was that nervous schoolgirl in her that dreaded having him see her naked, dreaded what his eyes would think of her imperfect form and the scars that ran across her lower abdomen. She was still that insecure fat girl and knew she didn’t come anywhere close to comparing with the gorgeous models and celebs he’d taken to bed over the years.
Her unease returned, souring her stomach, and when he took a step toward her, she came within inches of dumping their eggs onto the floor before grabbing the bowl and gasping, grateful she’d not been wasteful due to clumsy hands.
Travis thought it was humorous and laughed. “Your nervousness around me is adorable.”
She scoffed. “I’m not nervous, I just...I haven’t had enough coffee
yet,” she stammered.
“Right.” He was unconvinced, and Sky felt her cheeks flame in embarrassment. She was never gonna get used to his presence. She was hopeless. How in the name of God was she gonna pull this off? She wasn’t gonna be able to do it sober. “Here. I’ll pour you some more coffee.” He winked, and she came close to swooning before moving back to the fridge to grab cheese and salsa for the omelets.
She calmed her heart rate and moved the veggies off the frying pan, dumping them and some cold milk into the eggs before adding a pad of butter back to the pan and lowering the knob of the stove eye.
Travis began to sing aloud as he added more coffee to her mug, using the pumpkin spice creamer for a microphone. Sky joined in, singing “Come And Get Your Love” by Redbone. She lost herself to this moment, to the feeling of happiness being so close to him, connecting with him as she had back in high school before their lives had become intertwined by a tragedy neither of them could have ever fathomed. It was as if no bad thing had ever transpired, as if they weren’t running from bad guys, as if this was a normal morning after breakfast between two lovers.
Sky poured half the egg mixture into the pan and watched and waited a couple minutes before folding one side up over the other. She’d been making omelets for a long time. It was one of the few breakfast foods she liked. After another couple minutes, Skyla turned the whole thing over and added a healthy serving of cheese to the top. She popped a lid on to steam and melt the cheese before removing it after another minute and shaking it onto a plate. She then added a dollop of salsa to it and handed it over to Travis. “Bon appétit, Ares.” Her brow went up in challenge.
“Well, well, Ms. Larson, this looks great. But how dumb would I be to eat mine first, after you stated your intentions to poison me?”
She rolled her eyes and grinned at him. She then took one of the forks she’d laid out and used it to scoop a bite of the omelet. She brought it to her mouth and shoved it in. Travis watched her chew with amusement. “See? There. No poison. Now eat it, you dope.”
“Swallow first,” he challenged. She did and he smirked. “You’ll be doing a lot of that soon enough… Aphrodite.” He bobbed his brows before taking the plate from Sky.
Her jaw hung open as he chuckled and moved to the table. She returned to the pan to make herself an omelet. She was pleasantly surprised when she finished and brought her own plate to the table a few minutes later to see that Travis had waited for her.
“I thought you were starved.”
“I’m a patient man when it comes to what I want,” he answered, and she wasn’t sure he was actually talking about food. She guzzled her coffee down even as she looked down at her plate to keep her eyes off his. “Thanks for making breakfast, Sky.” Her stomach quaked as she waited for him to eat his food, but she found herself soaring as he said, “Damn, this is delicious.”
“Thank you.” Sky blushed and took a bite of her own and agreed—it was delicious.
“If I remember correctly, you owe me a bite,” he said after half of his was gone. He didn’t hesitate as he scooped up a bite of hers and brought it to his mouth.
“Hey!” she feigned shock and pointed her fork at him. “Stop spreading your germs.”
“My germs aren’t the only thing I’m gonna be spreading here soon.”
The heat coming off his blue eyes held her captive and her entire body shivered, his sexual intent not missed on her. She tried to hold his gaze, but he was the first to break it.
“Hey, you know what? Let’s go outside and play.”
“Play?” How old were they? Five?
“Yeah, like build a fucking snowman or have a snowball fight or somethin’.”
“Alright, Elsa.”
“C’mon. When was the last time we saw snow, let alone got to go out and enjoy it?”
Skyla thought back and couldn’t even answer that question. Georgia didn’t get a lot of snow and neither did Texas for that matter. She’d been young the last time she got to actually play out in it. She smiled back at Travis, and he chucked her chin before taking another bite of his omelet.
“I’ll do the dishes, since you cooked.” He winked. “I gotta get a good workout in today. Don’t wanna get soft from all this junk food I’ve eaten lately.”
Skyla could only imagine the rigorous workouts he was used to and his diet. He was probably having so many more cheat meals than he normally got; she was surprised he wasn’t sick at this point. He seemed nonplussed though as he took her plate and moved off.
She took that time to finish her coffee and stepped over to the window to look out at the white snow covering the ground and trees. It was fluffy and magical as the sun peeked through the clouds to highlight the ice crystals that sparkled back at her. She smiled, hearing a bird chirp to her from a nearby branch. She looked up to see it was a red cardinal, a sign of a loved one watching out for her.
The danger they’d been in at this point seemed almost like a distant memory; although at any moment, they were bound to be caught by one of the most notorious crime rings in Atlanta.
Sky remembered Jeffers words and shivered. They both were going to be taken and she hadn’t bothered to tell Travis—and what difference did it make if he knew? Better to have the element of surprise on his side so that his reaction was genuine. The overwhelming fear paralyzed her suddenly. She worried about what Geraci would do when he caught them. How bad the punishment for them both would be, especially since he more than likely suspected Travis of “disobedience.” She’d seen the results of those who’d defied Giovanni Geraci. Skyla prayed that Travis’s brother, Tucker, was alright and hoping their inside guy could stay incognito for a little while longer.
For now, she was going to soak up this beautiful day and this beautiful man whom she planned to succumb to before the night was up.
She chanced a glance back over at him and his blue eyes caught hers. So blue, like the waters of a glacier. Damn. She was in some serious trouble.
“Do NOT put a carrot there.”
“Oh, why not? It’s not like anyone’s gonna see it, party pooper.” Travis stuck his tongue out at her as he did exactly what she’d just told him not to. “Besides, it’s funny.” Travis grinned and looked back at the snowman they’d built, with rocks for eyes, a stick for a mouth, and a carrot as a raging boner.
Skyla crossed her arms over her chest and scowled up at him.
“Lighten up, Sky. You can’t say that you don’t think it’s just a little funny…”
Again, Sky looked at him as if he were a misbehaving child. She dropped her arms and took a second glance at their snowman, evaluating the job they’d done. Then a big grin lit her face and she giggled. “Ok, maybe it’s a little funny.” She nodded back up at him, her copper-gold locks covered mostly by an ugly brown knitted beanie. “But it would be funnier if we built a female one to go beside him with a set of big boobs.”
Travis bent double with laughter, his big gloved hands hitting his thighs. “Oh, we’re so fucking doin’ it.”
They set about the task of gathering and rolling enough snow for yet another life-sized snowman—snowwoman, to be exact—making her leaner and curvier than her male counterpart. It was fun, working together with Skyla, having her loosen up a bit and get the wedgie out of her granny panties. She was patient and easy-going when she wasn’t so annoyed with him.
The morning went by quickly as they finished their sculpturing, finding pine needles for eyelashes and a red rock for lips.
When they stepped back to admire their work, Sky even laughed this time. “Now that’s funny.”
“I tend to agree, my pervy compadre,” Travis stepped up alongside her and threw his arm around her neck, pulling her into him. “Reminds me of two others I know.”
Sky grinned then pulled away, quickly shoving at his chest and taking him off guard, knocking him down into the shin-deep snow. He fell with a splat as the big, fluffy cold stuff surrounded him and gaped up at a laughing Skyla. “Gotcha.”
“Hey!” Travis protested and attempted to sit up, but was once again blind-sided as he felt a snowball hit him square in his jaw. The whoosh startled him before the cold splattered his face. He gasped and wiped the snow off his cheek, hearing Skyla run off, laughing loudly. “Why, you…” He didn’t finish as adrenaline coursed through his veins. He stood; the snowball fight had commenced. He lowered his hand and grabbed a massive handful of snow, packing it tightly and rounding it out. He prowled slowly as he closed in on a rock wall out front of a grove of Aspen trees, where he presumed his attacker was hiding out.
When he rounded the corner and saw her, he lunged, getting a scream out of her as he made contact and gripped her arm. He crashed the snowball into her hip, getting a squeal out of her. “Travis!”
“All is fair in love and war, Fireball. You launched the first volley.”
She somehow slipped out of his grasp, the slick glove losing her as she turned and planted a snowball into his chest. “Ah,” he gasped as the cold hit him. “Damn, that’s cold.” Even through the sweater and jacket he’d found, he could still feel the ice seep through.
“C’mon, wimp, come and get me.”
“Wimp? Ha! You’re in for it, little girl. Once I catch you, I’m showing you no mercy.” He chased her, amped up by the thrill of it all and how unexpected this was of her character. He laughed as his bigger, longer legs ate up the snow banks and the distance between them shortened.
She protested, panicked by his gain. When he was almost on her, she stumbled on a slick rock. He was too close to catch himself and crashed into her, sending them both sprawling down a small hill and into a shallow ditch. He landed atop her, practically in a tackle, unable to stop the momentum of his large body. She hooted with laughter even as he looked her over to make sure he hadn’t hurt her; she was so much smaller than him, after all.
“Jeez, I’m sorry. Are you ok?”
Skyla cackled as she smashed another snowball into his face, and he practically growled. He grabbed at the snow covering him and tossed it back onto Skyla’s face. She gasped as the cold ice hit her and sputtered. “Uh, Travis.”
UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT (Gods of the Gridiron Book 1) Page 12