I reached up and cupped Travis’s face in my hands, holding him to me, and Travis eagerly responded to my action, his warm mouth crushing against mine. His hands moved to my back and my neck, and he gently leaned me back, so that my head was resting on the arm of the sofa, his body hovering over mine. Travis shifted, and I felt the weight of him on top of me as we continued to kiss. My hands trailed up his shirt, feeling the hard muscles of his chest beneath the thin material. He planted kisses down the side of my neck and then moved his lips down farther, just along the edge of my low-cut top, until I was sure that he noticed my chest rapidly rising and falling. His warm fingers grazed my bare legs, softly running up and down. My body shivered at his touch, wanting more. I gasped as his fingers slid just under the edge of my skirt so that they were barely grazing the skin on my thigh. He paused and pulled his face back a few inches to look into my eyes. There was a question in his.
“Don’t stop,” I whispered, leaning forward to meet his lips with mine. He kissed me tenderly then sat up, pulling me with him.
“Let’s go in the bedroom,” he whispered huskily, suddenly standing and scooping me up into his arms.
“Okay,” I whispered back, my arms snaking around his neck. “That way,” I mumbled between kisses as he carried me down the hallway, and my mind briefly flashed back to last weekend, when he’d carried me into his own bedroom. This time I didn’t let go of him as he placed me onto the bed, and he fell beside me, our bodies intertwined as we lay eagerly kissing one another in the darkness. My hands trailed over his chest and strong shoulders, amazed that at last he was here beside me. His fingers slid beneath my top, gently caressing my skin, and then he paused, bringing one hand up to my face. He stroked my cheek, his warm brown eyes tenderly gazing into mine.
“Maddy,” he whispered, his voice thick with emotion, “I’m so in love with you.”
My heart swelled as I looked into his eyes, and I swallowed, trying to keep happy tears away. “I love you, too, Travis.”
He leaned forward, kissing me again, and suddenly his hands and lips were everywhere, his mouth and fingers burning into my skin with their touch, and I wasn’t aware of anything but him, here in my bedroom, alone in the dark night.
Epilogue
The next morning, I awoke to the sun streaming in through my blinds. Travis lay sprawled out beside me, his long body filling up my bed. His bare arms and torso peeked out from beneath the sheets, and I took in the peaceful look on his face, the way his dark hair was tousled on the pillow, and the sound of him quietly breathing beside me. I smiled as I remembered finally falling asleep in his arms last night. I watched his chest rise and fall as he slept, and I decided to sneak into the kitchen to make some coffee before he got up. Travis stirred as I sat up in bed though, and I looked down to see him sleepily opening his eyes.
“Good morning,” he said huskily, his voice deep with sleep.
“Good morning,” I said softly, smiling at him.
“Where were you going?” he asked, confused.
“To make coffee,” I said, yawning.
“No, come here.” He reached out and gently pulled me to him, and I was once again snuggled up against him, wrapped in his strong arms. I felt the warmth of his body next to mine, the firm muscles of his torso. “Mmmm,” he said dreamily, moving his head closer to me. “That’s better.” His lips softly brushed against mine, and I nestled even closer to him.
“Just think,” he said, softly brushing the hair back from my face. “We can spend every weekend together like this.”
“I know,” I said, smiling as I looked into his dark brown eyes. “I can’t wait.”
“Me either,” he said, giving me a sleepy smile.
“So, what do you want for breakfast?” I asked.
“Anything sounds good.”
“Hmmm…I could make pancakes.”
“I like pancakes. I could take you out to breakfast though.” He looked at me, his eyes soft, as he waited for my response.
“No, I’ll make something,” I replied. “Going out means we have to get ready first.”
“You do look pretty cute now,” Travis said with a grin, glancing at the black camisole and boy shorts that I had on.
“Come on,” I said, swatting him playfully.
“You do. Very sexy.”
I smiled, half embarrassed and half flattered. I gave Travis one last kiss before sitting up, disentangling myself from him. He lay stretched out in his boxers, and as I kicked the sheets back when climbing out of bed, I got a good view of his muscular arms and chest.
“You know,” I said as I stood up, “You don’t look so bad yourself.”
Travis laughed and hopped out of bed, following me into the kitchen. His arms caught me around the waist as I pulled the coffee out of the cupboard, and he kissed me softly on the cheek as he nuzzled against me. “What can I do to help?”
“How are you at making coffee?” I teased, holding up the bag of coffee and scoop as I turned to face him.
“Oh, I make an excellent cup of coffee,” he said, leaning down to give me a gentle kiss. “I may even be available to make coffee for you on other mornings as well.” His brown eyes gleamed as he gazed down me, and I grinned back at him.
“Well how could I say no to an offer like that?”
I whipped up some pancake batter as Travis fiddled around with my coffee maker. Soon he was setting plates on the table as I was pouring batter onto the griddle. I caught myself watching him move around the dining room, admiring his tall, athletic body. After all the time we’d spent together the past few months, dancing around the fact that we were supposedly just friends, we were finally a couple. We’d spent an amazing night together, and he’d told me that he loved me. Life couldn’t get any better than this.
“What are you smiling at?” Travis asked, a smile playing on his lips as he turned and saw me watching him.
I shook my head as my smile grew wider. “Nothing, I’m just glad you’re here.”
He raised his eyebrows, like he didn’t believe me at all. “You’re not a very good liar, you know that?” he teased.
I shrugged as he sauntered over. “Don’t worry, it wasn’t anything bad.”
“Oh really. Do I get any hints?”
“Nope. Now come on, breakfast’s ready.”
About the Author
Laura Donohue is a graduate of George Mason University. She spent ten years working as a technical writer and editor and lives in the DC metro area with her husband and daughter. This is her first novel.
Contact Laura at firstsightbook.gmail.com
Visit her blog at www.lovechicklit.blogspot.com
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