“Okay, that’s enough!” Travis choked, trying to evade her teasing fingers. But Kali was having too much fun after learning Travis was ticklish. The two rolled around on the blanket like puppies until Kali ended up on top, perfectly aligned to Travis’s body. All of a sudden their play took another turn. Kali’s hands braced themselves against his shoulders, his hands on her waist. Their eyes spoke dozens of silent messages. Travis’s hand traveled up to wrap around the nape of her neck and pull her face down to his.
“During the night I dreamed of the way you taste,” he said huskily, as her mouth hovered a breath away from his.
Kali’s smile sent shafts of pure sunshine through his body. “Then let’s make sure it wasn’t just a dream.” She took the final step, her fingertips fluttering over his cheeks as her mouth settled on his with the delicacy of a butterfly.
Sensing her need to take it at her own speed, Travis lay docile under her as Kali rubbed her lips over his, then laved his lower hp with the tip of her tongue.
“You taste like midnight,” she murmured.
He smiled. “How does someone taste like midnight?”
“Mm, dark, smoky, forbidden.” Her tongue slipped inside his mouth for another one of those forbidden tastes. “Dangerous.” Her low voice was pure seduction.
Travis put his arms around her and rolled over with her. “I’ll show you dangerous,” he said roughly, bending his head and plunging his tongue deeply into her mouth as he pushed her hands down farther, to the throbbing evidence of his masculinity.
Kali matched the rough exploration of his tongue thrust for thrust and felt the impatience in the touch of his fingers on the swell of her breasts under her flannel shirt. Her nipples contracted from his heated touch, aching for more, setting off tiny explosions of ecstasy throughout her body. She had never forgotten the way he had made her feel that New Year’s Eve, and that was nothing compared to what he was doing to her now.
“Do you feel how much I want you, Kali?” Travis demanded, rolling his hips over hers until he lay nestled intimately in the cradle of her thighs. “And it isn’t just sex I want from you. It’s more than that, and you know it too.”
“Maybe so, but that doesn’t mean I’ll give in to you so quickly,” she admitted, tucking her hands inside the back of his jeans. “Travis, I haven’t made love to a man in over three years, and I’m not sure what to do anymore. Sometimes I wonder if I honestly did know what was involved in the act of making love, because I don’t see this as sex, either. That frightens me even more. I don’t want to disappoint you.” She had to tell him, no matter how much she hated to admit her vulnerability. That was why she hadn’t wanted him to stay at her place, why she hadn’t wanted him even to talk to her, because what had started that New Year’s Eve long ago was just the beginning and was destined to culminate now.
He trailed light, teasing kisses over every inch of her face. “You couldn’t disappoint me, Kali, even if you tried your damnedest. You can relax for now because I don’t intend to make love to you our first time in some field, no matter how beautiful it is, where a low-flying plane or some backpacker could come upon us. I want us to have absolute privacy.”
“Too many mountains around for planes to fly in, but there is Joe.”
“Joe.”
Kali nodded. “He lives in a run-down old shack somewhere around here. No one has ever been able to find him, and they really don’t want to, since he’s considered an ornery old cuss. He’s known to shoot first and never bother asking any questions. Rumor has it he’s run the same still for the past fifty years and makes the best corn liquor in the county.”
Travis rolled away and threw an arm over his eyes. “Wonderful. I can just picture it now. A grizzled old man carrying a shotgun and threatening to blow my brains out.”
Kali’s lips twitched. “Joe does look pretty grizzled, and his shotgun is probably older than he is. He is also very protective of these mountains.”
He moved his arm and turned his head to look at her, pleased to see her cheeks flushed, eyes sparkling.
“Well, if we can’t fool around, do you want to eat that hundred-pound lunch you had me tote up here?” he asked. “No use in letting it go to waste.”
Kali smiled broadly, grateful for his thoughtfulness in lightening the mood. She had to be careful because this man instilled emotions she wasn’t sure how to handle. From the day he’d arrived on that huge motorcycle and walked in her door, she knew her life would change. She just hadn’t realized how much.
The only reason she wasn’t burrowing her head in the sand and ordering him out of her life was because he admitted he was just as in awe of this new turn in their lives as she was. She couldn’t see him as a permanent fixture in her world because it was too remote from the hustle and bustle of the photography studio where he belonged, but that didn’t bother her, either. In fact, Travis Yates was just what the doctor ordered to pull her out of the darkness of the past and into the bright colors that signified her new future. Maybe his photographing her would be her first step toward returning to the real world—if she got the nerve to go through with it. She turned on her side and placed her hand against his cheek, finding it scratchy against her cheek.
“I like your mustache, it makes you look sexy,” she crooned, using her fingertip to trace the thick hairs.
Travis reached up and grasped her wrist, keeping her hand against his face. He was convinced she was a witch with healing properties because he had never felt more wonderful than he did just then. “I never thought of myself as sexy, although I’ve been told that before.” He grinned devilishly.
“Oh, who else told you that?” She hated herself for imagining a voluptuous blonde toying with his mustache the same way she was.
“My mother.”
“Mothers don’t think of their sons as sexy.”
“Mine does,” he argued amiably, reaching out to touch the petal softness of her cheek. “She once said my brother, Rory, is the brawniest in the family, James is the most intelligent, and I’m the sexy one.”
Kali wrinkled her nose. “I’d have to meet your brothers before I would agree with your mother.”
“Oh, no, I think I’ll just keep you for myself,” he said huskily, bringing her face down to his for a lengthy kiss. He released her with a great show of reluctance. “No use in giving old Joe a free show. We’d better eat before I decide to say the hell with caution and take you here.”
Kali felt an excited tingle race through her. It wouldn’t be long now; she felt it in her bones, and especially in the darkest reaches of her body. The time would soon come when they would be lovers, and from then on her life would never be the same. She was surprised to discover she wasn’t frightened any longer.
For the next two hours they munched on sandwiches of smoked turkey, ham, and various cheeses, accompanied by a crisp white wine and chocolate cake for dessert. Kali laughed when Travis broke off a piece of his cake and held it out to her. She, in turn, offered him a bit of her cake.
“In some countries this would make us engaged,” he said quietly, spearing her with a hot look of desire.
Her breath caught in her throat. “And here I thought you were only romancing me in hopes that I’d pose for you,” she said with a lightness she didn’t feel.
Travis’s eyes darkened with anger. He stood up and walked over to the horses. “Damn you,” he said gruffly, picking up a blanket and saddle and tossing it on his mount’s back. “If you honestly believe that, I may as well leave when we get back. Otherwise, you can expect to have that pretty little neck throttled.”
Kali scrambled to her feet.
“Why can’t you understand?” she murmured, holding her hands out. “All the men in my life seem to do is hurt me. How can I be expected to trust another?”
He tightened the cinch before walking back over to her and grabbing her by the shoulders. “That’s the operative word, Kali. Trust. Dammit, if you can’t trust me—by now you should know I wouldn’t hurt
a hair on your head—then you’ll never be able to trust anyone.” Fearing he might do harm to her after all, he pushed her away from him and stalked away.
Kali watched him through a stinging film of tears. No, she couldn’t allow him to leave her like this. Not when he was willing to bare his soul to her even though she was afraid to let go of the tiniest part of hers. “Travis,” she whispered, holding out her hand. “Teach me how … please.”
He just managed to hear her soft plea. Spinning around, he covered the distance in long strides, catching her up in his arms. Holding her tightly against him, he buried his face against the curve of her throat. He felt her arms creep up his back to his shoulders. For long moments they stood here, just holding each other while Kali’s tears wet the front of his shirt. Without saying a word, they parted. In unspoken agreement, Kali gathered up the rest of the food and packed the saddlebags while Travis saddled Kali’s mount. Their long ride back to the cabin was silent, with Travis following Kali the same way he followed her up to the meadow, the way he would always follow her if he had his way.
Now he knew why she always held some kind of magical spell over him. It wasn’t just a photographer’s appreciation for a beautiful woman. It was a man’s much deeper appreciation for a woman, and from that appreciation was coming something much more meaningful. Travis knew he was falling in love with Kali Hughes, but it was going to take more than his saying the words to bring her fully to him; not just her body but her heart. Why should she ever come to trust him? He was going to do everything in his power to show her the pain was over if she would allow herself to open up. He only hoped he had enough time before he had to return to L.A.
When they reached the house, Kali carried the saddlebags inside, and Travis led the horses to the barn. As she put away the remainder of the food, she found her hands shaking. Setting the packages down, she braced her hands on the counter and took a deep breath. The fear wasn’t gone. For a few moments in the meadow she had been convinced she was free from the past, but that wasn’t possible as long as she feared opening herself to more pain. She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn’t hear Travis enter the kitchen. Deciding it was time to take the decision out of her hands, he crossed the room and pulled her into his arms, turning her to face him. When his mouth took possession of hers, her very breath was taken from her.
There was no gentleness in him and she wanted none. His hands tangled in her hair, pulling the band from her braid and freeing the heavy strands.
It’s been so long, she kept thinking, opening her mouth even wider for his marauding tongue. So long since a man has wanted me, but it’s never been like this. Why hadn’t anyone told me a kiss could take me into another world? She was hungry for his deep passion, desperate for more. She strained against him, returning kiss for kiss, caress for caress.
Travis swept Kali up into his arms and carried her into her bedroom. In the late-afternoon light he undressed her slowly, savoring each glimpse of her splendid body.
“I’m not sure I can remember what to do.” Kali whispered her halting confession. “There’s only been the one—” Her words were stopped by the gentle pressure of his mouth on hers.
“Just relax,” he said quietly. “This isn’t a studio, and there’s no camera watching us. And I’m sure not going to direct you every step of the way in this new shoot of ours. We’ll just improvise on the script and do fine, you’ll see.” He pulled the covers away from the bed and eased her down with him. The late-afternoon sunlight shone through the sheer curtains and set dancing lights over Kali’s nude body. He doubted he ever could have choreographed such a beautiful picture.
Kali blushed under Travis’s thorough regard. Even Blayne, during his most loving moments, had never looked at her the way Travis was now. She traced the colorful leaves of a vine tattooed along his forearm, then cautiously inspected the coiled snake etched around the vine. “Aren’t you afraid it might decide to change locations and strike a vital area?” she asked with a teasing lilt.
Travis grinned. “I’ve had it since I was nineteen. I don’t think I have anything to worry about now.” He was discovering there were other things he wanted to concentrate on instead of his tattoo.
“Skin of gold,” he murmured, burying his face between her breasts and inhaling the warm, womanly fragrance of her skin. The most expensive French perfume couldn’t compete with Kali’s individual scent. He swept his hand down her side and along the gently rounded hip. “The lady sunbathes in the nude.” There was a light teasing note in his voice.
She smiled. “Something tells me you’re not complaining.”
He lifted his head and looked down into her face. “There’s nothing about you I could complain about.” He lowered his head and took her nipple into his mouth.
Kali cried out with joy, fire racing through her veins as Travis suckled at her breast, teasing her into an unbearable state of arousal. She lifted her foot and rubbed it along his calf while her fingers clung to his broad chest, feeling a rapid heartbeat that matched her own. Wanting to feel every inch of him, she let her hands wander down to his pulsing erection and stroked it almost shyly.
Travis groaned and captured her hands with his. “Honey, too much of that and this will be over before we’ve even started.” His mouth trailed over the top of her breast. “This is all for you, Kali.”
She wasn’t sure if one hour passed, or three, as Travis explored every inch of her body. His mouth and hands now knew her better than she knew herself. His whispers of praise to her beauty and body were dark with passion and erotic with intent. Her skin flushed a deep pink, and her breathing grew labored.
“Travis, please,” she whimpered, grabbing hold of his shoulders. Her open mouth moved over his throat and up to his mouth.
Their tongues mingled wildly, and soon he pulled her beneath him. One thigh parted her legs, and his fingers slid upward, finding her more than ready for him.
“Now, Travis.” Kali’s fingers encircled the heavy shaft and guided him to her as she arched up to encompass him completely. “Please.”
Even now he wasn’t about to hurt her by possessing her too quickly. Watching her with loving eyes, he thrust gently inside her. Kali gasped, not with pain but with pleasure as he filled her with his pulsing warmth. She ran her arms around his shoulders and curled her legs over his calves. When Travis was buried fully within her, he halted for a moment. They stared into each other’s eyes, silently saying words their lips were afraid to express out loud. Travis began to move slowly, but the temptation of Kali herself and the response she gave him was enough to throw him over the edge. She lifted her head for his kiss, and their mouths met and held as he pleasured her over and over.
Kali felt the tingling begin in her toes and work its way upward. Her body arched, accepting more of Travis, greedy for all he could give her. Her fingertips dug into his back as she moved with him in the primitive dance. When the time came for her release, her cries mingled with Travis’s own.
As they lay together sharing the tiny aftershocks of their loving, they instinctively knew what they had just shared was a blending of two souls into one, and that they would never be the same again.
Chapter 8
They spent the rest of the day in a sensual haze, and thanks to Travis, Kali couldn’t stop smiling. They spent several pleasurable hours in bed talking and caressing each other until hungry stomachs forced them from their warm haven. While Travis showered, Kali slipped on a robe and went into the kitchen to fix them a late supper. She was so intent on watching the ham frying in the skillet, she didn’t realize Travis had sneaked up behind her until he slid his arms around her waist and pressed his mouth to her ear.
She turned her face sideways in his direction, then shivered as his mouth trailed silkily across her cheek, then to the corner of her lips. Unable to resist his allure, she turned around and linked her arms around his waist. As their mouths met, she could feel his smile.
“Know what? I feel as if I’ve discov
ered sex for the very first time,” she murmured, then said, scolding, “And don’t laugh at me!”
Travis chuckled. “I’m not laughing. In fact, I feel very much the same way.”
She arched one eyebrow, unconvinced. “Hmm, why can’t I believe that?”
His hand moved over the curve of her buttocks and pinched lightly. “Now who’s being the tease?” he muttered, eyes darkening as he captured her mouth in a kiss that took her breath away. Only the faint smell of smoke from the skillet broke them apart before they forgot themselves entirely and risked a burned dinner.
“We’d better eat so you can keep up your strength,” Travis advised with a straight face as he gathered up plates and silverware.
“My strength? If I recall, you have a few years on me, meaning I should worry more about your health than my own,” she said, teasing, forking slices of ham on each plate and adding flavored rice and a green salad to their meal.
The expression in Travis’s eyes could only be described as hot and hungry—and not for food. “I think I’ve already proved that a few years difference in our ages didn’t hinder me for a moment.”
Kali smiled, remembering only too well what Travis had proved. And she knew he would be only too happy to repeat the performance after dinner. She also knew the age difference wasn’t all that gave him such expertise. Having made love to only one man in her life, she’d had no idea that there was more to lovemaking than a man’s possession and a few cuddles afterward. Travis had taken his time with her, praising her body and encouraging her to take the same freedom with his. Just thinking about it was enough to heat her blood. The feeling was scary, too, because she was afraid of losing her identity to this man.
What have I done? she wondered. After all this time, why have I given up so much to a man I barely know?
Travis caught the look of concern in her eyes and correctly interpreted it. “You lost nothing, Kali,” he said quietly, leaning forward to cover her suddenly chilled hand with his warm one. “We gave to each other a special gift. We shared something few people know about. Remember that.”
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