Coming Home to Texas

by Victoria Chancellor

“You should see them when a storm is coming in. I can hear the roar from the ocean and feel the salt spray on my balcony, over a hundred yards from the beach.”

  “Sounds wonderful. I’d like to see that sometime.”

  She smiled as she unlocked the door. Apparently he’d said the right thing for a change.

  “Make yourself comfortable. I’m going to fix us something cold to drink,” she said as she slipped off her sandals and placed her large purse on a sleek leather chair.

  He stood in the living room and looked around. Her place was a fairly generic modern structure with furniture and art consistent with the design. Bold splashes of color—red, yellow and purple—contrasted to the white walls, light wood floors and white leather sofa. The decorating gave him insight into the real Jodie Marsh, because this was her home, not her office or some other public place. This condo meant enough to her that she didn’t want to give it up.

  At the same time he noticed the lack of personal items. There were only a few artfully framed photos of her mother and sister and her. Over the stucco-covered fireplace was a very modern acrylic. Near the wide sliding-glass doors leading to the balcony were pedestals with beautiful, brightly colored hand-blown glass. They looked perfectly suitable for the condo, and just as impersonal for Jodie. They could have belonged to anyone, yet Jodie was absolutely unique.

  She walked back into the room with tall, slender glasses of iced tea. “I think I remembered the way you like it sweetened.”

  “I’m sure it’s fine,” he said, taking the glass. “Does your mother live close by?”

  “In Orange. That’s in Orange County. In traffic it’s about forty minutes,” she answered before taking a long swallow of her drink.

  “I’ll bet you still have your room in her home.”

  The glass paused as she stopped drinking and looked at him curiously. “How did you know that?”

  “Because I’ll bet that’s where all your knickknacks and mementos are kept. I’ll bet you have a room there with remnants of your childhood. I’ll bet that there are things in that room that explain your success, your philosophy of life and your personality.”

  “Everyone has things left over that they don’t want to part with.”

  “Yes, they do, and they all tell a story. I think you made yourself into who you are today—a very successful, completely modern career woman. However, I don’t think that’s all there is to you. I think that there’s another side of you that you’ve never really explored. I think it’s stored away at your mother’s home.”

  “Oh, you do? Have you become a psychologist in addition to an architect?”

  “No, I just find you fascinating.”

  “I’m not so complicated.”

  “I didn’t say complicated. A person doesn’t have to be complex to be fascinating.”

  “Hmm. I’ll have to think about that.”

  “Think about this, too,” he said, stepping closer. “Our marriage and our baby could be the part of you that’s been stored away on your climb to personal success. If you’ll let us into your world, I think we can make you complete.”

  She leaned her head against his shoulder. “I thought I was complete until I met you.”

  “I think it’s hard to know when we’re complete. I thought I was happy, too, until you showed me how empty my life was.”

  “Maybe we were meant to be together.”

  “Lord, I hope so,” he whispered right before he tipped her chin up and kissed her.

  JODIE SLANTED HER HEAD and leaned into his kiss, loving the feel of his lips on hers, his body pressed close. His tongue slipped inside and her heart skipped a beat, then began to pound in rhythm to his thrusts. Oh, this man could kiss.

  He broke away to nibble his way down her jaw and neck to the collar of her jumpsuit. All she could do was close her eyes and tremble.

  “I want you so much, Jodie,” he said against that sensitive spot where her neck and shoulder joined, “but not unless you’re okay. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “I went to the doctor yesterday afternoon,” she said, her voice sounding breathless above the blood pounding in her veins. “I’m fine. The doctor said there was no reason we couldn’t resume normal relations. I—I guess she meant normal for most people.”

  His magical lips stopped and he pulled back. “What do you mean by that?”

  “When we made love that first weekend, it was never normal,” she said as she continued unbuttoning his shirt. “Then after we got married, I missed the wildness, the passion. I wanted everything to be like it was in Monte Carlo and I resented you because you were so careful, so controlled.”

  “I did what I thought was right at the time. The idea of hurting you or the baby frightened me.”

  “I’ve told you I’m not some fragile china doll.” She pulled his shirt apart and ran her hands from his abs to his pecs, then circled his neck.

  “I know, but you drive me crazy,” he murmured before he kissed her again. His hands molded her back, cupped her bottom and moved back up again, as though he were learning the shape of her for the first time. Then one hand eased between them and he edged that big silver zipper lower, until he reached her belt.

  “I want you to be crazy.”

  “Only if you promise me that you’ll tell me if I’m too rough. If anything I do is the least bit uncomfortable.”

  “I promise. Please, let yourself go. I want your passion, Travis. I want it more than anything.”

  He kissed her, pulling her close against his arousal, making her a little crazy herself. Then his hand sought her zipper, and she pulled away slightly. “This jumpsuit is completely wrong for a seduction,” she said. It was also impractical for slipping in and out of the rest room while in meetings. She wouldn’t be able to wear it when she was more pregnant and had to go more often.

  “Oh, I don’t know. I think it’s pretty darn sexy. Are you sure you were in meetings all day?”

  “Yes, I was in meetings. And, thank you. I didn’t feel sexy until I saw my handsome, tall cowboy in the walkway.”

  “You know what would be even more sexy?”

  She had a few ideas. “What?”

  “If we both adjourn to your bedroom.”

  “Hmm,” she said, taking his hand and guiding him down the short hallway, “you want to see the rest of the condo?”

  “Later. Right now all I want to see is your bed. Then I want to watch you strip out of that jumpsuit.”

  “I think that can be arranged.”

  She moved to her entertainment armoire and flipped on the low-wattage lamp which cast a soft golden light over the room. Travis looked around quickly, taking in her streamlined but comfortable decor. Her bedroom was large, done in soothing neutrals and heavy drapery panels that he guessed kept the morning light out when she wanted to sleep late.

  “Very nice,” he said, grabbing one edge of her comforter and sweeping it from the bed. He slipped out of his shirt, unbuckled his belt and quickly stripped out of his boots and socks. “Now, about that jumpsuit…”

  She smiled as he leaned back against the pillows. Her zipper was already down to her waist, revealing her black lace bra and lots of cleavage. She stood at the end of the bed, her gaze locked with Travis’s, and unbuckled the silver-studded black belt. She whipped it off, then flung it on the bed, where it looked rather naughty lying there on the white Egyptian cotton sheets.

  “Nice accessory,” Travis drawled, “but I’m not really into that sort of thing.”

  “Neither am I. At least, I’ve never tried it.”

  “Hmm,” he said with a mysterious smile.

  She eased the zipper lower, revealing the matching black lace panties and lots of skin. She shouldn’t be nervous, she told herself, because Travis had seen all of her before. Several times. But now that they were married and she was carrying his child, she felt even more shy than she had in Monte Carlo.

  “I think it’s time to lose the jumpsuit,” Travis said, his voice husky.
<
br />   She slipped first one arm, then the other, from the sleeves, all the time watching her husband. He shifted on the bed, bringing her attention to the impressive bulge in his jeans. Her heart began to race as she remembered their days and nights together, and suddenly she wanted out of her clothes and into her bed.

  She leaned down, giving him full view of her cleavage, and pushed the jumpsuit the rest of the way off. When she straightened, she gave Travis a smile as she walked toward the bed. “Your turn.”

  He rolled to the edge just as her knees touched the mattress. Placing his legs on either side of hers, he ran his hands from her waist around her back, bringing her closer. He nuzzled her breasts through her lacy bra, bringing her nipples to hard points.

  She’d never been so grateful in her life for always wearing pretty, matching underwear.

  He reached for the back catch on her bra, but she slid her hands to his hard biceps. “Not until you’ve lost the pants.”

  She made him stand and strip while she looked and admired and remembered. He excited her senses in every way—his looks, his scent, his words, his actions. She knew she’d never get tired of this man.

  They sank to the bed together, and only then did she allow him to remove her underwear and drive her crazy with desire. She felt as if they hadn’t made love for ages rather than weeks. She wanted him too much to go slow and gentle, but Travis wouldn’t let her rush. He kissed her, driving her wild, but so slowly that she wanted to scream. And when he finally joined his body to hers, he gave her his passion, moving with strength and skill and the urgency she’d missed since they’d married.

  She felt the familiar pressure building, then an urgency overtook her, the need to move against him with wild abandon. She chanted his name as she pressed upward, climbed upward, and finally broke through to the white-hot peak where only Travis could take her.

  Before she could take a breath, he climaxed hard and long as she held him tight.

  Minutes later she lay locked in his arms, her heart overflowing. She felt more than sexually satisfied, more than complete. She’d never felt this way before, and suddenly she realized why.

  She’d fallen in love with her husband.

  TRAVIS WOKE SOMETIME later to the sound of running water and the feel of a fresh breeze across his skin. His very naked skin. The French doors to the balcony were open and he imagined he could hear the sound of the surf. A light came from the partially opened doorway to the bathroom. He rolled toward the nightstand and looked at the clock. Just after two o’clock in the morning. They’d slept perhaps five hours, considering the time they’d taken to have Chinese food delivered, which they’d eaten out of cartons in bed.

  Travis smiled, stretched his arms over his head and smiled again. He felt great. On top of the world. He’d done the right thing in coming to California. Maybe Jodie shouldn’t have run away from Texas, but maybe he shouldn’t have ridden out to the spring after their argument at the house. He should have been more understanding, more willing to listen.

  Which is exactly what Hank had pointed out. Travis hadn’t really looked at arguments in an analytical way before since he always avoided verbal warfare, but Hank had pointed out that when a person wasn’t too concerned over who was right, they could get a lot more accomplished. Travis had been sure he was right about Jodie focusing too much on her career. Now he was doing his best to see the situation from her point of view. He hoped that she could do the same thing for him.

  She appeared in the doorway, silhouetted by the light. Damn, she looked good. She’d dressed in some sort of short, silky robe. He could clearly see her figure through the thin material and the image made his previously sated body rise to attention.

  “Care to join me in the whirlpool tub?” she asked. “When I left my meetings, I thought all I wanted was a long soak in the tub and to watch the sunset from my balcony. But then you were here and I changed my mind.”

  He rolled to the edge of the bed, sat there and ran a hand through his unruly hair. “Do you always take a bath in the middle of the night?”

  “Only when a certain cowboy makes me all hot and sweaty.”

  He smiled as he walked toward her. “Oh, yeah? Just one?”

  “Just you,” she said, reaching for him.

  He walked her backward as he kissed her deeply. When she came up against the tub, he raised his head and smiled. “We got a slow start on the honeymoon, but, sweetheart, we’re making up for it real fast.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Jodie hit the alarm clock snooze button as quickly as possible when the darn thing went off. She’d barely remembered to set it after her late night whirlpool escapade with Travis. But she had more meetings today and a dinner tonight with the cosmetics company V.P. She couldn’t afford to be late.

  “Don’t tell me you’re getting up,” Travis murmured, his voice muffled by the pillow. “It’s still the middle of the night.”

  “No, actually it’s 7:00 a.m.” She reached over and kissed his cheek. Yup. In the morning light, she was still in love. “Go back to sleep. There’s no reason for you to get up this early.”

  “Why are you up?”

  “I have to be back in L.A. this morning.”

  He propped himself up on his elbow and squinted at her. “You’re working?”

  “Meetings,” she clarified.

  He closed his eyes for a moment and she thought he was going to start arguing with her again. But then he yawned and asked, “Do you want me to drive into L.A. with you?” He rubbed her arm and reached for her fingers, covering her hand with his. He had very nice hands.

  “No, there’s no reason to come to the city when I can’t spend time with you. Unless, of course, you just want to see the sights. Play tourist.”

  He shook his head, then fell silent. In a moment he asked, “When will you be back? We still have a lot to talk about.”

  “I’m sorry, but I’ll probably be late. I have to go to dinner tonight with one of the V.P.s and the advertising executives who’ll be handling the account.” She pushed herself from the bed before she was tempted to stay.

  “I’ll miss you, Jodie.”

  “I’ll miss you, too.” She stretched, thinking of the long boring day ahead. This was one of those meetings where they needed to see her more than she wanted to see them. “Hey, I have an idea. Why don’t you come to dinner with us tonight? We won’t be talking too much business and they’ll get a chance to meet you.”

  “They’re okay with the marriage?”

  “Oh, yes. I got so many ‘best wishes’ and ‘congratulations’ and jokes that we barely got any work done for the first half hour. They’d read about the wedding in the papers and saw footage of us in Ranger Springs on the entertainment shows.”

  “If you’re sure you want me to come into L.A., I’ll be glad to go to dinner.”

  “Yes, this will be great. We can spend some time together and they’ll get to know you. Do you want me to send a car service for you?”

  “No, I’ll make arrangements. Don’t worry about me.”

  She almost readily said, I won’t, but knew that sounded flippant. She had confidence in Travis’s ability to navigate in a different city, to find the restaurant and dress properly for dinner without her input. As a matter of fact, he’d shown himself to be a very take-charge kind of guy.

  The alarm sounded again and she snatched it up quickly. “I’m sorry again. I’m going to take a shower and get ready. Go back to sleep if you’d like.”

  “Don’t forget to leave me the name of the restaurant and what time you want me there.”

  “I won’t,” she said before she disappeared into the bathroom.

  She needed to get away from Travis before she gave in to the temptation to crawl back into bed. Back into his arms. Sleeping and making love all day long sounded much too good right now.

  “Jodie?”

  She peered around the door facing into the fuzzy morning light of the bedroom. “Yes?”

  “Are we
going to tell them about the baby tonight?”

  Her heart raced as though she were having a panic attack. Which, of course, she wasn’t. He’d simply asked a valid question.

  “No, I don’t think so. It’s not the right time and probably not the right place, either.”

  “I thought perhaps it would be easier with me beside you. We have to tell them soon, especially if they’re building a long-term ad campaign around you.”

  “I know, and I will tell them soon. But not yet.”

  Travis didn’t say anything else. She loosened her grip on the door facing and retreated into the bathroom.

  TRAVIS HAD A BAD FEELING about this evening as he pulled his rental car under the busy hotel portico in L.A. He hadn’t heard from Jodie all day and he knew she had to be exhausted. They’d gotten very little sleep after he’d joined her in the whirlpool tub. Just a nap, really, of a couple of hours before her alarm had gone off. He’d been incredulous that she was getting up at all since she hadn’t mentioned today’s schedule yesterday or this morning.

  She didn’t need to be in meetings so soon after having a medical scare. She should be home with her feet propped up, taking care of herself and their baby. Even if she was just sitting around all day at a conference table, she would be tired. And now they were going out to eat. If he could, he’d whisk her away from this crazy California lifestyle and back to Texas where she’d be safe and relaxed until after the baby was born. But that kind of action had gotten him into trouble before, so he was going to tamp down his basic instincts.

  He wasn’t sure when he’d gotten so protective of women. He only knew that he felt an obligation to Jodie to keep her healthy, especially since she showed such disregard for her own well-being.

  With a sigh, he pocketed his valet claim check, exited the Lincoln and straightened his jacket lapels. He hadn’t been sure what he should wear, so he’d done a little shopping in upscale Newport Beach after arranging for a rental car. Jodie had offered to send a car service to pick him up, but he didn’t feel right doing that. A real Texan didn’t get himself stranded without “wheels” in a strange town.