by Vivian Arend
As usual, his body reacted.
The issue he’d been avoiding he now had to face straight on. Maybe it was for the best. Maybe…getting pushed hard enough to find a new solution was what he needed.
The only thing he knew for sure was he couldn’t take off and fight anytime he got the urge this summer. He’d be too far into the bush—too remote for that kind of insanity.
No, Ashley was right. He had to find a new way. It also thrilled him to think there would be no reason for them to be apart anymore—not if he gave in to her demands.
She crossed the yard to his side, stopping to tuck her camera into her bag.
She tilted her head. “You look like you’ve got a secret.”
“I do.” He turned her toward the ATV, his palm settling easily in the small of her back. “And if you’re a good girl, I’ll share with you.”
“I’m always a good girl,” Ashley teased.
Oh, was she ever. “Come on, I’ll take you home and tell you my secret over dinner.”
Travis Coleman was up to something. Ashley rocked herself on the swing outside his trailer and watched him at the grill as he turned thick steaks over the coals.
He’d been a gentleman to the hilt ever since he’d brought her home today.
Oh, he’d been polite the other days. Going out of his way to stop when they were in the far fields. Giving her a chance to snap pictures while he filled in his time with small, never-ending ranch chores.
He hadn’t once pushed her to take things back to the sexual relationship they’d enjoyed the previous fall and winter.
She wasn’t sure if she should be pissed off or pleased he was following her expectations so fully. Pleased—she had to be pleased. She knew that. Until he had his head straightened out.
But damn, she wished he’d make it soon—she was getting tired of her vibrator and fingers.
But now? He’d offered her meals other days. She’d cooked for him as well, falling into an easy friendship that she thoroughly enjoyed. But the glances he was tossing her way this time around? Those said he had plans.
Plans he knew she’d like. A shiver raced up her spine, warmth flushing her skin from more than the shower she’d taken once they reached his trailer.
Travis might have his kinks, but she had hers as well, and he knew it. Knew how to stroke her to a feverish pitch…
She stopped the swing in midmotion and rose abruptly. This? Was where she wasn’t supposed to go. Until things officially changed, she was not getting herself all heated up over impossible pleasures.
“It’s ready,” Travis called, balancing a plate in one hand as he held his other toward her.
Ashley stepped across the space between the trees and the deck. “Can’t believe you have a swing out here.”
“Nephews stop by sometimes. Jaxi with the girls—I figured it was simpler than having them tear the house apart.”
They were inside, seated at the table, the scent of barbecued steaks and baked potatoes filling the air. “You’re spoiling me,” Ashley teased. She popped the caps on a couple beers and lined them up beside their plates. “There—my contribution to dinner.”
Travis laughed. “You can cook anytime.”
Their eyes met and heat flashed between them.
Ashley looked away first, digging into the food as if she’d been the one doing manual labour all day instead of merely wandering around taking photos. “You said you had news?”
Travis finished his bite then put down his utensils.
She coughed. “Oh dear, so serious as that?”
He laughed again. “No, I need to show you this.”
He reached behind him to the side counter and grabbed a folded paper. There was a hand-drawn horse on the front, and she held her comments, just in case. Sure enough, the paper unfolded to include trip information for the Trailblazers of Willmore Wilderness Park with “trail rides and week-long adventure camps”. One of the owners had a last name of Coleman. “Family?”
Travis nodded. “My cousin Karen. They’re starting up this year, and yeah, I know that’s a pretty shitty brochure, but I guess word of mouth was enough they filled their bookings already.”
“Good for her.”
“She wanted to know if you’d do pictures for them.”
Thank God. Ashley could admit the truth. “Oh man, they so need it.”
He chuckled. “They do, but there’s more. Karen had an accident a couple weeks ago and busted her leg. She needs me to go fill in for her at the camp. There are guides and wranglers, but she wants family to head up her part.”
Ashley’s stomach fell. “Oh.”
He waved a finger in her face. “Don’t go leaping to assumptions. I thought about you—I promised I’d help you, and I will. But maybe you can help me as well.”
Ashley frowned. “Go on.”
Travis leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “Uncle George is a bit of an old-school ass. He’s got three girls, and the only reason he tolerates them helping around the ranch is that Karen is the most incredible horsewoman. The middle girl, Tamara, has her nursing certificate, but Karen and Lisa want to work the ranch. They want to prove they can make a success of what they try.”
Ashley picked up the brochure and held it between two fingers like it was a dirty rag. “This isn’t very impressive.”
“But it’s a start. And all the really important things Karen did right. I hate to see her plans fall apart.” He grimaced. “Hate to have Uncle George have another chance to say ‘I told you so’.”
“So you’re going to…” She checked the flyer. “Willmore Wilderness Park for the summer?”
He nodded. “And I’d like you to come with me.”
Oh boy. “Really?”
He leaned forward and grabbed her hand. “Really. Does that surprise you? That I like having you around?”
She shook her head. “I’m surprised you’re going that easily. The ranch? The chores…?”
“All dealt with. You can stay here if you want. You can move into the trailer for the summer, if that works best for you. My dad and Karen both offered to coordinate shots anytime you need. I just won’t be here to help you.”
Ashley warmed at his offer, but now her curiosity was on the rise. “But you’d like me to come with you.”
“I would.” He stroked his thumb over the back of her knuckles. “There will still be horses. Rustic trail rides, if that kind of thing would work for your projects. The mountains and foothills in that area are even more beautiful than around the ranch—although I can’t believe I said that. You could probably find some nice creeks and a mountain river or two—it’s a bit of a photographer’s paradise.”
“As well as having another job—taking action shots for a real brochure for Karen’s company?”
“That too. I don’t know what they’d pay, but it should be fair.”
“She’s a Coleman, of course she’d be fair.” Ashley turned the paper in her fingers as she sipped her beer, considering. Travis went back to his steak, giving her time to think.
She knew what she wanted, only…
“It does sound interesting. I’d love to get right into the heart of the mountains to take pictures.” Her mind filled with possibilities—variations on what she’d already been planning for her projects. Additional work in a new area? There were more intriguing possibilities about the situation than negative.
Only…
She lifted her gaze to meet his. “If I come out with you, does that mean you think we’ll be sleeping together?”
Chapter Four
Sleeping? Travis didn’t plan on wasting any time in the first while actually going unconscious around her.
“I want you in my bed, yes.”
“So things have changed since a week ago when you told me you couldn’t make me any promises?” He saw it—the moment the real situation hit her, Ashley’s eyes widened. “Shit. You’re going to be in the bush the entire summer. Are you sure about that?”
It was hard to hide his amusement. “What? Now you don’t want me to do it? I thought you said I had to give up fighting—well, here you go. I won’t be taking off to tear up any bars or go bare-knuckles down at the club.”
“Just like that? Cold turkey, and you’re not worried? How you going to—”
“Stop poking,” Travis snapped. Dammit—that wasn’t the response she needed. He tried again, softer this time. “Sorry, didn’t mean to be a jerk, but yeah, it’s going to be a stretch. I’ll have to deal with it, and you know what? Having you there would be a huge help.”
She was still staring, but there was a hint of something else in her eyes now. More accepting, only with a touch of fear and sadness that made him want to cradle her close and protect her as he fought to figure out the right path.
He pushed forward. “I don’t know all the answers. Either you accept that, and we deal with any shit that comes up, or you tell me to screw off and we keep things businesslike and platonic even though we both know that’s not what we want.”
“Either, or.” Ashley shook her head. “That simple?”
He snorted. “Didn’t you say that to me about a week ago? Life was far simpler than I was making it. You believe that or not?”
She frowned, her expression gone cold. “That’s playing dirty.”
“Your words, sweetheart, not mine. Yes or no?”
“You’re a fucking asshole sometimes, Travis Coleman.” She went back to her plate, but she was smiling again. Damn, the changes of mood she went through tore him up. All her emotions laid out and up front. Right out there, living on the edge. Nothing hidden with Ashley.
He liked that about her. Liked it a lot.
“You’re crazy about assholes. Admit it.”
Ashley rose from the table and stomped to the picture window. She stared out, her arms wrapped around her waist as she stood quietly.
“You didn’t answer.” He followed her, crowding in close.
She stood with her back to him, breathing deeply. Through the open windows the quiet noises of spring surrounded them. The wind in the trees and the occasional birdsong the only things to break the silence.
He waited for her to decide, refusing to give her any more options. It made him a bastard, but not having all the answers didn’t change what he wanted here and now.
He wanted her.
Desperately.
Ashley twisted to face him, her head held high, eyes bright with an internal fire blazing. “If you promise not to fight and that you’ll tell me when you feel the need to fight, I’m yours.”
“How the hell does that make any sense?” Travis caught his breath as she planted her palms on his abdomen then slowly slid her hands up to his chest. “I promise not to fight. Isn’t that enough?”
She shook her head, distracting him by slipping her fingers around his neck and threading them into his hair. “If you feel the urge to get your head knocked off and you tell me, then maybe we can deal with it without you finding some stupid-ass solution that ends with you sent home to your family in a box.”
Frustration, anger, rage. Guilt. All the things he’d been at war with for so long clashed inside. The sick pleasure he got from the pain—he’d done his best over the past months to ignore its intoxicating lure. It would be easier to ignore if he had the sweet pleasures Ashley freely offered to divert him.
He’d been strong enough to deny himself other things; he could deny the urge to fight so he could be with her.
Don’t think any deeper, don’t confess anything more.
There were things he didn’t want to admit, not even to himself.
He slipped his hands around her and settled her firmly against his chest. “Deal.”
The flash of fire in her eyes—a challenge, or an acknowledgement this wasn’t going to be easy?
Easy or not, it was going to be good.
Her nerve endings tingled in anticipation.
Trust.
Believing he’d keep his word had never been an issue. If it had, she’d never have asked for his promise, would never have attempted to get involved again.
Not when there was so much on the line. Not only her future dreams, but she was serious—she didn’t want him dead. Couldn’t stand to have someone else put themselves into a position where she could have saved them, and she hadn’t.
She stroked the firm muscle under her fingers, the heat of his body pressed to hers making her smile grow. “Thank you, Travis.”
His grin bloomed. The one that had tied her up in knots since the first time she’d spotted him across the room. Cocky, arrogant. He could have been the villain tying a damsel to the train tracks or the hero rushing in to save her—she wasn’t sure which side he was going to show at any given moment.
The uncertainty was part of what she craved.
Travis’s grip on her hips tightened. “You still sleeping in your camper?”
“Yup. Got everything I need to be comfy.” She drew one finger down his neck, tracing tiny designs. “I didn’t want to disturb anyone.”
“You disturb me by breathing,” Travis growled. Then he caught her up and connected their mouths, and she didn’t care where she was except she was with him, and damn, the man could kiss a woman senseless.
He didn’t kiss greedily. Not a frantic, out-of-control attack that would have left her head spinning and lips swollen. He’d given her that kind of kiss before. The soft and the hard. The frantic and the teasing, and she adored them all.
This one threatened to melt her knees right out from under her. Deliberate, even pressure. His lips to hers in a way she couldn’t escape but had no intention of fleeing anyway. He stroked his tongue between her lips and tasted her as if she were expensive liquor. Something to be savoured and cherished.
When she could speak again, her words came out breathless, rushed. “The steaks are getting cold.”
“I have a microwave.” He pressed her torso harder to his, the thick line of his cock tight to her belly. It was all she could do to stop from squirming against him. “You in? One hundred percent?”
Exquisite shivers took her, a flush spreading over her skin from her core outward. She knew what he was asking. What she’d been craving to get from him. “Yes.”
His lips were back on hers, hungry now, feasting on each other, their meal forgotten. Travis skimmed a hand under her shirt, the edge of a nail dragging down her spine as he scratched lightly.
Ashley stepped back, grabbed the bottom of her shirt and whipped it over her head.
His gaze locked on her bra. The thrift-shop special. Nothing fancy, no lace or ribbons or sheer see-though fabric. A good, sturdy faded-by-too-many-washes bra.
“Gorgeous,” he breathed.
She laughed and lost her pants, stepping out from them to stand in front of him in her all-too-servable plain-Jane undies. “You need to go look at more porn. I’m okay, but I’m nothing special.”
“Seen enough porn to know you are special.” He trickled his fingers up her arm, ever so slowly, as he took her in from the bottom to the top.
Hunger? Need?
Definitely desire.
“I’m yours,” she whispered.
“Thank God,” Travis moaned as he fell to his knees. He pressed his lips to her belly button and breathed deeply. “I missed you, Ash, missed you hard.”
She stroked her fingers through his hair, amazed to have him at her feet after so many months. Anticipating exactly what they would do next. “I missed you too. But we’re okay now.”
He tilted his head back, and his dark grey eyes stole her breath. “We’re more than okay. Open your legs.”
She couldn’t stop it. She shuddered, a full-out, torso-quaking rock as his request settled over her.
Request? Order. Her limbs were already moving. “I should have taken off my undies as well.”
Travis traced his index finger along the edge of the fabric. “I’m pretty sure I can help you with that.”
With his hand splayed wide,
his thumb reached far enough to skim the apex of her mound. She tilted her hips, trying to make contact between his fingers and where she ached.
It was no use. Travis caught her by the hip and stilled her, continuing to stare intently between her legs as he teased her folds through the fabric.
“Love how you’re so eager. Wet in an instant, so slick I could push you up against a wall and slam my cock into your pussy, and it’d be like coming home.”
Ashley held on. Waiting for him. Knowing he’d get her there, even if it was in his own sweet time.
Every brush over her clit extended his reach until Travis was rubbing her from front to back, soaking the thin fabric and allowing him to press farther on each pass. He leaned in and put his mouth over her, heat and more moisture pressing against her sex.
It felt good, but barely there. A ghost of a touch. “Please, Travis.”
His fingers didn’t stop moving. “Please, what?”
“More. Make me come.”
He tilted his head back and flames shot through her—his expression of hunger and passion exactly what she wanted to see. Only his words?
Typical Travis.
“Tell me. How. My tongue? My fingers? Want me to find something else to fuck you with?” The edge of her panties was jerked aside and his caress now made direct contact with skin. Wet, needy, aching skin.
Ashley stepped wider, the cold air touching her sex and making sure she knew exactly how wet he’d already gotten her.
“You decide.”
His pupils widened, as did his grin. “Good answer.”
He hooked his fingers into both sides of the thin fabric of her panties, and they were gone, ripped from her hips, and then she didn’t know where they went because he’d stuck his head between her legs and thrust his tongue deep into her core.
He licked her hungrily. Thoroughly. Just enough time spent tormenting her clit, enough teasing everywhere else that she slid rapidly toward release, the anticipation of his touch having gotten her almost the whole way to climax, let alone knowing he was going to fuck her.