Taming Travis (Wishing Well, Texas Book 4)

by Melanie Shawn

  I must’ve hit a sensitive spot because she gasped softly and it pulled my attention to her face. She was looking up at me with heavy lids, her lips full and calling for me to kiss them. So, I listened. I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers and the second our mouths touched, the raging fire of arousal burning in me roared to inferno levels.

  And it wasn’t just the feeling of her nakedness under my hands that had made the fire inside me grow to the point where I couldn’t resist the burn anymore. Though, that would have been enough. Her naked body was damn near the most spectacular thing I’d ever seen, and the effect that it was having on my body was undeniable. But it was more than that. Being with her, like this, had been building since the first moment I laid eyes on her. And now it had reached the tipping point, and there was no going back.

  I moved my mouth against hers, and was gratified to find that she returned the kiss just as enthusiastically. In the back of my head I thought about slowing things down, telling her how I felt, but a louder voice didn’t want to stop what was happening. I wasn’t sure which to listen to.

  One thing I was sure of was that I’d never felt this way before. This wildness, this loss of control—it was all new to me. The most surprising thing of all was that I liked it. It was like putting my finger in a socket—electricity jolted through me. It might not be good for me, but it was damn sure a fantastic ride up.

  I needed to know if it was just going to be touching and kissing. I had to get myself under control.

  I pulled back from her just a little bit, and immediately missed the feeling of her supple lips passionately tangling with mine. I kept the small distance only long enough to whisper, “I want to be with you. Make love to you. I need to be inside you. Do you want that?”

  She didn’t answer with words. Instead she nodded frantically and then crushed her mouth to mine again. It was all the answer that I needed.

  I reluctantly pulled back again, further this time. All the way to standing. I hated to do it, but it was a necessary step to getting my clothes off and I definitely needed to do that. In fact, I thought there was a better than decent chance that if I wasn’t naked with her in the next 10 seconds or so, I would just plain explode with pent-up need.

  I took off each piece of clothing I was wearing with the fastest fingers I could manage. I didn’t pause for one single thing, except to pull my wallet out of my back jeans pocket as I peeled them off, and then toss it onto the nightstand. I was going to need that later to retrieve the condom. No glove, no love had always been my motto. For a smart girl like Mia, I was pretty sure it would’ve been hers, as well.

  I started to move over her but she held up her hand. “No. Wait.”

  “I just want to look at you for a second.” Her voice was low and filled with lust, but it was also commanding. It left no room for argument. I could see why she would be a good director—she created a scene and saw what she wanted, and then had no problem whatsoever telling the participant (in this case, yours truly) exactly what she was looking for.

  It was hot as hell.

  I grinned at her, using a sideways half-grin that I’d seen make her flush before. I got a kick out of making her flush. “You enjoying the view?”

  Her eyes widened and her pupils expanded. Mmmm…I loved that. I loved seeing all the signs, both subtle and obvious, that she was getting hot and bothered.

  When she answered, her voice was throaty and barely above a whisper. “Oh, yeah. You could say that.”

  I widened the smile on my face and I slid into bed next to her and pulled her to me, pressing her warm and vibrant flesh against me. We were completely connected, all up and down the lengths of our bodies. In fact, I didn’t think I’d ever felt so connected to anyone, physically or emotionally. I kissed her again, more softly than I had before. But, with every ounce of gentleness I injected into the kiss, there were ten tons of feelings behind it. It was even more meaningful for the softness and sweetness. Anyone can lose themselves in an animal frenzy. It takes real emotion to be tender.

  She reached in between us and grasped the steel shaft of my cock in her firm grip. She held it there for a moment without moving her hand at all. I continued to kiss her, the movement of my mouth now peppered with groans from deep in my throat.

  When she did start stroking me, her movements were slow, almost tentative. It felt so good—maybe even better because of the drawn-out nature of it. I had time to appreciate every tiny nuance, every flutter of her fingers as she moved her hands back and forth so deliberately over my erection.

  Slowly but surely, the heat built between us and her pace increased. I slid my hand over her sweat-slick belly and settled it on her breast, cupping the soft firmness, enjoying its weight in my hand. As her hand sped up on my dick, I grasped her nipple between my thumb and forefinger and rolled the hard nub, feeling it harden and grow under the pressure I applied.

  Her head collapsed back and her breathing turned to panting. I kissed my way down her neck, loving the vibrations of the small, delicate moans in her throat as they rumbled through my lips. In some strange way, they felt more intimate than our nakedness, or her hand on my shaft. They felt unguarded. Vulnerable.

  “Shit, baby, I can’t wait anymore. I can’t hold out,” I groaned, and reached back over to the night table to grab the condom. I ripped open the package with my teeth and was about to pull the rolled-up latex tube from the paper when Mia surprised me by plucking it from my fingers. She then proceeded to plant both palms on my shoulders firmly, push me flat back on the bed, and roll the condom smoothly onto my cock.

  Grinning into my surprised face, she said, “What? I like to direct. You knew this going in.”

  I laughed. “I did. As it turns out, I’m very good at taking direction.”

  “Good. I like that in a man.”

  With no further hesitation, she straddled me. Glancing down between our bodies, she reached between us and took hold of my steel hard flesh, positioning it at her entrance. Fuck, it was sexy watching her do it.

  The sexiness was amped up even further when she placed both palms in the middle of my chest and lowered herself down onto me, her eyes closed and face screwed up in concentration. She lowered down deliberately, her hot wetness engulfing my length, inch by excruciatingly slow inch. My head spun and it was all I could do not to grab her hips and pull her all the way down. Every muscle in my body screamed at me to bury myself in her again and again, to claim her like she was my territory.

  I resisted. I let her set the pace. It was tough, but it was what she wanted.

  Damn, if this woman only knew what lengths I was going to for her.

  When she reached the base of my shaft and I was buried inside her, she began to move her hips slowly back and forth. Like she was doing a sensual dance. Only she wasn’t out on some dance floor, all dolled up. She was naked, on top of me, and it was so much sexier than any dance could ever have been.

  She threw her head back, her hair streaming down around her shoulders and torso like a shining waterfall of soft waves. Her beautiful breasts were thrust forward by the movement, and they were just too tempting. I couldn’t help myself, I reached up and started playing with them while she rode me. I tweaked her hard nipples, loving the way it sent little tremors all through her body. I could see them rippling under the skin of her belly, and feel them running the whole length of her inner walls.

  Suddenly, she stopped the slow, sensuous movement of her hips and dug her fingernails into my shoulders. She stayed there like that for a moment, bearing down on me, and then let out a gasp of pleasure.

  Everything went very fast after that. It was like she lost every bit of inhibition she’d ever had. Her movements grew more intense as she rode me faster and faster, like she couldn’t control her own movements but was operating entirely on animal instinct. Her breasts bounced as she did this and I couldn’t tear my eyes from them. The visual, combined with the sensation of my length pounding her sex again and again to the rhythm she set, sent
me rocketing over the edge.

  I grabbed her hips, my fingers digging into her pliant flesh. “Fuck. Baby, I’m gonna come,” I gritted out between clenched teeth.

  “Yes!” she cried, and stilled on my shaft, clenching tightly. It seemed like every muscle in her body was trembling as we came together. The sharp pain of her fingernails digging into my flesh only added a hot edge to the pleasure coming unleashed inside me.

  When the final spasms had claimed her, she collapsed on top of me and I ran my hand up and down her back. We breathed together; the sound of our gradually slowing pants the only noise in the room. After the sweat had cooled from our skin and the wild energy had evaporated from the atmosphere, she snuggled her head against my neck and I wrapped my arms around her.

  With a small laugh, she moved her head to give my chest a quick kiss and said, “If you keep giving massages like that, I’m not sure you’ll ever pass the licensing board exam.”

  I chuckled and stroked her hair. “Maybe not. But I’d probably have no shortage of clients.”

  She smiled and laid her head back on my chest. I closed my eyes as I ran my fingers through her hair and I knew that this was it. I’d never had an answer when people asked me what the happiest moment of my life was, but now I did.

  Chapter 15

  Mia

  “Busier than a one-eyed cat watching nine rat holes.”

  ~ Walker Briggs

  Phone. Keys. Laptop.

  I mentally checked off everything that I needed in my bag before rushing out of the door. As I jogged to my car the damp strands of my hair slapped against my shoulders.

  This morning hadn’t gone as planned and neither had last night. I certainly hadn’t planned on getting a massage from Travis. I hadn’t planned on having sex with him. And I sure as heck hadn’t planned on falling asleep in his arms immediately afterwards. Those unplanned events were what had led to my morning being so chaotic.

  When I opened my eyes an hour ago, I was still in that lovely state between asleep and awake. The memory of being with Travis was the first conscious thought I had. It seemed like a dream. An amazing, incredible, out-of-this world dream, but still, just a dream. Then, I rolled over and saw the note on the pillow beside me explaining that he’d had to leave to go to work but there were fresh bagels on the table.

  I stared at the note for a full minute as the implications set in. I had not been dreaming. It was real. All of the X-rated images playing in my mind were memories not fantasies.

  Before I’d even been able to wrap my mind around what that meant my phone started blowing up because I’d accidently slept in. I hadn’t set the alarm on my phone because I’d fallen asleep unexpectedly. I’d had about thirty seconds notice for a Skype conference call that the network execs had insisted on before I’d even had a chance to shower or have a cup of coffee. It was the first time they’d bought a show that didn’t have a pilot so extra hand holding was needed to assure them we’d provide a finished product that was air-worthy.

  After I somehow made it through that, I saw a text from Tad that he was already out shooting. The day before we’d arranged to head out together, but Tad always did things on his schedule.

  During our location scouting, he’d offended several residents. I didn’t think he’d done it on purpose, he just said things that he saw as observations but were actually insults. He was only here for a few more days and I wanted to limit the time he was in public without me as a buffer. My goal was to keep the relationship between production and residents as amicable as possible. I hopped in the shower, rinsed off, threw on clothes and was out the door.

  Before I even started the engine I heard a ding indicating that I’d received a text message. I saw that it was Tad and he was at Colton’s ranch, Circle M.

  When I read Tad’s location my heart skipped faster than a girl playing Double Dutch. I knew that Travis worked there part time but I had no idea if he was there today. I pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards Circle M.

  Part of me wanted to see Travis again and part of me wasn’t sure what to say or do when I did.

  I was a late bloomer. I’d been in my early twenties when I’d lost my virginity. It wasn’t that I’d been saving myself for anyone or any reason, it just happened. Or hadn’t happened, I guess.

  In high school I’d been awkward and shy. I wasn’t disliked but I was somewhat invisible in school. Then, when I went away to college, I threw myself into my studies and guys weren’t really on my radar. It wasn’t until I met Tad that I’d really had the opportunity to have sex. Unless I wanted to hit up a drunk frat boy.

  He was older and he swept me off my feet. That was the only relationship I’d ever had. I’d seen my friends and co-workers enter the waters of dating and more often than not they did not end up doing the backstroke, it was more like treading water with occasional drowning.

  I feared my lack of experience put me at a disadvantage as to knowing what the morning after etiquette was. Or if there even was etiquette at all. Technology may have been good for a lot of things, but in my opinion it had caused people to stop meeting organically and seeing if they had chemistry face to face. People just swiped right or left. They rarely even met in person.

  I sighed as I turned onto the picturesque country road that led to Colton’s ranch. With the sun shining down on the emerald green fields, and the horses and trees all around, it was easy to be at peace here. I’d heard rural towns referred to as God’s country and I was beginning to understand why.

  The console lit up with an incoming call. I pressed the answer button on my steering wheel. Technology may have ruined dating but it had provided hands free phone technology, and for that, I would be forever grateful.

  “Hey, Libby.” I hadn’t talked to my sister since the night in the storeroom. “How’s the trial?”

  “Is he being a total asshole?” My sister cut right to the chase. Small talk wasn’t her style.

  “What…no…how did you…” For a split second I thought she was asking about Travis and it had me stammering, then it dawned on me who she was referring to. “Oh, Tad. No, Tad’s been fine.”

  “Who did you think I was talking about?” Her tone was suspicious.

  “No one.” The defensive response shot out of my mouth. I realized my misstep as soon as I heard the words so I tried to do damage control but only made it worse when I added, “Tad. Who else would you be talking about?”

  Even though I felt like my sister had a hand in what was going on with Travis, I still wasn’t ready to talk to her about it. Before we’d done what we had done last night I’d planned on filling her in. She would have thought the entire setup was hilarious. Now that things had gotten complicated, I wasn’t sure what her take on it would be and I didn’t feel like finding out.

  “Who is he? And don’t bother lying, you’re really bad at it and I’m really good at getting the truth out of people.”

  That was true. When we were growing up, if anyone in the neighborhood suspected another kid of lying they’d come find Libby and ask her to interrogate them. I’d always thought she was going to be a detective, but I suppose her skills were being put to good use as a lawyer.

  I tried to think of the best way to explain the situation. “Remember when we were joking about hiring a fake boyfriend?”

  “I wasn’t joking,” she said flatly.

  “Right. Whatever. Anyway, this guy, Travis, he overheard our conversation and somehow I agreed to let him pretend to be my boyfriend in exchange for three massages and two dinners.”

  Libby was silent. I always got uneasy whenever my sister was quiet, it probably stemmed from the time I was five and she asked me if I’d played with her favorite doll. I told her I hadn’t and she just stared at me. I asked why she wasn’t talking and she’d said she had to be quiet so she could read my mind. As a grown woman I knew that she couldn’t read my mind, but somehow it still made me nervous.

  Hoping to make light of the bomb I’d just dropped, I co
ntinued, “Wow, that’s the first time I said that out loud. It sounds way worse than it did in my head.”

  “You’re serious?” her voice was filled with disbelief.

  “Yes. I’m serious.”

  “So what happened?” she prompted.

  “Nothing.”

  “This guy has been pretending to be your boyfriend and nothing has happened?”

  “No…I mean…things were going good. He had lunch with Tad and Alexandria the first day that they were here. I helped him with a shoulder injury he had. And then a couple nights ago, when Tad was coming to tell me something, he kissed me.”

  “Tad kissed you?!” Her voice rose several decibels.

  “No! Travis kissed me. Travis.”

  “Oh.” She immediately calmed down. “And was PDA part of the arrangement?”

  “No. I mean, we never really talked about it but it was no big deal, I mean it was a big deal, it was the best kiss…I didn’t even know kissing could be like that.” I shook my head. “That’s not the point.”

  “What’s the point?”

  “Nothing.” I told her about the kissing and that’s where I drew the line.

  “So let me get this straight. Your first boyfriend didn’t want anyone to know you were a couple, so you could only be a couple in private and always had to act like friends in public. Your new boyfriend is only your boyfriend in public and not in private.”

  Well…

  Without me answering, she continued, “So who is this Travis?”

  I felt myself smiling at her question, and I was glad that we weren’t on Facetime. “He’s like a real life cowboy. He’s the operations manager at his family’s farm, but it’s not like a farm you’re thinking of. Briggs Farms is one of the highest grossing agricultural farms in all of Texas. They have grain, corn and hay. They also raise sheep for mohair.”

  “Did you Google him?”

  “Of course I Googled him.” That was one more thing technology was useful for.

  “So you agreed to him pretending to be your boyfriend. You Googled him. And you kissed him.” She said as if she was giving her closing argument. “You like him.”