Taming Travis (Wishing Well, Texas Book 4)
Page 16
“So I’m assuming your pretend boyfriend is the reason you look like you just watched a Terms of Endearment and Marley & Me double feature?”
“No!” I immediately sprang to his defense. “I mean, yes, he’s the reason that I’m blubbering like an idiot, but he didn’t do anything.”
“Is that the problem?” Libby attempted to deduce my life. “Did Travis not want anything to happen after the dog and pony show was over?”
“No,” I said smugly. I had to stop myself from sticking out my tongue and saying neener-neener-neener to mock my sister for once in her life not being able to Sean-Spencer-Psych-style predict my life. “Actually, he did the opposite.”
She waited, using her tried and true interrogation tactics and it worked like a charm.
Without any further prompting from her, I sang like a canary. “He said that he wanted us to keep seeing each other. That this week wasn’t fake for him. That he cared about me, so much that it scared him.”
“And that’s made you cry because…?”
“Because, as amazing as that sounds, it can never happen.”
My sister once again looked perplexed. “Because you don’t feel the same way he does?”
“No, I do. I feel so much. If I had to categorize what level my feelings for him were, they would be in the hopelessly-in-love range.”
“So what’s the problem? You love him, he obviously loves you or at the very least is falling in love with you.”
I huffed in exasperation that she didn’t see how impossible this situation was. “The problem is, there’s no future. He lives here. In Texas. I’m moving to LA. Long distance is a joke and you know it.”
“You’re not moving to LA,” my sister stated as if it was fact.
“Yes. I am,” I shot back.
“No.” Her lips turned up in a small smirk. “You’re not. You hate LA.”
“What are you…?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “So what if I hate LA? I’m moving, I’ve been telling you that I’m moving for the past six months.”
“Exactly. Six months. So why haven’t you gone?”
“I needed to build my resume.”
“Right. This month it’s you ‘need to build your resume.’ Last month it was not thinking your car was sound enough to drive across country, but you had no problem driving from Illinois to Texas. The month before that you wanted to build your savings. And on and on. Every month you come up with another hurdle that stops you. Face it. You don’t want to move to LA.”
I didn’t argue with her, I just added, “I don’t want to stay in Chicago either.”
“I know. So the real question is what do you want?”
“I want…” This was real life and not a rom-com, what I wanted didn’t matter. “That’s not the point. I changed my entire life for Tad. I dropped out of school. I moved in with him. I worked with him. And look where that got me.”
“So? That’s irrelevant. From what you said, Travis isn’t asking you to do any of that. And if I remember correctly, you didn’t want to leave school. You didn’t want to move in with Tad. Those were things that you did to make Tad happy. So, again, what do you want? What would make you happy?”
My answer was automatic, “I want to stay here. In Wishing Well. And take Travis up on what he’s proposed. I want to finish my degree in physical therapy and put down roots in a town that is like Cheers where everybody knows my name. But I don’t want to repeat the same mistakes I made in the past. I promised myself after Tad dumped me that my heart was no longer going to get a vote in what I did.”
“You’re not making any sense. You just told me that those were all the things you wanted. Just because they might align with what Travis wants doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do them. This is the only life you get, Mia. Don’t waste it trying to live by some ridiculous, completely arbitrary rules you’ve made. Because if you do, that will be the biggest mistake you ever make and you will regret it. I promise. You will regret it.”
More tears fell down my face because I knew what she was saying was true. “You’re right.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.” She smiled.
For the first time in a long time, I knew exactly what I wanted. Who I wanted. I just hoped it wasn’t too late to get it.
Chapter 24
Mia
“Sometimes following your heart means losing your mind.”
~ Walker Briggs
I heard a knock on the door and my heart jumped. A smile leapt onto my face before I could help myself. Good Lord. It probably wasn’t Travis, I chided myself. I’d texted him less than three minutes ago asking what he was doing and he’d said he was at his house, missing me. I’d asked if he could come over so we could talk. Wishing Well was small, but he’d have had to have a Jetson-style flying car to make it in that time.
I walked to the door prepared to find someone else on the other side, and already coming up with excuses to get them to leave so they wouldn’t be here when Travis arrived.
When I opened the door, however, I saw that all of my mental preparation had been a waste. My smile grew so big it split my face in two as I said, “It’s you!”
“Damn, darlin’. If I could get that reaction every time I come to the door, I’d be one happy man.”
I laughed. Partly out of amusement but mostly from nerves. I’d had a whole speech memorized that I wanted to give him to explain my behavior last night. But now that he was here, the lust amnesia was back in affect.
His tone grew serious with worry as his brow wrinkled. “You look—”
I held up my hand, shaking my head back and forth. “If you say tired, so help me…”
“Like you’ve been crying,” he finished.
“Oh, yeah. I have been.” I admitted.
I stepped to the side and as he walked in I saw him hesitate in front of me before continuing on. He looked unsure, like he was fighting his instinct to pull me into his arms. Which was exactly what I wanted him to do, but how would he know that?
I’d told him last night in no uncertain terms that I wasn’t interested in being with him. I’d even asked him to leave. Now, less than twenty-four hours later, I’d texted him to come over and “talk.” I was sending him mixed signals, but that all ended now.
“I want to tell you something, but I just need to get it out. No interruptions.”
“Me? Interrupt someone?” He put his hand on his chest like he was offended before smiling warmly and gesturing towards the table. “I’m all ears.”
We took the same seats that we’d sat in last night. I tried to figure out how to start, what to say. He remained quiet—which I knew wasn’t easy for him—as I gathered my thoughts. Finally, I wiped my damp palms on my denim-clad thighs as I rocked forward slightly. “After you left last night, I couldn’t sleep. I spent the entire night crying. I felt like…like…every nerve in my body was exposed, raw. I felt like I’d made the biggest mistake in my life and believe me, I’ve made some doozies.
“And all day today, I was trying to come to terms with what I thought I had to do. What I thought was right for me, for my future. But every time I tried to reconcile my plans without you in them, I felt like my stomach was being twisted like a wet rag. My chest felt like an elephant was sitting on it and the waterworks would start again.”
My eyes began filling with unshed tears, and I was honestly surprised I had any left at this point. I would have thought I had cried them all. “See.” I sniffed and grabbed a tissue “And this went on for hours, while I was trying to get work done. Then my sister called and she made me see that I was punishing myself and you for my past mistakes.”
Travis still hadn’t said a word, and I could tell that it was taking all his self-control not to. The fact that he was working so hard to respect my wishes, made me love him that much more.
“You have to understand, I dropped out of school for Tad. I started working at Spotlight for Tad. I moved in with Tad for Tad. Do you see a pattern here?”
Now the tears weren’t just falling down my face, they were flowing like a river. “Do you mean that? Would you really move to LA? To Chicago?”
“Yes,” he answered sincerely.
“But your life is here, the farm, your family—”
“You’re right, they are. But none of that means anything if I don’t have my heart. And Mia James, that belongs to you now. So from here on out, where you go, I go. If that’s what you want.”
“What I want?” I let out a small laugh through my tears. “Yes, that’s what I want. But you don’t have to uproot your entire life. My sister actually asked me what I wanted and the answer was easy. I want to stay here. In Wishing Well. And finish my degree in physical therapy and put down roots here. I want to be with you. I love you, Travis. I know that might sound crazy, and maybe I am, but I love you more than I ever knew it was possible to love someone. And I want to build a life here, a home here, with you.”
“I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you,” He repeated as his arms tightened around me and he leaned down to kiss me. A serious kiss, with real tenderness and emotion behind it. When he drew back and brushed my hair away from my face, he said, “Wherever you are is my home. You are my home.”
My heart fluttered with bare emotion. It was happy, floating, flying. I felt like I’d been through the ringer this past week and as much as I appreciated Travis’ serious side, I wanted to lighten the mood. And maybe set the mood at the same time.
I sniffed as I wagged my brows. “What do you say to me giving you a special massage?”
“I say yes ma’am.” He cocked his head to the side. “I would love a special massage.”
Stepping back, out of his arms, I instructed firmly, “Strip.”
He grinned and followed my directions while I stood still, watching. A thrumming started deep in my belly, and I got wetter with each article of clothing he took off and casually tossed to the side. Plaid work-shirt—wetter. Boots—wetter. Jeans—wetter. Undershirt—wetter. And boxer briefs? Soaking wet.
When he finally stood in front of me completely naked, I pointed to the bed. “Sit,” I commanded.
Up went his eyebrows again. “Sit? Not lie?”
“Sit,” I repeated.
He sat on the edge of the bed, giving me a playful salute. “Yes, ma’am.”
I stepped over to him and without a word, lowered to kneel between his legs. He sucked in air between his teeth and I hoped he was feeling the same thing I was. There was just something hot about the visual of being completely dressed while he was completely naked. It turned me on so much. I hoped that I wasn’t alone in that.
I wrapped my fingers around his generous girth and sealed my lips around the tip of his swollen member. I kept my attention here, swirling my tongue around it, enjoying the texture of the soft, tender skin there at the tip. I paid special attention to the sensitive skin just under the head, rubbing my tongue up and down to stimulate it.
His body was endlessly fascinating to me. I loved the way that I could have such an effect on it. With just the simplest, gentlest touch I could make it grow and harden. It made me feel so sexy, so sensual having that power. I guessed it was the same satisfaction he got when he made me wet.
Even as I entertained these thoughts, he grew in my mouth. I felt him expanding like a sponge filling with water. Except, unlike a sponge’s soft and springy texture, Travis’ dick was as hard as a rock, and getting harder by the second the more that I moved my tongue around his sensitive head.
“Oh, fuck,” he rasped, “this is the best massage I’ve ever had.”
I slid my mouth the rest of the way down his shaft, until that sensitive tip I had just given so much attention to hit the back of my throat and my mouth was completely filled with his massive girth. I felt his shaft throbbing inside my mouth, pulsing against my tongue and the inside walls of my cheek. I applied gentle suction around his flesh and the throbbing increased, as did his hardness and size.
Drawing my head back, then, being careful not to break the suction, I flicked the tip again with my tongue and then plunged my head back down again, fast and hard. I kept this routine up for several strokes, as long as I could stand it. When the intensity was finally too much to keep up the regimented routine, I gave in and simply bobbed my head up and down, again and again, faster and faster, my hot mouth holding his hard arousal in a vice grip of smooth wetness the entire time.
His hands pressed against the back of my head. I reveled in the feeling of his strong fingers on my scalp. I liked the pressure he exerted on the back of my head as I moved up and down on his dick. It felt forceful and authoritative. This was just one more way that his alpha energy and behaviors were such a gigantic turn on. The more commanding he was, the wetter I got, without fail.
My hands alternated leverage on his legs, his back, his hips. His muscles bunched and tensed under my touch. It was so hot—every time I felt the steel band of one of his strong muscles harden under my fingers, it reminded me of every bit of strength and hardness in him—the way his arms held me, the way his fingers dug into my flesh. The way he drove into my sex when we made love, pushing the limits of how far my inner walls could stretch.
He tangled his fingers up in my hair, his hands guiding the rhythm of my head’s movements in a deliberate way. This went beyond just the gentle pressure of a few minutes before. This was him setting the rhythm at which I sucked him. This was him taking complete control, and I didn’t mind one bit. It was the opposite—I never wanted him to stop.
I submitted to his manipulation of the speed and pace of my mouth until I sensed that he was getting close. I wanted to feel him inside of me. I needed to feel him inside of me.
I pulled my mouth away, just one moment before I could tell he was reaching the point of no return. I stood and started stripping off my own clothes. He raised his head to watch me, his eyes cloudy at first, but quickly sharpening as he came back down to earth.
“Damn, girl, you’re killing me,” he breathed.
I smiled playfully. “I got a show earlier. I figured tit for tat.”
When I was completely naked, I spun slowly, letting him take in every inch and loving the fiery feeling of his eyes on my skin. When I finally came back around to face him again, I took a deep breath. I could feel the erotic tension in the air between us, so thick you could cut it with a knife.
Then, in a voice that was low and soaked with lust, I breathed, “Tell me what you want to do to me.”
Chapter 25
Travis
“He could draw a pat hand from a stacked deck.”
~ Walker Briggs
Fuck.
How was it possible that this incredibly sexy creature—the woman of my dreams—was standing in front of me, completely naked, asking me to tell her what I wanted to do to her? I mean, was this some kind of wet dream? Was I going to wake up in a minute and find out that I was still just a wet-behind-the-ears teenager, and the last decade and a half of my life had been part of the best dream I’d ever had? If so, it’d be worth it. Every minute.
I opened my mouth to tell her all the dirty things I wanted to do to her—Lord knew I had a million of ’em—and nothing came out. What was it about the sight of this naked woman that short-circuited my brain like nobody’s business? I had thoughts in my head one second, then she undressed, and—nothin’. A big ol’ blank. The circuits in my hardware overloaded at the sight of her creamy skin, her full breasts, her flaring hips and legs that went all the way down to the floor.
Then, she spun again and like a neon sign, the answer appeared in my brain, flashing in such a
bright, colorful way as to make it impossible to ignore.
I rasped it out. “I want to take you from behind.”
She grinned and turned so her ass was facing me and glanced over her shoulder, clearly enjoying the control she wielded with her nakedness. “From behind?”
“Yes. From behind. I want you on all fours, now. Doggy style.” I made my voice gruff and commanding, the way that I knew that she liked it. I also made my words crude and blunt on purpose, hoping it would spark something inside that well of arousal that also fed the place that made her like it when I spoke.
It worked. Her eyes flared at my coarse words and a fire sparked in them. Without hesitation, she moved onto the bed and settled in the middle of it on her hands and knees, then looked at me over her shoulder. The look on her face was completely stripped of artifice. She was laid out bare in front of me in more ways than one. She’d stripped herself naked, both body and soul, and trusted me enough to know that I would take good care of her and never hurt her. It was profound, and I felt the knowledge of it in the irregular beating of my heart.
I took care of protection and moved quickly to position myself behind her. I couldn’t wait to smack that cute bubble butt, to dig my fingers into the soft, feminine flesh of her hips, to drive my hard dick into her wet, waiting opening. It was going to feel amazing, I knew it. In fact, the anticipation felt almost as good as the real thing. It spread over my body in waves of zapping tingles, driving me forward, urging me to take action.
I grasped the shaft of my cock and placed it perfectly at her opening. I paused then, for just a few seconds, and ran my palm tenderly up and down her back, tracing the line of her perfect spine.
“Are you ready?” I asked softly.
“Yes.” Sounding desperate, she added, “Take me. Now.”
That was my green light. I drove into her in one forceful motion, stretching her walls out to the limit. She gasped and dropped to her elbows, and I grabbed her hips and started to thrust again and again.
My head spun as I pumped in and out of her tight wetness. This was so different than anything I’d ever experienced. This wasn’t just my dick feeling good, this was a feeling that made its way out from my core and exploded through my whole body. And not just my body, either—my mind, my soul…all of them were under the spell of Mia James.