AintNoAngel

by J L Taft

  But she wanted to get her hands on his background check. She refused to be lied to again like Cyrus had done to her. He had told her he was one thing and then she suddenly found out he was entirely something else.

  This man was confusing. He went from comforting her to driving her crazy, rejecting her and then giving without taking. It was more than she wanted to deal with right now.

  Her life was a disaster. It always had been and probably always would be. It wasn’t the sort of life that a strong man like Travis would want to live and she couldn’t see herself doing anything but running the landscape business.

  “Are you sure?” he asked quietly.

  “Of course I’m sure!” she snapped but she wasn’t sure at all.

  Jumping out, she slammed the door behind her and stomped to the house but by the time she reached the door, she was regretting her decision.

  Grabbing a bite to eat, she took it to her room. She didn’t want to face anyone or anything for the rest of the day. She needed a shower and some sleep. With Travis downstairs she knew that she was safe enough to do just that.

  * * * * *

  Jessie made it to town the next day just before Maggie’s office was due to close. She was itching to know more about Travis.

  “Jessie! I expected you this morning. I was just going to pack up and drive up there and deliver this.” She handed Jessie a manila folder.

  “Thanks, Maggie. Anything interesting?” She flipped over the pages.

  “That information was hard to get and after a certain date, I can’t find anything else about him. It’s as if he fell off the face of the earth,” she said with a smirk.

  There were several pages and Maggie was obviously ready to go home.

  “Thanks again. You will send me the bill?”

  “Of course, just like always.”

  Heading home, all Jessie wanted to do was take a nice, long shower and have a quiet dinner. But it wasn’t meant to be.

  Marc and Brad joined her at the dinner table and after Travis had washed up Betty decided to eat with them as well. Something she never did.

  But the way that Travis raved over her cooking, it was no wonder she wanted to stay. Brad cleaned up dinner and Marc and Travis started a game of cards.

  Jessie watched for a couple minutes and then poured herself a glass of wine and retreated to her room.

  Travis fit in here. The guys liked him and Betty had a serious case of hero worship. Even if the man wasn’t a hero quite yet.

  Opening the file on Travis, she read over his information quickly. Now that she had time to read it, it somehow felt wrong and she wanted it over with.

  But then something stopped her in his work history.

  He had been a police officer, in Hill Valley no less. He had started the same year that Cyrus had been elected chief of police.

  The wine in her hand was suddenly more appealing and she drank the whole glass down. It made her mouth dry and her stomach revolt. The words on the paper blurred as her eyes watered.

  But it didn’t change anything. Travis was a cop.

  Holding her head in her hands, she wondered how her life had turned out like this.

  Travis played cards with Marc for an hour before Marc went off to find Brad. The house was quiet and he wondered if Jessie was asleep already.

  He imagined her lying on her bed, naked and waiting for him. It was a nice thought but he knew it wasn’t going to happen. He didn’t know why she had suddenly changed her mind. But figuring out why women did the things they did was beyond him and something he didn’t usually lose sleep over.

  Except with Jessie.

  Suddenly he heard glass breaking upstairs and he was off like a shot. Taking the steps two at a time, he came crashing into her bedroom, the door slamming against the wall.

  Jessie was sitting in a chair by the window and the wineglass she had taken up with her was lying in a pile on the floor across from her.

  “Are you okay?” he asked gently.

  But she didn’t turn from gazing out the window.

  Squatting in front of her, he reached for her hands but she pulled away from him.

  “Jessie girl, what’s wrong?”

  “Don’t call me that, Travis!” she yelled and her eyes were a blazing blue when she looked at him.

  Okay, she was seriously pissed. He’d better tread carefully.

  “Tell me what’s going on,” he demanded.

  “You want to know what’s going on?” She stood suddenly and he almost went on his ass. She stepped around him and threw a sheaf of papers at him.

  He caught them and looked down. It only took him a quick glance to know what it was. A background check. His background check.

  She knew he had been a cop and had worked with Cyrus.

  Jessie watched as Travis looked over the papers she had thrown at him. His expression never changed but she knew the moment that he saw what she was upset about.

  “This is my past, Jessie. It has nothing to do with here and now.”

  She didn’t understand how he could say that. “You worked with Cyrus! You didn’t feel the need to tell me that you knew him? That he was your boss?”

  “No, I didn’t.”

  “Why the hell not? Did you think I would never find out?” she raved at him.

  “No, I was going to tell you after this was over with,” he told her. His voice was as calm as hers was angry.

  “So your plan was to catch him and then say to me, ‘Oh, by the way, Cyrus was my boss once.’ Really? And how did you think I was going to react?”

  “Jessie, I didn’t think that it was an issue. I have my reasons.”

  Suddenly Jessie remembered him. She remembered that Cyrus had gotten a rookie cop fired for not following orders. Cyrus had come home several nights in a row, raving about some young guy who didn’t know his place and didn’t know how small towns worked.

  She had heard about the murder of a young girl on the outskirts of town that year. Cyrus had assured her that the evidence had pointed to a man who had just been passing through and not to worry. But she also remembered him getting very upset when she had asked too many questions.

  She had learned quickly after he backhanded her at the kitchen table and she hadn’t brought it up again.

  “You are the rookie cop he got fired, aren’t you?”

  Travis sat heavily in the chair she had just vacated and he seemed to be looking everywhere but at her.

  She didn’t think he would answer her but really she didn’t need him to.

  She stood rooted to the spot where she was standing, feeling like a stranger in her own room.

  Travis let the papers fall from his fingers onto the floor.

  “Yes, I’m the rookie he got fired.”

  She caught his gaze and it was bleak. It wasn’t what she expected from him. She thought he would have any other reaction—anger, defensiveness, even just denial. But none of those things were on his face.

  It took the temper out of her and she sat on the bed, hard enough to make it bounce.

  “Why didn’t you just tell me?” she asked quietly.

  He stood and paced to the door and back. “You know, there are a lot of reasons why I didn’t tell you. But the biggest reason is because I didn’t want to.” He turned to look at her then, pain that surprised her in his eyes. “I didn’t want you to look at me differently. I didn’t want you to think for one second that I was anything like Cyrus.

  “But I now know that keeping it from you makes me just as bad as him and I’m sorry, Jessie.”

  Jessie sat stone-still. He was apologizing. Cyrus had never apologized. Travis was nothing like him.

  Travis stared at her for a second before turning to leave.

  “Wait.” Her one word stopped him in the doorway.

  Standing up, she went to him and even though his body was tense and unyielding she wrapped her arms around his waist from behind. It was her own form of apology. He took a deep breath when she laid her head
on his back.

  “I really wish you would just explain to me what happened,” she told him. He turned slowly to face her and she looked up at his face. “Please, Travis. Just tell me what happened so I can understand.”

  His eyes closed briefly and she thought for a second that he was going to relent. But then he said, “I’m sorry. I can’t. I won’t put you in any more danger.”

  “But…” Jessie began but he placed his finger on her lips.

  “Just know that I intend to end this for you so you will be free and someday there will come a time when you will understand. I want you to remember this. I’m just trying to keep you safe. That’s it. End of story. And I’m not doing it because you hired me. I’m doing it because the world wouldn’t be the same without you, Jessie girl. It needs you.”

  He reached out and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “I need you,” he whispered.

  It was the first admission he had made that went further than their one-night agreement. It wasn’t pink roses and a white picket fence but it was more than she had hoped for.

  Her arms were still around him and she lifted up on her toes to kiss him. He didn’t respond at first, but she didn’t give up. She pressed her lips against him harder and then flicked her tongue out along his bottom lip.

  It spurred him into action and his arms came up tight around her. He took a step forward as he kissed her back, then another. Until the backs of her legs were hitting the bed. But it barely registered before he tumbled her on it and she was lost in him.

  He wasted no time in removing her clothes. Jerking her shirt over her head almost roughly, he tossed it away and went after her jeans. He moved away long enough to yank his own clothes off and then fell back on her now-naked body.

  Something was different about him as they came together. He wasn’t taking his time like he had before. There was determination in his eyes.

  He slid a hand between their bodies, rubbing her pussy and spreading her juices to ease his entrance. Rolling a condom on quickly, Travis spread her legs and hooked them behind his back as he thrust deep within her.

  Jessie felt him claim her with every inch of her being. His cock was a perfect fit and she could already feel the tensing of her muscles in anticipation of the orgasm that she knew he would give her.

  Her nails dug into his back as he began to drive into her over and over. He groaned low in her ear as he moved and it sent warm shivers down her back.

  Jessie released her legs from his hips and lifted them. Travis paused to grip both of them together and put them over one of his shoulders.

  The change in angle had her moans growing in decibels and he smiled down at her.

  “Come for me, Jessie girl,” he whispered.

  It was all she needed and she clenched around him, her legs going tight and straight. He plunged once more and then threw his head back as he growled out his release.

  Jessie took deep breaths as he rolled off her and to the side. She turned to face him and couldn’t hide her smile at the coating of sweat on his skin and the deep breaths he was taking.

  He smiled back and pulled her into his arms. It was warm to be cuddling but Jessie wouldn’t give it up and move away and Travis never complained.

  They woke up early, curled on Jessie’s little bed together. The sun was shining bright through the window.

  They smiled at each other but neither said anything as they both got around for another day.

  Betty had breakfast ready and they ate at the kitchen table with Marc and Brad like always. But they were both quiet and the guys exchanged a look before finishing quickly and leaving them alone.

  The situation had changed between them and neither one of them was sure what to do about it. For the first time Jessie was awkward around Travis. She was unsure what to say to him, so she didn’t say anything.

  They finished eating in silence and he asked minimal questions about the day’s schedule on the way to their work site.

  Jessie got to work immediately and tried to keep thoughts of Travis out of her head throughout the day. It was no use.

  Not that he was helping matters any. He made any excuse he could think of to touch her. But he never said more than a few words to her.

  But maybe he was just as unsure as she was. Although she doubted it.

  He had made slow, sweet love to her the night before. It had been unlike anything she had ever experienced. He had made her feel special, taking his time and touching her in places that she never knew could turn her into a quivering mass.

  Like the back of her knees. Or when he had placed openmouthed kisses on her lower back. Or when he had swirled his tongue in her navel. Just thinking about those things now made her tummy erupt in butterflies.

  She glanced his way as he helped Marc put their tools back in the pickup. He had taken his shirt off and she couldn’t help staring as his muscles flexed and bunched. He caught her gaze and smiled her way.

  It felt like a vise had tightened on her heart and she looked away quickly.

  Between the four of them they got the job finished up for the young couple and Marc and Brad took a load of supplies to the newly renovated post office for their next job.

  By the time Jessie got home she wasn’t sure if Travis regretted his admission the night before or if he was just letting it be.

  They stood on the porch for a second and Travis stuffed his hands in the pockets of his dirt-stained jeans.

  “Do you want to have dinner with me on the back porch?” she asked, ready for him to decline.

  He looked at her intently for a second and then said, “I’d love to.”

  * * * * *

  Wearing a short floral-print dress, Jessie went down to meet Travis. She hadn’t really thought about how she would explain to the guys why she wanted to eat alone with him but she knew they would understand. But the kitchen was empty, save for Travis, who held a chair out for her at the table.

  “Where is everyone?”

  “Betty was tired so I sent her off home and Marc and Brad went to the Shiny Penny.”

  “And what made you think that you had the authority to do that?”

  He seemed a little taken aback by her tone. “I just didn’t take you as the kind of boss who would overwork an old woman.”

  Heaving a sigh, she said, “You’re right, I’m not. I’m sorry, I’m just tired myself.” And stressed out, which was starting to turn her into a bitch.

  “Don’t worry about it.” He slid into the chair next to her and began dishing their plates. They ate in silence, both lost in their own thoughts.

  When they were done they carried the plates to the sink, Jessie catching him staring at her exposed legs out of the corner of his eye.

  “Would you like to have a glass of wine on the couch with me?”

  “Baby, I thought you’d never ask,” he murmured, his eyes raking over her legs again.

  She poured them both a glass of red wine. Then they settled in on opposite ends of the couch. It was much smaller than she remembered.

  He took a small sip, watching her over the rim of his glass. She couldn’t help noticing that his big hand dwarfed the delicate globe.

  “So, do you have any more jobs lined up after that we can start on?”

  “Not really, this is the last big one of the season, then things will wind down. I have some tree planting scheduled for the fall and the perennials to plant at the post office but not much besides that.”

  He mulled this over before saying anything else. “If you don’t mind me asking, what do you do over the winter?”

  “Usually I make enough over the summer to cover my expenses. Marc and Brad leave for a few months of traveling and to spend the holidays with their families. Betty sells crafts and baked goods in town.”

  What she didn’t say was that she had been thinking about sending Cyrus the money he had asked for. It terrified her that they hadn’t heard from him since his letter. It made her think that he was on his way back here to make good on
his threat.

  “Will you be laying me off then?” he asked with a smirk, pulling her out of her thoughts.

  “I’m not sure yet. But I think I can afford to keep you on for a while longer,” she said with a smile, since he still refused to let her pay him.

  Setting his glass down on the coffee table, he leaned over and grabbed her ankles, stretching her legs out and placing her feet in his lap. She didn’t protest and slowly he began to rub the soles of her feet. Long, firm strokes starting at her toes and going all the way down to the heel.

  He went from one foot to the other, causing her head to loll back against the couch and her eyes to close. It felt heavenly. Her toenails were painted a pretty pink and she was glad she had taken the time to do them.

  Moaning when he got to her toes again, she jerked and her eyes popped open when she felt his warm mouth close over her little toe. It was incredible, sending jolts directly between her thighs.

  “You have incredibly sexy feet.” His hands moved up to her ankles and then to her calves, massaging with his long fingers.

  “I want you, Jessie.” His voice was low and gravelly and she could bear it no more.

  Sitting up, she set her wineglass down to join his and scooted closer to him, widening her legs and wrapping them around his waist so that she was almost in his lap. Placing her hands on either side of his face, she whispered, “I want you too, Travis.”

  Tumbling her backward on the couch, he landed on top of her, his delicious weight pressing her into the cushions. A giggle escaped her lips before his mouth came crashing down on them.

  It was hot and potent and had her body humming with need in seconds. His tongue explored her as if every surface in her mouth tasted like chocolate. His hands went to her sides and then lower, along her hips, catching the hem of her dress and hiking it up. His jeans pressed against the skin of her thighs, rough and rubbing in all the right places.

  Panting, he pulled back and gazed down into her flushed face. “Do you want to take this to someplace more private? I wouldn’t want to shock poor Betty if she should come back,” he said as he nibbled on her neck. But she had a hard time stringing two thoughts together.