by Rhea Regale
Travis stared at his aunt as she left the room, and then he looked at Brent. He shrugged, a curious crease between his brows.
“How long do you think she knew?” Brent asked.
“I’d be a fool to guess. Should’a known ’cause nothing gets by her.” Travis grabbed another cookie and chuckled. “Conventional or not. Did you hear her?” The chuckle turned into a quiet laugh. “I can’t believe she’d even say something like that.”
“Seems pretty accepting of us and any unconventional ideas regarding Lexi,” Brent said. He shook his head, his grin pulling into a full smile. “Now, if only Lexi will be accepting of them.”
“You didn’t mention it to her?”
“Nah.” Brent waved a hand and peeked out into the entry foyer. “Figured we’d show her firsthand and see how it goes. Start talkin’ things like that and she may recoil.” Brent turned to him and winked. “Unconventional, remember?”
“Ideal.” Travis stepped up to Brent, made sure they were alone, and shared a quick, hungry kiss, rocking his hard cock against him. “First, we gotta get out of her what she’s runnin’ from.”
“Nothing a few cold beers, a night under the stars, and a rowdy bonfire can’t do.”
Chapter Ten
The nighttime air was dry and surprisingly comfortable, the earthy scent of burning wood, fire smoke, and grilling food coaxing a silent piece of Lexi to come out of hiding.
Settled on the tailgate of Travis’s truck, she watched the rowdy group of cowboys laugh and drink ice-cold beers from longneck bottles. Someone’s sound system pumped out a dance beat that edged on country, but it was definitely a tune Lexi tapped her dangling foot to.
Travis hopped onto the tailgate beside her and handed her a brew.
“How’re you feelin’?” he asked, taking a swing from his bottle. The light breeze ruffled his sandy hair, strands slanting across his dark eyes.
“Great,” she said honestly. “Haven’t felt this free in a very long time.”
That was the truth, even if it took four or five beers to get the words out of her. Two days ago, she could never have pictured herself outside the city. She couldn’t imagine herself without the hustle and bustle of buses and PATH trains, crowded sidewalks, and honking cars.
She may have arrived in Ryder less than two days ago, but something in this town called to her soul, whether it was the old-fashioned shops, Miss Bess’s B & B, or the people. The air smelled different, fresh and crisp, even when the sun pelted heat like fireballs.
Then there was Travis. And Brent. And their strange relationship with the silent implications that seemed to surround her. Their playful attitudes and good looks, Travis’s Southern drawl, and Brent’s deep husk made her all but forget Dom and his pursuit. She felt safe.
Lexi caught Travis’s mischievous gaze. “Ryder is a beautiful place.”
“I think so.” He hooked the heel of his boot on the tailgate and slung an arm around his bent knee. “Enjoying the night?”
“I’m warming up to the party,” Lexi said. She frowned, sipping her beer. “You know, I’ve lived a life where I’ve had to be someone I’m not. I’ve always had to pose as a hostess. I hated it. I’m more of a quiet, introverted type.”
“What did you do?”
Lexi rolled her bottle between her hands, the cold perspiration along the label feeling good on her skin.
“Moved to New York four years ago when I was twenty-one, hoping for an acting job. Like so many people, I fell in love with the glamour.” She swung her legs off the edge of the tailgate. “I was always surrounded by people, but always felt so alone. That’s how it is in the big city. Fighting a crowd that doesn’t even know you’re there, even as they knock you around.”
She eyed the crowd, unable to keep another smile from creeping over her mouth. These people enjoyed themselves in the company of friends. Everyone here knew each other and openly showed their friendships. Brent sat on a thick tree log one of the ranch hands towed to the field. He was laughing with some buddies, guzzling down beer. Stress and worry held not a single place in his expression, and it somehow rubbed off onto her.
After all, she was in a small town in the middle of Kansas, far away from any place Dom might suspect she fled to.
“I picked up work at a nightclub in Manhattan and moved up from a barmaid to bartender to cocktail waitress to VIP employee. All I had to do was sit with the big wigs, dressed to kill, made up to kill, and speak only when asked to. I became a puppet, a stranger in my own body, all because I needed the damn job, I needed the damn money, and I didn’t know how to get out.”
“Drugs?”
Lexi choked on her beer and turned wide eyes on Travis. He arched his brows, but a small grin toyed with the corner of his mouth, teasing the handsome dimple in his cheek.
“Absolutely not. I’ve never touched a thing in my life. I have far more respect for myself than that.” Lexi narrowed her eyes on him and knocked the lip of her bottle against his knee. “What would make you think that?”
“City clubs, acting dreams. We’ve all heard of what happens to many of the hopefuls.” He grabbed a chunk of her hair and let the thick wave fall over his palm. The tender motion made her cheeks warm. “You are different, Alexis. A beautiful gal in a situation you should’ve never found yourself in.”
“And what situation is that?”
“You tell me, baby. I picked you up off the side of the road lookin’ petrified. I could taste your fear. Your VIP employee status get knocked?”
“Guess it did.” She didn’t want to get into the details. If Dom ever caught up with her, he would go after everyone she had contact with. The last thing she wanted was innocent people finding themselves on the same side of the gun those three unfortunate business partners did.
“I was terrified of my boss, falling deeper and deeper into his trap, moving into his penthouse, taking up the role as girlfriend, and accepting everything he gifted me with, because I had seen his ire when his gifts were refused,” she muttered.
“Bad exes are no reason to hide.”
“This one is.”
“Well, the badass tries to come around here, he’ll be sorely disappointed in the outcome.” Travis slid off the tailgate and turned to her. He rested his bottle on the side of the bed and grabbed her waist. Lexi laughed when he picked her up with ease, sliding her down the front of his hard body until her bare toes reached the soft grass.
Pop!
Lexi’s gasp was followed by a quiet laugh that did wonders to calm her stoked fear. She had to get control of herself. Not everything sounded like a gunshot. The bonfire blazing feet into the air lent its fair share of cracks and pops to the party.
She took in a deep breath, loving the scent of burning wood and clean, open air.
“Hmm, I think you fit quite nice against me,” Travis said, his voice lowering to a sexual rumble that she could barely catch over the music and laughter. Lexi grabbed his biceps, the solid mass of muscle beneath her fingers hauling her away from the pitiful thoughts of Dom and dropping her into a new path of desire. Oh yeah, she could recall every perfect line and cut of muscle she took close notice of earlier at Miss Bess’s, as well as at Brent’s office.
Her fingers wrapped around the area she recalled seeing his tattoo. “Any significance to the ink?”
“Could say that.” Travis grabbed his beer, slinking his arm around her waist. “Got bit in the hand by a rattler while watching my cousin ride nationals in Vegas. The snake band is where the inflammation finally stopped and began to recede. Would’ve lost my arm, if not my life, had it not been for quick thinking from his team.”
Lexi winced, drawing her hand down his well-formed arm to come to rest over his wrist. “You’re very lucky.”
“Lucky to be able to lift you off my tailgate and pull you into the party.”
Travis turned his wrist over and slid his fingers between hers. The sparks that erupted at his touch left her reeling as he weaved her through partier
s. He dug out two more beers from an ice-filled cooler, popped the tops, and handed her one.
“You’re gonna get me drunk.” She laughed, quickly finishing the beer she had. “I’m a lightweight.”
“That’s hard to believe.” Travis tapped his bottle to hers. “Cheers to you looking damn beautiful tonight.”
“Maybe you’re drunk.” She didn’t deprive herself of a slow look over Travis. His jeans fit snug against his narrow waist and hugged his ass and thighs. The T-shirt he wore formed to the fine mold of his impeccable body. He skipped the hat, which pleased her. She liked the way his thick hair blew around in the breeze, curling beneath his ears and flipping up at his nape. It was an untamed feature of his, one that fit him, and one that thoroughly appealed to her. Her mouth dried, and she took a sip of beer before speaking. “You’re looking pretty hot yourself.”
“Feelin’ the same, baby.” His smile darkened as he drank his beer. Against the lip, he murmured, “Feelin’ the same.”
A burger, another beer, and a stumble that left her clinging to Travis later, Lexi had loosened up completely. She mingled with a group of women, dancing and learning about Ryder and the two men who caught her attention about as much as she caught theirs. One of the women mentioned talk among townsfolk after their appearance earlier that afternoon.
A small fissure of pride rose from the pit of her stomach. She glanced back at the log where Brent sat throughout the night. Travis was standing behind him, talking to another man while Brent stared at her through the swaying orange-yellow flames.
The instant her eyes met his, her bones melted and a flutter brushed through her belly. Her mouth became dry, despite the beer she had just sipped. He watched her with pleasure on his face, the reflecting fire in his eyes lapping like desire. His features were liquid through the curtain of intense heat, adding even more allure to him.
When Travis turned a lingering glance her way, she involuntarily stepped away from the fire, afraid of burning up beneath their simultaneous admiration.
Lexi’s lips parted. If she didn’t know better, she’d think flames from the fire slithered up to her face. Her eyes watered from the smoke. Her legs wobbled slightly, a flash image of Brent and Travis back at the shop office, only this time, with her between them. Her body reacted, the throb in her pussy and the caress of her shirt against her nipples causing a shiver.
At the moment, this “city filly” wanted nothing more than to find roots in this small town and security in the two men who stoked wicked thoughts and an inferno to life.
Travis knocked Brent’s shoulder, drawing the man to his feet. Lexi blinked several times, turning away from the intense stares of those two men. Her heart thundered, leaving her light-headed. Or maybe that was the alcohol, or the smoke, or the overall perfect atmosphere of the evening.
Dressed casually in cut-off jean shorts, rhinestone-studded flip flops, tank top, and short-sleeve flannel shirt tied up at her ribs, she was filled with a lost sense of confidence. She didn’t have to pretend to be someone she was not. She liked tossing her hair up in a clip, leaving the layers of makeup in New York, and just being all-natural Lexi. She liked the way the blades of grass tickled her toes, the taste of ice-cold beer sliding over her tongue, and the fresh air wrapping her in a carefree blanket. It was so different from the stuffy nightclubs and uptight staff always dressed in tight skirts, four-inch stilettos, or tailored suits.
A giddy grin tugged her lips. She liked Brent and Travis, and they seemed to like her, despite their personal relationship. Nothing about her secret fantasy placing her between those two felt awkward or taboo. Where she was so self-conscious about her looks around Dom, in and out of bed, her instinct whispered the two cowboys wouldn’t be a fraction as concerned.
A hand wrapped around her hip, a strong arm slanted across her back, and a solid man slinked around to her side.
“Come on, baby.” Travis’s mouth brushed her ear, his words coming out on a quiet breath. Chills spread along her arms and legs, gently tuning the cords to her core.
He didn’t give her an opportunity to answer. She wouldn’t have protested him leading her at a brisk pace back to his truck. He hoisted her onto the tailgate.
“What are you doing?” she asked, the lightness in her voice being met by a shadowed smile. Brent jogged over to them, clapped Travis on the back, and moved to the driver’s side door.
“Showin’ you a good time,” Travis said, hopping into the bed with the ease and grace of a lion leaping the span of two boulders. He pulled the tailgate shut and lifted her to her feet. She clung to his shoulder with her free hand, beer still in the other, and giggled along their sensual saunter toward the cab windows.
Brent opened the back window and said, “Hold on, doll.”
Travis turned her around, the full length of his body flush to her back, and clamped her hand on the window frame. Brent revved the powerful engine. A small thrill trickled through her, a wicked sense of adventure chasing its tail. The hard bulge against her upper ass teased her excitement.
“Kick your shoes off,” Travis said. Lexi didn’t think twice before slipping out of her flip flops and kicking them to the side.
“Got ’er?” Brent called. Travis wrapped one arm tightly around her waist and hit the roof of the truck.
Brent held little reserve for the gas, spinning out the tires and kicking up dirt. The back of the truck swayed, nearly throwing Lexi over the side, had Travis not been holding her. Her shriek earned her a heady laugh. Bonfire partiers hooted and cheered, their rowdy shouts fading as the truck lunged forward with help of the Hemi engine.
The air hitting into her left her spinning with delight. She smiled, resting her head back on Travis’s chest, enjoying the rush of adrenaline that pumped through her body. She was alive, without a worry to contend with, hanging onto the back of a truck as they plowed across unpaved property in the middle of the night. She had one gorgeous man at her back, another not far in front of her.
“So, Lexi. Got a question for you,” Travis said, brushing a shout to be overheard against the wind. Lexi twisted her neck to look up at him as he tugged the clip from her hair. The wildly tossing locks curled against her neck. Travis narrowed his eyes, his hair whipping around his face. “Did he kiss you earlier?”
For the briefest of moments, her stomach rolled. Travis dipped his head, but it was the teasing drop of his hand that made her stiffen.
“Because I’m about to make him suffer while I learn more about you.”
Chapter Eleven
The world faded as his words set in. The wind blowing past her ears muffled any other sound as the truck broke through a tree line and slowed, taking the unkempt trail at a leisurely pace.
There were no pretenses to Travis’s kiss, and she didn’t want any. His tongue swept through her mouth, hot and hungry, taking what he wanted and giving her what she needed. She drank the raw passion from him, each strong, possessive plunge of his tongue coiling her fired body around and around. The steady pulse in her clit turned into a rapid beat.
“Hold on tight, baby,” he said against her lips. His hand left hers on the window frame and dropped to the button of her shorts. He swallowed the anxious whimper that fled her throat, her fingers squeezing around the beer bottle she desperately wanted to toss away so she could touch him.
He opened her shorts and shoved them down her legs. His teeth scraped the back of her thighs, his hand holding tight to her leg as the truck rocked over uneven ground. She looked down at him, her hair blowing over her eyes, but unable to mask the feral desire swirling over his face. Travis was playful to the core, even in the demanding act of foreplay.
He lifted one bare foot from her shorts, but shook his head when she started lifting her other foot. “Nope. We don’t want you returning to Miss Bess without these.”
“Good call,” she murmured. Thickness welled in her throat, her voice laced with arousal. “You sure this is a good idea?”
“What?” Travis slid u
p her body, pinching her chin in a gentle grip and turning her face to his. “Undressing you in the bed of my truck?” He chuckled. “You city folk definitely miss out on all the fun with your rules, social or government enforced.”
“It’s sedans and sports cars. Not many pickups.” Lexi’s gaze dropped to his mouth. “It’s illegal to ride in the back of a pickup truck where I come from.”
“Shame.” He flicked out his tongue and traced her lips. Each touch of his mouth or shift of his hard cock against her rear melted her a bit more. His finger hooked the edge of her panties. “I like these. Sexy.”
“I prefer lacy thongs.”
“Keep it up, baby. You put ’em on, I’ll take ’em off.”
Lexi’s eyelids grew heavy. She gave in to the demanding kiss he pressed upon her, eagerly awaiting each fulfilling stroke of his tongue. When his lips left hers and began a seductive trail of kisses along the side of her throat, she couldn’t contain a pleasurable quiver.
“From the minute I saw you on the side of the road, I haven’t been able to push you from my thoughts. Never has a woman captured me the way you have.”
If he didn’t stop tracing the hem of her panties, teasing her throbbing clit and wet pussy, she’d throw her beer bottle into the woods, along with the rest of her clothing and take control of the situation.
She turned her face into his hair, inhaling the subtle scent of sweat mingling with the rustic aromas of fire and fresh air. The silky strands brushed against her cheeks, tickling her sensitized skin and succeeding in making her shiver. No amount of air lapping at her face could cool the fever that had taken over her body.
“You’ve had women before?” The question left her lips before she could filter her words. Travis laughed softly against her shoulder then nipped her flesh.
“Let me touch you, Alexis, and you tell me what you think.”