“I know. But still, I don’t like it. You shouldn’t be traveling all over Tarpon Springs in the middle of the night with Belle.”
“Well, it wasn’t exactly like that before. The babysitter was my neighbor. Plus, this is just for tonight, since normally Olivia works the same shift I do. I have to figure out something more permanent. Even when I move back, Ms. Hannigan can’t keep watching Belle forever—she’s too old.”
Travis dropped his feet from the coffee table and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. “C’mere, Belle.” Belle giggled, took a step, and then fell down, but stood up again and continued to try. “Did Ms. Hannigan ever make you her famous Key lime pie?” Belle just looked at him and blew a raspberry.
“I take that as a no,” he chuckled.
“How did you know about that?” Penny called from the other room.
“I’ve been living in Tarpon Springs for a long time,” he told her. “I think Ms. Hannigan may have founded this town—she’s that old. Isn’t she?” he said to Belle, who was less than a foot away from him now. “I think she’s probably too old to take care of herself, never mind a baby.”
“She’s kind. Plus, I was in a bind. I never thought Belle was unsafe with her. Which reminds me—I need to go see Jessica and Slade this weekend. They’re giving me one of Drogo’s pups. I can’t take it yet, but I wanted to see them.”
“You want a puppy, Belle?” he asked the little girl.
“No! It’s for Ms. Hannigan. She keeps talking about the dog who passed away last year. Plus, if Belle isn’t going to be at her place, I think she’ll be lonely. So I want to give her a dog.”
“Okay, we’ll go this weekend.”
“I’m ready to go,” Penny said, rounding the corner and coming into the living room.
With the tight shirt and short shorts that cupped, curved, and accentuated all the right places, Penny was a sight. “Jesus,” he whispered as he ran his hands through his hair.
“What?” she said, looking down at herself.
“Nothing. Just—wow. You’re so fucking beautiful.” He covered his mouth and looked down at Belle, whose arms were stretched up toward her mother. “Shit, sorry. I shouldn’t curse, huh?”
“Probably not. Thank you for the compliment, though.”
“Thank you for wearing that. I should probably send Joe a thank-you note for picking out that uniform.”
She giggled. He was surprised by the sound—he hadn’t ever heard that from her. And it reminded him of her daughter. “Point made.”
“Ready to go?”
“Yep. Let’s hit it.”
After he dropped Belle off at Olivia’s and then Penny off at Ruby’s, he went back home. He made himself two protein shakes and drank them. Afterward he paced the house restlessly. He decided not to wait for morning to call Frances.
“Hey, Frances. Did I wake you?”
“Nope. Just studying. What’s up?”
“I met with Lawrence last night.”
“No kidding. What did he say?”
“He wants a hundred and fifty thousand.”
“Holy fuck, Travis!”
“I know.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“Give him the money.”
“You sure? That’s a lot.”
“That’s almost all of it,” he admitted.
“Damn,” she said. “Well, maybe Fight Night will be renewed. Plus, if you win the fight in Vegas, that’s a big chunk of change. More than you make with Fight Night.”
“I don’t care, to be honest. I want all this shit to go away. When do you think you can get me all the papers? I don’t want this son of a bitch changing his mind.”
“I’ll rush it. Should be ready tomorrow. You’ll need to bring Lawrence and Penny with you to the attorney’s office. And you don’t give Lawrence a cent until he signs everything.”
“Of course. Send me the attorney’s info—I’ll call the bank and transfer over the money to his office.”
“Okay. And Trav?”
“Yeah?”
“Proud of you,” she said before ending the call.
—
Travis put on his gym clothes and went for a jog. He’d intended to only go for a short run, then go home, shower, and pick up Penny after work, but without realizing it he found that it was nearly one o’clock and he’d jogged all the way to Ruby’s.
A few minutes later, as he was leaning against the railing by the employees’ entrance, Penny came out laughing with Darlene. “Travis?” she exclaimed, surprised to see him. “What are you doing here? And why are you all sweaty?”
“Came to get you.” Travis pushed off the railing and kissed Penny. “Hi, Darlene.”
“Hey, Texas,” Darlene said back.
“You didn’t have to. Darlene was going to drive me to Olivia’s to get Belle and then to your house.”
“Don’t mind.” He brushed a bit of hair away from her face. She wasn’t wearing that headband thing anymore, and her bangs were growing out.
Darlene gave them both a strange look. “Okay, then. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow. Bye, guys.” She waved as she walked to her car.
Penny looked around. “Where’s your truck?”
“Oh, shit!” He jogged over to Darlene. “Wait up. I ran here. Can you give us a lift?”
“You’re a strange duck, Texas,” Darlene teased, motioning for them to get in the car.
“You jogged here? To get me? That makes no sense,” Penny said as she slid into the backseat.
“Went for a jog and just ended up here. I thought maybe we’d call a cab or Uber once you got out.”
Her brow was furrowed. “Couldn’t sleep?”
She knew him so well already, he realized. “Nope.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, looking sad for him.
“ ’S okay. Also wanted to talk to you when we got home.” When he saw her eyebrows knit together in concern, he added hastily, “No worries, momma.”
After Darlene stopped at Olivia’s so that Penny could pick up the sleeping Belle, she dropped them off at Travis’s house.
“Tell me,” Penny said as soon as they said their goodbyes to Darlene and stepped out of the car.
Travis had Belle asleep in one arm and was opening the front door with the other. “Shh. You’ll wake her. Let me put her in bed first.”
Travis laid Belle in the crib and turned on the sound machine and the night-light. Penny covered her and kissed her forehead.
“Come on, Travis. You’re making me nervous,” Penny said as soon as they walked out into the hallway.
“Before we talk, I want a kiss.”
She acquiesced, and they shared a sweet kiss. Then he led her into the bedroom, closed the door, and gestured for her to sit.
“I met with Lawrence,” he told her.
“What?”
“Yesterday, when I left, I met with him at the Pier. Well, he wasn’t expecting to meet with me, but I found out where he was.”
“I don’t understand. And why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
“Francesca’s law professor and attorney friend don’t think you have the best case if you end up in court involved in a custody suit,” he said.
She rose instantly.
“Sit, sugar.” He reached for her, but she pulled away and put her hands up defensively.
“Just…just tell me.”
He sighed. “You could lose, which is obviously the worst-case scenario. But even if you win, it’s not going to be easy or cheap.”
“So what happened with Lawrence? Why did you meet with him? I don’t understand.” She paced around. “I’ll leave. I’ll go somewhere no one will ever find us.”
“Not gonna happen, momma,” he said, picking her up and tossing her onto the bed, then lying down next to her and using his weight to stop her from getting up again. “You two mean too much to me. I’ll find you and bring you both back.”
Her eyes welled up. “Oh, Travis,” she sighed, strokin
g his cheek.
“Lawrence is a dick. A desperate dick. Which is good news for you, because he can be bought, as I discovered last night. He told me how much it would cost to get him to relinquish his parental rights, agree to never contact you or Belle again, and agree not to ever go to the media. I didn’t tell you earlier because I needed to make sure Francesca could make this all happen legally.”
“He will? He’ll sign it? How much?”
“Don’t worry ’bout it. It’s getting done.”
She pushed him off her and stood up again, hands on her hips. “How much, Travis?”
“More than you can afford right now, momma.”
“Is it more than you can afford, Travis?”
“No. I got it.”
“Travis, I need a number. I need to know.”
He ran his hand down his face. “One fifty.”
“Oh, God,” she sobbed. “Travis, you can’t do that. You can’t agree to that. There has to be another way.”
“There’s nothing you could say to me that’ll change the fact that I’m doing this,” he said, taking her hands in his. “And I don’t want you to worry. This isn’t a loan; it’s not something you need to feel you have to pay back. It is what it is. I’m doing it, and if tomorrow you don’t want to be with me, you still won’t have to worry about it.”
“What if you don’t want to be with me?”
“Not gonna happen, baby.” He got up from the bed and went over to her, holding her by the waist.
“ ‘Thank you’ seems insufficient, but it’s the only thing I can say. What you are doing for us…” She shook her head. “It’s something most people wouldn’t do.”
He lowered his head and kissed her.
“Well, most people aren’t me,” he said with a wink.
“That is true.” She couldn’t agree more.
“I’m starving,” he said, and dragged her out into the kitchen.
“Go sit,” she told him. “There’s leftovers. I’ll warm them up for you,” she said as she took out containers from the refrigerator.
“I love your cooking.”
“Is it my cooking, or are you just comparing it to those disgusting shakes?”
“No, it’s definitely your cooking. I love to eat, so I know good food.”
Once the food was on his plate and he had begun to eat, she said. “I’m going to go get ready for bed.”
“Okay, see you in a minute.”
—
Penny stepped out of the bathroom, wearing one of his T-shirts and with her hair loosely flowing down her back, just as Travis came into the bedroom.
“Whoa!” he said, catching her just before they collided.
“Sorry. I was coming to find you.”
“Yeah? Why’s that?” His hand was still on her waist, but his fingers dug into her skin as their bodies pressed together. His hardness pressed against her stomach, and he inhaled her feminine scent. He wanted her.
When she didn’t answer, he looked into her glazed eyes. “You still with me?” he asked, his voice thick and husky.
She shook her head. “Sorry. Uh…what was the question?”
“I forget,” he said with a laugh, running his hands up her thigh and hip to her waist, pushing the shirt up.
“I want you, Travis,” she whispered into his mouth.
“You’ve got me, sugar.”
She slid her hands into his shorts and found his cock. “I want you,” she repeated almost desperately.
He pulled his shorts off with one hand and kicked them aside, then drew the T-shirt over her head and threw it onto the floor. He kissed her jaw, her neck, the valley between her breasts. He undid her bra, leaving her tits exposed. He pinched one of her pink nipples with his fingers while he sucked and nipped at the other.
“Oh, that feels good,” she moaned, awkwardly trying to unbutton her shorts and pull them down.
“Tastes even better,” he said as he moved on to the other nipple. “Hey, what are you doing?”
“Trying to take off my shorts,” she responded with a chuckle.
“May I?” He got on his knees and finished undressing her.
“You are so sexy, Travis.” She drew him to the bed and knelt on the mattress as she reached for his chest, touching him softly, going over his tattoos. He extended one arm over to the bedside table to get a condom, tore open the packet, and slid it on. He laid her on her back, shifting her legs open with his knees and placing all his weight on her.
“I hate almost all of my tattoos,” he admitted. “I’ve never told anyone that.”
She laid both hands on his face in the sweetest way. No one had ever been this soft with him—it overwhelmed him. But it also made him want to tell her about all the dark crevices of his heart, all the places he never dared go.
“Except for the puzzle piece, everything else has been a stupid decision. I was a young, angry kid in a gang. And you’re a classy girl from money, educated, with morals.”
She didn’t say anything, which made him nervous. The quieter she was, the more he felt he needed to talk to fill the silence.
Then she pushed him off her, which worried him for a moment, until she rolled him over onto his back and straddled him. “I’ve never done this before,” she confessed, holding his hardened cock in her hand and positioning him between her legs.
“I love that I’ve had most of your firsts,” he choked out as she slid down onto his length. He wrapped his hand around her hair and pulled her head back gently but firmly. Exposing her neck, he kissed down her throat.
She moved up and down on his shaft slowly. “It makes me sad that you’ve been through so much, Travis.” She placed a hand on his heart. “But I don’t see your tattoos as ugly. They’re part of what makes you who you are. Your life could’ve gone a completely different way. You could’ve chosen a different path, and no one could blame you, because you had no one to guide you. Which is what I want to teach Belle. That there’s a different life. One full of good people. People like you.”
“What are you doing to me? I feel cut open and exposed when you look at me like that, Penny.”
“Good. Someone should make you feel that way.” She smiled.
“This feel good, baby?” he asked, holding her waist and helping her move up and down.
“Yes,” she murmured, her eyes downcast.
“You don’t sound convinced.”
“I don’t know. Maybe I’m not doing it right?”
“You are,” he said, looking at his girl. She was beautiful and innocent, but inside her was untapped desire that only he knew about. “You trust me, momma?”
“Yes,” she said without hesitation.
“You like it hard. You like it rough. That gets you off,” he said assuredly. He reached for her neck, his thumb against her pressure point and his forefinger on the other side. He only exerted a little pressure—it wasn’t as if he was choking her. But he could see that her reaction was intense.
“Harder,” she yelled as she moved up and down.
He flipped them over, then put one hand back on her neck, the other one pulling and pinching her nipple hard. She was flat on the bed, one knee pulled high and his full length against her, pushing roughly against her. “You’re my naughty girl and you like it hard, don’t you, momma?” he ground out as he pounded roughly.
“Fuck yes!” she cried as her orgasm hit them both hard, causing him to come right after.
He was completely breathless and spent; it felt like he’d run a marathon. “You cursed.”
She chuckled. “It was appropriate.”
“Yes, it was.” He kissed her on the lips and pulled out. “Shower?”
“Definitely.”
He pulled her up and threw her over his shoulder, causing her to yelp and then giggle. “Travis!”
He slapped her ass.
“Travis!” she yelped again.
“Let’s not pretend you don’t like it.” He bit her ass cheek before putting her down and turning o
n the shower.
“Is it strange that I like it rough? I didn’t know that that’s how I liked it, by the way.”
“Strange? No. Why would it be strange? We’re two consenting adults. Just a little pressure, a little spanking. Nothing crazy.”
“Maybe I want it a little more crazy, though,” she admitted.
“I fucking love that my well-bred, well-educated, pedigreed girl wants it nasty and hard and I’m the only one who gets to feel how fucking beautiful you look riding my cock, my hand on your neck, my teeth on your nipple. I never ever thought hearing the word fuck would make me come. But coming from your mouth—damn, woman, it’s the hottest thing I’ve ever heard.”
When they got out of the shower, Travis was too wired to sleep, even though it was very late. Plus, he was starved. She made them sandwiches, and then they sat down to watch a movie on television.
He had a full belly, a woman in his arms, and all her problems would soon be resolved. That was the last thought he had as he drifted off to sleep before the movie even began.
Chapter 15
Something silky soft was on his face. He opened one eye and then the other, feeling every muscle in his body protest. Last thing he remembered was sitting on the couch with Penny.
He sat up and a small satin-edged blanket fell off him. From somewhere near his ear came a fit of giggles. “Pee boo,” the little girl said, and covered her own face with the blanket.
He couldn’t help but laugh right back. “Peek-a-boo, you mean?”
“Pee boo,” she repeated.
He took the blanket and hid his face, then removed it. “Peek-a-boo.”
She giggled so hard she fell on her little behind.
“Belle! Did you wake Travis up?”
“ ’S okay, darlin’,” Travis said, reaching for Belle, swinging her up in the air, and blowing a raspberry on her belly.
“You fell asleep. I figured you were uncomfortable on that couch, but I thought that if I woke you, you might not have been able to go back to sleep.”
Strange how he seemed to always fall right asleep and sleep restfully when she was around. He smiled and disappeared into the bathroom.
“Do I smell bacon?” he called.
“Yep,” she said, smiling. “Come eat.”
Stacked Up: Worth the Fight Series Page 20