Now, what about the man?
Travis.
That was his name.
“Who are you, Travis? And how will you die?”
12.
Bliss peered into yet another drawer. The master bath was stocked with all kinds of things. Toothbrushes. Adult diapers. Children’s diapers. First aid kit. The list went on. If she didn’t have something, she now knew where it was stocked.
The digital clock on the counter ticked off another five minutes. She’d successfully hidden in the bathroom for over an hour. Travis had moved around the house, talking on his phone, chatting with her, and mostly brooding. Their conversation over dinner had consisted of a dozen or so words.
She liked him. A lot. And she did want him to come back to Vegas. At least that was her knee-jerk reaction. On one hand, she wanted more. For Travis to realize he was more than a string of other people’s mistakes. That he was a caring, thoughtful guy who just needed to let go a little. That there was more than just chemistry there. On the other hand...She didn’t know if she’d be living in Vegas. If he would be allowed to know where she was. And why the hell did she have such crazy strong feelings for a guy she met a couple days ago?
From the moment Travis had walked into her life, she felt like someone had her back. He believed her when she said her sister was missing. At the house she’d freaked out, and he was right there with her. When she pressed the issue of going with him, he didn’t try to keep her away. At every turn he’d had her back. What would it be like to have a partner like that? She’d always been the one pulling the weight of two people.
Then there was the chemistry. It was off the charts. She didn’t think it was simply switching out her nice guy type for a bad boy. It was a result as unique as Travis himself.
She was falling in love with him, and they were doomed to fail.
“Bliss?” He knocked on the bathroom door.
She flinched and turned toward the white pocket door. If she ignored him, would he go away? She couldn’t be so lucky.
“Yeah?”
“You done in there?”
“Almost.”
She held her breath and listened, but of course he couldn’t do her the favor of making a tiny bit of sound.
Freaking man.
Bliss turned back to the mirror. She’d showered. Dried her hair. Brushed and flossed her teeth. Scrubbed and moisturized her face. Was she missing something? Could she squeeze out a few more moments alone with her merry-go-round of thoughts?
The lock on the door snicked.
Her spine straightened and she stood at the tiny silver lock, pointing the wrong way.
Daniel?
The door opened. Travis stood on the other side, a knife in hand.
Bliss blew out a breath and turned to face him.
“Christ, don’t do that. You scared me.”
“You’ve been in here for a long time.” He closed the knife and slid it into his pocket without looking away from her.
“Yeah, so? There’s not a lot to do here.” She scooped up her dirty clothes.
He stepped back, out of her way. She crossed to her bag, opting to leave the worn clothing tucked behind the duffle for now.
“What’s bothering you?” Travis leaned against the dresser, watching her.
“Nothing.”
“Nothing is always something when a woman says it.”
She glared at him.
“Ethan’s ex-wife always said that.”
Smart woman.
“You going to bed?” he asked.
“Might as well.”
Travis had insisted they keep the TV off. If she had to guess, the news was still clogged with updates on Daniel’s whereabouts and his history of crime. The FBI had mentioned something about confirming over fifty bodies attributed to Daniel.
She climbed into bed and turned away from Travis.
He still wanted to see her.
The idea of never seeing him again left an empty ache in her chest. Could she ever have him? Would he ever truly be hers? She wasn’t even sure what he meant when he suggested still seeing her.
She listened to him brush his teeth and move about the room, getting ready for bed. Everyday actions that squeezed her heart in a vice. Why couldn’t this be their normal?
Travis turned all the lights off, save for the bathroom. He left the door open just a crack. For her. Because she needed the security of the light.
The bed dipped under Travis’ weight, and she squeezed her eyes shut. She wanted him, but she didn’t want to lose him. And right now, things were too uncertain to make any sort of call about the future.
He rolled toward her and she shifted as gravity tilted her toward him. She was intently aware of his presence, the sound of his breathing, the feel of his gaze on her.
“You need to get out of your head, darlin’. You’ll drive yourself crazy if you keep doing this to yourself. You’re safe. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.” He turned and the sheets rustled as he stretched out on his side, closest to the door.
Travis thought she was obsessing about Daniel? That mental refrain had broken some point that morning, and she’d slept without the hint of a dream. His return to her life was a very real possibility, one she didn’t like, but she couldn’t control.
She held very still, listening to his breathing grow shallow and even. He could probably fool her into thinking he was asleep, so she chose to believe it for now.
Bliss rolled over, letting her gaze travel the line of Travis’ body. The sheet and blanket were down around his waist and the bathroom light cast just enough light she could see the tattoo on his upper arm.
She wiggled her toes and turned back toward the windows. There was no reason for her to have so much pent up energy. She’d barely slept, hadn’t eaten well, and it hurt when she moved certain ways. And yet, she wasn’t about to sleep anytime soon.
The digital clock ticked off the minutes, taunting her. She turned away, only to roll to her stomach and glare at the numbers.
Longest night of her life.
Or, second longest. There was no denying that night spent in the A-frame had seemed to go on forever.
She rolled to her side, tossing back the comforter tangling around her legs.
Travis sighed in his sleep. She froze, not even breathing as she counted to twenty.
The bedside lamp clicked on, casting a warm glow on the room.
“What’s bothering you?” he asked.
She rolled to her back and cringed.
“Sorry. Keeping you up?”
He rolled to his side, all that muscle on display.
“What’s bothering you?” he asked again.
“Nothing.”
“Bliss.” He tipped his chin down and gave her The Look. The one that said they both knew very well something was bothering her and she was hiding it. “I told you Daniel can’t get you here. There’s two sets of plainclothes cops stationed at either end of the street, plus one lives behind us. Daniel shows up, we got him.”
“Wait, we’re next door to a cop?”
“Yeah.”
“What about his family?”
“He’s single, and this is part of his job. I think he’s got a cop buddy roommate.”
“Oh. I’m not worried about Daniel.” She rolled to her side, chewing her lip. If she told him, she would become that girl. The clingy one who always wanted more. She’d never been that girl, but with Travis...It was all different.
“Then what’s got you tossing and turning?”
“You aren’t so bad at talking.”
“Bliss.”
She blew out a breath and spent a moment fluffing her pillow. He waited her out, watching her every movement. She was only prolonging the inevitable.
“What’s going to happen to us?” She couldn’t even look at him when she asked.
“That’s up to you.”
“That’s not a fair answer.”
“What do you want to hear?”
> “That’s what I’m talking about.” She flopped onto her back. “Why do you have to put this on me? It’s like you’re just saying that to make me feel better or safe or something.”
“Put this on you? What the hell?”
“I mean...” She glanced at him and almost wanted to hide under the bed. His scowl was dark and unhappy.
“Let me get this straight, you think I’m in bed with you, fucked you, and stayed here to make sure you feel good? Darlin’ there are some things you can’t pay me to do and whore myself out is one of them.”
“That’s not what I meant!” She sat up, her restless nerves pushing her to do something.
“I’m not that kind of man.”
“I didn’t mean it like that. I just thought...yeah, we like each other, and you’re letting me focus on us instead of Daniel when you aren’t really interested.”
Travis scrubbed a hand over his face before answering.
“This ain’t that complicated.”
“Well, what am I supposed to think when you’re pushing all this on me to make the decisions? You haven’t told me what you think or feel.”
“I told you exactly what I thought, that it was up to you what you wanted.”
She grabbed the pillow and swung it at him. He deflected it easily with his forearm before lunging at her and pining her to the mattress. She squirmed a bit, but getting away from him was a useless expenditure of energy.
“What’s not clear enough about that?” he asked.
“Because what if I want something you don’t? What if you like me more than I like you?”
The scowl didn’t go away and he didn’t move off her, but he did let go of her arm.
“Don’t you get what I’m saying when it’s up to you? I want it all, but I’m not about to ask a woman to put up with my lifestyle or what I do. It’s not fair to you.” His voice retained the same rough quality, but there were deeper, vulnerable notes.
“Oh.” She let her hands rest on his biceps. Her voice trembled despite her efforts to speak clearly. “So if I said this was it, you’d be okay leaving and never seeing me again?”
“Yes.” His gaze narrowed. He didn’t like that answer, but she didn’t doubt that he’d at least pretend he would leave her alone, per her wishes.
She got the feeling Travis was the kind of man who got what he wanted and damn the consequences, and right now he wanted her. That desire was a palpable zing of electricity in the air, arcing between them, and she was surprised they couldn’t see the sparks.
“And if I said let’s be crazy and get married now?” She held her breath, dying to hear how he’d send that question back at her.
“I’d say wait until the morning.”
“Seriously?” She stared at him in more than a bit of shock.
Travis’ shoulders lifted.
He was serious. Holy cow, the idea didn’t terrify her. That rational part of her brain wasn’t screaming at her to stop now.
If he said yes, she’d marry him tomorrow.
Was she brave enough to ask? To put it out there?
Hell no.
Bliss licked her lips. “I’m not serious about the wedding chapel thing, but...I don’t like the idea of not seeing you again. And I don’t like the idea of not knowing where I stand with you. I’m not the kind of girl that just jumps into bed with a guy.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Use more words, damn it. What does okay mean?”
“I’m good with that. And you should plan on not jumping into bed with anyone else.”
She gulped and nodded.
“As far as where we stand, like I said, I’m leaving that up to you, because I can’t ask you for more than what you’re ready for.”
Everything. She wanted it all, but who fell for a guy they just met? That kind of stuff was for girls like Wendy. Not her.
“Then...dating?”
“I’m good with that. But Bliss, I can’t even tell you when I’ll be back or how long you might go without hearing from me. Some of the work we do...it’s important. It’s not all watching rich guys like Grayson tinker around. Sometimes it’s very dangerous.”
“Can you at least warn me about the dangerous stuff?”
“No.”
“Travis, if something bad happens I want to be prepared. Otherwise I’ll worry all the time.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“That’s not fair.”
“I said I’ll think about it. I need to talk with Ethan. Figure out how they handled it. Molly always was chill about stuff like that. But what if I’m sent on a sensitive assignment? I can’t promise that I will always be able to tell you everything, or anything. See what I mean?”
How did women and men deal with this? This wasn’t just a problem unique to Travis, there were all those men and women working in dangerous fields who had to routinely leave loved ones behind. It sucked.
“Okay, so long as we can still figure that out.” She could. Right? That wasn’t impossible?
He stared at her for several moments, the frown lines still wrinkling his face. She could only imagine what was in his head. He’d tried scaring her away once. He was painting the worst picture possible of a relationship with him. Did he think so little of himself?
She slid her hands up to his face, applying the barest pressure with her fingers. He lowered his head, gaze locked on her lips. The first touch of his mouth was gentle. It felt as though she’d kissed him a thousand times before, and as though this were the first time. Warmth pooled in her stomach and her restless feet rubbed against the sheets. She wanted to wind her body around his, to touch him, love him, show him things could be different.
“Bliss?” His lips caressed her with each syllable.
“Hm?”
“Where’d you put the bags?”
Her sex toys.
She sucked in a breath, both thrilled and apprehensive about his participation with her collection of sexual wonders.
“They’re in my duffle.”
Travis climbed off the bed, heading straight for her bag.
She sat up and pulled the baggy shirt she’d worn to bed off and shimmied out of her panties. Was that too forward? She didn’t think so, it was just being pragmatic. They were going to be naked so why not speed the process along?
Bliss clutched the pillow to her chest and watched him examine the contents of several pink drawstring bags. Pink was a safe color. Most of the time.
He selected three and left the rest on the dresser.
A promise for later?
Her body hummed with anticipation.
Travis crossed to her side of the bed and tossed the three bags onto the nightstand. He grabbed her pillow-shield, tugged it from her grasp, and deposited it behind her. In the blink of an eye she was flat on the mattress, his weight pressing her down once more, his mouth on hers. This time it wasn’t gentle or kind, it was hungry.
She rolled her hips and hooked a leg over his waist, undulating against him. His erection strained the front of his cotton boxers at just the right angle.
Travis growled something incoherent and sat up, grabbing one of the pouches on his way. She was left breathless, spread eagle on the bed with him kneeling between her thighs. This was usually the moment where she would have a bit of fluttering in her stomach, some worry about her body or scaring him away, but not this time. It was just—perfect. They were exactly who they were supposed to be together, and nothing about this moment was wrong.
He reached into the long pouch and drew out a curved, magenta dildo with V-styled ridges circling its girth.
That one.
Of course it would be that one.
She ran her toes up his calf.
“Should I know anything?” he asked.
She shook her head. Usually she’d need a bit of lube, but not right now. She’d gone from dry to wet in an instant.
“What do you like about it?” He turned the dildo t
his way and that.
“It’s good for g-spot orgasms. And I like the girth.” The last bit she managed o get out without stammering. It was awfully pretty and just different enough that it stood out in her collection. But in the girth and length department she was pretty sure Travis won out.
He stared at the toy a few more moments, his brow wrinkled, as if he didn’t know which end went in her.
She wrapped her hand around the base and tugged it from his grip. Some guys liked to watch, right?
Bliss closed her eyes, conscious of the blush creeping up her neck. She reached down, but Travis hands were there already. He spread her open while she guided the head of the dildo to her entrance. Her nerves were wound up just enough that she felt her body resist the tapered dildo.
Deep breath.
She slid the end in and out, keeping the strokes steady and slow. The ridges teased her vaginal walls. Travis’ hand covered hers and the angle changed, rubbing the front of her channel. She gasped at the shift in sensations and curled her toes, giving control of the toy up to him.
This.
This was what it could be like.
13.
Travis stared, entranced by the sight of Bliss’ body taking the dildo. The silicone glistened with her arousal, and already she was making all those little sounds that drove him crazy. Her feet rubbed on the sheets, her hands fisting them. He didn’t mind her eyes being closed. At least if he made a mistake she wasn’t watching him do it.
The toy was harder than he’d expected, which made gripping it easy. He slid the full length of it inside of her, right up to the flared base. Her hips came up off the mattress and she gasped.
Had he found the spot?
He pumped the toy, slow and easy, fascinated by the way her body stretched around the oddly shaped dildo. It was fucking hot.
“Travis.” She hissed and peered up at him through narrow slits.
The goal wasn’t to make her come. At least not yet. He wanted to...play with her. This wasn’t just about scratching a sexual itch. Of course he wanted to spend a day inside of her, but there was also something far more intimate in this act. Plus, the idea of making her come over and over again had plenty of appeal.
Dangerous Attraction: Part Two (Aegis Group) Page 9