Sleeping in a bed next to Angel was going to be hard for me.
I already knew what it was like to sleep next to her, to wake up with her body pressed against me. We had an excuse for the night before. Falling asleep next to each other had been an accident, and waking up without an inch of space between us couldn’t have been helped due to the size of the sleeper bed mattress.
But now… now I knew what her lips tasted like and how the soft flesh of her hips felt underneath my fingers.
However, it wasn’t what I knew about her that made sleeping next to her so difficult. The hardest part was the unknown.
There was so much more I wanted to find out.
Like what it would feel like to run my thumbs over her stiff nipples. Or how her ass would feel underneath my palms as I squeezed.
An obnoxious scoffing sound behind me made me turn around. Looking amused, Angel was standing there shaking her head at my construction efforts.
I groaned out loud because I could see her nipples through the white fitted T-shirt she was wearing. But my groan quickly turned to laughter when I got a look at her tiny shorts. I would’ve thought they were sexy if it hadn’t been for the design printed on them.
The light purple fabric was decorated with rainbows, clouds, and unicorns.
Fucking unicorns. Seriously, what were the odds?
Angels hands went to her hips as she glared at me. “Are you making fun of my PJs? These happen to be my favorite,” she said, self-consciously tugging at the bottom of her shorts.
“No.” I chuckled. “It’s just… unicorns and I have a sketchy past.”
While we got into bed, I quickly told her the story I’d named “the great unicorn massacre of 2010” and by the end, she was laughing, too.
“I can’t believe you just left!” she exclaimed. “That’s terrible.”
We were lying on our sides, facing each other with a pillow wall in between, and the mounds were so tall we almost couldn’t see each other over the top.
“I know. Think I should send them an apology card?” I asked as I turned out the lamp. “I’ve seriously considered it.”
“I think it might be too late. An apology won’t bring the unicorns back,” she replied with mock seriousness.
Angel’s hand was resting on top of a pillow in front of me and I couldn’t resist touching her. I slid my hand over hers and lightly ran my thumb across her knuckles. Her hand turned so she could link her fingers with mine and she let out a contented sigh.
“So… what are we going to do about this?” she whispered into the darkness. She didn’t have to clarify what she meant. I knew she was talking about what was happening between us.
“I don’t know, but I like it. I like you,” I said. “And we have three weeks to figure it out.”
For the second morning in a row, I woke up surrounded by Travis.
Although he agreed to share the bed with me, he insisted on building that ridiculous pillow wall I’d suggested.
A lot of good that did.
I was curled up on my right side and Travis was behind me with his arm slung over my middle. His face was buried in my hair and I could feel each exhale against the skin on my neck.
My body was flush up against his and I felt a rigid bulge behind me. I’d always wondered if morning wood was a myth. Now I knew it was very real.
The day before, I’d felt his hardness when I was straddling him on the couch, but that was just for a second. Now I could feel the entire length of him along the small of my back.
And I do mean length.
The pillows that had been separating us were haphazardly strewn around the room, as if sometime during the night one or both of us decided to blow the barrier to smithereens.
Even during sleep we were drawn to each other like magnets.
I was glad Travis wasn’t awake yet because it gave me some time to think about how much my life had changed in the last week.
Although I’d temporarily found a place to stay, I still felt lost. I had no idea how I would ever be able to pay Travis back. I didn’t enjoy feeling like a mooch. Plus, what was I supposed to do on days when Travis worked at the shop? I couldn’t just sit around his apartment all day.
Well, I could, but that would be really boring. I wondered if there was a business in town looking for temporary help. Although I didn’t have a lot of skills, I was a hard worker.
I was drawn from my thoughts when Travis’s arm tightened around me and his hips thrust forward. He stiffened as though he just realized what he did. Slowly, his hand traveled down the bare skin of my thigh, then back up to my stomach where one of his fingers grazed the underside of my breast over my shirt. My nipples tightened, and I involuntarily arched back into him.
“Baby… you’re killing me,” he croaked into my neck, and the heat from his breath sent shivers down my spine.
I felt a swooping sensation in my stomach and throbbing heat in my center that made me press my thighs together and squirm against him.
“Angel,” he warned.
I laughed and wiggled again because he was kind of sexy when he got all growly.
Suddenly, I was on my back and Travis was over me. My legs parted of their own accord, making room for him between my thighs. I could feel his erection right where I needed it and my breathing picked up.
“What happened to the pillow wall?” he grumped, and it made me smile.
“It’s over there.” I pointed across the room. “And over there.” I pointed to the other side of the room. “And over—” I gasped loudly when he rocked forward once.
He was in just the right spot.
“Do it again,” I pleaded, my voice no louder than a whisper.
The expression on his face was pained, but he obliged when he rocked once. Twice. Three times.
My mouth fell open and my eyes closed at the sensations from his hardness rubbing against my clit.
Last night, Travis had changed into a pair of gym shorts and the material was thin and slinky, making it easier for me to feel him. He let out a tortured moan and rested his forehead on mine.
“Angel,” he rasped. “I want this. God, I want this, but…”
“It’s too soon,” I finished for him and he nodded.
My stomach chose that moment to growl, asserting its need for breakfast and giving him an easy out.
“Come on.” Travis smiled before planting a quick kiss on the tip of my nose. “We’ll need to go shopping if you want to eat.”
It’s amazing how much you can learn about a person by going grocery shopping with them. At the store, Travis insisted I pick out whatever I want and I told him I would make my famous sloppy joes for lunch.
Well, they weren’t actually famous, but they should be. They were that good.
We walked through the aisles picking out our favorite foods, and I raised my eyebrows at Travis when he loaded the cart with five frozen pizzas.
He shrugged. “Colt and I like pizza.”
In the cereal aisle, I learned his favorite was Fruity Pebbles and told him about my love for waffles with Nutella. Or just waffles in general.
When he dropped a carton of coffee ice cream into the cart, I couldn’t stop smiling because he’d remembered it was my favorite.
At check out, I cringed when the cashier announced the total and Travis got out his wallet to pay.
It reminded me that I needed to find a way to make money somehow. The dog-walking and pet-sitting I’d done in Maine had been a great way to make extra cash.
“You’re being quiet,” Travis pointed out as we drove back to his apartment.
“I was just brainstorming. Do you know anyone who wants their house cleaned? Or I could be a dog-walker. I want to be able to pay for stuff while I’m here. I already owe you for the past few days.”
“Don’t think of it like that.” He shook his head. “You don’t owe me anything.”
“Yes, I do.” I gave him my best ‘I mean business’ look. “I was serious about paying yo
u back. Plus, it would be nice to have something to do. To feel useful.”
“Okay. I can understand that. I tell you what—ask my mom tonight. She has a lot of friends at church who might be looking for some help.”
The sloppy joes were a hit. Colton staggered out of his room sometime before noon, grumbling about being hungover. His grumbling turned to words of praise as he devoured at least four sloppy joe sandwiches.
“These are amazing,” he said around a big bite. I snickered because his face was a mess and a big glob of sloppy joe meat was smeared down the front of his shirt. “I think I might need you to marry me.”
“Hey,” Travis said sharply. “You’ve got your own girl.”
Colton just grunted in response. After the argument I’d witnessed last night, I wasn’t sure how stable things were with Tara, and I didn’t want to ask in case it was a sore subject.
I went over to the counter to get two paper towels for the guys because gooey hamburger meat was spattered all over their faces. Travis tore his paper towel in half and crooked his finger at me.
“What?” I asked, walking over to him.
“You’ve got a little something right here,” he smirked as he wiped at a spot near my mouth.
Dang. I thought I got it all.
I shrugged, trying to play off my embarrassment. “They’re called sloppy joes for a reason.”
“Crack-joes. They should be called crack-joes.” Colton laughed at his own joke before leaning back and patting his stomach.
“They’re really easy to make. I can write down the recipe for you, so when I’m gone you can make them whenever you want,” I said, and the room got quiet.
I’d meant the suggestion to be helpful, but all I’d managed to do was remind everyone, including myself, that my time here was temporary.
“So Tara and Kendra showing up last night…” Colton began. “That was a crapshoot, huh?”
Beads of sweat dripped from my forehead as I finished my last set at the bench press.
Every Saturday, Colton and I went to the gym if our schedules allowed. We’d asked Angel if she wanted to come with us but she said she had laundry to do and felt like staying in for the afternoon, which was cool with me.
I kind of liked the idea of her being at my place even when I wasn’t.
“Yeah,” I said as I racked the weights and sat upright. “Not gonna lie, that sucked pretty bad. How much trouble are you in with Tara?”
Colton grunted and shrugged. “She gave me a ride home last night, so I guess things are alright. Speaking of which, can you drop me by my car? Left it at Brick House last night.”
I laughed. “I guess if I had to hang around those two, I would’ve drunk myself into oblivion, too. I thought Kendra was supposed to work at Buck’s last night.”
“She was,” he said. “She called in sick.”
“Seriously?” I asked, a little shocked that she would risk her job like that. If word got back to Buck, she could get fired.
He nodded. “I’m really sorry, man. I never should’ve had you go out with her. I knew that shit was a bad idea from the start.” He made a sound of frustration. “I thought setting up that date would finally get Tara off my back, but it just made things worse.”
“You should be sorry,” I said as we made our way to the pull-up bar. I couldn’t help giving him a hard time about it. He seriously owed me big time.
“How much trouble did that cause with Angel?” he asked, concerned. “You guys left pretty early last night.”
“We talked things out. It’s cool,” I told him, and we finished the rest of our workout in silence.
After leaving the gym, I spilled my feelings about Angel. “I’ve dated before but it’s never been this intense. Is it too soon for me to be feeling like this? Am I crazy?” I asked, gripping the steering wheel a little too tight. Waking up with Angel this morning still had me all wound up. “I’ve never met anyone like her. I didn’t even know it was possible to feel this way.”
“Is it fast? Yeah,” he confirmed. “But I’ve never felt the way you’re feeling. Hell, I’ve been with Tara almost a year…” He trailed off because he didn’t need to finish the sentence. It wasn’t a secret that their relationship wasn’t great. “You and Angel have known each other less than three days and you have a connection I’ve never experienced. Fact is, I like Angel and I think she’s good for you. She’s genuine. And she makes kickass sloppy joes.” He grinned.
“Damn right, she does,” I agreed.
“You said things aren’t so good with her mom?” Colton asked. I just nodded because I didn’t want to give away too many details without Angel’s permission. We never told Hank or Colton that her mom was in jail. “Well, maybe you could convince her to stay here.” He voiced the best-case scenario I was too afraid to hope for.
The thought had crossed my mind, but it was way too soon to bring it up to Angel, so I decided to switch to a different topic.
“I think we’re having trouble controlling ourselves… physically,” I admitted, and I grimaced because it made me feel like a total pussy. “We’re both not very experienced, you know…” I shook my head, feeling frustrated. “I just don’t want to rush it.”
Colton guffawed and clapped me on the back. “Welcome to being in lust, my friend.”
Instead of driving to Travis’s mom’s house, we walked. Everything in Tolson was within walking distance, so when the weather allowed that was the preferred method of transportation.
It was a beautiful evening as we walked up the driveway to a cute one-story home with light yellow siding and white shutters. A small garage sat behind the house and a white fence lined the backyard. Colton came along, too, because apparently he would never miss lasagna night.
Travis said I should dress casual when he saw me debating between the dress from last night and a T-shirt with jeans, so I went with the latter. I was wearing my white off the shoulder tee and Travis couldn’t seem to stop touching the exposed skin.
I wasn’t complaining.
He had his arm around me and every time his thumb brushed my shoulder, I felt a swooping sensation in my stomach.
“You were wearing this the first time I saw you,” he whispered into my ear.
Before I could respond, Colton waltzed in the front door of the house and shouted “Yo, Karen! Travis has someone he wants you to meet!”
I rolled my eyes. Subtle.
Travis shrugged and smiled, giving me the dimples.
I hesitated at the threshold and he noticed. “Don’t worry, she’s going to love you,” he promised as he linked our hands together.
Ready or not, he tugged me inside. The front door led right into a small living room with walls painted a pale yellow. A floral couch and loveseat took up most of the space, but instead of looking crowded it was cozy. The coffee table and TV stand were made from some kind of weathered wood, giving it a rustic, shabby chic style. It was nice. Homey.
The smell of lasagna and garlic bread filled the air and my mouth watered. A petite woman wearing a pink and white chevron print apron over yoga pants and an oversized T-shirt came out of the kitchen.
She was pretty—beautiful, even—and didn’t look older than early-forties. Her light brown hair was pulled into a low ponytail. Though she was much smaller than Travis, the resemblance was definitely there.
Something about her immediately put me at ease. Maybe it was the casual clothes.
Or the fact that she was so dang happy to see me.
After noticing I was holding Travis’s hand, she smiled brightly, showing a very familiar set of dimples. And it was no ordinary smile—her face lit up like the Fourth of July. The woman was ecstatic.
“Mom, this is Angel,” Travis introduced me.
Thinking we would shake hands, I started to extend my arm her way. I realized a simple handshake wasn’t going to happen when I was engulfed in her arms. My hand got caught awkwardly between us against my stomach, and my breath left my body with a whoosh with
how hard she squeezed.
Travis obviously came from a family of huggers.
“I’m Karen,” she said, still squeezing. She abruptly pulled back, putting me at arms-length. With her hands on my shoulders, she looked me up and down. “She’s gorgeous, Travis. How did you two meet?” she asked, finally leaving my personal space.
“We met while I was on the road,” he said vaguely. “Angel needed a place to crash for a few weeks before she goes to California to find her mom.”
Karen quickly hugged Travis, then Colton, before turning back to me.
“Well, you boys go watch some TV. Isn’t there a baseball game on or something? Angel and I are going to have some girl time.” She made a shooing motion at them before looping an arm around my shoulders and ushering me to the kitchen.
I sent Travis a pleading look, but he just smiled and gave me a thumbs-up sign.
Traitor.
The kitchen held the same rustic theme as the living room. The cabinets were painted white and the counter was made from wood butcher block. Fancy floral tea cups decorated the shelves above the kitchen sink. There was a nook on the far end of the room that held the dining area with a round wooden pedestal table and five chairs.
“I’m gonna need details,” Karen sang.
“Details?”
“Of course. We’re women. It’s what we do,” she explained as she slipped her hands into oven mitts. After taking the lasagna and garlic bread out of the oven, Karen faced me. “So, you’re trying to find your mom?” she fished.
I nodded and took a deep breath. I didn’t want to be dishonest to Travis’s mother, so I went for the truth. “I won’t have to look very hard. I know where she is.” I paused, and she waited patiently for me to continue. “She’s in prison.”
Karen didn’t miss a beat. “And you and Travis met on the road…?”
“In Ohio,” I finished for her. “I was hitchhiking. He took pity on me and picked me up.”
The Good Guys Box Set: TRUCKER, DANCER, DROPOUT, and A Trucker Wedding Page 9