“Well?” he prompted when she didn’t say anything.
“Travis…you’re awake.”
“Obviously,” he replied dryly.
“I…I can explain.”
“This ought to be good.”
Her cheeks burned a furious shade of scarlet. “I was just…and then she…I mean, honestly, the nerve…and then I, uh, said a few things, and…well, what was I supposed to do?”
Travis arched a brow. “That’s your explanation?”
Vina glared at him. “No, that’s not my explanation…and could you please put a shirt on?”
“Why?”
“Why? Because it’s distracting, that’s why. And you can get that stupid grin off your face while you’re at it. Look, I was coming here to apologize and found Catalina lurking outside your door.”
“Catrina,” he corrected.
“Whatever,” she snapped. “I only said those things to save you from that blonde barracuda, but since you obviously don’t appreciate it, I’ll just go back to my own room.”
“You can’t be serious,” he sounded convincingly appalled. “If you leave now, she’ll think we had a lover’s quarrel. What if she comes back and offers to…console me?”
Vina’s testiness wavered. “I didn’t think about that. You could turn her down, you know.”
Travis grimaced. “I could, but…that type of woman would consider it a challenge. They come on strong as a garlic milkshake and won’t relent unless you get downright mean about it. What if she gets upset and goes crying to the pilot? She could say I was harassing her, and you know how harsh they are on unruly passengers these days. They might even have the police waiting for me when we land.”
“Do you really think that could happen?” Vina looked positively horrified.
He should have felt guilty as hell, but Travis was too charmed by her sweet naivety to feel anything but a rush of love. “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. I’ll just have to make sure I don’t upset her.”
“You…you mean you would actually sleep with her?”
“No, I probably wouldn’t have to go that far. I’d just…you know, kiss and get a little…cozy with her. Make her believe I want to hook up with her once we land so she won’t cause any trouble. And,” he shrugged, “there’s always the possibility we’re reading the poor woman all wrong. Maybe she really was bringing the champagne because she knows I have trouble sleeping on long flights.”
“Right,” Vina snorted, “that’s why she brought two glasses!”
“There’s only one way out of this that I can see.”
“Toss her out of the plane?” Vina said maliciously.
Travis chuckled. “I was thinking more along the lines of taking preventative measures. You’ve heard the old proverbial phrase; you’ve made your bed, now you can lie in it?”
“Of course, but…” her eyes darted towards the bed, “but, you said you wouldn’t sleep with her! And…and you wouldn’t do that after promising me…”
“I wasn’t talking about Catrina,” Travis interjected softly.
Vina visibly relaxed. “Oh. That’s good.” The smile that had just started to form slowly faded. “Travis, you…you don’t mean…you’re not suggesting that we…that I…”
“Sleep with me? That’s exactly what I’m suggesting.”
***
“Let me take those.” Travis removed the clanking glasses and bottle of champagne from Vina’s shaky hands and carried them to the nightstand.
Surely, he wasn’t serious! He didn’t honestly believe she was going to hop into bed with him, did he? Vina fully expected Travis to laugh and tell her it was a joke, but there wasn’t even a hint of a smile on his face when he turned around. She didn’t know what to say, and wasn’t altogether sure her voice would work if she tried to speak.
Taking the coward’s way out and fleeing the room sounded like a marvelous idea. And if she thought for a moment her wobbly legs would carry her, she would have dashed out of there like a cat with its tail on fire. It was pathetic the way her insides trembled at the prospect of sleeping with him because, in her heart, Vina knew the frantic urge to escape didn’t stem from any fear that Travis had ulterior motives. It was her own secret desires that frightened her and made her want to bolt.
“The operative word here is sleep,” Travis said.
“Sleep,” Vina repeated, as if it was a foreign word.
“That’s not a problem, is it? I mean, it’s not as if we haven’t slept together before.”
“Falling asleep on the sofa in front of the T.V. is hardly the same thing as…as sharing a bed!”
“Other than being more comfortable, there’s really no difference. Unless,” Travis grinned, “you’re implying the temptation to do…other things is too much for you.”
“For me?” Vina bristled. Oh, the rat was arrogant beyond belief! “I assure you, I wouldn’t be tempted in the least,” she said with a wooden smile.
“Great, then there’s no problem.”
She watched in stunned silence as Travis padded back to the bed and turned down the covers. Good God, had she really just agreed to sleep with him? Vina shook her head, positive that she had completely lost her mind. Even more disconcerting was how nonchalant Travis was being, which could only mean one thing; he truly wasn’t using the situation with Catrina as a ploy to seduce her, as Vina had foolishly been hoping.
The way he was behaving, it was easy to believe he didn’t have the slightest interest in her. And yet, she hadn’t imagined the way Travis looked at her earlier when he’d been in her room. She’d felt the intense heat of it, seen it reflected in his eyes as they moved over her body. The fire and passion, the longing to kiss and touch…Vina wasn’t the only one experiencing those feelings, she’d bet her life on it.
The only thing she could attribute his indifference to was the possibility he was still upset with her for the ludicrous accusations she’d thrown at him. But if that was the case, wouldn’t he want to keep some distance between them? There was no doubt Catrina would make another play for him unless the woman was convinced they were a couple. But Vina wasn’t buying the story that Travis was afraid of the repercussions if he rejected Catrina’s advances. Which led to the question; what was Travis up to?
Regardless of his reasons, Vina knew whatever happened or didn’t happen would be up to her.
***
Vina drew in a ragged breath. “Do you have a t-shirt I can wear?”
Travis was too surprised by Vina’s acquiesce to offer anything more than a nod. He ruffled through the duffel bag he’d dropped beside the nightstand and pulled out a clean t-shirt. He should have been elated by how easily she’d given in, but as he turned to hand the shirt to Vina, he was suddenly struck with a healthy dose of guilt. She was doing her best to act casual but there was uncertainty in her eyes, and the hand that reached for his shirt was shaking.
“Vina, you don’t have to do this.”
“I know,” her fingers curled around the material. “Would you mind turning around while I change?”
Travis did as she asked, although he wasn’t entirely confident that it was a wise decision. He wanted Vina so bad he was willing to trick her into sleeping with him and worry about justifying his actions later. But he also felt like a total chump for what he was he doing. She trusted him, and he was using that trust to put her in an emotionally vulnerable position.
Travis shook his head in disgust. He’d never resorted to such sneaky tactics before; there had never been any need to. The women he dated knew when they were being seduced; they played the game as well as he did and knew the score. But Vina was so sweet and naïve, it probably didn’t even occur to her that he was being manipulative. And Travis didn’t like being dishonest with her, or the way it made him feel. Despite his reasons for doing it, he didn’t think Vina would have a very high opinion of his scheming either.
“Well, I can honestly say this is the most unattractive nightie I have ever worn,” Vina said
.
Travis had every intention of spilling his guts and sending Vina back to her room. And then he turned around. The shirt was way too big for someone with her slender frame. It covered everything from neck to mid-thigh; the shapeless cloth effectively hiding her feminine curves. He’d seen women in silk and lace lingerie, in long seductive gowns and see-through teddies specifically designed to provoke a man’s primal need to mate. Travis couldn’t recall any of them looking even half as sexy as Vina did in his plain, black t-shirt.
Her bare legs were the only exposed flesh; sun bronzed skin that looked so smooth and soft, his palms itched to glide down the silken perfection and back up again. His eyes traveled up to her breasts, desire ripping through him when he noted the taut peaks jutting out like twin beacons. In his mind, Travis saw himself reaching out and molding his hands around each breast, feeling them grow heavier as they became engorged from his touch.
He imagined Vina writhing and moaning and begging for more as he gently peeled off the shirt and her panties before taking her to bed. He would stretch out beside her and lavish her body with attention; kissing and touching and tasting until neither of them could stand the pain of separation any longer. Even then, Travis wouldn’t give in to his own desire. His entry would be slow and sensuous, the agony of it so exquisite…
“Travis?”
His daydream vanished with regrettable speed, although the evidence of his arousal remained painfully obvious. He’d always been good at hiding his emotions around her, but he couldn’t always control his body’s response. Thankfully, Vina’s attention was focused on his face and hadn’t wandered south, sparring them both from embarrassment. Travis knew he should do the honorable thing, but he just couldn’t seem to make himself do it.
Vina glanced down at her attire with a grimace. “I look like a teenager at a pajama party. Maybe you should have grabbed your chance at Catrina. Unlike me, she would have looked sexy as sin in your shirt.”
“I have no interest in Catrina,” he replied truthfully, “and you are seriously selling yourself short if you think you don’t look sexy as sin right now.”
“You…you really mean that?”
Vina’s shy smile tugged at his heart. While the soft blush on her cheeks relayed the message that she was as innocent as her shyness inferred, the restless shifting of her legs told him she was very much a grown woman. Whether she realized it or not, Vina’s body was responding to his sexual allure in the same manner his was reacting to hers. And if the ache between her thighs was as intense as his was, it wouldn’t take much to convince her to give in to that desire. Which only made what he was about to do more difficult.
“You have to leave now,” he said gruffly.
“What?”
“Leave. Go back to your room.”
Injured brown eyes met his. “I don’t understand. You said you wanted me here.”
“And now I don’t,” he snapped. There was only so much a man could take, and right now Vina was perilously close to getting pounced on. Couldn’t she see how dangerous it was to stay here?
“Why?” she persisted. “Ten minutes ago you were ticking off all the reasons why I should stay, and now you act like you can’t get rid of me fast enough. I just…I don’t understand what happened to change your mind.”
“You changed my mind.”
“Me? How did I…?”
“Look, it doesn’t matter,” he cut her off. Travis raked his fingers through his hair. He would have taken Vina’s arm and escorted her out the door, but didn’t trust himself enough to touch her. “I’m sorry. I think it would be better for both of us if you went back to your own room.”
“I see,” Vina’s expression went cold. “Shall I tell Catrina the coast is clear when I leave, or do want to go fetch her yourself?”
“This has nothing to do with Catrina,” he was quick to deny.
“Sure, whatever you say.” She turned towards the door, but not before Travis caught the shimmer of tears in her eyes.
“Vina, wait.”
“What for?” she asked, keeping her back to him. “I had no right to ask you to explain anything.”
“Vina…”
“It’s all right, I get it.”
“Do you?” he said softly.
Sheer willpower kept him from reaching for Vina when he saw the rigid set of her shoulders, but he was completely undone by the tremor in her voice. Yes, he’d gotten what he wanted, but at what price? How could he derive any pleasure from knowing Vina was finally open to the possibility of a real relationship when he’d hurt her in the process? His only hope for forgiveness was to come clean and tell the truth.
***
Vina didn’t reply to his question. Why bother when they both knew the answer? She had already humiliated herself enough as it was; there was no need to rub salt in the wound by admitting Travis was turned off by her virginal response to his blatant sexual appraisal. Well, she’d show him! If Travis Malone was only interested in an experienced woman, she would take an Italian lover and learn everything there was to know about pleasing a man.
“I’m tired,” Vina said as she reached for the door knob. “Don’t wake me for dinner. I’ll eat something when we get to the hotel.”
“If that’s the way you want it.” Long, lean fingers curled around her hand and removed it from the door knob. “But first,” Travis tugged on her hand, whipping her around and pulling her up hard against his chest in one fluent movement, “we’re going to talk.”
Vina peered up at him, her heart tripping when he dipped his head as if he was going to kiss her. “Th-there’s nothing to talk about,” she said, cringing at the breathy sound of her voice.
“You want to know why I changed my mind, why I wanted you to leave?”
Acutely aware of his powerful body and how closely meshed they were, Vina was finding it increasingly difficult to maintain a straight thought. Speaking was out of the question. Nodding mutely, her pulse raced out of control as Travis lowered his head so that his lips hovered over hers.
“This is why,” he whispered. “I knew if you stayed, I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from kissing you.”
Whether Travis closed the distance between their lips or she did, Vina wasn’t sure. The only thing she was cognizant of was the searing flames that engulfed her the moment he claimed her mouth. It burned deep in her belly, the same liquid heat she’d felt the night he kissed her in front of the mansion. Her arms snaked around his waist, a low moan vibrating in the back of her throat when her breasts pressed more heavily against his chest.
His kisses were addictive, and it didn’t take Vina long to figure out why Travis had been so insistent that she leave. It was easy to get carried away by passion, to lose herself in the feel and taste of him. It was even easier to surrender to the aching need inside when Travis scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bed. His hands were warm and gentle, every caress a promise for something more.
Except a promise was all he was capable of offering.
“Vina…honey, we have to stop.”
“Why do we have to…?” Vina drew in a sharp breath as his skillful fingers played across a particularly sensitive spot.
“Stop?” Travis finished for her, before launching another attack on Vina’s mouth.
“I want more,” she whispered when he finally came up for air.
Travis rolled onto his back with a groan. Glancing over at her distraught face, he gave her a reassuring smile. “Come here.” He waited until she was tucked up close by his side to speak. “You have no idea how much I want to make love to you right now.”
Vina bit back the disappointment. “But you’re not going to, are you?”
“No. Please, just…listen,” he pleaded when she tried to pull away from him. “I wasn’t expecting this to happen and don’t have any way to protect you. Even if I had condoms with me, I would want to wait.”
“How do you know I’m not taking birth control pills?”
“Are you?
”
“No.” Vina’s spirits plummeted. “Why did you even start this if you had no intention of…of seeing it through?”
Travis cupped her chin, gently but firmly tilting her head back so he could look into her eyes. “Believe me, sweetheart, you and I are going to continue this, but not here, not now. When I make love to you, I want more than a few stolen hours in an airplane cabin. I want all night with you.” He pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “And the next morning…” he kissed her again, “the whole day, and into the evening…”
Vina pulled her head back, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. “If that’s your plan, we’re not going to get much sight-seeing done in Venice.”
VINA IN VENICE (THE 5 SISTERS) Page 11