by Haley Travis
Instantly Lindsay began twitching, pushing her hips up against me. Her heels dug into the back of my thighs as she tensed. Thrusting deeper, faster, her mewling little cries stirred the deep heat inside me until I could barely hold back.
“Yeah, baby,” I growled, “Let me hear it. Let me feel it.”
Her eyes flew wide as she squealed, her back arching, thrusting her breasts against my chest as I drilled into her even faster. Feeling her delicate body clench around my cock so hard pushed me over the edge.
“Oh, baby, yes…” I breathed, kissing her hard and rough as I emptied myself inside her. She gasped at the heat flooding her, those lovely blue eyes locked on mine as we moaned together.
After a few moments, we arranged ourselves so that I was sitting up with Lindsay nestled against my shoulder.
“Sweetie, I’m likely going to tell you this a million times over the years, but I’m so glad that you were brave enough to come to talk to me that night.”
She giggled, then burst out laughing. “When I said I’d talk to the next guy who came through the door, I would never have guessed that he’d be the first to... You know.”
I joined her laughter. “Knock through your door? You naughty thing.”
Her fingers trailed along the edge of my face. “I love you,” she whispered.
“Mmm, I love you,” I murmured, kissing around her temple then moving in to catch her lips. “I can’t wait for you to teach me how to love you right every single day.”
I rudely cut off her laughter by kissing her deeply, but I was pretty sure she’d forgive me.
EPILOGUE
* Lindsay *
*** Six Months Later ***
I had no damn idea how I let Dale talk me into this. Standing in the wings, I smoothed my purple dress down for the thousandth time. My fingers dug into the top of my hair, fluffing it. Glancing out to the audience, I saw Charity and Nadia in the front row, waving and giving me a big thumbs up.
This week on Chatty with Natty they were featuring regular people to talk about regular problems. They claimed to be saving the best for last – the shy girl who would rather have her appendix out than walk in front of a TV camera. Amy, Devon, and Natty had promised me that it would be very short, with incredibly easy questions.
They made it sound like they wanted it to be inspirational for shy people, but had called half the city and couldn’t get a volunteer. Dale begged me to help out his friends. There was no way I could refuse when he made those puppy eyes at me.
As the music swelled, Natty introduced me as the girlfriend of their set designer, and I could see my friends twitching in their seats.
“Now, we’ve talked her into doing something utterly terrifying, so we’re going to keep this segment very short, and try to make her feel more comfortable. Let’s have a calm, mellow round of applause for Lindsay!”
Blowing out a breath slowly, I lifted my chin, putting one foot in front of the other as I walked out on the stage. Unlike the other guests who strolled across the stage, Natty rushed to me, taking my arm and escorting me to the couch. “You’re already doing great, Lindsay,” he said under his breath. “Just breathe and smile.”
Once I was settled, he clumsily jumped back over the desk, making the audience howl with laughter as he sat up as if nothing had happened. “Welcome to Chatty with Natty.”
“Thank you,” I said as clearly as possible.
“How are you surviving so far?”
I tried to laugh, but knew it likely looked forced. “As long as the mic isn’t picking up my heart rate, so far so good.”
“Now, you were here at our very first test show, is that right?”
“Yes. My boyfriend Dale is the set designer,” I said proudly, glancing over to see Nadia and Charity giving me a big thumbs-up.
Natty grinned. “And it was your idea to change up the set with knick-knacks from the audience?” He waved to the set pieces behind us, as everyone stared to pick out their donation.
“Yes. They were brainstorming how to get new things every night for free, and I figured since all of these nice people were coming here anyway...” I gestured to the audience, and was shocked when they applauded.
Lifting my hand to wave, the teapot on the wall near my shoulder wobbled.
Natty pointed to it. “That looks a bit unsteady. Maybe you should take it down before it falls on your head.”
Laughing, I picked up the cute blue teapot, intending to set it in my lap, but I heard a weird tinkling noise inside.
“Oh, I hope I didn’t break it,” I said, feeling like everyone was staring at me strangely. Lifting the lid, I reached into the pot and pulled out a diamond ring. “What–”
The entire audience gasped loudly, and my head spun to see Dale stride in, falling to one knee and taking the ring from me as he clasped my hands. I began shaking, barely able to breathe.
“Lindsay–”
He stopped, seeing that I was already tearing up. Then he grinned. “Happy tears?”
I nodded quickly.
“Good. Lindsay, I love you. You’re the light of my life. I know that I always say that you’re mine, but I also need to be yours. Will you have me? Will you marry me, and let me try to be the very best husband for you?”
Everything was blurry through a wash of tears as I nodded emphatically, barely managing to squeak out the word, “Yes.”
I was nearly deafened with squealing and applause from everyone in the audience, as Dale slipped the ring on my finger, pulling me to stand so he could give me a huge bear hug.
“I love you,” I choked. “Even though you ambushed me in front of a camera.”
“You’ll forgive me,” he grinned, kissing me gently, warmly, making me tingle straight through.
Then he sat us back on the couch. “Hi,” he waved to the cameras. “I’m Dale, Lindsay’s brand new fiancé.”
“Congratulations,” Natty beamed. He seemed genuinely excited for us, and I was truly touched by the manic wave of joy coming from everyone in the room.
“So,” Natty asked brightly, “How did you two meet?”
Dale and I started laughing. Then we saw how hard the other one was laughing and became hysterical. We tried to compose ourselves, but our words came out breathless and raspy.
“She was supposed to talk to a guy–”
“My friends talked me into it–”
“From the second I saw her–”
“Forced myself. I was so scared that...”
“And then... He whispered in my ear.”
“She twisted her head and kissed me. It was like the lights turning on completely for the first time. I knew right then that she was the one.”
I didn’t care that the cameras were on us. I didn’t care that the audience was staring and I just knew they were going to cheer. Pulling Dale against me, I kissed him until we were both dizzy.
Natty began talking right over the cheers. “There you have it, folks. Want to meet the love of your life? Just talk to strangers, I guess. We hope that you’ll join us next week, when we’ll be interviewing two hot local bands, and likely still waiting for these two crazy kids to cut it out.”
The music swelled, and Natty danced wildly in his chair as if to distract everyone from our little spectacle.
“I love you,” Dale whispered.
“I love you,” I whispered back.
“My fiancée is a TV star,” he laughed.
“As long as I’m yours.”
The lights dimmed, and nobody seemed to care that we just kept on kissing.
*** The End ***
***
Please stay in touch!
Join the email newsletter at http://eepurl.com/gd7WDP
(Longer previews and new releases!)
***
Novels:
Whispered Curses: A shy girl alpha male romance novel
Tea time prophesies, accidental insta-love, and dealing with one’s demons.
Eden: Nana once told me, “Never g
et in bed with the devil.”
I assumed she meant to stay away from bad men.
If anyone got hurt because I didn’t listen to The Knowing, I’d never, ever forgive myself.
After a tipsy encounter with a guy who was hotter than Hades itself, I thought I’d found the one.
Finding out his real name was like a bucket of cold water on the flames of my fascination.
The thing that scared me the most? My Nana’s never been wrong before.
Eric: I’d never been a superstitious person.
But after what Eden told me, I could understand why she was afraid.
I did everything in my power to help her trust me.
The fire between us was too powerful to be denied.
Yet if I pushed too hard, I might become the evil man she’d been warned about.
Love in the Darkness: A week in the dark has them seeing everything in a new light.
Kayla: Accepting help from anyone makes my skin crawl. With my eyes bandaged for a week, I have no choice.
When a huge tough guy shows up instead of my usual nurse, I don’t know how to act. But he cares for me so sweetly, I could learn to get used to it.
Every time he touches me, I feel utterly cherished. Treasured.
He’s strong, thoughtful, and achingly seductive. I can’t wait to see his face. To hopefully be his girlfriend instead of his patient.
Liam: Although I can’t see her eyes, I fall for Kayla’s lovely soul.
Her clever, delicate way of viewing the world. (So to speak.) I’d do anything to keep her safe and healthy. And even more to touch her silky skin. Kiss those perfect lips.
Even though I know once she looks at me, she’ll want to run. All I can do is care for her as long and as much as she’ll let me.
Donuts and Handcuffs: A sweet, floury, mixed-up love story.
A budding baker. A caring cop. A sweet and spicy romance of opposites.
Daniel: When this sweet girl literally tumbled into my life, so did my heart. I want nothing more than to protect her from the haunted shadows in her beautiful eyes. Yet clearly she isn’t ready to share her past. To trust me. My uniform should be enough for her to know I’m a good guy.
Bailey: I could see myself with Daniel. But he’s a cop. And I have too many things to keep hidden. Besides, I’m busy running a new bakery, starting a new life. No time for daydreams of the way he touches me, the way he truly listens. Being with me could ruin his reputation, a risk I couldn’t take. No matter that he melts me like butter across hot bread.
Owned by Pirates: Sweet Romance on the Sea (Shy Girl / Alpha Male Adventure)
Selling one’s daughter isn’t as rare as you’d think. But to the Captain of a pirate ship? It’s the best thing that has ever happened to a sheltered young lady who quickly discovers she has a taste for adventure. (Note: I write contemporary romance. This book was a complete accident, but it’s super sweet!)
***
Novellas / Short Stories:
Click for the “ Up Love - Insta Love Shy Girl Romance ” Series.
(Just 99 cents or free through Kindle Unlimited)
Damn Valentine (Novella)
It’s all about timing. Breaking a silly curse with open hearts, a duck, and the right guy.
***
Coming Soon:
Heart Shaped Spotlight
It’s one thing to pine for the perfect man you lost years ago. It’s another thing to turn on the TV and hear him singing directly to you.
***
About the Author:
Romance author Haley Travis is from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She enjoys writing quirky, sexy modern romance, and loves creating interesting female characters who are at a turning point in their lives. Women who need a life shake up, not a man. But these things never go as planned, do they?
Also, do people ever read author bios? Maybe this is a good place for secrets. Like… I’m writing a new story that will be exclusive for people on the email list!