Travis Read online

  “Look. Gracie, I just wanted to apologize for my behavior the other day. I just thought we had a good time when we went out, and then I saw you with Travis and I got jealous. I acted like an ass and I’m sorry.”

  “Thank you and I’m sorry if I hurt you. It wasn’t my intention. I should have called you and told you, things just happened so fast.”

  Evan’s tongue snakes out of his mouth and slides over his lips. “So…you and Travis, huh?”

  “Yeah, I didn’t quite expect it myself, if I am being completely honest.”

  Evan frowns. He turns his head to glance out at the cars driving by, craning his neck as if he was looking for someone. “I thought you hated him.”

  It’s my turn to frown as I shake my head. “I never said that. I said I thought he hated me, but it turns out, he doesn’t.”

  Evan turns back towards me and nods his head. He takes a step closer to me and leans in so that his lips practically graze my ear. I close my eyes and hold my breath, not sure exactly what he is about to do. “He’s a lucky man, but I am telling you right now, when he screws up, which he will, I won’t hesitate to swoop in and steal you away. I can be the one to treat you the way you deserve to be treated, better than he can. Better than anyone.”

  “Evan,” I start, but he cuts me off with a laugh.

  “I’m kidding. I really hope we can be friends, Gracie.”

  I nod my head, not quite sure if I believe what he is saying. “Friends would be great.”

  “I have to go.” He raises both arms and points two fingers at me. “Maybe I’ll see you at karaoke next week?”

  “Maybe.”

  Evan steps around me to head into the diner and I find myself staring directly into Travis’s less than pleased face. He walks over to me, glaring at Evan’s retreating form.

  “What the fuck was that?” he growls, pointing towards the door that Evan just walked through.

  “He was just apologizing.”

  “He invited you to karaoke.”

  “As a friend.”

  Travis takes a step forward, getting as close to me as he possibly can without forcing me to back up. He points his hand towards the door again. “There was nothing friendly about what I just saw. Did he kiss you?”

  “What?”

  “I saw him lean in to you. Did. He. Kiss. You?”

  I put my hands on Travis’s chest and give him a shove back, though he barely moves. “No, he didn’t kiss me. He got a little too close maybe, but he didn’t kiss me. I’m telling you right now, Travis, whatever this intimidation thing is that you are trying to do, it needs to stop.”

  Travis rolls his eyes and shakes his head. “Intimidation thing? I’m not trying to intimidate you.”

  I glance over my shoulder towards the diner. Through the window, I see Evan sitting at one of the booths, smirking at Travis. He catches me looking at him and flashes me a quick grin before turning away. I sigh loudly, shaking my head in disgust. He must have seen Travis earlier and knew he would have seen the two of us talking.

  “So much for being friends,” I mutter. “He knew you were here waiting for me.”

  “What?” Travis asks.

  “Evan,” I say, pointing at him through the window. “I just caught him smirking at you. He’s trying to get a reaction out of you. That’s why he leaned in the way he did. He knew it would upset you and that we would end up arguing about it out here.”

  “Is that so?” Travis asks, though it really comes out as more of a statement. “Huh. Well, if he wants to see a show, then I am going to give him one.”

  Travis’s hands dive into my hair. His lips crash hard against mine, causing me to stumble backwards a little bit. I would be annoyed but the passion and the heat in his kiss consumes me and I find myself kissing him back just as intensely. I grip his shirt in my hands, knotting the cotton material in between my fingers. Travis’s hands roam down my back settling on my bottom, giving it a hard squeeze. My teeth graze along his lower lip causing a groan to rumble deep in his throat.

  Suddenly, Travis has me pushed up against the diner, his body pinning mine between two of the windows. He lifts me up, allowing me to wrap my legs around his waist, before he moves his hands to the back of my head, so that his fingers are twisting roughly in my hair. Our kisses grow fast and wild until our lips are swollen and we are panting against each other’s mouths.

  Pulling back, Travis leans his forehead against mine, “Let’s get out of here.”

  “Where are we going?” I ask.

  “My house, unless you’d rather go to yours. It doesn’t really matter, we just can’t stay here. If I kiss you one more time, I am going to wind up doing something completely inappropriate. While I wouldn’t mind rubbing that in Evan’s face, the last thing I want is for him to see you without your clothes on. It’s bad enough that he probably already thinks about that.”

  My nose wrinkles as I frown. “I highly doubt he pictures me naked.”

  “I’m sure half the guys in town picture you naked, Gracie. We’re men. That’s what we do when we see pretty girls.”

  “That’s terrible!” I exclaim.

  Travis flashes me a grin as he takes my hand, leading me over to where his Jeep is parked. “You mean to tell me you don’t ever see me and picture me naked?”

  “That’s different! You’re my boyfriend. Picturing you naked is a perk that I automatically get.”

  “You don’t picture Evan naked?”

  “Well I am now,” I say, jokingly trying to beat him at his own game.

  Travis comes to an immediate stop. He turns around slowly, giving me a dark stare as his lips set tight in a firm line. Shrugging my shoulders, I walk by, continuing on my way to his Jeep. “If you don’t want me to picture Evan naked, don’t bring it up.”

  I take my place in the passenger’s side of the Jeep, watching Travis, who is still standing on the sidewalk mumbling something. He glances back at the diner with a scowl on his face before stalking over to the Jeep and climbing inside, slamming the door loudly. He sits there like a pouting child for a couple minutes before turning to me. “Were you really picturing him-”

  “Oh for crying out loud, no, I was not actually picturing Evan’s dick,” I yell out, cutting him off. “I only said that to get a reaction out of you, which I clearly did. Now, no more Evan talk. I don’t know what you two are competing for, but seriously, Travis, you already won. You have me, now stop this nonsense or I am going back to my house by myself.”

  “All right,” he sighs. “I’m done. I won’t bring him up again.”

  “Thank you,” I sigh.

  Relief washes over me when Travis says he will stop rehashing this whole Evan thing. It’s ridiculous. I’m with him, not Evan, and he needs to get that through his thick skull. Our relationship isn’t going to change no matter what Evan does to antagonize him.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Travis

  I know I need to stop dwelling on this Evan shit, but it’s hard to not get jealous. She’s with me, and I know that, but I also know there was some sort of a spark between them at some point. Clearly, his flame burned brighter than hers did, but still, I don’t want her to decide he is a better option than I am. I guess I just need to get over my jealousy. She told me she wants me. It’s not like she is going back and forth or anything like that. I’m just going to push his punk ass into the back of my mind and focus all of my efforts onto her and our relationship.

  As a matter of fact, he is the furthest thing from my mind right now. The only thing I am focused on right now is the beautiful woman standing in my bedroom. My eyes wander over her body. She is perfect. Flawless. Just like one of the blank canvases I have sitting in my basement, waiting to be adorned by my steady hand. I have the urge to paint her, not as a muse, though I would not mind that either, but to use her as that blank canvas.

  “Can I paint you?”

  Gracie looks at me curiously. “Like on a canvas or actually paint my body?”

&n
bsp; “Mmm, both.” My hands slide off her jean clad hips, moving around to the front to undo the button. “I think putting your likeness on canvas would be the most beautiful image I have ever recreated but…I have an idea. Do you trust me?”

  “Yes,” she says without hesitation.

  It both surprises me and comforts me that she trusts me so much. I’m not sure I deserve it but I won’t argue with her either. I grab a hold of the hem of her shirt and pull it up over her head. As soon as I remove it from her, I release it, allowing it to flutter down onto the bed behind her. My hands slide along the warm skin of her bare back.

  “I’ll be right back,” I whisper into her ear.

  Gracie settles back onto the bed as I climb off of it. I walk quickly out of the room, down the hall and into the kitchen. Opening up the refrigerator, I smile when I see the bowl of chocolate pudding. I suppose it is a bit childish that my mother does some of my grocery shopping. I’ve never asked her to do it, none of us have, but she insists on picking up some things for us still. She makes sure we have fruits and vegetables, which if I am being completely honest, I probably wouldn’t eat if it wasn’t for her, but then she also gets us little treats, things she knows we like. Like pudding, which is coming in handy right now. Although, I am pretty sure that when she bought the pudding, she didn’t think I would be consuming it by licking it off of my girlfriend’s thighs, but, hey, at least it isn’t going to waste. Really, what better way is there to eat pudding than by licking it off of someone’s smoking hot body.

  Grabbing the bowl, I remove the plastic covering the top and toss it down on the counter top.

  “Thanks, Ma,” I chuckle as I walk back down the hall.

  “Did you plan this?” Gracie asks, eying the bowl of pudding in my hand curiously as I walk into the bedroom.

  “No, I can honestly say, I did not.”

  Gracie flashes me a look of disbelief as I set the pudding bowl down on my nightstand. She thinks I planned this, although I can’t say I blame her. I would probably have thought the same thing. She opens her mouth to say something else, but I place my finger over her lips, shushing her.

  Standing in front of the bed, I bite my lower lip as I stare down at her. She is so amazingly perfect in every way. I still can’t believe that she is real. Sometimes I think she is a mirage. She’s some horrible joke that my mind is playing on me because why else would someone like her be interested in someone like me?

  Reaching down to grab the bottom of my shirt, I lift it over my head, tossing it aside. Gracie’s eyes light up as they trail over my naked torso. Her teeth sink down into her lower lip, her blue eyes following my movements as I pull my pants down and step out of them.

  “Lay back,” I instruct her.

  Gracie lowers herself down on the mattress, her blond hair fanning out around her like a halo. Her jeans are still undone from right before I left to grab the pudding. Hooking my fingertips into her belt loops, I carefully remove her jeans, leaving her lying there clad only in her pale pink, lacy bra and panties.

  Kneeling down next to her on the bed, I dip my finger in the pudding, scooping out a dollop of it. I glance down at Gracie, who stares up at me with half-lidded eyes. Her teeth sink down into her bottom lip with anticipation, and as I set my pudding-dipped finger against her inner thigh, a slight moan escapes her lips. My fingers move over her warm, smooth skin, swirling the pudding around to make intricate designs. I cover one of her thighs, and then the other, taking my time as I feel her body quiver beneath my touch.

  “Travis,” she moans softly.

  It is taking everything I have right now to not rip off her panties and ram myself inside of her. Lord knows I am horny enough to do it. But I want to take my time with her, drive her to the edge until she can’t take it anymore. Dipping my finger into the pudding again, I bring it up to her stomach, tracing the chocolate over her bare skin.

  Gracie grabs a hold of my wrist, moving my arm up. With her blue eyes locked on mine, she leans her head forward, opening her mouth to take my pudding-covered fingers inside. My dick jumps in response to the feeling of her warm, wet tongue swirling around my fingers. I feel like I am about to come in my boxers when she releases my hand, my fingers slipping slowly from her mouth.

  I lean down towards her. My tongue snakes out of my mouth, running along my lips. I want to taste her so badly. She always tastes amazing, but I know she is going to taste even better this time covered in chocolate.

  Gracie’s breath hitches as my tongue hits her skin, flicking along her inner thigh. She reaches her hands down, twisting her fingers loosely in my hair as I move along her body, licking up the decadent chocolate as I go. My hands grip her hips tightly. I trace the chocolate filigree patterns on her stomach with my tongue, pausing every so often to suck on her warm skin. My hands slide along the curves of her trembling body.

  "I want you," she calls out.

  Her body is writhing beneath me causing my dick to get so hard that it almost hurts. I need her just as badly as she needs me.

  Sitting back, I open the top drawer to my nightstand and pull out a blue foil packet. Ripping it open, I pull out the condom and roll it over my dick.

  "Come here, sexy," I say.

  Gracie turns over, quickly scrambling to her knees. I grab a hold of her wrist, pulling her to me. Sitting with my back against the black headboard, she climbs on top of me, positioning herself so that I can slide right inside of her. Her walls immediately clench around my throbbing erection. Reaching one hand over, I dip two fingers into the bowl of pudding, bringing them up to her lips. She takes them into her mouth, slowly sucking the chocolate off, her mouth mirroring the movements of her hips rocking against mine.

  Gracie stares into my eyes seductively as she reaches over, swirling one finger inside the pudding before bringing it up to trace my lips with the sweet chocolate. Leaning forward, her tongue follows the trail her finger just laid, licking the chocolate off of my mouth, pausing to suck slowly on my lower lip.

  My hands grip tightly onto her ass, squeezing and kneading her soft skin. I close my eyes just as I feel the cold chocolate on the side of my neck, followed by her warm mouth sucking it off. I bite down on my bottom lip. A groan rumbles deep within my throat. Gracie's hands grip onto the sides of my legs. My eyes open to see her leaning backwards, her breasts pushing out towards me. I glide one of my hands along her stomach, all the way up until it is cupping one of her breasts.

  "Mmm," she moans as I give her nipple a slow tug.

  Every whimper, every moan, every move she makes threatens to break me apart. Not just because I find her so damn sexy, but because I am making her feel that way. Making her feel so turned on gives me such a rush that I want to do it more. I want to make her orgasm rip straight through her like it never has before. Reaching my hand down, I press the pad of my thumb against her clit, rubbing small circles over top of her sensitive flesh. Gracie closes her eyes, dipping her head back as she moans out loud.

  Her hips begin moving faster, so I apply more pressure with my thumb. The faster she moves, the harder I press. Her hands squeeze my legs hard, her nails scratching into my skin. She cries out as her climax crashes through her. Her body stills, her breasts heaving as she tries to control her breathing. Her body crashes against mine for a moment before she sits back, staring at me with wild, sex-crazed blue eyes.

  Without saying a word, she reaches behind herself as she begins riding me again. She grabs a hold of my balls, gently massaging them. I close my eyes, leaning my head back against the headboard as she takes control of me. Her touch, her body, everything feels so, so good. It doesn’t take long before I completely crumble at her command. Circling my hands around her wrists, I pull her close to me so that her trembling body is flush against my own.

  Her head nestles against my shoulder, her arms wrapped around my waist. My fingers softly comb through her mussed up blond strands. She feels so delicate lying on top of me right now. I’ve never wanted to protect anyone in my l
ife, aside from my family, but I want to protect her. I want to be better for her than I have been for anyone in my life. I never gave a shit about anyone before, but this girl, this woman lying in my arms right now…I want to take care of her. I want to give her everything and I want to be her everything.

  Her stomach growls loudly in the quiet room, startling the both of us. She lifts her head, staring at me with an embarrassed look on her face.

  “Sorry,” she says meekly.

  I start to give her some smart-assed remark, but then I realize how dark it is and I feel bad. God, she must be starving.

  “Come on, baby,” I say. “Let’s get you cleaned up and I’ll make you something to eat.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Gracie

  Every time I close my eyes, I picture Travis licking chocolate pudding off of my body. I’ve never mixed food with sex before. To be honest, I always thought it was weird, but what Travis and I did the other day was one of the most sensual moments of my life.

  “Karaoke tonight at the Rusty Nail,” Molly says, pulling me out of my thoughts as she breezes right past me, heading into the kitchen. A few moments later, she strides back through the door. “You in?”

  It’s been a week since Evan apologized to me and hinted around me being at karaoke this week. He’s been in the diner a couple of times, but he hasn’t brought it up again. Neither has Travis, though I guess it is going to come up now. I knew this was going to happen at some point, but it doesn’t mean I am looking forward to this conversation. We’ve gone a week without bringing up Evan and I’m not particularly interested in arguing over him again.