“Hmm. That’s true,” I said and immediately began brainstorming how to get the idea into my next book.
The back door opened, and we heard the pounding of little feet running toward us.
“Mommy.”
A blur flew past me and landed on Harper.
“Hey, buddy. How was the park?” The hand that was holding her wine was stuck up in the air, so Wyatt didn’t knock it over.
I reached for the glass, so she didn’t have to worry about spilling it.
“Thanks,” she said and lifted her almost two-year-old into her lap. “How was the park?” she asked again.
“Fun.”
There was a large sigh behind us, and Ian dropped a bag on the counter.
“How’d it go?” Harper asked her husband.
“Good. I’m exhausted, but it was fun.” Ian walked over and sat down in the recliner adjacent to us. “How’s it going, Sydney?” he asked me.
“Good.”
“She’s having man troubles,” Harper said.
I looked at her. “I thought we’d just established that I was not and that I was going to let it go.”
“I thought maybe we could get a man’s perspective,” she said as Wyatt slipped from her lap and went for his toys in the corner.
“What’s the problem?” Ian asked.
I hesitated. I didn’t care if Ian knew. I liked him and considered him a friend. But he was very logical about everything.
“Nothing really. A guy kissed me, and then that was it.” I shrugged. “No follow-up.”
“It’s the male model who’s going with her to Chicago.”
Ian’s dark eyes widened. “Oh.”
“Oh? What does oh mean?”
He shook his head. “Nothing.” He put his finger to his lips. “So, you’re going on a trip together, but he hasn’t mentioned the kiss?”
“We’re going on a business trip together, and no, he hasn’t. Harper and I decided that it hadn’t meant anything, or he would have brought it up or asked me out.”
“Hmm.” He tapped his mouth.
“What does that mean?”
He dropped his hand, lost his thinking face, and shrugged. “I have no idea. You’re asking the wrong guy.”
I looked at Harper. “Your husband is worthless.”
She smiled. “But he’s mine.”
The following Thursday, there was a knock at my front door before it opened, and Harper barreled through. We lived close enough that we just walked into each other’s houses.
“Hey, what are you doing here?”
“I just came to see how you’re doing since you’re leaving for Chicago with Travis today.”
Our conversation had been last Saturday, and I was feeling better. “Good. Less emotional.”
“Are you nervous?”
“A little. He’s still a cute guy even if he’s not interested in me.”
“What time do you leave?”
“About one. He’s working this morning. He already took off Friday, so I said it would be okay if we didn’t leave until this afternoon.” I looked down at Harper’s hands. “What’s in the bag?”
She grinned, her eyes looking sneaky.
“What are you up to?”
She threw the plastic bag at me.
I caught it and looked inside. I pulled out the box. “Condoms? Really?”
“Hey, you never know. And, if it’s not Travis, maybe you’ll find someone else. Maybe, if you have sex with someone else, you’ll stop crushing on Travis.”
“I see your point, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.” I walked toward my kitchen, setting the box down on the dining room table as I went. “Do you want any coffee?”
“Sure. And why don’t you think it’ll happen?”
I pulled a cup from the cupboard. “Because I’ll be working a lot.” And, for some crazy reason, I didn’t want Travis to see me with someone. Basically, just in case I actually had a one in a million chance with him. I didn’t say it was a rational thought.
Harper pursed her lips. “You’re a spoilsport.”
I laughed and took a drink of my coffee. “Trust me; I know. I agree on the sex part. Maybe after I get back.”
She lifted her cup and clinked it against mine. “That’s the spirit.”
I looked at the clock on the microwave. “Damn, I still need to finish packing and shower. I also have to run to Target before I leave town and pick up a few things.”
“I can help.”
“You want to help me pack?” I asked doubtfully.
“I wouldn’t say I want to, but I will to help you save time.”
“Okay. I have all my stuff and my clothes on my bed. I just need to put them in the suitcase.”
“Sounds easy enough.”
We went upstairs where I pulled a bag from my closet for Harper.
“I’ll be out in ten,” I told her.
Ten minutes later, I pulled open my bathroom door in my room. Steam rolled out toward Harper, who was sitting on my bed, looking through her phone.
“Hey, can you put two more things in there?” I asked her.
She looked up. “You have enough clothes for a week, but I think I can manage.”
“Yeah, I know,” I said as I went back into my bathroom to grab my stuff. “I never know what I’m going to want to wear.” I emerged with my toiletry and cosmetic bags.
Harper took them from me, and I watched her stuff them in the middle of my two piles of clothes.
“I get it.”
I picked through my hair. “Thanks for your help.”
“No problem,” she said, zipping up my suitcase.
“Want to go to Target with me?”
“Nah. I’ll probably spend too much. Walk me out?”
“Sure.”
We went downstairs and headed for the front door. Along the way, Harper picked up her present for me. “Are you sure you don’t want the condoms?” she asked, holding the box up.
I laughed. “No, thanks. I’m good.”
She shrugged. “Suit yourself.” She gave me a hug. “Good luck with Chicago. Call me if you need anything.”
I squeezed her tight. “I will.”
After a long drive to Chicago, Travis and I finally pulled up to the hotel. He had insisted we take his SUV, claiming he wouldn’t fit comfortably in my car with his long legs. I’d felt bad, but he’d sworn it was no big deal.
With Travis driving, I had alternated between sleeping and working on my latest novel. One of the best presents I’d ever bought for myself was a little laptop that I could take everywhere.
It was about eight at night, and I was ready to crash. I’d used up all my brain cells on the last few chapters that I pounded out on the drive.
“I think I’m just going to grab my luggage and leave my book stuff until tomorrow,” I told him when he opened the back.
Travis frowned. “You’re not worried about someone stealing it?”
I shrugged. “Let them. Unless they’re a writer, it’s going to be pretty worthless loot.”
“Okay.” He grabbed my suitcase and set it down for me, and then he reached for his own.
He locked his SUV, and we headed for the lobby. There were two people working, and one of them was free.
“Hello. Welcome. Can I have the name of the reservation, please?” the young woman said.
“Harting with a T. First name, Sydney.”
Her keyboard clicked, and she typed in my info. “Okay. Here it is. Sydney Harting.”
“Thank you.”
A few more clicks, and she came back with two sets of key cards. “Okay”—she set them on the counter—“your room is two nineteen.”
No. This could not be happening.
“Excuse me, but I made the reservation for two rooms.”
Her mouth formed a circle. “You two are not staying together?”
I shook my head. “No. I asked for rooms side
by side, but I still asked for two rooms.”
“Let me look. One moment, please.”
I looked over at Travis. “I’m sorry. I swear, I booked two rooms.”
He shrugged. “I’ve slept in some pretty crappy places while in the Army. If we have to share a room, it’s not a big deal.”
At least he didn’t seem to think I had planned this.
“Oh, here it is.” The young woman smiled. “I’m sorry about that. I didn’t see it at first.”
The tension drained from my body. “Thank you.”
Another set of key cards were brought over. “Here you go. So, your rooms are two nineteen and two twenty-one. Do you need help with any luggage?”
“No, thanks. We’ve got it,” Travis said.
The two of us walked away and headed for the elevator. We got on right away and went up to our floor.
“So, what are we doing tonight?” Travis asked as we walked down the hall to our rooms.
I winced. I hadn’t even thought about the fact that he might want to go out and do something. “I was thinking of just staying in tonight. But, if you want to go out, we can.” We reached our rooms, and another thought occurred to me. “Or you can go out on your own.”
We were in Chicago. Maybe he wanted to go out and party without me tagging along.
Travis stuck his key card in the slot. “I’m good.” He pushed open his door and disappeared.
He’s good? What the hell does that mean?
I unlocked my own door and rolled my suitcase in. It was a good thing we’d gotten two rooms because mine had one king-size bed. I picked up my luggage and set it on a shelf made for just that.
I had only unzipped my bag when there was a knock. Except it wasn’t coming from the front door. I stepped back and saw that on the other side of the television was another door. Travis and I had adjoining rooms.
I went and opened it.
“Hey. Long time no see,” I joked. Lamely.
Travis smiled. “Can I borrow some toothpaste? I seem to have forgotten mine.”
“Sure.”
I walked over to my suitcase and flipped the top open. I pushed aside the clothes to get to the middle where I’d stuffed my cosmetics and toiletries. I reached my hand between them, looking for the bag. I had stuffed too much in my luggage.
The first thing my fingers encountered was a small packet of some sort.
I didn’t remember putting anything like that in there.
I yanked on it and out flew several yellow packages all attached to each other. The end slipped out of my hand and landed at Travis’s feet.
He lifted his brow. “It looks like you’re going to be doing a lot more than signing books this weekend.”
On the floor was a row of condoms. Not one or two, but a whole line of them.
I should have never let Harper offer to help me pack. She’d taken home an empty box.
I was going to kill her.
I scrambled over to Travis and picked up the condoms. “Harper did it as a joke,” I tried to explain.
He didn’t say anything as I bunched them up and set them on the desk. He just smiled.
Quick. Change the subject.
“So, you need toothpaste, right?” I went back to my suitcase, this time pulling out the right item. I opened the bag and took out one of several travel toothpastes. “Here you go.”
“Thanks. I’ll bring it back when I’m done,” he said, halfway to the door.
“It’s okay. I have more than one.”
He was already in his room.
“Never mind, I guess.”
Since Travis had never said anything about going out, I dug in my suitcase and found my pajamas. I carried them and my toiletries into the bathroom. I didn’t know when he was going to bring my toothpaste back, and I didn’t think he’d want to walk in on me mid-clothes change.
After I put on my comfortable, not-at-all-stylish shorts and T-shirt PJs, I washed my face, brushed my teeth, and took out my contacts. I pulled my hair up in a ponytail and looked at myself in the mirror.
“It’s fine if he sees you like this, Sydney. He isn’t interested in you and won’t look twice at what you look like.”
I opened the door to see my room empty, but since our two doors were still open, I went to look for Travis.
“Hey, Travis. You can just keep—” is what I started to say, but the rest of the words completely left my brain when Travis stepped out of his bathroom without a shirt on.
Sweet Mary mother of God.
His photos didn’t do him justice.
He was chiseled and tan, and right below his belly button was a blond treasure trail that slipped under his jeans, which hung so low that the V of his hips looked like they had been carved out of marble.
It should be illegal to be that sexy.
“Sorry. What did you say?”
“Huh?” I swallowed and wiped my mouth to make sure I wasn’t drooling.
“I couldn’t hear you. What did you say?” he asked again.
“Oh.” I want to lick you all over. No, that’s not it. Impregnate me. No, that’s not it either. “Uh … I was going to say, you can keep the toothpaste. It was an extra.”
He smiled. “Hey. Thanks.”
“Sure.” I looked around his room—he had one king-size bed, too—and back at him. “Are you going out tonight?”
He frowned. “Out?”
“Yeah. I thought maybe you’d hit some clubs or something.”
He looked me up and down. “You don’t look like you’re ready to go out.”
I pulled on the bottom of my shirt. “Yeah. No, I’m staying in, remember? I’m tired. Besides, I wouldn’t want to ruin your fun.”
He cocked his head to the side. “How would you ruin my fun?”
“I’m old.”
He laughed. “You can’t be that much older than me.”
“I’m thirty-four.”
“And I’m twenty-seven. Like I said, not that much older.”
“Yeah, but we’re a guy and a girl. What if they thought … you know … that we were together or something?”
He frowned. “So?”
“So … you’re young, hot, and single.”
He smiled, taking a step forward. “You think I’m hot?”
I put my hand on my hip. “You know you are, or you wouldn’t be modeling.”
“Not everyone agrees with you.”
“Then, they’re dumb because you have, like, this magnetic pull to you. It’s like any straight woman can’t resist.”
He laughed.
“Anyway, go out and get your groove on.”
“Maybe you should go out and get your groove on.”
I shook my head. “I didn’t come here for that.”
He lifted his brow. “Your stack of condoms says otherwise.”
“I told you, that was Harper.”
“But was it?” he teased.
“Yes.” My face was heating up. I didn’t want to talk about the condoms anymore. I turned to go back to my room. “Just let me know if you go out or not, so I don’t worry about you.”
Way to sound like his mother, Sydney.
I marched into my hotel room and pushed my door closed behind me. I pulled out the desk drawer and pushed the condoms inside. There. Out of sight, out of mind.
I turned off all the lights but the one next to my bed and turned on the television. Hopefully, I would find something to occupy my mind. That way, if Travis went out, I wouldn’t have to picture the pretty, young women he might find there.
I looked up at my adjoining door to see that I hadn’t pushed hard enough because the door was slightly ajar. I considered getting up and closing it, but I was comfortable in my bed.
“Hey, Travis?”
Two seconds later, he poked his head in my room. “Yeah?”
“If you bring anyone home, will you just make sure that one of the doors is closed
?”
He laughed and walked away.
Hopefully, that was a yes.
I turned my attention to the TV and what I wanted to watch. Like the hotel in Iowa, I was able to sign into my Netflix account, and soon, I was scrolling through the movies. I knew I’d fall asleep, so I searched for something I’d seen before. I settled on Empire Records, a cult classic.
A few minutes later, the door pushed open, and Travis walked in, wearing just a pair of shorts and glasses.
Holy crap. He looked adorable with glasses on. I had always been a sucker for a man in spectacles. Can he just stop being so damn good-looking already?
Travis jumped on the other side of my bed. “What are we watching?”
“What are you doing?”
“You said you were staying in, so it looks like I’m watching TV with you.”
I couldn’t believe he wanted to stay in and hang out with me.
He waved his hand in front of my face. “Are you okay?” He tried to reach for the remote.
Quickly, I yanked my hand away. “I’m fine.” Just a little surprised. “But you’re going to watch what I want to watch,” I said with a grin.
“Okay.” He sank down onto the pillows. “So, what is this?”
“Empire Records.”
“Never heard of it.”
I groaned. Yeah, I’m not old, my butt.
I should have known I would dream about Travis. In my dream, instead of going back to his room to sleep, he stayed in my bed.
I roll on my side toward Travis, and my mouth grazes the top of his back. I push my nose into the back of his neck and inhale.
I could wake up to this scent every morning.
Slipping my arm around his waist, I brush my fingers over his chest. I love the feel of his muscles. I slide my palm down his washboard stomach, admiring his dedication to physical fitness, until I hit the top of his shorts.
Reminding myself I am dreaming and I should just go for it, I slide my hand underneath until I find what I am looking for. Since he is sleeping, Travis isn’t hard, but that soon changes as I wrap my hand around him.
His cock is hard and smooth, and it puts my penis suckers to shame.
I can’t wait to tell Harper she was wrong.
He rolls onto his back, giving me better access. “Sydney, do you know what you’re doing?”
Object of My Desire Page 8
