by Lynda Chance
She needed to see his face, and she turned in his arms. She studied his features.
He was so handsome, so big, so comforting to her. His house was becoming her haven, and his men that he was so afraid would offend her, had done nothing but show her the utmost respect.
She reached up, and with her soul in her eyes, placed her palm against his cheek.
"Thank you."
Travis felt a need so profound there was no trying to deny it. His head dipped, and his lips settled on hers. He felt her jerk in his arms and hesitantly kiss him back. He took a chaste kiss, his lips firm against hers. His mouth hovered over hers, and when he didn't lift his head to end the kiss, she made a slight sound of shock in her throat.
He continued to sip from her lips, but made no move to penetrate her or deepen the kiss. His arms tightened around her, and she hung in his embrace. Her innocence had been obvious from the first day, but now the idea tickled his brain that she might be experiencing her first kiss.
It was a tantalizing thought.
He shifted his body slightly, until his back was against the wall. He splayed his legs wide and pulled her more closely to him, until she was leaning into him, clutching his chest. All the while, his lips moved gently across hers. He opened his mouth slightly, so she could taste him.
She gasped.
He moved his hands from her waist to her face and her body sagged against his.
He felt his erection straining against his jeans, and he lifted his lips from hers and sucked in a deep breath. He held her face in his hands and studied her loveliness.
Her eyes slowly opened.
His gaze tangled with hers, and their breathing became ragged. His eyes moved down to her mouth, damp from his lips, and his thumb brushed across her bottom lip. She made a tiny mewling sound.
"Selena, I want to kiss you." His words were deep, rough.
Her lashes lowered over her eyes. Her brain scrambled and she tried to get the English words out. "You j-just did."
His expression became pained, and his thumb took a few more strokes of her lip, his arms refusing to release her, as his brain was screaming at him to do.
His voice became hoarse as he asked the question he needed to know the answer to. "Has a man ever kissed you before, Angel?"
Pink blossomed on her cheeks and her breath caught, but she answered, "No."
Travis knew she was untouched, but now he understood how innocent she was. It was a compelling reason to let her go, but an insidious voice in his brain kept telling him that he deserved to have that first kiss.
After all, some other man would get the gift of her virginity, and an anger so savage took hold of him that he didn't think twice, just reached back down to her and took her mouth with his.
Selena's brain shut down completely when she felt him part her lips and plunge his tongue into her mouth. Shock and ecstasy reverberated through her body as she hung in his arms. She lifted her hands and wrapped them around his wrists to anchor herself, so she wouldn't fall. Her brain was inundated with feelings, mainly a wave of shock at the intimacy of his actions. His mouth was totally open on hers, his tongue taking deep strokes of her mouth, his lungs breathing into her mouth.
His body surrounded hers, his hands leaving her face and encircling her completely.
She felt one of his hands move down her back to her bottom, and her mind splintered into a million fragments as a shaft of sexual desire hit her body for the first time in her life. She ruthlessly pulled her brain from the shock and tried to focus on the kiss she was receiving.
When he realized she was with him, the kiss changed. He began coaxing her into a response, his hands becoming gentle and his tongue teasing hers to join him. He lifted his head. "Please, kiss me back. Kiss me back, baby." His mouth came back down to hers.
Selena responded to the need in his voice and slowly gave him her tongue. He groaned in her mouth and his hands sank into the firmness of her butt. He began to knead her flesh. Her tongue joined his in a slow, sensual swirling, their mouths open wide on each other.
Travis felt her go to his head like liquid fire. His brain shut down, and his body shifted into automatic pilot. One hand left her butt, and unerringly searched for one of the small, soft swells that tempted him. He pushed her shirt up, and his hand came around and pushed her bra out of the way and found the delicate mound of her breast.
When Selena registered his hand on her naked breast, she jerked her mouth away from his, and pulled her body from his in shock. The movement dislodged his hand from his prize. He slid his hand back to her butt. She pushed against his chest, her breathing ragged with her agitation.
Slowly, his heart rate steadied, and his breathing slowed. He registered the shock on her face, and he hissed a single expletive. She jerked and pushed against him harder.
He slowly released her and stepped away from her. Why the hell had he done that? He had no control with her. None. He needed to find it, fast.
"My fault. It won't happen again." He brushed past her and out the door.
****
The following day, Selena moved quietly around the kitchen, cleaning up after lunch. Travis sat at the table, his eyes silently following her every move. She was nervous in his radius, and kept glancing back at him every few minutes to see if he still watched her.
He did.
Travis sat at the table in a semi-state of arousal. The same way he had been since the first time he saw her, a week ago. Today, the tension was electric between them. She looked at him every few minutes, awareness and curiosity in her eyes. It was the damn curiosity that was going to break him.
He wanted to be the one to teach her. To show her what it would be like between them. His erection strained against his jeans as he thought about the moment that he would push into her.
He had never had a virgin before. He had never wanted one. But it was different with her. The tantalizing image of the sexual education he could give her threatened to push him over the edge. The way she had gasped when he pushed his tongue into her mouth brought a parallel vision of what her reaction would be when he pushed his body into hers.
Her body, pliant in his arms, giving him what he needed, became a provoking image that wouldn't let up. He was about to come unglued. He needed to get the hell out of there.
****
Selena glanced up from wiping down the counters when she heard his chair scrape back from the table. She watched him push his hat back on his head and slam out the back door without a word or a look.
She slowly took a few deep breaths that she needed so badly. Did he regret the kiss he had given her the day before? Was he angry she had pushed him away?
The feel of his hand on her breast had shocked her, but she desperately wanted to experience more of his kisses. The feelings he evoked in her were confusing and distressing to the already turbulent situation she found herself in.
She needed to concentrate on doing a good job here, so she could stay long enough to get a good grasp of her speaking skills, and hopefully, to find the grandparents in Texas she had never met.
Two hours later, as she was folding towels in the laundry room, Juan knocked and stepped into the house with Slim, the cook. The men had their hats in their hands and approached her to find out if she was willing to give Slim a few cooking lessons. With Juan acting as translator, she happily agreed, and a few minutes later, followed them out to the large kitchen located behind the bunkhouse.
She had never seen it before and was astounded at its industrial size. It was big enough to feed an army, which feeding seven starving ranch hands equated to.
Before long, she found herself seated in a chair beside the large cooking stove, being treated like a queen. Juan stayed to translate, and they wouldn't let her lift a finger. Between the three of them, they decided on a meal, and she gave the instructions as the cook began the preparations, with Juan helping him as he needed it.
She sat and practiced her English, and found she only needed Juan a few t
imes to help her in a tight spot or two. She enjoyed herself, getting to know the two men, and getting to rest at the same time. No matter how many times she stood to help, they would shoo her back to her chair, and she would have to sit back down.
They prepared another basic meal of hamburgers and French fries, and they discussed the many things they could make, and the things she could teach Slim, if they drove to Laredo to buy supplies. There was enough food prepared to carry some back to the big house, so she wouldn't have to make supper again that night.
The sun was just starting to drop in the sky, when the screen door slammed and all three of them looked up to see Travis glaring from the doorway.
His voice was low and vibrated with suppressed anger. "I've been looking for you.
Why are you out here?"
Selena felt a kick of excitement low in her belly. She was trying to form the English words to answer him when Slim spoke.
"We went and brung the little girlie back with us so she could show me something else to make for the men. You was about to have a mutiny on your hands, Boss."
His explanation was jovial, not realizing the situation between his boss and the young girl.
Travis grunted, trying to control the unwarranted rage in his system. "You finished with her? I'm hungry and want my food." His words sounded spoiled, and a look passed between Slim and Juan.
Slim answered quickly. "Sure, Boss. We're finished up here." He turned to Selena.
"Thank you kindly, Miss. The boys will be happy for a change and not threatening me with bodily harm. I'm beholden to you."
Selena smiled and inclined her head graciously. "You're welcome, Mister Slim. I will help you any time." She gracefully slid off the chair and made her way to the door, carrying the small box that carried their supper.
Travis stood back to let her exit, and took the box from her hands as she passed him. She walked through the doorway, and his eyes moved to her butt. His gaze went from her silky hair to her tiny feet. He followed her across the yard, to the big house. When the door shut behind them, he moved across to the table and deposited the box there. He leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest and smoldered.
She valiantly ignored him and got two plates from the cabinet and set them on the table. When she turned for the flatware, he stopped her.
"I thought I told you to stay in the house."
She recognized the controlled anger in his voice and hesitated. "That w-was before."
"Before what?" Antagonism radiated from him.
"Before, wh-when they thought I w-was a boy." She explained slowly, trying to get the words correct.
"No. You're mistaken." His deep voice flowed like whiskey. "I don't want you out there, running around, causing fights between the men. You are too damn pretty for your own good. If you keep flaunting yourself in front of them, one of them is going to get the idea he can have you."
A frown crossed her brow. He couldn't be saying what she thought he was.
"Flaunting? What is flaunting?"
"Flaunting. You know, sashaying your ass all around them. Playing the part of the perfect female, needing help with the washing machine, or sharing your cooking skills. You can't try to be friends with them. You need to keep your little butt in the house."
Selena sucked in her breath at his meaning. He held himself perfectly still, and his tone was even. But she could see the effort it was taking him. She couldn't let him get away with this, virtually keeping her prisoner in this house. But she didn't want to provoke him, either. He looked ready to snap. Maybe she could put this off until another day. After all, she had no reason to leave the house any time soon.
She rolled her eyes at him and tried for a tone between placating and amusing. "As you wish. I don't want any deaths." She turned away in dismissal.
He came up behind her and wrapped one arm around her waist, lowered his mouth to her ear and hissed, "You think this is funny Selena, but I'm telling you, you have no idea how beautiful you are. What you can do to a man without even trying."
Selena felt the immediate impact of his masculinity, wrapping itself around her.
She had to concentrate, try to think. "Your m-men, they are old. I am like a daughter, a granddaughter."
His reply was instant. "Clinton isn't old."
"Clinton is just a boy."
"Clinton's feelings for you don't have anything to do with youth. I promise you, what he wants from you doesn't have anything to do with friendship, either. He does a man's job every day. He's a man, and you're a temptation he can do without."
"What about you?" The reply slipped from her mouth without thinking.
His arms tightened around her. "What about me?" His voice was deep.
"I think m-maybe I should leave your ranch. Maybe you have s-such feelings, n-not your men."
"I'm a grown man. I can control myself. And I told you. You're not going anywhere until you can speak English." His words ended in a growl.
"My English, it is g-good."
"Your English sucks. You're not going anywhere yet."
The harsh opinion bit into her, but was almost immediately negated in her brain.
She knew her English was improving every day. He had been right, no one at home had ever demanded she use it. And she had been too shy to try. All it had taken was a push, and she was fast becoming bilingual.
It was obvious to her that he wanted her here, and not only for the cooking and cleaning, even if he didn't realize it yet. She sank back slightly into the arms that held her. Her eyes closed as she let the sensations wash over her. His scent enveloped her senses. He smelled like leather and horses, and a slight scent of fresh, masculine sweat that proved he had been working all day. It went to her head, and she trembled in his arms, her mind remembering the kiss from the day before, and the intimacy that went with it.
She really wanted to repeat the experience.
Travis felt it the moment she relaxed in his arms. He moved one hand down, and splayed it across her belly. He felt the pulse at her neck accelerate. He moved the hair away from her neck and bit softly into her flesh. She shook in his arms. He sucked softly at her neck and his hand made soothing, sweeping motions from her lower stomach, back up to the smooth flesh just below her breasts.
His erection jutted into her and he tightened his hold.
His hands became firmer, his mouth harder on her neck, and she began to unconsciously undulate against him. He began making wider sweeps and soon had a breast captured in one hand, massaging her feminine mound with the other.
His mouth continued to suck on the silky skin of her neck.
Selena leaned back against him as her mind splintered with a pleasure so intense she was shocked by it. The sound of her own voice moaning brought her back to reality and she realized she was allowing liberties that she shouldn't.
She pulled out of his grasp and went to the counter for support. She took ragged breaths.
" Goddammit. Come back here." Travis stalked forward.
She moved away from him. "N-no. Stop."
"You want me to kiss you. You know you do. Don't deny it, Selena."
"K-kisses, y-yes. That was--wasn't kissing." She tried to control her breathing.
"That's part of it, baby." Red marks of arousal slashed his cheekbones, and the pale line of the scar down the side of his face stood out in stark contrast.
"N-no. That's not part of k-kissing. That's p-part of m-marriage." Her eyes clung to his, her upset obvious.
Shock hit his system at her antiquated reasoning. "I'm not asking you to marry me."
"I know th-that," she softly answered him.
He stood staring at her, the impasse between them glaringly obvious.
Aggravation was screaming through his veins. "Fuck it."
He turned and walked from the room.
Chapter Five
The next day, Travis walked into the barn. His eyes adjusted to the darkened interior, and he saw Clinton, mucking out the st
alls. He owed the kid an apology.
He had been too rough on him.
He walked up and leaned against the stall, watching the younger man. Clinton was a good kid, a hard worker, and was always polite and ready to pitch in a hand and please. He deserved better than what Travis had dished out to him.
Before he could think of the words to say, Clinton looked up and asked, "What's up, Boss?"
Travis cleared his throat. Apologies never came easy for him. "I shouldn't have jumped your ass the other day. I know you were only trying to help Selena." He paused. "I'm sorry."
Clinton grinned. "You're what?"
Travis let out a small laugh. "Don't push your luck, kid."
"Never, Boss. Okay, no harm done. Hey, I can understand why you're so testy about her. She's enough to make a saint become a sinner." Clinton continued to shovel the muck.
Travis flared up at his words. "You need to back off from her. She's too innocent to mess around with. You're used to the whores in Laredo. Selena's a lady, through and through."
"Hell, I know that. Any fool can tell she's marriage material. Shit, one of us ought to marry her. Just the food alone would be worth it. But Christ, can you imagine--"
Travis interrupted him with a low growl. "Don't even say it, boy. Don't even think it.
She's not the girl for you."
Clinton stood his ground. "I don't know why the hell not, if you don't want to marry her. I don't want to be alone forever, and there aren't any women in this godforsaken part of South Texas. You either need to claim her or--"
"Consider her claimed. I don't know about marriage, but take this as a warning. If you value your job here, you need to step back. She's mine, got it?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. This subject is closed. Don't make me bring it up again." Travis turned and walked out of the barn.
****
After the scene in the kitchen, Selena realized the volatile situation she was in.
Travis had told her before about a man wanting and not getting. She needed to stay away from him. It wasn't as easy to do as she would have liked. He was always there, in the background, those dark eyes watching her.
