“I guess it doesn’t much matter anymore. He couldn’t wait for me, so…” she trailed off and looked forlorn. Travis realized he had to say something.
“He’s missing out.” Travis held her gaze when her eyes finally came up to his.
“You don’t even know, so you can’t say that.”
“I can see you have a fire inside you, Sky. You’ve got a wild little goddess in there that’s begging to be unleashed. Come, let’s free her.”
Travis stood, moved to the radio and turned the volume of the slow song that was playing up. He recognized it from the movie Dirty Dancing and grinned to an unsure Skyla. He extended his hand and she looked at it as if she were deciding whether to jump off a cliff or run in the opposite direction. Finally, just as he was starting to lose every ounce of his confidence, she took it and stood.
He moved them into the living room where the fire was starting to die in the slightly ajar wood-burning stove. The blue, red, and orange flames danced together, crackling and flickering hungrily, similar to Travis and Skyla’s intimate connection. He cupped her hand in his and splayed his other hand low on her back, loving her femininity and softness against his hard frame. He was acutely aware of her breasts pressing into his chest, her pelvis touching his, her thighs hitting his own as they swayed. He started to become aroused, not only at her closeness but the way her eyes stared back into his, the way her tongue kept darting across her lips. He felt his heart beat increase and his breathing accelerate.
His hand fell from hers and moved to join the other at her waist, he linked them, pulling her even closer as her hands slid up his shoulders to wrap around his neck. The head of his stiffening member brushed her thigh, and she gasped sharply. He, at first, feared she would be offended but she just looked surprised. He felt the need to apologize for his erection, almost as if he were with a virgin, the way she reacted to him and his body’s responses to her closeness.
“Sorry. I, uh, it happens.” Travis gave her a crooked smile. When her eyes fell, he silently reprimanded himself. “I mean, even if I attempted to rein it in, it’s still gonna happen.” No, idiot. Try again! “Fuck, I mean…”
“I’m a woman pressed closely to you, I get it,” Sky muttered and looked away. Her eyes moved to the fire, insecurity dancing in them, and Travis felt his gut rip at the pain that was so evident there.
“No, Skyla.” His hand moved to cup her cheek and turned it to face him. His finger traced her high cheekbone. “You’re a gorgeous woman that I’m pressed intimately close to, and I want you. I want you with a hunger that I haven’t felt before.” It might be the truest words he’d ever spoken, and he found his head reeling from the realization.
Sky just looked up at him, in awe, in disbelief, in disgust…he wasn’t sure. He looked her beautiful face over, the brilliant blue eyes that entranced him, her wavy copper-gold hair, the spattering of freckles across her cheeks, her small, pert little nose, her perfect lips—not too big and not too small. He let himself be drawn even further into her allure, for if she were an enchantress, he was a victim to her hex and he was going to absorb every second of this while he could.
Travis’s cock grew even more prominent between them. He longed to rub himself against her and let her feel what her spell was doing to him. He grinned as his hand moved up her back, feeling her out while Sky continued to be mute. He’d left her speechless; that had to be a good sign.
When she finally spoke, her eyes were reverent as they looked his face over, falling to his lips. “This was all I ever dreamed of as a teenage girl, you know.”
“Prom?” he probed.
“Being wrapped in your arms, having you look at me like you are now. This feels like a dream. Now, I know what Cinderella felt like at the ball.”
Travis’s heart swelled. It was nice to be someone’s dream. Girls had always been drawn to him; he had an infectious personality—or so he’d been told. Travis considered himself a handsome enough guy with his dark brown hair, bright blue eyes, and dimples. Females loved his smile and his charm. But he’d always felt like a fun little toy for them, used and discarded afterwards. He wasn’t the man they wanted for a husband, a fling for sure, but not husband material. He was impulsive, unpredictable, enjoyed the chancier side of life, unsettled. He wasn’t stable enough for that life and if they got the wrong idea, he’d been sure to remind them of it too. He’d been the one to break up with Brittany when she’d suggested trying to transfer to the same college as him or somewhere closer to where he was their senior year in high school.
“Negative, sweetheart,” he’d scoffed. “I’m going to college single, nothing personal. It was fun and all, but I’d like a clean slate.” After all, he’d not wanted a dead weight on his shoulders to start his college career. And the likelihood of her getting into LSU was slim to none anyway, her grades had been mediocre at best. Plus, he’d grown bored of her and her attitude. She’d been a pretty girl, but she wasn’t a nice person and that had started to grate on him. He realized now that she’d never been right for him and wished that he’d have noticed how alluring Skyla was and had always been. Spicy, passionate, full of life.
He realized suddenly he hadn’t responded to her comment, and she was blushing, her cheeks reddening. It was so adorable he chuckled. “So, if you’re Cinderella, does that make me Prince Charming?” She simply smiled and nodded. “Well, I’ll be honest, Fireball, I don’t know that Prince Charming had quite as broad of an imagination as I do. He’s far too chaste for the things I have planned for you and I.”
“You would corrupt good ol’ Prince Charming, wouldn’t you, bad boy?”
“Oooh, I like that nickname. Say it again.” Trav’s brows went up. “Only whisper it in my ear this time.”
Skyla giggled wickedly, which made his cock jerk in response.
He moaned softly. “That sweet little giggle does wonderful things to me, Sky.”
Sky bit into her lip, and Travis moved his hand into her hair, pulling her head closer to his, her lips closer for his taking. They were but a breath away from one another when a log in the open stove snapped loudly. Sky jumped in his arms, her forehead hitting his jaw, causing him to bite his lip.
“Ow, dammit,” he muttered and covered his lip with his finger. When he pulled it away, there was a droplet of blood there. He licked it and frowned.
“Oh my God, Travis. I’m so sorry,” Sky whined.
Travis couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled deep in his throat. “Courtship can be painful, my dear, but I had no idea you were a sadist. Damn Sky, what else you got in mind?”
Skyla looked mortified and suddenly, Travis felt bad about messing with her so much, she really took everything he said to heart. She attempted to pull out of his embrace, but he held her. “I need to go get some ice or something. A wet rag at least,” she reasoned.
“Just give it a second, love. It’ll stop. You think this is the first time I’ve gotten my lip cut? Nah, I got men hurling their gigantic, padded bodies at me left and right. This ain’t nothin’.”
But Sky’s bravado began to crumble, and Travis could see that this wasn’t ‘nothin’. “Oh, Sky, baby, c’mon. Look. It stopped bleedin’. See.” Her frown tightened before her hands came up to once again cover her face. She tended to do that a lot lately. Hiding. In shame. From him.
“I’m so sorry. I ruined the moment, didn’t I? I’m such a klutz.”
“Oh, you are not. C’mere.” He pulled her against his chest and stroked her hair, tucking her head into his pec. “There. There.”
He comforted her unease, listening as the wind whipped hard against the roof and windows, sounding like a hurricane. They were completely fogged up now and he bet if he looked outside he would see snow falling.
“Sky, c’mon baby. It’s really alright. I swear, I’m fine. You aren’t a klutz.” He coaxed her chin up to look at him. She sighed again, embarrassment painting her cheeks.
“I’m really, really clumsy though.”
“W
ell, I’m really, really sarcastic. No one’s perfect.” He winked and got a smile out of her. “There. Look at that. See, all is right as rain.”
Just then the power flickered and went out, leaving them in semi-darkness with only the soft glow of the stove.
“Glad I brought that extra wood in,” Travis murmured and ran his hand down the back of Sky’s head, following her long hair down her back. “See, even mother nature wanted us to have our moment.”
With that, he leaned in and captured her lips, getting a sharp gasp out of her. But soon she leaned in and was melting into him. He absorbed her, loving how good she felt in his arms, how good her soft lips felt, how they tasted. He moaned into her opening mouth and let his tongue slide in. It stroked hers in rapid succession, eliciting yummy sounds from her throat. His cock grew harder between them and longed to be nestled inside her silky heat. His hand moved down her back to that plump little ass of hers and squeezed. Damn, it was nice and firm beneath the sweats. His other hand moved down to follow suit and gripped her other ass cheek, pulling her hard against his throbbing erection. He pulled back to breathe and moaned loudly. “Fuck baby, you feel so damn good.”
Sky moaned before crashing her lips hard against his, reopening the cut on his lips, but he was numb to the pain, the blood. All he felt in those moments was a driving desire, a force stronger than anything to pull those pants off her and take her, mark her, make her his. He turned them away from the stove and moved slowly towards the couch.
She fell and he followed, gripping her and pulling her back against him, rubbing his need for her against her thigh as she wrapped her legs around his waist. “Oh Travis,” she murmured as his mouth found her neck and nibbled while his hand cupped a breast. The sound of his name on her lips like that made his desire spike through the roof. Soon, he was gripping her thigh as he thrust harder against her, the need to bury himself inside her outweighing any other need he’d ever had.
“Sky, I want you. I want this. Fuck.” He began pulling the flannel shirt off her shivering frame, attempting to pull the tank top up so he could see her peachy skin. Only he couldn’t see shit; it was getting too damn dark, and he swore again.
Sky grunted as he pulled back. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothin’, baby. I just can’t see, and I need to see you.” He chucked her chin as he moved away, back toward the stove so he could throw another couple logs onto the fire and make it lighter in the room. When that worked and he could see well enough, he came back over to a wary Skyla, who covered her arms. “We can move to the bedroom, if you want, Fireball,” he offered as his hand came to her cheek again.
“Travis, I—” Her eyes found his and he realized she didn’t want this, not like he did.
Disappointment riddled him and something he’d never felt before—rejection. And this wasn’t the first time. He realized that she might be in love with him and had hoped for this all her teen life, but that didn’t mean as an adult she was actually gonna go through with it. She was older, wiser, and less naïve than she’d been as a young girl. For the first time in his life, Travis realized his track record in the bedroom might actually be his disadvantage now. He didn’t know what to say or how to respond. He swallowed hard and looked down.
As if reading his mind, she said, “It’s just so soon. I—”
“I’m being pushy.”
“No.”
“I am. I know I am. It’s been a while for me.”
“Oh?” she smarted. Uh oh. Wrong thing to say, asshole, his brain warned.
“Sky,” he tried to remedy but it was too late, she was pulling away.
“Guess that’s why you’re wanting it so much, huh?” her tone was less smart than hurt, and Travis sighed heavily.
“Sky, I want you.”
“Any girl would do, Travis. You just said—”
“I know what I said. But— Dammit, Sky, I really suck at this kinda thing, you gotta know that!” He threw a hand through his hair and looked back at the tears suddenly falling down her cheeks like rain. “Baby, that’s not true. Not just any girl would do, ok? Just because I haven’t had sex in a month or so, doesn’t mean that I would hop right into the sack with the first piece of ass who came along. I do have standards, ya know?” He tried to lighten the mood and elbow her, but it was no use; she was full-out crying now, and he cursed himself to Hell and back. Dammit, the alcohol was a bad idea. She was horny one minute, crying the next. “Sky.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be overly dramatic,” she said, her words muffled behind her hands even as he tried to pull them away. “This has just been a rough forty-eight hours.”
“I know, darlin’, I know it has. C’mere.” He pulled her back to him and settled her on his lap, cradling her into his arms and tucking her head against his shoulder. He let her cry, thinking about how harrowing this all had been: running from men with guns shooting at them, the fear of getting caught, hiding and keeping their guard up, knowing that this wasn’t over. On top of that, Sky had been faced with a past she hadn’t been prepared for when Travis had randomly shown back up in her life bringing old skeletons out of her closet.
Travis realized he was also exceedingly tense. He truly feared for his brother’s life, knowing this entire time he’d been as frazzled as Sky had been; now, this was his attempt to escape the truth, live in the moment, and de-stress. That was what she needed, he suddenly realized and got an idea. “I know exactly what you need, baby. Here. Sit here for a minute. I’ll be right back, ok?”
He pulled her from his embrace and sat her onto the couch then moved to the kitchen, grabbed two candles from the table and moved into the bedroom. He sat the candles on the sides of the big tub and started the water, making it nice and hot as he rummaged for some bubbles to add to the water. He found a bottle of body wash that smelled as spicy as his girl did and squirted it into the cascading water from the spigot. He smiled as it filled up and moved to grab a towel and washcloth. Then he went and got Sky. He picked her up, placing an arm beneath her legs and one behind her back. She blushed as he carried her like she weighed no more than a feather. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she looked into his face as he walked her past the bed and into the bathroom. She heard the water running and smiled as she realized what he’d done.
“You, my little Fireball, need to relax some and I’m gonna help a girl out.” He winked as he set her down, her feet touching the floor as he released her. “Welcome to Spa de Ares. Where our priority is your pleasure.” He grinned and she laughed.
“This is sweet, Ares. You shouldn’t have.”
“Oh, but I absolutely had to. Your frazzled nerves needed a good soak. So, by all means. Disrobe and sink in, madame.” He grabbed her hand and brought her knuckles to his lips, kissing them gently. He watched her eyes dart to his and she bit into her lip. Romantics eat your damn hearts out, he thought to himself. Had he known winning her over would be this easy, he would’ve done so already and gotten into her panties even faster. There was more than one way to a touchdown, he knew, and grinned again. “I’ll bring you another glass of red for your nightcap, Aphrodite.”
“Aphrodite? Ha!” she scoffed. “I don’t think so.”
“Well, it’s a good thing you aren’t the Greek god who gets to decide the names of my consorts, huh?” he retorted and pulled her hard against him again. He got a gasp out of her and it thrilled him to no end.
Her eyes spoke to him and it was all he could do not to rip her clothes off and take her against the wall, right then and there. He held back though because he sensed her hesitations.
He kissed her hand again and, with all his willpower, stepped away, pulling the door closed as he did so.
CHAPTER FIVE
Sky sighed in contentment as she settled down into the suds of the bubble bath Travis had drawn for her. He continued to surprise her at every turn. Just when she’d decided he was selfish, self-absorbed, and an arrogant asshole, he came in and showed her an entirely new side of himself. It
was refreshing and made her feel good, even if she knew it was only a matter of time before he got his way and took her to bed, inhibitions be damned. He’d come very close until she’d accidentally busted his lip. She’d realized how undeserving she still felt of him, although she couldn’t say why. He’d had far more lovers than she had, she was sure, and last she checked, she was a decent human being who deserved to have a lover blow her mind. She was almost positive Travis would indeed do so—or at least she prayed he would.
She couldn’t remember ever having a man share her bed who loved her body like she’d read in any romance novel. In fact, her sexual encounters had been wholly uneventful in their passion. The conquests she’d had in college had been drunken flings, not unlike the one she’d almost had with Travis moments ago before her senses began to kick in; she realized if she acquiesced to him, he’d see the scars she wasn’t quite ready to show him just yet. She’d panicked and her insecurities had surfaced just in time to stop the disaster from happening, thank God.
Skyla imagined Travis would be different than her clumsy partners back in college. She’d had more than a few, but they’d all been the same—drunk or high and in a hurry to simply fuck their cares away. She’d always made sure they had protection, but it was a hurried few pumps and they were spent inside her, leaving her to wonder what the big deal was about. Sex had always seemed impersonal to her, despite that it was supposed to be one of the most personal, sensual things people could do together. However, Sky had immediately seen that with Travis that wouldn’t be the case in their coupling. There was nothing about how he touched or kissed her that had been quick or hurried or detached in any way, shape, or form, and she longed to explore a different side of the erotic act she never had before.
Even with her ex-fiancé, things had been so messy and sloppy, his kisses overpowering—and not in a good way. Sky had realized right away she’d have to rein him in or Sam would end up being just like those men she’d sought to distance herself from, which was probably why she’d wanted to wait to do it again.
UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT (Gods of the Gridiron Book 1) Page 10
