by Azod, Shara
None of this made much sense. He had been attracted to women before, but none had ever hit him on this level, or so quickly. Travis was a long way from being a virgin. After his first big hit, he splurged on all the perks fame had to offer. He had learned pretty fast how empty it all was. He just wasn’t built to screw starlets just because he could. Empty sex held little thrill. Relationships were damn near impossible to maintain. Pettiness, jealous and selfishness abounded in L.A
Maybe that was what attracted him to Free. She hadn’t batted an eye at the somewhat opulent ranch home. She hadn’t gawked at her surroundings, hadn’t wanted to go out and inspect the pool clearly visible outside the den’s French doors, or asked about his house staff. She had asked about the horses, showing an outstanding knowledge of horse breeds. That in itself had been rare. Yeah, Free was not going anywhere but his bed, eventually.
He took his time walking back to the den, stopping to watch Free with his niece. The woman was talking to the baby like she would talk to a regular person, and Lorelei seemed to be listening. The baby’s eyes were riveted on Free’s face, her tiny mouth moving in parody of Free’s.
“Baa gaa taa daa!” Lorelei babbled after a few minutes of listening to Free.
“Good girl!” Free praised, kissing the delighted baby on the cheek. “You’re a smart one aren’t you?”
Apparently Lorelei agreed, judging by her animated squeal. Something inside Travis shifted and expanded. His chest burned a little just watching the scene before him. It was so real, so sincere. He wanted to be a part of it.
“Let me show you to your room,” Travis said, stepping back into the room.
“Is it close to the nursery? Because if not, all I really need is a cot or something,” Free smiled at him, making his heart trip a little.
“It’s right next to the nursery.” And his room. In fact, the nursery was smack in the middle of both rooms, connecting the three through side doors, but she didn’t need to know that yet.
You are not going to seduce the nanny, his rational brain warned him. He could look, but not touch. She was here for Lorelei, not for him.
But should something develop … that was something else altogether.
Chapter Four
Free loved early mornings. She often got up at the crack of dawn to do some yoga exercise while the sun made its lazy climb in the sky. The warm sunlight caressing every inch of her bare skin as she went through her yoga poses, relaxing her body and mind. Luckily her room had a door to a private little courtyard outside. There were two other rooms with the same access, one being the nursery, so she had a reasonable expectation of privacy. She took the baby monitor with her, not yet knowing Lorelei’s sleep patterns; she wanted to be sure she saw the baby when she first woke up. A baby needed to be sure her caretakers are there for her no matter the time of day. It made them feel more secure and loved.
Spreading her mat on the ground, she slipped out of her robe and went through her morning ritual, welcoming the coming of the new day. It was so peaceful here, even more so than the compound which was right on a private stretch of beach. While Free missed the sounds of the ocean crying out good morning, there was something comforting in the relative silence here. If she listened closely, she could hear a gentle neigh once in a while from the stables that were a bit away from the main house.
Closing her eyes she let peace and tranquility sink into her skin, giving her inner balance. Despite her earlier worries, this coming year had the promise of being a great experience. Not only was Lorelei delightfully open, but Travis Carter wasn’t bad either. He did have an annoying habit of hovering, but Free suspected he had gone through some horrific nannies before she arrived. He seemed to genuinely care about his niece’s well being, not at all the self-centered, narcissistic actor she had been expecting. It had been a pleasant surprise, but one that now opened up a new concern.
Had Travis been the unbearable star she had thought he would be, it would have been much easier to dismiss him. But he wasn't. He was open and caring, from all appearances a down to earth person who loved his family and his ranch. That more than anything made him one seriously appealing guy. Throw in his devastating good looks and Free was in serious danger of developing a crush.
The man was too good to be true! He had the sexiest bedroom eyes, all stormy gray and surrounded by unbelievably thick, long lashes. His hair was honest to goodness coal black, thick and wavy cascading to his shoulders. And man oh man, could he fill out a pair of jeans! She had been hard pressed not to stare at that muscular ass whenever he walked by.
It was a damn good thing I brought my vibrator with me! Free thought as she exhaled, trying without success to dispel the pent up sexual frustration growing in her body. She only hoped she had enough batteries to make it through the week before they traveled to L.A. Surely he would be far too busy shooting his movie to be a distraction. She couldn’t allow her inexplicable attraction to become an impediment. Lorelei was her first priority.
*****
Travis couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing. He must still be asleep, having one of the most erotic dreams ever. He rubbed his eyes, hard, but the vision remained the same. Yesterday, he had suspected Free was hiding one hell of a body underneath those loose clothes, but the reality was something that knocked him flat on his ass. In a word, she was simply stunning. Her dark cocoa skin glowed in the dawn’s early light, her body flowed with soft curves, full and feminine. Her breasts were all natural, high and full, kissed with dark raisin nipples that made his mouth water imagining their taste. She was neither short nor tall, but she was the farthest thing from average imaginable.
“Ah hell, she’s perfect,” he whispered harshly to his empty room, his hand fisting his aching cock.
He couldn’t look away as she bent and stretched, going through what appeared to be her morning yoga exercises. She had a full, round ass, tapering down to gracefully formed thighs. She was blissfully unaware anyone was watching as she stood and stretched, reaching toward the sky with her hands. Travis’s hand stroked faster, working his shaft from base to tip using his own precum as lubricant.
There was no way he could stay away from her, not after seeing what was before him now.
Then she turned. Her eyes went straight to the sliding door where he stood, watching her. Bare as the day he was born, masturbating to her early morning ritual.
Run! his mind screamed. Cover yourself, drop your damn hand, do something!
But he didn’t. He didn’t stop the movement of his hand, didn’t attempt to cover himself, he didn’t move at all.
Neither did she. Her stunned eyes went from his face to the rod in his hand and stayed there. Damned if she didn’t lick her lips as he defiantly stroked off as she watched. His skin burned hotter, his movements speeding up. His eyes moved from her face down the contours of her figure stopping at the juncture between her thighs. Oh, shit, she was completely bare! Her puffy labia open to his gaze. He could have sworn there was moisture coating the slit, but it could have been a trick of light or his fevered imagination. Oh, how he wished it was her walls surrounded his pulsating cock instead of his fist. He could almost feel her warm quim welcoming him inside, sucking him in.
With a muted cry, Travis exploded, his seed gushing in a wild rush.
Shit! What had he done?
Free seemed to come to her senses long before he did. With a soft, secret smile she simply walked away, gathering her things and disappearing inside. It wasn’t until she had completely disappeared from sight that Travis could force himself to move. Damn, that had to be the stupidest thing he had ever done. He would be lucky if she didn’t pack up her things and hightail it out of here.
He couldn’t let that happen. He didn’t understand the thick undercurrents between him and this woman, but he knew he couldn’t let her leave. And not just for Lorelei either. He wanted the nanny for himself.
Chapter Five
Free moaned as she stood under the hot spray of the showerhea
d, letting the warm water rain down on her shoulders, her head resting on the tiled wall. What just happened? When she turned and saw Travis watching her, dick in hand, she had been unable to move. Her eyes taking in every mouthwatering inch, from the top of his head to the bottom of his manly toes. Then going back to his groin. And she thought he had been hot in clothes! The man had a body that could make the Greek gods cry, all sculpted and hard. And his cock! Free was in no way an expert on male genitalia, but the organ Travis had been stroking had been thick, and long and just plain beautiful. She wished it was her hand, better yet, her mouth licking and sucking him deep, making him groan in pleasure as she tasted him.
The smart thing to have done was run away instead of standing there like an idiot, watching his movements, growing increasingly hot and achy as his large hand expertly moved on his cock. It was a completely natural thing for a man to awaken with a hard on. Just as natural for him to jack off to ease the ache. But the thought that he was masturbating to her made it all the more exciting. And he hadn’t moved away when she turned! No instead his pace increased as his eyes roamed over her body, taking her all in as she had done him.
“He probably thinks I’m some kind of groupie,” Free muttered, ducking her head underneath the fall of water. Her body was still tingling with unanswered need, but she was determined NOT to give in and take care of it herself.
She had to learn to suppress her desire for her employer. If she ran off to use her vibrator every time he got her all hot and bothered, she would be spending the majority of her time locked in her bedroom. Not good – not good at all.
If only she could get the sight of Travis Carter in full glory out of her mind! Her nipples puckered unbearably hard, the skin pulling tight to angry knots. She cupped her hands over both breasts, squeezing the little nubbins between her fingers, moaning at the sharp zing the action caused. The feelings weren’t going to go away. Keeping one hand alternating between her breasts, she allowed the other to travel down her body in a gentle caress before dipping it to trail across her slit. The wetness gathered there had nothing to do with the water from the shower. Without even touching her, Travis had managed to get her wet and achy when others failed as they fumbled through their actions. Travis would be different. With one flick of his thick finger or one swipe of his tongue Free would be coming all around him.
Moving to her clit, Free teased herself, rubbing without placing pressure against the sensitized flesh. In her mind’s eye, it wasn't her own hand but Travis’. She pinched her clit before slipping two fingers deep inside her pussy. His finger would be thicker, longer than her own. Would he be gentle or a little rough? Maybe a little bit of both. Gasping she rolled her hips in an attempt to ease at least some of the pent up longing. She used her palm to add friction to her clit as she strove toward release. How would she face him and not see his glorious body or that magnificent tool?
“Ooh! Travis!” The whispered exclamation was more a wish on the wind. Her release was a wild rush of sensations, but it left her oddly empty. Her body was humming with unsatisfied cravings. “I’m going to need more batteries,” she muttered, turning off the water and turning to the foggy glass shower door, she saw a tall dark shadow.
Opening the shower door, she saw Travis standing at the wide open door to the bathroom and from the looks of the crotch area of the sweats he had on; he had seen and heard it all.
*****
Travis’s only intention had been to talk to Free. He had knocked on the bedroom door, and fearing the worse when he hadn’t gotten an answer, he had let himself in. The bathroom door hadn’t been closed. He heard the shower, had no excuse for walking over to the door, but he had done it anyway. He wouldn’t blame her for screaming bloody murder, he had no right to stand here gawking at her. It wasn't enough to make him turn around as she emerged from the steamy shower, beads of water slithering down her curves.
“Um, hi. Can you please hand me a towel?”
She didn’t sound upset. She made no move to hide her very nice assets from his gaze. Forcing his feet to move, he handed her a towel, watching somewhat regretfully as she wrapped it around her body.
“If you give me a sec to throw something on, we can have this discussion over coffee,” Free’s tone sounded pleasant, as if nothing at all was wrong. Travis didn’t know how to take that.
“Uh, yeah,” he grasped for the right words. “I’ll, uh, I’ll go start the coffee.”
But he still didn’t turn away. He was staring at her like an idiot, but he couldn’t seem to make himself leave. Instead he wanted to walk up to her and tear the damn towel away from her tempting body so that he could continue to look his fill. To touch her, taste her. Travis was brought out of his musings when she started talking again.
“It’s okay, you know,” she sounded like she was comforting him. Damn it, he had come to smooth things over with her! “I mean, we are both healthy adults. I guess the situation has thrown us both for a little bit of a loop. I can forget about it if you can. I mean, I’m sure the last thing you expected when you woke up this morning was the sight of me naked as a jaybird!”
No way in hell was he going to forget what was underneath those shapeless clothes she wore. He would never be able to forget how she looked with her head thrown back, her fingers buried deep in her pussy, right where he wanted to bury his tongue.
“Lorelei usually wakes up around seven-thirty,” Travis informed her with a little more heat than he had intended. But damn it all, he didn’t want to be appeased. He didn’t want to forget this morning. He wanted to see where it could lead. “We have an hour to…talk. I’ll go make the coffee.”
He stomped away, feeling her shocked gaze following him as he exited the room. That hadn’t gone like he planned at all. On the one hand, at least she hadn’t been packing, so that was a plus. He had been scared shitless she would leave. On the other hand, he really didn’t appreciate the pretense that she hadn’t been as affected by what had happened as he had been. If he needed proof she felt something, he had it after watching her in the shower. It had been his damn name she called out when she came.
Well if little Miss Free Windsong Summer thought for one second they were just going to brush this under the rug, she had another thing coming.
Chapter Six
“I want you.”
The words hit Free square in the face as soon as she entered the gourmet kitchen. She was woefully unprepared for the words, as candid and open as they were. Honestly she had been expecting Travis to be put out by her morning ritual. It had been her observation that people in general were good at deflecting their own actions on others. She had expected him to rage at her about her lack of propriety or something along those lines.
“I’m sorry?” Maybe she hadn’t heard him right.
“Free,” Travis sighed and motioned for her to sit at the small table in the corner of the very large kitchen. “We need to talk.”
Swallowing a large knot in her throat, Free slowly approached the table where he sat, shirtless, shoeless and so adorable it almost hurt to look at him. His hair was still damp, giving testament that he had taken a shower himself after their first little encounter this morning.
“Look, I’m sorry about the naked yoga thing,” Free rushed to explain before he could say anything. “I promise it won’t happen again, and I would never do anything like that around your niece.”
“Free, if you never did that again I would be sorely disappointed,” Travis told her, looking at her with such candor it took her breath away. “It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Your controlled movements flowing from one pose to the other. Your body is a work of art.”
Yeah, right. He must have been one hell of an actor because for a minute there, Free believed it.
“I mean it, Free.” He must have read disbelief on her face, because he grasped her hand and stared deep into her eyes. “It was…well, hell, you saw for yourself how I really felt about it.” He inhaled harshly, forcing the breath
back out with a huff. Whatever he had to say apparently was difficult because he seemed to have a hard time finding the words.
“Look, if you think this won’t work out, I understand.” And she did. She had been hired to take care of the baby, not run around trying to turn him on. The fact that she had turned him on pleased her more than she was willing to admit, but that wasn't her goal. Her goal was her school, which would be realized if she kept this job for the year she had been hired for. “I’ll call for a ride and be out of your hair by the end of the day.”
“No!” Travis roared at her, making her jump at the vehemence in the word. She watched with something between awe and a strange fluttery feeling as he ran his hand distractedly through his hair, one hand still clutching hers. “Look, I don’t know what this thing is. I mean, the second I saw you, I…well, I wanted you. You are just so different from any other woman I have ever met.”
Uh oh, the “you’re so different” speech. Free had been down that road once before, and she was in no hurry to go back. It was usually followed by maybe a week or two of paradise, before the other person began on trying to change her. That or, she was good enough to screw, but that was just about it.
As much as she had always known this could never be more than a job, her heart sank a little. She had expected better of Travis. Silly that she had, she didn’t really know him.
“Yes, well, I think it best that we deal on a professional level or not at all.” She knew she sounded a little bitter, but it was what it was. She may be unconventional, but she wasn’t stupid. “So if you think we can’t deal with each other in a normal employer/employee relationship, maybe even a friendly relationship, it’s best that I go now.”
Tugging at her hand, she meant to walk away. Famous last words and all that. Travis didn’t let go. He sat there and stared, like he was trying to figure something out. Dang, he really was heartbreakingly handsome. There was something earnest about him, simplicity without artifice that probably translated well on screen. She could see why he was a star.
