“I have a little surprise to share with you tonight,” Travis told her. His handsome face formed a teasing smile as her face tightened with sudden apprehension. “It’s not the kind of surprise that comes in a little box, so don’t get worried.”
Liz appreciated Travis telling her that up front. He’d helped her realize that she had issues with long-term relationships and while she suspected he was ready to up the ante with theirs, so far he’d been very patient while she sorted through her feelings with her therapist.
“So what kind of surprise is it?” she asked as she snuggled a little more closely against him. He had a tall lean body and she liked the feel of his hard lines against her own firm flesh.
Travis slipped his hands around Liz’s waist. “It’s the kind of surprise that gets me loads of hot exciting sex when we go back to your place after dinner.”
“Like you couldn’t get that anyway,” Liz teased. She slipped her hand inside his coat and suit jacket to touch his chest through his silk shirt. “Or are you saying you’re feeling our sex life has become a tad too boring and you’re trying to spice it up a little?”
“Boring is a word that I will never associate with you,” Travis assured her. His hand slipped down to her ass and squeezed deliciously. “Let’s just say that I feel confident that tonight we are going to want to redefine the term spectacular.”
Liz let her fingers trail down to Travis’ abdomen, stopping well above his belt, while insinuating interest in his package down below. “I like the sound of that word, spectacular, but as a lawyer, I’m naturally suspicious. Is this some sort of elaborate scheme to trick me into sharing my secret with you?”
Travis slid his hands lightly up Liz’s sides toward her breasts. He didn’t actually touch them, but came as physically close as possible without doing so. “Your secret,” he confided, “cannot possibly be as exciting as my surprise tonight.”
Liz removed her hand from Travis’ stomach. “Oh, really?”
Travis moved his own hands back down Liz’s body until his fingertips surfed across the surface of her round ass again. Unconsciously she moved closer to him—close enough to feel the affect that her close proximity was having on the bulge in Travis’ pants. “Really!” he assured her. “Tonight my surprise will rock your entire world!”
His lips met hers again and he kissed her very thoroughly. Liz felt her groin pressing more tightly against his bulge as her hardening nipples pushed against his well-garbed chest. Her eyes closed and for a moment she forgot the teasing and lost herself in Travis’ embrace. But she was too competitive to leave his challenge unanswered for long. When they parted, she picked up his gauntlet and tried to up the stakes.
“And what if I told you that my secret will lead to the best sex of either of our lives?”
Travis lifted his finger and playfully brushed the tip of Liz’s nose. “Then I’d say you’d better hurry up and get your coat, because between the two of us tonight, we are going to blow each others’ minds.”
Dinner reservations were not actually until seven-thirty so Travis had no problem letting Liz go home to shower and change before they went out again. He looked so damn hot all dressed up as he was that Liz was tempted to skimp on making herself up so they’d have time to play a little first, but she’d foregone her plans in order to make certain he didn’t discover the surprise beneath her panties before the big unveiling tonight.
The flesh down there was still sore, of course, and she had to apply more A&D goo to keep it moist after her shower. But she didn’t foresee the mild discomfort providing any obstacle to the hot night of sex that Travis obviously had planned.
They arrived at the restaurant about fifteen minutes early and waited in the bar while their table was readied.
“You know,” Liz told him. “I’ve been thinking it over and it’s possible that this is only the second time I’ve seen you in a suit. There was Christmas morning, of course, when we went to church with your family, but that one wasn’t as nice as this one.” She reached over to feel the fabric of the lapel of his jacket again. She saw a lot of suits in her business and she estimated this one was in the thousand-dollar range—way more than she would expect a young high school chemistry teacher to be able to afford, although his family clearly had money.
Travis jiggled the ice cubes in his scotch, trying to make his drink colder. “That suit didn’t have quite the effect on you that I was hoping for,” Travis told her. “You waited until we returned to my apartment Christmas evening to get frisky with me.”
That wasn’t completely true, Liz remembered, but she had been on unusually good behavior that day. Somehow the possibility of Travis’ family unexpectedly interrupting them had seemed a lot more unsettling than similar situations with previous boyfriends had.
“I guess your family makes very good chaperones,” Liz told him. “We never really got the chance for foreplay.”
“If you say so,” Travis continued to tease her.
Liz decided to ignore the comment. She’d had a good time with Travis’ family and didn’t think they were nearly as bad as he liked to pretend. It was true his mother was a bit odd, but really, when it came right down to it, whose mother wasn’t? “So what’s behind this killer suit today?” she asked. “Surely you didn’t buy it solely so we could have great sex tonight.”
Travis raised his eyebrows as if to ask, Is that really not a good enough reason? What he said was, “It’s all part of the surprise, Ms. Brennan. It’s all part of the surprise.”
Liz felt just a twinge of irritation. It appeared, she decided, that she enjoyed being the teaser more than she enjoyed being the teased. “And you’re not going to tell me yet?”
Travis would not be rushed. “Not for a little while yet.”
Liz had one of those moments where she realized she would have to give the other party his way on something. Usually it took a judge’s ruling to force her to see that. It was a personality flaw that had wounded many of her previous relationships. But she’d grown enough with Travis—frankly cared enough about him—that she could now back off and give him his moment with the reins.
“Well, if your surprise is really this important, I think it deserves a toast.” She lifted her glass of Chablis between them. “To your big surprise, and may it really rock my world tonight!”
“Here, here!” Travis applauded before taking another drink of his scotch.
Try as she might, Liz couldn’t let the matter go. “So when are you going to tell me?”
Travis seemed both delighted by her interest and in absolutely no hurry to share the secret. “It’s early yet,” he reminded her. “It might be embarrassing for us if I told you now and you ripped off all my clothes on the bar here in your resulting excitement.”
For the life of her, Liz couldn’t figure out what the surprise could be unless he was lying, of course, and really did intend to give her a ring. She decided to try another tact to see if she could ferret the information out of him. “So why didn’t you tell me you were coming down to Detroit today?”
“Evidently you don’t understand the concept of secret,” Travis told her before taking another sip of his scotch. “That’s an interesting failing in a lawyer. So why don’t I help you by asking about your day? What’s this case you’re working on again?”
“Oh, it’s another routine traffic accident,” Liz told him with a dismissive wave of her hand. “I spent the day writing a brief explaining why my client deserves his day in court. The insurance company will end up settling, we just have to go through the motions first.”
Travis shook his head in wonder. “I don’t know how you do that, fighting all day long, I mean. I’d find that very draining.”
Liz shrugged. “I’ve always enjoyed a good argument. I like it when the sparks start flying.” It was a trait, once again, that had driven a lot of men away from her over the years.
The hostess appeared beside Travis. “Your table is ready, Sir.”
“Thanks,”
Travis told her. He slid off his bar stool and offered Liz his hand.
She accepted his help and stood beside him. She’d always liked the fact that Travis was comfortably taller than she was. She thought they made a very good-looking couple. Good enough to turn heads even if there wasn’t the interracial thing or the age difference between them. He gazed into her eyes for a moment and she tried to figure what he was thinking, but as usual, today at least, his thoughts remained a mystery.
“It didn’t really occur to me until now,” she said as they started after the table, “but we really haven’t gone anyplace this fancy before.”
“There is a reason for that,” Travis told her. His fingers were still entwined with hers and he gave her hand a little squeeze now. “From what I’ve been able to piece together about your previous boyfriends, they were always taking you to nice restaurants and plays—but in your stories about them you didn’t seem all that impressed by that sort of thing. So I’ve always tried to keep things more real and entertaining. That makes special nights like this, well…special, rather than routine.”
He helped her sit down. Their table was fairly close to a baby grand piano where a musician was playing a complex classical piece that Liz didn’t recognize.
“Your waiter will be with you in a moment,” the hostess informed them. “Enjoy your meal.”
“So are you ready to tell me now?” Liz asked.
“Let’s have our meal first,” Travis told her. “I think you’re going to need your energy tonight.”
“I’ve figured out your secret,” Liz announced as they finished their meal. She’d enjoyed an exquisite cut of veal and Travis had put away an impressive swordfish steak.
“Oh, you have?” Travis asked her, raising his eyebrow in a manner that suggested he very much doubted this was possible.
“Yes, it was obvious when I finally put my mind to it,” Liz told him. She felt smugly superior having figured it out.
“Do tell,” Travis encouraged her before catching the waiter’s eye to summon him.
“You want me to play Sherlock Holmes and give you all the clues?” Liz asked him.
“Absolutely,” Travis agreed.
The waiter approached him.
“Would you bring that bottle of champagne now?” Travis asked him. “I think we’re ready.”
“All right,” Liz began when the waiter had departed again. “First there is the suit. It’s obviously brand new—better than the one you wore at Christmas for church.”
“Correct!” Travis complemented her.
Liz was thoroughly enjoying herself. One of the reasons she enjoyed being a lawyer so much was that she loved to stand up in front of the jury and lay out her case. “Second, there is this restaurant. It’s ridiculously expensive. And, I hope you aren’t insulted by what I’m saying here but despite what you said about wanting to do things with me that were different than I’m used to, you’re also a high school chemistry teacher and restaurants like this cost a fortune. I know it’s popular today to complain about the size of teacher salaries, but most of you really don’t make that much.”
“Also true,” Travis told her.
“So I conclude,” Liz continued, “that you have come into a sizeable amount of money—won the lottery or some other major windfall—and you’ve come down here to get me to help you blow it. Where are we going? The Caribbean or the Alps?”
Liz smiled in expectation of her triumph. She wasn’t sure about the vacation, of course, but money was the only thing that made sense. Although an inheritance from a distant relative was more probable than the lottery.
“Wrong!” Travis told her just as the waiter arrived with a bottle of champagne in a bucket of ice.
He set the bucket on the table, showed the bottle to Travis and then began to open it.
“What do you mean I’m wrong?” Liz asked.
Travis grinned at her. “I thought the words were pretty self explanatory.”
“But… Then what’s this big secret?”
The waiter popped the cork and began to fill their glasses.
“You’re going to have to wait about ten more seconds to learn that,” Travis told her.
Liz waited impatiently for the waiter to finish pouring their champagne and leave.
Travis handed a glass to her and then picked up his own. “Liz,” he began, “we’ve been together for thirteen months now, but enjoyable as our relationship is, I think we’ve hit a plateau and, well, weekends aren’t giving us the chance to grow together the way I want us to.”
Liz felt her good mood begin to seep away like air out of a leaky balloon. Travis wouldn’t bring her to a fancy place to break up with her, would he?
“So it seems to me,” Travis continued, “that we have three options: break up, accept our relationship is fun but not going anywhere, or find some way to spend more time together.”
Liz held herself firm in her chair, refusing to squirm or give any sign of her discomfort. She’d had a lifetime of professional experience in hiding her emotions and she could do it here tonight.
“I hope you realize that breaking up was never a legitimate option.”
“So what are you saying?” Liz asked him. She was relieved that wasn’t what Travis was leading up to, but the butterflies still fluttering in the pit of her stomach told her she still didn’t know what she wanted him to tell her.
“My Dad’s best friend from college is a senior vice president in Sterling Chemicals,” Travis explained in what was an apparent non sequitor. “They make everything from fertilizer, to household cleaning agents, to industrial explosives, and more. You know I did summer internships with them all through college and Uncle Max—that’s what I’ve always called Mr. Barbery—has been pushing me to come work full time for him ever since. He’s in charge of sales and well, I had my final interview today and he offered me a job. I’m moving to Detroit so we can spend more time together. If you’re willing, I’d like to move in with you too.”
Liz felt totally blind-sided. “You’re moving?” she asked, almost stumbling over the words. “You took a new job? But you love teaching! You said you couldn’t imagine working anyplace you couldn’t have your summers off to have fun.”
How could he do this? And how could he do it without talking to her?
Travis offered a sort of half shrug. He was still holding his champagne glass in his hand. “That was before I realized how important you are to me, Liz. Playing all summer doesn’t seem nearly as important as building a life with you.”
Liz realized she wasn’t reacting properly. Travis had clearly expected squeals of joy followed by celebratory drinks and wild sex. But he’d changed his whole life around for her without giving her a chance to weigh in on his decisions. She couldn’t quite get past the enormity of what he had done, much less figure out if she liked it or not.
Travis put down his glass. “Well, I guess we don’t have to move in together,” he said. The disappointment in his eyes was the worst thing Liz had seen since her father had died.
Suddenly she knew how she felt about Travis’ surprise.
“Don’t think you can back out now, Mr. Lawton!” she told him as she stood up and hurried around the table to throw her arms around him. “This is the most incredible thing that anyone has ever done for me!”
Travis stood up about half a second before she reached him. His strong arms encircled her as she buried her face against his shoulder. There were tears in her eyes. A few moments from now that would embarrass her, as would the curious stares of the people dining at the surrounding tables. But right now—right at this instant—all that mattered was the feel of Travis’ arms around her back, his hard body against hers, and the way her heart was pounding in her chest.
“I love you, Liz,” Travis whispered.
“Oh, honey,” she whispered back. “I love you so much too!”
Chapter Fourteen
Rocking Liz’s World
Liz
Travis carried Liz
through the threshold of what would soon be their apartment and kicked the door shut with his heel. They were drunk enough that they had to call a cab from the restaurant to get here through the newly falling snow. And they were horny and excited enough that Liz didn’t expect them to make it to the bedroom to start having sex. That had happened a lot with Travis in the early days but not so much in the last several months. She was very excited that tonight it was happening again.
Travis paused three steps into the apartment to resume kissing her—his mouth hungrily locking on to hers. She could still taste the scotch on his tongue beneath the lighter flavor of the champagne and tonight it excited her just as much as Travis did.
His strong arms continued to cradle her in the air while she stroked his cheek with her left hand and continued to explore his mouth as if she hadn’t done so a thousand times already over the last year.
Still kissing her, Travis shuffled a couple of steps further into the room, maneuvering them to a place in front of the couch where he sat down a little more heavily than he had probably intended to. The moment his rear end touched the cushion, he slipped his hand out from its supporting position beneath Liz’s legs so he could begin to explore the top of her body. She fumbled with the belt of her coat to make things easier for him. His fingers immediately found her hip and moved very quickly upward toward her breasts. Alcohol had always reduced Travis’ patience and Liz suspected she was going to get it good and hard in a very few minutes.
Not that she minded at all! She was more than wet enough down below to accommodate him and it wasn’t like they hadn’t done a lot of preliminaries in the cab on the way home.
His fingers squeezed her breast through dress and bra, greedily staking a claim to one of his favorite parts of her body. Liz kissed him harder and rolled up on to her side. When she finished she was still sitting in his lap but facing her man a little more squarely as she tried to get access to his cock. His damn coat was in the way and she wasted precious moments unbuttoning it and pushing it back away from him. Then she got back to his cock and the thought of how hot and good it was going to feel inside her.
Snowbound Ink Page 9
