“Sounds like a grand idea.” Rachael hoped he was kidding.
“I hoped you’d see it that way. See you tomorrow,” he was gone.
“Travis?”
Rachael couldn’t believe it. They’d be suitemates! Of all the tricks. He’d wanted this all along and now he’d get his way.
Living together without being married first- only in a subtler way.
She only had a school year to go and she could do it! If he purposefully placed himself in harm’s way, she’d give him exactly what he’d asked for. An entire year of nothing. He’d regret it day after day. She’d get him to the edge of insanity and pull back. Travis was getting ready to see a side of her he’d never seen before and she was going to enjoy every moment of it. And by the time they did get married in the summer, he’d never take her for granted. Not in the least.
Chapter Three
“Let me see if I’ve got this straight. You could get your own place, but you’re not going to do it. Instead you’re going to reside in this low-end, cut-rate dormitory with a bunch of smelly guys. Meanwhile, you’re going to play the part of temptress while fueling the fire and carrying a fire extinguisher to put it out, all while rushing a sorority and partying it up?” Shannah questioned, on speakerphone while Maysie sighed audibly on three-way and Rachael applied mascara.
“Exactly. My parents agreed to pay for the sorority thing when I called them back last night and I think it will keep me busy, while I teach Travis a lesson.” Rachael puckered at her image in the mirror, applying a little sparkly gloss to her lips.
“What lesson is it again?” Maysie asked.
“To trust me more fully.”
“Sounds like a good idea. He should trust you,” Maysie advised.
“Okay, don’t listen to her. It’s a bad idea. A really bad idea. He trusts you. He just doesn’t trust those guys. My prediction: keep this up and you’re going to be calling me with one of those home pregnancy kits, asking me over the phone if a single line is pregnant or a double. Better yet, we’ll be buying you a size sixteen wedding dress and cutting it down to fit because you aren’t sure how big your belly will be by June.” Shannah quipped.
“Don’t listen to her,” Maysie interjected. “Live it up, have fun. I’m engaged. And nope I haven’t gotten myself pregnant. Not that I’m unhappy, because I’m happy- but what you wanted is different. You wanted to go to parties, rush a sorority, live it up. So, do it. No regrets. But, be careful. Sex equals baby. We southern gals are fer-t-ile.” Maysie was the only woman alive who could make the word fertile sound like it had three syllables.
“And for those of us here on planet earth,” Shannah chided, “play your cards carefully. If you tick off a cowboy he may be gone for good.”
“I’m not trying to tick him off, just make him give me some space- but not too much space.”
“How was the first day of rush?” Maysie chimed.
“Fun! I’ll have to tell you about it later.” Rachael ended the call.
A knock sounded on Rachael’s dorm door. She slipped on the high heels she’d specially selected for tonight and ran to answer it. Paired with a pair of short black dressy shorts and a cute fitted top, the red stilettos were probably not what Travis had been expecting.
His mouth dropped and he took a small, faltering step backwards. “Are we still grabbing barbeque?”
“Sure are.”
“Okay,” he closed her door and walked her towards the elevator. “How was the first day of rush?”
“It was fun. Casual conversation and some nice girls. There were a couple of houses I really hated.”
“The houses or the girls?”
“The girls in those houses. Some were snotty, some rude, and some just nothing like me. There’s a few frontrunners though. Places where I could see myself. How about you?”
“I’m a legacy at Sigma, so you know that’s where I’m headed.”
“You could go in a different direction. Be a rule breaker.” She waggled her eyebrows at him.
“No, I actually like those guys.”
“I don’t know about the rest of those guys, but I like you.” Rachael reached over and gave Travis a light kiss on the cheek. It’d been a long summer and she was glad he was home. He’d grown a little taller. She hadn’t thought it possible, but he had. How unfair was it that guys grew taller and continued to grow more handsome with age? Rachael was convinced all that had grown on her were her thighs, backside, and boobs. The freshman fifteen was already five pounds into its goal. If Travis noticed, he didn’t point it out.
They were the only people in the elevator and the ride down was very slow. He used the opportunity to kiss her like he hadn’t been able to for two months. He tangled his hands in her hair and down her back stopping at her upper thigh. He pushed her up against the elevator wall until they heard the chime of the first floor. He released her abruptly and looked into her eyes, tracing her lips with the back of his thumb. He didn’t speak and merely led her from the elevator. Outside he walked her to his truck parked in the parking lot beneath one of the lights.
“I got a call from my sister,” he opened his door for her to slide across and sit in the middle next to him.
“Um hum, what about?” Rachael tried to sound casual, but she knew Maysie may have spilled the beans.
“I’m not going to move into the dormitory after all.” He closed the door and fired up the truck engine. “I trust you, completely, or I wouldn’t have asked you to marry me.”
He pulled out of the parking lot, quiet and pensive. He was driving south rather than north, the direction of the barbeque restaurant. Rachael didn’t ask where they were going- instinctively she knew. Suddenly she wondered if her plan was backfiring on her. She wanted to entice him, but had he misread her outfit? Did he think she wanted more? Was she about to get more than she’d bargained for?
He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her snugly up against his side. He reached forward and put the radio on, a station she’d been listening to herself for the past several days. Rachael lay her head back against the seat and took in a deep breath, breathing in every bit of fresh clean scent that was uniquely Travis. When she was with him she felt drunk on him.
He turned into the parking lot that was his place. The condos were on the edge of town, skirted by tall pines. A breeze carried the smell of freshly cut grass and wildflowers from a field nearby on the evening air. Travis helped her down, out of the truck, and led her towards the large porch with a light on. It was the corner unit, on the first floor. Its porch held gorgeous furniture and an amazing indoor/outdoor rug. She recognized the decorating as being his mother’s style. And Rachael had to admit that it made her own shoddy dorm room look cheap.
He unlocked the door and flipped on a light inside. The smell of barbeque, baked beans, garlic bread, and banana pudding wafted over to them. A small round top dining table was set with plates, glasses, and silverware. He’d gone to a lot of effort and it wasn’t shocking to see that even his black place settings were a perfectly matched set. He pulled out a chair for her and she took a seat.
Travis pulled out a chair for himself and joined her. “I hope you’re not disappointed that we’re dining in. I’ve missed you so much, and I didn’t want to share you with anyone else.”
“I’m not disappointed.” Rachael tried to uphold her calm outside demeanor, but she was quaking inside. She’d forgotten how it felt to be alone with Travis. How difficult it was to be alone with him. Things had been set in motion before he left. A few deep kisses, a few not so innocent moments…
“I think I may have to outlaw those shorts until June.” He took a swig of his sweet tea. “Unless you want to come over here to escape that horrible dorm. Then, those shorts might be necessary.”
“Who are we kidding, Travis. We’re not making it to June.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.”
Travis stood up and pulled her to him. He kissed her long and deep, sweeping her up in
to his arms and carrying her to his large bedroom. He gently lay her down with him beside her. He slowly untied the front of her blouse and worked it away from her breasts. He nipped and nibbled each lobe, fully encircling her nipple with his tongue. He worked his way back up to her face and kissed her eyelids, her cheeks, her neck, and her earlobes. He worked his way back to her mouth and slowly sucked on her full, lower lip. He deepened their kiss once more and slowly retied her blouse. Confusion swept over her. Didn’t he want her?
“Do you trust me?” He asked her, rubbing his knuckles across the soft skin of her upper thigh.
“Of course,” she kissed his lips.
“You shouldn’t, because I want you so badly I can’t think straight. And it runs deep.”
“How deep?”
“Very deep. I can barely control myself when I’m with you, Rach. But I don’t think I could live with myself if I made love to you now.”
“Then, let me make love to you.” Rachael seized his mouth and probed deeper still. She ran her hand down his thigh and back up again. She released his belt, followed by his zipper. She took him in her hand and heard him gasp. She imagined what it would be like to take him inside her, and that was enough to carry her through.
Half an hour later she lay wrapped up in his arms, still fully dressed, one leg thrown across him. “I was beginning to worry it was just me.” He joked.
“Nope, I want you. But I’m still not going to have sex with you. For that you have to wait.” She blushed. “You know I had this plan to tease you along, punishing you for having moved into the dorm and not trusting me.”
“Maysie didn’t tell me that part.”
“Of course not,” she smiled up at him on her elbow.
“And now?”
“I’m moving forward with my plan of trying to not sleep with you until June.”
“And how’s that working out for you?” He laughed, a deep rumble in his chest.
“Not so good so far.”
“Maybe I should drop out of school.” Travis sounded half-serious.
“Don’t be foolish.”
“Then, stay the night with me.” He squeezed her tightly.
“Only if you sleep on the couch.”
“You don’t trust me?”
“Not after that. I’m afraid I may have just primed the pump.” Rachael giggled.
“You did more than that girl, you’ve hooked up the generator. That thing will run nonstop now,” he kissed the top of her head. “Yes, I will sleep on the couch. Just remember that you’re shoeing this horse. I had planned on stopping where I stopped. Made myself stop.” He cleared his throat. “Have I ever told you I really like your breasts?”
“Travis!” Rachael smacked his leg.
“Always have. Even before they got huge and glorious.”
“Stop it,” Rachael was blushing fiercely and he knew it. He knew just how to play her. Here she was trying to play him and he’d played her- like a fiddle. “Get up, let’s eat and then it’s the sofa for you, sir.”
“Rachael, the great destroyer of fun.”
Rachael remembered a time when she’d said the same thing jokingly to him, but she realized it was her that had controlled tonight’s situation. She’d called the shots. Directed how far they’d gone, and put the brakes on where she’d wanted to. And he’d gone along with it and respected her. Not pushed for more. He’d be a good lover, but more importantly a respectful one.
He jumped up, hauling her with him. He led her to the table and pulled a chair out for her. She seated herself and he served her, piling her plate high with food. She merely shook her head. He loved her to eat as much as he did. And even though she never really finished it all, he would offer to finish it for her. Rachael just smiled over at him across from her at the table. His rugged good looks, green eyes, and dark-brown hair. He’d gotten even tanner over the summer and his nicely muscled arms still felt good. The rest of him felt good, too. His long legs were just as lean and strong as they’d always been. She knew he liked to jog early each morning, even while on a mission trip and figured this summer had been no exception.
“Travis, who are we kidding? We aren’t making it until June.”
“June, heck, I’m hoping to make it through tonight.”
Chapter Four
Shannah sat perched on a campus picnic table under a few scarce trees outside Rachael’s hall. She must be on her way up to Tallahassee for classes next week. While it had only been a few weeks since they’d last seen each other, it was great to see Shannah nonetheless. She looked tired- like she hadn’t slept well at all. Her hair was in a bun on top of her head and Rachael immediately thought that it must have something to do with Wade. Maybe they fought or had even broken up.
“Holler back, y’all, is that the walk of shame I see right there?”
From her curt tone, Rachael knew that Shannah’s annoyance had more to do with her than with Wade. Had she been sitting here for awhile?
“Hey, I didn’t know you were coming up today.”
“Last night.”
“You came by last night?”
“Sure did, had a great evening hanging with Luke.”
“You mean Lucia,” Rachael frowned. “She’s really nice, you just have to get to know her.”
“Oh, I did. I slept at your place- in your bed.”
Rachael caught the underlying message there. So, the cat was out of the bag. Shannah knew where she’d been last night and who she’d been with. There was one thing about Shannah. You could trust her to be discreet. She wouldn’t have told anyone a thing about it. Rachael sought to change the subject and possibly redirect it away from herself.
“What did the two of you do? Grab a bite to eat?”
“We went to some pub, with some other equally buff chick. She had arms like tree trunks. I started to feel real inadequate. Found myself flexing and posturing, pressing my arms against my sides and stuff to make them look bigger. Sticking my chest out and all that,” Shannah teased.
“Must have been Kelsey.” Rachael had truly missed Shannah’s crazy wit and humor.
“That was her name. She was nice, but Luke and I really hit it off.” Shannah handed Rachael a bag from the pharmacy across from school. “Here, this is for you. It’s a gift.”
Rachael peeked inside, “Condoms? You bought me condoms?”
“Yep, I figure if they’re handy, you may actually use one.”
“But I haven’t slept with him.”
“Yet, and that’s all Grandma Shannah will say about that. This is how it starts.”
“What about you and Wade? Are you using condoms?” Rachael knew she sounded chippy, but turnabout was truly fair play in this tedious conversation.
“Don’t need them. I’ve been taking other precautions for weeks.” Rachael eyed her skeptically and rolled her eyes. “No, seriously. Check this out.” Shannah rolled up her pants leg to reveal a hairy calf that could rival most guys they’d known in high school. “And that’s not all. My armpits look like I’m a Sasquatch.”
“And that’s working?”
“What guy would want to sleep with this?” Shannah pulled up her blouse to reveal an enormous pair of granny panties that went nearly to her ribs.
Rachael just shook her head. “Okay, but I think you’re kidding yourself. Hairy girl with ugly undergarments or not, Wade still finds you attractive.”
“That’s where the garlic and minced onion have come in as a timely remedy. Works on vampires and men. Who knew?”
“Okay, I have to give you credit for trying.”
“And, as back up, I’m on the pill for skin problems. Have been for years. Back when I started first getting acne.”
“I’ve never known you to have problematic skin.”
“That’s the reason why.”
Lucia walked out of the building carrying a soccer ball. “It was cool hanging with you, Shannah. See you in a few months.”
“Sure thing, Luke. Take care.” Shannah waved.
>
“You actually call her Luke? How do you get away with such stuff?”
“She prefers Luke, short for Luca. I guess it was her nickname growing up. Lucia is her real name and she sort of hates being called that.”
“You found all that out last night at a pub?”
“You were gone all night. That’s a long time.” Shannah gave her that knowing look. “She likes you, but she’s not sure about princess. Yep, I heard all about it.”
“Princess, or Caroline as we should call her, isn’t half bad. Just a little pampered.”
“I thought you were weird as hell when I met you.” Shannah offered. “What can I say? You grew on me and now you’re like a sister.”
“I still can’t believe you’re on the pill.”
“Oh my gosh, we’re back to that. Yep- but let’s be clear. I’m not using it as contraceptive.”
“But you would, if you had to.” Now it was Rachael’s turn to annoy Shannah.
“I didn’t say that. I merely said it’s backup. A safeguard.”
“So, technically you’ve thought you might sleep with Wade and therefore need that backup and safeguard.”
“I never said that.” Shannah fished in her pocket and drew out her keys. “Let’s go. I need to do some shopping.”
“What for?”
“I have a date with Wade tonight. I haven’t seen him in a month.”
“Better be wearing pants or jeans with those legs.”
“No, that was just me being lazy. I’ll shave.”
Rachael swatted her friend’s upper arm. “Are you kidding me? You made all that crap up?”
“Pretty much, I was thinking you’d say something like, ‘Well, you’re too late Shannah. Wish I’d had all that advice yesterday. We slept together last night.’ Then, I could’ve been like, ‘No way! You freakin’ slut! What were you thinking?”
“Hate to disappoint you, but not having sex.”
“And to think after my night with the stout girls I was ready for a fight. Travis better look out.” She teased. “With the two of them I’ve got serious backup.”
Rachael and Shannah hopped off the table and slowly made their way to her Jeep. Rachael was bummed that she had to race away so soon. And felt the need to tell her as much.
Cowgirl Coed (Redneck Debutante Series Book 4) Page 3
