Travis nodded his understanding. He was feeling it, too, sensing Tierra’s rising discomfort. He didn’t want her to be afraid to be with him. When it was right, she would want it as much as he did. He wanted her to want him just as much.
He clasped her hand in his, leading her back to the landing platform. “Grab your helmet,” he said easily. “Let’s go picnic by the lake.”
When the morning sun rose, Tierra was sleeping soundly against the padded mattress, still fully clothed in her jeans and T-shirt. Just as Travis had suggested, they’d gone down to the lakeside for a picnic lunch. Travis had paid some of the staff to go get them sandwiches from a nearby shop. Ham and cheese on whole-wheat bread with orange soda had filled their stomachs nicely.
The rest of the afternoon had been spent swimming, fishing, canoeing, hiking and exerting every ounce of energy the two could muster. Just as dusk began to darken the sky, the two had zipped back to the tree house. When Travis had disappeared to go take a shower, Tierra had lain across the bed and had fallen straight to sleep.
Staring down at her, Travis couldn’t help but marvel at how exquisitely beautiful she was. She looked like an angel as she slumbered so peacefully. He hadn’t been able to sleep as soundly. His desire had been pandemic, his wanting rampant with her being so near to him.
He’d found her dozing when he’d come back from the showers and he hadn’t wanted to disturb her. The air mattress they kept stored beneath the bed gave him something soft to sleep on without disturbing Tierra’s rest. But not even the sounds of the night creatures had moved her. Raccoons and ringtails had moved about outside the space, and Tierra hadn’t budged. A local coyote had sung to the moon and resident screech owls and great horned owls had serenaded them, and still she hadn’t moved. Even now, as the early morning calls of the birds and the trickle of the waterfall in the distance rippled through the air, Tierra dozed easily.
But Travis had heard them all, tossing and turning as sleep had eluded him. Through the night he had wanted nothing more than to be able to crawl into the bed beside her, strip them both out of their clothes and make passionate love the whole night long. His morning erection still lingered at the thought.
Tierra could barely remember returning to the room, and falling asleep across the bed was a complete befuddlement to her. She hadn’t heard the man moving quietly around her, but right then she felt his hands gently caressing her back. His touch felt good as he ran his fingertips up her spine, along her shoulder blades and over her shoulders. Unable to resist, she moaned, a soft mutter muffled by the pillow beneath her head. As he brushed the length of her hair aside, Travis leaned to plant a damp kiss against the back of her neck.
“Hey, sleepyhead, are you planning to stay here all day?”
Tierra smiled, her eyes still closed tightly. The fresh morning air tickled her nostrils as she took a deep inhale of air. “Good morning!”
“Good morning to you. It’s time to get up.”
Tierra hummed softly. “Hmmmm. I don’t want to.”
Chuckling, Travis tapped her buttocks. “Let’s move it, princess. The fish are biting and we need to catch dinner.”
Tierra groaned. “No fishing!”
Laughing, Travis dropped down onto the bed beside her, his hands still skating across her back and shoulders. He leaned to kiss the top of her head. “Well then, we’ll just do some hiking. There’s a lot to explore in these here hills!”
“What’s so wrong with room service and shopping?” she asked teasingly. “I can do shopping.”
Travis laughed again, the wealth of it filling the morning air. “There’s no room service here, and definitely no shopping. Now, are you going to get up and get a shower by yourself, or am I going to put you in the shower?”
Tierra opened her eyes and looked up at him. Her mind was suddenly running rampant with the possibilities. Their afternoon together had been one of the best experiences she’d had in a very long time. Tierra had gotten to see another side of Travis, his conservative nature more casual and relaxed. He’d also gotten to see a side of her that she herself had never experienced. The entire day had been challenging, moving her to do things she would never have imagined doing before.
They had talked for hours, conversation flowing as easily as the flow of water that rippled across the lake. They’d laughed, and once or twice she had teared up with emotion. Even the moments of silence had been easy and relaxed, allowing them both to discover comfort in just being quiet with each other.
Tierra had allowed herself to fantasize about the man, imagining the promise of him and her together. She had thought the night would have gone differently. She hadn’t given any thought to her falling asleep without the two of them exploring more of their relationship. But she had, and he had allowed her that time to herself. There had been no expectations, no demands, nothing she wasn’t totally and completely comfortable with.
Tierra could no longer deny the attraction she had for him. Nor could she deny that what she was feeling was so much more about who he was and how he was than just the heat he ignited deep in her feminine spirit. She was feeling something for the man that couldn’t be refuted or ignored.
She shifted her body until she was lying on her side facing him. “I imagine, Mr. Stallion, that you and I in a shower will have a very different ending from the last time we found ourselves in that position.”
Tierra sat upright, her voice dropping to a sultry whisper. “I also imagine that if that happens, we won’t be doing any fishing or shopping today.” She looked him directly in the eye, reaching out her hand and dropping it against his knee. She slowly caressed his thick thigh.
The gesture sent a bolt of electricity straight through the man. Travis met her gaze. “So, you decide,” he whispered back. “Are you taking your shower with my assistance, or are you going to do it all by your lonesome?”
Tierra smiled, her lips bending slowly. Travis Stallion had haunted her dreams, walking in and out of her sleep. Their day together had been exhausting, and even as she’d drifted off into a deep sleep she couldn’t help but imagine the two of them making sweet love together. She wanted him to make love to her. She wanted him right then and there.
Rising from the bed, Tierra continued to watch him as he watched her. She kicked off her sneakers and socks as she slowly lifted her T-shirt up and over her head. Reaching both hands behind her, she unsnapped her white lace bra and let it fall to the floor beneath her feet. Travis’s eyes widened as he gasped, awed by the beauty of her.
Turning from him, Tierra headed across the planked floor to the bridge that swung between the bedroom and the bathroom. Travis had risen, standing by the bedside as he stared after her.
“I’ll need someone to help me wash my back,” she said, tossing him a glance over her shoulder. And then she eased her way across the sky bridge, sunshine lighting her path as her naked backside beckoned him to follow.
Chapter 14
The shower enclosure was small, much smaller than the shower they’d shared at the Stallion family home. By the time Travis made his way to her side, he was as naked as she was, his clothes abandoned along the short walkway.
Stepping into the flow of heated water, Travis pressed his hands to her shoulders, moving his body close to hers. His fingers skated down the length of her arms, tickling her flesh. Tierra closed her eyes as he moved against her, her back and buttocks kissing his chest and thighs. A shiver raced from the pit of her stomach down and out into her limbs. She was enjoying a delightful throb between her legs. The rush she’d gotten from exposing herself to him didn’t begin to compare to the sexy feeling now shimmering deep in her stomach.
Reaching for a bar of soap, Travis rubbed lather between his hands and then drew his palms across her body. He soaped and massaged her back first, relieving the last ounce of tension that had accumulated there. Tierra moaned in pleasure, a sigh of contentment blowing past her lips. “That really feels nice,” she said softly.
She sudde
nly gasped in surprise as Travis’s hands skated across her buttocks, kneading her cheeks. The gesture made her giggle softly. Travis laughed with her.
“You’ve got a nice rear view,” Travis murmured into her ear. “A very nice rear view.”
Tierra turned in his arms, moving him to wrap them around her torso. She hugged him back, clasping her hands together at the small of his back. She pressed her breasts tight against his torso. The sensation of his skin against hers teased her nipples until they were rock-candy hard, standing at full attention.
Travis continued to lavish her with suds, his hands and soap gliding effortlessly over her body. When he reached for her breasts, caressing one and then the other, she knew there would be no turning back. She was suddenly excited at the prospect of their growing relationship taking them where neither had gone before.
Tilting her face to his, Tierra kissed him. Their lips touched first, then their tongues, meeting like old friends for the first time. Their passion rose in intensity, her tongue eagerly searching his mouth, reaching for the back of his throat. Travis moaned as Tierra danced in his mouth and gently sucked on his lips. He couldn’t remember having ever tasted anything so sweet.
Travis trailed a path of kisses from her mouth down her chin to her neck, nibbling his way back to her mouth again. His hands were racing from one point on her body to another, not wanting to stop nor knowing where to move next. He was being consumed by his want of the woman, his taut muscles about to explode with pleasure.
Tierra opened her eyes wide, staring deep into his. In that moment, she couldn’t begin to imagine what her life might be like without him. More important, she knew she didn’t want to. “I want you,” Tierra muttered before kissing his mouth again.
Nodding his understanding Travis eased a large hand between her thighs, his fingers teasing the line of her secret treasure. He pressed the pad of his thumb against the button that had swelled full, eager for his attention. Tierra’s body suddenly spasmed with pleasure.
Moisture ran from the showerhead above them, mixing with the moisture that dripped against his hand. Tierra purred, consumed by the rapture sweeping through her. Wanting more, she reached her hand between their two bodies, eagerly wrapping her fingers around the length of his manhood. Steel pulsed against her palm, the length of him expanding even more as she slowly began to stroke him back and forth. With each stroke, she was unconsciously moving her hips against him, grinding her pelvis hard against his leg.
Travis dropped both of his hands to her waist and lifted her off her feet. He pressed her body against the shower wall as Tierra wrapped her legs around his pelvis and her arms around his neck. She kissed his mouth as the length of his erection pressed teasingly at the door of her feminine spot.
Tierra’s touch had him on sensory overload. It was taking all of Travis’s fortitude not to explode right then and there from the pleasure. The wanting made him whimper ever so softly.
Sweeping her into his arms, Travis carried her from the shower back to the bedroom. Around them the sun had risen full and bright in the deep blue sky, light glistening through the trees around them. Laying her down against the comforter, Travis stepped back to admire the view.
He’d never known a woman more beautiful. Her damp skin glistened in the daylight. The luxurious mane of hair was splayed above her head, framing her face. Travis sucked in a quick gasp of air as Tierra opened her legs widely, one manicured hand gliding across her breasts as the other stopped at the cusp of her pubic hair. In that moment, the desire she had for him was spilling like a tidal wave out of her large brown eyes.
He moved to his overnight bag, searching a zippered compartment until he found a foil-wrapped condom hidden inside. As he made his way back to the bedside, he tore the wrapper with his teeth.
Tierra leaned up on her elbows, watching as he eased the prophylactic over his engorged member. Lust flooded his expression, his desire flashing like a neon sign.
Reclining back against the bed, Tierra splayed her legs wide open. Travis dropped his body down against hers, pressing his lips back to her lips. She gasped loudly as Travis eased himself slowly into her. The moment was surreal as Tierra welcomed him inside, thrusting her body eagerly against his.
Travis clasped her face between his palms, his stare penetrating hers. His body moved against her body, Tierra meeting him thrust for thrust. The moment was overwhelming and tears suddenly pooled behind Tierra’s eyelids. No man had ever loved her so sweetly. Never before had her body been so in sync with someone else’s. The couple was panting and gasping in unison, both frenzied with desire.
Travis felt himself edging closer to that moment of bliss. He could tell by Tierra’s expression that she was ready to fall over that edge with him. He moaned her name over and over again as if in prayer, and Tierra answered him with an entreaty of her own. Wrapping her legs around his buttocks, she clutched his back, her nails barely digging into his bare flesh.
Like two perfectly tuned instruments, the couple played each other beautifully. The music between them was an opus of desire and yearning, orchestrated with masterful precision. Neither had known it possible to create such a work of art without even trying.
When he exploded, spilling himself into her, Tierra cried out loudly, his name rolling like melted butter from her tongue as she climaxed with him. She cried out his name and showed Travis that she loved him, too.
Tierra would not be moved from where she lay. She was spent, her body completely exhausted. She and Travis had made love over and over again, the man’s stamina limitless. By late afternoon, hunger had gotten the best of them both.
“We could ride into town for some supper,” Travis suggested, lying on his side, his body spooning hers.
“We could,” Tierra responded. “But I don’t have any desire to get up,” she admitted. She rocked her buttocks against his pelvis.
Travis chuckled. “You just don’t want to zip back down to the gates.”
“That, too!”
The man moved against her, a flicker of energy pulsing ever so slightly through his groin. “I guess I could zip down by myself and bring us something back.”
Rolling against him, Tierra pressed herself against his body. His skin was still damp from perspiration, sweat moistening his skin. “That actually sounds like it would be a very good idea,” she said, pressing a gentle kiss between his breast bone.
A deep smile pulled at Travis’s mouth as he eased his hands through her hair and kissed her back, pressing his lips to her forehead. He lifted his body from the bed and reached for his clothes, pulling his jeans and tank back on. He slipped his large feet into his boots and adjusted the belt around his waist.
“Do you want something in particular?” Travis queried, amusement painting his expression.
Tierra shrugged nonchalantly. “Filet mignon, lobster tail and chocolate mousse for dessert.”
The man chuckled. “Two burgers and fries coming right up, Ms. Braddy.”
Tierra laughed. “Don’t forget the chocolate.”
“And a side of moon pie!” Travis exclaimed.
Stepping into his harness and adjusting his helmet, Travis moved to the outside landing. Peering back into the room, he called out Tierra’s name.
“Yes?”
“Baby, I miss you already,” the man said before casting himself down the zip line.
Tierra’s words echoed behind him. “I miss you more, sweetheart!”
Tierra woke to the sound of rain tapping against the leaves on the trees. The gentle patter was soothing as moisture dripped and puddled down to the ravine below. Except for the splatter of raindrops, all else was quiet outside, nothing seeming to move at all through the trees.
A cool breeze blew gently, the temperature having dropped considerably from the afternoon heat. A night-light plugged into the far wall illuminated the space, and a small moth fluttered back and forth in front of it. The tranquil environment was nothing like Tierra could have imagined herself enjoying.
Travis lay beside her, sleeping peacefully. The man had exhausted every ounce of his energy. Tierra had lost count of the number of times they’d pleasured each other, no corner of the room missed as they’d moved from the bed to the floor and back again. They’d made love in the shower twice, her back pressed against the shower stall, her legs wrapped around his waist as Travis had pulled and pushed her body against his. They had fallen asleep wrapped in each other’s arms, and even now, as Tierra lay wide awake beside him, Travis was draped around her like a warm blanket.
As if he sensed her no longer sleeping, Travis nuzzled his face into her neck. “Why aren’t you asleep? Aren’t you tired?” he muttered against her skin.
“I was dreaming about you, and it woke me up,” she answered sweetly.
“What were you dreaming?”
“We were old and gray and at our daughter’s wedding.”
The man smiled sheepishly. “Was she as beautiful a bride as her mother? Because you know her mother is going to be a beautiful bride.”
Tierra smiled. “You don’t quit, do you?”
“Should I? I mean really, do you want me to?”
Tierra blew warm air past her lips. She snuggled down closer to the man. “Would it hurt your feelings if I told you I don’t know what I want?”
Travis wrapped his arms tightly around her, hugging her against him. “It would hurt my feelings more if you weren’t honest with me.”
She brushed her head against his chest. “What I do know is that you have made the last couple of weeks absolutely incredible, even when you were being annoying. I know that you make me laugh, and when I’m with you I feel safe and secure. I know that when you took off I missed you terribly. And I know that right now, being with you here, like this, means more to me than I would have ever expected. That’s what I do know.”
Promises to a Stallion (Kimani Romance) Page 10
