by Hart, Lea
She finished drying off, hung up the towel and walked out of the room naked. Travis watched her leave and quickly got out, so he could join her.
They lay together in their new bed as their limbs entwined. “I love you, Cary.”
She lifted herself up for a moment and looked at him. “I love you, Travis.” She felt him pull her against his chest, and he wrapped his arm around her and made sure they were flush against one another. “Is this how you want to sleep together,” she asked.
“Absolutely. This is one of the best things about being together. We get to sleep this way together for the rest of our lives. I can’t seem to sleep if we’re not together. I didn’t sleep when I was in the UAE and I’m glad to be home with you.”
She ran her hand down his face. “Go to sleep, because I’m not going anywhere.”
“Good night, sweetheart.” He felt her breath even out, and she was asleep almost instantly. He felt himself being pulled under by exhaustion and his last thought was that he was the luckiest son of bitch in the world.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Travis woke up suddenly and alone and looked around the room as he tried to figure out where he was. He lay back down once he remembered that he was home and Cary had told him that she loved him. He got up and heard some noise from the kitchen and realized that she must be unpacking. He pulled on his shorts and took a couple of minutes in the bathroom to brush his teeth. He looked over at the tub and remembered how much fun they had last night and was grateful to be the recipient of Cary’s new-found interest in trying new things. She was like a kid in a candy store, and he seemed to be her favorite treat. He wanted to make sure that he was the only one to satisfy her cravings. It was his duty and privilege to make sure that all of her desires were satisfied.
He made his way downstairs, walked into the kitchen and enjoyed the view of his pretty girlfriend in her shorts and tank top. She looked damned sexy as she unwrapped dishes and set them on the counter. She looked up, and his breath caught when he saw her big smile. “Good morning, sweetheart,” he said. He leaned over and let his mouth press against hers. She responded by putting her hand on his behind as she kissed him back. “I knew you liked my ass.”
“I do like it.” She kissed him quickly and then stepped back to get him a cup of coffee. “I found the coffee maker in the fifth box I opened. I’m going to unpack the kitchen and the bedroom today. What are you doing?”
“Whatever you want me to do. I’m taking the rest of the week off and helping you get the house together.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Wow, I’ m the luckiest girl in the world. My boyfriend is a sex machine, good-looking and handy. I won the boyfriend lottery.”
“I’m also in love with you.”
“Since I’m in love with you too, I’m going to make you breakfast. Actually, all I’m going to do is toast you a bagel, because that’s all we have. We have to go to the grocery store today.”
“Let’s make sure to clean out the fridge at my condo and bring it here.”
“I cleaned it out already. All that’s left are some condiments.”
Travis ate his bagel and admired her as she bent over and pulled dishes out of the box. It gave him a couple of ideas for later on. “What do you want me to do first?”
“I think we need curtains, so if you would put up the curtain rods, I would appreciate it. I have a tool box around her somewhere. Give me a second and I’ll find it.”
He kissed her quickly and squeezed her hand, “I’ll just get the one out of my truck.”
“You have one in your truck? What else do you have in there?”
“Just a couple of things, in case of emergency.” He gave her a bland smile and hoped like hell she never asked him exactly what he had in his truck. It wasn’t something that she was likely to understand. He had a M9 pistol with five magazines, body armor with a PASGT helmet, MRE’s, five gallons of water, a GPS receiver, night vision goggles and a tablet with SATCOM transmitters. He also liked to keep a little C4 in the false bottom of his tool kit. He knew how to blow things up and believed in the SEAL philosophy that there were few problems that couldn’t be solved with the right explosive. There were a few other things, but those were the basics that he always kept on hand. “I’ll go grab my tool kit and start on the curtain rods.”
She smiled at him as he walked away and wondered what he kept in his truck. Shaking her head she turned to her boxes and got back to work.
********
Cary pulled out of her driveway and noticed that Travis was looking around. “Are you going to be a bad passenger?”
“No. Why would you ask that?”
“Because your head is swiveling around like it’s going to be disconnected from your head. I’m guessing that giving up control and letting me drive to the market is going to be a little tough for you.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Stick to your story, but I can see the perspiration on your forehead. Let’s think of this as therapy….a way for you to get over your control issues. Actually this is a really effective trust exercise. We may need to drive across the country before we see some positive results, though.”
“I trust you.”
“Just keep repeating that to yourself until you believe it or the enamel on your teeth gives way. I can see your jaw clamping down hard.”
“When did you become such an observant person?”
“Since I started teaching. You keep forgetting that I taught middle school for several years, and there’s very little that gets past me. I just don’t always comment on it, but don’t mistake my silence for lack of attention.” She drove down the street toward the market and turned on the radio, and her car was instantly filled with the sounds of Sam Hunt. She looked over at Travis and noticed that he was looking out the window, and his shoulders were stiff as if he was doing the best he could to remain still. Well, at least it was a start.
Travis sat in silence and willed his body to relax. He knew that Cary was a good driver and he had no reason to be worried. He just liked driving. It felt as if he should be the one to take care of her and not the other way around. They pulled into the parking lot, and Cary found a spot, turned off the car, turned to him and smiled.
“See…that wasn’t so bad. We made it here in one piece, and you’re still alive. I appreciate you letting me drive. I could see that it was a real struggle for you.” She leaned over and pressed her mouth against his. “You can drive home.”
He put his big hand on the back of her head, pulled her in and deepened the kiss. He let her go and rested his head against hers. “Love you, baby. I’ve felt this way for a while, and I’m damn happy that I don’t have to keep quiet about it anymore.”
“I love you, too. Just don’t think that you’re going to get your way all the time. I’ll be driving us around every now and then. I think it will provide you the opportunity to grow as a person and prepare you for when we have kids.” She got out of the car and was opening the back to get her bags out when she felt herself lifted off the ground. Travis wrapped his arms around her and twirled her around and gave her a big, happy smile.
“Can we go home and practice?” he asked. “I think I could put a baby in you by the end of the week.”
“I need to get groceries first. We can discuss the rest after we get home. I think we need to have a lot more practice before we consider serious baby making.”
“I think we could do both at the same time.”
Cary grabbed a cart, pulled out her list and walked into the market. “I’ll think about it.” She put her feet up on the cart. “You can roll me in.” He wrapped his arms around her and pushed her in to the grocery store.
“Where do we start?”
She pointed in the direction of the bakery. “Let’s start over there.”
“Your wish is my command.” He rolled her over, let her get off, and gave her a quick kiss as he let he
r go. He heard a deep voice call her name, turned in the direction it came from and watched a man walk toward them. Travis put his arm around her shoulder, tucked her in close and studied the guy as he got closer.
Cary shifted a little, moved out from under Travis’s arm and took his hand as her ex-boyfriend walked up to them. She was damn happy to be standing next to Travis. She gave him a big smile and leaned into her big bad spec ops warrior boyfriend and waited for Eric to say something.
“Hi, Cary. What a surprise to see you.”
“Hello, Eric. How are you?”
“I’m good. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you. You look good.” Cary watched him study her, and she realized that he was trying to figure out why she looked so happy.”
Travis stepped forward and put his hand out to Eric. “We haven’t met. I’m Travis Mathers, Cary’s boyfriend.” He looked at the guy dead on and communicated with him exactly where everyone stood. He looked over at Cary and noticed her looking up at him with a big, sexy smile. He felt her squeeze his hand and lean into him. He didn’t understand why she was so happy with him, but he didn’t want to question it, and he looked back at her with all the love and heat that he felt. This woman had the power to seduce him in the middle of a grocery store in front of her ex- boyfriend. He heard Eric clear his throat, turned in his direction and gave him a questioning look. “We should get going because we have a fridge to fill in our new house. We just moved in yesterday and have lots to get done.” He looked at Eric again and watched his face fall. “Are you ready, sweetheart?”
Cary looked up at him. “Yes.” She turned toward Eric. “Take care.” She pulled Travis’s hand and turned toward the bakery with a happy smile and a light feeling. She wondered if doing a happy dance next to the bread would be considered weird.
“So, are you going to tell me why you’re so happy?”
Turning to him, she let out a laugh and shook her hips. “Every girl wants to run into her ex-boyfriend when she is standing next to her new boyfriend. The bonus here is that I’m having a good hair day and I’m wearing lipstick. The even bigger bonus is that you’re big, intimidating and handsome. You never think it’s going to happen, and when it does, it’s sweet justice. The other thing I’m happy about is that when I looked at him, I felt nothing.”
“I’m glad that I was around when you two ran into one another. That guy didn’t look like he was done with you. He looked at you like you were the prize that he’d been searching for. It was important for me to communicate where things stand.”
“You barely said two words to one another. When did you have the chance to communicate anything to him?”
“Men often communicate without words. We like to use body language and looks.”
“If you say so.” She gave him a funny look, pulled out her list and studied it for a moment. “Do you want to split up the list or do you want to go through the market together?”
“I want to go together. I’m not giving that guy a chance to come up and talk to you without me around.”
“Paranoid much?”
He took the cart and started rolling it toward the dairy aisle. “Yes, thank you for asking.”
They made their way through the aisle, and Cary learned a lot about Travis and what he liked to eat. She was having fun and attributed it to his sense of humor and personality. He was easy-going most of the time, with the exception of her safety. In that area he seemed completely overprotective. They were standing in front of the butcher counter waiting their turn when Cary realized that she’d forgotten tomatoes. “Can you go and get six tomatoes while I stand in line?”
“Sure, baby. What kind do you want?”
“The big heirloom tomatoes. If you can’t find them, just ask one of the guys.”
He leaned over and kissed her. “Got it. Be back in a few.”
She smiled at his retreating figure and admired the view. She liked the jeans he had on. He was right she did like his behind. Lost in thought she was startled when she heard her name called. She turned around and saw Eric walking up to her. It seemed a little creepy that he showed up the minute Travis left her side. Maybe Travis wasn’t so paranoid after all. She gave Eric a stiff smile as he came up to next to her, and she waited for him to speak. She wasn’t going to pretend that they were friends, so it was up to him.
“Cary, it’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other.”
“You said that earlier. Is there something you want?”
“I want to know how you are and what’s going on in your life.”
“Why?”
“Because I care about you.”
“Eric, I’m going to call bullshit. We broke up over a year ago and it wasn’t a friendly. You haven’t tried to get in touch with me in all of that time. So, what is it you really want?”
I’m just surprised to see you with a new boyfriend, he seems a little rough.”
Cary let out a big laugh and then looked at Eric with a look of disbelief. “It’s none of your business who I love and live with. My boyfriend happens to be a retired SEAL and a war hero. He’s put his life on the line for the last fifteen years to protect this country while people like you sit in their offices trying to figure out how to make more money. He’s an elite spec ops warrior and a valued member of a community that has saved more people than you can count. He’s not rough-looking. He’s the best-looking man in the world and the love of my life. I can’t believe we found each other, and I thank my lucky stars that we did and I figured it out in time. So, I’ll thank you never to speak about him or to him without showing him the proper respect that he deserves.” She heard her number called, moved toward the counter and dismissed him.
Travis had been standing in the aisle behind Cary and heard the whole conversation. He was going to intervene but decided to wait and see if she needed his help. Hearing her speech almost made him lose his shit. His woman was a fierce defender of his honor and not someone to be messed with. He needed to propose to this woman asap and get a ring on her finger. He was glad that he’d chosen a ring with a large stone, because he didn’t want anyone confused that she was good and truly taken. Then he’d get her down the aisle as soon as he could. He walked up to Cary and took her hand. “I found them.”
Looking at the bag in his hand, she smiled up into his eyes and was grateful that she’d had the good sense to let down her walls and fall in love with this man. “Those look perfect.” She leaned into him as they waited for the butcher to get their order together. “I like going to the grocery store with you.”
“Me, too sweetheart.” He kissed her head and formulated his plan for tomorrow night. He was going to ask her, and then they could begin the rest of their lives together.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“Do we have to go out tonight?” Cary asked.
“Yes, we do. I have something special planned. I want you to get dressed up and be ready to go at five. We have the house unpacked and we need to go out and celebrate.”
“Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.” He rolled out of bed and walked to the bathroom. “I can feel you staring at my ass.”
She laughed. “I’m enjoying the view.” Hearing him laugh in response gave her a warm feeling and made her wonder why she’d resisted the idea of loving him for so long. She finally got up herself, grabbed her robe and went downstairs to make coffee.
She was barely down the stairs when she heard the doorbell ring. Who in the heck was at the door this early in the morning? She looked through the window, noticed the big delivery truck and remembered that the dining room table was being delivered today. She disengaged the security system and opened the door to greet the delivery men. “Hi, guys. So happy to see you. I’m excited to see the table.”
A man greeted her with a big smile and then saw Travis come up behind her and let his smile fade. Travis very gently moved Cary behind him as he spoke with the man. He watched him move down the stairs and signal to his partners that they coul
d start unpacking the table. Cary looked up at Travis. “Why did you move me behind you?”
“Baby, I think I should be the only one who enjoys the view of you. Look down at your robe.”
Looking down, she noticed that her robe was gaping a little. “I wasn’t expecting company.”
“I know. I saw the way that man was looking at you and I figured he liked what he saw. Hell, I don’t blame him, but I’m not sharing.”
“You get to make the coffee, then, and supervise the installation of the table. I’m going to shower and get ready for my day.”
Sweeping a kiss over her lips, he smiled. “I’ll make breakfast as well.” He watched her nod and make her way upstairs. He said to himself, “I need to buy her a new robe because that one has been causing problems since we met.”
He went into the kitchen and quickly got the coffee made and got his supplies ready for breakfast. Hearing the men bring the table in, he moved into the dining room and watched them place it in the center of the rug. Cary had chosen a large, round table made of pine. It could probably fit ten people. I’m happy to be marrying a woman with good taste. He could see all of their future celebrations happening around the table as their children ran around playing. He wondered how many children she wanted and how soon she might be willing to start. First things first… he had to ask her to marry him, and he hoped like hell that she was going to agree.
The men returned and placed the chairs around the table and two against the wall. The supervisor handed him an invoice to sign. “Sorry about earlier, man. I didn’t mean to disrespect you. I was caught off guard when your wife opened the door. It took me a moment to get myself together.”
“I understand. She seems to have that effect on a lot of people. No one sees it coming and then wham! You’re hit. I’m going to buy her a new robe today, and I hope that helps.”
“Good idea, man.”
