by Sophia Lynn
"Well? Is that what was happening?"
The man was smarter than he had been acting so far, because he nodded frantically.
"Yeah, I was just leaving," he said, and with a shrug, Travis let him go.
"Probably best you go immediately," Travis said. "I have an appointment to talk interior furnishings, and I don't like to be watched."
The man babbled something like agreement and stumbled out the door. Travis watched him go and the moment he was no longer within sight, he was by Eddy in a flash.
"Are you all right?" he asked. "Did he hurt you? It's not too late to call the cops, and I can get him back if—"
Eddy uttered a shaky laugh, shaking her head.
"God, Travis, I'm not delicate, and really, it would have been fine even if you hadn't come in here like the cavalry. I'm fine."
That was when they both noticed at once that her hands were shaking, and Travis nodded briskly.
"Okay, come here."
He led her to an enormous red velvet armchair, settling her down in it despite her protests.
"I'm fine, really."
"And you can be fine sitting down for a minute. Come on, just relax. This chair looks really comfortable."
"It is," Eddy said. "It's pre-Civil War, and someone took very good care of it."
Travis nodded, glancing around.
"Hey, looks like you still keep hot water and teabags for the customers. How about I get us both a cup?"
"Sure, that sounds good," Eddy said with surprise, because it did.
By the time he had gotten them both a cup of tea from the mismatched cups piled by the hot water dispenser, complete with tea bags, she was feeling a lot better and much calmer. She took her cup from Travis gratefully, and he pulled up an old stool so he could sit next to her.
"Still not too late for me to go find that guy if he hasn't fled the city..."
"He probably has," Eddy said with a snort. "He had out-of-towner all over him. No. It's just a thing that happens sometimes, working retail. Thanks, though. I didn't want to spend the next few hours picking glass slivers out of everything."
A dangerous light flashed through Travis's eyes.
"People like that should at least occasionally suffer consequences for their actions," he said, his voice a soft growl, and Eddy laughed.
"Sweetheart, you manage to make that threatening even when sipping out of your teacup with ducks on it, so well done."
Travis shook his head, half-chagrined and half-amused.
“You are one hard lady to impress,” he commented, and she raised an eyebrow at him.
“Impress?” she asked. “Was that what you were trying to do?”
“No, but I definitely wouldn't have minded if it had been a side effect of getting that man out of here.”
"I could have handled it," Eddy said, a brief spike of adolescent irritation running through, but then she looked at Travis more carefully. "But you knew that, right?"
He gave her a skeptical look.
"You know that I was here that one time you shouted that rude woman into the street, right? You were, what, seventeen then? I figured you could handle it. I just wanted to."
"Thank you," she said, sipping at her tea. "I mean that."
They sat in silence for a little while, and when she realized that she was getting a little dreamy about how nice it all was, she got to her feet, set her teacup aside and went to lock the door.
"What's going on, you're closing for the day?"
"Nah, they can buzz for entry if they want, but I thought that we could go over the Recollection's inventory to see what pieces might suit."
"Right," Travis said. "What I actually came for today."
He looked around, taking in the cluttered front room.
"So is this all I'm looking at?"
Eddy laughed.
"Not at all. We've expanded. You can of course pick anything you like from the front room, but I think you'll have better luck if you follow me."
She had always liked the basement of the Recollection. It was dim and cool, and there was a garage door that led to the back alley where they could load things in and out. Other places like it might have been a little foreboding, but to Eddy, it had always had an anticipatory feel, as if all the pieces large and small were just waiting for the right person to find them and to love them.
Travis followed her through the tight paths between the furniture that had been stashed there, and then Eddy nodded at the far corner.
"Let's start here. The furniture in this area all comes from the 1800s, which is the era I think you were gravitating towards when you were looking at the pictures I had for you."
"Again, usually, I'm not part of this process," Travis said, running his hand over the back of a camel-back couch.
"And that's why you never stuck with an office design for more than a few months. You need to be invested in the process, and a part of it."
"You act as if I didn't pay the designers..."
"Of course you did, but that's not the kind of investment I mean. You need to invest yourself in it, so you'll get it right, so that it becomes real to you. Just trust me. Tell me what catches your eye, even if you're not sure it'll work or fit. Or tell me what you absolutely hate. That can help too."
There was something a little uneasy in the way Travis moved between the chairs and the china cabinets. He frowned as if he was deep in thought, and none of the pieces seemed to please.
"What do you like?" he asked finally, and Eddy raised an eyebrow.
"Travis, I can't have good taste for you," she said. "And it's important to—"
"To invest, I know," he said. "And I do care about this stuff, but you'd be surprised what I can farm out when I have enough cash. I guess picking couches has always been one of those things.
It suddenly struck Eddy that she didn't want to see his condo in Chicago. She guessed that it was very stylish, very high end and had nothing to do with Travis himself. Why then, should she care about it?
"Let's try it another way," she said with a smile. She pointed at a chair upholstered in olive green velvet.
"Why don't you try sitting in that?"
He sat on it, and then looked at her curiously.
"Is it comfortable?"
He shook his head.
"No, I don't think so—"
"Next!"
"Wait, that's it, that's?"
"An office is meant to be used," she told him cheerfully. "Let's go all the way back to basics."
The next few chairs had the same reaction, and then Travis landed on a dark red chaise, long and wide for an antique, but solid walnut and gorgeous, missing gauche by a bare inch.
"Hey," Travis said with surprise. "This one's really good."
"If they lasted this long, there's something to be said for how it was built."
She marked it on her list, nodding.
"And now—"
"Come sit with me here."
He held out his hand, and Eddy, ignoring the flutter in her chest, took it, letting him guide her to sit down next to him on the chaise. It was astonishingly comfortable, and she ran her hand over the plush upholstery.
"Feels good?" Travis asked, and she grinned at him.
"Why should it feel good to me?"
"Because I like it when you feel good," he said, his green eyes smoldering in the low light. "Because you like looking after my comfort so much, I wanted to look after yours."
Eddy took a deep breath, because she should know better than to let herself get distracted while on the job, but then Travis's hand came to settle firmly over the back of her neck, a warm weight that made her squirm.
"I guess I'm feeling a little possessive," Travis murmured, his eyes dropping casually to her lips and then rising again to meet her gaze.
"Are you?"
"Yeah. Didn't like seeing that guy try to take a bite out of you."
"You wanted to be the one biting me instead?"
The look Travis gave her was s
low and considering. It turned her bones to jelly, and if she had even the least thought of resisting the desires that ran through her, that look would have bulldozed right through them. It came to her how close they were, how she could practically feel the warmth radiating from Travis's large body and how his lips quirked with a tantalizing promise.
"I wouldn't mind biting you, if that's what you like. I don't mind being bitten either. You know. Whatever you like."
"Whatever I like," she repeated, and suddenly he grinned, his teeth so sharp and white.
"Or it could be whatever I like," he said, his voice soft and dangerous. "Would you like to play it like that?"
Eddy knew there were responsible ways to do this. She knew that none of them involved going from zero to horizontal and pliant with nothing more than a nod and a wink, and right now, she didn't care.
"I like playing," she murmured, and she wondered if she could actually see something dark in his eyes. Maybe someone else would have been alarmed, but she had known Travis for a long time. She knew him, and no matter what they played at, there was nothing in her that was ever going to be afraid of him.
"Well, that's very good, darling," he said with a soft laugh. "Now tell me, is there any chance that someone's going to walk in on us?"
"N... none."
"Very good. Are you nervous?"
"No!"
He chuckled, sounding a little more like himself and less like something that had crawled out of one of her more delicious and private dreams.
"That's my girl."
To her disappointment, he drew back, going to stretch on his back, half reclining against the arm of the chaise. There was something leonine about him as he did it, something lazy and dangerous all at once, and Eddy took a steadying breath.
"Come here," he said. "I want you to kiss me."
Eddy quickly realized that unless she wanted to stand and look down over him, the only way to do so was to actually crawl on top of him, resting her weight on his large body, steadying herself on his shoulders as she dipped her head to his.
For a few moments, it was a soft kiss, almost polite, almost sweet. She thought hazily about how many ways there were to kiss this man, how many ways she could love it, and then his hands came up, one over the back of her neck, one over the small of her back, pulling her to him with fantastic strength.
"God, but you feel good," he murmured against her lips, just before he kissed her, his tongue invading her mouth with ruthless need.
Eddy was carried away by the rush of sensation, how tightly he held her, how hot his mouth was against her. It felt good, it all felt so good and overwhelming. She didn't get to be overwhelmed very much as a mother and a small business owner. Usually she had to be on top of literally everything in her life, and right now, through his soft words and his firm touch, Travis was telling her that was no longer necessary.
She could just let go.
Travis must have felt something change in her, because his grasp loosened just slightly, and his kiss turned more tender, though no less demanding.
"What a beauty you are," he murmured against her lips. "How good you feel, how very perfect you are..."
Eddy wanted to say that she was the furthest thing from perfect, but Travis was running his hands down her body as if he owned it, and therefore it was well within his rights to explore it as he liked.
"I love how you feel," he murmured, squeezing her narrow hips in pleasure. "Now I want to see how you look. Go on. Take off your clothes for me."
Before she even really knew she was doing it, Eddy's had stripped her shirt over her head, her bra following it. No real loss, it was an old peach thing with holes through the band, and her skirt and panties joined them before she stepped out of her sensible Mary Janes.
She started to rejoin Travis on the chaise, but he stopped her.
"Turn around. I want to look at you."
Eddy stifled a soft sound of pleasure before it could turn into a moan, and she did as Travis said, spinning around in a slow circle, all the while aware of his eyes on her skin. There was something that was just on the edge of too much about his scrutiny, but instead of making her feel nervous or ashamed, she reveled in it. In his eyes, she was beautiful and desirable, worth being looked at.
"Utterly perfect," Travis said approvingly. "Exactly what I want."
When she was back facing him, she felt her face go red when she realized he had been lazily stroking himself through his trousers, the bulge under the fabric large and clear. He grinned wickedly at her surprise.
"I love looking at you, Eddy. Why in the world would I try to hide it? Come here."
She became sharply aware of how clothed he was when she lay on top of him utterly nude. On one hand, she wanted nothing more than to press up against him, skin to skin. On the other hand, she loved the difference, how her skin felt against the fine cotton and linen of his clothes, how it felt as if she were there for his pleasure.
He kissed her again, slowly and leisurely, and with that careless strength that she had – all right – dreamed of, he lifted her so she sat comfortably on his thighs, her legs splayed. Now more than ever, she could feel how strong and large he was, and his hands roamed her bare body with delight.
She was shivering, rocking up against him slowly, when he pulled back.
"Kneel on the cushion. Lean over the back of the couch."
He rose so she could do as he said, and something in her responded to the command in his voice. He spoke with every expectation of being obeyed, and she did, getting into position.
When she turned her head to look at him, he turned her face forward with a finger to her chin.
"Stay in position," he said gently. "Otherwise, I'll blindfold you."
A delicious shudder ran through Eddy at the idea, and Travis laughed quietly.
"Or maybe that can be your reward? We'll save that for another time."
She might have responded to that, but then he leaned down, his hands on her hips as he kissed the nape of her neck. He trailed kisses down her spine and up them again as his hands smoothed down her flanks and cupped her rear.
"I want to make you feel good," she murmured, half out of her head with the sensations he was giving her, and he chuckled soft and low in her ear.
"You do," he said. "You make me feel good just like this, and believe me, beautiful, I'm not doing anything I don't absolutely want to. You can be certain about that."
He reached under her body to pinch her nipple a little, making her gasp.
"I like knowing what you want," he teased. "Sometimes, maybe I'll even give it to you..."
She started to protest, but then he passed one warm, strong hand between her legs, palming her with a kind of ownership that made her weak. There was something about the confident way he touched her, as of course he knew what felt good, of course he knew what would make her melt, that shook her to her core.
"Please," she whimpered, and Travis laughed, leaning down to put his mouth next to her ear.
"Please what?" he asked, kissing the curve of her ear. "Tell me, sweetheart."
"Please more?" she asked, and she would have been embarrassed by the beseeching tone in her voice if she hadn't wanted him so much.
"Of course," he said, as if she were asking him to pass the salad, and the next moment, his hand withdrew. Eddy started to whine with protest, but then he pressed two fingers between her lips, making her whine with the utter sensuality of it. It made her think of kissing him, of other things that could be in her mouth, and even as she suckled his fingers, she pressed her hips back shamelessly against him, eager for whatever touch she could get.
He pulled his fingers from her mouth, and then he glided them between her legs again. This time, they were wet and slid between her lips with absolutely no resistance, moving forward to fondle her clit, sliding back to test her entrance.
Eddy gasped at how wet he found her, how easy it was for him to slide first one finger into her and then another. It was good, so ve
ry good being this close to him, but it wasn't a fraction of what she wanted.
"Please!" she cried again, pushing her hips back. It allowed her to impale herself on his fingers again, whining with pleasure, but then he pulled them away, landing a brisk spank on her rump.
"You're lucky you're so cute," he told her. "You're lucky I want you more than I want you turned over my knee for being a greedy little thing."
She was struck with the image, Travis being strong enough to simply turn her over his lap, raining smart blows over her rear that didn't bring pain but instead a warm sensation that spilled over her. Then she was brought back to the present by Travis taking his place behind her, his hands slow and steady on his belt and his fly.
Eddy could barely speak for how casual it was, for how good the fabric of his trousers felt against the skin of her rear, how lovely it was feeling the glide of his hand over her thighs.
He let her feel his cock against her, first just pushed up against her rear, and then with the head passing against her lips.
"Feel that, baby?" he whispered. "Can you feel how much I want you? I've thought about this so much..."
She didn't want to tell him how often she herself had thought of this in their years apart, how she had replayed that scene on the mountaintop over and over again until it felt positively threadbare. This left it all behind, and she groaned, wanting more.
Travis wasted no more time; with one sure thrust, he filled her, and something about the angle made her groan because she thought she had never been filled so deeply or so well.
"Are you all right?"
When she didn't answer right away, lost in the sensations he was giving to her, he ruffled her hair with concern.
"Eddy, talk to me..."
"It's good," she breathed, resting her forehead on her hands. "Please, Travis, don't stop. I don't want you to stop..."
He made a pleased sound, and some of the game that they were playing fell away as he took a firm grip on her hips. Now it was just them and that was raw and somehow even better.
"You're so beautiful," he crooned. "Do you have any idea how good you feel, how deep you're taking me? You're so good, sweetheart, so very good..."
