by K. G. Reuss
I looked down at the notification again and accepted it with shaky hands. The grin on his face spread wide as he unbuckled my seatbelt and dragged me close, his lips crashing into mine. I threaded my fingers through his hair, savoring the way he tasted, like mint and unspoken promises.
“Mm, wife,” he whispered against my lips. “My beautiful wife.”
Heat rose in my cheeks before flooding my core as he kissed me once again. “How about we get going. I want to show you something.”
I nodded, feeling floored at what we’d just done. He squeezed my hand. When I moved to shift back to my spot, he shook his head and pulled me closer before snapping the center belt into place.
“My wife sits beside me in here,” he said, kissing my temple before putting the truck into gear and backing out of the parking spot. He held my hand as he drove, our conversation taking a lighter tone.
“What are you doing for Christmas?”
“We promised our parents Christmas at home. Are you going home?” I asked.
“Yeah. Mom and Dad are excited. Mom wants to see you.” He glanced at me and winked. I smiled back, feeling light.
“How was their cruise?”
He laughed. “It was a challenge for Dad. You know since he’s terrified of boats… and open water.”
“I forgot about your dad’s fear of being lost at sea.” I chuckled.
“Yeah, he’s been freaked out over it since he watched that movie where that guy talks to a volleyball.”
We both laughed.
“I was thinking we should celebrate Christmas together. Our families.” His thumb stroked along the back of my hand.
“Yeah?” I asked, butterflies taking flight again.
“If you’re cool with that.”
“I’d love that. I can ask my parents. We could have dinner.”
“Then it’ll be one big, happy family,” he said, lifting my hand to his lips and pressing a kiss to it.
I smiled at his words, forgetting all about the what ifs. They didn’t belong anywhere near us right then.
We’d made it out of town, our easy conversation making the ride go quickly.
“What’s this?” I asked, turning to get out of the truck as Travis drove into an open field.
“You keep your hot ass in here. I’ll be right back.” He pressed a quick kiss on my lips and left me sputtering as he got out and closed the door.
I sighed, leaned back in my seat, and stared out at the dark scenery.
If this is another ridiculous challenge that terrifies me, I’ll kick his ass.
“Come on.” He grinned, opening my door and offering me his hand a few minutes later.
I took it apprehensively and let him pull me out into the field.
“Travis, if this is some challenge—” I snapped my mouth closed as he led me to the back of his truck. Fluffy blankets and loads of soft pillows were arranged like a giant bed in his truck. There was wine in a bucket of ice with two glasses. He’d placed battery operated tealights on the edge of his truck’s toolbox.
“Travis,” I breathed out in wonder, taking it in. I turned to him standing behind me, holding a single yellow rose.
“They were out of red,” he offered sheepishly. “But I kinda like the yellow. It’s bright and beautiful and reminds me of you.”
I took a step toward him and went up on my tiptoes. He bent to reach me, our lips meeting halfway to one another. His arms encircled me, pulling me close to him.
“Thank you. I love it,” I whispered, resting my head against his chest, thornless yellow rose in hand.
“I’m glad,” his voice rumbled in his chest as we rocked against one another. He held me beneath the stars for a long time, neither of us saying a word.
Eventually, he pulled away and placed a tender kiss on my forehead.
“Come on, honey pot. There’s wine and cuddles up here.” He lifted me easily into the bed of his truck where I wasted no time in snuggling into all the fluffy blankets.
“Is there a cushion under this?” I asked, trying to peel back the layers of blankets.
“Shh, wife, you’re ruining the magic,” he teased, kissing the tip of my nose. “But yes, it’s actually a lay-flat beanbag bed. Mason let me borrow it.”
“Does he know why you needed it?” I asked carefully.
Travis smirked at me. “Obviously to woo a beautiful woman beneath the stars.”
I chuckled and shook my head as I settled back on the pillows leaning against the truck cab.
“Here, my wife, have some wine.” Travis held out a glass. I took it and watched as he poured the liquid into my glass, the muscles thick and corded along his arm. I let my gaze roam to his chest, dirty thoughts of his muscular, naked body in my mind. He smirked and shot me a wink, almost like he knew what a perv I was being.
“I brought food too,” he said, rooting around in a wicker picnic basket. He pulled out a container and handed it to me. I popped the lid to find my favorite Chinese food inside.
“You went to The Palace?” I asked, wiggling in my seat as the smell of teriyaki chicken and vegetable fried rice permeated my senses.
“Only the best for you,” he answered, settling in beside me with his food and wine.
“What did you get?”
“Broccoli and beef. It’s meaty and manly,” he said, taking a bite and chewing with a contented sigh. I giggled and rested my head against his shoulder.
“I’m taking an astronomy class,” his voice was soft.
“I didn’t know that.”
He chuckled. “It’s just an elective. My dad says if you can get a woman to kiss you beneath the stars, you’ll rule the universe.”
I smiled.
“Of course,” Travis said, clearing his throat. “I fully intend on getting you naked beneath the stars. So that kinda makes me, like, I don’t know, a star lord or something.”
I let out a loud laugh, throwing my head back. When I stopped laughing, I looked back at him to see him staring down at me, a smile on his lips.
“What?” I asked, feeling bashful beneath his stare.
“You’re just so beautiful, Lexy. I can’t believe we’re here. Together. I’m just… happy.”
“Me too,” I replied.
He leaned in and placed a sweet kiss on my lips that sent tingles rocketing through my body.
“Eat, baby. You’ll need your energy.” He pulled away and grinned at me.
I couldn’t fight the smirk that threatened the edges of my lips, so I let it go and dug back into my dinner, eager to see what else he had planned.
Fifty-Six
Travis
“Come here,” I instructed, pulling my phone out and moving to the tailgate. She crawled after me without question, and I helped her out.
“What are we doing?” she asked, adjusting her pretty, green sundress.
I smiled down at her as I thumbed on a song. “A Thousand Years” started playing as I placed my phone on the tailgate. Tonight had been incredible so far. I was winging it for a lot of it, but it felt right.
“Dance with me?”
She swallowed wordlessly and stepped into my embrace. I encircled her with my arms and held her close, moving with her to the music. She rested her head against my chest as I held her, her warmth heating me and making me feel like I’d burst from happiness.
“What are we doing, Travis?” she whispered, not looking up at me.
“Dancing, sweetheart,” I murmured back.
She chuckled softly and nestled deeper into my arms.
“What will we do when the music ends?”
“Hit repeat.” I slowed our movements and lifted her chin with my finger. “If you don’t mind.”
“I don’t mind.” She wound her arms around my neck and kissed me, the sweet song blanketing us beneath the stars as our bodies continued their slow movements, lips molded to one another’s.
“Have you ever made love beneath the stars?” her voice was soft, breathless as she broke away and
peered up at me with a pink flush on her cheeks.
“No.” I smiled down at her. “You’re my first.”
She pulled away and took my hand, leading me back to the truck. I lifted her onto the tailgate where she draped her arms around my neck.
I pressed a kiss to her lips, which she deepened, her nails raking against my scalp, making me want to purr.
With a shaky touch, I pushed the thin straps of her dress aside and placed a kiss on her collarbone. She angled her neck for me. Her breath hitched as I took her dress down and unsnapped her bra. Her breasts spilled into my waiting hands, a soft moan on her lips.
In moments, I had her completely naked and lying in the bed of my truck. I ran my hands down her body, trying to memorize everything. Every dip and curve. How she gasped, her breathing picking up as I neared her breasts. How her body tensed with want as my fingers skimmed up her wet slit.
“I want you.”
“You have me, Travis.”
“Do I?” I pressed a kiss to her left breast before pulling her stiff nipple into my mouth and giving it a gentle suck.
She hissed as I slid my fingers between her folds and swirled my thumb around her clit, her nipple still in my mouth.
“You do,” she whimpered. “You do. Always.”
My heart was fit to burst. With one final tug of my mouth on her breast, I moved south, eager to taste what she promised was mine.
When my mouth met her pink heat, she shifted her hips, pulling my face deeper into her blushing core. I slid my index finger in and out of her before adding another finger, making her mewl.
Her body trembled beneath my mouth as I flicked and sucked her hot button. I peeked at her face, and my heart nearly stopped. Her eyes were closed, her hands massaging her breasts as she gently bucked her hips up to meet my mouth. My cock hardened to a painful point, aching to be buried in her tight heat. I watched as her chest heaved in and out, her body writhing as I brought her close to orgasm, a feat that always left me feeling like I was god’s gift to her pussy.
Eager to hear her cry out into the night, I gripped her hips and brought my face deeper into her pussy, eating like I’d never get to taste her again.
“Oh god!” Her cry nearly made me come as she held my face against her center. Her body trembled as she came down from her euphoric spiral. I lapped her juices, swallowing everything she wanted to give me.
When she stopped moving, I pulled away and wiped my mouth, not even close to being sated. I had my clothes off before I even made it to her.
“Eager?” she asked breathlessly. Her eyes were hooded, and her voice was thick with lust.
“So much,” I answered, positioning myself between her legs, my aching tip eager to burrow home.
“Show me.”
It was all I needed to hear. I pushed forward, sliding into the pussy I’d carved out weeks ago with my cock. Her nails dug into my back as I moved in and out of her, both of us breathing heavily. I hissed at the delicious feel of her beneath me as I rocked against her.
“Travis,” she breathed out between fevered kisses.
“What, baby?” I slowed my movements and let out a shaky breath as I stared down at her.
“I-I lo…” She stopped speaking, her bottom lip trembling as her blue eyes locked on mine.
“What, honey pot?” I asked, thumbing her bottom lip, my heart clenching at the possibilities of what she was going to say and how I’d react.
“I-I love how this feels.”
I gave her a smile, the butterflies banging in my chest. “I love how this feels too, sweetheart.”
She pulled my mouth back to hers and kissed me once more, so much feeling in the act I had no doubt what she was really going to say.
And I had no doubt what my answer would’ve been had she done it.
We’d get there. Our time was nearly over, but I refused to think of it as an ending. It would just be our beginning
But for now, it was us beneath the stars, making love.
Fifty-Seven
Lexy
One week of pure bliss with Travis passed by. I never knew I could be so happy.
I smiled down at the notebook I kept our project notes in as I scribbled about how happy I was because this project seemed to be the driving force which finally made us collide.
“Lex, you ready?” Ava called out.
I snapped the notebook closed and got to my feet.
“Yeah. One minute,” I called back, adjusting the football jersey that said Mrs. Owens on the back. Word of our social media status spread like wildfire. People gossiped about how real it was. We just smiled and kept doing our thing, which pretty much consisted of us acting like we weren’t really married or together in public since that would let the cat out of the bag before Alex knew for certain.
I smiled at my reflection in the mirror before snapping a photo and sending it off to Travis.
Lexy: Good luck today!
Travis: I’m already lucky because I’ll have you cheering for me in the crowd.
He attached a shirtless photo of himself in the locker room, only his padded pants on. I grinned down at the image and hit save. He was far too delicious to just sit in my inbox. I made his picture my homescreen and left the room to find Ava waiting for me in the living room.
“Ready?” she asked, not entirely enthusiastic.
“Yeah.” I fluffed my ponytail and offered her my hand. She took it and gave me a sad smile.
“I’m only going to support you and Travis.”
“You’re also going to support Alex.” I gave her hand a squeeze. She sighed wistfully but nodded. Nothing had changed between them except her crying bouts in her room were getting shorter just like Alex’s temper.
I needed to get those two sorted out so they could get back together. I hated seeing them both so down in the dumps.
We called an Uber to take us to the stadium since parking would be a bitch. The ride over was a quiet one. I didn’t want to bother Ava too much since I knew she liked being left alone as much as I did when I was feeling blue.
Rory met us at the gates. “Yay! You’re here!” she squealed, rushing forward and wrapping us both in hugs.
“Hey, you’re wearing Mason’s number.” Ava chuckled. “Something you want to tell us?”
Rory blushed and shook her head. “No. Just wishing.” She laughed.
“Mason is a good guy. I hope it happens,” I said, grinning at her. “You should tell him how you feel.”
“Girl, don’t you dare start telling people they should talk about their feelings,” Ava teased, bumping shoulders with me.
“I know,” I griped.
“For what it’s worth, I hope you and Travis happen. You guys are epic together. You should hear the rumors going around.” We fell in step with Rory as she continued talking. “The biggest one is that Steph was next up to be his girl, but you sidelined her ass. Thank god. I hate that girl.”
“You’re not the only one,” I grumbled.
We found our seats, front and center thanks to Travis, and parked it. I listened to my friends chatter before the game started. When Travis ran onto the field, the crowd erupted in deafening shouts and cheers. He kept running with the team, but I imagined he had a smile on his face.
Football was never my thing, despite having Travis and Alex in my life. But sitting in those stands and watching them had my adrenaline pumping. Travis was amazing. All of them were. I cheered just as much for Alex as I did for Travis, and even Mason earned some loud shouts from us in the stands.
And when Travis had to run the ball in for a touchdown, I thought I’d lose my voice from cheering so loudly once he crossed the goal line. It was when he was jogging back to the sidelines that he sent my heart into a spiral. Travis blew a kiss in my direction, making my friends giggle.
We ended up winning the game, sending the fans into a frenzy of cheering. When the players came off the field, I couldn’t tamp down my anticipation of getting to Travis to congratulate him on a
n amazing game.
“Excuse you,” a nasty voice snarled, shoving me aside as I waited outside the locker rooms for Travis with Rory and Ava.
I glared at Steph as she flipped her hair over her shoulder and raised a challenging eyebrow at me.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I snapped back, folding my arms over my chest. Her gaze raked over my jersey, her cheeks reddening.
“Waiting for Travis. I want to congratulate him. It was his best game of the year. It’s the game that’s going to launch his career. At least, that’s what his real fans know.” She gave me a smug smile.
“The only thing real about you is what a bitch you are.” Ava came to my side, her eyes narrowed at Steph. “Lexy is playing this field. Get back on the sideline, bitch.”
Steph let out a bark of laughter. “Lexy doesn’t have what it takes to compete—”
“Try me, bitch,” I snapped at her. She flinched back. I never lost my cool with people, but there was no way in hell I was going to let her think she had a chance with Travis. “Just because Travis is nice to you, doesn’t mean he wants you. Get it through your head. He’s mine. I don’t fight dirty, but if you want to go, bring it. I’ll wipe the floor with your bleached blonde hair without breaking a nail.” I was so angry I balled my hands into fists, ready to pummel her.
“Easy, honey pot.” Warm arms encircled my waist, lips finding my cheek before whispering in my ear. “Easy.”
I immediately relaxed against Travis’s hard body.
“Good girl. My girl.” He nuzzled his nose against me for a moment before he spoke again, this time loud enough for Steph. “I expect you have a damn good reason for upsetting my wife, Steph.”
“I just wanted to come congratulate you on such an amazing game,” she gushed, taking a step forward.
“Well, thank you, but I’m going to ask you to keep your distance if you’re going to behave this way.”
“Wait. What?” She lost her doe-eyed schoolgirl look as she gazed back at Travis.
