AintNoAngel (9 page)

The situation had changed between them and neither one of
them was sure what to do about it. For the first time Jessie was awkward around
Travis. She was unsure what to say to him, so she didn’t say anything.

They finished eating in silence and he asked minimal
questions about the day’s schedule on the way to their work site.

Jessie got to work immediately and tried to keep thoughts of
Travis out of her head throughout the day. It was no use.

Not that he was helping matters any. He made any excuse he
could think of to touch her. But he never said more than a few words to her.

But maybe he was just as unsure as she was. Although she
doubted it.

He had made slow, sweet love to her the night before. It had
been unlike anything she had ever experienced. He had made her feel special,
taking his time and touching her in places that she never knew could turn her
into a quivering mass.

Like the back of her knees. Or when he had placed
openmouthed kisses on her lower back. Or when he had swirled his tongue in her
navel. Just thinking about those things now made her tummy erupt in
butterflies.

She glanced his way as he helped Marc put their tools back
in the pickup. He had taken his shirt off and she couldn’t help staring as his
muscles flexed and bunched. He caught her gaze and smiled her way.

It felt like a vise had tightened on her heart and she
looked away quickly.

Between the four of them they got the job finished up for
the young couple and Marc and Brad took a load of supplies to the newly
renovated post office for their next job.

By the time Jessie got home she wasn’t sure if Travis
regretted his admission the night before or if he was just letting it be.

They stood on the porch for a second and Travis stuffed his
hands in the pockets of his dirt-stained jeans.

“Do you want to have dinner with me on the back porch?” she
asked, ready for him to decline.

He looked at her intently for a second and then said, “I’d
love to.”

* * * * *

Wearing a short floral-print dress, Jessie went down to meet
Travis. She hadn’t really thought about how she would explain to the guys why she
wanted to eat alone with him but she knew they would understand. But the
kitchen was empty, save for Travis, who held a chair out for her at the table.

“Where is everyone?”

“Betty was tired so I sent her off home and Marc and Brad
went to the Shiny Penny.”

“And what made you think that you had the authority to do
that?”

He seemed a little taken aback by her tone. “I just didn’t
take you as the kind of boss who would overwork an old woman.”

Heaving a sigh, she said, “You’re right, I’m not. I’m sorry,
I’m just tired myself.” And stressed out, which was starting to turn her into a
bitch.

“Don’t worry about it.” He slid into the chair next to her
and began dishing their plates. They ate in silence, both lost in their own
thoughts.

When they were done they carried the plates to the sink,
Jessie catching him staring at her exposed legs out of the corner of his eye.

“Would you like to have a glass of wine on the couch with
me?”

“Baby, I thought you’d never ask,” he murmured, his eyes
raking over her legs again.

She poured them both a glass of red wine. Then they settled
in on opposite ends of the couch. It was much smaller than she remembered.

He took a small sip, watching her over the rim of his glass.
She couldn’t help noticing that his big hand dwarfed the delicate globe.

“So, do you have any more jobs lined up after that we can
start on?”

“Not really, this is the last big one of the season, then
things will wind down. I have some tree planting scheduled for the fall and the
perennials to plant at the post office but not much besides that.”

He mulled this over before saying anything else. “If you don’t
mind me asking, what do you do over the winter?”

“Usually I make enough over the summer to cover my expenses.
Marc and Brad leave for a few months of traveling and to spend the holidays
with their families. Betty sells crafts and baked goods in town.”

What she didn’t say was that she had been thinking about
sending Cyrus the money he had asked for. It terrified her that they hadn’t
heard from him since his letter. It made her think that he was on his way back
here to make good on his threat.

“Will you be laying me off then?” he asked with a smirk,
pulling her out of her thoughts.

“I’m not sure yet. But I think I can afford to keep you on
for a while longer,” she said with a smile, since he still refused to let her
pay him.

Setting his glass down on the coffee table, he leaned over
and grabbed her ankles, stretching her legs out and placing her feet in his
lap. She didn’t protest and slowly he began to rub the soles of her feet. Long,
firm strokes starting at her toes and going all the way down to the heel.

He went from one foot to the other, causing her head to loll
back against the couch and her eyes to close. It felt heavenly. Her toenails
were painted a pretty pink and she was glad she had taken the time to do them.

Moaning when he got to her toes again, she jerked and her
eyes popped open when she felt his warm mouth close over her little toe. It was
incredible, sending jolts directly between her thighs.

“You have incredibly sexy feet.” His hands moved up to her
ankles and then to her calves, massaging with his long fingers.

“I want you, Jessie.” His voice was low and gravelly and she
could bear it no more.

Sitting up, she set her wineglass down to join his and
scooted closer to him, widening her legs and wrapping them around his waist so
that she was almost in his lap. Placing her hands on either side of his face,
she whispered, “I want you too, Travis.”

Tumbling her backward on the couch, he landed on top of her,
his delicious weight pressing her into the cushions. A giggle escaped her lips
before his mouth came crashing down on them.

It was hot and potent and had her body humming with need in
seconds. His tongue explored her as if every surface in her mouth tasted like
chocolate. His hands went to her sides and then lower, along her hips, catching
the hem of her dress and hiking it up. His jeans pressed against the skin of
her thighs, rough and rubbing in all the right places.

Panting, he pulled back and gazed down into her flushed
face. “Do you want to take this to someplace more private? I wouldn’t want to
shock poor Betty if she should come back,” he said as he nibbled on her neck. But
she had a hard time stringing two thoughts together.

She blinked up at him. Then he took matters into his own
hands and, standing, lifted her into his arms and tossed her over his shoulder.
Her skirt was bunched against him and her rear was exposed, covered only by the
thin strip of her white lacy thong. She laughed and took advantage by squeezing
his ass. Her arms came around his waist and she held on for dear life.

His breath hitched as he strode to the stairs. Suddenly the sound
of the phone ringing stopped them. Travis heaved a deep sigh and lifted her off
his shoulder and set her gently on her feet.

Travis gestured for her to answer and he whispered, “If it’s
him, keep him talking as long as you can.”

Jessie knew it would be him. “Hello?”

“Do you think that I won’t keep my word, Jessica?” Cyrus’
voice was gruff and his words slurred a little. But the quiet rage came over
the line loud and clear.

“I don’t owe you anything, Cyrus.”

She heard him sigh before saying, “You never were the type
of woman to learn a lesson quickly.”

The remark had her livid in the span of a second. She opened
her mouth to rave at him but Travis laid a hand on her arm and shook his head.

Taking a calming breath, she said, “You have everything that
you are going to get from me, Cyrus. Go to hell.” She slammed the phone down,
giving her a small amount of satisfaction before she walked away and went out
on the porch.

The night air was warm even though the sun had sunk behind
the hills. Jessie heard Travis walk out onto the porch and come up behind her.
His breath ruffled her hair and tickled her ear. His arms came up around her
waist and he pulled her back to lean on his big frame.

She knew that all she had managed to do with Cyrus’ phone
call was ensure that he would come for her. Regardless of how strong she felt
with Travis standing by her side, she knew that Cyrus meant what he said.

He always had. But there was nothing she could do about it
now but wait. Wait for him to come for her.

“It wasn’t long enough to trace, was it?” she asked quietly.

“No. It wasn’t.”

She thought that he might be upset with her for hanging up
on Cyrus and blowing his chance of tracing the phone call but it didn’t seem to
bother him.

Jessie didn’t want to waste the time she had with Travis
tonight thinking about Cyrus. It was going to come to an end sooner rather than
later and she didn’t want to have any regrets.

“Where were we?” she asked, turning in his arms and looking
up at him. He chuckled and scooped her up off her feet and into his arms.

He carried her as if she weighed nothing, up the stairs and
to her room. He pushed her door open and then kicked it closed behind him. He
tossed her on the bed, making her body bounce, and she giggled.

Standing over her, he ran his gaze over her curves. “Now
that I have you alone, what am I going to do with you?”

She liked this game that he played, humor covering any
awkwardness that might have been there. She stretched her arms above her head,
knowing it pushed her breasts up and made the hem of her dress ride up. “I’m
sure you’ll think of something.”

“Damn straight.” He lifted his shirt over his head and
dropped it to the floor. Good lord, the man was enough to make her mouth water.
His chest was as hairless as his head, tight and bulging. The tattoo came down
his neck to swirl on his shoulder with bold, black lines. He popped the button
on his jeans and they slid to ride lower on his hips, exposing that sexy V that
led to what she wanted most.

Moving over, she made room for him on the bed, but he had
other plans and caught her before she got too far.

“Lie in the middle and don’t move.” Her first reaction was
to take offense to his tone but the light in his eyes stilled her tongue.

He moved to the bottom and she was thankful that she had no
footboard. It didn’t block her view. But then she wondered, if she did have a
footboard, would he tie her to it? The idea had her squirming on the bed.

Grabbing her ankles, he pulled her down, letting her legs
dangle off the end. Pushing her skirt out of the way, he hooked his thumbs in
her panties and pulled them down slowly, letting the material brush against her
legs until they were off. Trailing his fingers back up the sensitive skin, he
spread her legs wide and with a devilish grin buried his face between her
thighs.

Her hips bucked off the bed at the first touch of his warm
tongue but his hands came up to hold her steady. It was intense and she felt
her body winding tighter, waiting for release. With every flick of his tongue
he drove her higher.

She was mindless as her back arched and her legs tensed but
he continued his onslaught without a pause. Abruptly she reached her peak,
moaning out his name and reaching for him.

All of her was still quaking when he laid his weight on her.
It had been so long since she had felt this way. She absorbed all the feeling,
the heat of his body, his heaviness pressing her into the mattress and the
silkiness of his skin under her fingers as she trailed them up and down his
back.

Pushing her up on the bed, he shed his jeans and took a foil
packet out of his pocket. Her eyes were riveted to his hard cock, springing out
from a patch of dark curls. It made the liquid pool in her mouth and a fresh
wave release between her legs.

Jessie moved her hungry gaze over him as he lay on top of
her. Kissing her hard, he thrust his tongue in her mouth and she tasted herself
on him.

Driving into her in one strong push, he filled her, her body
protesting his size. He held firm, giving her time to adjust to the thickness
of his cock.

“Oh yes, baby, you’re so tight.” His voice sent shivers
along her nerve endings and she rocked her hips, sinking him in farther.
Groaning, he began to move, long, lunging strokes, sweeping her away with him.

Her nails dug into his back and he picked up the pace,
plunging in harder and deeper. Her hands roamed over his tight ass, up his back
and over his shoulders. Greedy, questing fingers ran up his smooth head,
trailing down over his ears as he groaned out her name.

Her inner muscles contracted around him, drawing a short
scream from her and then she felt him lock inside her as he reached his peak,
spilling his seed and drawing more spasms from her.

He collapsed on top of her. She wrapped her arms around him,
unwilling to let him go quite yet. After their breathing returned to normal, he
moved to the side and pulled her into his arms. They both drifted off to sleep,
her body nestled in close to his.

* * * * *

Hours later they lay facing each other, after he had woken
her with kisses along her back and slid into her from behind. It had been slow
and sweet and she didn’t know what to make of the difference in his actions.

“I think we need to talk about this,” he whispered.

Her mind struggled to catch up. “What do you mean?”

“I want to please you, Jessie, I don’t want you to ever
forget me.”

Smiling, she told him, “There isn’t much chance of that
happening.”

“Is there something else that you want? Something I could do
for you?”

“I’m not sure what you’re asking me, Travis.”

“Well, you put your nails to good use and I just wondered if
you were into anything besides vanilla?”

Giggling, she looked at his face. He was regarding her
hopefully and she got the feeling that the question was more important than he
let on.

Jessie had had a semi-submissive relationship before, when she
was younger and before she had met Cyrus. It had been long ago but she had
loved the little games they had played. But he had left her to put his
dominating attitude to better use in the military.

“What did you have in mind?” There was a lot out there and
she didn’t want to sign up for something she wasn’t ready for or something she
wasn’t into.

“Maybe some toys or a little bondage?” His voice was quiet
but excited.

“I’m game.” She knew she was jumping in feet first but she
couldn’t stop herself. “That sounds interesting.” She wondered what he had in
mind for her and a shiver of excitement went through her. She was so exhausted
from their loving that she snuggled farther into the blankets.

“Good, but let’s see what happens with Cyrus first.”

Jessie’s excitement died a quick death with the mention of
Cyrus. She wished now she would have just come up with the money to send him
and that it would have made him go away forever. But it was a dream.

Travis got out of bed and got dressed, telling her he needed
to make a phone call. Jessie glanced at the clock, shocked that it would be
time to get up soon. He kissed her passionately and gave her rear a playful
swat before leaving the bedroom.

It was only minutes before Jessie was sound asleep.

* * * * *

Travis walked slowly around the yard and the grounds,
checking for anything out of the ordinary. He felt more revived than he ever
remembered being after a sexual encounter. Jessie was a pleasant surprise and
he was quickly becoming addicted to her.

The sun was just starting to rise and the birds were
singing. There was something special about the place that Jessie called home.

He had no idea how she would feel about the fact that he suspected
Cyrus of murdering Candy Marsh. Jessie was obvious about her need to have trust
in the people she surrounded herself with. It gave him a pretty sure idea on
how pissed she was going to be when she found out he had kept it from her. But
it was for her own good. She had enough to worry about right now and he didn’t
want to add to it with no evidence to back it up.

He was walking a shaky line and knew that if he wasn’t
careful he would lose any leads he might have gained and Jessie all in one
swoop. But she was too much of a temptation to resist and he was tired of all
work and no play.

Opening the side door of the barn, he figured he would check
out the bottom half without disturbing Marc and Brad. But he paused when he
heard something. Strange grunting was coming from the upstairs. Wishing he hadn’t
left his guns in the house, he entered slowly and eased the door shut, making
no noise.

Creeping along the wall, he left the lights off, the shadows
hiding his big frame. Listening intently, he moved closer to Marc and Brad’s
room. And then almost burst out laughing.

They were obviously getting it on. He didn’t know them well
enough to tell the moans apart but they were getting louder by the second. Not
wanting to disturb them and not into that kind of voyeurism, he retreated back
outside, leaving as silently as he had entered.

Once he was back outside he dialed Ian’s number.

“Davis.”

“Ian. It’s me. I wanted to let you know that Cyrus called
last night but the call was too quick to trace. Any word on that end?”

“I was going to call you in this morning. Cyrus Parker was
spotted yesterday afternoon at a bar in Michigan by one of our associates.
Unfortunately by the time I heard about it he was gone. But if I had to guess,
he is headed your way.”

Travis ran a hand over his face. He had expected this but
now that it was happening he was worried. He needed to get Jessie somewhere
safe.

“All right, thanks, Ian.”

“Why don’t you bring the woman here for a few days?” Ian
asked.

“I’ll ask her but I’m not sure she will go for it.”

“Stay alert, Turner.”

“Will do,” Travis said before he disconnected.

* * * * *

Jessie awoke an hour later feeling refreshed and satisfied
for the first time in months. Stretching out her sore muscles, she smiled as
she headed for the shower, humming to herself.

She came out wrapped in a towel. She opened her dresser
drawer and the world came crashing back down upon her. Her gun was lying there
on top of her clothes.

Staring at it for a minute, she realized that there was
nothing she could do but be prepared. She knew she had pissed Cyrus off last
night and she figured he knew she wasn’t sending him the money.

Closing the drawer with a slam, she got dressed. She had a
life to live and a sexy man waiting for her in the kitchen.

“Morning!” she said cheerfully as she entered. Travis
answered her with a grin and a wink. Betty placed a piece of pie in front of
him and then headed outside to find Brad, mumbling something about her car
making funny noises.

Alone, she stared at him over the rim of her coffee cup as
he ate his pie. It had been so long since she had a steady lover she wasn’t
sure what to say. But then his eyes met hers and she felt it like a bolt of
lightning to her insides. If she wasn’t careful she was going to fall for this
man.

She knew that he felt something too because his eyes
darkened and then lowered to brush across her breasts and hips. But she was
pretty sure he wasn’t thinking about love and happily ever after. His look said
lust, hot and heavy lust. Tangle the sheets and rock the bed kind of lust. But
she wasn’t going to complain.

Standing up, he came close and set his plate in the sink.
She could smell him, soap and man, and feel the heat radiating off his skin.

His arms came around her, trapping her against the counter, and
he leaned in for a kiss. She had just enough time to meet him halfway, hungry
for another taste of him. He tasted like the apples in the pie he had just
finished and his tongue swept over her teeth as she released a moan.

Pulling back, they were both breathing heavy and lucky that
she hadn’t spilled her coffee on them. Travis rested his forehead on hers for a
moment before moving away completely.

Clearing his throat, he said, “Well, I think we should get
to work before I bend you over this kitchen table and have my wicked way with
you.”

Jessie felt her cheeks go red with that image but she stayed
where she was and just raised an eyebrow at him, issuing her challenge.

He chuckled and headed for the door. “Don’t tempt me, woman.
I’ll have to put you over my knee.”

Her face went hot all over again and this time she felt a
release of wetness between her legs. Would he really do it? She was definitely
going to have to find out. She followed behind him outside. Together they got
in her old, beat-up truck and they headed to work, talking about nothing and
everything.

They worked the day away in the sun, Marc and Brad always
close by. She really did love working her little business, even if it was going
to make her gray before her time. But the pressures of getting by were
surpassed by her happiness every time she finished a job and the results were
there for her to see. It was soothing for her to dig in the soil. It was
something she had learned at her mother’s knee and the feeling never faded.