Travis’s chestroseandfellinexaggerated movements. The black ichor sprayed across his faceandtorn white t-shirt,looked like war paint.The overhead spotlights cut over Travis, casting half his face in shadow, but I could still see the white of his bared teeth.A glint of fury remained in his eyesas if he wasn’t quite sure the battle was over.
His rage andbloodlust shocked me as much as his screams for that thing to leave mealone. Travislooked like a man possessed. Possessed by somealmighty avenging warrior that just made my panties wet. Realizing my knees were up and probably giving him an exact view of that situation, I quickly got to my feet.
Without a word, Travis dismounted his kill andwalked over with a limping swagger. His hands closed around myshoulders. “Are you okay?”His eyes searched mine in earnest. After I picked my jaw up off my chest, I nodded mutely.
The urge to melt into Travis’s hold was overpowering. I leaned in, his scent more masculine and virile after the fight. I wanted to rip his shirt off and lick up those burgeoningabs.
By the way he was staring at my mouth, I waspretty damnsure he wouldn’t stop me.
Electricity crackled. Pain and lust swirled aroundus—the heady combination I’d always foundirresistible.
Fuck, I wanted him.
His question about whether I was okay finally penetrated my brain.
The baby,my brain warned.
The couple feet I fell to the ground was nothing, I was scratched up more than anything. My hands would need cleaning and my thighstung like abitch,but I could limp along too.
It wouldn’t even matter if I lost the baby. That’s the plan,remember?
Despite the reminder,I was relieved nothing worse had happened. My heart caught in my throat.I’d half confessed to my gran, I wanted it.
No, it would just be health risk I wouldn’t want to deal with.
Realizing my hand was protectively cover my stomach, I dropped it.I was pregnant with Travis's kid. The reality slammed into me, followed by all the other reasons I could never be with him.Pushing away from him,I tried to control my breathing so I wouldhyperventilateasI walked away.
“Krystan,” he called out behind me and I broke into a run.
The wind rushed against my face as I spedout of the centerand down to the parking lot.
Attraction and sex always came with a cost.
Whenever I’dgotteninvolved with someone, I knew the pain was inevitable. I accepted that. Men were dogs andno matter what they promised,theywould eventually follow their pecker to some otherskank, easily casting me aside like trash.Some wannaberockstar,man-child would dangle themselves in front of me, smirking and goading thatI wasn’t good enough. Then I’d need to prove I deserved to be with them,whether or notthey were any good for me.
A man need only light a match, beckoning me forward with the promise to take us downin flames, and I’d run straight toward them.
Anyone who didn’t fit the bill of megalomaniac or lying scumbag, I'd have to cut off at the knees for their own good.
But Ididn’t want to cut Travis off. Iwanted to be close tohim. I wanted to crawl inside his skin the way he had done to me.Wefought and needled each other dailyuntil he’dworndown a groove in me. A place carved out for him.
It’s the fetus, it’s not me,I chanted over and over.That’s what was making me crazy for Travis. I bet the little fetus even had a way of biologically inclining me toward the dad. I read that somewhere, right? That was totally a thing.
Oh god, Travis as a dad. I hadn’t even considered the possibility until I saw him read to Sophie, force Noah to eat pizza,andtickle them until tears streamed down their faces.All the carshad disappeared giving me freedom to cut across the lot until my lungs were burning and mylimp worsened as my leg demanded I patch it up and kick back. Myfeethurt frommy shoes grinding intotheasphalt.
When I reached the van, I stopped, my hand wrapped around the door handle. I didn’t have the keys.
I didn’t turn around even when the sound of feet pounding the pavement approached me. “What the hell,Krystan?”
“Just open the damn door, Travis.”
“What just happened?”Black still stained his shirt, but he must have used his jacket to rub the ichor off his face. Only dark smudges remained by either ear.
“I said open the door.” I groundthe wordsout, two seconds from stomping a foot on the ground.
That’s itol’ girl, throw a tantrum and you won’t have to talk about it. Scare him. Scare him until he tucks his tail under and runs away.
Whipping around, I hissed. “What’s your problem?Let me in the van.”My words might as well have been rubber bullets in a child’s gun the way they fell off him. Was I losing my mojo? I always knew how to cut to the quick, but Travis wasn’t phased in the slightest.
