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“So, did I graduate to using Raid cans now?” I tease while glancing around.
He grins and replies by pointing past the shed in the backyard. “I have some shooting targets set up over there for you to practice on.” Shooting? As in guns? He must feel me tense up, because he gives me a squeeze and reassuringly says, “Sweetheart, handling a firearm is serious business, but it’s more important you learn how to defend yourself.”
“That’s a pretty big leap though, Travis. I can point a can of hairspray, but I don’t think I’ve ever pointed a gun,” I reply nervously, “let alone at a human being.”
He turns me around in his arms and gently cups my cheeks in his palms. “Jules, I can only pray you never have to use a gun in self-defense. Even though I’m here by your side to protect you with my very life, there are certain situations where you may be called upon to act.”
“Travis, you’re scaring me.” I shake my head as anxiety laces my voice. “You’re giving me the creeps, and I really need to know what you think is going on, especially if it’s to the point of me needing to learn how to handle a firearm. I’m better now, and you said you would explain things to me once we got out of Charleston,” I tilt my head to the side, pinning him down with a serious stare, “and I’ve been patiently waiting for you to give me that explanation.”
He lets out a lengthy sigh, as if I’m putting him out, but I remain quiet as I patiently wait him out. I need him to shed some light on my situation. “Jules,” he breathes out in exasperation, “do you trust me?”
I shake my head. “This isn’t a matter of trust, Travis. I want some answers.”
His eyes turn crystal and iridescent against the sun’s rays as he stares intently into my eyes. His gaze firmly fixes on me, holding me spellbound. “This is a matter of trust, Jules. Don’t you believe me when I say I’d guard you with my life?” He accentuates the last word emphatically.
I’m taken aback, almost stunned by the sharpness and voracity in his voice. He’s very intense right now, and his conviction is so spirited I can’t help but believe his declaration. I think back on all he’s done for me, and I remind myself of the emotional and physical connection we shared just this morning when we made love. “Yes, I trust you, but...”
His fingertips press into my lips, preventing me from speaking further as he shakes his head. “No buts. There are certain things I can’t answer right now, and it’s only because I want to keep you safe.”
“Travis,” I impatiently drawl out his name with growing irritation. My temper rises as I back out of his embrace. “I’ve already lost my memory, and you keeping me in the dark is not helping matters. I have the right to know what’s going on, and with you wanting to stay elusive at every turn, well...well...it makes me feel as if you’re trying to trap me here on purpose.” I feel my blood pressure spike at the very thought and take another step back. My forehead crinkles as I stare at him in disbelief. “If someone wants to withhold important information from me, deceiving me is the only plausible conclusion I can come up with.”
In the blink of an eye, as if Travis is a linebacker, he roughly captures me in his strong arms, almost knocking the wind out of me. He holds me extra tight while his eyes squeeze shut, acting like my statement put him in pain. “God no, baby...it’s the exact opposite,” he proclaims on a choked whisper as he flicks his eyes back and forth over mine. It’s his eyes that always pull me in and take my breath away as they convey so much. Right now, they’re pleading, sincere, and pained. “I know you want to know everything, but I promise you...these stones are better left unturned for now.”
He leans down, tenderly kissing my lips, and my lower belly clenches. His tongue darts out, lightly brushing over my lips, and I shiver as I open up to him. My God, the man is like a drug, and I’m so addicted. How is he always able to do this to me? He kisses me stupid every time I get upset; making me forget what had me riled up in the first place until I’m putty in his hands. I have the insane desire to run my hands all over him, so I do. I go ahead and indulge myself as I softly trail my fingertips up his arms and run them over his hard biceps.
I feel as if I could make love to Travis all day long. He pauses in his kiss, pulls a hairsbreadth away from my lips, and gruffly whispers, “This morning when we made love, we bonded, Jules. I know you felt the potency between us.” His tongue flicks over my lips, and I grow wet with arousal. His eyelids sensually dip to half-mast. “Tell me you feel it too,” he softly murmurs.
