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“See you—” The call disconnects. “Soon…”
I kick off my shoes and strip out my clothes. Pulling on something more comfortable, I barely have the long-sleeve, oversized sweater over my head when I hear Travis’s truck outside. I tug up my pajama pants and amble toward the front door.
Before he knocks, I open the door and step out of the way. He breezes past me and storms inside. I close the door, lock it, and head back toward my bedroom. Travis is on my heels but doesn’t utter a word.
As soon as the door clicks shut, his hands frame my face. Then his lips are on mine, hungry and desperate and claiming. He brands me with his kiss as he shoves me against the door.
Quickly as he pounced, he rips his mouth from mine and steps back. Drops his hands and pins me to the door with feral eyes. “What happened?” The question more a growly demand than a basic request for information.
Pushing off the door, I take his hand and cross the room to the bed. I sit on the edge and hug my legs to my chest. Travis opts to stand, his fingers tapping his thighs.
And then I relay my dinner with Ben. I share every detail—the meal, our conversations, going out on the deck, the kiss, the conversations following the kiss. The only time I pause is when his fingers curl into fists or his face flames with anger.
Honesty is important to me and Travis, even when it hurts. Ripping off the bandage and getting hit with it all at once is better than drip-feeding details over time and appearing deceptive.
“Motherfucker.”Thump, thump, thump.His boots pound the floor as he paces the length of the room.
“He misread the situation, Travis.” I drop my feet to the floor and stand. “Believe me, he’s upset and embarrassed.”
Travis whirls around and jabs a finger in my direction. “He should be.”
I take a step toward him, then another. Reach out and wrap my fingers around his wrist. Shuffle closer to him. Lift a hand and cup his cheek. Stroke the scruff of his beard with my thumb.
The fury in his eyes morphs into something else. Softer. Deeper. He sucks in a sharp breath, his amber eyes darker as they dart between mine. Searching. Probing.
He drops his forehead to mine, skates the tip of his nose along the length of mine, then lowers his mouth to mine and kisses me with unparalleled tenderness. No two kisses with Travis are the same. This kiss… is the softest yet.
And all too soon, he breaks the kiss.
He takes one step back, then another, and another. Hand on the door handle, he meets my puzzled expression with a subtle smile. “Just need some air, sunshine.” He takes a deep breath. “Call me in the morning?”
Nausea churns beneath my diaphragm. “Are you mad at me?”
“No, baby.” He shakes his head. “Just need to work out my feelings.” Lips trapped between his teeth, his jaw rocks back and forth a moment. “Old wounds messing with my head. Nothing a run with Pepper won’t solve.”
“’Kay.” I let his words sink in and assuage the queasiness. “I’ll walk you out.”
Steps from the front door, it swings open and Delilah walks through. An awkward exchange of hellos and goodbyes happen, then she ambles into the kitchen.
Travis frames my face with his hands and brushes my lips with his. I melt into the kiss, into his touch, into him. Forehead pressed to mine, he whispers, “In the morning.”
“In the morning,” I repeat.
Then he is out the door and headed for his truck. I stand on the threshold, watching as he walks away.
He’s not mad at you. It’snotyou.
I close and lock the door, then make my way to the kitchen. Delilah is at the island, eating leftover Vietnamese from the box. Going to the fridge, I grab a Coke and pop the top.
“Everything okay with you and Travis?”
Delilah may not know a lot about Travis personally, but she knows quite a bit about his family.
Like Travis’s family—Emerson—Delilah’s family—Fox—is one of the Stone Bay founding families. The Stone Bay Seven. And with each of those seven families comes some level of secrecy. The contributions of each family when the town was founded are public record. Such information is accessible at the town hall and the town history museum.
But much has changed since the town charter was created. The seven families that came together in 1908 and the beliefs they shared in that period are not the same as today. Greed and jealousy and power change people—some for the better, others for the worse.
Delilah’s grandparents changed for the better. And every day I have her in my life, I am grateful for her family and the courageous strides they have made.
