It took probably, oh, two seconds for Travis to realize what had happened—or what he thought had happened, anyway. I was in the kitchen, clearing away yet another spilled beer, when the front door flew open, slamming against the wall. I actually felt my bones rattle. He stormed into the kitchen, chest heaving as he gazed around wildly until his eyes finally landed on me.
I stared at him, momentarily struck dumb by his abrupt appearance. My gaze swept down his body, noting with approval how his shirt stretched across his broad shoulders before disappearing into the waistband of his jeans. He must have run his hands through his hair, because it was sticking up in all directions, simply begging me to run my fingers through it. My eyes widened at the hard line of his jaw, always a formidable sight but even more so now that every ounce of his fury was directed at me.
Travis stalked toward me, stopping mere inches from where I stood, my dripping sponge still poised over the beer-soaked counter. He glared down at me, nostrils flared as he visibly attempted to maintain his composure.
"I was under the impression that we had an agreement."
"That's correct."
His left eye twitched, lips thinning before he snarled, "Then why the fuck are there cars on my lawn?"
Travis' anger was so over the top that I just couldn't take him seriously. I casually and oh-so-slowly tossed the sponge on the counter, mockingly wiping my hands on each other as my eyes raked up and down his body. He straightened, folding his arms over his chest in that gesture I now understood he made whenever he feared his anger was about to get the better of him.
"I can't help where they park. What am I supposed to do, move them myself? Should I attach a chain between their cars and mine and drag them from the vicinity? Maybe I could just go over there and lift them over my head, à la Wonder Woman?"
He stepped closer, crowding me into the island, but I refused to give him an inch. We stood so close together that our bodies touched from chest to toe. The sensation hit me right in the chest, desire messing with my focus as I struggled not to show how attractive I found his hard body.
Travis leaned impossibly closer, towering over me so much I nearly bent over backwards. "No ... Lena. I do not expect you to act like Wonder Woman. I think we can both agree you're more villain than hero."
That cut a little, before I glared at him and saw just the slightest flicker of mischief in his eyes. Was he joking? Desire pulsed through me again. I forced myself to keep from shaking my head or responding in any way that would further encourage the devil. This man was very bad for me. I kept reminding myself that I didn't need this distraction, a task that was becoming harder and harder to do the more I interacted with the man.
But again, my mouth moved before my brain could catch up. "You couldn't handle me in either case, hero or not."
Travis breathed one long, seemingly infinite breath, his chest swelling against me as he slammed his hands down on the counter behind me. He exhaled just as slowly and then swallowed. A moment later he was back under that icy control. I sighed, strangely disappointed.
"Why are there people in this house, Lena?"
I shrugged, embarrassed that I couldn't even control who could and could not enter my home—Travis included.
Travis ducked down a little, trying to look me right in the eye. "Well? Why?"
My embarrassment threatened to swallow me whole. In anger, I lashed out, "What does it look like? I'm having a party!"
"That's not what I asked."
"I don't care! There's people outside, and they're partying. You'll have to deal with it!"
A long moment of silence reigned throughout the kitchen. "Look at me. Look at me, Lena. What is going on here? Do you even want these assholes in your home?"
"I can't!"
"You can't what?"
Now, I completely understood how irrationally I was acting, but I couldn't tell him the humiliating circumstances of how I'd come to be his neighbor. I just couldn't force the words out of my mouth. "I can't—I won't tell you. You clearly are used to getting whatever you want, Travis Grant, but you won't get your way this time, and you'll never get me."
My chest heaved from my outburst. I suddenly couldn't keep my eyes off his lips, especially when they straightened into that stern line again. I bit my lower lip, my gaze fluttering unwillingly up to his eyes. He was transfixed, staring at me in complete stillness.
"Fuck it," he muttered.
Travis crushed his mouth to mine, tongue sweeping inside when I moaned in surprise. His arms grabbed my waist, smashing me against him as he simultaneously pushed us back into the island. I gasped again when I felt him along every inch of my body. Finally, I snapped out of my stupor.
I tangled my fingers in his hair and drew him closer, like I had wanted to from the moment I met him, reveling in the way I made it even messier than it already was. My touch set something off in him, because he growled and lifted me onto the counter, nudging my legs open so he could stand between them.
Wrapping my legs around Travis to bring him even closer, I gasped again when I felt the full length of him between me, shuddering as I gripped him even tighter with my thighs. He ripped his mouth from my lips, trailing hot kisses down my throat as he ran his hands up my legs, settling one around my waist while the other reached up to caress my breast. I moaned and grasped at his broad shoulders, but one hand inevitably reached up to tangle once more in his hair.
Travis nipped playfully at the base of my throat, his tongue darting out to soothe the spot a moment later. I grabbed his face and dragged him back up to me, our mouths tangling as our chests slammed together. I felt as if the edges of where I ended and he began had blurred, like I could spend the rest of my life tasting him, like—
The lights went out, plunging us into instant darkness.
It took probably, oh, two seconds for Travis to realize what had happened—or what he thought had happened, anyway. I was in the kitchen, clearing away yet another spilled beer, when the front door flew open, slamming against the wall. I actually felt my bones rattle. He stormed into the kitchen, chest heaving as he gazed around wildly until his eyes finally landed on me.
I stared at him, momentarily struck dumb by his abrupt appearance. My gaze swept down his body, noting with approval how his shirt stretched across his broad shoulders before disappearing into the waistband of his jeans. He must have run his hands through his hair, because it was sticking up in all directions, simply begging me to run my fingers through it. My eyes widened at the hard line of his jaw, always a formidable sight but even more so now that every ounce of his fury was directed at me.
Travis stalked toward me, stopping mere inches from where I stood, my dripping sponge still poised over the beer-soaked counter. He glared down at me, nostrils flared as he visibly attempted to maintain his composure.
"I was under the impression that we had an agreement."
"That's correct."
His left eye twitched, lips thinning before he snarled, "Then why the fuck are there cars on my lawn?"
Travis' anger was so over the top that I just couldn't take him seriously. I casually and oh-so-slowly tossed the sponge on the counter, mockingly wiping my hands on each other as my eyes raked up and down his body. He straightened, folding his arms over his chest in that gesture I now understood he made whenever he feared his anger was about to get the better of him.
"I can't help where they park. What am I supposed to do, move them myself? Should I attach a chain between their cars and mine and drag them from the vicinity? Maybe I could just go over there and lift them over my head, à la Wonder Woman?"
He stepped closer, crowding me into the island, but I refused to give him an inch. We stood so close together that our bodies touched from chest to toe. The sensation hit me right in the chest, desire messing with my focus as I struggled not to show how attractive I found his hard body.
Travis leaned impossibly closer, towering over me so much I nearly bent over backwards. "No ... Lena. I do not expect you to act like Wonder Woman. I think we can both agree you're more villain than hero."
That cut a little, before I glared at him and saw just the slightest flicker of mischief in his eyes. Was he joking? Desire pulsed through me again. I forced myself to keep from shaking my head or responding in any way that would further encourage the devil. This man was very bad for me. I kept reminding myself that I didn't need this distraction, a task that was becoming harder and harder to do the more I interacted with the man.
But again, my mouth moved before my brain could catch up. "You couldn't handle me in either case, hero or not."
Travis breathed one long, seemingly infinite breath, his chest swelling against me as he slammed his hands down on the counter behind me. He exhaled just as slowly and then swallowed. A moment later he was back under that icy control. I sighed, strangely disappointed.
"Why are there people in this house, Lena?"
I shrugged, embarrassed that I couldn't even control who could and could not enter my home—Travis included.
Travis ducked down a little, trying to look me right in the eye. "Well? Why?"
My embarrassment threatened to swallow me whole. In anger, I lashed out, "What does it look like? I'm having a party!"
"That's not what I asked."
"I don't care! There's people outside, and they're partying. You'll have to deal with it!"
A long moment of silence reigned throughout the kitchen. "Look at me. Look at me, Lena. What is going on here? Do you even want these assholes in your home?"
"I can't!"
"You can't what?"
Now, I completely understood how irrationally I was acting, but I couldn't tell him the humiliating circumstances of how I'd come to be his neighbor. I just couldn't force the words out of my mouth. "I can't—I won't tell you. You clearly are used to getting whatever you want, Travis Grant, but you won't get your way this time, and you'll never get me."
My chest heaved from my outburst. I suddenly couldn't keep my eyes off his lips, especially when they straightened into that stern line again. I bit my lower lip, my gaze fluttering unwillingly up to his eyes. He was transfixed, staring at me in complete stillness.
"Fuck it," he muttered.
Travis crushed his mouth to mine, tongue sweeping inside when I moaned in surprise. His arms grabbed my waist, smashing me against him as he simultaneously pushed us back into the island. I gasped again when I felt him along every inch of my body. Finally, I snapped out of my stupor.
I tangled my fingers in his hair and drew him closer, like I had wanted to from the moment I met him, reveling in the way I made it even messier than it already was. My touch set something off in him, because he growled and lifted me onto the counter, nudging my legs open so he could stand between them.
Wrapping my legs around Travis to bring him even closer, I gasped again when I felt the full length of him between me, shuddering as I gripped him even tighter with my thighs. He ripped his mouth from my lips, trailing hot kisses down my throat as he ran his hands up my legs, settling one around my waist while the other reached up to caress my breast. I moaned and grasped at his broad shoulders, but one hand inevitably reached up to tangle once more in his hair.
Travis nipped playfully at the base of my throat, his tongue darting out to soothe the spot a moment later. I grabbed his face and dragged him back up to me, our mouths tangling as our chests slammed together. I felt as if the edges of where I ended and he began had blurred, like I could spend the rest of my life tasting him, like—
The lights went out, plunging us into instant darkness.
