Parker tracked the movement, wanting to suck that tongue into her mouth more than she should.She’d never really been an overtly sexual person, but it seemed Travis brought out that side of her.A few small pieces of the crust dusted the hair over his chin, and before she could think about what she was doing, Parker found herself reaching over and brushing them away with her thumb, his beard soft to the touch.
Halfway through the action, her hand froze when she realized the boundary she’d just crossed.“Sorry,” she mumbled, pulling her hand away.“Must be the mom in me.”
Travis stared at her and nodded slowly.“Must be.”He ran his hand along the place she’d touched reverently a moment before brushing off his beard and taking another bite of his dessert as he gingerly leaned his body against the thick trunk of the tree.“Thanks for the pie.”
Parker nodded, still kneeling rather awkwardly.If she asked to join him, he might say no, so she took choice out of the equation.Sitting her body next to his, she leaned back, the rough bark of the tree trunk scratching her back through the thin cotton of her shirt.Picking up the other slice of pie with her fingers, Parker took a small bite, enjoying the tart cherry flavor as it burst onto her tongue.
As she chewed, she inspected him carefully.“How did you know I was there anyway?”
Travis looked over at her, seeming totally unbothered with her presence despite his clear avoidance of her.“Heard you coming.”He shrugged and polished off his pie with a monster bite before brushing his hands off on his jeans.“You weren’t exactly quiet,” he mumbled.
Parker frowned slightly.“I wasn’t exactly loud either,” she argued.Parker had never been dainty, but she also wasn’t someone who clomped around all the time like an elephant.That tended to draw people’s attention and that was something she’d always wanted to avoid if she could help it.Seeing pity in people’s eyes when they looked at her was something she hated more than being in the situation that garnered that pity to begin with.“You must have super hearing or something.”
A bit of pain flashed in his eyes, but he turned away before Parker could be sure of what she saw.“Kind of.”
Parker waited for him to explain that, but Travis just sipped some water from his canteen before resting his head back against the tree, staring up through the canopy of leaves into the clear sky above.As she watched him gaze upward, she noticed his expression was serene and troubled at the same time, and it seemed whatever thoughts swirled in his head were going to stay there unless she spoke up.
Huffing, she bumped him with her shoulder.“Are you going to tell me your origin story or should I just assume you were bitten by a radioactive moth?”
Travis shot her a look that seemed to question her sanity, though his mouth ticked up in the corners as he tried not to smile.“Moth?”
Parker nodded.“They have the best hearing of any animal or insect, able to stand up to three hundred thousand hertz.”She smiled as she remembered the random magazine she’d gotten that tidbit from.It was one she had picked up off one of the bus benches back in Idaho to bring home to read to Kit.“Learned that about a year ago.”
“Huh.”Travis looked impressed for a moment before the sadness was back in his eyes.“No radioactive moth, just sensory processing disorder.”
Parker’s brow furrowed.That was something she hadn’t read about and was curious to know more, and not just because she was curious by nature.She wanted to know everything there was to know about the man next to her, but was willing to take any scrap of information he would give.
She hesitated for a moment, not wanting to make him talk more than he wanted to, but decided that was his choice to make and asked for more information.“What’s that?”
Travis plucked a twig up off the ground and started snapping it in pieces.“Different things for different people.For me, it’s not liking loud noises.Noise in general, really.”He tossed the pieces of twig aside before starting the same practice up with another.“Also means some lights are too bright or food textures can freak me out.Strong smells aren’t great either.Depends on the day, but noise is the biggest bother to me.”
Parker nodded, taking another bite of pie while she processed what he was saying.Dealing with something like that sounded as though it would make certain situations incredibly irritating.The diners and stores she’d worked in had always been loud and bustling, but it had never impacted her that much.Parker couldn’t imagine having to deal with that if she had the same sensory issues he had.
“That sounds tough.”She looked at him to see him nodding, his eyes still up in the trees.“Is that why you prefer to be out here where it’s quiet?”
Travis nodded.“Part of it.Always quiet out here.”His head tilted to look at her, his eyes soft and a bit of a smirk on his face.“Most of the time.”
Parker’s eyes widened at the realization.“Is that why you’ve been avoiding me?Because I’m too loud?”She hadn’t thought of herself as a loud person, but maybe she was too chatty or maybe she smelled bad.Either way, his not wanting to be near Parker suddenly made a lot more sense.“I’m so sorry to bug you.”
Turning to leave, Parker stopped when she felt Travis’s hand gripping just above her knee.Being grabbed by anyone other than Kit was something that normally put her on edge, but as Parker felt the warmth of his hand even through her jeans, she felt the opposite.Totally relaxed, finding that the small amount of heat she was getting from him wasn’t nearly enough.Parker wanted to be as naked as the first day she’d met him before rolling around together for a little while until they were both covered in sweat.Where was that tent when you needed it?
Travis ducked his head away from her for a moment before turning back, his expression slightly chagrined.“You don’t bug me.Opposite really.”He sighed heavily before removing his hand and propping it on his bent knee.“Don’t do so great with people.”Parker nodded, wondering if she would need to prompt him to go on again, but he talked of his own volition eventually.In addition to enjoying quiet, it also seemed Travis enjoyed not being rushed, something she made note of.“People are assholes.Coming onto the farm, taking what they want without thought, leaving the trees bare and broken.It’s wrong.Hate it.”
Parker placed her hand on his other leg, wanting to offer some comfort.When Travis didn’t pull away or tell her to move it, she felt relaxed enough to ask, “Is that the only reason you don’t like people?”Travis looked at her, his eyes wary.“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.It just seems as though there’s more story there.”
Travis huffed.“Suppose there is.”He tapped the side of his leg with his thumb as his face contorted with concentration.“Tell you what.I’ll share my story if you share yours.”
Parker leaned back.Her past wasn’t something she talked much about due to a mix of embarrassment, shame, and her tendency to get angry whenever she thought about the unfairness of it, but it was only right that if he made himself vulnerable that she reciprocate.
Nodding, she stuck her hand out to shake for the second time since she’d known him.“Deal.”
Travis took her hand in his, but instead of shaking it, he just held it gently and thumbed along the back of it.The warmth in her chest dipped and settled low in her belly the longer he touched her.“Deal.”
Parker didn’t pull her hand away.Her chest felt like it was full of helium, like she might float away at any moment, and that was a feeling she wasn’t ready to lose just yet.She was crushing on this man hard, and even though she knew it likely wouldn’t end well, Parker tried to let herself enjoy it while she had the time to do so.
