She smiled, brushing her lips across his. “I haven’t told anyone that full story other than Natalie, and obviously Freeman. I don’t know what prompted me to spill all that. It’s an awfully heavy topic. I’m sorry.”
He shook his head though. “Don’t ever be sorry for telling me your truths, Roxy. And I will never judge you, you have my word on that. I know that our pasts can shape us in ways we never would have expected, probably better than anyone. I have not been dishonest when I tell you I am a monster, baby girl.”
She pursed her lips, leaning forward to kiss him again, at the same time splaying her palm wide over his left pectoral, where his heart beat a steady cadence. “You’re not a monster, Travis. This heart is too good for you to ever be a monster.”
Thirty-Four
After a quick breakfast at a truck-stop diner along the interstate, they were back on the road. Windows down, the wind whipped through the vehicle, the sun bright in the rich blue of the sky. Music blasted through the speakers, and they sang along as the miles disappeared behind them.
Travis’s left hand was kept firmly on the wheel, but his right hand never strayed far from her. Either holding her hand in his, or clasping her bare knee, or strumming his fingers along the sensitive skin on the insides of her thighs. He touched her constantly, turned to look at her through the darkly tinted Aviator sunglasses back on his face, shielding his eyes from the bright sunlight as they drove.
Kansas disappeared behind them, then a short jaunt through the northwestern corner of Missouri, and up into Iowa. They had just crossed into Wisconsin, and they were trying to make it as far as Madison before stopping for the night, but Roxy would have been fine if they’d taken their time, too.
“Want to find us a hotel and somewhere to stop for dinner?” Travis asked, squeezing her knee lightly. He had to know what every single touch did to her, sending lightning zapping throughher, straight to her core. She’d been painfully turned on all day, with every touch of his fingers against her skin.
“Already on it,” she said, scrolling through her phone. “There’s a Best Western that’s not too expensive.”
“Find us somewhere that will have the fluffy white hotel robes.”
“Travis, I can’t afford one of those fancy hotels,” Roxy muttered dryly, rolling her eyes at him as he drove, that left hand of his draped loosely over the wheel. Peeking at him through her lashes, she did very much like the idea of seeing him lounging in nothing but a big fluffy hotel robe.
“Find one, Red,” he murmured darkly, slicing his gaze over to her. He had tossed the sunglasses onto the dashboard, now that the sun had descended just beyond the horizon. “I’m not asking.”
Huffing out a heavy, beleaguered sigh, she tried to keep the corners of her mouth from tipping up in a smile as she mumbled, “Fine.”
Routing them to one of the city’s five-star hotels, Travis pulled up to the valet parking and hopped out, stretching, before pulling first his duffel and then her suitcase out of the back. With his duffel slung over his left shoulder, and her suitcase held in his left hand, he clasped her hand with his right. Together, they walked into the fancy atrium and up to the long granite faced concierge desk.
“Checking in for Hayes.”
It didn’t take long to get them checked in, and then they were in the elevator. As the doors slid shut soundlessly, Travis backed her up against the polished mirrored wall of the elevator, spanning his hand across her throat and tilting her face up to his. He merely hovered his lips over hers, brushing his mouth back and forth, teasing her while keeping her trapped against the wall of the elevator.
“I can’t decide if I want to order up room service, take a shower, or fuck you first.”
“Umm. Yes?”
He chuckled, low and dark, and the sound sent fissures of pleasure down her spine, his breath ghosting over her lips. She shivered. The elevator dinged as it arrived on their floor, whooshing open almost silently. He backed up, removing his hand from her throat. Clasping her hand in his once more, they walked down the hallway to their room.
Her entire body was on fire, lit up from the inside out. Little fireworks continued to go off in her belly, sending butterflies flitting around crazily. Damn this man was driving her insane with want.
Pushing the door open, he let her enter ahead of him, flipping on the lights. The room was lavish and opulent. Roxy crossed the lush, carpeted floor to wide windows, peering through the gossamer curtains and across a lake that sat directly in the center of the city.
Travis deposited their bags by the door and then did his usual check of the room, though Roxy thought it was totally unnecessary in a hotel as nice as this. She meandered into the spacious bathroom. There was a double shower wide enough for two people to comfortably stand in with a floor to ceiling glass door, but Roxy was damn near gleeful over the oversized jacuzzi tub that sat in the corner. Two fluffy, starched white hotel robes sat folded on the tubs edge.
They would definitely be utilizing that tonight, if only to soothe her aching muscles. Her body was still sore from Neal’s attack, and sitting in the car for the last two days hadn’t helped much to alleviate the aches.
Travis walked in behind her and she whirled, throwing her arms around his shoulders. His hands settled heavily on thecurves of her waist, holding her against him, at the same time lowering his head to take her mouth with a fervent, fevered kiss.
“I want to take a bath,” she murmured against his mouth when he pulled away enough for her to breathe. “Will you join me?”
“Why don’t you start the water and I’ll order up some room service,” he suggested, pecking another kiss to her lips. “What sounds good?”
“Breakfast,” she laughed, leaning back against his arms that held her around the waist.
“That does seem to be our thing,” he chuckled, smiling down at her. She loved it when he smiled. His eyes crinkled at the corners, and those honey gold depths seem to shine in a way that she hadn’t noticed before, all those months ago. She was angry at herself for not taking a leap of faith earlier, to capitalize on the time that they could have had… time that now seemed so painfully short. “Pancakes? Waffles? French Toast?”
“Hmmm,” Roxy hummed, pursing her lips and narrowing her eyes in thought. “Waffles. Strawberries. Lots of whipped cream.”
Travis grinned down at her. “I like the way you think, woman.”
