And him. And his dimples. And his humor. And his voice.
“Everyone’s going to find out.” She fidgeted with the bedspread. “I am horrible at keeping secrets.”
“Who is going to find out?” he asked. “Mama? Dad? Gavin?”
“Brady, Kellan,” she continued listing in the same tone he had.
“Then don’t make it a secret.” He moved his palms to her face, stroking her neck. “In your head, while we figure things out, don’t make it a secret. It’s just somethin’ we’re not ready to share. There’s a difference.”
“Your mom is going to be so mad,” she said against his lips because, dammit, his lips were right there.
“My mother has no say in this.”
“Your mom has a say in everything,” Rachel whispered. “She’s the Puffle Yum Momster.”
“No.” Travis shifted, not even bothering to realize that she was still totally naked. Apparently, he was cool with naked. Good to know.
“Mama thinks she has a say in everything. The only two people this involves are you and me.” He paused, looking lost in a moment of thought. “Eventually, it’ll involve your kids, because they’re a huge part of who you are.”
His fingers met her chin, holding her face up to his. He pressed a kiss to her lips, gentle, with a soft quality that wrapped around her and reassured that everything was going to be fine.
She let out a long breath.
“Are you with me on this?” he asked.
Not like she really had a choice. If they went around announcing what they were doing, she’d get tossed out, and the boys would be confused. “Next time I fall asleep like that, wake me up.”
“No.” He seemed firm on this, which meant she’d never get to fall asleep in the afternoon again.
“While you were asleep, Dad checked in with me. They’re staying in Confluence for dinner, and they’ll be back late. He worried when they couldn’t reach you. I told them you were taking a nap, and I’d let you know when you woke up.” He moved closer to her like a predator and she was his prey. “This is me, letting you know.”
Since his lips were right there and her lips were right there, she kissed him. Hard, long, and with some tongue action.
He pulled away from her mouth, adjusting the bedding so it didn’t cover any of her.
She resisted the urge to cover her stretch marks with her hand.
“For the record, I haven’t worried what my mother thinks about any woman in my bed since I was sixteen,” Travis said, nibbling along her neck.
Rachel stilled. “Sixteen?”
“You’re thinking again, sunshine.” He kissed her, the same way that she’d kissed him. “Don’t dig too deep. That’s where we keep the skeletons.”
She looked up at him and saw the heat of his gaze, felt reassurance in his touch. “What if we mess everything up?”
“You’re giving us too much power.” He rolled her onto her back, settling between her thighs.
This felt…this felt natural. Like it was always supposed to be this way. Rachel and Travis.
It made no sense, and in that nonsensical way, it made all the sense in the world.
“I really like you,” she said as he pressed kisses along the column of her throat.
He didn’t stop kissing her, continuing along her collarbone to her shoulder until he said, “Good to know.”
Then it was hands and mouths and so much groping.
He was hard, she was ready, and he took everything she gave.
