Good Girls Don't Date Rock Stars(31)

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GEMMA’S BODY BETRAYED her as she grabbed hold of Travis’s shoulders and hung on, melting as his mouth left her neck and took her lips. She was vaguely aware of Travis pressing her backward until she hit a wall of books. One of his hands ended up in her hair, releasing her clip. Her wet hair fell around her shoulders, while his other hand gripped her rear, pressing her against him, immobilizing her. Maybe it was the shock of seeing him again, or the fact that she’d been missing him, craving him, but all thought of escape was gone; she didn’t want Travis to stop. Ever.

Her hands slid over his biceps, her fingers pressing into the hard muscles as they drifted down his back and gripped his T-shirt, inching it up until her hands found the warmth of his skin.

This was wrong and unfair. She’d told him it was over, and yet here he was, and she was taking full advantage of it.

She pulled her mouth away and gasped, “Maybe we should—”

Then his hand was reaching between their bodies and cupping her through her khakis, and she forgot why she was protesting.


He stroked her through the light fabric, and her panties grew damp. She was so far gone that her hands were already moving to the snap of her pants, determined to get rid of the offending barrier between her body and the magic hand currently stroking her into a frenzy.

A loud banging startled her. “Gemma?”

Michael.

Gemma broke the kiss and put her hands against Travis’s chest to put some distance between them, trying to control her ragged breathing as she yelled, “Yeah, Mike. I’m coming.”

Her gaze stayed on Travis as his eyebrow rose, his expression daring her to tell Mike to go.

The doorknob rattled and Mike laughed. “Did you and Gracie have a late night or something? Come on, I want to hear about your trip.”

“O-okay, I’m coming.” Travis’s turbulent blue eyes told her that in his opinion she’d made the wrong choice, but she couldn’t ignore Mike. “Mike doesn’t know about us either,” she whispered. “Please don’t tell him, okay? Please?”

Travis’s mouth thinned into an angry line and he released her. “For now.”

Relieved, Gemma went to unlock the door, her hands shaking like crazy. She held the door slightly ajar and tried to smile naturally. “Hey, Mike.”

Michael Stevens cocked his head, a puzzled look on his face. “Shouldn’t you be open by now? It’s ten after.”

“Umm, yeah. I just had to—”

Travis grabbed the door above her head and swung it wide open. “Hey, buddy, long time no see.”

Shocked, Mike stammered, “Travis? Wow, man, hey—” Mike shot Gemma an alarmed look and she shook her head.

Please don’t say anything about Charlie.

Mike took the hint and stuck out his hand toward Travis. “It’s good to see you.”

Gemma stood between the two men as they shook hands. In high school they had been thick as thieves, but now they seemed tense. They were eyeballing each other like a couple of dogs sizing up their opponent, and she broke in on the pissing contest.

“Hey, do you mind if I call you later? Travis is just passing through and we have a lot to talk about.”

Mike looked resigned, and she felt a twinge of guilt. She didn’t like hurting Mike’s feelings, but she had to find out what Travis’s intentions were.

“Sure. Good to see you, Travis. We’ll have to get a beer and catch up.”

The tension eased slightly as Travis smiled with genuine warmth. “Sounds good.”

Gemma closed the door on Mike, but as a precaution, she raised the blinds over the door and windows. There would be more speculation if she stayed closed and someone saw him leave than if she opened as usual and someone noticed them talking inside.

Plus, the open windows helped her fight the urge to jump his bones.

What was the matter with her? She was like a cat in heat, hissing at him to leave one minute and almost letting him take her against the bookshelves the next. There was something seriously wrong with her.

Flipping the CLOSED sign over to OPEN, she took a breath and faced Travis again. “Why are you here?”

“I told you: to be with you.”

“I don’t believe that. There’s something else.” Gemma went to walk around him and, surprisingly, he made no move to grab her again. Once she had some distance and the counter between them, she continued, “I couldn’t have been clearer about what I wanted.”

His face flushed, his tone laced with sarcasm. “Yeah, I know. You made your wishes crystal clear, but here’s something you didn’t take into account.” He leaned closer and drew out the words slowly. “You. Aren’t. The. Only. One. In. This. Marriage.”

“Shhh. Stop it. Don’t talk like that. It was a mistake.”

“No, see, it wasn’t. It might have been rash and impulsive, but being with you again?” He came around the counter, pushing past her warding hands and cupping her face in his hands. “Us together, Gem . . . it’s not a mistake. When I found you gone, I thought I was going to lose it and go all Van Halen on that hotel room.” He dropped his forehead to hers, his breath warm against her lips as he whispered, “Does this feel like a mistake?”

“Please.” She didn’t mean to whimper, but her traitorous body was swaying, liquefying at the softness in his tone. “Travis, I wasn’t trying to hurt you, but you have to understand. There are other factors—”