Indecent Danger (Danger Incorporated #3)(14)
Aubrey was still having trouble wrapping her mind around the fact that she’d told Travis her deepest, darkest secret and he hadn’t sent her packing.
“I’m certainly not defending him. He is a douche. But you said that I was ashamed of enjoying sex and that’s not it at all. That’s not why I’m ashamed.”
Frowning, Travis ran his hands up and down her arms, sending warmth into her cold extremities.
“Then what are you ashamed of, baby?”
“That I kept doing it even though I didn’t like it. I really never enjoyed it. I don’t think that I can.”
The final confession. She was a slut who didn’t care for sex. Ironic as hell.
Now he knew how screwed up she truly was.
Chapter Eight
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The entire situation was completely screwed up.
His Aubrey actually thought he’d care that she’d been free with her favors when she was younger. He didn’t care what she’d done before as long as she was only his from now on. But her other confession that she didn’t like sex made him sad. She thought there was something wrong with her.
There wasn’t a damn thing wrong with her.
He’d kissed this woman. Caressed her soft skin and traced her curves with his hands. He’d felt her tremble in his arms and had smelled her arousal. She wasn’t frigid or unresponsive. She might not be a virgin but she sounded…unawakened.
“Sweetheart, I think we need to talk about this a little bit. Are you saying you don’t want to have sex with me? Because it’s okay if you don’t.”
What was a lifetime of blue balls anyway?
Her eyes flew open and she shook her head vehemently. “But I do. Really.” A blush crawled up her neck and face as she realized what she’d said. His heart pounded against his ribcage and his blood pressure hitched up several points. She was adorable. “I’m attracted to you. Honestly.”
“That’s good to hear, baby. Really good. But you don’t expect to enjoy it, is that why you’re trying to say?”
She looked relieved and nodded. “Exactly. I don’t want you to think it’s your fault because it’s not.”
“Hmmm…that’s good to know.”
She was serious. She thought she wasn’t capable of great passion.
“Are you sure it doesn’t make any difference?”
Her question was hesitant, almost fearful, and he splayed his hand on her lower back to pull her a little closer to him.
“I don’t care about your past and I don’t care what happened with other men. The only thing that matters is you and me. I hope you feel the same way.”
He should have anticipated them but he hadn’t, so he was caught off guard when her beautiful brown eyes filled with tears and they began to slide down her creamy cheeks, a few dropping on his shirt. Her whole body was shaking like a leaf on a windy autumn day.
“I was so worried. I thought you’d kick me out.” Aubrey buried her head in his chest and he wrapped his arms around her, tightly rocking her back and forth as if she were a child. She hadn’t received enough love and adoration and he promised right then and there to rectify that situation. He’d shower her with affection and attention until she screamed for mercy.
“If I kicked you out then I’d have to kick my own ass out as well, kitten. I’ve done a bunch of things I’m not proud of, most of them in my youth, thankfully. Give yourself a break. No one is perfect.”
“You are,” she sniffled as he handed her a handkerchief from his pocket.
The sentiment was sweet but terribly misguided. He was nothing to write home about, his flaws on clear display.
“Far from it. Honestly, I’m a mess,” he chuckled. “I’m nowhere near perfect as you should well know. You work for me, after all. If that isn’t enough we can give my sister and brothers a call. They’ll be happy to tell you how pointless my existence on this earth is. In fact, they love reminding me of that whenever we’re together.”
Aubrey rolled her eyes as she dabbed at her nose. “I do work for you and you forget that I’ve seen all the lovesick women parading in and out of your life. There’s something about you that women adore, Travis.”
“Yeah, my money,” he snorted. “Don’t make the mistake of thinking it’s any more than that. I attract a certain type of lady that believes size matters. As in the size of my bank account. They don’t usually care much about me personally.”
“You don’t think I’m like that, do you?”
Biting her lip, her eyes were starting to fill with more tears. He’d screwed up again.
“Of course not.” His arms tightened around her and he pressed his face to her fragrant tresses. “I know you like me for me and that’s one of the big reasons we’re together. You don’t care how much money I have or where we eat dinner, what parties we attend. You’d much rather hang around my house and watch television or ride horses. You came here this weekend for me, not for you.”
“You could tell that? I guess I’m just not a glamour type girl.”
“Thank God, because that’s what I prefer too. I do parties like this because of social commitments and good friends, but honestly I’d just rather take you out for a moonlit horseback ride next to the lake. I’d lay out a blanket and a picnic and we could make out under the stars.”