Indecent Danger (Danger Incorporated #3)(52)
When some blood had returned to his brain he realized he was crushing the woman he loved to death and he rolled over on his back, his arm around her pulling her close so he wouldn’t miss a moment of feeling her skin next to his.
She laid her cheek on his chest and traced patterns on his belly. “I can hear your heart racing.”
What they had just shared was too monumental. He couldn’t keep the words inside any longer.
“It doesn’t belong to me anymore. It’s your heart now.”
Travis could feel Aubrey hold her breath and he could swear that same heart in question stopped beating for a moment as he waited for her response. When he didn’t get one, he knew he’d f*cked up.
It was too soon.
He’d pushed too hard.
She just didn’t love him.
Then she sat up and looked him right in the eye, a few shimmery silver tears sliding down her cheeks.
“I’ll take good care of it. I promise. I love you, Travis.”
Her voice was shaky but she never looked away, not trying to hide her crying. This wasn’t the moment to try and be cool. He was as overcome with emotion, if not more. His mouth and tongue didn’t seem to be working very well and it took him a few tries before he was able to form actual words.
“I love you too. So very much.”
They cuddled together, pressed close from head to toe. No more words needed to be said. They’d crossed a milestone and everything at that moment became better. It became more.
He would spend the rest of his life loving, adoring, and protecting Aubrey Grayson.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
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Aubrey, Travis, and Shane were having breakfast downstairs in the hotel dining room the next morning and she and Travis kept sneaking looks at each other and smiling while holding hands under the table. Apparently they hadn’t been all that inconspicuous though, because finally Shane slapped his fork down with a mock sigh of frustration.
“I can just find a table by myself if you’d like me gone. I feel like the proverbial fifth wheel. I can only imagine what happened between you two after I fell asleep.” Shane held up his hands with a grin. “And I sure as hell don’t want to know either. But both of you have been giving each other sly smiles since I opened my eyes this morning. I’m happy for you and all, but please don’t offend my delicate sensibilities and start going at it right here on the table. I’m way too innocent for that.”
Feeling the heat rise in her cheeks, Aubrey couldn’t contain her nervous giggle. “Innocent? You? I have never heard anyone describe you that way, Shane Anderson. Not one. In fact, I heard a story about you, Sissie Mae Watkins, and a hay loft that just about curled my hair. Is it true?”
Travis chuckled over his coffee cup and nodded, not giving his cousin a chance to answer. “Shane can’t even see innocent in the rearview mirror—that’s how far he is from it. And yes, that story is true. Every damn word. Hell, there are probably parts we haven’t even heard about that would scar us for life.”
Shane groaned and signaled to the waitress for a coffee refill. “I don’t have to take this abuse.”
“Yes, you do,” Travis laughed. “You earned every bit of it. Admit it, you enjoy your debauched life.”
A grin spread across Shane’s handsome face. All the Anderson men were too gorgeous for their own good. “Every single second of it, and Sissie Mae is a particularly pleasant memory, if I may say so. That was a good night.”
The waitress refilled their coffees but Travis barely noticed. He appeared to be enjoying this trip down memory lane. “You almost burned the Watkins’s barn down. I think her daddy still has a restraining order on you.”
“You worry too much,” Shane scoffed as his phone began to chime. “It was just a little harmless fun and no one got hurt. Seriously, anyway. Excuse me, I need to take this.”
He swiped the screen and stepped away from the table to the outdoor patio, the day already sunny and warm, leaving Aubrey and Travis alone at the table.
“He’s right, you know. I can’t take my eyes off of you. You look even more beautiful than usual this morning.” Travis lifted her hand and brushed his lips across her knuckles and then her fingertips, his gaze taking in the simple white sundress she’d chosen to wear today. “I love you.”
Her throat tightened up and her breath quickened. Would he always have this potent of an effect on her? “I love you too. A lot.”
“Good, because that’s how I feel too.” He leaned closer and she could smell his fresh from the shower scent, yummy enough to make her want to abandon her breakfast and drag him upstairs, stripping the conservative khaki pants and shirt from his delectable body. “What would you say if I planned a vacation for us? Just you and me. No work and no interruptions.”
“I thought this was supposed to be a vacation.”
Travis grimaced as his gaze strayed to where Shane was standing outside the windows of the restaurant. “It certainly hasn’t turned out to be much of one. I want us to have a real vacation. How about I rent one of those beach houses and we go somewhere that doesn’t have Wi-Fi?”
He was dreaming and Aubrey knew it better than anyone. “I keep your schedule, remember? When do you think we’ll find this magic time in your calendar? You’re booked for the next six months or more. The only reason we were able to come here is because you can work from the suite.” She patted his hand comfortingly. “It’s okay. I know that you’re an incredibly busy man. I’ve told you before but I’ll say it again. I don’t need you to cater to me, Travis. I’m independent and can take care of myself.”