Page 29 of All for You

Travis runs a hand through his hair, his gaze intense as he stares at me. “This thing between us... it’s not fake anymore, Rachel. Hasn’t been for a while. Probably even before we started the charade. But tonight cements it. I want you by my side, Rachel. I want to protect you. Or at least stand beside you while you fight for yourself. Will you please let me?”

My heart thunders in my chest, and then a surge of relief washes over me, followed by a rush of happiness so insane it nearly knocks me off my feet.

I reach for his hand, feeling the roughness of his skin against my palm. “Yes,” I whisper, the word barely audible.

His expression softens, and the corners of his mouth turn up slightly. “Let’s go inside.”

Like the gentleman he is, he walks me to the building and opens the door for me. I lead him up the creaky stairs to my tiny studio apartment, but when I fumble with the keys again, he takes them from me and opens that door too. We step over the threshold, and I suddenly feel self-conscious about my sparse living conditions compared to his mansion-like ranch house. A full-sized bed dominates one corner, its sheets rumpled and unmade. A scuffed oval table with two wooden chairs serves as a dining area and workspace. The kitchenette is bare bones, lacking even a full-sized fridge. I don’t even have any living room furniture.

Travis’s gaze sweeps the room, taking in every detail. I wait for judgment, pity, or even laughter, but find none in his eyes when they meet mine.

This isn’t how I imagined him seeing my place for the first time. I had pictured candles, wine, and maybe some soft music. Not this mess. But the way he looks at me... It’s like none of it matters. I’m the only thing he sees in between these four walls.

“It’s not much,” I gesture vaguely. “But it’s home. For now, anyway. I plan to find a larger place once I have money saved from my job.”

Travis steps into my personal space. “It’s perfect,” he murmurs in my ear, his voice sexy and gruff.

How does he always manage to say exactly the right thing? It’s infuriating and irresistible all at once. Heat radiates off his body, and the earthy fragrance of his cologne mixed with leather and hay surrounds me. It’s pure Travis, and it makes my head spin. I want to bury my face in his chest and breathe him in.

He cups my cheek, his thumb brushing gently across my skin. “Rachel,” he breathes, my name a prayer on his lips.

The tenderness in his touch nearly breaks me. How long has it been since someone has looked at me like that? Since I’d felt cherished?

Tilting my face up, I meet his gaze. The passion I find blazing in his eyes steals my breath.

Slowly, giving me every chance to pull away, he lowers his head. Our lips meet in a tender kiss that sparks life into every cell in my body, and I melt into him, my hands fisting in his shirt.

Travis wraps his arms around me, pulling me flush against his hard, lean body. I don’t give a damn that he’s older than me. This man is in better shape than many half his age.

He deepens the kiss, pent-up desire and unspoken feelings pouring out between us. Maybe he was right. These feelings between us have been there for months. It doesn’t matter thatwe didn’t talk, that I avoided serving him when he came into the diner. Every one of those days have simply been the precursor to tonight.

I nip at his bottom lip, eliciting a low moan that spreads heat low in my belly. His taste, his touch, his solid warmth. I love all of him. I should probably pinch myself to avoid imagining any of it.

Slowly, almost reverently, he removes my dress, boots, and socks until I’m standing before him in nothing but lacy pink underwear.

“You’re so beautiful.”

A tremble works its way through my body. I tug at his shirt, desperate to feel his skin against mine.

He obliges, raising his arms so I can pull it over his head.

Finally, my hands are on his body, exploring the planes of his muscular chest as his lips find a sensitive spot on my neck.

I gasp when he sucks gently on my pulse point.

He walks us backward until my legs hit the bed and I fall onto the mattress, pulling him down with me. But I only revel in the feel of his weight for a moment before he pushes up onto his elbows, his gaze darting back and forth between my chest and my face.

This is it—the moment I’ve longed for. Travis’s solid presence above me feels so right, but a nagging voice can’t stop the whispers in the back of my mind. Can I truly trust him? Or am I setting myself up for more heartbreak?

“Are you sure about this, honey?” he asks, his voice husky with desire.

I slowly nod, unable to form words.

Travis’s lips claim mine again as he shifts and slides one hand into the waistband of my panties.

I lift my hips so he can peel the fabric down my legs until I can kick them free. For my part, I fumble with his belt buckle, my fingers clumsy in my eagerness.

Travis chuckles intimately and helps me. Then he stands so he can pull off his boots and his jeans. Soon, we’re skin to skin, hands and lips exploring.

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