Page 45 of Cherishing Happily Ever After

Stephanie squealed with surprise. “Travis. What are you…oh.”

“Oh indeed,” he murmured against the inside of her thigh as he wrapped both his arms around her legs and held her close.

“But I…oh.”

He cut off her protest before she could finish her thoughts. It didn’t take long with his talented tongue, combined with her incredibly responsive body, before her orgasm crashed over her and any protests she had left were long forgotten.

Finished, Travis crawled back up the bed and pulled her once more into his arms. He pressed a kiss to the back of her neck and inhaled deeply as he allowed himself to close his eyes and just for a moment think about what it might be like to wake up with her in his arms every day.

Really. Freaking. Awesome.

His breath caught in his chest a little but he covered it with a cough.

“The sun is out. We should get outside.” He pulled away abruptly and turned to swing his legs over the edge of the bed, but her hand on his arm stopped him.

“What…where…what about…”

He smiled down at her, at her almost innocent unasked questions. “We’re out of condoms, beautiful.”

“What?”

He pressed his lips together and nodded a little.

She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. “I mean,” she said when she reopened them. “I’m on the Pill and…”

He wasn’t stupid; he could see the uncertainty in her eyes. Maybe she was on the Pill, but Stephanie wasn’t a stupid woman and she didn’t get to be as successful as she was by taking risks. And to her, he was a risk, in so many senses of the word. After all, he did say that he couldn’t promise anything but that he’d try.Try.The reality of that hit him harder than he expected. “Stephanie. No.” He shook his head. “I can tell you’re not—”

“What?” She sat up in bed. “You can tell what?” She had the sheet pulled up to her chest now, suddenly shy.

Travis moved across the room, grabbed his jeans from the floor and shook his head. He wasn’t going to fall into this trap. He’d seen the look in her eyes when she’d said she was on the Pill. She wasn’t sure about it.About him.

It was right there. Plain to see.

And just like that, he felt like an idiot. He’d been letting down his walls, opening up,finally. And still, she was unsure.

“You don’t trust me.”

“You don’t trust me.”

His words reverberated through the small space, but she couldn’t deny them.

But at the same time, she also couldn’t agree with them.

Shedidtrust him. But…

She wasn’t stupid. He had a history. Besides, he’d all but told her he was a no-strings guy. She knew about Georgia, but what about the others? And of course there were others, because he was the—what?

The type.

The type that didn’t settle down. The type that slept around. The type that had lots of women. The type that kept everyone—including her—at a distance. He was that type.

And sure, he’d told her he’d…tryto give her everything she wanted. But that didn’t change who he was. And who he’d…

“It’s not that I don’t trust you,” she said finally. “Not at all.”

He watched her for a few moments, his face full of myriad emotions. Finally, he turned, and walked out leaving her staring after him.

Oh no.

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