The Wager

Chapter Fifty-four

“I may die,” Travis swore. “Just so you know, I may actually die right now. It will be on the news, people will laugh; it could get ugly, Kace. I’m just saying that right now.”

“Just in case?” Kacey threw off her shirt.

Travis’s eyes went black. “Right, just in case.”

“I see.” She stepped out of her shorts and dropped them to the ground.

“Holy shit, it’s like I’m a kid.”

“Are you trying to kill the mood?” Kacey glared, putting her hands on her hips.

Travis looked away. “Yeah, so not what I meant.”

“Care explaining?”

“A youth.” Travis grinned. “Like the first time I saw you in your bathing suit.”

“Ah, the stories of your perverted teen years. Tell me, Satan—”

“Oohhh, dirty talk. I like it.”

Kacey rolled her eyes. “What was the color of my bathing suit?”

Travis licked his lips and stalked toward her. “Pink, it was hot pink, and it was a bikini.” He pulled her into his arms and licked her ear. “It was hot.”

“Oh yeah?” Kacey whispered pulling back. “Is that why you pushed me into the pool?”

“I did say hot.” Travis nipped at her lips. “You needed to cool off… I was being a gentleman.”

“You were being an ass.” Kacey said.

“That too.” Travis ran his hands through her hair. “Damn, you’re beautiful.”

Feeling her cheeks heat, Kacey looked down. He hadn’t said that to her for a week or so, which was totally understandable since they had been all but separated by Grandma. It felt good to hear it.

“Don’t.” Travis chuckled. “Don’t get shy on me all of a sudden.”

“Not shy.” Kacey met his gaze. “Just happy to hear you say it.”

Travis’s brow furrowed. “Do I not say it enough?”

“You do.” Kacey didn’t even sound convincing to herself. “Holy crap, I’m turning high maintenance. It’s because you spoiled me!” She pinched his arm and found satisfaction in his cry of pain.

“Brat.” Travis threw her onto the bed and straddled her, holding her wrists down so she couldn’t move.

Kacey thrashed against him. Damn the man, he was strong.

A muscle ticked in his jaw as he clenched his teeth together and closed his eyes. His dark wavy hair hung over his forehead as he leaned close enough to kiss her. Instead he inhaled and did nothing.

“Um, Travis.” Kacey whispered.

“Hmm?”

“What are you doing? I thought you were dying? I thought you said you were going to go crazy without any sort of physical contact, and you’re…” She laughed breathlessly. “You’re smelling me?”

“Yup.” He continued inhaling, his nose tickling the sides of her face as he moved all the way down her neck.

Crap, he felt good; she’d forgotten how right they felt together, how just being near him made everything suddenly seem okay. The world faded into the distance; it was just them.

“I love your neck.” He murmured, his lips burning against her skin as he continued to talk. “It smells like flowers. It always has, but I don’t know if it’s your perfume or just you. It’s incredible.”

His tongue slipped beyond his lips, tasting her skin, slowly and then he kissed once, twice, pausing between each kiss as if to memorize the exact taste of each individual spot he was touching.

Travis’s lips left her neck and moved to her shoulder. “I was obsessed with this shoulder for an entire year.”

“Shut up!” Kacey laughed. “What is wrong with you?”

He held her right shoulder in his hand, moving his thumb over her delicate skin causing goose bumps to erupt down her body. “It’s true. You wore a shirt that fell just over this shoulder, your right one. I tripped walking down the hall because I was so focused on that little piece of skin. I swore to myself that one day I’d reach out and touch your shoulder, of course in my teenage years, it went beyond that. I wanted—”

“To kiss me? Have sex?”

Travis laughed, his smile doing crazy things to her stomach. He had no idea how devastating he was. “Nah, sweetheart. I just wanted to hold your hand. And that’s the truth.”

“Hold my hand? Kind of tame, don’t you think?”

“Not to me.” He swallowed, his eyes taking on a sensitive look as he licked his lips and brushed the hair from her face. “I knew you’d never kiss me, not then, so I told myself if I could just hold your hand…”

“What?” Kacey asked, breathless.

Travis reached for the hand that was still pinned above her head and entwined his fingers with hers. “That it would be enough.”

Kacey’s throat was thick with emotion. She couldn’t even respond. What do you say to that?

“I would have been satisfied,” Travis continued. “I would have been happy even… living my life, continuing to live, to move on, away from my first love, if I could have just held your hand. At least that’s what I believed.”

Kacey squeezed his hand and brought it to her cheek. “And now, now what do you believe?”

“Never.” His voice was hoarse. “Ever.” He released her hand and braced her face. “Would it have been enough? One graze of your fingertip.” He dipped his thumb into her mouth. “Damn, but it would have killed me. And now, I just want you all the time, every second of every day. I can’t get it out of my head. I won’t ever be satisfied of you. And I hope this, this burning, this fever, that you cause in me, never recedes” He took her mouth with his, sucking her lips before retreating back again. “Just in case there were any doubts, you know, before now, you are more than pretty.”

Kacey’s eyes welled with tears.

“I told you once, a few months ago that you should be told every day… Clearly I’ve been too selfish to think to say it. Hell, I haven’t thought past the fact that your hand is missing its best friend: me.” He winked. “But Kace, thank God that you’re mine, because you are beautiful. I love your eyelashes—”

“—Travis.” She interrupted him with a kiss.

He pulled back. “Let me finish. I love your eyelashes; they smile with the rest of your eyes. And your hands, God made them to hold mine, seriously, Grandma even asked, he said yes, by the way…”

“Oh yeah, what else did he say?” Kacey joked.

“That you were mine, from day one, from the first desire to see your shoulder, to hold your hand, to kiss that perfect mouth. It was you and me against the world, and it always will be.” He sighed. “Marriage is just the beginning of our story, and I hope to God that when he writes The End, it’s us, on that last page, still holding hands.”

Kacey didn’t trust herself to speak; she could only nod as she watched the love Travis had for her wash over his features, from his eyes to the protective stance of his body as he hovered over her. “I love you.”

He sighed against her lips. “Sweetheart, I love you so much. I can’t wait to marry you. And just know I’m sorry in advance.”

Already in a stupor, Kacey shook her head. “For what? What are you going to do?”

Winking, Travis pulled away from her and put on his shirt.

“Travis, wait—”

“I love you… and I know I’m going to regret this in about five seconds, which means I have to lock the door to my room…” He sighed. “But sweetheart, I’m going to take Grandma’s advice, considering she’s the reason for us getting together in the first place. I’m going to walk out that door and wait another twelve hours.”

“Hmm.” Kacey played with the strap on her bra “Really? Twelve whole hours?”

“Damn you.” Travis closed his eyes and sighed. “Yes. Now keep your lingerie on while I try to make it by that dog without getting killed.”

He made his way to the door slowly, as if he was already doubting his decision.

With a sigh, Kacey got up from the bed and walked toward him; she wrapped her arms around him from behind and leaned her chin against his back. “I love you, Travis Titus.”

“You,” Travis paused, his muscles tensed beneath her arms, “are my life, future Kacey Titus.”

She released him as he turned the knob to the door and walked out.

The man had the self-control of a saint, and instead of making her angry, it made her love him all the more. In twelve hours he’d be hers, all hers.