CHAPTER SEVEN

 

 

THEY ENDED UP back at her hotel room with a big bag of takeout from the nearby P.F. Chang’s. Eden had wanted to eat at the restaurant, but there was an hour wait for a table, so when Travis suggested getting takeout, she’d quickly agreed. She couldn’t imagine anything better than dining on spicy chicken in the quiet of her hotel room with Travis to keep her company.

They spread everything out on the small round table where they’d both been sitting yesterday when she’d wiggled around on his lap like Tickle Me Elmo. Eden tried her very best to push that thought aside and focus on getting the dinner set out on the table.

Travis put sweetener in their iced teas while she opened the lids on the takeout boxes. She put her container of brown rice closer to her box of spicy chicken and pushed his closer to the Mongolian beef on his side of the table.

It was fun eating out of the containers together. She hadn’t done anything like that since she was back in college cramming for exams.

“You ready for the wedding tomorrow?” he asked as they ate.

“Uh-huh,” she said. “I have my dress, shoes, and purse all ready to go. I’m going to meet Emily at the country club with the rest of the wedding party and we’ll all get dressed there. Knowing my sister, she’ll be up at sunrise, getting her stuff ready. How about you?”

He wiped his mouth with a paper napkin then gave her a grin. “I don’t have to put on a fancy dress and make-up, so I doubt I’ll be getting up at sunrise.”

She laughed, marveling at how good he was at making her do that.

As they fell into a comfortable silence, she realized he was mostly poking the Mongolian beef around in his takeout carton with his chopsticks instead of eating it.

“Is something wrong?” she asked.

Travis didn’t say anything for a long time and she was about to prod him when he finally lifted his head to look at her. “I was wondering what comes after the wedding. Are you heading right back to D.C.?”

Her breath hitched. Why would he ask unless he didn’t want her to leave just yet?

“I have another whole week off,” she said. “My boss ordered me not to come back until I used up a full two weeks of vacation time. He says I work too hard.”

She expected Travis to laugh, but instead his brow furrowed like there was something heavy weighing on his mind.

“I could take some extra leave. Maybe we can spend a little time hanging out,” he suggested. “Go up to D.C. and drive around some, take in the tourist stuff? If you want to, I mean.”

Eden bit her lip. She wasn’t sure if Travis was trying to get rid of her or saying he wanted to keep seeing her. Why the hell didn’t men come with instruction manuals?

“Sure, we can go up to D.C.,” she said quietly. “Or we can stay down here and hang out on the beach. Either one works for me.”

Travis grinned. “It’s a plan then. I’ll call my commander tomorrow.” He poked at his food with his chopsticks again before looking at her. “I know it’s kind of early to be talking about this, but what do you think about continuing to see each other after I go back to Colorado?”

Eden’s breath came faster, heart pounding so hard in her chest she was sure Travis could hear it. “Are you asking if I’d be interested in a relationship?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Unless you’re not interested, in which case, that’s not what I’m asking at all.”

She realized she’d been sitting there holding the container of chicken up in her hand the whole time they’d been having this conversation. She set the box down, then placed her hands flat on the table so she wouldn’t start clapping them in joy.

“I’d love if we could keep seeing each other.” She smiled. “I know the long-distance thing is going to be hard, especially since we’re both gone so much, but I’m willing to make it work if you are?”

It’d be much easier if he worked at the DCO, of course. He already had the tactical skills for the job as well as the security clearance, and Eden knew for a fact he worked with shifters quite well. He wouldn’t be the first Special Forces soldier John had scooped up. The idea almost had her bouncing in her chair. But she didn’t want to say anything about it until she talked to John. Right now, she had seven whole days to spend with Travis doing whatever they wanted.

While they finished dinner, they talked about what kind of tourist stuff they could do, but as they sat there afterward, Eden could no longer contain the burning question she’d wanted to ask since Travis had brought up the idea of seeing each other after their impromptu vacation.

“How long have you been thinking about us getting involved?”

He rested his forearms on the table, his lips curving into a sexy smile. “I was attracted to you the moment I saw you in that alley. But the real turning point was yesterday when we were right here in these chairs talking—and kissing. That was when I realized there was something special going on between us and I didn’t want it to end when we both went home.”

Eden knew what Travis was talking about. Because she felt the same.

“But I can’t take all the credit for suggesting it,” he continued. “My sister convinced me I needed to take a chance and tell you how I feel because things this good don’t come around very often.”

“Why’d you wait until now to tell me?” she asked. “You could have called me last night, or told me in between stopping at Gus’s sports bar and the duplex on the beach.”

“I could have,” he agreed. “But there was one thing holding me back.”

“What was that?”

“I wasn’t sure how you felt about the whole thing, and I didn’t want to freak you out by coming on too strong,” he explained. “But then we started talking about the wedding, and I realized if I didn’t say something, you’d be gone and I’d never get another chance to tell you how I feel.”

Her heart squeezed. Okay. If this got any more romantic, she was going to cry.

Standing up, she walked around to Travis’s side of the table. When he pushed back his chair, she climbed onto his lap like she had yesterday. That was when she realized how right it felt. She belonged on his lap just like he belonged in her life.

“Well, I’m glad you did tell me how you feel,” she said. “If you hadn’t, I wouldn’t be doing this right now.”

Then she leaned forward, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him like she’d wanted to do all day.

Travis groaned, one of his hands getting a firm grip on her hip while the other moved up to tangle in her hair. His tongue teased its way into her mouth, and she let out a sexy little growl, reveling in how good he tasted, something which had nothing at all to do with the food he’d just eaten. This was all him—pure, unadulterated Travis Dempsey.

Eden felt the tingling in her gums moments before her fangs slipped partially out. She almost forced them back in but stopped herself. Travis knew what she was. There was no reason to hide it. She was still surprised his startle reflex didn’t kick in. He simply slowed down a little, taking his time to run his tongue carefully over the tips of her fangs. Her body trembled at the sensation. Why did this feel so damn good?

Because, for the first time in your life, you’re getting a chance to know what it’s like to be with a man who totally accepts you the way you are—fangs, claws, and all.

When Travis finally pulled away, it was only to slip his hands under her shirt and shove it up over her head. Then his mouth was on hers again, pulling more moans of pleasure from her as he reached behind and unclasped her bra.

She hated to push him away even for a second so she could get the damn thing off, but the moment she sent it sailing across the room, she weaved her fingers in his dark, silky hair and pulled him forward to get that amazing mouth of his on her neck.

He started at her ear, nibbling and licking her lobe in the most spine-tingling way ever. She wasn’t sure, but was it possible to have an earlobe orgasm? Before she could find out, his warm, soft mouth was on the move, trailing wet kisses down her neck, pausing momentarily at the sensitive skin over her collarbone before finding his way to her cleavage.

Eden leaned back and let out a long moan as Travis moved from one nipple to the other, nibbling a little harder at them than he had her earlobe. She’d never had a guy do that before, but clearly, she’d been missing out. He alternated between hard nips, gentle sucking, and slow, sensual lapping. Somehow, he seemed to know when his oral assault was becoming too intense, switching at just the perfect moment.

Eden could have sat there in his lap all night, enjoying what he was doing to her breasts, but Travis obviously had other ideas. He leaned her back on his lap, leaving her no choice but to move her hands behind her to support herself on his knees. The position pushed her breasts higher, a move Travis definitely appreciated if the heat in his eyes was any indication.

With her arms behind her, all Eden could do was watch breathlessly as Travis glided his hands up her midriff to her breasts, cupping them and tweaking each nipple between his thumbs and forefingers. He kept his eyes locked with hers as he squeezed and massaged, apparently enjoying the way she writhed all over his lap in pleasure.

His mouth curved into a lazy smile as he slid one hand down from her left breast, along her tightly stretched abs. He paused for a moment to toy with her belly button, but then moved lower and yanked open the buttons on her jeans with a tug.

Gaze still locked with hers, he slipped a hand down her pants. Eden couldn’t help but suck in a breath when the tip of one finger eased inside her panties and found her clit. She hadn’t realized how excited she was, not until that very moment. But when he touched her clit, she knew he could make her come right then if he wanted to.

She tightened her grip on his knees and leaned back even farther, lifting her butt off his thighs a bit to give him better access. He took the hint and burrowed a little deeper into her panties, moving his fingertip in tight circles directly on her clit.

“That feels good,” she moaned, wiggling and gyrating her hips faster in time with his movements.

“I love watching you move like that,” he said in a low, sexy voice. “And the way your eyes glow brighter the closer you get to coming is the most exquisite thing I’ve ever seen.”

“You think you can make me come like this?” she challenged.

“Oh, I know I can,” he said. “Then I’m going to carry you to that big bed and make you come over and over again until the sun comes up.”

Eden purred. She loved a confident man, especially one who knew how to work her body like Travis did.

He was smart enough to know the best way to make her come was to keep up a steady rhythm, and that was exactly what he did, forming perfect little circles on her clit with the absolutely right amount of pressure. It took only a few minutes for tingles to start deep inside her. She undulated her hips faster and faster as she started to lose control, and Travis had to grab her ass with his free hand to keep her from falling off his lap. Even though she knew it was coming, she was still caught off guard when her orgasm hit. One second the tingling was slowly building, the next her body was going into spasms as her climax rushed through her like an out-of-control train.

Since Travis was not only okay with her shifter side but embraced it, Eden let go completely and gave in to her feline half, not caring what her yowls sounded like. She’d never had that kind of freedom before, and she was shocked at how much stronger her orgasm was because of it.

By the time the climax was over, she was lying back on his thighs. His eyes smoldered with undisguised lust as he gazed down at her heaving chest. She felt so unbelievably sexy when he looked at her that way.

Eden was still quivering with the aftershocks of her orgasm when Travis scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bed. He pulled back the blanket and gently placed her on the sheets like she was the most precious thing in the world to him. And that made her feel pretty damn sexy, too.

While she lay back, Travis took off her shoes then slowly pulled her jeans down her legs. As he did so, he trailed his fingers down her thighs and along her calves, making her shiver. She could really get used to him undressing her like this all the time.

When he was done, he stood back and gazed at her nearly naked body for a moment, drinking her in and letting out a sexy little growl of his own.

“Damn, you are one beautiful woman,” he breathed.

Eden opened her mouth to thank him, but all that came out was a whimper as he hooked his fingers in the waistband of her panties and slowly eased them off. She could tell from the way they clung to her thighs that she was extremely wet. He had her so turned on, she was about to burst into flames.

She would have told Travis as much, but then he reached up and yanked his shirt over his head in one, smooth motion, and all intelligent words disappeared from her vocabulary. She could only lie there and stare at his broad, muscular chest and beautifully sculpted abs. Her mouth watered at the sight of such perfection.

When his shoes and jeans came off, she sighed out loud. There wasn’t a part of him that wasn’t toned, buff, and powerful looking as hell. And the way his boxer briefs strained to hold in his erection made her think he was as well-built down there as everywhere else.

He stuck his thumbs in the waistband of his underwear, then froze, alarm crossing his face. “Um, this is probably a horrible time to ask, but do you have any protection? Because I sure as hell don’t.”

It took a moment for his words to filter through to her lust-fogged mind, and, even then, all she could do was stare at him. “Protection?”

He nodded. “Yeah, protection. Like a condom. I wasn’t exactly planning this, so I’m not packing one. I don’t even have any back in my hotel room.”

Eden suddenly realized what he was talking about, but, for one split second, all she cared about was that he’d said he didn’t even have any condoms in his hotel room. That meant he wasn’t the type to pick up a girl for a one-night stand. She had no idea why that made her so happy—it just did.

Then the gravity of the current situation hit her. It was great he wasn’t the type to jump in bed with any woman who caught his fancy, but that meant, if she couldn’t come up with a condom herself, he wasn’t going to be jumping in bed with her, either. At least not until they could make a run to the local drugstore, and she seriously wasn’t in the mood for waiting.

He must have seen the panic in her eyes because he held his hands up in a placating gesture. “Relax. There are plenty of other things we can do to enjoy ourselves. We don’t have to have a condom.”

The hell they didn’t.

Eden jumped out of bed and sprinted naked for the bathroom. She heard him behind her as she frantically dug through her toiletry bag. She’d bought some condoms a while back before going on a mission to Italy on the off chance she met a sexy Italian hunk. That hadn’t happened and the condoms had been relegated to the depths of her bag. She rooted around desperately until she found the small purple box. She practically ripped her bag apart getting it out, but once she had it in hand, she turned and displayed it triumphantly to Travis.

“Score! I knew they were still in here.”

Travis stood there in his underwear, a broad smile on his face. “That’s great. But are they still good?”

Eden’s heart sank. “They go bad? How can they go bad? They’re rubber. Tires don’t go bad!”

They’d better still be good. She was hot as hell and had no desire to get dressed for a run to the store.

He chuckled and pointed at the box in her hand. “They’re not rubber. They’re latex. And latex can get brittle and weaken when it’s past the expiration date.”

She blinked. “Condoms have an expiration date?”

Why hadn’t she known that? She turned the three-pack box of condoms around and around in her hand, trying to find the expiration date, but all the writing was so damn tiny.

Travis came to her rescue, gently taking the box from her hand and opening it. He pulled out the three foil-wrapped pieces of latex that were more valuable than gold at the moment and flipped them over, turning himself toward the bathroom light.

How long were condoms good for? Hell, when had she actually bought them?

Travis finally turned to her with a grin. “They’re still good, with a week to spare.”

That was all Eden needed to hear. Grabbing his hand, she dragged Travis into the bedroom. Once there, she stood him in the same place he’d been before and threw her naked butt onto the bed then smiled up at him.

“Where were we?”

“Should I put my clothes on and start over?” Travis asked with a laugh.

“Don’t you dare!” she told him. “I’m more than ready.”

And she was, too. Her body was still burning as hot as before. She could tell without reaching down to check she was wet. She didn’t need any more teasing. She was as ready as she was ever going to be.

Travis locked eyes with her and slowly pushed down his boxer briefs. It was a bit tough for him to do, since he had to get them over his hard-on along the way, but it was worth the wait. As she’d suspected, he had a perfect cock—long, thick, and hard as a rock.

Thankfully, he didn’t tease her any more. He simply tore open the condom packet, rolled the thin piece of latex down that gorgeous shaft, and climbed into bed with her.

She immediately scooted to the middle, spreading her legs wide and giving him her best come-and-get-it look. He groaned as he moved between her legs, his mouth closing over hers as he placed the head of his thick shaft against her pussy and slowly ran it up and down.

Eden wrapped her legs around him and squeezed so tightly he could barely move. Travis got the message, wedging the tip inside her opening and pushing his length in with one long, smooth motion.

She moaned against his mouth, wrapping her legs around him even tighter and pulling him as deep as he could go. He was such a perfect fit for her, she practically saw stars.

Travis thrust slowly at first, then faster and harder as they both got into the rhythm. She couldn’t keep her fingers from digging into his big, strong shoulders, and she prayed she wasn’t scratching him too badly with her claws, but it was so hard to focus on that as he began to pound into her.

Reaching up, he grabbed her hands, pinning them to the bed over her head. Then he buried his face in her neck and really let her have it. Damn, that felt so freaking good.

“Don’t stop,” she cried. “I’m going to…”

Eden didn’t get a chance to say what she was going to do because she simply did it instead. The climax slammed into her like a tidal wave and she screamed as she quivered under his thrusts.

She was just coming down from the crest of the first wave when Travis flipped her over. She was so dizzy, she barely realized what was happening. But the next thing she knew, she was straddling his waist and his cock was poking her in places that had never been poked.

“Ride me,” he commanded.

She obeyed, not able to come up with a reason she shouldn’t.

The change in position pushed her right back up to the top of Mount Climax and she bounced up and down on him like a bunny as tremors rocked her body.

Eden was completely oblivious to everything but how earth-shattering it was. Arching her back, she closed her eyes, only to open them when she felt his thrusts speed up. Her gaze locked with his as he came, and even through the protection he wore, she swore she felt him explode. Knowing she was making him come so hard while she was in full shifter mode was like a gift.

She collapsed on his strong chest as he thrust up into her and grunted his release. Even though she couldn’t imagine how she could possibly come any harder, she did.

When Travis was completely spent, she buried her face in his neck, kissing him there. Her teeth were still out, but she knew he didn’t mind, and that meant the world to her.

“That was absolutely amazing,” she whispered in his ear. “You’re amazing.”

He wrapped his warm arms around her and chuckled softly. “And just think, we still have two more condoms in that pack of yours. Wouldn’t want them to go bad, would we?”

Eden nipped him with her fangs. “Definitely not.”