The Best Bride Part 8

she wasn't sure she did, but travis was difficult enough to resist most of the time, and now, when he was rumpled and just tired enough to let his guard down, he was impossible to refuse."

"sure."

he slid closer to her. her body tensed. her incision had healed quite a bit, although it still hurt if she moved around too much. she wanted to pull back, but there was nowhere to go except off the sofa. six days with travis had taught her two important things. the first was that being in his presence made her very aware of her body, his body and the potential those two bodies had together. she told herself it was just hormones, and being lonely and afraid that brought on that thinking. the second thing she learned was that even if she was ever foolish enough to get involved with a man again. travis haynes was absolutely the worst one she could pick. he and his brothers had reputations for being lady-killers and heartbreakers. louise had told her story after story about the female conquests made and cast aside. elizabeth had to admit that in most of the stories, travis had been honest, caring and had at least tried to make the relations.h.i.+p work. but the reality was he made sam proctor look like an amateur when it came to seducing women.

he leaned over so he could whisper in her ear. his chin rested on her shoulder, pus.h.i.+ng aside the thin strap of her tank top. stubble grazed her suddenly sensitized skin, making her muscles jump and her toes curl against the thick carpet.

"rebecca is my greatest failure."

"what?"

she made the mistake of turning to look at him. he hadn't pulled back and their faces were inches apart. breath mingled with the heady scent of his warm body. she clutched her fingers tightly together to prevent herself from reaching out toward him and touching his arm, his chest, anything she could get her hands on.

"shortly after we met, i took her out on a date. it was supposed to be this great seduction. i had everything planned."

the pain in her midsection wasn't from the surgery, she realized, chagrined. it was envy, pure and simple. she prayed he couldn't see it in her eyes."

"i picked her up at seven-thirty. by eight-ten i figured out i'd made a large error in judgment."

"which was?"

"chemistry. it was all wrong."

she stared at him, at his dark eyes that suddenly seemed to be flickering with the most intriguing fire.

"what was wrong with it?" she asked, barely able to disconnect from the flames enough to follow the conversation"there wasn't any between us. rebecca and me. we were destined to be good friends. but it's a secret. what would people say if they knew the truth? after all, the haynes charm is supposed to be all-powerful."

it was working just fine on her, she thought as she lowered her gaze to his mouth. so close. she licked her lips. three, maybe four inches separated them. the longing inside of her grew. she wanted to know what it would be like to be kissed, really kissed, by him.

she closed her eyes and forced herself to turn away. why was she doing this to herself? hadn't sam taught her anything?

"everybody needs friends, travis. rebecca seems very nice."

"oh, she is: ' he stood up and stretched like a powerful cat taking a he poked his head back into the room. his mouth straight moment's rest from stalking the mouse. that was her des- ened and those flames were still flickering in his dark eyes.

"for what it's worth, elizabeth," he said slowly, never tiny: elizabeth abbott-rodent. she giggled."

" what's so funny? " he asked. taking his gaze from hers, the feeling is mutual.

"nothing. i'm pleased that you and rebecca are friends. with that, he left. she heard his footsteps as he walked now i get the chance to spend some time with her before i down the hall, then made his way up the stairs. start my job." she smiled brightly, trying to banish the lintrouble. this was all very big trouble. she was willing to gering lethargy and leftover pa.s.sion, not to mention the admit there was some kind of chemical reaction between image of herself with whiskers and a tail. "she's going to her and travis. sometimes she worried that the heat be bring some paperwork by for me, to help fill the days: she tween them was going to set the house on fire. but it didn't pointed at the television. " i can only read so much, and tv have to mean anything. it couldn t mean anything. she is quickly losing its appeal. wasn't ready to get involved. she might never be ready for"

"just so you don't overdo it. " a real relations.h.i.+p. even if she was willing to take a chance, she gave him a mock salute. "yes, sheriff. i'll be care- it wouldn't be on travis haynesq the man was a walking, ful. and i'll keep your secret." breathing heartbreaker. and she d had enough heartbreak"it's just as well it didn't work out," he said, walking to last a lifetime. what woman would willingly give he rover and picking up his stetson. "i have two women in my self to someone who was destined to leave her for the next life already. even i couldn't handle a third." conquest?

"two women?" she stood up and walked toward her room. although she her heart seemed to falter slightly. he was dating two was healing, her side still gave her a little trouble. travis had women? she told herself the sudden dullness she felt was offered to move her to an upstairs bedroom so that she exhaustion. she'd probably done too much when she'd could be closer to mandy, but she preferred to stay where gone to the grocery store with louise that morning. she she was. her daughter was safe and happy in this big house, could feel her smile fading and did her best to keep it in and elizabeth wanted as much distance between her and place. she didn't want travis to know she was even slightly travis as possible. just because she knew she would never g, , g attracted to him. in fact she wasn't at all. he had two et involved with travis didn't mean she d fi ured out a women. good for him. she wished him well. way to tell her body to get over its physical attraction to he paused by the doorway and looked back."

"although i have to say, of the two of you, mandy is definitely my she undressed then stepped under the warm spray of the weakness. i guess it's those blue eyes of hers. " shower. there was still over an hour until rebecca was due elizabeth's mouth dropped open. she stared at him. the to arrive, but everything took elizabeth longer since the teasing glint in his eyes told her she'd been had. surgery. she was getting her strength back, but not as she picked up the pillow beside her and tossed it at him. quickly as she d hoped. the doctor hadn't been kidding he easily ducked out of the way. "gotcha," he said and about the recovery time needed. her trip to the market with stepped into the hallway. before she could finish fuming, louise had wiped her out for the entire day. she'd had to take a three-hour nap. but it had been worth it to get outside for the first time since the surgery.

as elizabeth washed her hair, she wondered about louise. the older woman had mentioned she was divorced elizabeth wanted to ask what had happened. for the most part louise was funny and outgoing, but at the mention of her marriage, she'd gone all quiet. what made it all the more curious was her suspicion that travis knew exactly what had happened. a couple of things louise had said hinted at that. but elizabeth wouldn't be asking anyone for the story. as much as she'd tried to hold herself back, knowing there were secrets she could never share, she and louise were becoming friends. if louise wanted her to know the truth, she would tell elizabeth herself. if not.. well, she certainly understood the need to keep some things private.

after drying off, she applied a little mascara and blush, then started blow-drying her hair. it still hurt to hold the dryer up for very long, so the process was slow. as she rested, she thought about rebecca and hoped her new boss remembered to bring over some work for her to do. she would like to get a head start on her job so that when she went back full-time, she would know what was going on.

elizabeth clicked the dryer back on and held it in one hand while fanning out her hair with the other. what must rebecca think about her living arrangement? what must the whole town think? she was a virtual stranger, living with a single man, in his house. was there talk? she shook her head and continued drying. of course there was talk. she was living with travis haynes. one of the haynes. a man with a reputation for women and trouble.

elizabeth chuckled. that made travis sound like a guy in a black leather jacket from some sixties b-movie. he certainly wasn't a troublemaker, although she wouldn't mind seeing him in a black leather jacket.

she put down the dryer and picked up a brush. the small bathroom was still steamy from her shower so her damp hair curled up toward her shoulders. she smoothed it with the brush, then slipped on a rose-and-green fabric-covered headband.

despite his rather wicked reputation, she had to admit he wasn't at all what she'd thought he would be. sam had left her alone so much, she'd practically raised mandy on her own. she was used to making all the decisions and handling the responsibilities. she hated to admit it, but it felt kind of nice to have someone else making some of the choices. she even liked living with travis. he was fun and easygoing. he made her laugh. better than that, he helped her forget her past.

her rose sundress had a sweetheart neckline and elastic ribbing in the back to hold it up. the skinny straps were more show than to secure the bodice. she pulled the dress down over her strapless bra and closed the side zipper. after slipping on a pair of high-heeled sandals, she stepped out into the hall.

she could hear a cartoon video playing in the family room. mandy was excited at the thought of company at dinner, but even more thrilled that she was being allowed to watch her favorite show twice tonight. elizabeth smiled. life was certainly simple for a six-year-old.

she turned toward the kitchen to check on the dinner that louise had made and left warming. a sound on the stairs caught her attention. she looked up and saw travis.

he'd showered, as well. his hair was still damp, his face freshly shaved. she liked the clean look of his cheeks and jaw, but missed the darkening shadow of his afternoon stubble. he wore a long-sleeved white s.h.i.+rt rolled up to the elbows, and gray trousers. it wasn't all that different from jeans or his sheriff's uniform, but that didn't stop her heart from beating a little faster or her breath from catching in her throat.

she waited until he reached the first floor, then she looked him up and down. "very nice," she said, struggling to keep her voice sounding normal. "are you sure mandy and i won't be in the way?"

"i told you, rebecca is just a good friend."

"but it's friday night. shouldn't you be out on a date? you don't have to stay in to keep us company."

his dark eyes drifted over her face before dipping down to the bodice of her dress. she hadn't thought it was all that low-cut before, but she had the sudden urge to check to see exactly how much cleavage showed. his gaze left her feeling s.h.i.+very and her knees threatening to buckle. maybe the dress was a mistake.

"i didn't cancel a date to stay in with you, elizabeth, so quit worrying about it. i want to spend time with you and mandy, and i haven't had rebecca over for a while."

he headed toward the front parlor. she followed, feeling that he was just being polite. q"but i don't want you to think that-"

he turned so quickly, she almost ran into him. as it was she stopped a scant inch from his tall, broad body and had to crane her neck back to see his face.

"i don't think anything," he said. his eyes darkened to the color of black velvet before brightening with a fire she didn't dare identify. "except that you look very beautiful"

she blushed. elizabeth wanted to put her hand on her cheek to make sure, but she knew the sensation of heat on her face could only mean one thing."

"iyou- " she swallowed. " thanks, but you don't have to say that. i mean, i'm just a paying guest here."

"hardly that." he moved away to a stereo set on the floor in the coroer. wires disappeared into the walls. louise had mentioned that he'd put speakers in the whoie house. while he flipped through his cd's, she walked around the large empty room.

"this is going to be a beautiful place when it's finished," she said.

"i hope so. it's taking longer than i'd thought." he slipped a couple of cd's into the machine, then rotated the table to insert three more. "so what about you, elizabeth? why don't you have some guy from la. pounding down my door?"

"me?" she laughed. "i haven't had a date in years." seven years to be exact, she remembered. her last date had been with sam. that's when she'd told him she was pregnant with mandy and had foolishly a.s.sumed they would do the right thing and get married. it was hard to believe her life had ever been that simple.

she touched the bare walls of the caveroous room, then looked up at the high ceiling. the basic structure of the house was lovely. nothing like the cramped place she and sam had rented. she'd wanted to buy a house, but he hadn't. she remembered the fights they'd had about that, and about having another child-she'd wanted four. that had changed, as well. she'd realized that with sam gone so much, more children would be difficult. she'd practically lived as a single mother. she'd had such high hopes for the relations.h.i.+p, but the truth was it had been in trouble for the past two years. she'd been on the verge of leaving sam when the police had arrived to take him away. what irony, she thought, stopping by the window and staring out into the night. she'd been wrestling with her commitment to mandy's father, wondering if leaving was the right thing, or just the easiest solution to her unhappiness. she hadn't known that in a matter of days the question would be decided for her.

the soft sounds of cla.s.sical music filled the room. elizabeth turned and looked but she couldn't see the speakers. travis stood up and brushed off his hands.

"pretty impressive, huh?"

she nodded. "a regular seduction factory."

he grimaced. "hardly. you might want to keep in mind that louise does have a tendency to exaggerate things."

"oh? you haven't seduced every female in a fifty-mile radius?"

he moved closer. "nah. now if she'd said a thirty-mile radius, that would be different."

"oh, travis, we are a pair, aren't we? you can't decide how many women you want, and i never want to get involved again."

"is that why you haven't had a date in years?"

he asked the question so casually, she almost answered it. almost. she nearly blurted out, "no, it's because i was married." but she caught herself in time.

"i was involved with mandy's father. call me a prude, but i've always believed in one relations.h.i.+p at a time."

"me, too."

she stared at him in disbelief.

he put his hands on his hips."

"okay, what has she been telling you? ""

"nothing."

he raised his dark eyebrows. "she had to have said something for you to a.s.sume that i've never been committed to one woman at a time."

"are you?" "

"yes. i believe in monogamy."

"for everybody, or do you exclude yourself?" "

"elizabeth!"

she shrugged. "i'm just asking. you have to admit you have this reputation in town. i heard it from the nurse, louise-even mandy mentioned something about it. you've dated her teacher, my boss. what am i supposed to think? that you're in training to be a monk?"

he grinned. the curve of his mouth and the flash of white teeth had her smiling in response. realistically, she should be angry at him in the name of female hood or something. but the truth was she liked travis. despite his obvious flaws, he was a good and kind man. at least he kept his socks picked up.

"i am involved with one woman at a time, elizabeth abbott." his voice got lower and more seductive. she felt herself falling under his spell and she couldn't summon the energy to care."

"that woman gets my complete attention, the total sum of my energy and focus for as long as the relations.h.i.+p lasts."

his gaze never left hers. his hands stayed on his hips. so why did she feel as if he were physically touching her all over? her skin grew heated, her fingers curled into her palms. how could he do that with just a look and his voioe?

"oh: ' with that he left the parlor and stepped into the hall. before she realized she'd been abandoned, he was back with a bouquet of flowers.

"these are for you, darling'," he said.

that woman gets my complete attentcon. she stared from the flowers to him and back. no. he couldn't mean anything by them, could he?

"why?" she asked, almost afraid to hear his answer. what if he wanted her? what if he didn't?"

"it's been a week since your surgery. i thought you might be feeling a little lost: he thrust the il owers at her and she was forced to take them. "you can lose that panicked expression i'm not out to seduce you: "you're not?" she wasn't sure if she was relieved or disappointed.

he shook his head. "not while you're under my protection : ' which might mean she would have to watch herself when she wasn't under his protection, or it might be a polite way of saying he wasn't interested in her at all. stop thinking about it, she ordered herself. she was the one not interested, remember? she was the one sworn to never get involved she lowered her head and sniffed the bouquet of flowers the colorful blooms smelled rich and sinful, not like those long-stemmed roses sam had often brought her after he'd been gone for several weeks. she'd never had the heart to tell him she didn't like those roses. they were so straight and scentless, almost mutated versions of natural il owers she touched the cheerful pink petal of a carnation. "thank you:' she turned toward him and smiled. " they're beautiful. " he was close enough to touch. she reached out and placed her hand on his forearm." this is probably going to make you cringe, but i think you're very nice."

the second to the last thing she expected was him to say,"

"i'm glad: the last thing she expected him to do was step closer and wrap his arms around her waist. she almost dropped the flowers before gripping them in her right hand. emotionally she was too stunned to pull back; physically, she was too intrigued. sam had been tall-maybe an inch or so taller than travis-but travis was powerful and strong. she could feel the muscles in his arms where they pressed against her side. she could see the strength in his shoulders.

and his eyes. she would like to stare into his brown eyes forever, warmed by the fire flickering there. her gaze dropped to his mouth. he wasn't smiling. she was glad. she would have hated him to find this moment funny. she didn't think it was at all amusing. if anything, she was fighting the burning at the back of her eyes. she didn't know why she wanted to cry. maybe it was because in his arms she felt safe and secure. she hadn't felt that way since she was a young girl, not much older than mandy.

he pulled her close, until her thigh brushed against his and her b.r.e.a.s.t.s flattened against his chest. she reached up and placed her free hand on his shoulder. he was going to kiss her. for the first time since he touched her, she remembered she was supposed to be fighting this. travis wasn't for her. but she needed him to kiss her. she q to forget, even for just a moment. she sensed that once his lips touched hers, she wouldn't be able to think about anything else.

he didn't disappoint her. he breathed her name, then lowered his mouth to hers. soft and hard and p.r.i.c.kiy and hot. she absorbed the sensations of his lips brus.h.i.+ng back and forth on hers, the fire that flared between them. her eyes drifted shut. questions of right and wrong, her place in his house, sam, her future and mandy all faded, silenced by the powerful force of pleasure. he didn't a.s.sault her or press for more. he simply held her close and moved his mouth slowly, so slowly until she knew every millimeter of his lips.

she wrapped both her arms around his neck, carefully holding on to the flowers. but that was her only conscious thought. everything else she simply felt. the hard chest flattening her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, the stroking of his hands up and down on her back, the s.h.i.+vers as his fingers grazed the bare skin by her shoulder. her position pulled her incision, but not enough to matter.

he moved his head slightly so he could brush his lips against her jaw, then her ear. she arched her head back, liking the gentle caresses, the absence of pressure. her blood flowed faster, hotter, fueled by the slow a.s.sault. his warm breath tickled, sending goose b.u.mps rippling down to her toes.

he nibbled on her earlobe. she caught her breath, then whispered his name. with her free hand, she touched his still-damp hair, liking the way the smooth strands felt against her fingers.

he read her perfectly. when she grew impatient with his gentle teasing on her jaw and throat, he returned to her mouth. he didn't ask or hint, he simply opened his mouth on hers. as if she had no will, her lips parted to admit him.

like his previous caresses, he moved slowly, tenderly, tracing her lips, touching the damp, sensitive inside, touching the edge of her teeth before stroking her tongue with his.

one small flicker was like the first faint flash of lightning he moved against her again, touching, retreating, touching, circling, touching, tasting. the storm moved closer and closer. she felt the vibration of the thunder, the echoing of his heartbeat, matching the rapid cadence of her own. she saw the flash of light behind her closed eyelids.

her body sought his, pressing harder to absorb his strength. against her belly, she felt the hardness of his desire between her thighs an answering need flowered, leaving her warm and waiting. her b.r.e.a.s.t.s tightened in antic.i.p.ation. his hands moved lower, down her back, over the curve of her hip to cup her derriere in his large hands. he didn't pull her up against him; instead he squeezed gently, lovingly.

she reveled in the feel of being next to him. every move was slow, not calculated as she might have thought, but savored. as if he had nothing more important in his life than this moment. as if he'd spent the whole day thinking about kissing her.

he wasn't as tall as sam, but he wss b:oader and she liked the way his size made her feel protected. foolish needs, she thought, knowing that she was on her own. but for these few minutes it was enough to hold and be held, tempt and be tempted.

he sucked on her lower lip, the delicious sensations forcing all thoughts from her mind. he kissed her harder now, hungrily, the pa.s.sion building between them. it was all she could do to stay upright and not sag completely against him. her fingers had trouble holding on to the bouquet of flowers. his scent and warmth filled her body until she wanted him to be a part of her. he seemed to sense her need, moving even closer, tightening his arms around her as if he were as hungry for love as she.

love. the word echoed in her brain, the cold reality of its meaning doused her pa.s.sion and she pulled back. she wasn't hungry for love. she couldn't afford to be. pa.s.sion maybe. s.e.x-well, it had been a while, so probably. but not love. never love.

she stared at the open v of his white s.h.i.+rt and watched his chest rise and fall in a rapid cadence that matched her own. not love. never love. love makes you blind. you can't trust it. ever. she'd learned that lesson the hard way. she'd loved sam with all her heart, and he had betrayed everything she'd held sacred and special. there had been a hundred clues, but she'd missed them all.

travis was just like sam. he was a womanizer, a smooth talking charmer who made a hobby of breaking hearts. so what if he claimed to practice monogamy? that was part of the trappings of his disguise. she knew what he really was.

she realized they'd been standing there, breathing heavily for several seconds. she half expected him to say something, apologize. but he didn't.

the worst part of it was that her body still tingled from the power of their kisses. her b.r.e.a.s.t.s ached, her thighs felt trembly and weak, and her blood hummed with a powerful need that even the most rational of arguments couldn't quench.