MoreThanWords (9 page)

Real. If Travis knew how boringly
real
she was, he’d
hightail it out of her apartment and never play with her again—Scrabble or
otherwise. He was probably used to women who went clubbing every weekend,
spontaneous females who’d drop everything and come running if he called. That
would never be her. They’d never be able to date. Even if she wanted to do the
groupie thing, it’d be impossible. How intriguing would he find her once she
told him that her life outside this building ended at sundown?

A high-pitched wail replaced the silent pause.
Simultaneously, they glanced at the door, then back at each other. One look at
Travis’ smile and she pushed her gloomy woes to the back. Her pity party would
keep for later. For now she was still the fun girl he thought he’d met online.

“I think your dog’s really hating me now.”

“Oh well. I happen to be really liking you.”

“Let me get rid of some baggage,” he slid from her body
while holding the ring of the condom at the base of his cock, “and I’ll get
back to really liking you too.”

She rolled to her side, enjoying the view as he searched her
small room for the trash can. Such a fantastic body, those broad shoulders,
strong legs, sexy tats. And when he ditched the condom and made the return trip
to the bed—hold the phones, he was semi-hard. Again. Already.

“How can you be—” She tried to keep her eyes north of the
border, but geez, how could she? “Don’t you…I thought guys needed a few hours
to recharge or refill their supply or something.”

“You’ve been sadly misinformed, Ms. Yates.” On his knees on
the mattress, he crept alongside her, his hand slowly perusing the curves of
her leg, hip, waist. “Shouldn’t the owner of a sex shop know everything there
is to know about sex?”

“It’s a
romance
store, Travis.”

A half groan, half laugh slipped out. How could she be so
cute and so hot at the same time? “You have no idea what it does to me, hearing
you say my name.” He slid his hand down to the curve under her ass, dragging
her close enough for her to feel the effect. “Or maybe you do.”

In the low light of her bedroom, her eyes were pure gray.
They widened with the press of his cock against her smooth, flat belly.
Gorgeous. He skimmed up her back to her hair. Sifting through it like a kid at
the beach. Only it was silkier than any sand he’d ever touched. He brought a
handful of it over her shoulder. Buried his nose in it and inhaled. Roses.
Sweet as summertime. He closed his eyes and breathed it in again, then moved to
her neck. He could damn well eat her up, she smelled so good.

“What are you doing?” The question came on a gasp as he
worked his way down her body with stops at each nipple, her navel, then the top
of her sweet, sweet pussy.

“Having more of you.”

She let him roll her onto her back and settle between her
thighs. The cooperation ended there, her delicate hand with its long, purple
nails cupping her sex. Denied access to his target, he dragged his tongue along
the crevice between her fingers. Showing her what he wanted to do—intended to
do—when she gave up her game of hide and seek. Her eyes were dark, the irises
almost nonexistent. Her tits rose and fell quickly. She even whimpered a little
when he swirled his tongue over the apex of her index and middle fingers,
directly above her clit. Shouldn’t be much longer now.

“Shouldn’t I go freshen up before you,” she bit into her
lip, “you know, do that…again?”

Not a game, then. True innocence. Or insecurity. Whatever it
was, it stirred something inside him. Some primal need to protect and reassure,
to open her up, make her release and revel in her sexuality, then to keep her
all to himself. His cock jerked beneath him and it was all he could do not to
rip her hand away and take her with his mouth and fingers, then drive his cock
deep into her body and claim full ownership. She brought out some dormant
caveman gene he’d never experienced before—and it was one hell of an
aphrodisiac.

But those eyes, staring down at him, so apprehensively,
forced him to rein the caveman in. For now.

“I’m here because I want to be, because you smell incredible
and taste so sweet. Because making you come—watching you give yourself over to
me—is the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen. Let me in, sweetheart.” Her grip
loosened. Gently, he peeled her fingers back and moved her hand aside. The heat
and scent of her arousal washed over him, followed by a ripple of gut-deep
need. The caveman surged to the surface. “Tell me I can have you—that every
inch of you is mine.”

“Have me. I-I’m yours.”

The words, her voice, those eyes staring into his—undid him.
There’d be no slow and easy this time. He wasn’t stopping until Calli screamed
his name. He covered her with his mouth, penetrating her with his tongue. Still
so wet—for him. And delicious, better than the first time. He drew her clit
between his lips to suckle it. Her hips bucked upward, her fingers curling into
his hair. Riding his face from the bottom—holy fuck.

Her eyes were closed. Tits heaving. Mouth open as she panted
and moaned. Hot, damn hot, but not enough. He wanted her desperate. Wanted her
to fly off the edge for the sheer pleasure of the fall.

With his left hand, he reached up and rolled her nipple
between his fingers. She arched into the touch. He squeezed, she gasped. He
plucked harder, she moaned. Fuck.

He stroked her slit. His cock ached, it wanted in her so
badly. He thrust his hips against the bed. Slid two fingers inside her pussy.
She clenched around them instantly, hugging him. Jesus, it was going to feel so
good when he fucked her. He curled his fingers toward her belly, scissoring
them, dragging his fingertips across her G-spot. She cried out, her whole body
shaking with the onset of climax. Still wasn’t enough. He slanted his hand.
Tickled the ring of her ass with his pinky using small brushes across and
around. Then he pushed inside—tip only, wiggling it until she relaxed, then
deeper, deeper, until he was surrounded by tight heat to the second knuckle—and
her voice, filling the air and his head.

“Travis! Oh god, Travis…”

Again and again, she cried his name. Whimpering, moaning,
begging. For all the music he’d heard in his lifetime, nothing had ever been
more satisfying to his ears.

As hard as she’d clawed at him, holding him tight to her
throbbing sex seconds earlier, she now pushed him away.

“Stop, stop, get up here and fuck me.” She looked straight
into his soul while licking those luscious lips. “Have me—every inch of me.”

“Every inch?” The beast inside him roared. “Careful what you
offer, sweetheart.”

Her eyes flickered. And then she rolled, giving him a primo
view of the sweetest ass he’d ever seen. “Every inch…all yours…
Travis
.”

He couldn’t get to the damn dresser fast enough, tripping
off the bed in the process. Behind him, she giggled at his stumbling and
fumbling with the condom box. An innocent sound, it still made his cock jerk
against his stomach.

He ripped open the foil, started to smooth on the condom.
Then he heard it—an intermittent whining in a disturbingly low tone. The dog.
He glanced at the door, then to the bed. Calli, waving her finery at him. The
most beautiful come-fuck-me eyes blinking at him while she bit into her lower
lip. She hadn’t heard the noise on the other side of the door, obviously.

Damn. Damn, damn. The rescuer in him pushed every other
version of himself to the background. He tossed the condom on the dresser and
went to the door, covering his goods with one hand while he cracked the painted
wood a few inches.

“Travis?”

“I heard something. Your dog was whining. Stay put, I’m
checking it out.” One look at the Chihuahua and their night was done. At least
the pleasure parts. “Oh fuck.”

“What? What’s wrong?”

In his peripheral vision, he saw her bounce off the bed and
come up behind him. He closed the door to shield her view. “He’s hurt. In pain,
but not bleeding.” At least, not that he’d seen in his quick perusal.

“Oh my god, no. Let me out, let me see him.” For a little
woman, she had strength enough to wrench the doorknob away and push past him.
She dropped to her knees in the hallway, hands moving everywhere but touching
nothing. “Charming, shh, it’s okay, it’s okay.” She looked up at Travis, eyes
full of fear. “What could’ve happened to him?”

“Looks like he’s dislocated his leg from the shoulder socket
maybe.” If not broken it, but he wasn’t about to offer that up. “We need to get
him to an emergency clinic. Where’s the closest one?”

The fear he’d seen in her eyes turned to panic. “I don’t
know. And I can’t take him. I can’t go out in—this.”

“Because of the snowstorm? I’ll drive. You can sit in the
back with him, keep him still as possible.”

Tears welled in her eyes, dropping like big, fat raindrops
onto her cheeks. Her shoulders slumped and she dropped her head, blanketing her
little dog with her long, dark hair. “I can’t. You don’t understand—I just
can’t.”

Damn right he didn’t understand. “What do you mean, you
can’t? He’s going to be in agony until a vet deals with his leg.” This wasn’t
something to debate—the dog needed professional help, now. Period. Each second
she sat there sobbing and silent, his confusion bubbled closer to anger. And it
wasn’t even his fucking dog. He collected his clothes from the bedroom and
living room. Threw them on and returned to the hall. The dog hadn’t stopped
whining and was shaking all over, yet she hadn’t budged. What the hell?

“Calli. We need to go.” Still no movement.
“Calli.”

“I can’t,” she whispered, finally lifting her face. “I don’t
go out when it’s dark.”

He laughed out loud. How could he not—her statement was so
screwed-up it was funny. “Your dog is suffering but you won’t take him to the
vet because you’re scared of the dark?”

“Not won’t,
can’t
. I’ve tried, I try every night. I
freeze up—it’s…impossible.”

Oh shit, more tears. He braced for the flight response the
sight of female tears always initiated.

“I know how pathetic I am.” She tugged her knees up to her
chest. “I could use some help.”

“Yeah, I guess so.” He silently cursed for letting the
asswipe side of himself get access to his mouth. “I’m sorry—I didn’t mean—”

“It’s okay.” She swiped at her face, then pushed to her feet
and brushed past him into the bedroom where she dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt
as fast as humanly possible. “You should leave. I have to call my sister to
come over and I don’t feel like answering questions about you tonight.”

There it was. His free ticket to get-the-fuck-out-of-there
land. But his feet didn’t take a single step.

She stared him down. “I’m sorry you didn’t get to-to—finish
everything we were doing. You can come back and collect some other time if you
want—I’ll give you what you were expecting.”

“Jesus, is that what you think’s going through my head? That
I’m not leaving until I fuck you again?”

“Isn’t it?” She looked away, tapping on the numeric pad of
the portable in her hand.

“Put the phone down.” She didn’t comply, just met his stare
with cold eyes. Why weren’t his feet heading down the stairs and out the door?

“Hey,” Calli said into the receiver. “Charming is hurt, can
you take—”

He snatched the phone from her hand. “She doesn’t need you.
Have a good night.” It rang almost immediately. Calli grabbed for it—denied. He
wasn’t the tallest guy in the world, but he had enough on her to keep it out of
reach.

“Give me the phone.” Her jump and swipe at his arm almost
made him laugh. “If I don’t answer, she’ll freak out—I never have men here.”

“So you said.” He pressed the end button, only to have the
ringing resume twenty seconds later.

“She’ll call the police.”

“Fine.” He punched the talk key and cupped the phone to his
head. “Caitlyn, I’m a friend of your sister’s. Her dog has a badly injured leg,
probably from throwing himself at the bedroom door while I was making Calli
scream during her orgasm. I’m headed to the vet’s now. Calli will call you
later with an update.” He thrust the phone at Calli, whose mouth was hanging
about to her knees. “Get me an address and some blankets to wrap,” he gritted
his teeth, “
Prince
Charming
with.”

* * * * *

The drive to the after-hours animal clinic had been slow and
tense. Terrified, pain-stricken dog in the backseat of his Nissan. White-out
conditions on the roads. And a thousand questions about Calli swirling in his
brain.

Why was she afraid of the dark? Since when? What did she do
every night, confined to a tiny apartment? Is that why she hadn’t been with a
man in so long, or was there some other reason? Where the hell were her family
and friends…why weren’t they doing something to help her with her phobia? And
the million-dollar question—was he going to try?

Travis leaned back in the uncomfortable vinyl waiting-room
chairs. Somewhere beyond the
medical staff only
door, Calli’s Chihuahua
was probably scared shitless. He’d tried to go back with the dog, but the
nurse—technician, assistant, whatever the proper term for them was—had waved
him off. Not a sight for the faint of heart, she’d told him. Did he look the
type to pass out during a veterinary exam? Probably, if she thought a pocket-sized
canine named Charming was his. Safe to say she thought he was off the market to
women too.

What did he care, anyway? Not his dog. Not his girlfriend’s
dog. Hell, not even his friend’s dog, though he’d called himself that on the
phone to Calli’s sister. But he wanted to be. Friends at minimum, more since
their evening together. He closed his eyes, replaying the best parts of
tonight. Calli’s eyes were up there on the list. Her hair. And lips. Hell,
everything about her face was gorgeous. Body too. She had these incredible
curves—full tits, a handful of a waist, insanely perfect ass. And between her
legs…pure heaven.