Chapter 12

Travis ran his hand through his hair as he hung up the phone, his eyes trying to avoid the big glass window at the front of the Academy. Since word had gotten out that he was living with Penelope Richards, the stepdaughter of the famous preacher Kip Owens, the paparazzi were everywhere. Many of them wanted to know where she’d been for the last year and why she had left. Plus, Travis had his own share of paparazzi and followers. So there were a lot of cameras outside the Academy.

“What the hell is going on out there?” Travis asked Slade. “It can’t possibly all be because of me and Penny.”

“Think again,” Slade replied.

“Really?” He glanced over his shoulder. “That’s overkill, don’t you think? There must be fifteen reporters out there.”

“The studio says the show’s doing great and you’re killing it. The news about Penny made last night’s show a bigger hit than usual. They were hoping it would all come out on camera.”

“The episode that was on last night was shot weeks in advance—don’t they know that? Plus, I wouldn’t let them put that shit in the show.”

“People don’t know that. They want to know how long you’ve been dating her and if you’re the reason she ran away from home.”

“Why do people care? I don’t get it.”

“Apparently her father’s big shit somewhere,” Slade said, unlocking the cage. “All I care about is that you get that belt next month, so you better get your head back in the game.”

“It never left.”

Slade threw a punch, and Travis deflected. “Good. Glad to hear it. Now keep those arms up!” he yelled.

The producer of Fight Night stood quietly in the background, as she normally did, while the crew filmed. In the boxing ring Cain and Tony were training, and a few others were over with the weights. The camera crew didn’t bother Travis at all anymore, but the reporters outside were a thorn in his side, and he had to actively focus on what he was doing so that he wouldn’t get injured, something that had been second nature until recently.

“Travis!” Slade shouted at him.

“What?” he said breathlessly.

“Swear to God, I will break the goddamn contract with HBO and put blinds on the windows. Get your head out of your ass!”

“I’m focused.”

“You are not!” Slade threw a surprise punch, and it hit Travis on the eye.

“Motherfucker!” Travis spat out his mouth guard and brought his gloved hand to his eye. “You fuckin’ hit me!”

“We’re fighting, not dancing! What the hell do you think Lemmon’s going to do?” Slade threw a kick that landed square on his thigh.

“Fucker!” Travis growled.

“Gonna keep hitting you, damn it. Focus.”

Travis jumped up and down, loosening up his muscles, moving right and then left in an effort to avoid Slade’s continuous assaults.

“You going to let Lemmon keep that belt, Texas?”

“Fuck no!”

“Grab your mouth guard and let’s get real!” Slade barked. Travis quickly took the guard from the floor, keeping one eye on Slade, popped it back in, and went back to fighting stance. He looked around briefly to see the rest of the guys all watching him.

By the time he walked out of the gym, he had a black eye and a huge bruise on his thigh, and there was not a single muscle in his body that didn’t ache. He was even too tired to fend off all the reporters loitering around his truck throwing out question after question.

When he parked in front of his house, he quickly closed the gate, making sure all the reporters stayed outside, and limped in. The house smelled delicious.

“Hi, cowb—” Penny began. “Oh my! Travis, what happened?”

“Nothing. Just training.”

“Let me get you some ice. You want some food or something?”

“Nah,” he said, kissing her forehead. “Going to take a bath.”

He walked painfully into his room, stripped off his clothes, threw them all on the floor, and turned the bath as hot as it went, sitting on the edge until it filled. Carefully he got in and closed his eyes.

“Travis? Can I come in?”

He grunted a yes. It hurt to talk. Opening one eye, he saw her shyly walk inside, averting her gaze.

“There ain’t nothing you haven’t already seen, momma.” He tried to smile but could only produce a grimace. “Belle asleep?”

She kneeled by the tub. “Yes.” She handed him some pills. “Here’s some Advil.” He didn’t even reach for the pills, just opened his mouth. She put them in and then held a glass of water to his lips. She had a small ice pack that had Disney princesses on it, and she held it to his eye. At his skeptical expression, she explained, “It’s a boo-boo pack that I keep around for Belle. She cooperates more when princesses are involved.” He wanted to laugh, but his face hurt.

“What can I do, Travis? You look like you’re in so much pain. I think you should be in cold water, not hot. Maybe I should call Chrissy.”

“Part of the training. No worries.” It was nice of her to worry, and yeah, he was in pain, but it wasn’t something unfamiliar to him. “You sleepin’ in my bed tonight?”

“Uh…yes,” she said, but didn’t seem certain.

“Good. That’ll make me feel better.” His eyes closed again.

“You want me to fix you a plate?”

He shook his head.

“Does it hurt to open your mouth? Your jaw looks swollen.”

He nodded in response.

She just sat quietly next to him on the tub, holding the ice pack on his eye until the ice had melted away. Then she left him so he could finish bathing.

He had just gotten into bed and was drifting off to sleep, wondering where Penny had run off to, when she came in. “I think I got the measurements correct. I’ve seen you make them a few times.” She held out a straw to his mouth with his protein shake.

His heart warmed. No one had ever taken care of him before. He’d always been alone, and frankly, he hadn’t known up until now how much it sucked to be alone. “Thank you for taking care of me, momma.”

“Thank you for taking care of us, Travis,” she said as she carefully got into bed next to him and laid her head on his chest. And that was how they slept all night. Despite his bruised face and body, it was the best night’s sleep of his entire life.

The next day he was determined to kick Slade’s ass, even though his body ached. He woke up early, left Penny a note, and was at the Academy by six. Today he would not take one hit. He walked into the Academy with a determination and purpose he’d been missing for the past few days. He ignored the few reporters and the crew from Fight Night and repurposed all his energy into avoiding a fist to the face. The guys mocked his black eye, but all the laughs stopped a few minutes into training when first Slade and then Tony quickly got winded trying to keep up with Travis. He was back. His lightning-fast reflexes were his secret weapon, and he was determined to be ready for Vegas.

Sleeping with Penny last night had been great, even though he’d been in pain. So he was excited by the thought of going home to Penny uninjured tonight and showing her exactly what he’d had in mind when he invited her to sleep in his bed.

Travis was not accustomed to keeping his phone on him when he was at the gym. Everyone who knew him could reach him at WtF if they needed him, and those who didn’t know that about him could wait until he was good and ready to answer the phone. But these days he felt as if he needed to have it around just in case. Penny had never called him; it had always been Travis who called her. So when his phone vibrated and he saw it was her calling, he knew instinctively it was not going to be good news.

“Travis,” she said, sounding breathless.

“What’s going on?” He already had his keys in his hand and was heading toward his truck.

“Hurry. Please.”

“What’s going on?”

“They’re here. Kip’s here with his lawyers and…” Her voice cracked. “Lawrence. He brought Lawrence.”

“Stay put. Be there in five minutes.”

By the time Travis pulled in, there was a swarm of cars outside his house. Add to that those that had followed him from the Academy, and it was a circus.

Travis parked his truck and hopped out. “What are y’all doin’ at my house?” he yelled at the men clustered at the front of the house. “I ain’t buying whatever y’all are selling. So get the hell off my property or I’ll call the cops.” He took long strides toward a man who was standing by his front door wearing dark glasses, a light blue polo shirt, and khaki pants.

“You must be Travis Calhoun,” the man said as he took off his glasses. Immediately Travis recognized him. In person, the older man had presence.

Travis crossed his arms over his chest, refusing to answer.

“I’m Kip Owens.” He extended his hand to Travis, but Travis kept his arms crossed.

“Know who you are,” Travis said curtly, then looked around. “Y’all need to get the hell off my property.”

“I’m looking for my daughter.”

“Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Kip took a piece of paper out of his pocket, unfolded it, and handed it to Travis. It was the infamous picture of the two kissing. “Where is my daughter?”

“As far as I’m concerned, I don’t gotta answer shit.” He pointed toward the street. “Get out before I call the cops.”

“Do you have children, Mr. Calhoun?” Travis didn’t answer so the man continued. “You raise them the best you can. Then they grow up, get knocked up, and run away from home, and the next thing you know, they’re shacked up with a cage fighter, dressing like a whore in public, stripping for a living, and doing obscene things such as this.” He shook the paper, and his voice began to rise. “As you can imagine, I am very upset by this turn of events.”

“Get. The. Fuck. Out.”

“Did Xavier give you the check?”

“I don’t need your money.”

“Everyone can use money. Let me take my daughter and granddaughter home and let us leave you alone.”

“I will tell you one more time: get the fuck out.”

“She’s my daughter. You can’t keep her away from me.”

“She’s not a minor anymore. She’s an adult, and you can’t make her do anything she doesn’t want to do.” He glared at Lawrence. “And neither of you have given a shit about them for over a year. You got no claim on them.”

Kip looked around. To anyone else he might have looked the picture of a concerned father, but Travis saw the mask slip for just a second.

“That’s not true. I’ve been searching for Penny everywhere,” he said, more to the cameras than to Travis.

“Kip has been beside himself,” Lawrence loudly chimed in.

Kip turned and whispered something to one of his security men, and the man began to herd all the reporters away. In a blink of an eye the area was miraculously cleared, and only Kip, Lawrence, and Travis remained.

“Oh, so you’re afraid they’ll hear something you don’t like?” Travis spat out, feeling victorious.

“You are not making true statements, Mr. Calhoun. I am just trying to make sure that my daughter’s name doesn’t get further dragged through the mud by your foul language,” Kip said. Travis rolled his eyes.

“I’ve tried to do this the nice way, Mr. Calhoun. My television ratings have skyrocketed, but I am not in this for television ratings. I need my congregation to have faith in me, to believe in the message I am preaching. I cannot do that when my daughter is in every newspaper doing things like this.” He shook the paper again. “I need my daughter back. My sweet little Penny, whom everyone loved and looked up to.” He took a step closer to Travis and said in a lower voice, “I don’t want to do this, but I will use your record against her. Do you understand? What kind of mother allows her young child around a criminal? I will have her found unfit to be a mother. She’s disappeared for the last year and has been doing God knows what. As far as I’m concerned, she’s been doing drugs just like you and your mother did, and for all I know you’ve both been doing it in front of her daughter. She’s a stripper with minimal income. I have all the resources necessary to make this painful. And if she does happen to be dumb enough to take me on, I’ll make sure the studio sues her for breaching the morality clause on the contract she signed allowing us to be filmed for the show. She will never see her daughter again. Isn’t that right, Lawrence?” Kip addressed Lawrence, who had been standing back, saying nothing but looking nervous.

“Yes. I want my daughter back,” Lawrence replied, as if on cue.

“Do you understand, Mr. Calhoun? Do you really want to stick around and be dragged through the mud? She is not worth that kind of trouble.”

Travis had never wanted to hit anyone as much he wanted to hit Kip. The only thing that stopped him was the cameras, which he figured were still taping from the other side of the gate.

Travis took a step forward, so that he was practically nose to nose with Kip. “That’s absolutely wrong. She is worth it. If you weren’t a pretentious, hypocritical asshole, you’d know that I’m lucky to have them around. Now I’ll say this one last time: get the fuck off my property.”

“Don’t be stupid. Take the money and leave her alone. The paparazzi are sniffing around—”

“And you don’t want them knowing the truth.”

“What truth, Mr. Calhoun? As far as I know, my daughter got knocked up and ran away from home to be with you—or a slew of men.”

Travis saw red. “Fuck off.”

“Nice,” Kip hissed, and rolled his eyes. “What kind of people is Penny interacting with?”

“The kind of people who don’t take kindly to threats.”

Travis took a step forward, forcing the two men to move out of his way. He unlocked the door, careful not to open it too much just in case Penny and Belle were inside. “Get the fuck off my property,” he repeated before slamming it closed in their faces.

“You have a week, Calhoun!” Kip yelled into the door.

Travis pressed his back against the door and took a deep breath before taking two long strides to Penny’s room. It was empty. “Penny?” he hollered. “Penelope? Belle?”

He went into his room and heard Belle giggle from the other side of the bed. He looked over and saw Penny on the floor with Belle, trying to keep her quiet.

She looked up at Travis. “Are they here? Did you let them inside? I heard what they said,” she whispered.

“Twavis!” Belle reached for Travis, and he instinctively took her.

“You okay, sweetheart?” he said to Belle, and she nodded. He then reached for Penny’s hand and helped her up. “No, momma. They’re not in here. They’re outside. We need to talk, though. And don’t leave the gate open again.”

“They can’t take her, Travis. I can’t lose her.” Her eyes watered. “And I don’t want to leave Tarpon Springs. Don’t tell them I’m here. You think they know?” She was having some sort of panic attack, he could tell, because her eyes were darting all over and she was shaking uncontrollably. It had been a long week, poor thing.

He stood with Belle on his hip, extended his arm, and pulled her to him. “Group hug.”

“Twavis ug,” Sarabelle giggled.

These two girls had grown to mean more to him than anyone else, and he felt a fierce need to protect them, a need so strong it overwhelmed him. But it was the moment to be strong for them and put aside his own feelings.

“Hey, Belle, you want to open all your new toys, since we couldn’t do it yesterday?” he asked, and the little girl began to wriggle happily in his arms. “I take that as a yes.

“Come on, momma.” He winked at Penny. “Let’s forget about things for a bit. Once you’ve taken a few deep breaths and calmed down a bit, we can talk.” He looked at Belle, then back at Penny. “Alone. Okay?”

He saw that her tears were falling fast, and she looked so fragile.

“Why don’t you go take a bath? I saw you eyeing my monster bathtub.” He pushed her gently. “Go, momma. I got this.”

She walked away hesitantly, looking completely defeated. He wasn’t sure how to comfort her while holding her daughter. He was scared that Belle would somehow understand and become traumatized by this whole fucked-up situation. She was an innocent bystander and didn’t deserve to have her childhood tainted because of it. So he hoped Penny could find comfort in a little time alone while he tried to distract Belle. Tonight, while Belle slept, he would do everything in his power to comfort Penny.

“Looks like it’s just you and me, kid.” Picking up all the bags with one hand, he took them into the living room.

It took Belle just five minutes to open all the toys and another four minutes to get bored of everything except a big ball that took Travis way too long to blow up. He looked out the window; Lawrence and Kip were gone, and the paparazzi that were still around were on the other side of the closed gate.

“Okay, one sec. Let me just go check up on your momma, okay?” She didn’t pay him any mind, instead pushing the ball around the living room, which Penny had childproofed. Quickly he jogged to his room and knocked on the bathroom door. “You okay in there?” He opened the door a little and popped his head inside.

She was under a small mountain of bubbles, her head back and her eyes closed. “Much better, thanks.”

“Okay. No rush. I’ll be in the backyard with Belle.”

“Thanks, Travis.”

“You’re welcome, momma.”

He jogged back to the living room and scooped Belle up in one arm, making an airplane noise as she dangled on his left side. “Twavis!” she said, laughing hard. With the other he picked up the giant inflatable ball.

For the next twenty minutes he played in the grass with Belle. She would use the ball as a support to help her stand, but when the ball, which was twice her size, would roll, she would fall and laugh. “Take a step with me,” he said, holding her hand, but she’d fall back down. He did this a dozen times. Every time she would stay standing a little longer, laugh, and then drop down onto her bottom. Eventually the ball flew into the pool, and when she tried to crawl after it, he decided it was time to end the game.

When he walked back in, Belle on his shoulders, Penny was in the kitchen. “You two have fun?”

“Twavis,” Belle said, as Travis set her down.

Penny kneeled down, her eyes on her daughter. “Say ‘Mama.’ ”

Belle laughed and said, “Ball.”

“Mama,” Penny repeated.

“Twavis.”

“Baby girl, my day has been pretty bad, but I’d feel a whole lot better if you just said ‘Mom.’ Or ‘Mama.’ Or ‘Mommy.’ Or ‘Mother.’ Anything,” Penny pleaded.

“Ball.”

Travis snorted out a laugh. He held his hand out and helped Penny up. “Face it. She likes me more than she likes you.” He had an arm around her waist and pulled her close. “Mmm. You smell good, momma.”

“I feel a little better. Thanks for watching her. I think she does like you more than me. I’m kind of jealous about that. She just met you, for goodness’ sake.”

“What can I say? I have a way with the ladies,” he said with a smirk. “How about some pizza?”

“Sounds good. I’m going to feed her, bathe her, and put her to sleep first. Is that okay?”

“Works for me. I’ll take a shower while you do that.” He kissed her lips. “We’ll talk when she’s asleep, okay?” he said. “Don’t want you worryin’. I got this,” he said before he left the room.

Penny was tucking Belle into the gorgeous crib when Travis walked in.

“Twavis,” the little girl mumbled sleepily, and Travis leaned into the crib. She had her pacifier in her mouth, her arm around her ratty bear, and a fluffy blanket up to her neck. Her eyes were closing.

“Good night, sweetheart,” Travis whispered into the crib.

Belle extended her arms, and Travis furrowed his brow and then looked at Penny. Despite the lump in her throat, Penny tried hard to keep her composure. She didn’t want Belle to get too attached to Travis. She didn’t want to get too attached. But she feared she was already too late on both fronts. This man could rip both of their hearts out if he wanted to. She cleared her throat. “She wants a hug,” she said hoarsely.

“I’m good with hugs. I totally got this.” He leaned down a little farther, and Belle wrapped her arms around his neck. Penny was amazed by how natural it looked. “G’night, baby girl. Sweet dreams. I’ll catch you in the mornin’.”

“Ball,” she said sleepily.

“I think she’s thanking you for the ball,” Penny said.

“Or she wants to play with the ball.”

“Could be that too.”

“Thank you for helping me tuck her in.”

“Ain’t even a thing, momma.” He led her out of the room.

Travis learned that Penny had weird-ass taste in pizza. She liked mushrooms and green peppers on her pizza; luckily, one of Travis’s favorite things to do was eat and he could eat anything.

While they waited for the pizza delivery, she walked around his house examining it, as if it was the first time she’d seen it. “Everything looks so…new,” she said.

“That’s ’cause it is. I’m rarely home, so I haven’t really gotten around to using some of my new things.”

“Did you really need three televisions in your living room?” She looked up at the TVs hanging from the wall, which faced the big U-shaped couch that reclined. It made the room look like a sports bar.

“Probably not.” Truthfully, he hadn’t had a television growing up, so when he hired the decorator that was the first thing he had requested. The fact of the matter was, he’d only sat down twice to watch TV since moving in.

She kept walking around the room. “It’s not very warm, Travis. You need pictures and end tables and things like that.”

“I don’t know shit about any of that. I paid a decorator to do this.”

She scrunched her nose as if she’d eaten something sour. “A decorator did this?”

He laughed. “Thanks a lot. She cost a fortune, by the way.”

“I’m sorry. That was very rude of me. It’s not that it’s unattractive; it’s just very stiff and kind of cold. I don’t even see a dining room table.” She looked around as if it was hiding somewhere.

“Hmm? Never noticed, really. I use the island in the kitchen when I eat. It has four chairs.” He shrugged.

“Yeah, but this area right here, this is for a dining table. Heck, even a pool table would work. But it’s just…empty.”

“Maybe we can go shopping together one day and you can help me with that.”

She looked at him over her shoulder. “Yeah, maybe. Although all the toys you got Penny are taking up most of the space there.”

He walked to the kitchen and pulled out a beer. “You want one?”

“You have soda?”

“No. That shit’ll kill you.”

She laughed at his comment. He looked in his fridge to see what he had. “Got orange juice, water, and milk.”

“Milk, please.”

He furrowed his brow. “Okay.” He poured her a glass. “Don’t think I’ve ever served anyone milk before.” He laughed. “You want chocolate? I have a sweet tooth and I drink a lot of chocolate milk.”

Her eyes widened, and she nodded. He pulled out the chocolate powder and stirred a healthy amount into the glass. “You’re kind of weird, momma,” he said as he handed her the glass.

She stopped drinking and looked up. “Oh…uh…” She put her glass down shyly.

He chuckled when he looked at her. She looked sad, unsure, and cute as hell with a chocolate-milk mustache. “Relax. I didn’t mean strange as in bad. I meant it as a compliment.”

Sobering, he added, “We have to talk about what happened earlier with Kip, you know?”

“I know, but I don’t know if my heart can take one more thing.” She took a deep breath. “I heard most of it, like I told you.”

“So I’m thinking that you need to see an attorney as soon as possible.”

Her eyes welled up. “I know.”

“And you’re going to have to be strong and probably put up with a lot of shit before this is all resolved.”

“I know.”

“And I think Belle needs to stay away from as much of the shit as possible.”

“I’m so overwhelmed. I feel like I’m drowning, Travis.”

“You’re not drowning. You’re going through some tough shit, but you’ll come out stronger for it.”

“What if I don’t? What if I lose Belle?”

“You won’t.” A tear fell from her eye, and he swiped it away with his thumb.

“How could you be so sure? I don’t even know how I’ll pay for an attorney. I don’t see how this isn’t going to end badly. This is the first time since I found out I was pregnant that I can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel.” She put her face in her hands.

“C’mere, momma.” He put one hand behind her knees and the other around her back, lifted her, and set her on his lap. “I think I told you once that I don’t let people screw over my people. You and Belle are my girls, and I’m not going to let anything harm you. I got a shit ton of money now.”

“Trav—”

“Shh. I do. I’ve never had it before, and I’ve also never had people I cared about before. I don’t have anything to spend it on, and I can’t think of anything better than to spend it on helping you guys. Plus, Francesca’s almost done with law school, and we’re like family, so I’m sure she’ll help too. That’s the first thing we’ll do tomorrow—we’ll go talk to her, and she’ll help point us in the right direction.”

She sobbed into his neck.

“Why’re you crying even more?” he asked, befuddled.

“Because you’re so sweet and caring, and I feel like I give nothing and just take. We just met.”

“It’s been over a year.”

“I know, but this is just too much.”

“It’s not. It’s fine. You think I can just stand by and let this shit storm hit you and not do something? Even if we weren’t together, even if we were just friends, I’d still help. Plus, you’re not just taking. Having you here has been good for me. I don’t know how exactly to explain it, but it has.”

“I feel so stupid, Travis. Why didn’t I get something signed from Lawrence relinquishing paternity? Why didn’t that occur to me?”

“You were eighteen years old. What he did was wrong.” His hand gently rubbed her back.

“Thank you, Travis. If it wasn’t for Belle, I’d turn down your generous offer and figure it out myself. But because of her, I need it. I need you. One day, somehow I’ll repay you.”

“Ain’t even a thing, momma.” He kissed her gently on the cheek and helped her up.

“Can I get you another beer?” she asked as she headed back to the kitchen, brushing away the last few remaining tears.

“Nah, I’m good.” He watched her grab a paper towel and wipe the counter clean. “If we’re being realistic, I don’t think you’ll be able to go home for a while. So I want you to feel at home while you’re here, okay? No more trying to take care of me. It’s not necessary. I want you here. That’s the end of it. I don’t need a maid.” He took the paper towel out of her hand.

“Fine.” She sighed and drank the rest of her chocolate milk, then leaned her forearms on the kitchen island.

He chuckled. “You mind?” He tipped his chin toward her face.

“Huh?”

“You have a milk mustache again.”

“Oh.” She went to wipe it, but he stopped her hand and leaned across the countertop, her big brown eyes locked on his, to lick the top of her lip. “Mmm.” And then he licked his own lips. Her eyes were wide, and when he began to pull away she grabbed the back of his neck and drew him to her.

The kiss was not slow. In fact, it was frantic, like she was starved. Without breaking the kiss he walked around the island, turning her as he went so that her back was to the island. She parted her legs and he caged her in with his arms. God, the woman could kiss. She bit his lip, and he fisted her hair. “Travis, make today better. Help me forget. Please,” she moaned into his mouth. He ran his palm down her body and then roughly cupped her sex through her shorts. She put her hand over his and pushed his hand more firmly against her pussy.

“You’re a naughty girl.” He undid the buttons of her shorts and pushed them down, then lifted her onto the island. “You’ve had a bad day. You sure you’re up for this?”

“It’s the only thing I need right now.”

“You in my bed tonight?”

“I’d love that.”

“Good. Then spread your legs for me, momma.” She only hesitated for a second before complying.

“Bet you’re sweet everywhere,” he said, getting down on his knees and moving closer. “Been wanting to taste you since that night.”

“I’ve never done this before,” she admitted.

He looked up at her and saw that her eyes were closed. “Well, then, you better open those eyes and look down. You’re goin’ to want to get the whole experience.” He parted her lips with his fingers, exposing her fully. “Fuckin’ beautiful,” he breathed as he looked into her pink wet pussy, and then he began to lick up and down her wet slit.

“Oh!” she moaned, almost coming off the counter. He hooked his arms around her thighs and pulled her ass closer to the edge, opening her up even further. He sucked and licked her clit over and over until he felt her legs tremble. Looking up at her, he pushed two fingers into her, then crooked them forward, hitting that perfect spot he knew she’d love. “Travis! Travis!” she yelled, her fingers digging into his scalp as she came in his mouth, her sweet wetness covering his face.

“That was,” she panted, “wow.”

“Glad you liked it. Could do that all day, except I need to be inside of you. Belle can’t get out of her crib, right?” he asked as he began to unbuckle his belt. He was so worked up he was afraid he’d come too fast.

“Probably should’ve asked that a few minutes ago, don’t you think?”

“Think?” he said with a snort. “I lost the ability to think the moment your pussy began to drip down my chin.”

“Travis!” She shook her head. “She can’t get out of her crib, but maybe we shouldn’t be too loud.”

“That’s all on you, baby. I’m not the one that’s loud. Hop down, turn around, and spread those legs for me, sugar.” He pushed his pants down just enough to free his cock and put on a condom. She was looking at him over her shoulder, and he pushed her back down so that her face was against the cold granite countertop, her ass in the air. She was still so wet that he slid balls-deep into her right away. “Fuuuck…,” he groaned as he began rocking into her, hard and fast. She gripped the edge of the counter as he pounded in and out of her. “So good,” he grunted. “Your ass is so perfect,” he said between breaths, and then he smacked her ass cheek with his palm. Her pussy clenched tight around his dick when she felt the bite from his palm. “Fuck, baby. You like that, don’t you?” He repeated it on her other ass cheek and then reached around and pinched her clit, sending her into such an intense orgasm that his dick slipped out. He pushed it back inside her, coming just as hard and as intensely as she had.

“Jesus Christ,” he gasped. “You okay?”

“Very okay,” she said almost dreamily.

Just then a buzz startled them.

“Shit. Pizza’s here.” He pulled out of her and started to take a step forward, but his pants were around his ankles and he tripped. “Ow!”

She laughed loudly. “Be careful. You’re going to break your leg.” There was another buzz. She reached behind him and pressed the intercom to open the gate.

“I’ll go.” She looked around for her shorts.

Travis stood and pulled up his pants. “You look good and fucked.” He pulled her to him and gave her a fast kiss. “Stay right here.” He couldn’t have the pizza delivery kid seeing her looking like sex. He walked out of the kitchen and opened the door just enough to grab the pizza and hand the kid way too much money.

He brought the pizza box into the kitchen, having already taken out a slice, folded it in half, and taken a bite. He dropped the box on the counter. “You one of those people who eat pizza with a plate, fork, and knife?” he asked as he took another bite. “Because that may be a deal breaker for me.”

She laughed as she took a slice and placed it on her plate. Then she poured herself a glass of water and handed him a new beer.

She cut a piece and ate it. “How many slices do you think you can eat?”

He opened the box and counted. “How many are you eating?”

She shrugged. “One. Maybe two.”

“There’s eight slices, so I guess that means six, maybe seven, for me.”

“And if I wasn’t here?”

“Then eight.”

“You can eat this entire pie?”

“And dessert after.”

“And you’re in such great shape. Wow.”

“Thanks for noticing. For about a year I didn’t think you knew who I was,” he joked.

“I always knew who you were. How could I not? My nervous laugh every time we spoke at the Pier didn’t clue you in?”

“No, actually. I really just thought you didn’t like me.”

“Oh, I liked you,” she clarified. “You’re easy to talk to. You make people feel comfortable. You make me feel safe.”

“You’re good for the ego.” He winked. “And the sex? It was okay?”

“Do you normally ask girls that? Doesn’t seem like you’d be insecure.”

“Not insecure. More like concerned. I was rough.”

“You’re not like that normally?”

“No. Not at all. Most girls don’t like that.”

“Oh,” she said, embarrassed.

“But I do. I like it. And it seems like you like it. Don’t be embarrassed, and don’t get shy. Just make sure to stop me if I get too rough.”

“ ’Kay.” She finished her slice, then washed her plate.

“Want to watch a movie?”

She looked at the clock on the microwave. “No.”

“Really?”

“It’s been a long day.” She yawned. “Aren’t you tired? Let’s go to bed.”

“I’m not a good sleeper.”

Penny held out her hand to him. “Let’s try,” she said sweetly.

“Okay. If I can’t sleep, I might go for a swim or jog. Don’t be worried if you wake up and I’m not here.”

“If you can’t sleep and I fall asleep, promise me that you’ll wake me.”

“Why would I do that? I want you to sleep, not put up with my bullshit.”

She opened the bedroom door and led him inside. “You wanted me here, so I’m not letting you run away. We’ll talk, we’ll watch television, I’ll watch you swim. But don’t leave alone, okay?”

He nodded, emotions overwhelming him. He’d never felt so many different things before in his life.

She pulled out one of his T-shirts and slipped it on, while he took off everything and slid into bed. “I sleep naked.”

“I see that,” she said with a smile as she got into bed with him.

“I’ve never done this.”

“Sleep all night with someone, you mean?”

“Well, yeah, that. And also just try to sleep.”

She reached over him and turned off the lamp, then gently laid one leg over his and put her head on his chest and her arm across his waist. Her warm, soft body felt wonderful. “You were able to do it last night. The pain had a lot to do with it, I’m guessing.”

“Yes. Plus, I was exhausted, and exhaustion always helps.”

“Tell me what’re you thinking about,” she said, her voice soft and hypnotizing.

“You feel good.”

“So do you.”

“You’re so sexy.”

“So are you, cowboy.”

“I wish I could sleep,” he admitted. “You think Belle is okay? You think it’s too cold? I can go turn—”

“Belle’s fine. She can’t get out of the huge crib you bought her. She’s right next door. I’ll hear her if she wakes up, but she always sleeps through the night. Close your eyes,” she ordered, and he followed her instructions. Her hand drew soft circles on his torso, and she began to hum something he’d heard her hum to Belle a few times. The vibrations of her voice and the beat of her heart soothed him. He focused on her voice and on the now. Instead of all the shit of the past that always consumed his mind, he thought about the woman in his arms. He thought about her body, long and lithe. How innocent she was but at the same time how naughty she liked to get with him. How she gave him free rein with her body. How rough she liked it—that was the biggest surprise of all.

He fell asleep thinking of the spanking he’d given her. All night he dreamed of the handprint he’d left on Penny’s beautiful ass.