Veronica
"Can we pick up a movie before heading back to the house?" Wren asked from the backseat.
"I'm up for it," Travis said. "I told Ronnie I'd take her home, though."
My mouth moved faster than my brain. "You don't have to take me home right this second. I'd love to watch a movie."
"Are you sure?" Travis asked.
I nodded easily. I'd probably be a little tired at work the next day, but so what if I got home a little late? Stella was already asleep, so it wasn't like I'd be missing anything.
"Woohoo!" Wren cheered.
I knew I'd made the right choice when Travis smiled down at me. He looked pleased with me, and that made the prospect of not getting enough sleep completely worth it. Besides, I was starting to think that a late night at his place might have other perks after all the teasing at the bar.
Wren chattered away as Travis drove us to one of those movie rental boxes outside a gas station. Carter offered to get out to get the movie since Wren was so tipsy, but she jumped out of the car anyway. He sighed in exasperation as he got out to help her, but I saw the smile he was wearing as he passed by my window.
The second they were back in the car Wren started talking again. I found myself actually liking the way she filled the silence. She wasn't just talking for the sake of talking, she just had a lot to say.
The comforting sound of her voice had me drifting off to sleep.
A short time later, a hand shook my shoulder gently. "Ronnie, babe, wake up."
My mouth opened on a yawn at the same time my eyes opened to find Travis leaning over me from my side of the car. I blinked a couple times. Wren and Carter were already walking into the house. Travis had managed to park the car and come around to my side to get me without me ever having woken up.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep."
"That's okay. Do you want me to take you home?"
I should have said yes. I should have let him drive me home so I could safely crawl into the comfort of my own bed. Instead, I found myself shaking my head.
"Can I stay here?"
Travis' head jerked back on his shoulders. "You mean like… stay here all night?"
"Yes."
"Of course you can. You're welcome to stay in my bed."
"That was my plan, yes." My voice was husky—which had nothing to do with me having fallen asleep. I watched Travis' Adam's apple shift as he swallowed hard.
"Ronnie," he said my name like a warning.
"Travis," I mocked.
He held out his hand to me and I took it, letting him pull me up from the car. As we made it into the house together, Wren studied us curiously. Our hands were still locked. I was leaning into Travis. She smiled.
"Sorry we kept you out so late. We didn't mean to run you ragged."
I waved off her apology. I was one of those people who felt exhausted with anything less than eight hours of sleep, so being tired wasn't unusual for me.
"No, I'm sorry. I really was looking forward to watching a movie."
"There's always tomorrow. And I even picked something kid friendly." She laughed, holding up an animated movie that I was sure Stella would love. The implication was obvious.
"I'm sure a certain little girl I know would love to watch that." Not wanting to be held off any longer, I said goodnight.
Travis hugged Wren and fist-bumped Carter before finally returning to take my hand and lead me off down the hall. As we walked, his hand slid out from mine and snaked around my waist instead. Outside of what I assumed was his bedroom door, he backed me into the door. His hands settled on the door on either side of my head, caging me in.
"We probably shouldn't do this. You should probably go into that room alone." My heart started to sink until I realized how much it seemed to pain him to say it.
"Neither of us were ever very good at doing what we should be doing," I reminded him.
His eyebrows dipped. "And look where that got us."
"It got us here."
I grabbed for him like I was a drowning woman and he was my life raft. Our lips crashed together like tumultuous waves, completing the obnoxious metaphor that had formed in my mind.
"Bedroom," I panted, reaching blindly for the doorknob behind me.
The door flew open, sending both of us stumbling into the room. Travis slammed the door shut behind us. The space between us was filled with electricity.
He stalked toward me, his hooded eyes promising a slew of delicious things to come. I fisted his shirt, dragging him closer. His hands settled on my hips. I tilted my head back, offering him unrestricted access to my lips. He kissed me square on my mouth first, but then his lips moved over my cheek and down my neck. I could feel my toes curling in my shoes.
My hands were still on his shirt, which made it super easy for me to pull at the garment. He took the hint and helped me pull it off of him. The abs that greeted me made my jaw drop. Travis had been an athlete the entire time I'd known him—but college football had really transformed his body to a whole other level.
"See something you like?" he teased.
"All of it." I reached out and stroked the ridges of his abs.
He groaned in pleasure, capturing my hand when it started to trail south. He raised my hand and kissed the back of it. He seemed fine to take things slow, but I was desperate for him. I pulled out of his grip to tug my own shirt over my head.
Another groan left his mouth. He was already reaching for me again before I'd even managed to discard my shirt. It ended up falling abandoned to the ground somewhere around our feet.
As he kissed me with renewed vigor, I reveled in the feeling of his bare chest against my own nearly bare upper half. My breasts strained against the black satin of my bra. Travis reached around to unhook the offending garment. I let the bra fall away as Travis' lips moved back to my neck and then down further still. His hands cupped my breasts, his thumbs rolling over my nipples and turning them into hard peaks. I arched into his touch.
Then his mouth was there replacing his hands. I whimpered as he gently took one peak into his mouth, his tongue teasing me. We still hadn't even made it to the bed. My fingers played with the clasp of his belt. When my hand not-so-accidentally brushed against the bulge in the front of his pants, his breath caught.
All bets were suddenly off. We pulled apart and started yanking our remaining clothes off at a furious pace. We became a mess of wandering hands and mouths desperately meeting as we tumbled into his bed. Years of pent-up sexual frustration showed in the frenzied way I touched every part of him that I could get my hands on.
Travis climbed over me on the bed, my legs spreading so that he could settle in between them. The position meant that the bulge of his hard cock settled right in the crest between my thighs. I wiggled against him, crying out when the friction hit just the right spot.
He pressed up a little, giving him space so that his cock lined up snug against my entrance.
"Travis." I put my hand on his chest, pausing him as he hovered there. "I haven't… since…"
It took him a minute before he seemed to realize what I was trying to hint at. "It's been three years. In all that time you didn't sleep with anyone else?"
I shook my head for him, confirming it.
"Shit, that's—" He cleared his throat twice. "I don't deserve how perfect you are." His eyes softened as he rested on one arm so that the other could gently caress the length of my body. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
"More than anything."
I put my hands on his shoulders and tugged him down to me. He slipped easily inside of me, reminding me that our bodies were made for each other. It was no wonder I'd gone so long without sleeping with anyone. There was no chance anyone would have compared.
Travis and I moved together, my body pressing up to meet the rhythm of his thrusts. He didn't just fuck my body, he worshipped it. I felt a long-buried part of me coming alive under his body.
I was the first one to go over the edge. My hands clutched at the sheets as my entire body vibrated with pleasure. I held him close to me as I rode out the sensations. He murmured something against my cheek but I couldn't decipher it. Waves of pleasure continued to descend on me until Travis finished as well.
Afterward, Travis collapsed on his back on the bed. I rolled over to rest my head on his chest. We were both sweaty, but it barely fazed me. I felt sated and content curled up by his side.
"What are you thinking about?" Travis asked me, his fingers pushing my tangled hair out of my face.
"I hate that I can't check on Stella one more time before bed." My bottom lip jutted out in a pout.
He traced a finger over my lip. "I'm the only one staying in the house until practice starts back up. Next time, Stella can come stay, too." I closed my eyes, my lips turning up at the corners as I imagined the three of us as a family in the big, empty house.
Kelley, New York was turning out to be the best thing that had ever happened to me—and the best thing that had ever happened to us.