Attached (Coronado Series Book 3) (11 page)

“I knew I was going to have to tie you up. There’s no way you’re ever going to let me be on top unless I do.”

Travis let out a laugh. “Baby, you can tie me up tonight. I promise to behave.”

She looked over her shoulder and smiled. “As long as you promise.”

He ran his hand up and down her back and admired her creamy skin. This was the view he wanted….this was the privilege he wanted….this was the woman he wanted to love. He wanted to possess her as his mind kept repeating …
mine…mine….mine
.

She wiggled around a little until he released his grasp, and she rolled over to study him. His eyes were filled with pure, unadulterated heat as their gazes locked. The connection flared up again and left her breathless. She began sitting up, and he pulled her down and laid his mouth against hers. Her breath caught as his soft lips caressed her mouth. She broke the connection and rolled over. “I’m hungry-where are we going to eat?”

Travis watched her roll off the bed and understood that she was battling what was happening between them. He was going to have to figure out how to deal with it, because he didn’t want her so spooked that she fled. “I’ll take you to breakfast, since we don’t have any groceries yet. How does that sound?”

She looked at him with soft eyes. “Perfect.”

“I’ll make coffee while you shower, and then I’ll jump in. He got up, pulled on his boxers and noticed she stood there with a dazed look on her face. “Get in the shower woman, if you want to be fed.” That seemed to bring her out her stupor, because she smiled and turned toward the bathroom.
 

He walked into the kitchen and made the coffee. While it was brewing, he checked his phone and was relieved that nothing needed his attention right away. He was waiting to hear from his mom about the results of his sister’s board exams. It was the last step in her long journey to achieving her dream, and he couldn’t wait to hear the good news.
 

He poured two cups and added sugar to one and took them into the bedroom. He heard the water shut off and knocked on the door. Opening it slowly, he watched her step out of the shower and felt another wave of longing wash over his body. This was how it was going to be between them, desire sitting on the edge of consciousness, waiting to claim them. He decided the hungry wolf look wasn’t going to win him points, so he smiled and put her coffee on the counter. “I’m going to get in the other shower. See you in a few.”

She watched him close the door and let out a big breath. The man was a walking advertisement for sex. He was tall, well-built and commanding and for the first time in her life she was dealing with an alpha male and had no idea what to do. Her first instinct was to run away. Her second instinct was to run toward it….Her instincts sucked. She took a sip of coffee and sighed. It was perfect.
Of course he makes great coffee.

********

Cary sat on the couch, waited for Travis to get dressed and decided to catch up on her life. She read her e-mails and her horoscope, checked the weather and then made sure that she had her files for the house on her iPad. She heard Max walk in and turned around. He wore a Henley that stretched lovingly across his massive chest and blue jeans that were taut across his thighs. She swallowed and took a quick sip of coffee to help her dry throat. Dressed or naked, the man was hard to resist, and she wasn’t sure why she was trying to in the first place.

He gave her a quick smile and gathered his keys and phone. “Are you ready to go?”

She stood up, gathered her stuff and shoved it into her bag. “Absolutely-I’m hungry.” She watched a frown appear on his face and followed his gaze as it met with her suitcase.

“Why is your suitcase by the door?”

“Because I’m going to get my car today. Once I speak with Adam, I’ll decide what kind of arrangements I need to make for the rest of the summer.”

“There are no arrangements. You’re staying here.”

“I’m not staying here, because that would be imposing.”

“That’s not imposing. That’s you staying with me…here you should be….with me.”

She saw his stubborn mulish look and tried not to laugh. “Travis, if I stay with you, that would be like the one-night stand from hell. People might want to write a book about it or make a movie of the week. I think it’s lovely of you to offer, but I could never consider it.”

“You don’t need to consider it. It’s already done. You’re staying with me.”

She could see that he was going to put up a big fight, and she didn’t feel like having one before breakfast. “Thank you. That’s very generous of you. I’ll spend one more night and then make other arrangements.”

“No other arrangements necessary. How are you going to have your way with me if you’re not staying here? It’s going to be hard to tie me up if we are not living together.”

“Are you using sex to try to get me to stay with you?”

“Yes, I am. Is it working?”

“It might be. Let’s go eat, and I will leave my suitcase here for now.”

“Why don’t you just unpack it and put your stuff away? It might be easier.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Have you ever asked a woman to do this before?”

“No.”

“OK.”

“OK, you put your clothes away, or OK you understand?”

“OK, now we go to breakfast.”

“I like your lack of commitment. It reflects well on your character.”

“I agree.”

She grabbed his hand and headed toward the door. Her suitcase remained by the door, and neither one of them felt very good about it. She looked at him as she got into the truck and wondered how he expected her to make any decisions before she ate. “What time are we meeting Adam at the house?”

“We’re meeting him at ten and have plenty of time. What made you decide on Ocean Beach?”

“I found a house that I liked near the beach that was affordable. The small town feel appealed to me as well. Did you know that they have a Christmas parade?”
 

“Are you going to participate in the parade?”

“I guess, if they let me.” They parked in front of Clayton’s Coffee Shop, and as Cary got out of the truck she noticed Travis checking his phone. She realized that she knew very little about his life and figured it was probably best. The more you knew about someone, the more invested you became and the less freedom you had.
 

Travis grabbed her hand as they headed into the restaurant. “I could probably figure how to build you a float for the parade.”

“I was thinking more along the lines of helping out with kids, but a float might not be a bad idea.” She looked up at him and felt like she was starting to get attached. She didn’t want that to happen, because she wanted to remain free.
 

Last week she was on a road trip by herself, hoping for great adventure, and this week she was having breakfast with a man who was trying to get her to unpack her suitcase. If she unpacked her suitcase she was giving up on the idea of adventure, and she didn’t want to do that. No matter how sexy Travis was and how willing he was to share his hash browns, that couldn’t distract her from her plan.

********

They sat on the front porch of Cary’s house and waited for Adam. “It’s better than I thought.”

“It doesn’t look like you were ripped off. It just looks like he wanted a bigger project.”

“I think you’re right. Does Adam take on small houses like this?

“I think he does. Don’t worry, baby. Adam is a good guy and if he doesn’t have time, he’ll recommend someone we can work with.” He looked down the sidewalk and saw Adam walk up with Chad.
 

Cary stood up and smiled as she greeted the men. “Hello. Thank you for coming out this morning.”
 

Adam walked up and shook hands with Travis, then took Cary’s hand gently and shook it. “No problem. If you know this guy, then you’re practically part of the family. I want you to meet my partner, Chad. He’ll be your lead on this project if we decide to work with each other.”

Cary looked up at Chad and felt like she was looking at a surfing god. He was almost as tall as Travis and had long, wavy blond hair. His broad chest and big biceps were shown off nicely by the tank top he wore. Cary smiled widely at him and offered her hand as she stared; it was hard to act nonchalant in the presence of such male perfection.
 

Chad smiled back and held her hand a moment longer than was necessary.
 

Cary felt herself being pulled back into reality as Travis looped a big, brawny arm around her shoulder. She felt him whisper in her ear to take a breath before she hyperventilated. That brought her back to reality, so she shoved her elbow into him and continued to smile at Chad.
 

They were interrupted by Adam. “Give us a tour, Cary, and let us know what you had in mind.”

“I would love to show you around. I took a quick tour before you got here, and I think the former contractor fulfilled his obligation with the amount of money he was paid. I’m glad he got the floors redone and the bathrooms completed. The kitchen needs to be finished, and the rest is cosmetic. This old house had good bones. She just needed some love.”

“Sounds good. I like the dark wood floors. We did the same thing in Birdie’s house. I think these old craftsmen look best when you stay true to the spirit of the architecture.”

“I agree. I had some walls taken out to open up the downstairs and had the bathrooms updated, but I kept the rest. Follow me, and we can start upstairs.”

The men followed, and Travis watched Chad to make sure that he wasn’t showing any special interest in Cary. He wanted to make sure the guy understood that she was taken. He would have a conversation with Adam to make sure the message was received.

By the time they were finished and sitting on the patio, Cary felt pretty confident that Adam was going to be able to get the job done by August. It seemed like her old contractor leaving turned out to be a blessing. “Adam, I would be so grateful if you would be willing to take this on.”

“I’ll put together a bid and send it out to you tomorrow. If you agree then we can get started at the beginning of next week. I’m confident that we’ll make a house that you and Travis will be very happy in.”

She smiled at him and then remembered that Travis would probably not be around by the time the house was finished. She was about to say something and felt Travis cover her hand and speak. “Thanks, Adam. I knew you were the man to call. We really appreciate it.”

Adam smiled. “No problem. I was able to bring on a bunch of good guys last fall, so we have room in the schedule. I’m finishing up on the offices above Birdie’s shop, and should have them done by the end of the week. My next project is the addition of offices at the hangar for ASI. I heard you’re going to work for them in the fall.”

“I am. I’m taking the summer off and plan on starting in September.”

Adam shook his head as he looked at him. “It was tough luck for you and Mark not to come out of the op and be cleared for duty again.”

“We had a lot of good luck for many years, and we’re both fortunate to have lasted as long as we did. Mark seems to be enjoying his training duties. I keep hearing about what a hard-ass he is, which makes a lot of sense, considering his personality.”

Adam nodded his head in agreement, “He and my brother are so alike that it’s scary.”

Travis looked at Cary. “It will all make sense to you once you meet them. Birdie wants us to come over for dinner tomorrow night. She’s dying to meet you and said something about adding you to the coven.”

Adam started laughing. “My wife, Susan, is part of that group, and I suggest you make sure they’re never mad at you.”

Travis looked at him questioningly and then decided the less he knew, the better.

Chad handed her the iPad. “Cary, give me your contact information so I know where to send the proposal.”
 

Travis looked at Chad as he spoke. “You can reach her at my condo, she’s living with me.”

Adam looked at Travis and laughed, then looked down at his phone as it started buzzing. He shook Cary’s hand as he excused himself. Chad handed Cary his phone. “Input your info in there as well. Plan on coming out on Fridays and letting us know what you think. That way we make sure that we’re all on the same page.”

“Sounds good to me. I look forward to seeing you next week.” She smiled at him, and Travis watched him fall under her spell.
Great, another victim of Cary’s charm
. Travis wrapped his arm around her as they said their good-byes.

 
“You just gave that poor guy a small hope that he has a chance with you.”

“I did no such thing. I was merely being friendly. That man is the one who stands between me and homelessness. I want him to like me and do a good job on my house.”

“Oh, he wants to do a good job, but I’m not sure we’re talking about the house.”

“I’ll not be affected by your crazy, dark thoughts. That man couldn’t be less interested in me.”

“You just keep on thinking that.”

She turned around and let her hair flip over her shoulders in dismissal. “I’m going to lock up and get my car. You’re free to go.”