Promises (21 page)

Guilt.
 
Just like the guilt he felt over her brother.
 
She stumbled slightly with the realization.
 
She understood know, how he felt about not being there for Jason.
 
And there was something else.
 
Something Jason had once said about Travis and his women.
 
He never dated anymore than one at a time.
 
He didn’t cheat.

She groaned softly.
 
More guilt.
 
He was obviously having trouble with the fact he had cheated on his current girlfriend, Sylvia.
 
But didn’t he feel the tiniest bit of what she felt?
 
How could they make love so beautifully and not feel something?

She peered out of the corner of her eye at his strong, handsome profile.
 
He constantly scanned the area watching the people, watching everything.
 

She sighed softly.
 
It didn’t really matter what either of them felt.
 
They were all wrong for one another.
 
She couldn’t live every waking minute of her life wondering if he would come home.
 
If he was hurt or missing
—
or dead.
 
She refused to go through that again.
 
Maybe she should feel sorry for Sylvia instead of envious of her.

They didn’t have to wait long before they were seated, and the plane lifted off.

“Are you going to do that the entire trip?” she asked.

“Do what?”

“Constantly look over your shoulder.
 
It’s annoying.”
 
She shoved the dog-eared magazine into the back of the seat in front of her.

Travis hated this wall they had erected between them.
 
It felt totally wrong, but his brain knew it was for the best.

“I’m sorry you’re annoyed, but I happen to think we’re being followed,” he said quietly.
 

“It’s a little late to worry about being followed.
 
We’re thousands of feet in the air.”

He sighed and laid his head back against the seat.
 
She had a point.
 
“You’re right.”
 

“News flash.
 
I’m right for a change.
 
Go figure.”
 
She sniffed and looked out the window.

Ignoring her jibe, he reclined his seat and tried to concentrate on something other than the unsettling woman beside him.
 
Knowing her every curve, the feel of her skin, the taste of her lips, taunted him to distraction.
 
The very thing that could get them both killed.
 

He should have tried harder to talk to her that morning instead of letting his temper get the better of him.
 
He could try to talk to her now.
 
Then again, maybe it was best if he just kept his mouth shut, because he had the feeling that once he started, he would say something he couldn’t take back.
 
Like how he really felt about her.

“Thank you,” she said, as she took the soda and dinner tray from the stewardess.

When she offered a tray to Travis, he waved her off.
 
“No thanks.”
 
Dinner from a little plastic container couldn’t begin to spark his appetite.

The woman moved on to the next row, exchanged a few words in French with the men behind them then continued down the aisle.
 
He really wished he knew what the two guys had been discussing so heatedly before, but he didn’t speak a word of French.
 

Bobbi suddenly sputtered and coughed.
 

He sat up quickly.
 
“Are you all right?”

She nodded then spoke in a strangled voice.
 
“It just went down the wrong way.”
 
She cast uneasy eyes behind them.
 
Obviously agitated, and by a lot more than a bite of rubbery steak.

“What’s wrong?” he asked softly.
 
Did she recognize someone?

“Nothing.”

“Spit it out so I can get some sleep.
 
Otherwise I’ll be wondering what’s eating you the whole flight.”
 

“It’s those men behind us,” she whispered.

“So?”

“It’s what they said.
 
It was crude.”

Relieved she hadn’t spotted one of Steele’s men he grinned, having forgotten she spoke a couple of languages.
 

He glanced at his little spitfire’s flaming face, wondering what the two suits behind him were talking about.
 
This could be interesting.
 
He had definitely missed sparring with her.
 

He shook his head.
 
No, he just missed her.
 
They’d only shared a few short hours together as lovers, and yet it seemed like ages ago.

“What did they say?” he asked, knowing he should leave it alone.

“I refuse to repeat it.”
 
She poked at the ice cubes floating in her drink with the tip of her short fingernail.
 
But not too short that they couldn’t do some damage, he recalled with a satisfied grin.
 

“My guess is it has to do with that hot little stewardess,” he said, bringing his brain back to the current topic.

Her head snapped around.
 
“The correct term is flight attendant, and she happens to be married.
 
She is clearly wearing a wedding ring.”

“Jealous?”

Her bow-like mouth fell open then promptly snapped shut.
 
“In your dreams.”

“You always are, bright eyes.
 
You always are,” he said with a slow wink.

She huffed and turned to look out the window at the darkening sky.
 

He let his eyes travel down her stiff spine to the small curve of her back.
 
All the places his hands and lips had explored.
 
His fingers itched to tug on the belt loop of her jeans and pull her into his lap.

Clearing the urge of longing from his throat, he said, “Come on.
 
What did they say?
 
Or are you too shy to tell me?”
 

He really didn’t care about the Frenchmen, but decided a little conversation was better than letting his thoughts run rampant.
 
Or was he just using that as an excuse to end the cold shoulder treatment she had been giving him all morning?
 

She looked back at him while chewing her bottom lip.
 
He watched, fascinated by the soft tug and nibble of her teeth.
 
Hesitantly, she leaned over and whispered what the men had said into his ear.
 
Her voice quivered slightly as she translated their conversation.
 

He had been right about it regarding the flight attendant, but he hadn’t anticipated how hearing the translation would affect him.
 
Her warm breath teasing his ear as she murmured the provoking words had him hard as a rock.
 
When she finally pulled away, he was gripping the armrests and slowly counting to one hundred.
 
When would he learn to keep his mouth shut?
 

“I thought it was something like that,” he murmured.

She looked at him curiously then went back to her unappetizing meal.

Finally able to peel his fingers from the seat, he pulled out the complimentary earphones and focused on the in-flight movie, hoping, praying it would distract him, but ended up watching Bobbi instead.
 
After the dinner items had been collected, she curled up in her chair with a small pillow beneath her head and went to sleep.
 

Studying her features, he found himself smiling.
 
She probably hadn’t slept any better than he did the night before.
 
Too much had happened between them and too little had been said.

How nice it would’ve been to wakeup together instead of in separate beds.
 
He grinned.
 
They would’ve missed the flight if they had.
 
Simply looking at her and remembering the way she felt in his arms, he knew he wouldn’t have been able to resist making love to her again.

“Travis,” she whimpered softly.
 

The sound of his name on her lips, knowing she dreamed about him, tugged at his heart.
 

“I’m right here.”
 
He stroked her cheek with the tips of his fingers, conveniently forgetting his vow not to touch her.
 
It did things to him, made him feel things, made him say things, made him want things he had no right to want.

A soft smile touched her lips, sending a wave of warmth over his body and infused his soul.
 
He took a deep breath, letting the truth solidify in his brain.
 
No use denying it.
 
Deserving or not, he loved Bobbi with every part of his heart.
 
Leaning over, he gently brushed his lips across her brow.

“Sweet dreams, bright eyes,” he whispered near her ear.

“Hold me,” she murmured sleepily.

With a smile, he lifted the armrest out of the way and wrapped his arm around her, gently shifting her to rest against his chest.
 
Why hadn’t anyone ever told him that a woman, a very special woman, could make him feel so complete?
 
She was the half of his soul he never knew was missing.
 
What he felt for Sylvia couldn’t compare to what he felt for Bobbi.
 
Not by a long shot.

He brushed a lock from her forehead, knowing that she wouldn’t remember her sleepy request for him to hold her, or at the very least, she’d deny it.
 
But he would take what he could get.
 
He still wasn’t good enough for her, and he still had a job to do.
 
But maybe they could find a future together away from the Philip Steele’s of the world.
 
He would find someway to tell her how he felt and maybe she’d forgive him for hurting her, and for not being there for Jase.

“Yeah, maybe,” he whispered, as he nodded off to sleep content with the woman he loved nestled in his arms.

Bobbi snuggled closer against the warmth beneath her cheek.
 
The pilot’s voice announcing their decent invaded her beautiful dream.
 
Why couldn’t he just land the stupid plane and leave her alone?
 

“Time to wake up, bright eyes.”
 

Travis’ deep voice enveloped her in a loving embrace.
 
She imagined the feel of his fingers stroking her cheek, the steady rhythm of his heart beneath her hand.
 
What a wonderful dream, and so real.

“Sir, you need to put your seats in the upright position.”

“You heard the lady, sweetheart.
 
You need to wake up.”

Bobbi’s eyes popped open as she jumped up straight, right out of his arms.
 

“You okay?” he asked with a chuckle.

“Fine.
 
I’m fine.”
 
She primly straightened her clothes and finger combed her hair.
 
How could she have done that?
 
She didn’t want to begin to imagine what he must think with her curling up against him like that.

He adjusted his seat.
 
“You need to bring your seat up, honey.”
 

Honey?
 
What was with all the endearments all of a sudden?
 
Did she miss something during their flight?
 

Oh, yes.
 
They were newlyweds.
 
How could she have forgotten?
 
She must’ve thought of that in her sleep.
 
That had to be why she’d snuggled up against him.
 
They needed to be convincing.

Right, like you’re really going to talk yourself into that one
.

Raising her seat, she hoped she hadn’t said or done anything too telling in her sleep.
 
Her dream had been pretty intense.
 
She shot a quick glance his way then back to the window.
 
He didn’t look as if he knew.
 
He’d be teasing her about it if he did.
 

Satisfied with her conclusions, she made sure her seat belt was fastened properly and spent the remaining part of the flight looking out the window.
 
Thankfully, he didn’t try to initiate any further conversation until it was time to go through customs and a passport appeared in his hand with her picture on it.
 
The hair was the wrong color, but the face was clearly hers.

Obviously noticing her surprise, he grinned crookedly.
 
“A good Scout is always prepared.”

Amazed, she took the passport and followed him through customs without any problems.
 
Jason always said that Travis was the best agent he’d ever seen.
 
She couldn’t stop the tiny sputter of pride blossoming in her chest.

They headed for a small café inside the Paris airport while they waited for their connecting flight and grabbed a bite to eat.
 
She tried to ignore him and keep all conversation at a minimum, but found it increasingly difficult when he kept looking at her with a goofy grin on his face.
 
One she had never seen before.
 
What was going on with him?

By the time they landed in Nice, she had completely given up on trying to figure the man out.
 
She was just too tired, too frightened, and suffering from a major case of jet lag.

“Where to?” he asked, as they stepped out of the airport into the bright spring sunshine.