Only Skin Deep (6 page)

The last time she'd had sex she'd been too inexperienced and nervous to truly enjoy the experience. Tonight was going to be different. Tonight would fulfill the fantasies of a girl who'd never allowed herself to do more than dream of Travis Banks between the sheets of her lonely twin bed.

“Don't you have something at home?” she asked. “For emergencies.”

The hard, searching look that Travis gave her left her feeling weightless.

“We're not at my house. If you really want to do this, I suppose I could run over there and check, but you have to promise not to pass out in the meantime.”

As if she could possibly fall asleep! The chances of that happening were as likely as Travis reappearing with a wedding ring instead of a prophylactic. Worried that she was risking the humiliation of waiting naked for him when he had no intention of coming back, Lauren asked for the bare minimum in terms of commitments from him.

“I'll promise—if in return, you'll promise not to get lost on the way.”

Travis's expression turned feral, and his voice lowered to a growl.

“Don't even think about falling asleep. I'll be right back.”

With that, he disappeared into the night, leaving Lauren feeling as powerful as a magician. And as helpless as a bunny plucked from a black top hat by the swish of a wand.

Travis hadn't bothered putting on his shirt. Lauren hoped the cold air on his bare skin would motivate him to hurry, although if he was anywhere near as hot as she at the moment, nothing short of fulfillment was likely to have any effect on his temperature. However the second that she heard the front door close behind Travis, her bravado deserted her. Her mind raced with unanswered questions that immobilized her with fear.

What if I can't please him?

What if sex ruins our relationship, and I end up losing the only nice affordable rental in the county?

And what does one wear to a full-fledged seduction?

Never having bothered to replace the old nightgown she'd given to Goodwill, Lauren had simply been sleeping in the nude since moving out of her mother's house. As tempted as she was to slip into an oversize T-shirt, pull the covers up to her chin and make herself invisible again before Travis could get back, she had no intention of letting him know just how nervous she really was.

Now was not the time for belated caution.

Now was the time to go all out and make her dreams come true—if only for this one very special night.

S
tumbling through sagebrush and clumps of cactus in the dark, Travis cursed his weakness as a man. It bothered him that Lauren considered him some kind of playboy. Especially since nothing could be farther from the truth.

Oh, he'd be the first to admit that he was no saint. He wasn't cut out for a lifetime of celibacy, but that didn't mean he'd bed down with any woman who gave him the slightest encouragement. In fact, he hoped the ancient condoms he kept stashed away in the back corner of his underwear drawer hadn't outlived their shelf life.

With the notable exception of Lauren, all the women he'd been with since his divorce all claimed to be on birth control. They had been quick to assure him they were looking for nothing more than a good time.
If any of them had a change of heart after getting to know him better, Travis promptly replayed his standard message about not being interested in long-term relationships.

He couldn't help it if that earned him a reputation around town as a cold bastard.

He'd learned the hard way that it was far better to err on the side of honesty than to marry someone just because it might make
her
happy. As hard as he'd tried to make his marriage work, there wasn't a man alive who could make Jaclyn content. Every time he signed another outrageous alimony check, he counted himself lucky to have gotten out of the relationship relatively unscathed. Until he saw someone going gaga over a baby and the weight of his loss crushed the air from his lungs.

That somber reminder did little to cool the desire throbbing through his veins, a testimony to the power Lauren held over him. Sharper than cactus barbs, the sting of conscience urged him to stop this insanity before someone got hurt. He assured himself that she knew exactly where things stood between them. Hadn't he been completely up front with her from the outset?

Besides, just because Lauren was ready to make love to him didn't mean she would be expecting an engagement ring in the morning. He was probably just being paranoid. She certainly hadn't made any noise in that direction so there was no reason to expect that she would.

At least that's what he told himself over and over again as he marched toward her cabin beneath the full
moon, all the while clutching a handful of condoms as if he were holding the Holy Grail.

 

Disheveled and sexy as hell, Travis looked as though he had run the short distance in record time. The effort had done nothing to lessen the yearning shining in his eyes. That predatory look made Lauren tremble from the inside out. Opening his hand, he held out a small cellophane packet.

He sounded out of breath as he gave Lauren yet another chance to back out. “If you've changed your mind, now would be a real good time to tell me.”

Having no idea how many condoms came in a pack, Lauren hoped her voice wouldn't betray her ignorance. She feigned a wicked smile and patted the pillow next to her.

“I just hope you brought enough.”

Travis's laugh rumbled out of a place deep in his chest as he pulled her off the bed and onto her feet. “And how many do you think I'll need to satisfy you?”

Lauren had no idea. Barely managing to pull off her shoes and nylons and belt in the time he was gone, she was happy to leave the remainder of her undressing in his capable hands—especially considering that her own hands were none too steady. Travis reached around her to undo the zipper running down the back of her dress. It fell open revealing the curve of her back. She shivered.

But not from the cold.

When he pushed the fabric off her shoulders, it was all Lauren could do to refrain from catching the dress
as it slipped over her breasts and pooled at her feet. Travis wasted no time in disposing of her nearly translucent slip. She stepped out of the pile of clothing at her feet to stand before him in a lacy bra and matching wisp of panties.

Lauren felt exposed as a fraud. Not nearly as comfortable with herself as she pretended to be, she expected him to find fault with her body. She was nowhere near as thin as the models who sold such fantasy wear in the magazines. And a good deal older.

Travis didn't seem to mind. His eyes trailed hungrily down the length of her body and back up again, resting on the swell of breasts spilling over a ridiculously skimpy bra that she'd bought on impulse in anticipation of just such a moment. His hands were hot as he tested the fullness of each breast, cupping each one gently before bending down to place a kiss between them. A surge of heat swept through Lauren. Her knees wobbled. Swaying, she threw her head back, gasped for breath and dug her nails into the flesh of his shoulders.

He didn't complain. Standing to his full height, he drew her flush against him and encircled her in his arms. So nimbly did he undo the clasp of her bra that she didn't even realize it until the lace fell from her shoulders to encircle her wrists. Taking one hard nipple into his mouth, he suckled gently as she tried to rid herself of her shackles.

Travis didn't seem the least interested in helping her escape.

Desperate mewling sounds came from some place
deep inside Lauren. She could no more stop them than she could stem the waters of a raging river overflowing its banks. When Travis drew away at last, she offered him the tip of the other breast, swollen equally with wanting.

“Good girl,” he murmured, his voice soft and seductive.

The next thing Lauren knew, she was flat on her back in bed and he was pulling off her panties. With his teeth. Never having thought of herself as a screamer, she was suddenly glad that they were miles away from the nearest house. The noises welling up inside her could not be contained as his teeth scraped the gentle flesh along her inner thigh and his tongue teased its way all down the length of her legs.

Wrapped up in the most exquisite sensations she'd ever imagined, Lauren watched with undivided concentration as he raised himself up and proceeded to strip for her. She was thankful the process didn't take long because she didn't think she could stand waiting much longer before begging him to hurry. Already shirtless, his upper body was exposed by the moonlight spilling through the window. He was a perfect sculpture cast in silver.

Travis divested himself of his boots and jeans. A pair of plain white boxer shorts tented out in an obvious display of arousal that was fully exposed a second later when he tossed them among the growing pile of clothing on the floor. He unwrapped the foil package and sheathed himself. All muscle and sinew and perfect masculine strength, he took Lauren's breath away.

“You're so beautiful.”

That those words came from Travis's mouth and not her own took Lauren by surprise. She allowed the compliment to seep into her heart. Whether she was lacking physically in comparison to others wasn't the issue. She
felt
beautiful. Desirable. Deliberately shutting off the schoolteacher part of her brain that caused her to over-analyze just about everything, she freed herself of thought and gave herself over to the pure rapture of the moment.

Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined Travis to be such an amazing lover—and she was a woman who prided herself on her imagination. Having been disappointed in the past, Lauren reveled in the eroticism of being with a man who truly knew how to pleasure a woman. Lowering himself over her, Travis pressed the length of himself against her belly and branded her with the knowledge that she was about to be filled completely. She was immediately seized by the worry that she would not be able to accommodate his considerable size.

The instant his lips touched hers, however, that anxiety disappeared and was replaced by the most heavenly sensation. Long, liquid kisses carried her away as Travis prodded the seam of her lips with the tip of his tongue. When Lauren had dreamed about having sex with Travis, she had neglected to include the tenderness of his kisses.

Kisses as demanding as they were soul searching.

Moaning, Lauren parted her lips for him, and Travis thrust his tongue inside. Writhing with pleasure, Lau
ren placed her hands on either side of his neck and held him close. Without breaking their kiss, she wrapped her legs around him and splayed her fingers through his hair. Never had she felt more completely connected with another human being.

Feeling suddenly brave, Lauren reached down and took his shaft into one hand.

“Squeeze,” he commanded in a hoarse whisper.

Good girl that she was, Lauren did as she was told. He was hard and hot. And vulnerable. It gave her the most incredible sense of power to hold this man in the palm of her hand. And it filled her with an overwhelming sense of love for him.

Love?

The word materialized in her consciousness like lightning striking the center of a dark forest. Only she could see the blinding flash, the glowing spark that was struck. Lauren knew it was capable of razing everything in its path.

Including herself.

She told herself that she was a silly fool to fall head over heels in love with a man so committed to his single life.

Then she heard herself scream, and rational thought dissolved into nothingness. It was not a scream of fright or of pain, but rather a primal reaction to Travis pressing the tip of his shaft against her clitoris. Lauren arched her back. She dug her fingernails into the hard plane of his back and unleashed the animal deep inside her.

“I don't,” Travis gasped, holding back, “want to hurt you.”

“You won't,” Lauren lied.

The body knows things long before the mind can accept them. Physical pain was not a priority at the moment. Nor was the certainty that she was destined to pay an emotional price later. Seeking the exquisite perfection of her love for this man, Lauren knew only that her soul would tear apart at the seams if he did not complete what he had started.

Travis plunged deep inside her with an urgency that seemed to surprise even him. Nothing in Lauren's life had prepared her for the utter bliss of being filled so completely by such a man. Of surrounding him with her warm, willing flesh. Of simply letting go. And letting herself go a little crazy.

Moving her body in unison with his, Lauren met him stroke for furious stroke. She climaxed quickly. Clawing and gasping and forgetting her own name, she called his out as if it were a magical incantation. The sensations assaulting her from every direction were sublime. Her body clenched in spasms of white-hot flame, demanding that Travis succumb to his own need. The muscles of his neck corded as he closed his eyes and threw his head back. Buried to the hilt, he exploded.

Lauren filled her senses with that glorious sight, holding him deep inside her until well after the throbbing subsided. Panting and slick with sweat, Travis opened his eyes to regard her with wonder. She smiled at him almost shyly and spiraled back to earth in his arms. Although she did not want to let go of what she was feeling for this man, she was also afraid of holding on too tight.

Was after-play too much to expect after such an incredible experience?

She brushed a damp lock of hair away from Travis's forehead. With infinite tenderness she traced an eyebrow with the tip of her index finger, stroked the stubble of a cheek that would need to see a razor in the morning and raised her head up to suckle the lobe of his ear.

“That was very nice,” she murmured.

Travis blanched at the tepid choice of words.

“Nice?”

“Fabulous,” Lauren amended.

In fact, she hadn't believed it possible for earthbound creatures to experience such ecstasy in this life. Although words could not do it justice, she did her best.

“Spectacular. Fantastic. Incredible. Mind-bending. Life-altering. Utterly indescribable.”

“That's better,” Travis growled.

He wrapped his warm body around her as if to say he wasn't letting go anytime soon. Lauren didn't want to go anywhere else. Pressing an ear to his chest, she listened to the life song beating there in steady cadence. A woman in love, she heard the echo of her own spirit. And though she knew better than to blurt out such a raw, untested proclamation so soon, Lauren refused to think about the consequences of giving her heart to a man who wasn't ready to accept it.

For once in her life, she wasn't going to let herself think about the future and all its complications. Not when the present was so perfect.

And so damned fleeting.