Page 28 of September’s Cowboy Travis

“You must be rubbing off on me.”

We made it upstairs without much more conversation. By the time we reached his bedroom, my hair had mostly escaped its ponytail and his belt was open. Travis stopped next to the bed and touched my cheek.

“You sure you’re good?” He was serious, and I appreciated him wanting to make sure.

“Yes.” I put my hand over his and held it there. “I'm not going anywhere.”

Something in his shoulders eased.

I unclasped my bra and let it slide down my arms. Travis went quiet enough that I smiled. “That shut you up.”

“Give me a minute.” Then he kissed me before I could laugh.

His hands moved over bare skin, slower than I'd expected after the way he'd kissed me downstairs. I let him take his time until I couldn’t stand it, then pushed at his jeans.

“My turn.” I finished undressing him, taking enough time to enjoy the way some of his easy confidence disappeared under my hands. By the time the backs of my knees met the mattress, neither of us was doing much teasing.

Travis followed me down and braced himself above me. His hand moved along my side as I hooked one leg around him and pulled him closer.

“You're making it hard to take my time.”

“Maybe I don't want you to.”

His eyes met mine.

I touched his jaw. “I'm not fragile, Travis.”

“I know.”

“Good.”

“But I'm still not rushing this.” He kissed his way down my neck, and I stopped caring about anything except how his lips felt on my skin.

As he kissed lower and lower, I told him what I liked when he asked, and when he didn't, I showed him. He paid attention to all of it.

“Travis, get back up here.” I couldn’t stand him teasing me anymore. Reaching under his arms, I tried pulling him back up. His breathing was almost as uneven as mine. I kissed him and felt the faint edge of a smile. “What?”

“I didn’t know how much I’d like hearing you say my name.”

I touched the side of his face. “Travis.”

His eyes closed for a second. That small reaction made my heart squeeze tight. Either he was a damn good actor, or he really had changed from the person he’d been in the past. I’d always trusted my gut, and my gut said he was a good man.

He reached into the bedside table for a condom and looked at me before opening it. I nodded, and a moment later he came back over me, one hand braced next to my shoulder while the other rested at my hip.

His mouth found mine as he shifted between my thighs. I tightened my arms around him when he eased inside me. The first stretch pulled a sharp breath from my lungs, and Travis stopped immediately.

“Still with me?”

“Yes.” I drew him closer with my legs. “Don't stop.”

He held my gaze as he moved the rest of the way, slow enough that I felt the last of the space disappear between us. Then he stayed still, the muscles in his shoulders tight under my hands while he waited for me.

I kissed him. “Move.”

He did. The first few strokes were slow and controlled. I met him each time, learning his rhythm while he learned mine, and when slow stopped being what I wanted, I let him know.

“Give me more, Cole.”