Christmas Nights(22)

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah. I’m fine.” She took a gulp of air and looked from him to Ben and back again. “Randy’s old news and bad news. I’m glad it sounds like he won’t be able to slither out of this one.”

Ben caught her eyes. “He’s not getting anywhere near you or your mother, so don’t even go there.”

She managed a nod, feeling exposed to have them both standing here worrying about her. She took care of herself. She always had. She transferred the mail from one hand to the other and shifted on her feet, restless to somehow end this conversation. “I should go. I need to get Stella to recital on time.”

“I’ll walk out with you,” Travis said.

“Catch you later,” Ben said generally as they turned away.

Once they were outside, she walked quickly to her car. Travis easily kept pace with her. When she reached her car, she glanced up at him, suddenly awash in the desire to lean into his strength. The snow, which had been coming in fits and starts earlier, was falling in earnest now. He reached for her jacket and gathered it closed, quickly sliding up the zipper. The gesture was so kind and so unexpected, she almost burst into tears. Randy’s abrupt return to her orbit had sheered off the walls she’d built around the pain he’d left behind. The hardest part was it wasn’t just her pain. If anything, that was the easy part. It was the damage he’d inflicted on her mother—emotionally, mentally and physically.

“You’re shivering,” Travis said. “Want me to follow you home and take you and Stella to recital practice?”

It surprised her, but she did. It was snowy and blowy, and she was shaky inside. “You don’t mind coming back to pick us up?”

“Of course not. Are we allowed to eat in the auditorium?”

“Oh yeah. I do it all the time.”

“Perfect. I’ll drop you two off and then go grab some takeout.”

A warm feeling curled around her heart. He slid his hands from her shoulders down her arms. “Okay, get in your car and drive before you freeze. I’ll be right behind you.”





Chapter 15





Travis juggled a stack of pizza boxes on his way back into the auditorium. Stella had squealed and begged him to get pizza when she heard him mention he planned to pick up takeout while she practiced. Seeing as he couldn’t even consider saying no, he’d glanced in the rear view mirror to gauge Janie’s reaction. Stella had been riding up front to manage her cast. At Janie’s wink, he’d nodded, only to have Stella squeal so loud it hurt his ears.

Once they’d arrived at the recital practice, next thing he’d known, Stella had announced to the entire group that he’d be bringing pizza for everyone. Janie’s shoulders had been shaking with quiet laughter when he glanced to her. He didn’t mind in the slightest, taking requests before heading out to Glacier Pizza. As he reached the row of seats where Janie was sitting, he could see she was busy reviewing homework. His heart gave a hard thump. Somehow being here with her sent unfamiliar feelings spiraling through him. It was nothing more than waiting out recital practice and getting pizza for ravenous kids, but he was here with Janie and her presence made the mundane special.

Mrs. Cooper, the music teacher he’d been introduced to before the pizza run, called out for a break. She smiled in his direction when he reached the stage. Before he had a chance to set the pizzas down, he was swarmed.

He simply slid them across the stage and kept a grip on the bottom box, so he and Janie had something to eat. When he made his way down the row to Janie, she glanced up with a grin. “Gotta give it to you. You handled the madness like a champ. Stella can get a tad too excited sometimes, so I hope you don’t mind…”

“Of course I don’t mind. It’s pizza. I love pizza, so it works for me if she loves it too.” It crossed his mind that perhaps he should wonder what it meant to be falling so hard and fast for a single mother. Stella was part of the package when it came to Janie, yet not for a second did he blink at that. It helped that he felt an easy affinity with Stella, pizza aside.

Janie shuffled the papers on the tray into a folder and slipped it in her backpack. “Good thing I love pizza too.”

With the pizza box balanced on a small tray between two seats, they ate and watched the students circle back to practicing. After Janie declared she was full, he slipped the box out of the way.

“Do you need to keep working?” he asked.

She shrugged. “Not really.”

At that moment, the students started on another piece and he turned to watch. He couldn’t say he’d ever spent time watching high school students practice for a recital. He was pleasantly surprised to hear how talented they were. Stella was so good at the piano, it was clear a number of the pieces had been chosen to highlight her playing. As time passed, he became hyper-aware of Janie beside him. Somewhere along the way, his hand found its way to rest on her leg. His raw physical attraction to her pulsed inside, and he kept reminding himself this was not the time or place to be thinking the way he felt about her. She glanced sideways, her eyes catching his. Without a word, she curled her hand over his where it rested on her thigh and stood, giving him a swift tug. He’d have followed her anywhere, so that’s just what he did.



Janie had been sitting beside Travis for what felt like hours, although she knew it hadn’t actually been that long. Once the bustle of eating had passed and the students settled back into practice, she lost all ability to focus. Usually she used this time to get caught up on lesson planning and grading. She found it a more efficient use of time than running back and forth to home while Stella practiced. Yet, with Travis here, focusing on anything other than him seemed nearly impossible. Desire swirled within her, its intensity growing with each passing moment. His palm resting on her thigh felt like a hot brand. She was wet with need and restless inside and out.

She suddenly couldn’t take it anymore and grabbed his hand, pulling him up with her and striding quickly out of the auditorium. She couldn’t explain why, but knowing Randy had somehow made his way back to Diamond Creek set off an emotional bomb inside. She’d have expected to want to wall herself away from Travis, yet the opposite appeared to be happening. She was frantic to feed the fire of her need for him, to lose herself in their scalding connection.

Once they turned down the hallway, she knew just where to go. She didn’t teach at the high school, but she knew the layout well. She made a beeline for the office supply closet, practically running by the time she reached the door. She yanked it open and tugged him in behind her. The closet was large with shelves on all four walls. The scent of paper filled the space. A shaft of light fell through a window to the hallway above the door. She spun to face Travis. His features were shadowed, yet his eyes caught the light. Her desire reflected back at her in his gaze.

She still held his hand in hers. He lifted it between them and turned hers over in his, dipping his head to drop a kiss in the center of her palm. The tiny place where his lips connected with her skin sent a shock of sensation rippling outward. One kiss and then pure stillness for a moment before his lips moved to the paper-thin skin on the inside of her wrist, sending slivers of pleasure under the surface of her skin. He lifted his head, the cool air hitting the place where his mouth had left a damp trail. He curled his hand over hers, his thumb caressing the soft skin he’d just kissed.

Her breath was coming in short pants, and she was nearly afire inside and out, heat suffusing her. His back was to the closet door. She held his eyes and placed her palm in the center of his chest. Driven by a wild, pounding need, she stroked boldly down the muscled planes of his chest to curl her palm over the ridge of his cock, hard and hot through the denim of his jeans. His breath drew in with a hiss. She tore at the buttons on his jeans, sighing with delight when she could shove his briefs down far enough to free his shaft. Without waiting, she knelt and dragged her tongue along one side of his cock. He groaned her name and reached for her. She swatted his hands away and knelt down, settling in to drive him as mad as he drove her.

She explored the length of him with her tongue. With a swirl around the thick head of his cock, she took him into her mouth, savoring the subtle salty tang. Between licks, strokes and kisses, she took him into her mouth again and again. She grinned in satisfaction when she pulled back to look up through her lashes. His head was thrown back against the door, his body rigid and his breath coming in sharp, guttural pants. Her pause brought his eyes swinging down to meet hers. He moved so swiftly, she couldn’t have stopped him if she wanted. She was lifted and spun around. She almost lost her balance and gripped the edge of one of the shelves as his hands shoved her clothes out of the way. Her shirt was pushed up and with a flick of his thumb, her breasts tumbled loose from her bra.

Her nipples were tight and need clenched her like a vise. She moaned in relief when his warm hands cupped her breasts. He lightly pinched her nipples, just hard enough to make her want more, so much more. His hands slid roughly down her sides, the calloused surface sending hot sparks along her skin. He made quick work of the buttons on her jeans and pushed them down around her hips. Without preamble, he dragged his fingers across the silk of her panties between her thighs and hooked a finger over the edge to delve into her slick channel. She cried out at the feel of his fingers plunging into her. She’d been hovering on the edges of this mad need for him for long enough, she was frantic. Her hips rocked into his hand, and she came quickly in a noisy burst, her cries loud in the small closet.