TRAVIS GRABBED A SODA at random and a chocolate bar one of the officers had offered up. Bliss' tears were stuck on repeat in his mind, and he could still hear her trembling voice as she recounted every agonizing moment they'd been apart. He wanted to make all kinds of promises like she'd never be afraid again, that he'd never leave her, but those were irrational.What she needed now was time to pull herself together. Sweets were one good tool to help combat the drop in blood sugar.Jade entered the kitchen, her gaze on him. "She's upstairs. Give her a few."He nodded. Words were out of his power now. All he wanted to do was punch something. Preferably Daniel Campbell, but he'd settle for the punching bag downstairs."You aren't any use to her if you can't be calm." Jade pitched her voice low, for their ears alone."I am calm.""I tried talking to her, but she wasn't interested.""I imagine she's pretty talked out." He couldn't deny the satisfaction that it was him she tur
TRAVIS' EARS RANG WITH her request."Make love to me. I want to feel something besides fear and helplessness. Please." Her voice broke and she blinked a single tear."Shh." He cupped her cheek and wiped the tear away. "You never have to ask twice, darlin'. Stay right there."She could have asked him for anything, and he'd have broken a dozen laws just to make her happy. Pleasing her, stroking her body to orgasm was no trouble at all. He wasn't a man used to soft lovemaking, but for her he could be whatever she needed.He got up out of the bed and flipped the lock on the door with shaking hands. It wasn't much to keep anyone out, but if Jade or another agent came knocking it might give them pause before entering.Travis turned toward the bed and paused. The other night he'd been pushed by a sense of need so sharp and deep that it might have been a dream. This time, he wanted each moment filed away in his memory so that Bliss would always be part of him.She sat where he'd le
DANIEL LIFTED THE CIGARETTE to his lips, his gaze on the black SUV. He didn't smoke, but it gave him a reason to loiter outside the hospital. Tapping the phone lines hadn't told him anything he couldn't have guessed on his own. What he needed was another way to keep tabs on them, especially once they returned to Vegas later in the day.Three figures climbed out of the truck. The two men automatically put the smaller woman between them, not that Bliss was worth saving. But she was for later.He waited until they'd entered the hospital, and then waited longer, letting the cigarette burn down almost to the filter. Disposing of the butt, he kept his head down and strode out to the parking lot, peering at the other cars. No one had pulled in after the two bodyguards, but that didn't mean someone wasn't waiting for him to expose himself. So far, the cops were looking in all the wrong places, the places some other idiot would go on the run. But not him. He had a brain.Daniel pulled the
TRAVIS WATCHED BLISS LEAVE the bedroom.She didn't get it. And he didn't know how to make her understand. His life was cursed. There was a darkness he couldn't shake. He'd been born into it, and it would die with him. There was no future if she couldn't accept that.A future?What the heck was he thinking?He shook his head and sat up, busying himself with putting his clothes into a drawer.There was no denying he liked Bliss. She was special, and he would be crazy to not want her in his life. But that was a something he couldn't ask of her. He couldn't offer her a stable home like Grayson. He wouldn't be around to take her calls, have dinner or anything. She deserved better than him, and that was the end of it.He put the last of his things away and headed downstairs, following his nose.Bliss stood at the stove, stirring something in a pot. She was barefoot and bounced her hip in time to music only she could hear. Just the sight of her was a punch to the gut. This time
BLISS PEERED INTO YET another drawer. The master bath was stocked with all kinds of things. Toothbrushes. Adult diapers. Children's diapers. First aid kit. The list went on. If she didn't have something, she now knew where it was stocked.The digital clock on the counter ticked off another five minutes. She'd successfully hidden in the bathroom for over an hour. Travis had moved around the house, talking on his phone, chatting with her, and mostly brooding. Their conversation over dinner had consisted of a dozen or so words.She liked him. A lot. And she did want him to come back to Vegas. At least that was her knee-jerk reaction. On one hand, she wanted more. For Travis to realize he was more than a string of other people's mistakes. That he was a caring, thoughtful guy who just needed to let go a little. That there was more than just chemistry there. On the other hand...She didn't know if she'd be living in Vegas. If he would be allowed to know where she was. And why the hell did
TRAVIS STARED, ENTRANCED BY the sight of Bliss' body taking the dildo. The silicone glistened with her arousal, and already she was making all those little sounds that drove him crazy. Her feet rubbed on the sheets, her hands fisting them. He didn't mind her eyes being closed. At least if he made a mistake she wasn't watching him do it.The toy was harder than he'd expected, which made gripping it easy. He slid the full length of it inside of her, right up to the flared base. Her hips came up off the mattress and she gasped.Had he found the spot?He pumped the toy, slow and easy, fascinated by the way her body stretched around the oddly shaped dildo. It was fucking hot."Travis." She hissed and peered up at him through narrow slits.The goal wasn't to make her come. At least not yet. He wanted to...play with her. This wasn't just about scratching a sexual itch. Of course he wanted to spend a day inside of her, but there was also something far more intimate in this act. Plus,
TRAVIS FOCUSED ON KEEPING his breathing even in an attempt to lower his heart rate.He'd basically told Bliss he'd marry her.What was he thinking?He wasn't. That was the problem. He'd been half awake and horny, so he'd said whatever it took to get in her panties.A small voice deep down inside whispered, Liar.It was almost seven. He could probably slip out, book a flight home, and be gone by noon. With a little distance between them, he was sure they'd both come to their senses. It was the right thing to do. Falling for a client never went well, and Bliss didn't know what she was getting herself into. She could spout the nice line about accepting him for who he was all she wanted. Until the ugly reality set in. Life with him would never be easy.He plugged his proverbial ears to keep from the chant of Liar out of his conscious thoughts.The phone on the nightstand vibrated.This was his opportunity.He gently rolled her to her side, off his arm, and snagged the pho
BLISS STOOD IN THE smaller bedroom over the garage, listening for sounds of the car.Travis was leaving.He was serious.She still couldn't wrap her head around it all. Last night they'd almost said they loved each other. You didn't offer to marry someone you didn't love, right? And today they were over. Done with.The hole in her chest was so new and raw she didn't really feel it yet. She was just...numb.Travis' rental backed out of the garage. She stepped to the side, out of his line of sight. It was one thing to wait around, mooning and depressed, it was another for him to know how much this hurt.What had she done wrong? What was wrong with her?She wiped her hand across her cheek. The tears she'd promised herself she wouldn't cry streamed down her cheeks. She pressed her back to the wall and slid to the carpet.Seven days. Was it really possible to fall in love with someone that fast?Her broken heart said yes.She hadn't harbored any kind of illusions. Yes, s