Give Me Strength (17 page)

I laughed. “Would you stop?”

Travis grinned and started for me. I began
backing away, poking out my tongue as he effortlessly jumped in the
face of a big wave. It crashed into me and I was pitched beneath
the surface with embarrassing fanfare.

He was laughing when I sputtered to the surface,
wrestling wet hair out of my face as my teeth chattered. “This is
crazy. We’re officially crazy people.” My eyes fell on a wave of
tsunami like proportions rolling in behind him.

Seeing my panic, Travis glanced behind him.
Turning back, he held out his arms. “Come here.”

I didn’t hesitate. I climbed the length of him
and wrapped myself around his front like a barnacle. I burrowed my
head in his neck, Travis clutching me tight to him as he turned his
back to the wave. As it crashed wildly around us, the sweet bloom
of something beautiful began unfurling in my chest and rocked me
hard. My throat worked at swallowing it down, but right then I
wanted nothing more than to claw my way inside his skin and never
leave.

“Oh God,” I muttered.

He pressed a soft kiss against my ear as the
water rushed around us and the sweet warmth of his breath made me
burrow in a little tighter. “You okay?”

Not trusting my voice, I nodded into his neck as
he waded through to the shallows and set me on my feet. The sun was
high in the sky when we reached our towels. I spread out on my
carefully placed towel while Travis picked his up, flicking it
around carelessly in the breeze.

“Travis!”

He chuckled as he spread his towel out, lying
down with a thud while I brushed at the fine layer of sand now
covering my body.

I rolled on my stomach and faced him. He was on
his back, his eyes closed as the sun beat down on his chest. Water
glinted over his tanned skin, making me want to lean over and lick
the salty drops away.

He squinted his eyes open and peeked at me.
“What?”

Flustered, I shrugged. “Nothing. I was just uh,
wondering where you went to uni.”

Sighing, he closed his eyes again. “Charles
Sturt. You?”

“That’s in Wagga, isn’t it? Mine was
correspondence because I was already working full time.”

“It is. My dad went there and so did Mitch and
Jared.”

“But not Mac. She went to Melbourne, right?”

“She was going to but I think with Jared and me
still there, she didn’t want the quote-unquote ‘Valentine
testosterone’ cramping her style.”

“You all must be close though.”

“Mac and Jared were always close.”

“You were closer to Mitch?”

“Well, no, not really. Mitch was close to Dad.
He was the one that followed in his footsteps the most. Jared and I
kinda peeled off to do our own thing.”

“So who were you close to?”

Even with his eyes closed he frowned. “No one I
guess, though I met Casey at uni. After the first year, we shared
an apartment together.”

“And after that you started doing…what you
do.”

“Mm hmm.”

“So why didn’t you and Jared follow in your
dad’s footsteps like Mitch did?”

Opening his eyes, he rolled on his side and
propped his head in his hand. “Wanted something a little less rigid
I guess—something that felt like we were making more of
difference.”

“Are you?”

“I like to think so. Otherwise, what’s the
point?” he said, rummaging in my bag and coming out with a bag of
chips. Opening the packet, he offered me one.

I shook my head.

“What about you? Who were you close to—apart
from Lucy?”

“No one that mattered, except for…”

Travis stopped chewing and swallowed. “Except
for who?”

“Ethan.” I paused. “He…” was the one who showed
me how good life could be. The one who, by leaving, reminded me
that that good life, and people like Travis, weren’t for people
like me. “…mattered.”

A beat of silence passed between us where I
thought Travis would push for information I wasn’t sure I could
share. I sat up. “We should probably get back.”

“Soon,” he murmured and finished his chips.
Travis rolled onto his back again and closed his eyes. A moment
later I followed suit, and we lay there together in the quiet,
listening to the waves crash on the shore as the mild sun warmed
our skin.

My phone ringing brought me out of what could
possibly have been a nap. Travis stirred as I reached into my bag
and pulled it out.

“Mac?”

“Where are you, asshead?”

My eyebrows flew up and I whispered to Travis,
“She called me ‘asshead!’”

He nodded, his lips tipping up lazily. “That’s a
sign of love, Quinn. Embrace it.”

“What’s the time?” Mac and I had to be at the
White Demon at four.

“Three.”

“Shit.” I sat up and grabbed for my shorts.
“Already on our way, Mac.”

“Sure you are.” She hung up.

Sandy and rushed, we reached the car and I
brushed haphazardly at the sand on my feet.

Travis opened the passenger door, and scanning
the carpark, thrust his towel at me. “Here.” I grabbed the towel
before it could drop to the ground. “Cover me.”

“What?”

He hooked his fingers in the waistband of his
boardshorts and underwear and yanked them off.

My eyes widened and a bubble of breathless
laughter escaped me as I scrambled to hold up the towel. I scanned
the carpark and turning back, caught a good glimpse of his firm
backside when he twisted to flick his wet clothes inside the
car.

“You can wrap the towel around me now.”

“What?”

“Come on, Quinn. It’s cold and that’s not a good
look for a guy.” He winked at me.

With another breathless laugh, I took a step
forward and wrapped the towel around his hips, biting down on my
lip as I gently tucked it in at the front. I repressed a shiver of
longing as my fingers brushed his damp, warm skin. He cupped my
cheek in his hand before I could pull away, and the heat of it
warmed me.

“Thanks, Quinn.”

“What for?”

“For today. Thanks for giving me today.”

***

“Woohooo Sydney!” Evie
raised her arm up high as she yelled into the crowd at the White
Demon Warehouse.

They yelled back, the sound reverberating around
the huge ceilings of the inner city venue as once again, Evie held
the crowd in the palm of her hand.

Jamieson was a regular here and the place was
heaving with people, the bartenders frenzied as they hopped between
one another to fill orders.

On the opposite side of the stage, Jared let out
a piercing whistle. To my left Mac was clapping, and to my right
Travis stood silently, his arms folded as his eyes skimmed the
crowd with measured calculation. He paused for a moment to smile
down at me, and my heart pounded.

Our day together at the beach had been weeks ago
now, and we were well into the middle of winter, but a day like
that, and a man like Travis, wasn’t easily forgotten. Quite
frankly, he didn’t make it easy on me. When he was at the duplex,
or working security, he was pretty much all I could see. When he
wasn’t, I would get random emails and find myself smiling whenever
I saw his name in my inbox. My heart would flutter over the
simplest things, like…

The list for security is attached.

or

Did you get our latest invoice?

“We’ve got a member to the Jamieson team we
haven’t introduced you to yet,” Evie shouted into the microphone
after finishing their first song of the night. “Wanna meet
her?”

My eyes widened and I started backing away
slowly.

Evie glanced over at me and grinned. “Uh oh.
Looks like she’s trying to do a runner.”

I spun around, already running, when I heard,
“Go get her, Henry,” and the crowd started chanting Henry’s
name.

Arms wound around me and in my ear Travis said,
“Uh uh. You may as well just get it over with.”

When I turned in his arms, he was grinning at
me. I shoved at his chest but he didn’t budge. “I’m not going out
there,” I hissed. “Are you mad?”

He picked me up and walked me back like a rag
doll, offering me up towards where Henry stood waiting. Suddenly I
knew how Ann Darrow felt when she was offered up as a sacrifice to
King Kong.

Henry offered me his back. “Get on.”

I shook my head. “No. I’m good right here.” And
I was actually. All tucked in the arms of Travis.

“She’s being difficult, guys,” Evie said into
the microphone. “Why don’t we offer her some encouragement? Who
wants to meet Quinn?”

My stomach churned as thousands of people began
chanting my name. Travis hoisted me onto Henry’s back, and I clung
on, turning to glare at him as I was piggybacked into the
blindingly bright lights.

“Here she is. Isn’t she cute?”

“I shall kill all of you,” I hissed in Henry’s
ear. “Sleep with one eye open, Henry.”

He threw his head back in a laugh, and I almost
fell off his back. “Smile and say hello into the microphone and
we’ll let you go.”

Trying to smile, I bared my teeth in what was
probably a grimace and said hi quickly into the microphone Evie
shoved in my face. Then Henry spun me around in circles like I was
about to pin the tail on the donkey.

“Get me the hell off this stage, Henry,” I
whispered furiously.

Set back on my feet, I muttered something about
some of us having real work to do and fled for the dressing
room.

My phone rang and tugging it from my pocket, I
answered it as I shut the door behind me.

“Quinn, it’s John about the Melbourne festival
appearance. Sorry about the late call, but I didn’t figure I’d
catch you and was just going to leave a message.”

I rummaged through my bag and pulled out my iPad
as he spoke. “That’s fine, John. Are you telling me you slotted us
in?”

“Thankfully we did,” he returned, and I could
hear the grin in his voice.

“Yes!” I mouthed silently, jumping up and fist
pumping the air with enthusiasm. “Great news,” I said calmly.
“Can’t wait to tell the Jamieson crew.” Then I boogied my hips from
side to side to the muffled thump of the beat coming from the
stage.

A deep chuckle from behind sent a hot flush
running from my toes to the very tips of my hair. Whirling around,
Travis lazily trekked his eyes upwards, locking on mine.

I cleared my throat and replied casually, “Okay
then. If you can email the details through, I’ll get the paperwork
signed and sent back first thing tomorrow.”

Tomorrow was Sunday but this was already short
notice. In two weeks Jamieson would be featuring at the biggest
music festival Melbourne hosted. Organising the details couldn’t
wait.

John assured me he was emailing the information
through at that very moment, and after promising to talk to him
tomorrow, I hung up.

“Good news?”

I grinned ruefully. “You had to ask that?”

Hands in his pockets, he shrugged and walked
towards me. “Have I given you enough space yet?”

“Space?”

“Yeah.” Leaning his hip casually against the
table, he reached out and brushed a lock of hair from my face.

“Space for uh, what?”

“Us. I don’t know if you’re ready for what this
is between us, but I can’t seem to make myself leave you
alone.”

I shook my head slightly. “I don’t…”

Travis cupped my cheeks in his hands and leaned
in. “You’re so guarded and wary, Quinn. I can understand why, but
maybe space is not what you need.”

“What
do
I need?” I breathed, my heart
thundering in my chest.

He pressed a sweet kiss on my mouth and against
my lips whispered, “Me.”

Pulling back, his hands remained, his eyes
taking in every inch of my face as though committing it to
memory.

I ducked my head from his gaze.

“Don’t,” he said gruffly. “You’re so
beautiful.”

“Travis,” I whispered, both warmth and confusion
warring within me. Confusion won. Why did he think I was so
special? I had nothing to offer except a sordid, violent past and a
broken future. I was timid, unsure of myself, and emotionally
unstable. The sleek, flashy women I’d seen at the Florence Bar were
a much better fit for him than I was.

I took a step back and his hands fell away.

“I wish I could see what you seem to because I’m
nothing like those beautiful girls you were with at that bar.
What’s here,” I waved a hand at my face, “doesn’t matter because
that’s not what I see. I see what’s in here...” I thumped a hand
against my chest “...and what’s in here is ugly, and I live with it
every day.”

“Is that what you think?” He shook his head at
me, swallowing hard. “Quinn,” he said hoarsely. “I watched you.
From the moment you walked in that bar, I saw you. Amongst all the
shallow and the fake, you looked like spring, and then you got
close and I was right because you smelled like jasmine. When you
turned around to leave I thought I was wrong because why did
someone as sweet as spring think that life wasn’t meant for her?
There was no light in your eyes, and somehow, even though I barely
knew you, it left an ache in my chest. How could I let you walk
away?”