Liv's Journey (2 page)

She bit her lower lip, and Trey's eyes were drawn to her mouth. Her lips were lightly shaded pink and glossy as though she'd just been kissed. It was a very kissable mouth. "I've never been fishing."

"Never? Why Miss Aune, you don't know what you've been missin'!"

"Call me Liv, please. And, I've managed to live this long without handling a rod and reel, so I think I'll manage a while longer."

He couldn't resist. "Never handled a rod and reel, huh?"

She blushed. "You know what I meant."

Trey chuckled. "Yeah, I know." Her light brown eyebrows tried to meet at the middle. He ran a finger over her soft cheek. "I could show you."

"Your rod and reel?" Her frown didn't stick, replaced by that twinkle in her eyes again.

"You have a thirst to see my rod and reel, Liv?"

She laughed and gently pushed his hand away. "No, thanks."

"Your loss," he said with a grin, enjoying the warmth of her hand on his wrist until she let go. "How long will y'all be here?"

"A week or so. Depends on the weather, but if today is an example, a week ought to be enough."

He was enjoying their flirtation, and thought maybe it would be a particularly pleasant week if they could build on it. Maybe he'd wish for some rain so their stay would be extended. "Do you like ridin'?"

Her eyebrows rose. "I presume you mean horses."

"Naturally." He tilted his well-worn Cavender’s cowboy hat back a little on his head. "Have you ever been in the saddle?"

She groaned, then giggled. "It's an innuendo-fest."

"I can introduce you to a real stud."

Her laugh was full enough to make a passing make-up artist turn to look. "You, Mr. Journey, are a card."

"Why, yes, I am. I'm the Trey of hearts, ma'am. My brothers are Ace and Deuce. My sisters, Queenie and Jackie. It runs in the family."

"Wow, a deck of cards."

"My mother was a professional gambler."

"That's unusual." Liv waved away a passing fly and Trey got a whiff of her perfume—orange blossoms.

"We're an unusual family. You should get to know us."

"Get to know
you
, you mean."

He put a hand to his heart. "I'm a fine, upstandin' example of the Journeys."

She chuckled. "I'm sure you are."

"Do you get a lunch break?"

Her teeth worried her lower lip again and Trey's body reacted with a pulse in his pants. "Usually."

"How about I take you to meet some of the quarter horses? My dad tells me we have a pair of new foals."

"You haven't seen them? Don’t you live here?"

"No, and no. I'm an army major. I live at Fort Hood, and occasionally Afghanistan."

Her eyes went wide. "Dangerous stuff."

He shrugged. "It's what I do. Like you do your modelin'."

"Modeling is only dangerous if you count falling off high heels."

"I'll remember that in case I ever get a hankerin' to get high heeled duty boots."

Her smile was sweet. "I'd love to see the foals."

Trey was pleased that the baby animals got her attention. "What time are you free?"

"About one."

"l'll be here. Don't eat. I'll bring some lunch. Do you like fried chicken?"

Her eyes dimmed. "Whatever you bring will be fine."

Trey wondered what he'd said to quash that twinkle. "Great. I'll see you then." He thought he ought to get away before he said something to dissuade her. And he needed to get home and settle in. Her face was irresistible, though, and he touched her cheek again. So soft.

Her fingers went to his palm and she moved his hand aside. "See you later, Trey."

* * *

Consuelo handed Trey the picnic basket. It was redolent with the smell of fragrant apples, and fresh bread wrapped around roast beef. He tucked a bottle of Prairie Rotie wine into the basket.

"You work fast, Trey." Her wrinkled cheeks curved with a smile.

He grinned.

"Home only a couple of hours and already you have a date!"

"I knew you'd be too busy to picnic with me, Consuelo, so I had to find another girl."

The family's long-time cook hooted her laughter. "Get out of my kitchen,
mocoso
. I can still whip your butt like I did when you were a bratty little boy."

He headed for the door. "I run faster now. See ya later!"

A hot pad hit the screen door as it slammed behind him, and Trey chuckled. She'd been with the family for maybe forty years, but she was still the queen of the kitchen and the Journeys were her loyal subjects.

The photo shoot wasn't far away, and it appeared they'd already broken for lunch when he got there.

Liv was sitting on a bench near a scruffy-looking fellow with a three-day beard. Trey remembered him as the photographer working earlier in the day. The two seemed rapt in conversation. She smiled as she saw Trey, and stood to greet him.

He smiled and nodded toward the photographer. "Sorry to interrupt."

The fellow frowned, but didn't glower. "Have her back by three. We can't finish today's shoot without our star model."

Liv's cheeks colored as she reached for the straw hat that sat on the table.

Trey took the comment in good grace. "No problem." He gestured toward Liv and grinned, and she returned his expression and followed him toward the truck.

The foals were pretty quiet in the hot sun, but Liv seemed delighted to stand at the fence and look at them.

The hat cast a shadow on her face, but her eyes glowed with pleasure.

"So, how long have you been a model?"

"For about twelve years."

"You don't look old enough to have done anythin’ for twelve years."

She laughed. "Oh, I'm old enough. I started when I was twelve."

He nodded. "That's young. You were a child star?"

Liv shrugged. "How long have you been in the army?"

"Ten years or so."

Her eyes stayed on the horses, and he wished she would turn her pretty face toward him again.

They chatted amiably for a while, until the hot sun got to be a little too much, and then they headed toward the shade of the magnolia and box elder trees. A dark red blanket softened the ground for them as they ate their lunch.

The quiet was pleasant. He was comfortable with her. They talked about movies for a little while, finding they had similar taste in film.

She ate very little. Her stiff posture suggested that she was uncomfortable, and Trey couldn't help but wonder if he'd said something wrong.

He tried changing the subject. "So what do you do for fun?"

"Nothing much." She sipped at the wine.

"Liv is all work, no play?"

She smiled. "I'm dull. I have a lot of work functions."

"Do you like what you do?"

"Usually."

He watched her face as she spoke. There was something more to this woman. Something unseen, but screaming to get out.

"Are you planning on making the army your career? Or is it a sojourn for you?"

She had deftly turned the conversation. Apparently, she didn't care to talk about modeling. Trey wondered at that. Liv was a "star" performer, at least according to her photographer, and yet she didn't want to talk about her work. Why? He didn't want to pry…yet.

"It's my career. I thought about bein' a rancher as I grew up, but I had too much fun playin' soldier. I went to college for a year, but soldierin' still called to me, so I signed up. It took me another three years of online programs before I finished my degree, but eventually I made it to officer trainin' school, and here I am."

"It must be nice to do something you love."

"You don't?"

"You know, it must be getting late. I ought to get back to the shoot."

He caught her eyes, but she looked away. Yeah, definitely hidden depths there.

"Sure." They packed up the basket and blanket and he drove her back to work.

He reached out and caught her arm as she was opening the truck door from the inside. "I had a good time getting to know you, Liv. Are you free tonight?"

She looked at the hand on her forearm and put her warm palm over it. "I think there's a planning session tonight over dinner, but I'd be free after that."

"How about I drive you out away from the ranch lights, and we can study the stars for a while?"

"Isn't that going a little fast?"

Maybe it was. He was eager to kiss her, there was no getting around that. And a romantic night under the stars had the potential to lead to something hot. But mostly he wanted to spend quiet time with her, getting to know her better.

"Maybe you'd rather go cow tippin'?"

"Cow…what?"

"Cow tippin'. You wait until the cows are asleep—they sleep standin' up—and then you sneak up on them and topple them over. Of course, you have to run like hell to get away."

"You must be joking."

He chuckled. "Gotcha."

She laughed. "You snot."

Trey turned toward her more fully and cupped her cheeks in his hands. "You are so beautiful, Liv."

She stiffened. "I used to be beautiful, maybe." Both of her hands covered his. "Anyway, I have an early morning tomorrow. Tonight's not such a good idea."

Whoops. He'd made a mess of it somehow. He dropped his hands slowly. "Mind if I come by tomorrow? I have to help my brother Ace with our side business, but I'll have some free time in the afternoon."

"Side business? Now you have my curiosity." She turned toward the sound of her name being called from outside. "I have to go. Tomorrow would be okay. Thanks for lunch, Trey."

"My pleasure," he said as she hurried out of the truck. Her perfume lingered, leaving a sweet and subtle reminder of her behind.

* * *

 The small cabins that accommodated ranch guests were well-appointed, despite their rustic looks. Liv's was spacious, but not fancy, consisting of one large room and a bathroom. Everything was clean and fresh-smelling. She found the pale blue walls relaxing, and she needed to relax. She considered having a shot of vodka from the mini bar, but then habit kicked in and she turned away from the impulse—too many calories.

She thought over her time with Trey and the things she'd discovered about him. He was a nice guy; maybe he was too nice. Liv had a tendency to fall for men who treated her badly. She was attracted to men with confidence and surety, even forceful personalities, but she didn't like being treated like a doormat. It was hard to find a person who was capable and ambitious as well as concerned for her happiness.

Trey might be one.

Or he might not.

Contemplating the following day and anticipating meeting him again was exciting, but she tried to keep it in perspective. It was obvious that he was attracted to her—asking for a second date was an indicator—but, truth be told, a lot of men were attracted to her because of her looks. She could dress down and go without makeup, but something about her appearance still got attention. Since she'd gained weight, she couldn't understand it. But it was undeniable.

She hated to think that Trey was focused on bedding a supermodel rather than knowing the Liv inside the body. That made her want to halt the relationship before it got much of a start. Being disappointed by people was depleting, and in many ways, she'd rather keep a good-guy impression of Trey, even if their friendship had to end, rather than find out he was the usual kind of schmuck.

But, like him, she'd soldier on. The prize, if it even existed, would be worth the potential disappointment.

She had a five a.m. call the next morning, so Liv bathed and went to bed. Her last thoughts before sleep were of Trey's callused hands on her face.

Chapter 2

After spending a few hours of comfortable talk with his brother Ace, Trey slept poorly. It wasn't Ace's fault–Trey couldn’t stop thinking about Liv and her secret. His first thought was that he'd love to spank it out of her and then kiss it to make it all better, but he had the distinct feeling that subtle would work better. And, since his inclination was to find the submissive side of a woman and give her what she craved, he needed to find out what Liv's proclivity was in that regard. If she wasn't as submissive as he guessed, then the idea of even a casual relationship was out. He didn't like women who tried to steer him around by his dick.

When morning finally rolled around, Trey ceased torturing himself by trying to sleep. He got up and met Ace—always an early morning person—at the kitchen table and joined him for breakfast.

"So, the BDSM Boot Camp is startin' in two days. What can I do to help?"

Ace took a bite of a fresh biscuit and followed it by a sip of strong, fragrant coffee. "I got the food yesterday, and moved most of the equipment out of the storage shed and into the old house. There are a couple more pieces that I could use a hand with. And then I have to take out some of the conference furniture and prepare the smaller private rooms."

"Are you expectin' the same turn out as last year?"

"Yeah. 'Bout fifteen couples and triads and maybe ten singles. Not too many new faces, but a few. There's one girl you might be interested in."

Trey's mind turned to Liv. "I'm not lookin' for a permanent sub."

"Yeah you are. You just don't know it yet. You'll know her when you find her."

Trey frowned over his eggs and mumbled. "But will she know me?"

Ace leaned back and eyed Trey until Trey shifted in his seat. Sometimes, the eight years that separated them seemed like a lot longer.

"What?"

"You have someone in mind, don't you?"

"No. I met someone I'm interested in, but really, I don’t know her. I'm still findin' out what makes her tick."

"Well, if you want to bring her to the BDSM Boot Camp, you'd best find out quick-like."

"Yeah, well… Shouldn't we ought to get to movin' that equipment?"

* * *

The old house still had that lived-in appeal, even though it was used for small conferences like the Boot Camp groups instead of everyday living. Their father had built the new house after their mother's death, and Trey and his brothers and sisters accepted the change with as much good grace as they could. They understood that their father needed a big adjustment in order to get on with his life as a widower. Still, even knowing that it was necessary, Trey missed the old house with its comfortable wood paneling and narrow oak staircase with the railing he and the other kids couldn't resist sliding down. He'd never forget terrorizing his older sister, Queenie, as she was getting ready for her first date, so many years ago. Chasing her around the house until he tripped and gashed open his forehead. The old scar had healed, but the memory would be precious forever.