Revealing the Diane Collier Erotic Romance Collection (9 page)

Coming back with a towel for him, she suddenly flushed pink with embarrassment as she remembered that she was standing naked in front of her friend.
Rosy pink, she found herself staring at his naked wet chest as she held a towel out to him.
Her wide blue eyes darkened with passion as she wondered if he tasted as good as he looked.
She turned and hurried back to the chest and bent over to retrieve another towel for herself.

Travis couldn’t help but grin widely as she presented her perfect ass to him.
She was fumbling for a towel, trying to find one that would cover her completely and he spoke, trying to reassure her.

“Lee, wait.
You don’t need to feel embarrassed.”

“I can’t help it,” she mumbled, still turned from him.
The scar twisting along her upper thigh was ridged and dark pink, still vivid against her tan.
She kept it covered as much as she could, knowing that it was unsightly and a huge turnoff to any man.
Travis moved to stand close behind her as she reached for the lid of the trunk.
He reached for her hand and placed it over his heart so she could feel how fast it was beating.

Lee looked up at him.

“You are beautiful and sexy.”
His voice was low and gruff.
“I wish you knew just how gorgeous you are.
Sometimes I just want to kiss you until you forget everything else.”

Lee stood there, her nudity forgotten and just stared up into his hazel eyes, astonished.
She tried to jerk her hand back but he held onto it tightly, his massive hand swallowing hers.
Before her accident she’d been confident even though her short marriage hadn’t been fulfilling she’d still felt good about her life and her choices.
Now it was different.
She was afraid to get close to anyone, afraid of rejection and afraid of becoming too needy and attached.

Travis saw the flicker of confusion and sadness in her eyes and wanted to kiss it away.
Releasing her hand, he bent down to remove his sodden trainers while she wrapped herself in a towel and walked away.
While staring at her he toweled his hair dry and wrapped the towel around his waist.
Even though she wouldn’t look at him, he saw the blush of awareness flowing across her chest and neck up into her cheeks.

Lee couldn’t bear to look into his mesmerizing eyes.
She didn’t want to see his disappointment at her. Staring at the water of the pool, she could still see him from the corner of her eye.
She saw him coming closer and when he was beside her she
moved
away slightly.
Travis took her by the shoulders and turned her to face him.
He tilted her chin upward and, as she watched, his sexy mouth descended to claim hers.
She was lost from that moment on.

Lee moaned into his mouth and opened her lips for him to explore with his tongue.
He tasted all man; his scent was mixed with the faint smell of chlorine but still made her knees weak.
Travis wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly against him.
She felt the coolness of his damp chest against her and his erection pressed against her belly.
She broke the kiss and jerked back.
She was breathing hard and her mouth was wet and felt swollen.

Lee could feel the dampness between her legs, and she throbbed and ached for attention.
She’d been secretly lusting after him for months.
Now, here he was almost naked and wanting her and she didn’t know how she felt about having sex with him.
It would change their comfortable relationship and she didn’t know if her heart could handle another rejection or loss.

“Travis, I’m not sure we should do this.” He could hear the sadness in her voice.

“Lee.” He paused, drawing in a deep breath.
“Don’t let your fear get in the way.
We were friends first but you deserve someone to love you.
All I’ve been able to think about for months know is you.”

“How could you want me?
I’m so damaged.”
She dropped her head.

“That’s not true.
That’s a lie that your ex-husband told you.
You’re beautiful.”
He spoke quietly, his voice filled with awe.

Lee was so scared.
“I don’t know if I can do this.”
She’d been celibate for more than five years and faced with the option now, wasn’t sure she was up to it.
She looked up at him again, her eyes wide with the fear she felt.
“You’ve seen my scar now.
How… how can you still want me?”

Travis snorted in disbelief.
“There’s nothing I wouldn’t do you for you and you know it.
Inside, you know it.
I look at you and I see a woman who is filled with courage and beauty.
I don’t see anything else.”
He paused then threw down the gauntlet, hoping and praying she’d pick up the challenge.
“Don’t you want me?”

“Oh god!
Of course I want you!
I’ve been dreaming about this for so long now that I don’t know any other way to go to sleep at night.
I don’t know… if I even remember how.
I mean, I know how to go to sleep, I don’t know if I remember about having sex.
Making love. ” Her smile was sad.
Shame and fear made her look away, anywhere but at Travis.
She heard the rustling of his towel as he removed first it, then his shorts.
He was now more naked than she was.

She’d never seen him completely naked.

She had to look.
Starting at his feet, she slowly looked him over.
His legs were well-muscled and firm, his erection was thick and impressive.
A light line of hair led from his groin up to his taut stomach and then widened over his chest muscles.
All in all, he was a good looking man with a gorgeous body.

She wanted to move towards him, but again felt the fear of rejection.
Somehow, Travis picked up on her fears, either by reading her facial expression or telepathically and took the first step closer.
He hooked his fingers into the top of her towel and tugged gently, pulling her closer to him.

“I’ll remind you.
I’m with you every step of the way babe.”
He spoke quietly near her ear.
“We don’t have to rush this.
We’ve both waited so long already it won’t make any difference.”
Lee could hear the smile in his voice and responded by lifting her mouth for another kiss.

He lifted her easily and walked to where her sun lounger was.
He sat down with her straddling his lap, her towel pushed high on her thighs, and kissed her thoroughly.
As his tongue tangled with hers, she felt his hard arousal pressing up against her through the thin barrier of her towel.
He wanted her.
He wanted her as badly and as much as she wanted him.

Keeping the towel between them, Lee flexed her hips against him, rubbing along his stiff length and heard him groan with need.
Again she did it, back and forth, as if she was riding him, but not letting him penetrate her yet.
She could feel her own moisture soaking into the towel and it wasn’t too long before she felt herself rising to the crest of a climax.
She took her mouth off his long enough to warn him and he encouraged her by pulling her harder against him.

As the tremors and spasms of her climax flowed through her she cried out against him.
It had been so long.
So long without sex, without a man, without someone to hold her.
The heat and tremors in the soft wet folds at the apex of her thighs were still with her when she raised her head to look at him.

Lee’s eyes were dark, the pupils large.
Her clear skin was flushed pink with the aftermath of the orgasm and Travis thought he’d never seen her looking more beautiful or desirable.

“Your turn,” Lee whispered, and moved off him to sit on the lounger next to him.
His erection was still hard and throbbing, jutting straight out from his groin as he sat there.
Lee leaned over him, putting her face into his lap and took him deep into her wet mouth.
She suckled and licked at him, almost as if she was trying to devour him until she heard him cry out and pulse once, twice, three times in her mouth, filling it with a sweet tangy cream.

Travis lay back on the lounger and pulled her up to lie within the cradle of his arms.
Lee was so much smaller than him, so delicate that she fit there perfectly.
As if she was made for that space. She put her arm around his chest and her fingers played over his pectoral muscles, exploring him freely for the first time.

They both lay there feeling slightly stunned at what had just happened between them.

A long time later Lee sat up, shivering a little, realizing they must have dozed off.
The sun had moved and left them in the shade and the early afternoon had turned slightly cooler.
Travis roused himself and got to his feet, still naked and helped Lee to stand.
He hadn’t planned to fall asleep and now realized he had to get home to get ready for work.
Being a fireman wasn’t always the easiest of jobs, but it was what he loved.
Tonight he was starting his week of night shift and he would probably be late.

“I have to go,” he said, placing a soft kiss on her lips.
Lee looked up at him and smiled.
She didn’t ask why or where, knowing that it wasn’t her place to put demands on him.
Yes, they’d just had sex.
Sort of.
Yes, they were friends.
Still, she’d never presume to put any demands on him, no matter how much she wanted to.
He was racing away, as if he didn’t want to be with her anymore.

“No problem,” she replied, feeling a slight twinge inside.
She leaned to pick up his shorts where he’d dropped them earlier and handed them to him.
She was still tightly wrapped in her towel from earlier and now folded her arms across her chest and sent him another small smile.

Travis looked at her and wanted to talk, to explain.
He could see that she was withdrawing again and feared losing her completely.
“I’ll come over when I get back, okay?”

“Sure,” she agreed.
“Whatever. You’re going to be late if you don’t get going now.”

As Travis walked back through the gate in the new fence, he had an uncomfortable feeling, like he’d just been dismissed.
He turned to get one last look at her before he closed the gate, but all he could see of her in the early evening light was the back of her as she walked inside her house.
Shaking his head, he latched the gate and went to get ready to report for duty.

Lee walked inside her house, stepping into the cool shadows and the shiver that went through her was from more than just the temperature of the kitchen.
With Travis walking away she had the feeling that things had changed between them forever.
She’d put her own lust and desires ahead of their friendship and had hardly considered the consequences.
She knew the next part.
Travis would come back from work and pop in to see her in a couple of days or so.
Things between them would be awkward because of her behavior and it wouldn’t be long before he stopped coming around altogether.

And it was her fault.

Lee mentally kicked herself for her stupidity as she stepped under the warm shower.
She knew Travis was working nightshift, but because of her own work hours, they often spent afternoons and early evenings together.
He’d cook for her, either at her place if it was something quick, or he’d bring dinner over and they’d eat together.
They’d been perfectly happy with that arrangement.
It had worked well for them.

Now it would be different.

By Monday she still hadn’t heard from Travis and went to work feeling terrible.
She’d finally remembered that he was on the nightshift and realized that was where he was rushing off to.
She knew he’d come home, having seen his lights on both days.
He hadn’t come to see her, and she didn’t feel that she should go over to him, not wanting to force him into an awkward situation of having to make excuses to get rid of her.
For a brief moment of sanity, she’d wondered if
he’d
been okay, if all was right with
him
, but then quickly reverted to her doom and gloom scenario.

During the course of the day, she considered phoning him, but thought better of it, knowing he must surely be sleeping to cope with the long nightshift.
When she got home, again she peered over the fence to see if his lights were on.
They were, but still no sign of him.
A short while later, she heard his car driving away.

By Tuesday she was convinced that he was ignoring her.