He placed his hand where they were joined and pressed against her swollen nub. Christine arched her spine as the pleasure forked like lightning. She cried out as the climax roared through her body.
She stopped moving, trying to savor the moment, and Travis went still. She felt his shudder before he thrust into her one more time. She watched his face as he found his release. It was a beautiful sight. Powerful and masculine.
Travis’s groan echoed in the small kitchen. As he rested on top of her, she welcomed him into her arms. He didn’t say anything as he rested his head against her breast.
She loved him, Christine thought as she closed her eyes. The timing wasn’t perfect but she wanted Travis to know before he left. From now on, there was no holding back.
* * *
CHRISTINE PARKED HER car in downtown Cedar Valley. The storm clouds were rolling in, hiding the sun. A mist of rain coated the car windows as she stepped into a puddle on the sidewalk. “You’re going to miss all this when you’re in Vegas,” she teased Travis.
“I will,” he said seriously.
She smiled and kept her thoughts to herself. She had a sinking feeling that once Travis left, he would get caught up in the rhythm of Vegas, and the memory of Cedar Valley would fade under the bright lights of Sin City.
“I’m going to get a few things for my trip,” he said as he walked in the direction of the general store. “Do you want anything?”
“No, but I should pick up my laundry from Jill’s. I’ll meet you at the car.”
He raked a hand through his damp hair. “I’ll be right back.”
Christine watched him walk away. Travis Cain stood out in his leather jacket, jeans and boots. There was an edge to him that didn’t match the cobblestone streets and Victorian houses. This town needed someone like him, but did he need a place like Cedar Valley?
Christine walked through the green double doors of Jill’s Dry Cleaning. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t hear the chime of the bell or Jill’s footsteps. Christine leaned against the old-fashioned counter and jerked in surprise when Jill waved her hand in front of her eyes.
“Are you okay?” Jill asked as she peered into Christine’s face. “I heard you called in sick. I thought you were faking it so you could have one of your sex marathons with Travis. Not that I’m judging. I’m actually quite envious. Maybe I should go to Vegas and find myself a Travis.”
“He’s leaving today,” Christine said. “I’ll tell him to pick you up a guy as a souvenir.”
Jill leaned on the counter. “Why is he leaving?”
“He has to go help a friend. He doesn’t know how long he’ll be gone.”
“Huh, no time frame?” Jill asked with a frown. “I guess he stayed while you were having trouble with the missing bracelet. I heard Bonnie found it this morning. And now Travis is going.”
“He’ll be back,” Christine insisted.
“I’m sure he will,” she murmured.
She didn’t like how unconvinced Jill sounded. It made that seed of doubt in her own mind grow a little stronger. Christine straightened and flipped her damp hair over her shoulders. “Travis is in the general store right now picking up a few things. I was wondering if my laundry was done.”
“Yeah.” She slapped her hands on the counter and reached for a laundry basket filled with folded, colorful clothes. “I was going to call you about that.”
“Is there a problem?”
She dropped the basket on the counter. “When did you start wearing men’s clothes?” her friend asked.
“What are you talking about?” Christine said with a laugh. “Did you get my clothes mixed up with another customer’s?”
Jill lifted a shirt from the basket. “Look familiar?”
“Oh, that’s Travis’s shirt.” Christine bit down on her bottom lip as she remembered ripping it from his body on their last day together in Vegas. “I must have scooped it up when I grabbed my clothes on the floor.”
“I think you picked up something else of his.”
“Like what?”
Jill reached in the bottom of the basket and pulled out a small plastic bag. She held the edge with her fingertips. “Like this.”
Christine blinked as she stared at the small green stone. The emerald caught the beam of the overhead light and twinkled. Her mouth fell open as the shock washed over her. It had to be what Travis was searching for.
“Do you think it’s real?” Jill asked as she tilted her head and studied the stone.
“Yes,” Christine whispered. She didn’t want to think about what this meant, but the implications came crashing down on her. “Yes, it is.”