Her body was moist and hot, muscles contracting around him. He moved, and she found his rhythm, keeping up with him, staring at him, fingers digging into his arms, gaze locked with his.
He felt her body start to quiver, saw her catch her breath and he could hold back no longer. In a rush, he came into her and rather than falling atop her, crushing her already-bruised ribs, he landed on his elbows, gently pulling her atop him. She turned her head, snuggling at his shoulder. Her heartbeat was an echo of his own as they slowly descended, her breath mingling with his. Only when she’d finally let out a long sigh did he roll her to her side.
She gazed up at him. Her eyes sparkled impishly and one side of her mouth twitched upward. “Dibs on first shower,” she said, kissing his forehead and before he could grab her, slid from the bed.
Naked, she hurried into the bathroom and he was left lying on her bed, wondering what the hell he was doing. As he heard her twist on the faucets and water begin to run, he thought for a fleeting second that he was falling in love with her. Immediately he banished that wayward idea. He’d sworn off women after his failed attempt at hooking up with Jenna Hughes. It was just as well that had never happened, but this…Shannon Flannery…the birth mother of his daughter. Worse yet.
And yet he heard her singing off-key in the shower and it was all he could do not to walk into the bathroom, slip into the small enclosure, and with their bodies lathered and slick, lift her from her feet and make love to her with the hot water cascading over them.
The idea was so appealing, Travis had already rolled off the bed when he noticed the picture of Dani, the one he’d given Shannon at El Ranchito, the flyer announcing that Dani Settler had gone missing.
The old pain resurfaced. Instantly he sobered and the last few hours suddenly seemed to be frivolous.
With all the fear and dying and pain, he’d lost sight of his mission, if only for a few hours. Now, however, it was back with a vengeance.
He grabbed his Levi’s. The old pipes moaned as the water was turned off. Travis looked up to find Shannon, a towel wrapped around her, her hair wet and dripping, step into the room.
God, she was beautiful.
Even without a bit of makeup, her face still lightly bruised, she was still incredible. “Your turn if you want.”
“I think I should have joined you. Then we’d both be done.”
“Nuh-uh,” she shook her head. “We’d have stayed in there until we ran out of hot water. It’s better this way. Besides, while you’re cleaning up, I need to see to the animals. Khan’s nose is definitely going to be out of joint, Marilyn needs to be fed and taken outside, and then I’ve got a lot of horses and dogs who are waiting for me.”
“Doesn’t Santana take care of them?”
“Yes, but lately…”
“I know, he’s been acting ‘funny.’”
Some of her lightheartedness faded. “Come on,” she said. “Maybe you’ll get lucky and I’ll make you coffee and breakfast.”
“I think I already did ‘get lucky.’”
A smile lifted the corners of her mouth. “Me, too.”
Shannon hurried down the stairs, started the coffee, took care of the two dogs inside the house, then headed to the kennels. Khan dashed ahead, knowing the routine. Nate’s truck wasn’t in its usual spot, but the horses were outside.
She fed the dogs and took them outside to run their legs off. “Feeling neglected?” she asked Atlas. The big dog nudged at her leg while Khan was busy barking at a squirrel who scolded from the branches of an oak tree. She scratched Atlas behind his ears and he groaned. “You like that, don’t you? I know…tonight, it’s your turn. And yours, too,” she said to Cissy, who, as usual was lying in wait, body pressed to the dry grass, unmoving as she stared at the larger dog, ready to stalk the German shepherd if he ever gave her the time of day.
“Come on,” she said, finding the dogs’ toys. She played catch and fetch and generally enjo
yed being with them. They filled a need in her that now—because she knew about Dani—had shifted. For years she’d believed she would never have children, never know what it was like to care for a child. In some ways, the dogs and horses had taken up the emotional slack.
Now, things had changed and though she loved these animals fervently, and she couldn’t wait to move them to the bigger, better surroundings, she realized they would never take the place of her child.
She threw the ball with her good arm, until she’d run out of steam, then accepted the fact that she couldn’t put off the inevitable forever. She needed to phone her mother, visit and console her, then square off with Nate if she could find him.
As for Travis…Shannon cast a look over her shoulder to the house and sighed. Last night they’d become lovers, but it didn’t mean anything other than that they were two lonely people caught up in a horrific tragedy together.
It was odd but pleasant. She’d never been one to jump into bed with a man at the drop of a hat; in fact, after her experience with Brendan Giles, it had taken a long time for her to trust again. And then, unfortunately, she’d again chosen the wrong man in Ryan Carlyle.
The two men she’d seen since had been disasters. Especially Reggie Maxwell, the man who had neglected to mention his wife and kids. No wonder she’d given up on men.
Until last night. And then, it seemed, she’d thrown away all of her rules. Because of Travis? Or because everything she believed in was being tested and destroyed?
She watched the horses in the paddock for a minute and as she did, her mind spun with the conversation between her brothers she’d heard less than twenty-four hours earlier. All those whispers about “birth order” and “Dad’s fault.” She’d convinced herself that Oliver had meant to confide in her.