Page 15 of It’s Always Been You (Always #1)

It wasn’t easy to hide the thin, jagged scar that ran along the side of her jaw.

Concealer might do the trick under some lighting conditions, but right now, the raised flesh was taunting her like a wart on a witch’s nose.

Caitlin exhaled in resignation as she lowered her blonde mane to frame the right side of her face.

In some ways, amnesia was a blessing in that she didn’t remember what she looked like pre-scarface. And she normally wasn’t conscious about the blemish. But going out with Travis? That man was perfection. He could have any woman he wanted. Clichéd as that sounded, it was true.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror.

Caitlin would admit, her eyes were her best feature.

They changed color from a hazel brown to green, and at times, there were golden rings around her dark irises.

She got up from her chair to slip on a selection from her new wardrobe.

She opted for the ivory-tiered top with a waist-cinching ruffle.

She paired this with a simple black pencil skirt.

The look was very feminine. Lord knows, after wearing nothing but jeans and t-shirts, she was excited to primp again.

She strapped on silver rhinestone sandals to complete her look, leveraging the extra three inches so her five-three height wouldn’t look too diminutive beside Travis’s towering frame.

She took a couple of tentative steps. Yes, she could do this without breaking her neck. She hoped.

After swiping a layer of pink gloss on her lips, she brushed imaginary lint from her skirt and stared at herself in the mirror once more. Heavens, she was nervous. Like she was the class geek going out with the star quarterback.

This is not high school . She didn’t remember high school anyway.

She was thirty years old. A bit screwed in the head, but she was told she was smart. Travis seemed blind to her scar anyway. Not once had she seen him look at it. He stared at her eyes or her lips. The thought made her quiver, and feel a tad warm.

When she finally had the guts to make her way downstairs, Travis was already waiting for her. He had showered, and his dark hair was damp and curling sexily under his ear. He was wearing a blue dress shirt and dark grey trousers. His five-o-clock shadow defined his strong jaw even more.

She wanted nothing more than to jump his bones.

His eyes widened as he took in her appearance; his jaw slackened and snapped shut. Caitlin was oddly pleased for it seemed she had rendered him speechless.

“Holy fuck,” his voice was raspy. He snapped out of his trance a few seconds later and cleared his throat. “You. Look. Exquisite.”

He walked purposefully toward her, and she actually took a step back from the scorching look in his eyes.

But before she could take a second step back, he had reached her.

He hauled her against him and his lips were on hers, his tongue demanding immediate entry into her mouth.

His kiss was bruising, forcing her jaws open so wide, she had trouble breathing.

But breathing seemed inconsequential compared to the feelings he was evoking deep within her.

The growl vibrating from his throat excited her beyond measure.

Somehow his hand had gone under her skirt; she could feel its hot imprint on her ass.

The hand slipped over her hip and moved between her legs, his fingers sliding over the crotch of her panties.

He tore his lips away. He leaned his forehead against hers; his breathing was heavy and fractious.

“Fuck, you’re wet,” he whispered hoarsely. “God, Cat, tell me to stop . . .”

“Stop,” Caitlin whispered back, for she was frightened of the emotions he had awakened. His eyes darkened, and for a minute she thought he would ignore her plea, but he smiled and brushed her lips lightly.

He withdrew his hand from under her skirt and said, “Right now, I intend to wine and dine you. But I swear, by the end of this evening, you’ll be screaming my name. Whether from my mouth or because I’m deep inside you, we shall see. But—it—will—happen.”

Travis’s lips turn up in a devilish grin as he took a step back. He linked his hand with hers and tugged her beside him. How could he expect her to relax across a table from him after saying such words to her?

Hot.

Dirty.

Words.

She was screwed.

As expected, she couldn’t keep her legs from squirming all throughout dinner. How could she when in between forkfuls of Travis sweetly letting her taste his dish, he was nailing her to her chair with smoldering, sapphire blue eyes?

“Your fish not to your liking?” Travis asked.

“It’s delicious,” Caitlin said as she shoveled a piece of baked cod into her mouth. It lodged in her dry throat, so she took a gulp of her wine. It helped, but not without discomfort. Travis grinned salaciously.

Kill me now.

“Are you okay, sunshine girl?”

“Fine.”

“Are you sure?” He leaned in closer.

He sat beside her at the table. His hand landed on her knee as he asked the question, but it slid to mid-thigh.

“Travis—”

“What do you need, Caitlin?”

“You’re not playing fair—”

“I don’t intend to—”

She tried to jerk her thigh out of his grasp, but he gripped her leg tighter.

“Uh-uh,” Travis warned. But his eyes were playful. The bastard was enjoying this all too much.

“Travis,” Caitlin hissed. “Stop this game.”

“It’s not a game, babe. I’m just making you aware of your effect on me.” He released her leg, grabbed her hand, and pulled it over his crotch. He was hard.

“Uh—” It appeared he wasn’t comfortable either, and she was thankful for the white table linens that disguised what they were doing.

“I want to fuck you so bad.” Humor disappeared from his face. “But I’m afraid to run you off. Let me make love to you, Caitlin.”

“M-m-ake love?”

His eyes grew tender. “Has there been any doubt, sunshine?”

Was he saying he loved her?

“I-I need more time.”

Travis inclined his head. “I know. But you have to know, the longer you make me wait, the harder I’m fucking you.”

“Wh-what?” And why was she pulsing between her legs?

“I like it rough. You do too. And how long you keep me from sinking my cock into your pussy will be proportional to how many days you’ll still be feeling me between your legs—long—after—I’ve—fucked—you,” Travis clarified.

“I intend to fuck you every day. Which means, every hour, every minute, and every fucking second, you’ll be feeling me inside you. ”

A hungry gleam entered his eyes.

“I can’t believe we’re having this conversation over dinner.”

Travis leaned back, quirking a brow. “What do you want to talk about?”

“Porter.”

Travis scowled. “I didn’t know he was going to see you today, Cat. I would have preferred it if I had been with you during your first meeting with the admiral.”

“I thought you knew.”

“I’ll never throw you to the wolves,” Travis said. “Porter can be pushy. Although”—he paused and smiled—“he did tell me you had a mouth on you.”

“He was pushy,” Caitlin affirmed.

“If you don’t feel comfortable with his demands, don’t do it. Tell him to talk to me.”

“I handled him, didn’t I?”

“I know, sunshine,” Travis sighed. “I can’t help but feel protective of you. It’s my nature, babe.”

“Come here,” Caitlin whispered.

Baffled, he leaned halfway between them. Caitlin did the same and brushed a soft kiss on his lips. When she pulled back, the emotion in his eyes almost prevented her from speaking her next words.

“Thank you, Trav. I appreciate it. I really do.”

“I haven’t told him you broke into the files. It’s not my news to tell, so I’ll leave it up to you,” Travis said after a beat. “Besides, I didn’t want him ruining our date tonight.”

They resumed eating in comfortable silence, which was punctuated with random small talk about BSI, her therapy at the NEST, and what she wanted to do for the next few days.

Over dessert, Travis watched her intently, like he wanted to ask her something, but didn’t know how.

“What?” Caitlin prompted when she couldn’t stand the scrutiny any longer.

“I think it’s time for me to tell my parents that you’re alive,” Travis said. “That their son is still married.”

“Are we?”

“I feel married. I’m going to arrange another ceremony and—”

“Travis, slow down.” Caitlin’s mind was spinning. “Can we handle one thing at a time? I’m okay not having all the legalities worked out yet.”

“Well, I’m not.”

“Look, it’s only been two weeks. The doctor told me I may have had a personality change from how hard I hit my head.”

“What are you trying to say?” His voice was brittle and cold.

“You may not want to stay married to me. I may not be the same woman—”

“Don’t lay this on me,” he interrupted brusquely, lowering his voice. “I don’t want the same woman. I want you—Caitlin Kincaid. You’re the one having doubts. That’s why I don’t want to delay intimacy between us any longer.”

“Travis—”

He ignored her and asked for the check.

“Travis—”

“It’s time, Caitlin,” Travis said. “Time for you to be reacquainted with me. Your husband”—his nostrils flared—“in every way.”

The drive back to the house was wrought with sexual tension.

An electrified charge bounced between them.

Travis’s hand gripped the steering wheel tightly.

Damned woman was driving him insane. He needed her.

He wanted to sink inside her, but he wanted her to be willing, which was why he took care of himself earlier before he got ready for their date.

And he was thankful he did, because he didn’t think he had the strength to hold back after Caitlin had appeared before him looking like a vision from a dream.

But nothing was going to stop him from tasting her.

He glanced briefly over to her. In the dim light of the SUV, he could see the exposed length of her legs. All he needed to do was shove up that skirt, throw her legs over his shoulders, and bury his face into her sensual heat. He swore he could almost smell her arousal.