“Travis!”
He chuckled as he spread his towel out, lying down with a thud while I brushed at the fine layer of sand now covering my body.
I rolled on my stomach and faced him. He was on his back, his eyes closed as the sun beat down on his chest. Water glinted over his tanned skin, making me want to lean over and lick the salty drops away.
He squinted his eyes open and peeked at me. “What?”
Flustered, I shrugged. “Nothing. I was just uh, wondering where you went to uni.”
Sighing, he closed his eyes again. “Charles Sturt. You?”
“That’s in Wagga, isn’t it? Mine was correspondence because I was already working full time.”
“It is. My dad went there and so did Mitch and Jared.”
“But not Mac. She went to Melbourne, right?”
“She was going to but I think with Jared and me still there, she didn’t want the quote-unquote ‘Valentine testosterone’ cramping her style.”
“You all must be close though.”
“Mac and Jared were always close.”
“You were closer to Mitch?”
“Well, no, not really. Mitch was close to Dad. He was the one that followed in his footsteps the most. Jared and I kinda peeled off to do our own thing.”
“So who were you close to?”
Even with his eyes closed he frowned. “No one I guess, though I met Casey at uni. After the first year, we shared an apartment together.”
“And after that you started doing…what you do.”
“Mm hmm.”
“So why didn’t you and Jared follow in your dad’s footsteps like Mitch did?”
Opening his eyes, he rolled on his side and propped his head in his hand. “Wanted something a little less rigid I guess—something that felt like we were making more of difference.”
“Are you?”
“I like to think so. Otherwise, what’s the point?” he said, rummaging in my bag and coming out with a bag of chips. Opening the packet, he offered me one.
I shook my head.
“What about you? Who were you close to—apart from Lucy?”
“No one that mattered, except for…”
Travis stopped chewing and swallowed. “Except for who?”
“Ethan.” I paused. “He…” was the one who showed me how good life could be. The one who, by leaving, reminded me that that good life, and people like Travis, weren’t for people like me. “…mattered.”
A beat of silence passed between us where I thought Travis would push for information I wasn’t sure I could share. I sat up. “We should probably get back.”
“Soon,” he murmured and finished his chips. Travis rolled onto his back again and closed his eyes. A moment later I followed suit, and we lay there together in the quiet, listening to the waves crash on the shore as the mild sun warmed our skin.
My phone ringing brought me out of what could possibly have been a nap. Travis stirred as I reached into my bag and pulled it out.
“Mac?”
“Where are you, asshead?”
My eyebrows flew up and I whispered to Travis, “She called me ‘asshead!’”
He nodded, his lips tipping up lazily. “That’s a sign of love, Quinn. Embrace it.”
“What’s the time?” Mac and I had to be at the White Demon at four.
“Three.”
“Shit.” I sat up and grabbed for my shorts. “Already on our way, Mac.”
“Sure you are.” She hung up.
Sandy and rushed, we reached the car and I brushed haphazardly at the sand on my feet.
Travis opened the passenger door, and scanning the carpark, thrust his towel at me. “Here.” I grabbed the towel before it could drop to the ground. “Cover me.”
“What?”
He hooked his fingers in the waistband of his boardshorts and underwear and yanked them off.
My eyes widened and a bubble of breathless laughter escaped me as I scrambled to hold up the towel. I scanned the carpark and turning back, caught a good glimpse of his firm backside when he twisted to flick his wet clothes inside the car.
“You can wrap the towel around me now.”
“What?”
“Come on, Quinn. It’s cold and that’s not a good look for a guy.” He winked at me.
With another breathless laugh, I took a step forward and wrapped the towel around his hips, biting down on my lip as I gently tucked it in at the front. I repressed a shiver of longing as my fingers brushed his damp, warm skin. He cupped my cheek in his hand before I could pull away, and the heat of it warmed me.
“Thanks, Quinn.”
“What for?”
“For today. Thanks for giving me today.”
***
Chapter Twelve
“Woohooo Sydney!” Evie raised her arm up high as she yelled into the crowd at the White Demon Warehouse.
They yelled back, the sound reverberating around the huge ceilings of the inner city venue as once again, Evie held the crowd in the palm of her hand.
Jamieson was a regular here and the place was heaving with people, the bartenders frenzied as they hopped between one another to fill orders.
On the opposite side of the stage, Jared let out a piercing whistle. To my left Mac was clapping, and to my right Travis stood silently, his arms folded as his eyes skimmed the crowd with measured calculation. He paused for a moment to smile down at me, and my heart pounded.
Our day together at the beach had been weeks ago now, and we were well into the middle of winter, but a day like that, and a man like Travis, wasn’t easily forgotten. Quite frankly, he didn’t make it easy on me. When he was at the duplex, or working security, he was pretty much all I could see. When he wasn’t, I would get random emails and find myself smiling whenever I saw his name in my inbox. My heart would flutter over the simplest things, like…
The list for security is attached.
or
Did you get our latest invoice?
“We’ve got a member to the Jamieson team we haven’t introduced you to yet,” Evie shouted into the microphone after finishing their first song of the night. “Wanna meet her?”
My eyes widened and I started backing away slowly.
Evie glanced over at me and grinned. “Uh oh. Looks like she’s trying to do a runner.”
I spun around, already running, when I heard, “Go get her, Henry,” and the crowd started chanting Henry’s name.
Arms wound around me and in my ear Travis said, “Uh uh. You may as well just get it over with.”
When I turned in his arms, he was grinning at me. I shoved at his chest but he didn’t budge. “I’m not going out there,” I hissed. “Are you mad?”
He picked me up and walked me back like a rag doll, offering me up towards where Henry stood waiting. Suddenly I knew how Ann Darrow felt when she was offered up as a sacrifice to King Kong.
Henry offered me his back. “Get on.”
I shook my head. “No. I’m good right here.” And I was actually. All tucked in the arms of Travis.
“She’s being difficult, guys,” Evie said into the microphone. “Why don’t we offer her some encouragement? Who wants to meet Quinn?”
My stomach churned as thousands of people began chanting my name. Travis hoisted me onto Henry’s back, and I clung on, turning to glare at him as I was piggybacked into the blindingly bright lights.
“Here she is. Isn’t she cute?”
“I shall kill all of you,” I hissed in Henry’s ear. “Sleep with one eye open, Henry.”
He threw his head back in a laugh, and I almost fell off his back. “Smile and say hello into the microphone and we’ll let you go.”
Trying to smile, I bared my teeth in what was probably a grimace and said hi quickly into the microphone Evie shoved in my face. Then Henry spun me around in circles like I was about to pin the tail on the donkey.
“Get me the hell off this stage, Henry,” I whispered furiously.
Set back on my feet, I muttered something about some of us having real work to do and fled for the dressing room.
My phone rang and tugging it from my pocket, I answered it as I shut the door behind me.
“Quinn, it’s John about the Melbourne festival appearance. Sorry about the late call, but I didn’t figure I’d catch you and was just going to leave a message.”
I rummaged through my bag and pulled out my iPad as he spoke. “That’s fine, John. Are you telling me you slotted us in?”
“Thankfully we did,” he returned, and I could hear the grin in his voice.
“Yes!” I mouthed silently, jumping up and fist pumping the air with enthusiasm. “Great news,” I said calmly. “Can’t wait to tell the Jamieson crew.” Then I boogied my h*ps from side to side to the muffled thump of the beat coming from the stage.
A deep chuckle from behind sent a hot flush running from my toes to the very tips of my hair. Whirling around, Travis lazily trekked his eyes upwards, locking on mine.
I cleared my throat and replied casually, “Okay then. If you can email the details through, I’ll get the paperwork signed and sent back first thing tomorrow.”
Tomorrow was Sunday but this was already short notice. In two weeks Jamieson would be featuring at the biggest music festival Melbourne hosted. Organising the details couldn’t wait.
John assured me he was emailing the information through at that very moment, and after promising to talk to him tomorrow, I hung up.
“Good news?”
I grinned ruefully. “You had to ask that?”
Hands in his pockets, he shrugged and walked towards me. “Have I given you enough space yet?”
“Space?”
“Yeah.” Leaning his hip casually against the table, he reached out and brushed a lock of hair from my face.
“Space for uh, what?”
“Us. I don’t know if you’re ready for what this is between us, but I can’t seem to make myself leave you alone.”
I shook my head slightly. “I don’t…”
Travis cupped my cheeks in his hands and leaned in. “You’re so guarded and wary, Quinn. I can understand why, but maybe space is not what you need.”
“What do I need?” I breathed, my heart thundering in my chest.
He pressed a sweet kiss on my mouth and against my lips whispered, “Me.”
Pulling back, his hands remained, his eyes taking in every inch of my face as though committing it to memory.
I ducked my head from his gaze.
“Don’t,” he said gruffly. “You’re so beautiful.”
“Travis,” I whispered, both warmth and confusion warring within me. Confusion won. Why did he think I was so special? I had nothing to offer except a sordid, violent past and a broken future. I was timid, unsure of myself, and emotionally unstable. The sleek, flashy women I’d seen at the Florence Bar were a much better fit for him than I was.
I took a step back and his hands fell away.
“I wish I could see what you seem to because I’m nothing like those beautiful girls you were with at that bar. What’s here,” I waved a hand at my face, “doesn’t matter because that’s not what I see. I see what’s in here...” I thumped a hand against my chest “...and what’s in here is ugly, and I live with it every day.”