Flat out, p.19
Flat Out, page 19
In the last photo, I laugh and snap more photos when Uncle Owen steals a kiss from Uncle Theo, catching him off guard.
“Alright, kids, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” I tell them as I wave, Travis holding the door open for them.
Uncle Owen’s eyes drop to my belly. “What is it you wouldn’t do again?” He squints at me.
My eyes bulge, and I cover my mouth with my hand.
“Get out of this door.” Uncle Theo shoves Owen’s shoulder.
He gives me one last kiss on the cheek and they head out. Travis and Uncle Theo exchange a silent glance at one another.
As soon as the door closes, I push out a breath and rush to the couch. “Thank goodness.”
I lean down and start rubbing my feet.
“What’s wrong?” Travis asks, concern lacing his words.
“Nothing, just my feet were, um …” I trail off when he gives me a look.
He sits, pulling my feet onto his lap, and he starts massaging them.
I bite back my groan. “You’re good at this,” I say, slightly breathless.
“And you’re stubborn as hell. Why didn’t you tell me your feet were hurting?”
For some reason, the annoyance in his voice makes me grin.
I drop my head on the arm of the couch and lightly close my eyes, reveling in the feel of his hands on me.
“Did you have fun today?”
“I did. So much I thought twice about taking Uncle Owen up on his offer to do karaoke at lunch.”
Travis chuckles. “I noticed that. Not a fan of karaoke?”
I shake my head. “Not really.” I push out a breath, staring at the ceiling. “My mother had a beautiful singing voice.” I don’t know what prompts me to share that.
Perhaps it’s the conversation I had with Uncle Theo earlier today. Or remembering my mom’s face whenever she sung around the house. Maybe, it’s the feel of Travis’ strong hands on my feet.
“Can you—”
“Totally tone deaf,” I say. “Can’t hold a note to save my life.”
He frowns. “Our poor baby.”
I cock my head to the side.
“Poor thing will have to deal with not only possibly being born with a sixth toe but a tone-deaf mother.”
He laughs when I toss one of the couch pillows at him. He easily bats it away and wiggles his eyebrows at me.
“I do not have a sixth toe. You’re literally rubbing my feet.”
“You’re lucky I’m not inspecting too closely for the scar left behind by the removal surgery.”
“You’re such a—”
“Gorgeous guy.”
I roll my eyes. “I don’t like handsome guys.”
He squeezes my feet. “I said gorgeous and not handsome. Do you have plans for next weekend?” he asks, expression turning serious.
My brows knit as I go over my schedule for the next week. “No. Why?”
“I want to take you somewhere.”
“For the weekend?”
He nods. “Silverstone.”
I jut my head backwards. “Don’t you race there?” It sounds vaguely familiar as one of the places on his racing list.
“In July, but I want to take you there before our race. Especially since by then it wouldn’t be ideal for you to get on a plane.”
“What’s in Silverstone?” His inquiry had piqued my interest.
“You and me, hopefully.”
I fake like I’m going to toss another pillow at him.
“Something I want to show you. You’ll see once we get there. Plus, there’s a nice bed and breakfast where we can stay. I never get to stay there when we’re in town for races.”
“Sounds fun.”
“Good. I’ve booked our reservations already.”
I roll my eyes and drop my head on to the back of the couch, still luxuriating in the caress of his prodding fingers.
“We should discuss names at some point, huh?”
“And the nursery,” I remind him.
I haven’t started setting up the nursery in my France apartment. Maybe because it never felt right.
“There are three rooms to choose from here,” he says. I know he’s saying without saying that we might as well set up the nursery here and I might as well move in.
That idea doesn’t send fear racing through me like it once did.
“Did you like any of the sample nurseries I sent you?”
After our trip to the market, Travis sent me a few nursery ideas that matched the pair of booties we bought.
Between work and preparing for my uncles’ visit, I forgot all about the pictures.
“It slipped my mind.”
He nods, not looking the least bit frustrated. “Pregnancy brain.”
“Jerk.”
He shrugs with one shoulder. “It’s to be expected. The good news is that the books say it’s a temporary thing.”
A contemplative expression crosses his face.
“I liked some of the samples but they’re all grey,” Travis continues. “I was going for more neutral colors since we’ve decided to stay away from pink or blue as a theme and the gender.”
“I don’t like grey either. A bit boring.”
“Right?” He agrees. “Give the baby some color. Something intriguing to look at.”
I smirk at his excitement over the whole thing.
“Our baby’s entire nursery will be fire engine red.” I point my finger at him.
“Of course not. There needs to be some teal in there.” He affectionately squeezes my ankle. “We can get a decorator. One who can help us come up with some better design ideas.”
“You don’t think that’s too much?”
He frowns, his brows drawing over his eyes slightly. He lowers his hand to my belly.
“Nothing’s too much for either of you.” The way his voice takes on a lower octave has my nipples hardening.
“When we go to Silverstone, are we staying in separate rooms?”
Travis’ lips tighten, eyelids lower, and his gaze travels over the length of my body. The heated flames that invade his eyes reminds me of his favorite color.
“I only booked one room.” His voice is a soothing balm to the growing edges of the tension in my body. “Didn’t even consider reserving two.”
He lets his gaze meet mine. “Do you prefer your own room?”
It’s not even a thought as I shake my head.
“No.” My voice is a whisper in the charged silence.
Travis intertwines his fingers into mine that hang off of the back of the couch. I watch him bring our joined hands to his mouth. He kisses the outside of each of my fingers, never taking his eyes off of me.
Before I can register it all, I tilt my head upward as he hovers above me. With his lips only millimeters from mine, Travis says, “I think it’s time we go to bed.”
He pauses, waiting for my consent.
“Yes,” I say while nodding.
A rush of air escapes my lungs when he lifts me from the couch. I wrap my arms around his shoulders and let my head rest as he strides toward the master bedroom.
CHAPTER 30
Travis
Alyssia’s moan as I kiss my way down her spine shoots straight to my cock. I strain against my jeans but focus on unbuttoning the yellow sundress that’s kept my eyes glued to Alyssia all fucking day.
“Are you okay?” I ask, taking her waist in my hands to spin her around to face me.
She wraps her arms around my neck. “No. I’m horny as hell and if you don’t do something about it soon, I’m going to burst into flames.” She leans in, taking my bottom lip into her teeth.
I hiss out and groan. “Baby, I’m trying to take my time. I don’t want to hurt y—”
She presses a finger to my lips.
“Travis, if you don’t fuck me right now, I’m gonna drop down on this bed, spread my legs, and force you to watch me pleasure my—” Her little declaration is broken by a growl before I crush my lips to hers.
I strip her of her panties and lay her down to spread her legs. She helps me adjust the pregnancy pillow beneath her back to make her comfortable while I prepare to enjoy the real dessert of the night.
“Shit!” she curses, her hand cupping the back of my head as I lick and reacquaint my mouth with her taste.
The sweetest, purest form of honey couldn’t compare to this. I lap her up, bringing her higher and higher until her thighs tighten around me and start to tremble. Her hand tightens in my hair, tugging as she comes in a breathless groan that fills the room.
Once the trembling stops, I pull back and quickly strip myself of the jeans, briefs, and other clothes that separate me from my heaven.
Naked, I lift onto my knees, staring down at Alyssia, my dick in my hands. I stare at her, examining the ways in which her body’s changed since our first time together.
Her breasts are fuller, the areolas a darker brown and larger, her hips wider, tiny stretch marks signaling exactly where my hands go to hold her still while I pump into her, and her swollen belly.
My eyes rise to her face, the way her coffee browns watch me filled with want and open need, her lips swollen from my kisses, hair spread over the pillow.
“Travis,” she whines, reaching for me.
I intertwine her fingers with mine, lifting them over her head.
“In Las Vegas I thought to myself, ‘I’ve never seen such a beautiful woman’,” I tell her.
“And now?”
“Now, I’m in awe that you could become even more stunning. I thought the best thing to happen to me in Vegas was that I could win a race. Until I met you.” I release her hands, only to lower myself to kiss the mound of her belly.
I kiss my way up her body, in between her breasts, pinching one of her nipples, making her hiss and then hum out in pleasure.
“I don’t want to use a condom with you. We’ve both been tested,” I say.
“They don’t seem to work too well for us anyway.” She glances down at her stomach.
I chuckle but then cut it short to kiss her again. Midway through the kiss, I use one of my hands to line myself up with her entrance. Alyssia breaks away from the kiss the moment I sink into her wetness.
Sliding inside of her is better than slipping inside of my one-seater on the track. It’s better than taking pole and standing at the top of the podium.
“So tight,” I groan in her ear, kissing every part of her neck that I can reach.
She wraps her arms around my shoulders, pulling me into her, but I brace my arms against the bed, not wanting to crush her with my weight.
“I need you,” she pants. “Please.”
Her begging undoes me, and I allow myself to let go. I rock into her pussy with abandon. Alyssia clings to me, her nails digging into the skin of my back. But there’s no pain, only bliss as our bodies burn hotter and hotter for one another.
In a matter of minutes, she’s coming again, calling my name.
I fight like hell not to come until she’s completed her orgasm. I want to watch every twitch, grimace, and twist her face makes as she takes her pleasure.
Once she comes down from her spiral, I allow myself to combust. I come with a wild abandon, emptying myself into her. This time it isn’t a mistake or the result of a broken condom.
It’s a declaration of what’s mine.
“Are you comfortable?” I ask Alyssia as we lay face to face in bed, our bodies sweaty but satiated.
Her smile is as bright as the moon that peeks through the blinds of the bedroom window. The pregnancy pillow that takes up almost a fourth of this bed, curves around her back, leaving only our intertwined hands resting between us.
“More than comfortable,” she says, her speech slightly slurred. “Kandace was right.”
“About what?”
“Giving you a chance.” Her husky laugh finds its way inside of every cell of my body, threatening to never let me go.
“She was right that night in Vegas, too, but it took for you getting stuck in an elevator to listen.”
Alyssia sucks her teeth. “You shouldn’t have been eavesdropping.”
“If I hadn’t, I never would have known your prejudices against good looking guys.”
She rolls her eyes. “My mind might have changed over the past few months.”
“Who was it?”
“You, of course.” She frowns when I shake my head.
“No, who was it that made you feel that way?”
I fight for patience as she takes her time answering.
“My ex,” she finally says. “We’d known each other since we were thirteen and started dating the summer before high school. Looking back now, I know it was youth and inexperience that had me thinking it was the relationship that would last forever.”
She sighs.
“I thought Grant and I would end up like my parents. They met in high school, dated for years, and got married after college.”
“What happened instead?” I ask.
“During our freshman year, the accident that killed my parents and injured me. He was there for me, in the best way a teenage boy can be, I suppose. He would sit with me on my grandmother’s porch or talk about something silly like our favorite show.”
Though I hate the little bastard already, a piece of me is glad to hear she wasn’t alone during that time.
“We continued dating through our junior year. But then my grandmother got sick and … I don’t know. I think it became too much to handle. He was the closest friend I had but I wasn’t his only friend.
“By then he’d grown a few inches, became one of the hottest guys in our class, and he was the quarterback for our high school’s team.
“I knew I was bringing down the mood whenever I came around him and his friends from the team. Ultimately, I stopped hanging out with them. A few weeks later, he came to me and told me that my mood is always killing the vibe, basically.”
I’ll kill him.
I manage to keep that thought from spilling out but just barely.
“Do you know where he is now?”
The ice running through my tone must shock Alyssia, because she pulls her head back and stares as if assessing me.
“You’re not serious, are you?”
“I’m very serious but keep going.” I’ll get the fucker’s name later.
She lays her head down again. “He broke up with me. Two weeks later, my grandmother died and I shut the entire world out.”
“He was a son of a bitch.”
“He was young. A high schooler.”
“Baby, I’m going to need you not to defend the bastard that broke your heart while you were already dealing with the heartbreak of your parents and your grandmother. He was a piece of shit.”
Alyssia turns her face into the pillow to hide her grin.
“You’re mean when you want to be,” she finally says.
“Only to those who deserve it.” I lean in and kiss the tip of her nose. “Learned it from my family.”
“Did you get your love of sports from your dad?”
Pride swells my chest. I’m so damn happy she’ll get a chance to meet my parents in a couple of weeks. We’ve had video calls since she wanted to thank them for the baby stuff they sent home with me from my Miami race.
“I did, but while I always enjoyed watching football, I never wanted to play. I was drawn to motorsports. After he retired, my dad became a sports anchor and we would sometimes travel with him for work. We were exposed to all types of sports even though he broadcasted for football.”
When Alyssia shifts her head on the pillow, I think back to what her uncle said earlier tonight. An ache in my chest starts to form at the thought of causing her anymore pain.
But I know I can convince her that my sport isn’t nearly as dangerous as she might think it is.
“My mom is a financial advisor and educator. Though she’s beyond the point of needing to work, she loves taking on new clients or mentoring young women in the finance industry.”
“It’s beautiful when you find a career you’re passionate about.”
“Europe has great universities, or if there are any programs in the States your—”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” She smiles, and my heart beats faster
I squeeze her hand again. “We have time.”
Her eyes lock on mine. Hope, fear, and hesitation all create a kaleidoscope of emotion in her gaze.
“You don’t have to decide anything now, but you’re not alone in any decision you make,” I assure her before bringing her hand to my lips, kissing her knuckles.
“You’re staying the night, right?” she asks after a few minutes of silence.
“The moment you open your eyes in the morning, you’ll see my face,” I reply.
The way the corners of her mouth lift as her eyelids grow heavier and heavier until they’re closed comes close to overwhelming me.
I used to think being in the cockpit of my car was the best place I would ever be. But here, now, watching Alyssia fall asleep in my arms, I’ve utterly revised my thinking.
CHAPTER 31
Alyssia
“What’s this?” I ask Travis, a week later, as he holds the rental car door open for me.
We’ve just driven from London out to Silverstone. A huge, mostly glass building looms over the car, casting a shadow over us.
“The Silverstone F1 and Motor Racing Museum,” he answers as I allow him to help me out of the car.
My entire body stiffens as I stop walking.
“Why are we here?”
“This place showcases the history of my sport.”
I begin shaking my head before he’s completed his answer. Images of cars flying down racetracks flash through my mind but are soon replaced by bent metal, broken glass, and shattered bodies.
I start to raise my hand to my shoulder, to massage the tingling that starts there, but Travis’ hand takes mine, stopping me.
“Why would you bring me here?” I try to pull my hand away, but Travis tightens his hold. “I don’t need to learn more about motor racing.”
Despite the fear and mounting anger washing over me, my heart strings tug at the sadness that invades Travis’ eyes as soon as I say this. I know it’s completely unfair, and even hurtful, to willfully reject someone else’s passion. Especially when that someone is the man you’re falling in love with, who also happens to be the father of the baby you’re carrying.
