Chapter 29 #2
“Everything is so old. In this very city is the palace where Christopher Columbus waited for King Ferdinand’s approval of his journey to the New World. It makes me realize just how young our country really is compared to the rest of the world.”
He gazed at her with eyes full of love.
Her cheeks heated from the intensity of his expression. “What?”
“I missed you,” he said. “I missed you so much.”
“I missed you, too.”
At the doorway to her suite, Liana held Travis back while the bodyguards opened her door and checked to make sure the rooms were secure.
“We’ll be right next door, Ms. McDermott. Let us know if you wish to go anywhere.”
“I’ll be staying in tonight. Please relax and enjoy your evening.”
The larger of the two bodyguards gave Travis a suspicious once over. “You, too. We’ll see you in the morning.”
When they had walked away, Travis released a sigh of relief. “Christ, I thought he was going to demand a body cavity search.”
Liana laughed as she closed the door. “You were the one who wanted me to have security.”
“Not to keep you safe from me.” He sobered all of a sudden. “Although, that might’ve been a good idea.”
“Travis,” Liana whispered as she finally allowed herself to do what she had wanted to do since he first appeared on the beach. She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her face against his chest. “Tell me why you’re here.”
He held her tight against him. “First things first,” he said, tilting her chin up to kiss her lightly.
Combing her fingers through his hair, she skimmed her tongue over his bottom lip.
Travis groaned, lifted her off her feet, and devoured her.
“Liana,” he said when they came up for air, “I’m sorry.
I screwed things up so royally. I was an idiot.
I was so afraid of losing you that I drove you away, thinking somehow that would be easier.
But it wasn’t. It was awful. I love you so much—”
“Shh,” she said, silencing him with another passionate kiss.
“Is it too late for us?”
“No, it’s not too late.” She winced when she moved her sore neck.
He picked her up and carried her to the high four-poster bed with red sheers draped over the posts. Tossed across the foot of the bed was his Stanford T-shirt.
She noticed him staring at the shirt. “It’s a poor substitute,” she said, reaching for his hand to bring him down next to her.
“You’re so tired, sweetheart,” he said, dropping soft kisses on her face, her neck, and the triangle of skin on her chest left exposed by her robe.
She traced her finger over the stubble on his jaw. “You look exhausted yourself.”
“I haven’t had a full night of sleep since you left.” He brushed the hair off her face. “I reach for you in my sleep, but I can’t find you. I wake up looking for you.”
Pressing her lips against the inside of his wrist, she said, “I’ve done those same things.
I never thought I could get used to sleeping with someone so fast. I dream I’m with you, and when I wake up alone, it hurts so much it takes my breath away.
I’m afraid I’m going to wake up now and find out I dreamt this. ”
Overwhelmed, he dropped his head to her chest.
She ran her fingers through his hair. “I love you, Travis.”
A deep sigh rattled through him. He looked up at her with eyes full of love. “All the way over here, on that endless flight from Boston to Madrid, and then from Madrid to Jerez, the only thing I could think about was what I would do if you didn’t love me anymore.”
She caressed his face. “I’ll always love you.”
His kiss was full of love and hunger and passion.
Liana put her arms around him, urging him on top of her. “Make love to me.”
“That’s not why I’m here, Liana.”
“I know,” she said, sliding her hands under his shirt.
“Wait, sweetheart. We need to talk.”
“We will,” she whispered against his lips. “After.”
“I see you haven’t lost your enthusiasm for make-up sex,” he said, kissing her ear and sending a shiver through her.
Liana laughed softly and massaged his back. “It’s still the best kind—especially when you think you’ve lost the most important person in the world and then he suddenly reappears.”
“I’m sorry for what I put you through, Liana. I lost my mind when we ran out of time.”
“I know.”
He rolled over and brought her with him. “What’s this?” he asked, reaching for the frame on her bedside table. “Oh . . . the night we met.”
“I had all the negatives you got from Enid’s photographer developed, but there wasn’t one with a full view of your face. I was so sad about that. I framed that one of us dancing because it was the best one of you.”
He put the frame back on the table and held up the page she had torn from the tabloid. “You kept this?”
“It’s an amazing picture.”
He smiled. “You were so mad when I did that.”
“Not after I saw the photo. Now it’s just one of many beautiful memories.”
Returning the page to the table, he put his arm around her, and ran his hand up and down her back.
“I was wrong to pressure you to make a decision you weren’t ready to make.
I know that now. I was just so desperate to keep you with me.
I’m sure that’s not how it seemed to you that last night, but it’s the truth. ”
“Travis—”
He brushed a finger over her lips. “Hear me out, sweetheart. I want to ask you something, but I don’t want you to answer me now, okay?”
Her heart pounding with anticipation, she nodded.
“Liana, my love, will you marry me? Will you live with me and have a family with me and work with me?”
Her eyes filled, and her heart overflowed with joy.
“Your mother is getting married at North Point on Christmas Eve. I want you to take the next few months to think it over, and when you come home for her wedding you can give me your answer.”
“But, Travis . . .”
He shook his head. “I realized after you left that I have no life at all without you, so we’ll do it your way.
If you don’t want to get married, we don’t have to.
I’ll visit you. You’ll visit me. We’ll work it out.
But it occurred to me that I told you I wanted to marry you, but I never actually asked you.
So now I have.” He kissed her softly. “I love you, and I’ll wait for you.
No matter how long it takes. I’ll wait.”
Touched to her very core, she whispered, “So what do we do for the next few months until my mother’s wedding?”
“I’ll leave you alone so you can think.”
“But the last ten days have been so awful, Travis. I don’t want to go months without talking to you or being with you.”
He took her hand and brought it to his lips. “It’ll be different this time, sweetheart, because you’ll know I love you and I’m waiting for you. You’ll know you have me—any way you want me.”
“I can’t believe you’re willing to do this.”
“I don’t think you were even in the elevator when I realized what a terrible mistake I’d made by letting you go. After you left, I saw you everywhere. The emptiness was worse than anything I’ve ever experienced. I love you. My dog loves you. She’s been so depressed since you left.”
“Aw, my poor sweet girl. Who’s watching her while you’re here?”
“Your mother.”
“Really?”
“Uh huh. It was part of the large package of concessions I had to make to get her to tell me where you were.”
Liana laughed. “Made you work for it, did she?”
“I suggested she consider law school when she finishes college. I also received a thorough ass kicking from your cousin, which included a threat to my life if I should happen to hurt you again. I’m quite certain she meant it.”
“I can assure you she did.”
“She’s not just a brat, she’s mean, too,” he said with a pout.
“Oh, baby,” Liana said in little girl voice. “Did she hurt your feelings?”
“She called me names. Bad names.”
Liana dissolved into laughter.
“You think it’s funny?” He rolled on top of her and tickled her ribs.
She screamed with laughter.
A sharp rap on the door startled them into silence.
“Ms. McDermott!”
“Shit,” Travis whispered. “It’s your security.”
“I’m fine,” she called out.
“I need to see you.”
Travis dissolved into laughter.
Liana swatted at him as she got out of bed and reached for her robe. “Shut up.” She ran her hands through her messy hair and opened the door. “Hi there,” she said in a cheerful voice. “Sorry about the noise, but I’m okay.”
The same big man who’d checked out Travis earlier peered around Liana to look into the room.
From the bed, Travis smiled and waved at him.
He scowled at Travis and returned his attention to Liana. “You’re sure everything’s all right?”
With a glance over her shoulder at Travis, Liana said, “Yes, everything’s just fine.”