BLISS PEERED INTO YET another drawer. The master bath was stocked with all kinds of things. Toothbrushes. Adult diapers. Children's diapers. First aid kit. The list went on. If she didn't have something, she now knew where it was stocked.The digital clock on the counter ticked off another five minutes. She'd successfully hidden in the bathroom for over an hour. Travis had moved around the house, talking on his phone, chatting with her, and mostly brooding. Their conversation over dinner had consisted of a dozen or so words.She liked him. A lot. And she did want him to come back to Vegas. At least that was her knee-jerk reaction. On one hand, she wanted more. For Travis to realize he was more than a string of other people's mistakes. That he was a caring, thoughtful guy who just needed to let go a little. That there was more than just chemistry there. On the other hand...She didn't know if she'd be living in Vegas. If he would be allowed to know where she was. And why the hell did
TRAVIS STARED, ENTRANCED BY the sight of Bliss' body taking the dildo. The silicone glistened with her arousal, and already she was making all those little sounds that drove him crazy. Her feet rubbed on the sheets, her hands fisting them. He didn't mind her eyes being closed. At least if he made a mistake she wasn't watching him do it.The toy was harder than he'd expected, which made gripping it easy. He slid the full length of it inside of her, right up to the flared base. Her hips came up off the mattress and she gasped.Had he found the spot?He pumped the toy, slow and easy, fascinated by the way her body stretched around the oddly shaped dildo. It was fucking hot."Travis." She hissed and peered up at him through narrow slits.The goal wasn't to make her come. At least not yet. He wanted to...play with her. This wasn't just about scratching a sexual itch. Of course he wanted to spend a day inside of her, but there was also something far more intimate in this act. Plus,
TRAVIS FOCUSED ON KEEPING his breathing even in an attempt to lower his heart rate.He'd basically told Bliss he'd marry her.What was he thinking?He wasn't. That was the problem. He'd been half awake and horny, so he'd said whatever it took to get in her panties.A small voice deep down inside whispered, Liar.It was almost seven. He could probably slip out, book a flight home, and be gone by noon. With a little distance between them, he was sure they'd both come to their senses. It was the right thing to do. Falling for a client never went well, and Bliss didn't know what she was getting herself into. She could spout the nice line about accepting him for who he was all she wanted. Until the ugly reality set in. Life with him would never be easy.He plugged his proverbial ears to keep from the chant of Liar out of his conscious thoughts.The phone on the nightstand vibrated.This was his opportunity.He gently rolled her to her side, off his arm, and snagged the pho
BLISS STOOD IN THE smaller bedroom over the garage, listening for sounds of the car.Travis was leaving.He was serious.She still couldn't wrap her head around it all. Last night they'd almost said they loved each other. You didn't offer to marry someone you didn't love, right? And today they were over. Done with.The hole in her chest was so new and raw she didn't really feel it yet. She was just...numb.Travis' rental backed out of the garage. She stepped to the side, out of his line of sight. It was one thing to wait around, mooning and depressed, it was another for him to know how much this hurt.What had she done wrong? What was wrong with her?She wiped her hand across her cheek. The tears she'd promised herself she wouldn't cry streamed down her cheeks. She pressed her back to the wall and slid to the carpet.Seven days. Was it really possible to fall in love with someone that fast?Her broken heart said yes.She hadn't harbored any kind of illusions. Yes, s
TRAVIS HIT THE GROUND, rolling and grabbing for the firearm in his boot holster. Every fiber of his body was hyper aware of his surroundings. His left arm burned, and he couldn't feel his fingers. There wasn't time to worry about the injury now, not with someone firing a gun at him. Adrenaline fueled his need to survive. Bliss. He had to get back to her. Had to protect her. She wasn't safe.He rose to his knees, gun raised and pointed toward the front of the SUV where he'd glimpsed the shooter.Daniel.It had to be him. Travis had caught a glimpse of a familiar car. The nagging sense that something was wrong had just started low in his gut, and then he saw the blast of muzzle fire. From there he operated on instinct, dropping to the ground, narrowly avoiding the shot.How had Daniel found him so fast? Why was he after Travis? What had changed to make him deviate from the plan? Daniel went after the girls and transient junkies.Pinpricks of pain started in the fingers on his l
BLISS SAT ON THE sofa, mindlessly staring at the TV. She was numb to it all. Her life was done with, at least as she'd known it. And Travis was gone. The cops had already told her that the paperwork for Witness Protection was being pushed through despite the holidays, and that meant that in twenty-four hours Bliss Giles would cease to exist. She'd become someone else. A stranger. None of it mattered anymore.Was this how it felt like for Wendy? Was this depression? She'd always fought her way through the tough times, determined to make things better but now... It wasn't worth it. Travis had made that clear.A man had never meant so much to her before. She'd never allowed them to, if she were honest with herself. Nice guys fit into a box in her life, one where she still had time and attention to pick up the slack for Wendy. But a guy like Travis? He would demand everything she had. He readjusted her priorities, shown her what she could have with a man who deserved to be the love of
TRAVIS KEPT ONE HAND on Bliss the whole walk from the car to the entrance of the police station, his gaze scanning the vehicles in the parking lot. Marcus strode ahead of them and the driver behind in a tight formation around her. Travis didn't breathe until they passed through the secured entrance. His leg twinged and his shoulder burned, but they were minor injuries as far as he could tell.Marcus led them through the warren of departments, moving at a brisk pace. Bliss nearly jogged at his side, puffing and out of breath by the time they made it to the inner sanctum. The homicide department, if Travis had to guess.Ryan and Jade had their heads together, staring at a file."Look what the cat dragged in," Connor drawled.Travis steered Bliss to a cushy office chair."Shit, you're bleeding.""Leave it," Travis snapped at Connor. He'd already pulled the glass out of his leg, and the wound on his arm was just a graze. It was the lack of sleep and focus that had been his undo
"MIND GIVING ME A HAND?"Bliss steeled her nerves and turned toward Travis. She'd avoided him since they arrived at the station, hiding out in the break room after answering Jade's questions. Her emotions were too mixed up for her to make sense of them, and she wasn't fond of making a spectacle of herself. The FBI agents were politely ignoring whatever it was she'd had with him up at the lake, but her parents wouldn't.Travis held a first aid kit in his hand, and his jacket was folded over his other arm. Blood soaked his shirt, and there were several small scratches on his face he hadn't had when he left her that morning."Sure." What else was she supposed to say?Bliss pulled out a chair and gestured for him to sit.He plunked the kit onto the table and peeled his long-sleeved thermal shirt off. Her mouth dried up, and her fingers itched to trace his ladder-like abdominal muscles. Forget about what was really going on for just a few minutes. Pretend they were still in that h