A Bravo Homecoming Read online

  “I love it when you say my name that way—like I make you weak in the knees.”

  “You do,” she whispered. “In the knees. Everywhere…”

  He eased a hand beneath the covers. His rough, tender fingers danced across her skin.

  She moaned and let her eyes drift shut.

  Several minutes passed before she opened them again. By then, she was breathless and limp. And very much satisfied.

  It seemed only fair to make sure he was satisfied, too.

  Somehow, they were still in bed at five of nine. She insisted that they shower separately. It was the only way to guarantee that they wouldn’t get distracted and end up staying in their rooms for half the day.

  She was dressed and finishing her light makeup, brushing on the final touch of mascara, when she saw him in the mirror, standing in the bathroom doorway. He looked so good, freshly shaved and wearing khakis and a dark blue sweater with the sleeves pushed halfway up his corded forearms.

  He watched her with a definite gleam in his eyes. “Seeing you with your clothes on just makes me want to take them off you again.”

  She paused with the mascara wand a few inches from her face. “Forget that. Your family will think we’re a couple of sex fiends.”

  “So what? Happily engaged couples tend to be sex-obsessed.”

  “But we’re not engaged. Not really.” She went back to stroking on the mascara.

  “But are we sex-obsessed?”

  She decided not to answer that one.

  He arched an eyebrow. “So, have you decided to tell them all that you’re not my fiancée after all?”

  She stuck the wand in the base, screwed it shut. “I met them only yesterday.” She blew out a breath through puffed cheeks and admitted, “I just don’t want to do that at this point. I can’t believe I’m such a frickin’ coward.”

  He made a chiding sound with that clever tongue of his. “Did you just say frickin’?”

  She canted her chin high. “Hey, I may know how to dress and put on makeup and use the right fork now, but underneath, I’m as crude and unrefined as I ever was.”

  “And I’m really happy about that.” He seemed to mean it.

  And it mattered to her that he hadn’t forgotten the Sam he’d always known. Still, she warned, “Well, just remember, I can take you down if you get out of line.”

  He grunted. “Doubt it.”

  She dropped the mascara back in her makeup bag. “Want to try me?”

  In the mirror, his eyes flashed with sudden, wonderful heat. “Tonight. In bed.”

  “Bawkbawkbawk.”

  He came away from the door. In the mirror, she watched him approach. Was it just her, or was it suddenly hotter in there? His gentle hands clasped her shoulders. She shut her eyes, drew in a slow, steadying breath. He asked, “Who’re you calling chicken, huh?” It was a threat. A really tempting one.

  “Chicken?” She put on a puzzled frown. “Did I say that?”

  He bent, kissed her neck, drawing on the skin a little. Not enough to leave a mark, but enough to send a shiver running under her skin. He caught her eyes again in the mirror. “Take it back?”

  She turned to face him. “I guess, for now, I’ll have to, won’t I?”

  He grinned. Slowly. “You will if you plan to make an appearance downstairs anytime soon.”

  As far as Travis was concerned, they could have stayed upstairs in their rooms all week. He could have called a pharmacy and had the condoms they needed delivered. He could have asked to have their meals left at the door.

  Him and Sam. Who knew?

  It was a question he’d been asking a lot lately—ever since he’d seen this new, exciting side of her. She was a revelation.

  In the past six or seven years, he’d slowly come to realize that she was probably the best friend he had. His best friend. And now this. Every hour he was with her, he was happier with himself and the world.

  He wanted to keep her safe. And at his side. If he could do both of those things, well, he’d be one lucky guy. The higher-ups at STOI were constantly offering him opportunities to work full-time on shore. He could step up to rig superintendent, with a number of company men on different rigs reporting to him. In fact, a promotion was available to him in the next couple of months if he wanted it.

  So he could come home most nights. And she was making a change, too, giving up work on offshore rigs. He was glad about that. The work was too dangerous.

  Accounting. Now, there was a job where you couldn’t get hurt. He approved of that for her.

  Well, except that getting her degree would mean she’d be putting in long hours in class and studying. And didn’t accountants work sixty-to-seventy-hour weeks?

  All that time. Away from him…

  Anything might happen to her. The most innocent activities—something so simple as walking across the street—could spell disaster. He knew that too well.

  They would have to talk about it, about what was the best choice for her, for them.

  He took her hand, kissed the back of it. “You just have to go downstairs, huh?”

  She eased her fingers from his hold and looked at him sternly. But her beautiful eyes were shining. “You recently spent a big pile of money improving my manners, and now you want me to be rude?”

  He tried to look pitiful. “It’s rude to stay here with me?”

  “It’s rude to go visit people and then not spend any time with them—which I don’t need to tell you because you have a mama who loves you and brought you up right.”

  He had to admit he agreed with her. So they went downstairs.

  When they entered the big, farm-style kitchen, his mom and dad were the only ones there. The older couple sat at the table, sipping coffee.

  His dad said slyly, “We were wondering if you two would ever get up.”

  “Don’t listen to Davis,” his mom instructed. “You two are on vacation. Stay in bed every day till noon if it suits you.”

  Travis bent over her and kissed her cheek. “Thanks, Mom. We just might.”

  She reached back and patted the side of his face. “It does my heart good to see you so happy, honey.”

  “I am,” he said. Sam was watching them. He met her eyes. Zap. Just sharing a look with her got him hot.

  Davis got up. “How about my famous sourdough pancakes, maybe some bacon and scrambled eggs?”

  Sam said, “Davis, I think you read my mind.”

  “Where is everybody?” Travis went to the counter to get the coffeepot and a couple of mugs for him and Sam.

  Davis was already at the stove. “Elena and Rogan went out to the stables with Mercy and Luke.” Bravo Ridge was a working horse ranch. Luke bred quarter horses, both for work and for show. “They took the kids.” The kids, Travis assumed, would be Elena and Rogan’s baby, Michael, and also Mercy and Luke’s two, Lucas and little Serena. The rest of his brothers and sisters and their families had gone on home because they all lived nearby. Elena and Rogan, though, made their home in the Dallas area, and had driven down to the ranch for the week.

  Some of the Bravo family relationships were…interesting, to say the least.

  Elena and Mercy were very close. Mainly because Elena was not only his dad’s illegitimate daughter, but she was also Mercy’s sister, though not by blood. Mercy had been adopted at the age of twelve by Elena’s mom, Luz, and Luz’s husband, Javier.

  In fact, until just a few years ago, everyone except Luz had believed that Javier Cabrera was Elena’s natural father. When the truth came out, there had been big trouble in both families. That was when Travis’s dad and mom had separated. Luz and Javier had lived apart, too.

  But everyone seemed to have worked through the old garbage now. They all got along.

  “We’re all invited to Abilene and Donovan’s for dinner tonight,” said his mom.

  Sam grinned. “I’ll get to see their new Hill Country dream house.”

  His mom, always big on touching, reached over and patted S
am’s hand. “Yes, you will. It’s a beautiful place not far from Fredericksburg.”

  Travis set Sam’s coffee in front of her. She sent him a smoldering glance. “Thanks.” He considered plunking his mug and the coffeepot down on the table, grabbing her, tossing her over his shoulder and heading for the stairs.

  But then he had another idea. He put his own mug down in the place beside hers. “Abilene and Donovan’s isn’t all that far from the cabin….”

  His dad had turned the burners on under the cast-iron griddle. He cracked an egg into a striped bowl. “That’s right.” He asked Sam, “Travis tell you about the cabin?”

  “He did, yeah.” Her gaze and Travis’s met again. She wore a fond, knowing smile. It was good, he was thinking, to be with a woman who knew his history, who had heard all his stories of growing up a Bravo. She not only understood him better because of all that she knew about him, but she also had a common ground with his mom and dad and the rest of the family. She turned to Davis again. “He’s always said it was beautiful there, that your whole family used to go there camping when he was growing up. Sounded like heaven to me.”

  His dad cracked another egg and agreed, “It’s a beautiful spot.” He picked up a wire whisk and started beating the eggs with it. “The cabin was pretty much a shack in the old days, when we all used to camp there. A few years back, we had it renovated. Now it’s not only picturesque, but it has all of the comforts of home.”

  At his mother’s nod, Travis refilled her coffee. He carried the pot back to the counter and suggested casually, “Maybe I’ll take Sam to the cabin today, show her around.”

  Sam glanced at him sharply. And then she rolled her eyes—but quickly, so neither his mom nor his dad would catch her doing it. She’d guessed what he was up to. Which was maybe the drawback of being with someone who knew him so well.

  So what? A few slow, deep kisses and she’d be glad he’d carried her off to the family cabin.

  They could get condoms in Fredericksburg. And the cabin was cozy and private, with a nice, big comfortable bed in the bedroom.

  His mom beamed. “What a lovely idea.”

  After breakfast, they toured the stables. Sam was raised on a ranch. She’d been riding since she was barely able to walk. She was brimming with praise for Luke’s horses and the first-class operation he ran.

  Luke asked if they wanted to ride, to get out and see more of Bravo Ridge. Sam said she’d love that. Travis started to get his hopes up. He could just picture it—the two of them, riding out alone, finding some private place in a stand of trees to hobble the horses and share a few kisses.

  He was thinking they could spread a saddle blanket on the ground. Yeah, there was a nip in the air, but they could warm each other up real fast.

  His big plans quickly crashed and burned. Elena and Rogan decided to go with them. Mercy said she’d watch the kids.

  So it was the four of them.

  It turned out to be a good time. Elena and Sam seemed to hit it off, which wasn’t all that surprising. Sam got along with everyone in his family. For Travis, it was an opportunity to get to know his half sister and her husband a little better. Rogan and Elena had met a year and a half ago, when Rogan came to San Antonio to buy out Javier Cabrera’s construction business.

  Rogan was a big, good-looking guy with a winning smile, of Irish descent. Travis found he approved of the way that Rogan looked at Elena, a world of love and admiration in his green eyes.

  They were back at the ranch by one. Mercy had lunch ready. So they didn’t get away until two. They were expected at Abilene’s by six.

  That gave them four hours to themselves. Travis planned that they’d spend the majority of it naked in the cabin, rolling around on that nice, big bed.

  But they had to stop in Fredericksburg to get the condoms. He pulled in at the Walgreens off Main and told Sam he’d be right back.

  She made one of those snorty noises she used to make all the time, before the big makeover and her transformation into the sexiest woman on planet Earth. “Forget that. It’s not like I’m some sweet little Texas rose. I’m not the least embarrassed to be seen buying my own contraception.”

  He gave her a long-suffering look. “I was more thinking of making it quick. You know, so we can be alone?”

  “It won’t take any longer if I come in.”

  “Sam, I’ll only be a minute.”

  “You mean we’ll only be a minute because I’m coming in.”

  There’d never been any arguing with Sam once she made up her mind about something. She’d already leaned on her door and swung her long, strong legs out.

  They went in together.

  And then, once she got to the condom display, well of course she insisted on acting just like a woman: She had to read every damn label. The only thing she was sure about was that he needed a large.

  Which, he had to admit, was gratifying.

  She was intrigued by the textured ones—for greater stimulation. And she kind of thought the ones with different fruity flavors would be fun. Did he want the “extra sensitive”? Would that give him a better experience?

  A couple of other shoppers rolled their carts by while Sam rattled on about the various benefits and drawbacks of each and every option. Travis could have been embarrassed, but he wasn’t. And the other shoppers seemed more amused by her candor than anything else.

  And really, Sam was damn cute. He liked her frankness. And she’d always had a great sense of humor.

  They bought six different kinds because she couldn’t come to a clear decision about which of those six was going to be the best choice. Forty-five full minutes after he pulled into the parking lot, they were finally pulling out again.

  The ride to the cabin was a pretty one, even in late November, with the rolling fields either mowed or dry. It was only a few miles from Fredericksburg.

  They turned onto a dusty dirt road for the last half mile. And then, finally, the land opened up and there was the rustic old cabin in the middle of a wide, rolling field that in the spring and early summer was vivid green and thick with wildflowers.

  Sam put her hand on his arm. “Stop the car.”

  “What the…?”

  “Travis, come on. Stop. Now.”

  He put his foot on the brake and eased the Cadillac to the flattened grass at the narrow shoulder. “What?”

  “Look. In front of the cabin. Somebody’s already there.”

  He craned closer to the windshield. “What the…?” At the end of the porch, he saw two motorcycles parked side-by-side, shiny chrome gleaming in the winter sunlight.

  Sam was grinning. “Looks like a pair of really nice choppers to me…”

  Choppers. Custom motorcycles. His brother Jericho built choppers. And Jericho’s wife, Marnie, worked with him at his motorcycle shop, San Antonio Choppers.

  And hadn’t Marnie and Jericho mentioned how much they loved riding their bikes in the Hill Country, and that they often visited the cabin?

  Sam gave a low laugh. “Marnie and Jericho, that’s my guess. What do you think they’re doing in there?”

  “Maybe we should go find out,” he answered in a growl.

  She chuckled. A maddening sound. “The blinds are drawn. I really get the feeling they’re not going to appreciate being disturbed.”

  Travis couldn’t believe it. Jericho had beaten him to the cabin. He grumbled, “We might have gotten here first if we hadn’t had to spend an hour choosing condoms.”

  “It wasn’t quite an hour,” she teased. “And I really did have fun picking them out.”

  “Yeah.” He slumped in the seat and scowled out the windshield. “I noticed.”

  She leaned across the console, hooked her cool, smooth hand around the back of his neck and dragged him closer to her. He was forced to meet those amazing, tip-tilted iridescent blue eyes. “Don’t be bitter,” she coaxed. “I personally hope they’re having a terrific time in there.” And then she kissed him.

  And he forgot to b
e annoyed. How could he be aggravated when she kissed him like that? Like he was the only man in the whole world.

  Like she could go on kissing him for hours and never get tired of it. He breathed in the scent of her perfume and kissed her back.

  But eventually, with a reluctance to match his own, she did pull away. “Let’s go back to Fredericksburg for a while, until it’s time to go to Abilene’s.”

  Fredericksburg. Great. The town had been founded by German settlers back in the mid-1800s. There were restaurants, a main street lined with shops and museums, a historic district, peach orchards and brew pubs.

  He grumbled, “Now you want to go play tourist.”

  “Sure, why not?” She leaned close again. He got another heady whiff of her perfume. And she whispered in his ear. “Travis…”

  “What?” He kissed her cheek. He couldn’t stop himself.

  “Don’t be grumpy.”

  “I’m not.”

  “Yes, you are, which means you’re lying again. And you said you were going to stop lying, remember?”

  He turned his head so he could brush her lips once more with his. He couldn’t get enough of the feel of that mouth of hers. “Lying and grumpy. That’s pretty bad.”

  She was smiling at him. “That’s right. You’re no fun when you’re grumpy.”

  “I’m disappointed, that’s all.”

  “Yeah, and you’re also a grown man, not some spoiled little boy.”

  “Am I getting lectured?”

  “Yes, you are. I’m flattered and happy that you want to be with me, but it’s just not happening right now. You might as well accept that. We can still enjoy ourselves, even if it doesn’t involve the use of a single one of those condoms I spent all that time picking out.”

  He knew she was right. He’d been acting like a sulky kid. “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Don’t make me hurt you. Say it like you mean it.”

  He returned her smile. “Yes, ma’am.”

  And then she reached down and put her hand on his knee. She used her strong fingers, massaging a little. He stifled a groan. She said, “Or you know what? We could stay right here. I’ve never used a condom in a car before…”