It's Always Been You (16 page)

“Caitlin . . . fuck babe . . .” His voice had taken on the texture of gravel as emotions warred with a tempest of lust. He watched her come apart as he moved inside her. It was the beautiful, glorious sight he remembered. Every nerve ending in his body lit up. She was fucking finally his in every way, and he was never letting her go.
 
She started struggling beneath him, begging him to go faster, harder. And that’s when he gave it to her. He fucked her with no semblance of rhythm, pounding into her wildly, until he ultimately fractured into a million pieces.
 

*****

Caitlin rolled over on her belly and admired the ripple of muscle under the golden skin of the man who just made love to her for hours. She was pretty sure the soreness in her body wasn’t due to her attack a couple of days ago but from the sex marathon they had engaged in all night long.
 

She was deliciously sated. As Travis promised her when he carried her to his bedroom—she would be “thoroughly-fucked” before dawn.
 

He had moved inside her at a relentless pace, as if he hadn’t wanted to stop. But Caitlin had noticed his restraint, and though she urged him to let go like she had, she knew he was afraid to hurt her. He had shuddered above her, his face a mixture of agony and pleasure; his movements were jerky as he tempered his passion.

Right now, gazing upon his slumbering handsome face, he looked peaceful, content.
 

She slipped out of bed to head back to her own room. She felt the rustle of bed sheets behind her.

“Where are you going?” Travis asked in a sleepy, but annoyed voice.

“Back to my room,” Caitlin said, poised by the door, her head turned back toward the bed.

“Get back in the fucking bed. I’m not done with you.”

“Honey, I’m impressed with your stamina, but we mortals need some rest,” Caitlin teased, fully turning back to face him. She crossed her arms down where her hands could cover the vee of her legs.

“Isn’t it a bit late for modesty?” Travis swung his legs to the floor, stalking gracefully toward her like a panther on the prowl. Caitlin tried her damnedest not to look south of his ridged ab muscles. But his sexy hip bone and that dusting of hair trailing from his navel down to his weapon of mass orgasm, simply made it difficult.
 

Caitlin held her ground, but he stopped at his dresser and opened a drawer to pull out a shirt. “Here. Put this on.”

She hesitated. Travis, with a determined look on his face and with no small amount of exasperation, closed the distance between them and helped her into his shirt. After that was done, he came up behind her and guided her back to his bed.
 

“I’m not used to sleeping without underwear,” Caitlin protested.

“You never were,” Travis murmured into her hair. He scooped her up before she reached the bed and gently lowered her on the center of the mattress. He got in beside her. “You simply had no choice when I was around.”

“Travis—”

“Shh … sleep. I’m not fucking you again for a few hours.”

She could hear the laughter in his voice.

“No matter how much you beg me,” he added.
 

She jabbed her elbow behind her and was satisfied to hear him grunt.

“Vicious woman,” he muttered. His arms came around her, his leg wedging itself between hers. Her breath caught when she felt the hairs of his thigh tickle her sex.
 

“Shit . . .” he whispered. “I’m fucked out, but your pussy sure feels good.”

She squirmed.

“Babe, stop,” he groaned into her neck. “If you get me hard, you’ll have to do all the work since it’s your fault. I’m not sleeping with an erection.”

“Don’t men get morning wood?”

There was a rumble of laughter behind her. “Yeah, babe, but that’s different.”

Caitlin huffed. “Men are so complicated.”

“I disagree. We eat, sleep, and fuck. Now, I need some sleep. You do, too.”

“Seriously—”

“Caitlin.”
 
He squeezed her arm.

She exhaled deeply again and tried to sleep, but she was very much aware of the man sleeping naked behind her. Very aware.

*****

Caitlin looked away when a needle pricked her arm. Dr. Fern Ryan arrived promptly at 8:00 a.m. for a follow-up. She also drew some blood to make sure the anti-serum had no lasting side effects. Caitlin found out this morning, that aside from being Travis’s personal physician, the doctor was cleared by the CIA to treat agents of private security firms who worked for the agency.
 

“Any nausea or dizziness?” the doctor asked as she tested the dilation of her pupils.
 

“Nope, just the pain from the bruises. I even stopped taking the pain meds,” Caitlin replied. Dr. Ryan exuded a business-like air. Her chestnut hair was gathered in a severe bun, and was streaked with gray. Caitlin would place the doctor’s age in her early fifties. She was extremely slender, almost bony in some places, but she was ramrod straight in carriage. Caitlin wouldn’t be surprised if she had been in the military at one point and couldn’t imagine Travis asking the doctor to bring him condoms.
 

“I believe you’re receiving the birth control shot today?”
 

“Yes.”

“You don’t sound too sure.”

Caitlin was still annoyed at Travis’s high-handedness.
 

“I’m sure,” Caitlin sighed.

The doctor smiled, softening her austere appearance quite a bit. She took out a vial from her medical kit and tore open a package for a fresh syringe. “You shouldn’t let him bulldoze you into things. That man can be quite . . . arrogant.”

“I’m aware of that fact.”

“Something tells me he’s met his match though.”

Caitlin’s eyes snapped to the doctor’s in surprise, but she got distracted by another prick on her arm.
 

“I feel like a human pin cushion,” Caitlin muttered.

“Poor girl. It wasn’t too long ago when I gave you that physical. Hopefully, I won’t be seeing you again for a while.”

“You and me both. All done?”

The doctor nodded and started to pack up. Caitlin waited for her to gather her things so they could exit Travis’s study together.

Travis was pacing outside the room with a somber look on his face. When he saw them, he barked, “What took so long?”

“Calm down, Travis. I just wanted to be thorough,” Dr. Ryan answered.

He inclined his head jerkily, his eyes cutting to Caitlin, but he was addressing the doctor, “Is she okay?”

“Healthy as an ox.”

Relief mellowed the tension on his face.
 

“No heavy exercise,” the doctor added, her meaning not lost on them both. Caitlin felt color rising to her cheeks even as Travis turned ruddy. “And if you don’t want her to get pregnant, Travis, you should continue using condoms for a week.”

Travis grinned. “Not a problem, Fern.”

The doctor shook her head, reached out, and squeezed Travis’s arm. “I’m glad you found her.”
 

She turned her bespectacled gaze on Caitlin. “You have a good man here, young lady. Stay out of trouble.”

Travis slung his arm around Caitlin, pulling her close, and kissed the top of her head. They walked the doctor to her car, and watched her pull away. Returning to the house, Travis paused at the foyer and turned her fully in his arms. “We have a slight problem.”

His tone seemed serious, but his face wasn’t.

“Um . . . What?”

“My parents are coming over.”

CHAPTER NINE

He was joking, right? Caitlin thought frantically as she stared at Travis with her mouth hanging open. Travis’s eyes grew alert, taking in her reaction carefully.
 

“Babe. Breathe,” Travis said worriedly.

Breathe? Breathe?
Breathing was the least of her problems. Well, maybe not. She started taking deep exhalations, pulled away from Travis, and backed into the kitchen slowly. She turned around and leaned against the countertop, bracing her hands on the edge. “Are you trying to kill me?” she gasped out as her heart galloped against her breastbone.

“Caitlin,” Travis’s voice was calm behind her. “They’re going to love you, sunshine. Don’t worry.”

She released her grip on the counter and faced him. “Have you told them I’m alive?”

His gaze slid away from her and stared at a spot on the floor.
 

“Freaking great,” Caitlin muttered. “You’re going to give your parents a heart attack as well.” Then she shrieked, “What the HELL were you thinking?”

Travis’s arms were outstretched to placate her, but she swatted them away and scooted past him to wear a hole in the carpet in the living room.
 

“I’ll explain when they get here,” Travis said.

“And tell them what? Oh, by the way, my wife is alive?”

“I couldn’t hold them off forever.” It irritated Caitlin that Travis was so matter-of-fact about the whole thing. “Mom said my sister, Lisa, had some stuff for me and wanted to bring them over before she returned to work this week.”

“Travis, have you considered what would happen if things don’t work out between us?” Caitlin asked. “We’ll hurt them in the end.”

“We’ll make sure we won’t,” Travis replied, still speaking in that measured tone, but a line formed along his jaw.

And that was when it hit her. He was so calm about the whole thing because this was another way to back her into a corner and make her accept her fate as his wife.

“You did this deliberately.” Her eyes narrowed. Surprisingly, she wasn’t too pissed off by his tactics, but he had to stop his underhanded manipulations.
 

The doorbell rang. Caitlin froze.
 

Travis cursed, looked at the door then back at her.
 

Caitlin unfroze and started to run for the stairs.
 

“Caitlin,” Travis roared after her. She heard voluble profanities erupt behind her, and she stopped at the bottom of the staircase. What was she doing? What did she think she could do? Hide in her room forever?

Travis was already upon her by the time she could even decide what to do. He grabbed her hand and dragged her back to the living room.

“Stay here. Don’t fucking move,” he ordered.

The doorbell rang again.

*****

The good news was no one fainted.

Travis was having second thoughts about this impulsive plan he had hatched early this morning when his mom called inquiring if they could come over. It bothered him because he was not an impulsive man. He was calculating and precise. It seemed when it came to Caitlin, all bets were off and he never knew how he’d react. He’d become an opportunist. Any way for him to bind her to him he would do it. She needed to have a sense of family. And he didn’t want to delay that any longer.
 

He opened the door to his parents, but he stood by the frame with an arm outstretched on the jamb, preventing entry. Lillian Blake eyed her son with a frown. “Forgot your manners, Travis?”
 

“Mom.” He leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek. Then he turned to his dad and lifted his chin in greeting. “Dad. Ah . . . there’s something I neglected to inform you both,” Travis started, but his mom, clearly losing patience, ducked under his arm to enter the house. His eyes slid shut at the inevitable.

“Really, Travis, there’s no need for . . . oh, sweet Lord!” his mom shrieked behind him. Daniel Blake, hearing his wife’s distress, scowled at his son and forced himself past the door.
 

Caitlin would most likely demand a divorce after this. So much for wanting to rip this whole thing off like a Band-Aid.

“Uh . . . hi,” Caitlin said timidly to his parents.

“Sarah?” his mom choked. Walking a couple of steps forward, her movements faltered. His dad immediately rushed to his wife’s side to offer support.
 

“What’s the meaning of this, son?” His dad’s voice was gruff.

Travis walked to Caitlin and hugged her close. “Mom, this is Caitlin. Caitlin is Sarah.” Shit, this was harder to explain than he thought. “It’s complicated,” he added lamely.
 

Way to go, Travis. Real slick
.

His mom took another step forward, her eyes glazed with tears, lips trembling. “Sarah? Oh, my God. Travis. Is this real?’

He better explain things pretty fast. “Mom, Dad. Maybe you should sit down.” He nodded to the couch. His parents sat, obviously in a daze.
 

“Sarah was a victim of revenge against DEVGRU, my SEAL unit,” Travis said. He felt Caitlin stiffen beside him. He’d already rehearsed the whole story; he hoped she would play along. “I’m not at liberty to discuss the who and the what. But a year after Sarah was taken, I began to piece together some evidence that led me to believe she was alive.”

“That’s why you never gave up on her,” Lillian’s voice trembled with emotion. “Oh, Travis. Is this why you started BSI?”

Travis nodded. “There’s more to this, Mom.” He glanced briefly at Caitlin, who had her head bowed. He gripped her hand tightly. “Sarah does not exist anymore.”

“Is someone still after you, Sarah?” his dad asked.

“Her name is Caitlin now,” Travis said. “She has amnesia.”

“What?” his parents exclaimed, their eyes narrowing at his wife.
 

Caitlin shot him a
you’re in so much trouble
look. He didn’t care as long as they ended up in bed. His cock twitched.
Fuck! Blake, now is not the time to have a hard-on
,
especially in front of your mom
. Any lustful thoughts were quickly squelched.

“Caitlin only remembers the past three years. She doesn’t remember the both of you.” His throat constricted. “Or me.”

His mom rose and walked over to them. “Oh, Travis.” His mom hugged him. Shit. Nothing like a mother who could sense her son’s pain. She turned to Caitlin. “Your death nearly destroyed him, Sarah . . . I’m sorry . . . it’ll take me some time to get used to your new name.” His mother embraced Caitlin tightly. “Whatever happened, I don’t need to know. I’ve accepted that part of my son’s life. Dear child, it’s good to have you back.”