Promises to a Stallion

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Becoming concerned when there was still no response, Travis slowly eased open the room’s door, peering inside. Tierra was nowhere to be seen, but he could hear her voice coming from inside the adjoining bathroom. Tierra was singing loudly, an off-tune version of Beyoncé’s latest hit echoing off the walls. Even as Travis stepped into the room, toward the sound of her voice, he knew he should probably turn around and retreat. But curiosity had gotten the best of him.

Stopping short in the doorway of the bathroom, Travis’s eyes widened, a deep grin blossoming across his face. Tierra lay comfortably in a garden tub filled with warm water and lavender-scented bubble bath. Headphones plugged her ears as she lay with her eyes closed tightly, her hands at shoulder level as she snapped her fingers to the beat of the song playing on her iPod. Her legs were crossed at the ankles, her feet propped against the tub’s edge. It was the first time since they’d met that she seemed totally and completely relaxed.

Travis couldn’t help but marvel at the sight of her lying there in all her glory. Even after holding her in his arms, Travis was still amazed at just how tiny a woman she was, her size 2 frame looking even smaller.

Her face shimmered with warmth, the steam from the hot water heating her caramel-colored complexion a rosy red. Her luscious, dark brown tresses were pinned atop her head, a few wispy strands framing her delicate face. She was stunning.

Snow-white bubbles danced atop the water’s surface, the occasional breaks in their flow allowing him a quick peek at her form. Small, apple-size breasts bobbed at water level. If he hadn’t been searching he would have missed the small heart-shaped tattoo that adorned the inner curve of her right one, the image as tiny and as petite as the rest of her. Her hardened nipples stood at full attention, bubbles and water caressing them easily.

Travis suddenly wanted to nuzzle his head against her chest to taste the chocolate delights. A quiver of heat surged through his groin and he felt himself lengthen in his jeans. He inhaled swiftly, fighting to stall the sensation.

When she pulled the short length of her legs toward her chest, then eased them back beneath the water, Travis knew he was completely enraptured. He could have stood there staring at her forever.

Shaking the reverie from his head, he eased back out of the room. He paused a quick minute, then cleared his voice and knocked gently on the door frame, calling out Tierra’s name. Startled, Tierra jumped, water splashing onto the floor. “Who? What the…? Don’t you knock?” she sputtered as she realized he was standing right outside the opened door.

“I’m sorry,” Travis interjected. “You couldn’t hear me, and I was trying to get your attention. Eden wanted me to tell you that dinner is ready.” The man was still grinning broadly, his face hidden from her view.

Tierra reached for one of the large plush towels hanging from the towel rack. Drawing it up and around her body, she moved to shield herself from sight. “You really have some nerve,” she said as she stepped out of the tub. Pressing her body against the bathroom wall, she peered around the door frame to where he stood, eyeing the man from head to toe.

Travis leaned back against the wall between them, his arms crossing evenly over his chest. He stared back. “So, are you coming down to dinner?” He smiled sweetly.

“You really need to get out of my room,” Tierra responded. “I don’t remember inviting you in.”

“I just wanted to make sure you eat something. You’re going to need your nourishment.”

“Why?”

“Because, we’ve got a busy schedule this week, you and I.”

“I don’t remember saying I was planning to spend any time with you.”

Travis laughed. “You didn’t, but you are.”

Tierra rolled her eyes skyward. “Why?”

“Because you like me,” Travis answered smugly. He winked at her as he crossed back to the other side of the room.

“You really are an arrogant, annoying, pain in the butt,” Tierra said, her head shaking.

Travis laughed. “I was just thinking the same thing about you.”

“Get out!” She clutched her towel closer around her body.

Wrapping his hand around the doorknob, he paused. “Oh,” he said staring back at her. “Really cute tattoo! It suits you.”

Her eyes widening, Tierra screamed at the top of her lungs, “Get out!”

Chapter 6

There was no denying the strain between Tierra and Travis when the woman finally joined the gathering for dinner. The tension swelled so thick and full that you could have sawed it into pieces and played a game of hockey with them.

Tierra moved into the room and purposely avoided meeting the man’s intense gaze. And he was staring, a quirky smile plastered across his handsome face. As she cast a sidelong glance in his direction, she was tempted to slap that smile away. She couldn’t believe he had peeked into the bathroom and had seen her naked. And just how long had he been standing there staring at me? she wondered silently. Too long! Tierra thought, shaking her head. Much too long! She couldn’t believe the man’s audacity.

And she couldn’t believe that she was excited at the thought of him. Even now, trying to reason with her own senses, she couldn’t stop the quivering that had started in her feminine spirit and had spread throughout her whole body. She found herself yearning for his touch, and just the thought of his hands had her pulse beating like a steel drum between her legs.

He had beautiful hands. It was clear that he didn’t neglect them, his nails clean and neatly manicured. His touch was strong but gentle, the large appendages belying the hint of calluses across his palms from the manual labor he did.

Tierra couldn’t help but imagine his fingers dancing across her skin, tracing easy lines as he gently caressed her. She couldn’t stop herself from imagining what it might be like to have him trace the line of her tattoo as his palm cupped the wealth of her breast. Tierra inhaled swiftly.

“Tierra?…Tierra? Are you okay?”

Her name ringing in her ears drew her back to the moment. “Excuse me? Oh, I’m sorry. I was just…”

Everyone seated at the table chuckled softly. “You were gone, girl!” Luke Stallion chimed.

“I want some of whatever you’re having,” Marah laughed.

“Excuse me,” Tierra said, her gaze skating around the table. “I don’t understand.”

Eden patted her friend on the shoulder. “You were moaning, girl!”

Tierra’s shocked expression made them all laugh a second time. “I was not!”

Marla nodded her head. “Well, it sounded like a moan, and the look on your face said whatever you were thinking about was good. Real good.”

“Or whoever you were thinking about…” Eden added, her eyes moving in Travis’s direction. The man grinned broadly.

Tierra blushed profusely, the temperature in the room suddenly uncomfortable. “I’m sure I didn’t moan,” she insisted, rolling her eyes and trying to laugh the moment away. “I was just thinking about the chores I finished today. If anything, I probably groaned,” she said, desperate to change the subject.

“So, where did you two disappear to today?” Marla asked, looking from one to the other.

Tierra met Travis’s gaze for the first time since they’d sat down for dinner. Her look was pleading.

Travis winked and smiled warmly. “Nowhere special,” he answered, turning his attention back to Marla. “Tierra just gave me a quick tour of Dallas. Isn’t that right, Tierra?’ He met her gaze a second time.

The young woman nodded. “Yeah,” she muttered softly, her eyes still locked with his. She was grateful that he didn’t mention where they’d gone and what she’d had to do. She didn’t want to start another conversation about her failed relationship. Gratitude spilled from her stare as she gave him a soft smile back, her mouth curling ever so slightly. Travis smiled again before breaking their eye connection when he turned to ask his cousin a question.

Conversation filled the room as the group chatted comfortably back and forth. As they enjoyed their dessert, Travis listened intently as Tierra discussed the nuances of preschoolers and kindergarten with a very pregnant Michelle Stallion. Mark and his wife were excited at the prospect of nurturing a newborn.

As she talked about her profession, Travis could see that Tierra truly loved what she did. She had always wanted to be a teacher, and from what he was hearing she’d known she’d wanted to teach students in the elementary school level from the very first day of her student teaching assignment. She’d been teaching kindergarten for five years since then, and clearly it suited her personality.

“Doesn’t sound much different from what you do, Travis,” Matthew said jokingly.

Travis laughed. “Except I get my kids from boot camp to graduation in twelve weeks,” the man responded.

“Do you like being in the military?” Tierra questioned, curious to know more about the man.

Travis nodded. “I do. I enlisted right out of high school, and it was the best thing for me. It gave me discipline and guidance and allowed me to set goals for myself that I hadn’t known possible. I also consider it an honor and a privilege to be serving my country.”

Tierra smiled. “That’s nice.”

Everyone in the room paused, seeming to eye them both curiously. Eden broke the silence. “Tierra, have you seen our rose garden? It is absolutely incredible this time of year. Travis, why don’t you walk Tierra down to the gardens and show her the blooms,” she said, her tone just shy of commanding.

Travis eagerly set his wineglass on the table. “I’d be delighted. Ms. Braddy, would you care to join me?”

Marla pushed her gently. “She’d love to,” she answered firmly.

Tierra tossed her friend an annoyed look. “I really don’t think—” she started before Travis interrupted her.

“I promise,” he said, rising to his feet, “I won’t bite!”

Tierra sighed, moving to join him. As the two made their way out of the room, she muttered under her breath, “It wasn’t you I was worried about.”

The word incredible didn’t begin to describe the luxurious grounds outside the family’s home. The gardens were a classic formal display of beds of roses arranged in a grass-girded oval around an exquisite marble fountain. Thousands of plantings and dozens of varieties decorated the landscape, and the sweet aroma wafting through the warm evening air was pure decadence.

Tierra was awed by the sheer beauty of it all, her eyes wide with surprise. “Oh, my,” she muttered softly as the two of them meandered slowly down one of the brick paths.

“Yeah, it’s something,” Travis said in agreement.

Without giving it any thought, he reached for her hand, entwining his fingers with hers. Tierra tensed ever so slightly, but she didn’t pull away, allowing him to hold her hand in his. That simple gesture made his heart race, his cellular clock skipping multiple beats.

Tight-lipped, Tierra continued to walk in silence, completely overwhelmed by how comfortable it felt to be so near the man. As he chattered away about absolutely nothing, trying to draw her into conversation, she found herself amused by his efforts. It didn’t take long before she finally allowed herself to relax and enjoy the moment.

“Do you always talk so much?” she questioned, a smug smile crossing her face.

Travis laughed. “Only when I have to answer my own questions. This conversation thing actually works better when the other person talks also. You might want to try it.”