The Spark Between Us by Stacy Travis

Chapter Twenty-One

Sarah

Weeks turned into months,and after a while, I didn’t even think about riding my bike home. I knew that unless Braden was working a twenty-four-hour shift, he’d be waiting outside the lab each day to pick me up.

He always stood there in his aviators, leaning against his truck. And I always loved seeing him there. We loaded my bike into the back, and he shut the hatch on the back.

“Do you have anything going on this weekend?” Braden asked, opening the passenger door and taking my bag off my shoulder. He dropped it behind the seat and waited for my answer before he closed the door.

Casting a glance at the lab where my team was still working, I felt a little bit guilty about leaving so early, but we’d all made it clear at the outset that we knew our objectives, and everyone worked at their own pace. “I should probably come in at least one day to record some of our data.”

“Could that day be Sunday?” He didn’t wait for my answer before closing the door and going to his side.

He hopped in and looked over at me. I shrugged. “Sure. Sunday’s fine. Why? Do you have a house project for us to do this weekend? Are we building the fire pit?”

“Not this weekend, no.” He started the engine and pulled onto the road. “I had something I thought you might like to see, but it’s kind of an overnight thing, so you’d need to be free tomorrow.” He looked almost embarrassed when he said it, as though it was a big ask.

I put my hand on his leg and turned to face him, overly serious. “Braden. Are you asking me for a sleepover?”

His lips crooked up. “You already have sleepovers every night. This one is just in a different location.”

“I’m not going to say no to a sleepover. I’ll even bring my good pajamas.”

He drove us down a road we didn’t usually take, but I could still tell we were headed back to his house. “Define ‘good pajamas.’ I’ve seen your pajamas. Are they the ones with bears or the other ones?”

“Well, fireman, I just may have a pair you haven’t seen.” I quirked an eyebrow. When I’d packed one set of pink lace lingerie, I didn’t expect to need it, but it’s always a good idea to be prepared. “Are you going to tell me where we’re going? Road trip?”

He shook his head. “Nope. But I will tell you this—it’s less about the journey and all about the destination.”

“Sure you don’t have your Zen backwards? Life’s supposed to be all about the journey, not the destination.”

“Not in this case. The journey happens once we get there.”

“Interesting.” So far, he hadn’t steered me wrong, so I decided to go with whatever guiding principle he felt like using.

We pulled into the driveway of Braden’s house, and he walked to the front door with me, but once he opened it, he wrapped an arm around me and pulled me tight against him, folding me into the hard, sexy ridges of his chest and crushing my lips with his. “Mmmm . . . Been waiting to do that all day.”

“Well, we could always forget about the road trip and just stay here for more of that.” I leaned my head against his chest and sank into the feeling of total contentment. “I’m not picky.”

He kissed me again, slower this time, with deep, slow strokes of his tongue as his hand caressed the side of my face and ran through my hair.

Every damn kiss was like that, giving me everything I wanted to feel in my heart and soul. Then I’d get some bonus feels I never imagined possible that blossomed with heat over every inch of my skin.

I melted into him as his teeth grazed my bottom lip and his lips roamed down my cheek to where he nipped at my jaw. Lazily, my hands roamed over his chest and encircled his neck. Then I moaned at the absence of him as he pulled away.

“I know.” He kissed my lips once more. And again. “It’s hard to stop. But we have to.”

“Do we?” It seemed like a random parameter he’d pulled off a dusty shelf when he could go with the flow, and we could happily spend the rest of the weekend in his bed.

He looked at the time on his phone. “I’m afraid so. We’re on a schedule. Go upstairs and pack a bag and meet me down here when you’re ready, k?”

Giving him a salute, I headed into the house, but not before he smacked my ass and looked at me like he’d like to take a bite out of it. That idea tempted me. So did going off for the weekend without knowing the plan.

It felt freeing to give up the tight control I normally sought in order to avoid uncomfortable surprises. I trusted Braden enough not to need a plan.

My heart raced with a tiny bit of panic at that realization. Our temporary just-for-fun arrangement wasn’t supposed to engender things like trust and actual feelings.

And yet … there they were.

For now, I resigned myself to enjoying the present and whatever road trip Braden had in mind. I’d get a firm grip on my feelings when we got back. I’d have to.

I took the stairs two at a time and threw together a combination of clothes that could work for a variety of settings since I didn’t know where we were going.

That meant I’d stuffed my overnight bag to the gills, shoving in a dress, heels, shorts, a hoodie, jeans, and whatever else I might possibly need in the next twenty-four hours. Then I threw in an extra pair of heels, my favorite pair of red stilettos with a bow on the back, the pink lingerie, and a bikini because you never know.

In ten minutes, I was back downstairs, where Braden was waiting with two iced teas. He handed me one and kissed me once more before escorting me back to the truck. Before he closed the front door of the house, he called to Bella, who came barreling outside and leaped into the backseat.

“Ooh, it’s dog friendly?” I rubbed Bella behind the ears as she wagged her tail so hard the truck shook.

“Oh yeah. She’ll probably have more fun than we will.” His mood was lighter than I’d seen it over the past few weeks, which made me all the more intrigued about where we were headed. I imagined a beach or a hiking trail where Bella could run free, and I mentally checked that I’d packed a pair of running shoes that would work for a hike.

“Is she always this happy to go in the truck, or does she know where we’re going?” Braden saw through my not-so-subtle attempts to gather clues about our destination and gave nothing away.

“Not telling you, control freak,” he sang.

“Fine. I’ll live in suspense,” I grumbled. I’d come a long way in two months, but my love for controlling outcomes was deeply rooted. I couldn’t just become fancy-free and comfortable without having a plan just because I’d discovered great sex.

And that’s what it was. Great sex with a great guy.

Sure, it was just sex. I had no illusions that I was anything more to him than the rest of the women he dated, but for now, my body was thrilled to be on his current shortlist. I’d return to Berkeley after six months and begin dating again in earnest. For now, I’d have my fellowship at the lab accompanied by a side of phenomenal sex.

So why did something about the arrangement feel wrong to me?

Maybe because you’re lying to yourself. You don’t do non-relationships.

“Hey, where’d you go?” Braden asked.

“Huh?” I hadn’t realized I’d spaced out while I sorted through the angst in my head.

“I said I doubt Bella has any idea where we’re headed. She just likes the truck. And most of the time, it works out well for her and we end up someplace fun. Once in a while, it’s the vet and I get the stink-eye.”

We pulled onto the highway, with Bella sprawled on the backseat, ball in her mouth like she knew we were headed someplace where she could fetch it. “Did you plan on getting a dog before she fell into your life?” I turned in my seat to scratch Bella between the ears. She stood up and started to climb into the front seat.

Braden laughed and gave her a gentle nudge. “Bella, sit.” She obediently resumed her position behind us. “Yeah. It was something my ex and I couldn’t agree on. She wanted a labradoodle from a breeder, so it wouldn’t shed, which I was totally against at the time because I wanted a rescue. A big dog like a Bernese or a Newfie. But when I saw this girl, it was a love match. She was this happy, scrappy thing, probably the runt of the litter, but I could tell she was feisty.”

“She still is feisty.”

“Yup. People said she’d either settle down when she was two or five. It’s looking like five.”

“And your ex? How’d she feel about the shedding?”

He chuckled, and it was the first time I hadn’t sensed a dark cloud descending when he talked about her. “She hated it. Maybe that’s why Bella was always so possessive of me—she knew I loved her, furball or not. She never got that love from my ex.” His smile dimmed.

“I don’t know how a person could meet her and not fall in love,” I said, resting a hand on his leg. Braden looked at Bella in the rearview mirror and nodded. Then his gaze shifted to me and lingered before moving back to the road.

I didn’t have time to analyze it because he started peppering me with questions. “Have you had pets? Plants? Goldfish? I’d kind of peg you as a cat person.”

Looking at him warily, I gave him a playful punch. “Why, because I’m single? Sad cat lady?”

“Hardly. Cats are smart. They don’t do anything without thinking it through. Unlike dogs, who will chase after anything you throw for them and bound around looking for love, cats are particular. Discerning.”

“Now you’re saying I am a cat?”

He shrugged, laughing again. “I have no idea what I’m saying. I’m saying I like that you put thought into everything. I like that you’re discerning.”

“You just like that I seduce you with brownies and let you eat them off my body.”

“Trust me, that’s not all I like.” He smirked. “So tell me, is that a thing with you, the brownie seduction?”

“Ha. It is now.”

“For the record, I approve.” He reached out and slowly brushed his fingers up my thigh, which unleashed a jolt of desire at my core. I put my hand on his to still it. He looked at me and raised an eyebrow. “You worried I can’t multitask? I assure you I can drive and make you come in a blinding cascade of stars at the same time.”

“I have no doubt. But I can’t keep a thought in my head if you’re gonna do that. Just warning you, in case you thought we were having a conversation.” He started moving his hand again, and conversation of any sort seemed irrelevant. Having fully given myself over to however Braden wanted to ravish my body, I was fine with either.

His eyes met mine, and the smolder I saw gave me no doubt about which one he preferred.

“I can’t be held responsible for whatever car accident you’re about to get into. The blinding cascade can wait. Let’s talk.” I placed his hand back on his own leg and looked at his profile, noticing the angular blade of his nose and his high cheekbones. His face was beautiful, and when he smiled at me, I couldn’t look away.

“What do you want to talk about?” He slid his hand back up the bare skin of my leg, edging higher this time. He kept his eyes on the road, so I did nothing to dissuade him. Yet. Someone had to be the adult in the truck, and I prepared myself for the role of spoiler.

“Tell me about your brothers. Are they all firefighters like Mitch? Is that a thing, does it tend to run in families?”

He shrugged and shifted slightly, so he sat a little closer to me on his seat. Eyes still facing forward. But now, his hand moved up the inside of my thigh until his fingers brushed against my panties, which—let’s be honest—were damp with arousal the second I saw the heat in his eyes. He grinned like a naughty kid but said nothing, moving the tiny wisp of fabric aside and stroking straight up my center.

I sucked in a breath and slid lower in the seat, leaning my head back.

“My older brother Devon coaches football at the high school in Pleasanton. Sean, the youngest of our band of misfits, is a medic. Then there’s Mitch, who you know—he’s my half-brother from my dad’s second marriage. And his younger brother Sinclair who’s between jobs. But he has a law degree and helps me with projects from time to time.”

I sighed and tried to hold back the orgasm already unspooling where Braden’s two fingers had been driving me insane while he spoke. “Sorry, I didn’t hear any of that.” I thought I was speaking, but apparently I was just panting with words.

“Unimportant trivia. Focus on this.” He bent his fingers to expertly hit my g-spot while circling my clit with his thumb. How he managed to do that while driving baffled me.

“Holy fucking moly.”

He chuckled and never took his eyes off the road. But I stopped watching his driving because the heat in my core was building, and without any self-control, I moved against his fingers. Then I was telling myself to breathe as I fell hard and fast, pleasure exploding like pinpricks of light piercing a blackout.

There was no chance to feel self-conscious about my raw, unchecked reaction to him. It felt too good.

Braden’s expert fingers had drawn out one of the best orgasms I’d ever had in my life, and he’d done it while cruising down the highway like he was innocently on his way to a church picnic.

Mentally, I bowed down in complete awe.

When I was finally able to articulate words, I opened my eyes to find Braden driving with a smile plastered on his face.

“See, now I find this unfair. You can drive and do that without so much as leaving your lane, and I let my mind wander to my grocery list and end up crashing into things.”

“We all have our skills, Damsel. This is one of mine.” The muscle in his jaw jumped as he controlled his smug grin.

He was so sure of himself.

So cocky.

And I loved it.