Playing With Fire

Chapter Thirty-One

                                      Recap

         Travis had already made his way to the door and was one click away from unlocking it. He shifts in his position, the helmet already tucked under his left arm. His eyes pierce my own, and another ineffable expression captures his features before immediately vanishing.

         “Fire.” He answers gruffly.

        And for the first time, I hear the change. The raspiness in his voice, the lingering silence that follows when he doesn’t finish his sentence.

          My eyes flicker back to the blue tattoo before finally landing on his face.

            And when I do, I know I’m a lost cause.

          My feet move automatically, and I simply follow along. A flame ignites in my own veins as I extend my arms and reach for Travis’s chest. He stumbles back as I push, and I only stop once he’s completely aligned with the wall.

           However, the near sound of the door rumbling on impact snaps me out of my trance in an instant. I drop my arms hastily, my ears exploding with red.

           Humiliation enters as quickly as my unexplained determination had come. While I start to take a giant step back, Travis lets out a frustrated growl—a deep, guttural sound. Then, his arms come around my waist just as his heated lips crash down on mine.

                                 Chapter Thirty One

          It takes me a good few seconds before I am able to fully understand the fact that I am currently kissing Travis Emmons. In the back of my mind, I try to remember why I shouldn’t be, but the cycle of amnesia restarts each time his hand travels further up my back. 

            It’s only when he breaks away to breathe that I allow my thoughts to churn without interruptions. However, within instants, I’m the one against the door. That plan flies out the window the minute my back touches the surface.

            Instead, I sneakily glance at him, completely awestruck and fixated on his intense gaze. After what seems like hours of heavy breathing, I began to observe the freckles of hazel in his eden eyes.

            Just as he leans forward to capture my lips again, I hold him back with my hand on his chest. I desperately need to clear my head, because this feels so incorrectly right.

            “Fire?” I ask, my voice coming out soft and airy. I try referring back to his tattoo, in an attempt to distract him.

            Out of nowhere, he bites his own lip, the bruise from a previous fight turning pale white in the process. My eyes narrow in on the cut—perhaps his perfectly swollen lips—and then I glance back up at Travis.

            When he catches my eye, he lets go of his lip, allowing the corners to curve into a devious smirk. He leans forward again, inching closer to my face, and I apply light pressure on his chest.

            He grins, and this time, pushes past my hand and ducks his head.  A hand leaves my back and finds its way to the back of my head. Ever so gently, he grips the roots of my hair and angles my neck.

            Moments later, I feel his cold, lukewarm lips on the base of my collarbone. My eyes flutter shut and my hands trail over his shoulder blade. He presses kisses all along my neck, pushing my head into the wall each time he does so.