VINA IN VENICE (THE 5 SISTERS) (9 page)

They stopped a few feet from the water’s edge to enjoy the tranquility of the moment.  Vina filled her lungs with the clean ocean air,
fascinated by the glimmer of moonlight dancing off of the waves as they
gently roll
ed
to shore
.
 
The
overwhelming power and beauty of
the
ocean had always touched her on an emotional level
, but tonight she seemed especially
sensitive to it.

Poignant memories of family picnics and building sandcastles
came rushing back to her,
weighing heavy as
a stone in her chest
.  She turned her face away from Travis to hide the tears that were threatening to spill down over her cheeks.
  Their evening together had been too enjoyable to spoil
by spiraling into
a
dark depression or hav
ing
him
witness one of her crying fits.
  Drawing in a ragged breath, Vina blinked back the tears and forced her lips to form a smile.

“It…it’s beautiful, isn’t it?” She looked out over the ocean.

“Beautiful and brave,” he replied in a voice that was warm and tender.
 

“The ocean is brave?”

“Not the ocean, Vina. 
You
.” 

Shaking her head in denial, Vina lifted her eyes to his. 
“If you knew how close I was to a meltdown, you wouldn’t think so.”

“I disagree, but in a shameless attempt to stoke my male ego, I’m willing to let you cry on my broad
, manly shoulders.”

“Oh, Travis,” she went into his arms, half laughing and half crying. 
“I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“I’ll always be here for you, sweetheart.”

Vina closed her eyes, grateful for the comfort he offered her.  Her cheek was nestled against chest, his strong arms locked around her in a protective embrace
, and she couldn’t think of any place she
would
rather be at that moment.  Travis had always been able to pick up on her emotions so she wasn’t all that surprised he’d sensed her sudden mood change.
  For awhile he said nothing.  Gently stroking her hair, he waited until the harsh sobs had dwindled into an occasional
sniff before speaking.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Yes…and no
,” she replied miserably
. 
“
I’m sorry for falling apart on you.  I was thinking about the picnics our parents used to take us on.  Daddy used to try to show us the proper way to build a sandcastle while Mom just stood there shaking her head. 
Victoriana was deadly serious about following his instructions and always wound up getting mad and stomping off
because
Kelsey inevitably destroyed her masterpieces by trying to help.  I
don’t know why it hit me so hard
when they were such good memories.
”

“It’s understandable,” Travis consoled her.  “
Remembering the times you were together as a family and knowing it can never be that way again is bound to make you sad.”

“I carry the sadness with me no matter where I’m at or what I’m doing.  I’ve learned to deal with that.  It’s the unexpected f
lood of grief and devastation for what I’ve lost that tears me up inside.  Sometimes it hurts so bad, I wish I could rip my own heart out so the pain will go away.
  Other times, it feels as if my heart
has
been ripped out, and there’s nothing but this…God awful emptiness.”

“It will get easier with time, I promise.  I think that’s part of the reason your parents hatched this idea of sending you and your sisters out on an adventure.  They
allowed a short period of time for grieving and then arranged these trips to amazing places to keep
your minds
occupied elsewhere.”

“Yes, but…why separate us?  And why send us in search for love when that i
s the farthest thing from any of
our minds? 
I mean, if two people are destined to be together, wouldn’t they find each other eventually anyway?”

“Maybe it’s not the search they felt was important.  Maybe what they wanted
was for you
to
simply open
your
heart to the possibility of falling in love.
”

Vina tilted her head back, the ache in her heart so sharp she could barely breathe.  “And if it doesn’t happen?  Do you think they would be disappointed in me?”

“
Never
,” Travis said with conviction.  “They were so proud of
you, of all their girls, and with good reason.
”

“You really think so?”

“I
know
so.”

“Thank you,” she said softly.
  “Not just for making me feel better, but for agreeing to come with me.  You’re a good friend, Travis…the best.”

Something in his eyes shifted, as if what she’d said
disturbed him
.  B
ut then he smiled
,
and Vina thought she must have
read too much into
it.

“We’re going to have a great time
, and regardless of the outcome, I know your parents would have been proud of you for going.
  And now, Miss Moore,
I believe you owe me a
leisurely
stroll
in the moonlight.”

Vina was glad when Travis started talking about their trip to
Venice and the exciting things there was to see and do.  He told her about the Grand Canal, which was the main thoroughfare
in
Venice, and the fabulous Renaissance palaces along the route.  He promised to take her to St. Mark’s Square
and the Palazzo Ducale where masterpieces from great Italian artists were housed.

“We’ll go to Ca’Macana to buy our masks for the masquerade ball
.
 
You’ll love the costumes
, Vina
; they’re spectacular.”  Travis glanced down at her, his deep voice moving over her like a soft caress.  “
I can only imagine how b
reathtaking
you’re going to
be in
a ball gown
.  You’ll be the
most
beautiful woman there
, and every eligible bachelor in the room will be anxious to dance with you
.
” 

Vina
suppressed a gasp of surprise
.  T
he heated l
ook in
his
eyes caused a strange melty sensation in the pit of her stomach
, and for some reason, her mouth had gone incredibly dry.  She ran her tongue between her lips to moisten them, that melty feeling becoming decidedly more gooey w
hen
he slipped his arm around her waist. 

What
is
wrong with
me
?
 
There
was
nothing
unusual
about
Travis
walking with his arm around her
;
he’d done it countless times.
  It was all this talk about Venice and fancy balls and finding romance
.  It was going to her head, making her think and feel things that were inappropriate, given that their relationship was one hundred percent platonic and always had been.  She was emotionally vulnerable, Vina told herself, and
that made her more
susceptible to
wayward thoughts.

Okay, so Travis was
insanely
handsome, and maybe he
had
looked at her as if she was a beautiful, desirable woman.  It didn’t mean anything.  She had seen him look at other women in exactly the same manner, and she’d also seen the effect his seductive gaze had on them as well.  Like her, they seemed to melt under his scrutiny, undoubtedly
wondering if it was possible to spontaneously combust
from the searing heat of it.

Steering her thoughts back to their conversation, Vina
gave a more likely version of
what would take place at the ball.  “I’m flattered you think so, but
I’ll be lucky to squeeze one dance in before I get trampled by the hordes of beautiful women trying to compete for your attention.”

“
So t
rue,” Travis agreed
, all arrogance and male swagger.
“
I
t
might be
wise
if you reserved the first dance for me
.  That way, you’re guaranteed at least on
e
whirl around the dance floor
before
the ballroom
babes take notice and start closing in.
”

“How magnanimous of you,” Vina said drily.

“I
t’s just one of many fine attributes, I guess
.
”

“Magnanimous
and
modest,” she laughed.  “I simply adore that about you, Travis.”

“As much as I would love to spend more time being adored by you, we should probably head back.  I don’t want to be responsible for making you miss curfew.”

“
Funny.  I had you pegged as the type of guy who considered it an insult to his manhood if his date made it home before sunrise.”

“Other women maybe, but not you.”

Vina stopped abruptly, thoroughly stung by what he’d said
and the serious tone in which it had
been
delivered
.  “Thanks a lot. 
I know I’m not exactly in the same league as the women you date, but you could
have
spare
d
my feelings by pretending
I’m worth a few minutes of consideration
.”

Travis blinked. 
“Worth a few…?” 

He looked utterly mystified, Vina thought resentfully. 
Obviously, he didn’t have a clue how insulting his comment had been, or how deeply hurt she was by it.  The fact that their relationship wasn’t even remotely romantic didn’t have a thing to do with it.  It was
downright humiliating to be told she held
no sexual appeal for him when Travis changed girlfriends more often than
most
people changed their bed sheets.

“Ah, hell,” Travis’ muttered oath cut through the veil of indignant anger clouding Vina’s thoughts.  “I didn’t mean
it
the way it sounded.  Vina,” he cupped her chin, gently forcing her to look at him, “you compl
etely misunderstood.  I was thinking about your sisters and the mess of trouble I’d be in if I
kept you out all night.”

“Oh,”
she managed to eek out, feeling
foolish for making such a fuss.

“Look…I
don’t claim to be the most sensitive guy around, but I
would
never do or say anything to purposely hurt you.
  Do you think you can forgive me for only thinking of my own hide?”

“If you’ll forgive me for being an emotional train wreck,” Vina offered a wobbly smile.

“It’s a deal.” 

***

“Stop being so squiggly,” Travis admonished.

“It’s not my fault,” Vina giggled.  “You’re tickling me on purpose.”

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. 
“I
am not,” he lied. 

When they’d returned to the bench for their shoes and stockings,
Travis had her wait there while he
retriev
ed
one of the gym towels he kept in his
trunk
.  Crouching down in front of Vina, he’d taken her small foot in his hand and proceeded to wipe the sand off.
 
That’s when he discovered how ticklish she was
and couldn’t resist trailing his finger along the delicate arch.

Travis stood up to shake the sand particles from the towel and notice
d
Vina slipping a bare foot into her sandal.  “You’d better put your hose back on
too. 
What will your sisters think if you show up with them in your hands?”

Vina grimaced.  “I didn’t think about that.  Although…” she pulled her sandal off, “they
’d
sooner
believe the sky was falling than
anything bad about you.”

Travis finished toweling off his own feet
and was reaching for his s
ocks
when a shapely leg slowly stretched out in front of his face.  His eyes followed Vina’s languid movement as she
inched the nylon over her toes and guided it up the length of her leg.  Biting back a groan of sheer agony, he torture
d
himself even further by watching her slip on the second nylon.
 

Beads of pers
piration dotted his forehead as he struggled to control his ragged breathing. 
He couldn’t remember a time when he’d been so turned on, not even as a hormone
-
driven teenager when Cissy
DiSallis
pressed a condom in his hand before Math class one day and told him
to
pick her up at six.
  Distracted by vivid images of peeling those stockings back off of Vina, it only vaguely registered that she’d said something until
she
leaned closer and asked if he was feeling sick.

“You look a little pale,”
she told him, her voice laced with concern.

That’s because all my blood migrated south
.  But, of course, he couldn’t say
that.  “I’m fine,” Travis
said,
hastily pulling his socks on and shoving his feet into his shoes.  He
stood up and held out
his
hand.  “Ready to go?” 

Vina tucked her hand into his
and let him pull her to her feet.  “
Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I think I’ve spent too much time cooped up in my office.  All this fresh air seems to have gone to my head.
”

“Maybe you should let me drive
.”

“
My Ferrari
?”  He gaped at Vina in horror.  “Have you lost your mind, woman?”

“
My mind is just fine,” she grinned.  “I figured that would bring your color back and I was right.  Your face is as red as a freshly cooked lobster.”

“
You
are
a devious woman, Vina Moore.”

“
Not devious enough, apparently, or I would have conned you out of the Ferrari key.”

“No offense, sweetheart,
but I don’t trust
anyone
with my car.”

“You mean to tell me you’ve never let any of your girlfriends drive it?"

"Why the hell would I do that?”

“I don’t know,” she shrugged, “to get them in the mood.”

“In the mood for what?  The starring role in the next Crash Car Dummies documentary?”

“That’s not exactly what I had in mind, but I suppose you’re right.  Your
vacuous
vixens
all seem to lack that quick response gene.”

Travis choked on his laughter.  Vacuous vixens was an extremely apt description of the type he’d dated in the past.  He was still chuckling when he opened the door and helped her in.  Life with Vina would never be dull, that was for sure.

The drive back ended much too soon as far as Travis was concerned
, although going back to his place wasn’t an option, and he was glad she didn’t suggest it.  More often than not, that’s where they would end up after going to dinner or a movie, but he
didn’t trust himself to be alone with her tonight. 
His emotions were too close to the surface, and Travis was afraid he’d wind up
confessing his feelings
if
they
spent any more time
together
right now
.
 

Still…that didn’t mean he had to leave without giving Vina something to think about, did it?

Chapter 5

Pulling into the
mansion’s
circular driveway, Travis deliberately parked several feet back from the front entrance so that anyone spying through the peek hole wouldn’t be able to see them.
 
The second floor bedrooms overlooking the driveway were reserved for guests, and h
e knew all
the bedrooms
occupied by the girls
were in the back of the mansion
.  That
meant
the only clear view of
him and Vina
would be from
Victor’s
study downstairs
, but
the windows were
darkened
so it was unlikely anyone was in the room
.

Maybe it was irrational, but he wanted a private moment with Vina before she went inside and didn’t care to have an audience. 
Especially since he couldn’t be sure how Vina was going to react. 

Travis
was nervous as hell when he got out of the car and came around to the passenger side.
  His insides were shaking, his nerves raw, and for a moment he questioned whether he was moving too fast.  His brothers would have laughed thei
r asses off if
they discovered
he
was balking at giving Vina a simple good-night
kiss
.  God knew
how many times over the past several years they
had
urged him to pursue a relationship with her.

“What are you waiting for?”
his oldest brother, Chase,
asked about six months ago.

“For the right time to present itself,” Travis replied.

“How exactly will you know when it’s
the
right time
?”

“I’ll
feel it in
my
gut, Travis told his brother.
 

Oh, he had a gut feeling all right.  It was similar to the sensation of being kick boxed in the solar plexus
half a dozen times.  He’d never suffered so much as a nanosecond of self-doubt when approaching a gorgeous model or socialite
he hadn’t even met before, yet he lacked the confidence to kiss a woman he’d been in love with for years.  It was…pathetic.
 
 

“Get a backbone, man,” Travis mumbled to himself as he opened Vina’s door and helped her out.
  He shut the door behind her then drew in
a
deep breath before slipping his arms around her waist.

Vina’s
startled
eyes widened.  “Travis…wh-what are you doing?”

What I should have done years ago
.
  True as that was, it would have been a serious tactical error to tell her so.  Travis wasn’t backing down though. 
From here on out, he was going to take advantage of every opportunity to make Vina see him as a man she could lose her heart to.

“
I had a nice time tonight,” he spoke softly.

“Me t-too,” Vina stammered.

“Good, because I’d really love to see you again.”

“Y
-y
ou would?
”

“Oh, yeah,” he pulled her closer.  “
Friday night, eight o’clock?”

“I c-can’t,” she licked her lips nervously.  “
Don’t you remember w
e’re going…that is, my best friend and I are going to the football game.”

“Kick-off is at two,” Travis kissed the corner of her mouth.  “You’ll be home in plenty of time to get ready.”  He kissed the other side then drew back just enough to see into her eyes.  “Say yes, Vina.”

“
Well, I…
I…
don’t…”

“Say yes.”

“Y
es
, e-eight will be fine.  Travis…”

He dipped his head
, allowing his
mouth
to
hover over hers,
and
not
ed
with male satisfaction that
her pupils
were
dilated.  He could feel the warmth from
the tiny gasps of air whispering past Vina’s parted lips and couldn’t help
smiling
when she croaked out, “Y-you’re not going to kiss me, are you?”

“Don’t tell me you’ve never been kissed on a first date before?”

“Yes, of course I have.  It’s just that…well, this isn’t real!”

“Isn’t it?” Travis murmured.

Seducing women had always come easy for him, and it was
a
skill he’d honed to perfection over the years. 
It didn’t matter who the woman was or how well he knew her; in
stinctively, Travis knew which
practiced strategy
or subtle touch would penetrate
her r
esistance
. 
But there was nothing contrived about the way he kissed Vina.  It didn’t even occur to him to try.
 
What he felt for her was real and
Travis
was
n’t
about to tarnish
that
with
slick maneuvers
.

Slowly tracing Vina’s lips with the tip of his tongue
provided
Travis
with
his first honeyed taste
of her
.  I
t was sweeter than anything he could ever have imagined. 
He took his time, the leisurely
pillaging
of Vina’s mouth enticing a series of soft, husky moans
from
deep in
her
throat
. 
Travis
ached for her surrender,
but
he
could feel
the
hesitancy
in her kisses
despite the fact her
body
was responding with violent tremors.

Vina’s hands were pressed against his chest,
the heat from
her palms
seeping through the thin material of his shirt and driving him half mad with desire. 
Angling his head, Travis deepened the kiss, possessing her mouth as if he was dying of
starvation
and she was
a
Thanksgiving feast.
  Gradually, her hands inched up to his shoulders and around his neck
, allowing their bodies full frontal contact.  It was
like
tossing a match into a keg of gunpowder.

Travis crushed her to him, groaning when
Vina’s
soft, feminine curves
conformed to his body as if she
had been designed specifically for him.
 
Passion flared between them; crackling like a live wire
and fueling an
unbridled response
from the amazing woman in his arms.  She kissed him with wild abandon, her slender hips slowly moving from side to side in an erotic
dance of seduction. 
His heart
was
p
ound
ing
at a furious pace, and he was so aroused by Vina’s frantic kisses it was almost painful.

Never in his wildest fantasies had he imagined
she would be so responsive. 
On occasion,
Vina
confided in him about her dates with other men; sometimes laughing at their bumbling attempts to kiss her, sometimes cringing because they kissed like a damp mop or tried to snake their tongue half-way down her throat.  She’d always seemed so…unaffected, but that certainly wasn’
t the case right now. 

Travis seriously considered asking her to get back in the car and go home with him.  He pictured her lying back on his bed, her glorious mane of hair splayed across his pillow as she welcomed him into her arms.  The thought of making love to Vina all night long sent a battery of emotions charging through him; lust, longing…love.  He wanted to give her everything,
to share the part of him that he’d never been willing or capable of
sharing with other women.
 

Gentling his kisses by degrees, their heated encounter eventu
ally gave way to something infinitely more controllable.  Murmuring her name, Travis abandoned her lips to explore the delicate line of her jaw.  He nibbled on her earlobe, smiling to himself when Vina drew in a sharp breath as he slowly worked his way down the curve of her neck and back up again.
  He wanted her more than he’d ever wanted anyone, more than his next breath, his next heartbeat.

“
My God,
” he whispered
hoarsely, “do you have any idea what you’re doing to me?
”