Compromise Me (Book Two of the Kirkland Family)

Compromise Me: Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Arielle was sorting through barbeque take-out when Travis hit the kitchen. She shot him a look and asked, "She's doing your laundry?"

Travis flapped a hand at her and went on through to the garage. Josie stuffed dirty clothes into the washing machine like she planned to shove them straight through to China. "Hey!" he said, closing the door to the kitchen and shutting out Arielle. "I'll have you know that was not what I was trying to do."

She slammed the lid of the machine and turned just enough away from him do he couldn't see her face. "That's a shame," she said in a saucy tone. "I had fun."

"Dammit, Josie! You keep jumping to the conclusion that I have such a low opinion of you -- what are you doing now?"

She moved over to his utility shelf, straightening the odds and ends that gathered there.

"Would you please stop that and look at me?!" he said, whipping her around by the elbow. But then he saw the tears stalled out in her eyes, and he lost his irritation, stupidly saying, "You're crying?"

Josie swallowed thickly, jerking her chin up. She hissed under her breath, "I have a goddamn, f*cking right to cry if I goddamn want to!  I can’t believe I did that!  I promised I wouldn’t!  God, what you must think of me now!"

Travis jerked his hand away from her, those tears scaring the crap out of him.  They always did...women crying.  He hated seeing it.  Even when Arielle did it.  He sucked in a deep breath and pointed a finger at her.  “Okay, first of all...you have to stop crying.  I do stupid stuff when women cry.  The only crying allowed in this house is two-year-olds with tummy aches and boo-boos.”

She actually stopped crying...blinked, and let out a small, wet giggle.  “Boo-boos?”

He smiled at her.  “Better?”

Quickly wiping away her tears, she said, “No.”

“Tough,” he said gently.  “And I wasn't trying to say you are a tease. I was trying to show you that I think something very different about you. I haven't considered you to be like that in a long time.  But you are not listening to me."

She breathed deeply through her nose.  “What would you have me think?  When you toss me on the floor like that?”

“I did not toss you on the floor,” he argued.  “And obviously, I went about my goal the wrong way.  Where the hell did you learn to do stuff like that?  College?”

She looked away as a faint blush stole up her cheeks.  “I’ve actually never done that before...with someone else.  You’re the only man I’ve ever teased.”

“Well, don’t do it again,” he said.  “It’s dangerous, doing that to a man.  The next guy might not be so nice about it.  I have a mind to toss you over my knee and spank you because of it.”