Another emotion she didn’t even want to admit to floated beneath the lust— relief. Relief that he was there, that someone was there. Because she was scared.

Inside the hotel room, he kicked the door shut behind them and dragged her to the center of the room. Fisting a hand in her hair, he held her head while he kissed her again, his other arm sliding around her and pulling her against him. Her body arched into him as his mouth devoured hers, and her fingers dug into his shirt and held on, a ferocious need for him rising up inside her.

He drew back then strode to the bed, tugging her along, and sat on the edge. She stood between his spread knees, blinking down at him, heart hammering, chest lifting and falling with quick breaths. What was he doing?

His hands clasped her hips, shifted her to the side, and in a quick move she was lying across his knees. “Travis!” She lifted her head to try to wriggle away, but one arm pressed her down, and the other laid a gentle swat on her butt.

He was spanking her!

Another crack of his palm against her bottom sent a wave of heat over her body, and a broken cry tore from her throat.

“Need you bare,” he muttered, and flipped her onto her back. He deftly unfastened the button of her knee-length shorts, tugged the short zipper down and yanked them, along with her panties, down her thighs. Then he flipped her again as if she weighed nothing, and this time when his palm landed on her ass, the sting flashed through her.

“Travis!” She struggled again, but only halfheartedly because the truth was she was melting, her pussy turning molten and aching, her breasts throbbing. She complained about him treating her like a child, but this was a very grown-up spanking. A very erotic, adult spanking.

He continued to lay fiery taps on her cheeks, and her ass caught fire, heat flaring along every nerve ending. She let it consume her, her body a hot glow of pleasure and pain. The sharp, forbidden thrill of being spanked streaked through her body right to her clit.

When he stopped, she lay there over his hard thighs, face pressed to the bed, panting. His hand now stroked over her bottom, gentle, slow, and when she felt him bend and press his lips to the heated flesh, her head lifted and jerked back.

“Samara.” Her name was an agonized groan. “God, Samara, you drive me crazy.”

She closed her eyes, fought for breath, aching for him to turn her over and take her. When he didn’t, she rolled. His hands caught her and kept her from rolling to the floor. She wriggled off him, drew her tank top up and over her head, reached behind her for the clasp of her bra, and let it fall off. She lay back down and watched him.

With a low groan, he moved over her, kissed her mouth, then stood and quickly tossed off his clothes. He fell over her, his mouth on her in hungry, voracious kisses, his hands all over her, cupping her breasts, stroking her face.

Awash in a shimmer of edgy heat, her entire body burning up, she kissed him back, stroking her hands over his shoulders, over the heavy muscles and satiny skin, up and down his back, and lower to his ass, where she yanked him closer.

He moaned into her mouth then dragged his lips over her cheek and jaw. “Crazy,” he muttered. “I must be crazy.”

“Then we both are.” She turned her head on the pillow to give him access to her neck, and he licked the sensitive flesh and made her shiver with delight. Then he moved, reaching between them for the erection she couldn’t ignore, so hard and thick and hot. She loved his cock, needed it inside her, needed it now. He took himself in hand and nudged at her entrance, so shamefully wet and slick from when he’d spanked her. She didn’t even want to think about how much that aroused her or what that meant.

She parted her legs, bent her knees, and cried out when he pushed into her. He hesitated.

“No, don’t stop.” She grabbed his ass again and pulled him closer, and he sank deeper inside her, so big, stretching her in such an amazingly satisfying way. And yet, with the heat coiling inside her and tight excitement building, she needed more. Fire rippled beneath her skin, every nerve ending sparked, and exquisite pleasure bloomed inside her and spread through her body. His cock driving into her in hard strokes touched sensitive places that lit her up, and she slipped a hand between them to find her clit and add to the sweet sensations.

“Fuck, Samara.” Travis moved over her, on his elbows, sliding his hands into her hair, holding her head, kissing her mouth again and again. “You feel so good. So damn good. Hot and tight.” He kissed her. “So wet. Pulling me in.”

“Fuck me, Travis. Make me come. Please.” She was nearly there, so close, ecstasy twirling and tightening inside her, and he buried his face beside hers as he powered into her fast and hard and sent her flying. Pleasure flashed through her, her body tightened, and her fingers dug into his flesh.

“Fuck,” he muttered. “Forgot...” And he came, too, in long hard pulses, her ankles hooked around his waist, his fingers tangled in her hair, his breath hot and loud in her ear.

“Samara, god, Sam, what you do to me.”

They lay like that for long moments, their skin slick with perspiration, breathing hard, hearts thundering. Oh dear lord. Never mind what she did to him; he annihilated her. Every single time.

Once again, lust had overcome good sense. Travis sighed inwardly. “We forgot to use a condom.”

“Oh.” The word was a soft sigh in his ear. After a short pause, she said, “I won’t get pregnant.”

“You’re safe with me.”

“I know.”

He rolled off her and collapsed beside her.

“I’m sorry, Samara. I know we shouldn’t have done that. I was just so...you get me so hot. I was furious at you, and relieved you’re okay. Oh yeah, and did I say, furious?” He paused while she gave a choked little laugh. “We have to get the hell out of this country and back to Portland.”

“No.”

He rolled onto his side to look at her and firmed his lips. “Do I have to spank you again? Christ, woman, you drive me crazy. Do you not realize how dangerous this is?”

“I want to finish what Dad started.”

“Samara.” He cupped her jaw forcefully and turned her face to his. “Don’t you see? There is no project here.” Then he closed his eyes briefly. “Shit. I’m going to have to tell you this. I knew I was going to have to tell you but not for this reason. Jesus.”

“Tell me what?”

He blew out a long breath. “Seven years ago your father and I had a big blowup about...something he was doing.”

“My mom mentioned something about that.”

“She did?” He frowned. “What did she say?”

“Um...she said that you two argued about it. She said that’s what you’d been talking about when I overheard you.”

He wanted to roll his eyes. Oh, yeah, that conversation. Shit.

He sat up on the bed, naked, momentarily distracted by Samara lying there also naked, beautifully naked, her perfect breasts bare, her long hair a tangle of auburn silk on the white pillow. He swallowed and tried to focus.

“She also said you thought Dad was doing something illegal.”

He sighed. “I came across some documents that led me to believe your father had gotten involved with...with a drug cartel in Matagalpa.”

“Drugs?” Her mouth fell open. Then she laughed. “That’s crazy.” She pushed herself up to sit also, distracting him yet again with her slender shoulders and arms, her naked breasts tipped with tight little nipples, her small waist. She grabbed the duvet and tucked it up under her arms.

Travis rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah. You’d think. I didn’t know what to do about it, and I went to Dayna for advice. Well, she confronted Parker, and they had a big argument about it, and then he was furious at me for saying something like that to her. For even thinking he would do something like that.” Travis shook his head. “But he didn’t deny it. He just told me I should trust him and not worry about it.”