Inspire

chapter 12


The coffee shop was bustling when we entered. There was a line almost to the door, and all of the tables were filled. “Lunch rush,” Travis said as he led us through the crowd to the side counter. Right away, he was greeted by one of the baristas.

“Hey Trav Man! Happy birthday dude!” the guy shouted and I found myself struck by his looks. He was tall with dark spiked hair, tattoos covered his arms and he had black barbells in both of his ears. He was totally sporting the alternative look, but I still found him incredibly attractive.

“Hey Mikey boy!” Travis responded, bumping fists with him. Mike was just finishing making a coffee, and turned towards us once he handed it off. “This is my girlfriend Paige. Paige, this is doofus number two” Travis said introducing us. I realized from his name calling that he and Mike must be really good friends.

“Damn Trav. I need to come hang out at your camp,” Mike said while shaking my hand. His appraisal was sweet, and I blushed at his comment. “Nice to meet you Paige.”

“Nice to meet you too,” I returned the greeting. It seemed as though Mike already had some knowledge about me because he wasn’t surprised about the introduction. In fact, I was more surprised that Travis introduced me as his girlfriend.

“So, can I get you guys anything?” Mike asked.

“I’m good,” Travis answered turning towards me. “Baby do you want anything?” His term of endearment squeezed my heart, and I was silently shouting for joy.

“No, I’m good. Thanks,” I answered.

“I make a mean latte,” Mike offered, waggling his eyebrows.

“No thanks! I’ll remember that for next time though,” I replied sweetly.

“Listen dude, we’ll get out of your hair, since the crowd is here but I’ll call you later,” Travis said, pumping Mike’s fist once again.

“Okay. By the way, you have to start thinking about your new art because that’s what I’m getting you for your birthday.”

“Right, will do. Talk to you later Mike.”

Travis wrapped his arms around my waist and was pulling me backwards toward the door while nuzzling my neck.

“See ya later Paige!” Mike called out.

“See ya!” I responded, giggling at Travis’s advances. He was so playful, and not at all hindered about expressing his feelings towards me in front of everyone. The situation gave me the reassurance I needed, because it truly seemed as though there was only one reason he was keeping us a secret back at camp: Ashley.

“Sorry, I would have introduced you to everyone else, but they were swamped in there,” Travis apologized as we stepped outside.

“No worries, the place was packed. So, are you and Mike close?” I asked.

“Yeah, he’s my boy. He and Scott are my two best friends and pretty much who I spend most of my time with,” he explained.

“Oh. So, where to now birthday boy?”

“Well, there is something that I want to go do with you but that’s not until three o’clock, so in the meantime can I show you my town?” he asked.

“Sure, I would love to see where you hang out and where all of your favorite spots are. So, what are we doing at three?”

“It’s a surprise. Come on,” he said, entwining our hands and pulling me forward.

Travis showed me all around the city. He started by giving me a little history tour of the area, impressing me by how much he knew. Then we wandered down a street to his favorite pizza shop where we shared a slice. Afterwards, we stopped by an ice cream shop for some dessert. The entire time Travis had me laughing telling me all kinds of stories, including one about a ridiculous childhood date he went on, where he ended up knocking the girl’s scoop of ice cream onto the floor and then proceeded to pick it up and put it back on her cone expecting her to eat it.

“Yeah, I had no game back then,” he said, making me laugh even harder.

“So, did she eat it?” I asked.

“She actually ended up taking a bite,” he said, chuckling at the memory. “Our date was done at that point, and needless to say things between us were over.”

“She clearly liked you enough to take a bite, got to give her props for that. I wouldn’t have,” I teased.

“You wouldn’t have wanted to impress me?” he asked, halting in front of me giving me an adorable pout.

“I would have just done this to impress you.” I leaned forward almost touching his lips and then right before our mouths met, I turned to take a lick of his cone. “I’m a fan of sharing,” I added smiling, as I took a step back. He grabbed my waist pulling me in for a kiss, which nearly knocked me off my feet.

“If I had been on the date with you, I would have just given you mine,” he said, smiling sweetly.

“You definitely have game now,” I said, placing another kiss on his lips. We parted as people passed us clearing their throats, apparently offended by our PDA.

Travis looked at his watch and saw that we had some more time to kill so he wanted to take me to one more place. “And this…” he said, as we entered a very brightly illustrated shop, “is where I’ve had all of my tattoos done.” The place was empty, but the music was blasting. A guy came from the back room and Travis walked up to shake his hand. “Hey Tye! This is my girlfriend Paige. Paige this is The Man, Tye,” Travis said, clearly regarding him with high respect.

“Hi Paige! It’s nice to meet you.”

As Travis and Tye took a moment to get caught up, I couldn’t help but admire his tattoos. Other than from a distance, I had never really interacted with people that were covered in them before, and Tye was head to toe covered. There was one running down the back of his neck, and continued to the wrists of both of his arms. From what I could tell it also looked to fall below the front of his neckline, which I figured probably meant that it spanned his entire chest as well. I guess if you work in a shop like this, you have to be passionate about it I thought. Tye seemed like a really nice guy though, slightly older than us, but probably no more than twenty-two.

“Hey Paige! So you want to get inked?” Tye asked, clearly trying to get a rise out of me.

“I’m set. Thanks,” I said, moving closer to Travis.

“No way, you’re not touching her. Her skin is too perfect,” he said, wrapping his arm around my waist. “Besides, she already has one. And no, you can’t see it.”

Travis was acting very protective and I found it to be sweet. I was also thankful that he added the last part because my tattoo was very personal to me, and I didn’t want to have to explain the meaning at the moment, nor did I want to have to pull down my pants in front of Tye.

“Nice! Well, if you ever want another, we can take care of you. By the way, when are you coming in man?” Tye asked, turning his attention back to Travis. I was curious for his answer because I hadn’t realized he was planning on getting another one.

“I don’t know. Mike asked me earlier, but I still haven’t figured out what I want yet. I have to think about it.” He looked at his watch and then noted the time. “Hey babe, we need to go or we’re going to be late.” We said our goodbyes and then made our way out.

When we walked into what looked to be a rundown warehouse, I was a little concerned. I was nervous that Travis was taking me to some strange underground club or something. But once we were inside, I learned that it was some kind of old factory that had been converted into different art studios and shops. We walked down the main hall, and Travis stopped in front of one of the stores. “In here,” he said, holding the door open for me.

As I entered, I saw the walls lined with shelves of ceramics, and realized it was a pottery painting shop. “Oh, are we going to pick out something to paint?” I asked, having been to one of these places before.

“Actually, we are going to make our own pottery,” Travis said. “I spoke to the owner and she is going to teach us how to make soup bowls that will be donated to the local soup kitchen. They already have a bunch made, so she we will be adding ours to the big lot.”

Tears pricked my eyes, out of the thoughtfulness of Travis’s plan. No one, especially no guy, had ever gone out of their way to plan anything remotely this considerate before.

“Travis,” I said, then found myself rendered speechless. I couldn’t find the words, so I just leaned up and kissed him expressing everything I wanted to say with the touch of my lips. “Thank you!”

“You’re welcome. Come on, let’s go get started so we can get a bunch done,” he said, pulling me towards the back. He was equally excited by the idea, which warmed my heart further.

After a quick lesson, we found ourselves in a groove making the bowls. The process wasn’t as difficult as I imagined it would be and both of us were actually making decent replicas. So far we had made a bunch.

“This is amazing Travis, thanks!” I said, spinning my hands around in the clay. The wheel was circling, and my fingers were forming the sides of the bowl I was working on. Travis finished another one and placed it on the shelf to dry. Then he came to sit behind me. He straddled my chair, and nuzzled my ear.

“Hey you!” I giggled, trying not to mess up my masterpiece.

“Can I help you with that?” he asked. I nodded and then he placed his hands in the center with me for us to form the bowl together. Although it was messy slimy clay that we were working with, it was one of the most erotic moments I have ever experienced. Our fingers mingled together, and relayed to each other what was really on our minds. Once the bowl was finished, he turned me taking my cheeks into his hands, and kissed me sensually. The burning in my body was making me want to combust and I felt his body reacting the same way.

“Your lips are incredible. I can’t get enough of them,” he whispered into my mouth as his hands cupped my neck pulling me closer.

As we heard a noise in the other room, Travis pulled back to look at me and then chuckled. “What?” I asked, wondering what he found so funny.

“You now look like you’re wearing a clay beauty mask.”

In the heat of the moment, I hadn’t even realized that he was placing his dirty hands all over my face, but now that he had brought it to my attention I felt the goop sticking to my cheeks and neck. “Travis,” I shrieked, feeling the stickiness on my skin. He started laughing even harder at my reaction, which egged me on. So I scooped up a little bit of the clay and smeared it all over his chin. “There, now we are even,” I said, smirking at my handiwork.

“Uh, uh,” he said, shaking his head. I quickly scooted off the seat to avoid his attack, which only encouraged him. Before long, we were in a clay fight, and both looked like we had been doused with mud.

Travis and I were laughing so hard when our lips came together again. “Should we make some more or go get cleaned up?” he asked.

“Where are we going to get cleaned up?” I hadn’t brought a change of clothes, but I supposed I could always buy something.

“My place,” he said.

“Oh, okay.” I was excited that I was actually going to get to go back to his house and see where he grew up.

We quickly cleaned up the mess we had made, before thanking the owner for allowing us to come in. She thanked us in return and admired the fourteen bowls that we had finished. “They will love these! Come back anytime,” she said.





Chapter13


Travis and I headed back to the main marketplace to retrieve my car, and then drove back to his place. We pulled up to a gate and I admired the grand estate that stood behind it. The house was similar in size to mine, and reinforced that Travis came from wealth. It was amazing how nothing about him screamed spoiled rich kid, which was one of the things that I loved about him. He pulled into the drive and parked.

“By the way, how did you get into town?” I asked, wondering if we had left his vehicle behind.

“My parents dropped me off so that they could give me my new car.”

“Oh, right,” I said, having forgotten all about it. I was surprised that he wasn’t eager to rush into the garage and drive the thing. After all, he was a guy.

“Welcome,” he said, opening the front door of his house to let me in. I looked around as I stepped inside and admired how beautiful and modern everything was. His mom clearly had a knack for decorating, because the place was stunning.

“Wow, Travis. Nice digs!” I teased. He shrugged his shoulders as most males would, not really caring about décor.

“So, how about I order some food then we can both get cleaned up?”

“Sure!” I said.

“So what are you in the mood for?” he asked.

“No way,” I said interrupting him, “it’s your birthday, you choose, I pay!” I knew he wouldn’t go for it, but it was worth a try.

“Nope, you are absolutely not allowed to pay. But, how about Chinese?”

“Sounds yummy,” I agreed.

After placing the food order, Travis showed me the way upstairs to his bedroom and bathroom. “Wow mister, you have quite the place,” I said, admiring his very tidy suite.

“Thanks. You ready to get cleaned up?” he asked, waggling his eyebrows. I wasn’t sure how serious he was about us showering together, so I just played along.

“Yes, are you planning on scrubbing me down and getting all of this clay washed off me?” I asked, biting my lower lip.

He looked stunned by my request, and I couldn’t help but giggle. It seemed as though I had caught him off guard. He pulled himself together and moved closer to stand in front of me.

“I would love to wash every inch of your body,” he said, running his fingers lightly down my arms sending tingles to my core. “But, I need to listen out for the food so I’m going to quickly shower in the other bathroom. Can I have a rain check though?”

Wow, a guy actually turning down an opportunity to shower with a girl. He is either trying to be a complete gentleman, which is what I suspect, or nervous about taking things further. Based on his kisses and all of his moves, he clearly knows what he’s doing and has had experience, so I’m going with theory A.

“I’m going to put your clothes in the wash, so you can grab a pair of my sweats or whatever you want from my drawers to put on,” he said, gesturing to his dresser.

“Thanks, here you go,” I said, slowly unbuttoning my t-shirt to hand it to him. “Oh, and you need these too,” I added, sliding my shorts down my legs. Travis had already seen me in my underwear earlier, so there was nothing to be shy about. He watched with lust seeping through his eyes, and then swallowed hard as he took the clothes from my hand. Trying to stay a seductress, I turned to make my way into the bathroom and in a few seconds was tossing my bra and panties out to him. I peeked my head around the door and saw him standing holding my things and looked to be contemplating whether or not he should join me. “Thanks,” I said and then hopped into the shower.

At no point did Travis join me, which left me a little disappointed, but at the same time I appreciated his resistance once again and the respect he was showing me. As close as I felt to him, and as deep a connection was forming, the reality was we still needed to learn more about each other before things were taken to the next level. We hadn’t yet spoken about our sexual history or experience, so that would have to come next.

I took my time enjoying the extra-spacious shower and the hot water. It had been a week since I had had a normal shower, so the feeling was luxurious. It made me wonder though where Travis showered when he’s back at the campground. I figured he must use the shower in the men’s room. Although, he might use the one in his parents’ camper. I’ll have to ask, I’m curious I thought, as I was finishing up.

After I dried off, I went ahead and picked out a pair of Travis’s boxers and a black t-shirt. The clothes smelled of him, so I luxuriated in the scent. When I got downstairs, I saw that the food had already arrived and Travis was grabbing us drinks. “It smells good. Can I help with anything?” I asked.

“Will you grab some of those napkins? I thought we would go eat in the media room,” he said, picking up the bag and our glasses to lead the way.

I followed him into the room that was filled with a giant couch on the right, and a really large flat screen that took up the entire left wall. Travis made no moves to put on the TV but instead set us up a little picnic in the middle of the floor. We ate and chatted about the afternoon, and I asked how he had come up with the idea to take me to the pottery place.

“Actually, I was looking up local soup kitchens online out of curiosity, and when I did a search the pottery place popped up advertising ‘The Gift of Soup.’ I read more about it, and realized it was something I wanted us to do together. So I called the owner this morning and set it up. I was actually going to tell you about it, but then Scott and the girls walked in this morning. I liked how things turned out though, and that it ended up being a surprise. Did you have fun?”

I was touched by Travis’s thoughtfulness and found it to be incredibly sweet that he was researching the soup kitchens. “Travis, I had the best time. No one has ever planned anything that amazing for me before, or put that much thought into a date, so thank you. Did you have a good time?” I asked, hoping that he enjoyed his birthday as much as I did.

“I had the best time,” he said, smiling sweetly.

Our eyes stayed locked and Travis leaned across to give me a kiss. This time the kiss was not only filled with passion and lust, but a deeper emotion was running through his lips and straight down to my heart. In that moment, I realized that I was falling in love with him, or maybe had already fallen. It was a little scary knowing how fast it had happened, but there was no denying how strong the connection was between us. He pulled back resting his forehead against mine, and then whispered, “You really are a magical pixie.” His comment made me smile and I rewarded him with another kiss.

After dinner was cleaned up, we settled in on the couch to watch a movie, but ended up talking instead. We were both laughing so hard with each other and I still couldn’t get over the fact that Travis had been a total prep when he was younger. He showed me pictures to prove it, and although it looked like him, I could tell that the true spirit of Travis was missing in them. “I think you are way sexier now,” I said, kissing his arm.

“So you dig the tattoo look, huh?” he asked, lying on his side with his hand propping up his head.

“On you I do,” I said, turning to face him.

“So, what do you think? Should I get another one?”

“I don’t know. If you want,” I answered, not wanting to sway him one way or another.

“I wasn’t going to add to my art at all, but Mike wants to get me one for my birthday, so I’ve been thinking about getting something small.”

“You could always go with a little pixie,” I teased.

“I like your little fairy,” he said, rising over me and pressing me to my back.

“Actually, let me take a look. I might have to consider it,” he said, lifting my shirt slightly to expose my stomach. He then lightly pulled down the top of the boxers I was wearing to expose my tattoo. “So sexy,” he whispered over my skin as he leaned down, gently placing a kiss on it.

Travis looked up into my eyes, and I was smiling out of happiness of being with him. My body was on fire, but it seemed to permanently stay that way in his presence. Without saying a word, he leaned down and kissed my tattoo again. “You have definitely inspired me,” he whispered against my skin. I felt his hot breath roll over my hip and my body ached in response. He began planting soft kisses all around my tattoo and across my waistline. Before long, his kisses started moving lower and then I felt the boxers sliding down my legs. The pleasure that I felt from his mouth on my body sent me into a frenzy, and when he reached my spot and began sucking slowly, I cried out from the sheer pleasure. His lips and tongue were dancing around my *, slowly sweeping between my lips and then circling the top again. His mouth was soft but firm, and he knew exactly what I needed. The build was increasing way too fast, and I was just about to ask him to wait so that the pleasure would last longer, but then I felt two fingers slip inside of me and I lost all control. Every ounce of my body radiated with the sensual electricity that sizzled throughout my veins. “Oh my God…Travis!” I cried out as my body launched into the realm of ecstasy and came spiraling back down. “That was incredible,” I whispered, catching my breath.

After my release, Travis kissed his way back up my body and stopped when he got to my mouth. I pulled on the back of his neck making him press his lips to mine. I could taste myself on his tongue and the combination of it along with his erection pressing into me had me wanting more. I turned so that I could take the top position, and proceeded to give Travis the same treatment, kissing all the way down his body. When I released him from his jeans, I realized just how much he had to offer and found my body craving every inch of him. I took him into my mouth and rewarded him with the same pleasure that he had bestowed upon me. I licked up and down and all around, sucking long and hard. It only took what felt like a matter of seconds before his body exploded, but I enjoyed every single one of them. I sucked him all the way in and as his shaft pulsed with the sexual aftershocks I flicked him with my tongue. He continued to moan aloud from my oral caress, and I smiled with his satisfaction.

Travis and I lay on the couch together sated, and not wanting to move. Knowing that we probably should have had the sexual history talk before we had taken things as far as we had, I decided to broach the subject. “So, can I ask you something?”

“Sure anything,” he said, turning to his side again to face me. His hand was running up and down my stomach, which was distracting but I tried to stay focused.

“How many girls have you slept with?” The look on his face did not waver, so I was relieved that my question hadn’t upset him.

“Two. My first time was with a friend’s older sister whom I had a major crush on when I was younger. She and I hooked up at a party and things went farther than they should have. But I guess it was good having my first time be with someone who knew what they were doing. Although her brother was pissed when he found out,” he said, laughing at the memory.

“And the other?” I asked, curious about girl number two.

“The other one was a girl that I was seeing for a while. She and I dated for nearly two years, and took our relationship to that level.”

I was calmed by Travis’s answer, although now had a gazillion questions that I wanted to ask about girl number two and why the relationship didn’t last. All of my questions would have to wait though, because I didn’t want to spoil the evening. For now, I was content knowing that Travis wasn’t some man whore who had slept with dozens of girls. Because based on looks alone, he could have. Not to mention the fact that he is an incredible guy too. It was also good to learn that he doesn’t have a commitment phobia because for a teenage guy two years is significant. “What about you?” he asked, returning the question.

“I have been with one guy. He was someone I dated for a year, but at the end of the day I wasn’t all that crazy about him. I mainly slept with him to get my first time over with. It only happened a few times before I finally ended things,” I said, now regretting the choice that I’d made because it would have been nice to give my virginity to a guy like Travis.

“Well, I’m glad we got that out of the way,” he said. “I wanted to bring it up, but didn’t want you to get the impression that I was already trying to get into your pants. So I’m glad you asked,” he said.

“Oh, so now it looks like I want to get into yours!” I said, giggling at the fact.

“You just did,” he said, chuckling along with me.

“This is true,” I said. “By the way, thanks for being so open with me; you really are easy to talk to.”

“Ditto Paige,” he said and then kissed me passionately.

The buzzer for the dryer went off and alerted us to the fact that our clothes were ready. “Should we get dressed and head back to camp? I don’t want your parents to worry,” he said, pushing himself up to a sitting position.

“I sent them a text earlier, but we should probably get going. How are you getting back, by the way?” I asked, wanting to know if he would be riding with me or driving his new car.

“Can I catch a ride with you?” he asked, looking concerned by my question.

“Absolutely. I just wasn’t sure whether you were taking your new car back or not,” I explained.

“I’d rather ride with you, if that’s ok. I’ll get it later.” Wow, he would rather ride with me than drive his fancy new Porsche back to camp and show it off to everyone. Yeah he’s a keeper. There is no way any of the guys back home would have made the same choice, not even Jared.

We got back to the campground around midnight, and everything was quiet. I parked the car up at the main parking lot and Travis walked me back to my campsite. “Thanks for today Travis! I had an amazing time and I really hope you enjoyed your birthday,” I spoke quietly so as not to wake anyone. I could hear my parents snoring through the open window of the RV, so I knew they would not be listening in on our conversation.

“Paige, it was by far the best birthday I have ever had, thanks for making it so incredible,” he said, leaning down to kiss me, then pulled back to look into my eyes. “I’m falling hard for you Paige,” he whispered. My heart pounded to his admission that echoed my own feelings. I didn’t know how to respond, whether I should admit my feelings or wait until he actually said the words.

Then he shifted closer, pressing me against the trailer to kiss me again, and I felt the length of him pressing hard into my leg. “I can tell,” I said, sweeping my hand over the front of his jeans. “Yeah, sorry. He’s already fallen hard,” he joked. We both were giggling as we found each other’s lips, and then immediately quieted as our tongues slid together expressing our true feelings for one another. My body radiated with warmth and my heart recognized that it was undeniable that I was in love with him.

“You better get some sleep, missy. If we keep this up, I’ll be hauling you off to my tent and making love to you,” he said, placing a soft kiss on my lips and down my cheek to my ear.

“I don’t want you to stop then,” I murmured, letting my true feelings be known. My body wanted to make love to him regardless of what my mind thought was right.

“Babe, you’re killing me; earlier with the shower, and now. A guy only has so much willpower,” he said, kissing his way back up to my mouth.

“Why are you using it on me then? Save it for when you’re trying to resist a chocolate chip cookie,” I said, giggling at my joke. He chuckled, and then answered.

“I want this,” he said, pointing between the two of us, “to work. So, I want to do everything right, take things slow and make our first time together special. When the time is right, I want to take you into the city and get a suite at the finest hotel, then pamper you all night long.”

“I don’t need all of that, but fine,” I said, pouting my lip. “Just don’t make me wait too long,” I teased, giving him a wink.

Travis was the first guy that I had ever had these feelings for. He was also the first guy that I had ever felt so at ease and comfortable with, which was probably explaining my desirous impatience.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to hold back for much longer, but let’s try to take things slow. Okay?”

“Okay,” I answered.

Before I went inside, I left him with a kiss that would make him rethink his decision. Though honestly, I was thrilled that he wasn’t another guy just trying to get inside my pants. I was so high from my feelings, and how perfect everything was turning out that I couldn’t fall asleep. I contemplated sending Tracey a text message to see if she was awake, but decided not to. For the time being, it was probably best if I didn’t tell her about Travis. Until things were out in the open about us, Tracey wouldn’t approve, and would warn me off him. So, I would wait a few days and then tell her how perfect things were going. After the way things went today, I didn’t think it would be much longer than that.