My Cover Model (A Love Like That #1) - R.L. Kenderson Page 0,55

want pictures of penises.” I held up a finger. “However, I wouldn’t turn down a full nude. But it doesn’t mean I’m sending him anything in return.”

An hour passed without anything else from Travis. But, by then, Harper and I were on our second bottle of wine, and I didn’t care too much that he hadn’t gotten back to me. I was tipsy, and he was with his family.

It was just after eleven when Harper yawned. “Maybe it’s time for us to put our pajamas on.”

“What? No way. We have to stay up and party.”

“This from the girl who, earlier tonight, said that it sounded like Travis had an exhausting social life.”

“That’s before I turned my bloodstream into an alcohol-stream.”

“How soon you forget that you party until you crash, and then it’s lights out for you for the rest of the night.”

I took a sip of my wine. “I beg to differ.”

“Your twenty-second birthday. You made it up the stairs where you sat down and promptly fell asleep with your head on the top stair.”

“Okay, you might have a point.”

Harper pursed her lips. “There is no might about it.”

“Okay, let’s go change. We can party in our pajamas.”

Harper stood. “A party with just the two of us?”

“Three of us,” I corrected. “We have Maleficent, too.”

Harper looked over at my cat, who was sleeping upside down on my chair.

I shrugged and laughed. I pushed myself off the couch to go upstairs where the two of us could change when the doorbell rang.

Our eyes met.

“Who would be at your house this late at night?”

“I don’t know.” I gasped. “It’s a rapist. A murder. A murdering rapist. Or would it be a raping murderer?”

“You watch too much TV.”

“Scoff all you want, but I saw an episode of Forensic Files where a guy knocked on a woman’s door in the middle of the night, left, came back, raped her, and left her for dead. And that shit is real life.”

“I’m going to go and peek out the window.”

I grabbed Harper’s arm. “No. What if he sees you?”

“What if it’s a she?”

I straightened my spine. “You think a woman wants to rape and murder us?”

Harper rolled her eyes and pushed my hand off her. The second she went to go to the window, my phone rang.

I screeched and jumped.

I picked it up from where it sat on the couch, and Harper and I both said, “It’s Travis,” at the same time.

I looked up. “How did you know Travis was calling me?”

She pointed out the window and grinned. “I didn’t. Travis is outside.”

Thirty-Three

Sydney

“What’s Travis doing here?”

“I don’t know,” Harper said. “Why don’t you answer the door and ask him?” She pointed to my ringing cell. “Or at least answer the phone.”

I rushed to the door and yanked it open.

Travis grinned and lowered his phone from his ear. “Hey. I was beginning to doubt you were home even though your lights were on.”

Harper came up behind me. “She thought you were a serial killer.”

“Actually, I said murdering rapist.”

Travis laughed.

“Well, I’m going to go,” Harper said as she squeezed past me. She already had her purse and her overnight bag on her shoulder.

“What?” I said.

“Nice to see you again, Travis,” she said as she passed him.

“You, too.” He looked back at me.

Harper walked down the steps and turned around. She made an O with one hand and repeatedly stuck the finger of her opposite hand through the O, making the universal sign for sex.

I put my hand over my mouth as I burst out laughing. Sometimes, I felt like I was getting old, and other times, like now, I wondered if I would ever truly grow up.

Travis spun around, but Harper quickly dropped one hand and turned the other into a wave.

“Have fun, you two.”

“Wait. You can’t drive. You’ve been drinking.”

A car pulled up in front of my place.

“I already called an Uber,” she said as she walked to the end of the drive.

“That’s not an Uber. That’s your husband,” I shouted at her.

“Yeah, but Uber sounds cooler.” She opened the car door. “Hey, baby,” I heard her say to Ian. “Let’s go park and make out since your mom’s with the baby.” She got in and shut her door, and Ian drove off.

I took a step back. “Would you like to come in?”

Travis smiled, his green eyes ablaze, as he stalked toward me.

“Do you want some wine?” I asked as my back hit the wall.

Travis reached me, circled my wrists with his hands, and pushed them over