Page 39 of Light It Up Red
I look down at myself, then back up again. “It’s a phone call. He can’t see me.” I roll my eyes as I grab a towel and wrap it around my body before plucking my phone out of Travis’s hand, with every intention of calling Grayson back. My ringtone echoes through the bathroom before I have the chance. “Gray, why on earth are you blowing up my phone?” I answer, while keeping my eyes glued to Travis in defiance.
“I heard a disturbing rumor, Lil, and thought I’d come straight to the source,” Gray says.
“Yeah? What rumor would that be?” I ask him. Given my last name, it could be any number of things. Only a few of them true.
“The one where people are saying that you’re dating Travis O’Neil. Tell me you’re not dating a hockey player, Lil.”
“I am very much dating Travis.” I grin into the phone. Then quickly pull the receiver back from my ear at the onslaught of curses coming from the other end of the line. “Okay, Gray, nice chat but I gotta go.”
“Lil, be careful,” he says. “I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“I really like him, Grayson. And he’s good to me.” My gaze is still locked on Travis’s.
“You can tell the fucker if he hurts you, I’ll rip his heart out of his chest,” Gray grunts.
“You’d have to take a number for that.” I laugh.
“See you soon, Lil.”
“How come you never mentioned this little friendship with Monroe?” Travis asks as soon as Gray cuts the call.
“I have a lot of friends.” I shrug. “Do you want a list?”
“If that list includes the family who owns the team I’m looking to get traded to, yes, I do.”
“I…”
What am I supposed to say? That I purposely didn’t tell Travis I knew the Monroes. That I didn’t want him to ask me to pull strings to help get him signed with the Knights. Not that he’s given me that impression. But, in my experience, everyone wants something from me eventually. And I just didn’t want Travis to fall into that category. Not yet. I wanted to enjoy the blissful ignorance for a bit longer.
“Lili? What’s wrong?” Travis inches closer to me, reaching out and pulling me into his arms.
“Not that I thought you were like that, but I didn’t tell you because you mentioned how much you wanted to go to Vancouver and I…”
“You thought I’d ask you to call in a favor or something?” Travis tightens his grip on me.
“I didn’t want to give you the opportunity to ask,” I admit.
I feel the deep inhale of his breath, as his chest rises and falls against my face. “Babe, look at me.” Travis cups my cheeks, forcing me to meet his eyes. “I will never—and I mean never—ask you to do something like that for me,” he says. “I love you, Lili. I love everything about you. I’m with you because I love you, not because of any fucking connections you might have.”
“I love you too.” I smile. “I’m sorry.”
“You don’t need to be sorry.” Travis’s lips land on mine in a featherlight kiss. Then he smiles against my mouth. “I love you,” he repeats.
“I love you too.”
“I wish you didn’t have to go.”
“Me too,” I groan at the reminder. A whole month in Italy without Travis is going to be pure hell. Tears start to fall down my cheeks.
“I’m going to miss you, so damn much,” he says.
“Not half as much as I’m going to miss you.”
Travis wipes the tears from my cheeks. “Please don’t cry. It breaks my heart, Lili.”
“I’m sorry.” I take in a huge breath. “Promise to call me every day.”
“At least five times,” he confirms.
