Page 32 of Not Over You

“Ow,” I screech, “help me!”

Travis takes a startled step back, clearly having not seen what the hell is going on behind my head. He begins to sputter, holding his hands up in front of him. “I’m sorry, I thought you wanted me to.”

“Wait! What? Oh, yes, I do, but I’m stuck. Well, I’m not stuck, but my hair is… on the… thing…”

He just stares at me, confused at my rambling. “My hair… my hair is stuck on the key hooky thingy.” I jab a finger toward the offending device.

His eyes widen, and then he nods, the puzzle pieces finally clicking together, “Oh, wow, okay, I’m sorry, hold on.” Reaching behind me, he proceeds to try to help detangle my hair.

For about two minutes, I handle it while he makes it a hundred times worse. Now, my hair is no longer just tangled against the hook, but a set of keys has somehow managed to muck up the mess, becoming entangled in it as well.

Shit!

Finally, the pain becomes more than I can handle. Huffing out, I whimper, “Okay, just stop. The more we’re trying, the more I get stuck. There are scissors in the kitchen, go get them, and just cut it off.”

Travis stares, literally stares for a good second before saying, “Are you sure? It’s a lot, Nina. I mean, I’m not an expert with hair, but…”

The pain radiates across my scalp, and I’ve had enough. “Just get them!” I’m in a lot of pain and not thinking clearly, but I don’t care. This stupid key hook and stupid keys. Putting my hand up, I feel the amount of hair that’s locked into the key hook. It doesn’t feel like that much. Plus, hair grows back. I’ll be fine.

“Cut it, Travis. I won’t be mad at you,” I tell him. I’m fairly certain this is one of those things I’m going to regret tomorrow, but I’m going to let future Nina worry about that. If it’s going to stop my scalp from being peeled off my head, I couldn’t care less if I shaved my head.

He holds up the scissors in front of me, his face a bit pale. “Are you sure about this? I mean... very sure?” He looks at me for a minute before raising a brow.

“Yes,” I whimper, “Just freaking cut it already.”

My brain doesn’t quite comprehend what is happening until I hear the snip, snip of the scissors, and the tension at the back of my scalp is suddenly gone.

“Ahh. That feels so much better,” I sigh, rubbing at the tender spot on the back of my head.

Travis steps into my line of sight and holds up my freshly sheared locks like they’re a trophy. My eyes widen instantly, and a scream I meant to hold in escapes my lips. Lord in heaven, if my neighbors heard me, they would for sure call the cops. It’s a lot of hair! Like way more than it felt like when it was in my hand. There’s no way I don’t have a bald spot on the back of my head.

My scream startles Travis, causing him to scream back at me and take a quick step back. He trips over my purse carelessly placed next to the door and tosses my shorn locks up in the air at the same time he falls back. He lands with a hard thud that’s followed with a low groan, while I watch my hair fall to the ground.

I look down, and now I can see how much he’s taken off, I’m scared to even reach back and feel. Oh god! I’m bald.

“I’m sorry I scalped you,” he says with a frown, “if it helps, I still want to kiss you.” The pitiful look on his face makes me burst into a fit of laughter. I can’t help it because I really wanted him to kiss me, and everything just fell apart, shattered. I still want him to kiss me though.

“Okay, but maybe let’s move to the middle of the room, where nothing can attack my hair. One bald spot is enough for tonight.”

He gets up and chuckles, the sound goes straight to my core. He gently backs me toward the center of the room before he leans down and takes my mouth with his. Finally, I think as his warm mouth covers mine. I open to him and allow his tongue to explore my mouth as I sigh and melt into a puddle of mush.

“You taste good,” he moans as he pulls back and kisses down my neck. My body is waking up again, and it is ready to take whatever he has to offer. Little ripples of pleasure move through me as he takes charge and commands me to open further. He deepens the kiss and pushes me back against the other wall, blanketing my body with his. It’s my turn to moan as I shift and circle my arms around his neck. His teeth nip at my bottom lip, and I’m pretty sure this is what heaven feels like. I don’t care if he takes me right here on the floor because if he does, it’s going to be amazing.

His fingers slip under the edge of my shirt and pull it up slowly. Holy shit, this is really happening. Tugging my shirt up over my head, he throws it somewhere beside us. Eagerly, I tug on his shirt, making him laugh when I pull it up so quickly, I accidentally hit his chin.

“Sorry,” I mutter. “Want to go to my bedroom?”

“Yes, very much so.”

Then I remember the state my room is in right now. Shit, it’s a mess. “Just give me one second.” Rushing into the bedroom, I throw things off the bed and onto the floor, then shoving everything under my bed. I put clothes in the closet and hide all my embarrassing food wrappers in the dresser. Quickly strip out of the rest of my clothes, I toss my hair up into a messy bun and jump into bed. I barely have enough time to pull the blankets over my body when the door swings open. Travis walks in with a swagger that only he can—like he owns the place, owns me.

A giggle escapes me, and his eyes lock with mine, and I can feel the desire surging between us. My body is heating up as my eyes wander down his bare chest.

The throbbing between my legs is back as I unabashedly admire his chiseled physique. Six-pack abs, well-defined muscles that I want to lick. Damn, he’s fine as hell, and I’m salivating. Swallowing thickly, I watch as his hands go to the buttons on his jeans. I know what lies beneath that denim, and I can’t wait to see it again, touch it, taste it.

Slowly, he walks toward me, then suddenly, his eyes grow wide, and he trips, his big body falling forward, before disappearing completely from sight. A loud thud fills the room, followed by a string of curse words.

“What happened?” I ask, crawling to the edge of the bed.

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