Free Only Skin Deep by Cathleen Galitz Page B

playboy. Especially since nothing could be farther from the truth.
    Oh, he’d be the first to admit that he was no saint. He wasn’t cut out for a lifetime of celibacy, but that didn’t mean he’d bed down with any woman who gave him the slightest encouragement. In fact, he hoped the ancient condoms he kept stashed away in the back corner of his underwear drawer hadn’t outlived their shelf life.
    With the notable exception of Lauren, all the women he’d been with since his divorce all claimed to be on birth control. They had been quick to assure him they were looking for nothing more than a good time.If any of them had a change of heart after getting to know him better, Travis promptly replayed his standard message about not being interested in long-term relationships.
    He couldn’t help it if that earned him a reputation around town as a cold bastard.
    He’d learned the hard way that it was far better to err on the side of honesty than to marry someone just because it might make her happy. As hard as he’d tried to make his marriage work, there wasn’t a man alive who could make Jaclyn content. Every time he signed another outrageous alimony check, he counted himself lucky to have gotten out of the relationship relatively unscathed. Until he saw someone going gaga over a baby and the weight of his loss crushed the air from his lungs.
    That somber reminder did little to cool the desire throbbing through his veins, a testimony to the power Lauren held over him. Sharper than cactus barbs, the sting of conscience urged him to stop this insanity before someone got hurt. He assured himself that she knew exactly where things stood between them. Hadn’t he been completely up front with her from the outset?
    Besides, just because Lauren was ready to make love to him didn’t mean she would be expecting an engagement ring in the morning. He was probably just being paranoid. She certainly hadn’t made any noise in that direction so there was no reason to expect that she would.
    At least that’s what he told himself over and over again as he marched toward her cabin beneath the fullmoon, all the while clutching a handful of condoms as if he were holding the Holy Grail.
    Â 
    Disheveled and sexy as hell, Travis looked as though he had run the short distance in record time. The effort had done nothing to lessen the yearning shining in his eyes. That predatory look made Lauren tremble from the inside out. Opening his hand, he held out a small cellophane packet.
    He sounded out of breath as he gave Lauren yet another chance to back out. “If you’ve changed your mind, now would be a real good time to tell me.”
    Having no idea how many condoms came in a pack, Lauren hoped her voice wouldn’t betray her ignorance. She feigned a wicked smile and patted the pillow next to her.
    â€œI just hope you brought enough.”
    Travis’s laugh rumbled out of a place deep in his chest as he pulled her off the bed and onto her feet. “And how many do you think I’ll need to satisfy you?”
    Lauren had no idea. Barely managing to pull off her shoes and nylons and belt in the time he was gone, she was happy to leave the remainder of her undressing in his capable hands—especially considering that her own hands were none too steady. Travis reached around her to undo the zipper running down the back of her dress. It fell open revealing the curve of her back. She shivered.
    But not from the cold.
    When he pushed the fabric off her shoulders, it was all Lauren could do to refrain from catching the dressas it slipped over her breasts and pooled at her feet. Travis wasted no time in disposing of her nearly translucent slip. She stepped out of the pile of clothing at her feet to stand before him in a lacy bra and matching wisp of panties.
    Lauren felt exposed as a fraud. Not nearly as comfortable with herself as she pretended to be, she expected him to find fault with