Free Me And Mrs Jones by Marie Rochelle Page B

container on the table and the wine is chilling in ice by the side of the table. If you don’t need me for anything else, I’ll be leaving.”
    “I’ll be right back,” Travis whispered in her ear before moving away.”
    Standing back, Renee watched Travis as he walked away with Antonio to take care of whatever was left for their date. She took a whiff of the air loving the smell of freshly cooked food that filled it. She was such a sucker for a well-prepared meal. She had skills in the kitchen, but sometimes it did feel good to have someone else cooking for you.
    Moving over to the railing surrounding the patio, Renee glanced down to the water below. She loved being outside with the sounds of the world around her. She couldn’t have planned a better first date with Travis if she planned it herself.
    Tonight was turning out pretty good and she hadn’t even sat down to dinner yet. What else did the night have prepared for her? Could it possibly get any better than this?
    “What are you doing way over here away from me?” Travis asked as he came to stand next to her.
    Renee turned so she was facing Travis. “I was only thinking.”
    “Want to share what it was about?” His eyes were gentle and understanding as he watched her.
    Smiling, Renee placed her hand in the middle of Travis’ chest. She was done allowing her doubts to spoil this beautiful night. “It wasn’t anything important. How about we head over to that delicious smelling food?”
    “Only on one condition,” Travis told her.
    “What condition would that be Mr. Cole?”
    “You’ll dance with me.”
    Renee didn’t have a problem with that at all. In fact, she really liked anytime she got a chance to be in Travis’ strong arms. She had never felt more secure or sexy than when she was against him. Which completely surprised her since Travis was so new in her life.
    Were endorphins taking so much that she couldn’t control her reactions ?
    “How can I turn down such a wonderful suggestion?”

 
    Chapter Twelve
     
     
    Wiping her mouth, Renee placed the napkin down on her empty plate. She couldn’t eat another bite. “Travis, you have to tell me where you found Chef Antonio because his Tarragon Chicken was out of this world. I loved it.”
    Travis he poured them some more wine and grinned at her. “I’ll pass on your compliment. We went to college together. I was there for art and as you call tell, Antonio was there for food. He’s about to go overseas in a few months to finish studying in Paris. He did this dinner tonight as a favor for me. Antonio was there for me through a rough patch I was having back then.”
    Renee noticed the far away look that came into Travis’ eyes as he placed the wine bottle back into the bucket. “Do you want to talk about it?” she asked, reaching across the table to touch his hand.
    He blinked a couple of times before his full attention got focused back on her. “No, I don’t right now but maybe later. I’d rather learn more about you,” Travis answered.
    “Like what?” Renee reached for her wine glass and took a sip then placed it back.
    “Have you always lived here? I know that you have an ex-husband, but do you have any children? How did you get involved in the art world?”
    Question after question was rattled off so fast that Renee didn’t think she would have enough time to answer them all. She couldn’t let this night turn out to be totally about her. Not when she wanted to know so much more about Travis.
    “Okay...I’ll answer these questions if you answer some of mine after I’m finished.”
    “Deal,” Travis agreed without even thinking about it.
    Renee got more comfortable in her chair trying to decide how she wanted to tell Travis about herself. Most of her adult life unfortunately involved being in a loveless and stressful marriage to Robert. She truly didn’t find happiness until the final divorce papers were signed.
    “I was married to Robert for almost ten years. I can’t