Blue Autumn in the Bayou (Gumbo Love) (32 page)

“Please
, don’t stop.” Her finger dug into his back.

“Be a good girl.” He moved again, this time
, his own body trembled. Teetering on the edge of a thunderous climax, he held on, not wanting to find release until he felt her body shudder. Travis increased the pace and depth of his strokes, as he looked down at her with all the love in his heart. In this age-old dance, he moved in and out her until she screamed. He covered her mouth to silence her. So much for her promise; he would have to reprimand her later. Travis grunted his release, squeezing her hips close into him. Without missing a beat, they started over again until they both didn’t have strength left, and quietly fell into a love-sated slumber.

* * * *

Travis stirred when he heard the banging against the house. He pulled from behind Autumn and slipped on his shorts. Shirtless and barefoot, he fumbled through the dark house, chiding himself for leaving his lantern at the front door. He soon caught a glimmer of light up the hall and followed it. Autumn’s father was donning his rain gear. “I think something came loose on the house.” He acknowledged Travis in a hushed voice.

“I’ll help you.”

“No, son. Go back to bed.”

Travis picked up a lantern and walked back to the bedroom. He shook Autumn lightly. “Put on some clothes, darling. You might have to move to the center of the house.” He kissed the top of her head.

A groggy Autumn sat up and watched as Travis put on a pair of pants and a shirt. “Where are you going?”

“To help your dad. Put on some clothes. I’ll be right back.” He left the room and headed for the front door. When he opened it, the winds were so
strong; he could barely keep it from being yanked from his grasp. The porch door flapped opened and closed. The night was pitch black, but when bolts of lightning drifted across the horizon, he could see the blades of torrential rain, that beat down on his face. He found Tempest and Gator clinging to a board with Gator trying to force it into place with the back of a hammer.

Travis quickly moved in to help hold the plank in place while his father-in-law used both hands and all of his strength to replace the fallen wood. They took one last look around the sides and back of the house before going back inside. The women were up. Autumn lit pillar candles lined up on the mantel. She turned just in time to see Travis come through the door. She would never grow tired of looking at him. Her body still sang from their lovemaking. She smiled and walked over and helped him out of his gear. “Is everything okay out there
?”

Travis rewarded her with a light kiss. The waters hammered the island from both sides. He’d been in more storms than he care
d to admit. However, he’d never experienced the depth, size, and danger that the water surges around them posed that night. The storm definitely worried him.

Tempest patted him on the back. “Thanks, Travis.” He liked his new brother-in-law. He liked the idea of another man in the family. His Uncle Damon
had driven several elderly residents to Lockport to be with family, since they had no one else on the island to care for them through the storm. Generally, he would have been with them during bad weather. 

“Not a problem. This is my family too. I just want to do my part.”
Travis reached for his hand and shook it before bringing Tempest into a bear hug. He took the towel handed to him and wiped water from his face and neck. “I better get out of these wet pants.” He headed back to the bedroom.

Everyone settled down in the center of the house while the storm whipped the shores
, and all standing fixtures brave enough to test it. Rain beat down on the house. Occasionally the loud clash of debris hurtled against the already bowing trees, houses, and other fixed structures could be heard through the strong winds.

Autumn snuggled under Travis on the pallet he constructed
next to the mantel. Tempest sat up the portable cot he usually slept on for Mer Drace. He covered her with a layer of comforters, as she settled down with the rest of her family in the large room. Gator took the couch and Maree balled up on the matching loveseat, leaving Tempest on a sleeping bag next to Mer Drace. The scratchy sounds from the portable radio didn’t provide any more than what they already knew about the storm. Emma was over the island and the eye was expected to pass in a couple of hours.

Autumn drifted back to sleep under Travis’s protective arm. The warmth of his body harmonized with the thumping of his heart
comforted her to a cozy slumber. He, on the other, hand listened quietly to Gator’s snore, as it competed with the thrashing winds and rain. Sometime later, he finally dozed off. It was the quiet and daylight that woke everyone up. The candles still burned slowly on the mantle.

Tempest and Travis went out to survey the damages. The strong
, musty gulf air filled his nostrils. Debris littered the ground like candy sprinkles, but for the most part, there was no structural damage to the house. When Travis arrived the day before, it was almost dark, but now as he looked past all the things that the wind carried with it, Travis could see the shoreline from the back of Mer Drace’s house. Even though they knew the back end of the storm was yet to pass, they picked up litter around the yard. He picked up a bike and remnants of its twisted iron lacked one of its tires and the chain.

The rain stopped for about an hour before it picked up again. Not long afterward
, the back end of the storm hit but the winds and rains weren’t nearly as severe as the night before. By late evening, the rain slowly moved to a light drizzle. Mer Drace asked everyone to gather in the family room where they’d slept together, and she offered a prayer of thanks while everyone held hands. They’d come through yet another storm unscathed. She hugged each of them and placed a small kiss on their cheeks.

* * * *

Travis grew anxious to call his parents. He hadn’t talked to them since he left the city the previous morning. Tempest headed back to the mainland, and he went with him to call home and to check on his truck. The energy racing through him couldn’t be suppressed. His eyes roamed the shores as they maneuvered around fallen trees and tree limbs along the narrow road leading to the main thoroughfare. He saw houses with partially missing roofs and porches torn away like paper. People were out cleaning and moving clutter from yards and driveways.

As they approached the bridge
, they noticed some damage, but nothing seriously impacting the structure of the only connection to the island from the mainland. Large sections of the levee and freshly established dunes were washed onto Hwy 1. When they arrived back to the docking stations of Tempest’s ferry business, Travis walked around his truck to survey it for damages. Luckily, the truck only had a few nicks. The building had sheltered it from items washed up from the gulf or blown by the strong winds of Emma.

The cell phones were out, but landlines still had intermittent service. Tempest just happened to have a ham radio that he was able to connect to a landline at his job’s central control center. Surprisingly
, the phones in New Orleans were working, and his father’s voice came through after the second ring.

“Pop. Travis. I just wanted to check in.” He raised his voice to compete with the static in the line. “Yes
, sir. Autumn is fine. We’re all okay.”

There was a pause.

“Probably tomorrow. Depends on if the roads are clear.”

Another pause.

“Yes, sir. I will.”

* * * *

The following day, Autumn shared hugs with her family. She clung to Travis’s hand while she sat between him and Tempest in the truck headed back to the mainland. Travis pulled his truck from the driveway and helped Autumn into it before giving Tempest a strong handshake and hug.

“Take care of my little sister.”

“I will, brother. You’ll have to come to New Orleans to visit us. Let me know when you’re ready.”

“Sure nuff.” Tempest waved as they pulled away.

The longest part of the trip was getting through the two-lane highway in St. Charles Parish. Trees and limbs scattered across the road as they made their way closer to New Orleans. State officials were already moving and hauling away items causing road blockage. When they finally entered his driveway, Travis pulled the truck in front of the garage and parked. The garage doors were locked down before he left for his parents’ house days before, just before the storm intensified.

He walked around and opened the passenger door for Autumn. A steady rain continued even as they drove through the city. She dashed to the door and waited for Travis to unlock and disarm the alarm
for the house. She watched him quickly reset the alarm code. When he was done he opened the door for Autumn. As he attempted to enter the house, he stopped her. “Wait, darling. This is the first time crossing this threshold as Mrs. Brooks, right?”

Autumn looked up into her husband’s tired face
, noticed the small lines at the corners of his eyes and knew he was exhausted. “Yes, it is.”

“Then, let’s do this right, shall we
?”

She smiled. “Yes, Mr. Brooks. Let’s do it right.”

He swooped her up into his arms and crossed the threshold. “Welcome home, my precious wife.”

“Thank you. Now set me down
and let me take care of you. I’ll make something quick to eat while you take a shower, okay?” She leaned in and kissed his cheek.

“Thanks
, babe.” He set her on her feet, hugged her gently, and headed straight for the shower.

Autumn dug through the refrigerator and quickly fixed a couple of sandwiches. She brought a tray and placed it in the center of the king
-size bed. She peeled away her clothes as she headed toward the bathroom. She dropped them on top of a hamper before she opened the shower door, and moved into the stall with her husband. 

Travis’s head was bent under the spray when he felt Autumn’s hands on his back. He turned and kissed her. With ease
, she slipped her hands up and around his neck. She pulled her wet body up against him, deepening the kiss before she pulled away. She took the washcloth from his hand and washed his back. Travis in turn washed her body, moving the sudsy towel slowly across her chest, thighs, between her legs, and down her back.

As they continued the intimate process, h
is erection surged and pulsated with every touch, but they made no effort to relieve the heat at the root of their passion. They took their time pampering every curve and bends of each other bodies. When they were done, Travis dried them both with plush, warm towels from a warming rack. They didn’t say one word the entire time. They communicated with the touch of their hands and lips.

Autumn slipped into one of Travis’s T-shirts and he pulled up a pair of shorts.
When they climbed into bed, Travis moved the tray that Autumn had prepared toward them. “It’s good to be home, baby.” She glanced at Travis. It was the first thing that either had said anything in the past half hour.

“Yes
, it is.” He handed her half of a sandwich. He clicked on the television and they watched the evening news as they ate.

Travis ate his and the other half of Autumn’s sandwich plus the small salad. He sat the tray down by the bed and
cuddled with Autumn while he watched sports updates. He didn’t last long. Soon, the television watched him. Autumn eased the remote from his hand and powered off the flat-screen television.

The low light from the wall lamp was still lit. Careful not to wake him
, she attempted to get up to turn off the lamp, but his arm circled her and pulled her back against him. He shifted his body onto his side and cuddled her close. Autumn rested in his arms without further protest. She eventually drifted off to sleep. They slept peacefully through the night without even stirring.

The phone rang and Travis reached behind for the cordless phone
, and without hesitation, raised it to his ear. “Hello.”

“Mom told me you made it in.” Michael’s voice greeted him from the other end of the phone.

“Hi, Mike. We made it in late yesterday evening.”

“You guys are good?”

“Yes, we’re good.”

“You might want to call Trish. I know she must have left at least a hundred messages on your phone. Mom finally made her quit. She’s been tripping. She’s a little worried about you.”

“Will do. I haven’t had a chance to check my messages yet. I may see you a little later today. Anything to worry about at work?”

“No. Everything here is fine. I’ll see you a little later. I’m glad you’re home
, brother.”

“Thanks, Mike. I am too.”

“Later.”

“Later, man.” Travis clicked the phone off and peeked down at Autumn staring at him. “Good morning.”

“Good morning. You rest well?” Her blue gaze kissed him lovingly.

“Yes. What about you?” He
pecked her lips.

“Yes, like a baby.”

Her comment made him smile. “You should stay put. I have a few things to take care of this morning. You need anything?” Autumn shook her head. Travis kissed her again before moving from the bed.

* * * *

“Hi, sweetheart. I didn’t mean to worry you,” Travis spoke to his sister.