Brother Blues_Stepbrother MC Biker Romance

by Terri Lane

  He answered in a businesslike tone of voice.

  “Travis Bunney.”

  “Oh hi… hi…” Abbie stammered, sounding like an idiot. “It’s Abbie Jones… we met at that Elite Party the other night?” She felt her face heat up as it hit her that she might have left it too long, and that he might not even remember who she was. “I erm… you gave me your business card and you asked me to call you about…”

  “Of course,” he replied with a warmth to his tone. “I remember, how could I forget you?”

  His words sent a flutter of excitement racing right through her. She wanted to be able to hold herself back and to remain professional, but she wasn’t sure how she could when he was so damn sexy.

  He’s a player, she reminded herself angrily. Don’t think about him in any other way.

  “Can you come to my office this afternoon? I do have something for you and I would love to see you about it.”

  There was definitely a flirty lilt in his tone, but she did her best to brush past that and to focus on the awesome job opportunity instead.

  “Of course, that would be great thank you.”

  As they hung up the phone she instantly started to race about the room getting herself ready. She wanted to keep to her typical casual wear, because she needed loose-fitting clothing in case he asked for a demonstration of her abilities, but she also found herself making herself up too. More than she would normally.

  It’s just for the job, she tried to convince herself. I’m only going the extra mile to secure this position.

  She might have known deep down that she was lying to herself, but she was nowhere near ready to admit that. Travis Bunney was sexy, hot and dangerous… nothing like what she was used to, and that scared and excited her in equal measures.

  It led her to think back to what she’d had with Greg, and how wrong it turned out to be. Sure he had been a massive jerk, and he really shouldn’t have fucked every girl that looked his way, but in reality he had probably done her a favor. Looking back now it would have been bad for her to be stuck in such a miserable relationship that was never going anywhere. She hated him still, with a burning passion, but at least he was gone now and she would never be tempted to look back.

  As she drove her car over to Travis’s office, she tried to forget everything else and focus just on what this could mean for her. She needed to get her professional head on if she was ever going to survive this, which meant no nerves, no anxiety, and certainly no thinking about him in any kind of sexual manner…

  Of course, that all flew out the window as soon as she found herself across his desk from him, looking into his eye. There was just something about him – something charismatic and exciting that drew her in like a magnet.

  “So Abbie…” he began, as he leaned back in his chair and shot her a smile. “Thank you for coming over to see me.”

  “Thank you for having me.” She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, acutely aware of the butterflies floating around inside of her. “I really do appreciate it.”

  He didn’t speak for a few seconds; he simply grinned in her direction, making her heart melt in a way that it hadn’t ever done. Even in the beginning with Greg it had always been more about feeling safe and secure around him. Now she was the total opposite – but it wasn’t as terrifying a thought as she’d once assumed.

  “So,” he said. “Let’s talk about the opportunity I have for you – it’s a really exciting one that I think you’ll be perfect for. The director of this music video…”

  Music video! This was just what she wanted – a new adventure that could lead her anywhere.

  “…wants a girl upfront that looks just like you, and from the moves I saw you pulling off the other night, I know that you have the talent too.”

  “Wow,” she replied breathlessly. “Thank you… that’s amazing.”

  “Now, it will mean travelling to Hawaii because that’s where the shoot is happening, so first off I’d best check that this is something that you’re available for.”

  Oh my God, could this be any better? With every word, Travis was making it even more attractive an offer.

  “Of course, that would be great,” she exclaimed. “I’m definitely available for that.”

  “Okay, so I’m going to tell you now that this a hot property type of celebrity, a very famous rock star.”

  She gulped and nodded, her mind trying to work out who, but she didn’t think that it would be professional to ask. Often due to confidentiality, people weren’t allowed to know any kind of details until the very last second anyway, so she did her best to remain totally casual about the whole thing.

  “Sounds great…” she stammered. “I’m up for anything.”

  Her mind should have focused more upon who this cool rock star would be, but the more that she looked at Travis, the more distracted she became. It was easy to see why he had so many women at his feet… he was incredible.

  “Also, I will be attending an industry awards ceremony tonight, and I know that this is very last minute, but my date dropped out… so would you like to come with me? There will be so many people there that you should meet – people that will be amazing connections for you.” He looked a little embarrassed as he spoke, and that allowed her to view something of a different side to him – one that she found incredibly intriguing.

  “Wow,” she gasped, unable to believe her luck. Her career was about to explode, she was sure of it. “Of course, that would be amazing, thank you.”

  “Great! Well, I will see you then.” He stood up, indicating that the meeting was over, which caused her to do the same. “If you leave me your address, I’ll send over a car to pick you up at seven.”

  It wasn’t until she was on the way home that she realized she was just as excited to spend more time with Travis, as she was to further her career. A concept that she had no idea what to do with…

  ***

  As she stared at her appearance for one last time in the mirror, Abbie thanked the gods that Lauren was in her life once more. If she wasn’t, Abbie might have had to pull out of what could have been the most important night of her life, just because she had nothing to wear.

  “Do I look okay mom?” she asked, actually needing her mother’s opinion this time.

  “You look beautiful.” Her mom smiled at her. “You will wow everyone tonight. This will be amazing for you.”

  For a brief second, she felt such a connection with her mom that she almost spilled the beans about how she was feeling with regards to Travis. She had been keeping it all inside ever since she’d met him at the party, and it would have been nice to get the opinions of an outsider.

  But then she started to hear all of the arguments in her head:

  It’s much too soon – you aren’t over Greg yet.

  He’s a playboy – you’ll only get your heart broken.

  You need to focus on yourself first.

  And that was enough to have her keeping it all inside. She didn’t want people to know, just in case it all went wrong. She wanted to keep that humiliation to herself. She couldn’t go through all the fake sympathy all over again, it was horrible.

  “Thanks mom,” she simple said. She glanced at her phone and saw the time. “Well I’d better go and wait outside because the car will be here at any moment…”

  Beep, beep!

  “Or maybe it’s here already,” her mom laughed. She glanced out the window. “Ooh it’s a limo! How exciting!”

  “Oh my God,” Abbie gasped, suddenly feeling overwhelmed.

  As she stepped outside, she quickly took a few deep gasps of fresh air, wanting to calm herself down, but then she spotted a face pressing up against the window, giving her that heart-melting smile all over again.

  She was shocked to see that Travis had come along to pick her up too – she assumed that she was going to meet him there. This was more like a first date than she’d initially realized!

  “Hi,” she said shyly as she climbed into the car. “How
are you?”

  “Much better now,” he said with a grin, his eyes dancing all over her body. “You look amazing!”

  That was enough to have her heart flapping wildly. She didn’t want to feel so attracted to him, but every time she was around him she couldn’t quite help it.

  As the car drove along, and they returned to some very basic small talk, she couldn’t help but wonder if that sort of behavior was normal. Was that the sort of thing a man said to a girl he was just taking out for convenience? Or did he have more feelings for her? Where was this night headed?

  Oh God, that was not the sort of thing she could be thinking tonight. Not if she wanted to get through it with her shoes on!

  ***

  The first hour passed in a haze of champagne and new faces. Abbie found herself with dozens of new business cards to stick into her clutch bag, and scores of promises for work. Even though she knew that not all of them would play out, she felt very excited for what the future held. Something would come of it, and that was amazing.

  It made her realize that she never should have moved in with Greg – the city was definitely the place to be for a woman like her. If things carried on in this direction, she would be able to afford her own place soon enough, solving all of her problems!

  “Shall we go and get some fresh air?” Travis asked her at exactly the right moment. He had been the perfect gentleman all night – never leaving her side, introducing her to all the right people, and now even spotting when she needed a time out.

  It was a little shocking to have someone be able to read her moods better than she could herself!

  But as soon as they got outside, she started to realize that maybe his escape had more to do with him than it did her. His face was tense, frayed and weary, and she was sure that there might even be a tear there, hiding behind his eyes.

  “Are… are you okay?” she asked nervously. They’d played their part well in front of other people, but when they were alone, there was no denying that they didn’t really know each other, and that their relationship was a professional one. Abbie was absolutely terrified of over stepping the mark, but at the same time she couldn’t just do nothing either.

  He sighed deeply, refusing to make eye contact with her, before taking a big swig of his champagne. They were both a little tipsy by this point, which meant that they could be a little freer with their words. But Abbie still wasn’t expecting the words that came out of his mouth.

  “The reason I didn’t want to come alone to this event is because I knew for a fact that my ex-wife was going to be here.”

  He had been married? Abbie was certain that she’d never heard about that before.

  “We broke up over six years ago, but I still struggle with what she did to me. She cheated on me with my best friend, and it really did tear my life up. I just saw her in there with him, and it still winds me up like crazy. I know that it’s stupid, after six years. It isn’t like I still have feelings for her or anything. It’s the betrayal that I can’t seem to recover from.”

  Woah. Abbie had no idea what to say to the man that was opening up to her for some unknown reason, but she couldn’t deny that she felt an affinity with him. She knew exactly how badly betrayal could hurt.

  She stepped closer to him, and gently rubbed his arm. “I’m sorry Travis. That really does suck.” Her own situation ran through her mind, and she found herself sharing too. “I just had something similar recently… although to be fair my boyfriend was screwing everyone in sight.”

  “Really?” He turned to look at her with shock in his eyes. “I cannot believe that anyone would cheat on you.”

  “Well I can’t believe that anyone would cheat on you,” she laughed. “But I guess no one is safe.”

  With that, the atmosphere surrounding them suddenly shifted. Abbie felt the champagne bubbling inside of her, and her brain going dizzy with lust. She knew that they’d both teetered into dangerous territory this time, and she had no idea what to do next.

  As he leaned in closer, making his intentions clear, Abbie found herself left with two choices – did she follow her head and stop this before it went any further, or did she listen to her body and give in to temptation?

  And then, his lips crashed against hers, and fireworks exploded within her. She gripped on tightly to him; she knew she’d made the right choice. She never would have been able to forgive herself if she hadn’t experienced such a moment of pure bliss. Sure, she was perfectly aware that this was wrong, and on so many levels, but it felt so damn good that it was driving her crazy.

  As they pulled apart, and he rested his forehead up against hers, she realized that she was done with the party.

  “Should we just go?” she asked him. “Get away from all the shit in there?”

  “But…” there was a definite relief in his eyes at the idea of not having to face his ex-wife and friend again, but he was concerned about Abbie too. “Don’t you want to meet some more people?”

  She shook her head, feeling happiness buzzing within her. “No, thank you. I’ve met everyone that I want to. I just want to go.”

  All she wanted was to be alone with him, but she didn’t say that aloud. She hoped that it was obvious.

  ***

  Abbie couldn’t forget how Travis’s kiss had made her feel. It infiltrated into her dreams all night long. As he had dropped her off at her door, she’d been tempted to invite him in, but she also didn’t want to move too fast and screw everything good in her life up.

  Plus she lived at her parents’, so like a teenager she really couldn’t. It was embarrassing enough without bringing him inside too.

  She was surprised to wake up to a text message from him, but even more so when she read what it said:

  Abbie, last night was amazing. Let me take you out to dinner tonight? Travis x

  Okay, so it wasn’t a declaration of true love or anything, but it did make her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. She wanted to be smart about it, to really consider the implications of her actions – which could be potentially devastating for her career – but at the same time, this was something that she really wanted to do.

  The arguments that she’d given herself the night before were still there milling around in her brain, but so was the memory of that kiss. She had never experienced such intense and exciting chemistry with anyone before, and she wasn’t sure that it was something that she could turn her back on.

  After spending such a long time living a comfortable, settled life, she was finding the lure of something that was so potentially dangerous to be deadly exciting.

  Almost as if he could sense that she was reading his words, and that she was having a moment of insecurity about it, Travis texted again.

  This will only be about you and me. The job won’t be affected no matter what happens. There is nothing to worry about.

  “Yeah,” Abbie muttered smiling to herself. “Only my precious heart.”

  But after being through what she had with Greg, she felt stronger now. She was sure that she could take it no matter how this went – in fact, if she went into it with open eyes, viewing it as nothing more than a fling, a rebound to get over what she’d just experienced, then nothing could go wrong… surely?

  Okay, sounds good. Just let me know where and when and I will be there, Abbie x

  She lay back on her sheets for a few moments, just wondering what it would be like to actually be with such a strong and powerful man like Travis, but she couldn’t even picture it. Before Greg, there had only been her high school boyfriend, Danny – and their two encounters had been so awkward they weren’t even worth thinking about.

  Maybe this was exactly what she needed – a no strings attached night of fun that would never go anywhere. Maybe after that, she could finally move on with her life…

  ***

  Abbie kept glancing at Travis out of the corner of her eye, unable to believe how relaxed he was in this crazy environment. This was officially the fanciest restaurant that Abbie had
ever been to, and she almost didn’t know what to do with herself. She was much more accustomed to fries and burgers (when she was having cheat days – as a dancer she did have to look after her body), not the food that this place had on offer. It was almost too much.

  She had known about Travis’s riches long before they went out, but what she hadn’t realized was what this would mean. She felt self-conscious, and way out of her depth. She was utterly certain that everyone could see how little she belonged in this place, and as time went on, she couldn’t wait to leave.

  The place was luxurious and the food was nice, but Abbie couldn’t relax no matter what.

  Travis was doing his best to make her feel more at home, but she already knew that there was no amount of wine that could make this any better. It was weird, and that was making her act strange too. While she couldn’t relax, she couldn’t be herself, which was affecting every aspect of their conversation – or lack of it.

  “I’m sorry,” he eventually said as the waitress ran off to get the dessert menu. “I don’t know why I brought you here – this is where I bring girls who are impressed by money, but I already knew that you weren’t like that. This was a mistake.”

  Abbie hated to see the sad look in his eyes, and she instantly tried to defend his decision – even though it had been the wrong one. “No, no, this is lovely…”

  “Would you like to leave and get some ice cream at my place instead?” She knew that he was giving her an option here – a way out – but she was too excited about the idea to refuse. She wanted to see Travis in his own environment, and she wanted to be able to relax herself around him, letting him see more of her too.

  “Okay,” she said, grinning happily. “Let’s go.”

  ***

  Despite the fact that what Travis called a home, Abbie would have referred to as a mansion, she was finding it much easier to be around him in the more comfortable environment. She could be herself more, and she felt happier in the more casual skater dress that she’d chosen for the night.