It was true, when he walked up to her door that one fateful morning, he’d had an agenda. Somewhere along the way, he had managed to convince himself that getting close to her was his punishment for what he intended to do. How he ever thought she wasn’t going to be hurt by his dubious actions, he still didn’t know.
Initially, he intended to treat his interaction with Kylie as a business transaction. He would wine her, dine her, convince her he needed her help to restore the house his grandmother left him when she passed away two years ago. And from there he would use her to cause an explosion of epic proportions right in the middle of Travis’ life.
Yep, walking away unscathed was also high on his list of things to do, but at this point, the latter seemed like a pipedream.
Fuck. Since when had he become such a bastard?
Gage had learned more about himself in the past couple of months than he wanted to acknowledge. The first of which being that he harbored an intense desire to keep Kylie close although his actions said otherwise. Or at least they were about to. The second was that he wanted to punish Travis Walker in ways he had never imagined. The man managed to get under his skin and quite frankly, Gage didn’t fucking like it.
Or maybe he liked it too much.
Somewhere along the way, a vindictive series of lies and underhanded deception had led him to the path he was on this morning. The biggest lie of them all was that Gage wasn’t affected one fucking iota by the way Travis had plastered him against the wall and kissed him with an intensity that damn near blew a fucking hole through the top of his head. Twice.
It shouldn’t matter to him that he knew so little about a man who single handedly brought the brick and mortar walls of his life crashing down around him at the same time he effectively made the earth shift beneath his feet. A man that Gage had known for most of his life because Travis was Kaleb’s brother.
What mattered was that Gage had a ridiculously powerful attraction to the man. One he absolutely wasn’t happy about. And on top of that, after what clearly was leading to a tryst to rival all, Gage hadn’t heard a single thing from Travis. Not that he’d attempted to make contact either, but he also hadn’t been the one to initiate what was – no, make that what had been – happening between them.
Yet, none of it explained what he was doing here or how he somehow dragged the seemingly innocent woman at his side right into the eye of the storm. For weeks, he tried to tell himself that he needed to remain detached and he’d be fine. His original plan hadn’t even taken into account what this would do to this unsuspecting woman.
Sweet, innocent, charming… Kylie was all of those things and he was about to risk everything they’d established between them thus far. Her honesty was something he had come to cherish, but none of it mattered the closer his feet carried him to Kaleb’s front door.
This was the beginning of the end.
And to think it all started with a kiss and a need to get a rise out of Travis for putting him in a position that he feared Travis would never follow through with. Paying Travis back for the shit storm of emotions he managed to rain down on him when he least expected it had morphed into something totally unexpected.
Regardless of what Travis had done, Gage’s reaction left a bitter taste in his mouth, and he was beginning to realize he didn’t much care for this side of himself. Unfortunately, he hadn’t given much thought to the repercussions his actions would have on innocent bystanders. Namely Kylie.
Too late to think about it now, Matthews.
Admittedly, when he showed up on Kylie’s doorstep, his rationale made absolutely no sense, but he couldn’t get past his need to punish Travis for making him feel things he didn’t want to feel. Not to mention for being arrogant enough to blow his cover sky fucking high just because he felt like it.
Not only had he learned that Travis was interested in men – the kiss they shared was a dead giveaway – but he also learned that Travis was married. Married for fuck’s sake. It was the biggest secret Gage could’ve possibly imagined stumbling upon, so the instant he learned that Travis was still legally married after ten years, he did what he did best: he investigated.
And what he uncovered paved the road to Kylie.
Since the first time he heard her sweet Texas twang and saw the sexy glint in her baby blues, Gage had wondered what the hell she ever saw in a man like Travis. She was the exact opposite of the type of woman Travis got mixed up with these days – at least from the ones Gage had seen him with at Club Destiny.
Gage wanted to know what the hell had happened between the two of them. Was Travis the way he was because of her? From what he had learned during the time he spent with Kylie in recent months, he couldn’t imagine she had the ability to freeze any man’s heart the way Travis’ obviously was. And if Travis had a woman like Kylie waiting at home for him at some point in his life, what the hell was he thinking letting her go.
At first, Gage thought maybe Travis was leading a double life, spending time with Kylie when he was supposedly out of town. Clearly, that wasn’t the case. Not once had she mentioned his name. Hell, she didn’t even use Travis’ last name as her own, so why the hell were they married?
A question Gage wanted an answer to.
Or at least he had wanted to find out when he first climbed onboard this emotional roller coaster. Now, Gage wasn’t so sure he wanted to do anything except turn around and hide away with Kylie for a few months, keeping her all to himself.
He was Fucked Up. With a capital FU.
At thirty-two years old, it sucked like fucking hell to find out that what you thought you wanted out of life might be a complete and total lie. It didn’t help that Gage was adding more lies to the running list as each day passed. And his self-hatred had morphed into something tangible. The only way he found to relieve some of the pressure was to push Travis as far as he could. Away from him.
He hadn’t been able to think of much else after Travis blindsided him with a kiss that rocked his fucking world off its axis. The tension between them was palpable and, damn it all to hell, Gage wanted more. Since that was a major problem for him, – mainly because Travis was virtually untouchable – he figured the easiest way to ensure that he didn’t want what he couldn’t have, he had opted for revenge.
Glancing down at Kylie, Gage realized he hadn’t thought things all the way through. Although he was about to deliver his very own brand of payback right at Travis’ feet, he hadn’t taken into account that he might just get a little too caught up in the woman he’d sought out to find and use as punishment. His anger at Travis, mixed with the desire he felt for the man and now this woman, had twisted into something ugly, yet he didn’t seem to be turning back.
Without a doubt, Gage knew he had found something to hurt Travis with. He had a feeling his plan was going to work even better than he expected. Walking into a room full of Walker men, putting on display someone Travis apparently thought he’d buried in his past was bound to get him the reaction he had been looking for. Key words being had been.
Mother fucking hell.
“What was that?” Kylie’s sweet voice pulled Gage from his thoughts as they made their way past the U-Haul truck backed up in the front yard.
“Nothing.” He didn’t even realize he’d said anything out loud, but that said a lot about his mental status. If he was going to back out now, it would be the perfect time. The only person he’d have to explain anything to would be Kylie.
His feet didn’t stop moving forward, and the next thing he knew, he was pulling open the freshly painted screen door, waiting while Kylie preceded him into the house. The second he laid eyes on Travis, a slew of emotions bubbled up inside of him. Anger, lust, and even a sliver of fear lingered in there somewhere.
Placing his hand on the small of her back as he followed her inside, Gage had one last moment of regret and then shrugged it off as his eyes tracked Travis across the room. The second their gazes collided, Gage knew he was in deep shit.
“Sonuvabi
tch,” Travis growled.
“Travis?” Kylie questioned, her hand wrenching out of Gage’s grasp as her back went stone still.
“Fuck.” That was Travis’ only response.
Very articulate he was.
Gage stared blankly at Travis, ensuring his face remained impassive. The recognition in the man’s eyes was exactly the response Gage had been going for when he made the decision that morning to come back home to Coyote Ridge.
One thing he prided himself on was his ability to do his job. Not only could he protect those he cared about, he also had an uncanny ability to uncover dirt that other people tried desperately to hide. Travis’ dirt had been hidden better than most. In fact, it had taken Gage almost three months, but he’d finally accomplished what he set out to do.
Gage had finally found what Travis apparently didn’t want anyone else to know about.
There was only one question left to be answered...
If Travis had been looking to bury his past, why hadn’t the man ever gotten a divorce?
Chapter Three
♂♀♂
There was only one person to blame for these recent urges to do serious bodily harm. Unfortunately, the only person Travis wanted to get his hands on was Gage Matthews and the son of a bitch had disappeared altogether. The murderous rage continued to escalate as each hour ticked by, and it was a damn good thing Gage had the brains to flee. If he hadn’t, Travis would’ve hunted him down, and at this point, he couldn’t ensure that Gage would walk away unscathed.
Not after what he’d done.
Apparently, Travis’ brother Kaleb knew what Travis was capable of because no matter how hard he had tried – just short of begging, which Travis would never resort to – his brother wouldn’t give him any information. Not even Gage’s phone number. Then again, since the beginning he hadn’t been able to get Gage’s number from Kaleb. Since Kaleb had been too curious for his own good, Travis had given up on asking after the first time. So now, just short of hiring a private investigator to find Gage, Travis was at a loss on where the man could be.
Each morning, Travis woke up wondering if he would have the pleasure of wrapping his hands around Gage’s neck. And as each night cloaked their small town, he realized the opportunity had slipped by again. He had some serious connections, but despite his repeated attempts, he could not find Gage.
And Travis had doubled his efforts ever since he realized Gage had managed to skip town shortly after the fiasco that ensued at Kaleb’s house. The very day Gage had the fucking balls to dangle the one woman Travis never expected to see ever again right in front of his face.
Brass. No, make that steel. The man had balls of fucking steel, and he had proven it by waltzing Kylie Prescott – although she was technically still Kylie Walker – in through the front door without even a hint of warning.
Ever since that day, Travis hadn’t been able to sleep or eat. Hell, he could barely stand to be around himself which he knew wasn’t faring well for his brothers.
He was beginning to worry about the tension that was pulling at him these days. Part of him wanted to attribute his desire to self-destruct to what Gage had done, but he knew it was more than that. The insurmountable stress he put himself under was beginning to take its toll and Gage’s little scene was just the icing on the cake.
The bastard.
Ten years.
Ten long, fucking years, damn it.
All for nothing. The suffering and pain he’d put himself through trying to get over her was all for nothing because the second he laid eyes on Kylie, every damn thing he’d ever felt for her came flooding back like a tsunami threatening to take him under and drag him against jagged rocks that were a serious threat to his wellbeing.
Memories.
Pain.
It was all so intense, making him wish for things he knew he couldn’t have because Travis was too fucked up to have something as sweet and pure as Kylie in his life. It didn’t stop those devastating memories from overwhelming him, threatening to level him flat when he least expected it.
Son of a fucking bitch!
Just seeing her once brought back a torrent of feelings that Travis hadn’t wanted to lay claim to for a solid decade. If he had given himself any credit for being over her, well, he undoubtedly learned his lesson that day.
Every time he closed his eyes he saw big, cornflower blue eyes, pouty pink lips, the satiny luster of creamy alabaster skin, long, glossy, honey-gold hair. She looked the same, only prettier if that was even possible. The most sensually beautiful woman Travis had ever laid his eyes on. And so fucking touchable, he found himself wishing for a few more minutes with her.
But that wasn’t going to happen.
No matter what he did or didn’t do, Travis couldn’t have Kylie. She deserved someone normal, not someone like him. She needed someone whose sole purpose in life was to put her up on a pedestal and worship her with love and attention. Not someone whose love was distorted and whose attention was divided at best.
The fact that Gage had thrown her to the wolves, so to speak, spoke volumes about how well Gage actually knew her. Kylie was so damn innocent, it made Travis’ heart break just thinking about the pained look on her face that day. When his eyes raked over her, categorizing every luscious curve, every delectable inch of her beautiful body, it was like a salve for some of those gaping wounds he’d grown accustomed to over the years.
Now that the old memories and feelings had been resurrected, there was no such hope of putting her in his past where she belonged.
He could still see the way her compelling blue eyes lit up like a gas flame the moment she saw him. Forgiveness wasn’t an easy thing for a woman as reserved as Kylie, and it was clear from her surprise that she hadn’t let him off the hook for what he had done to her all those years ago.
The moment her initial shock wore off, that unbridled anger she apparently never released came spewing out of her. Only her ire hadn’t been directed at him as he expected. With a deep, aching regret swirling in his soul, Travis had waited for the tongue lashing he deserved, yet she had never given him.
That never happened.
Having always been the one to keep her emotions close to her chest, Kylie had sucked in a deep breath, holding everything inside because heaven forbid she speak her mind. Rather than lay into him, or even Gage, she had turned and simply walked away.
It was a miracle that Travis and Gage were still in one piece after that one. Between Kylie’s piercing death glare and Beau Bennett’s barely restrained anger at seeing the woman so upset, they were both lucky to still be walking with their nuts in the same shape as before she realized what was going on.
As for Beau, well, Travis learned right-quick not to ask the man questions. He’d grown quite fond of his own fucking head, thank you very much, and that behemoth of a man looked ready to rip his right off of his body.
Surprise wasn’t quite the word Travis could use to describe that day. If he hadn’t been waylaid by the mere sight of the most beautiful woman to have ever graced his life, he’d have beaten Gage to dust right then and there. Finding him since had been impossible because Gage managed to run far and fast from Coyote Ridge. Travis knew when it came down to it, he would have to go in search of him rather than sit back and wait. Since he still didn’t know where he was, he’d opted for a different approach.
If only Travis would allow his emotions to control him, he would be on the road heading straight to Kylie’s. He suspected that’s where Gage was and as much as he longed to confront him, to ask him just what the fuck he was thinking, Travis wasn’t willing to go back in time. He’d lived through it once, but he wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to walk away from Kylie again.
So, in true form, Travis had set out that morning for something much more expected of him. He didn’t do emotion. He didn’t fall in love, and he damn sure didn’t hold it all in. Rather than feeding his emotional needs, Travis was more interested in fulfilling other urges that, no matter
how hard or how often he tried, couldn’t be sated. He would never stop trying because it sure beat the alternative.
His self-destructive tendencies were calling his name and the only way he could function was to attempt to ease the physical ache. The emotional pain would never be soothed, so he much preferred engaging in something that wouldn’t require him to feel anything other than unique, exquisite, mind numbing pleasure.
Club Destiny was calling his name.
For the last three weeks, he’d been practically dancing with Tag and McKenna and quite frankly, a rendezvous with them seemed more than appropriate. Considering he’d been waiting a long time for this day to finally come, he somehow forced himself to rebury all thoughts of Kylie, and toss those of Gage right alongside them, in the colossal black hole in his chest.
The day would come when that little situation would be rectified in one way or another. Until then, Travis was on his way to Dallas.
▫▪▫▪▫▪
By the time Travis reached Club Destiny, three hours north of his hometown of Coyote Ridge, he had managed to work himself up over the events the day was leading up to. A brief conversation with Tag during his drive had settled the plans and to Travis’ surprise, the day was actually looking up.
He was looking forward to a couple of hours of pleasure that would take his mind off of things better left forgotten. That included Gage and the way the man had kissed him back with a ferocity that threatened to burn them both to a crisp. He might not expect that same intensity from what was to come with the twosome he was about to engage with, but he knew it’d be explosive in its own right.
Sitting at the bar inside of Club Destiny, waiting for Kane to pour his Southern Comfort, Travis glanced around the large, airy bar, wondering where everyone was. This time of the evening, the place was usually packed, but tonight seemed fairly manageable.
As he was looking around, his eyes landed on the fiery red hair of a woman that had caught Travis’ eye ever since he first saw her. The big, burly man standing next to her also caught his eye, but Travis had learned right away exactly how uninterested Tag Murphy was. At least in him.
Travis (Alluring Indulgence, #3) Page 3