Travis (Alluring Indulgence, #3)

by Nicole Edwards

  “A Corona with lime for my sister, and I’ll have Grey Goose and 7-Up if you’ve got it.”

  “Sure thing, honey,” the burly bartender smiled as he turned away.

  “This place is great,” Jessie said as Kylie stepped closer.

  It actually was. Kylie liked the down home feel, the rustic wood and iron lacking the intimidating vibe a lot of bars gave off.

  “Here you go. Oh, and those are on the house,” the bartender winked, and Jessie smiled brightly.

  “Thanks.”

  Kylie was pretty sure that her sister had no idea how many men flirted with her on a daily basis. Whenever they were together, Kylie saw one or more men nearly trip over their own tongues when Jessie walked by.

  “Want to play pool?” Jessie asked, using the thin straw to stir and sip her drink as Kylie simply wrapped her hand around the ice cold beer bottle. Turning toward the sound of the billiards balls clanging together, Kylie stopped in her tracks.

  Her breath came in violent pants, her heart began pounding like a bass drum in a marching band. She had to close her fingers around her beer to keep from dropping it.

  There, standing near one of the pool tables in the back was Gage. He was surrounded by a handful of cowboys and a couple of women. Those around him were smiling and laughing, but he didn’t seem to be doing the same.

  Movement to her right caught her attention, and Kylie turned to see what it was.

  That’s when the shaking ensued. Heading straight for her was none other than Travis Walker.

  “You ok, Ky?” Jessie asked, turning to face her.

  No. No, she definitely was not.

  Kylie couldn’t pull her eyes away from Travis as he moved toward her with purpose. Oh, God. He was going to think she came to see him. What was she supposed to say? How did she get out of this?

  “Hey,” Travis’ sexy baritone tore Kylie from her thoughts and she looked up – way up – into sparkling steel blue eyes.

  “Hey.” How she managed to find her voice, she had no idea.

  Travis held out his hand, and that’s when Kylie realized he was looking toward her sister. “Travis, this is my sister Jessie. Jessie, this is Travis.”

  God, she hoped she didn’t need to provide any more introduction than that because her tongue suddenly felt heavy, her mouth dry and her palms sweating. Her beer was at risk of taking a trip, and it wasn’t going to be toward her mouth.

  “Nice to meet you, Travis,” Jessie replied as her eyes darted toward Kylie.

  Kylie forced a smile but didn’t say anything.

  “Mind if I talk to your sister for a minute?” Travis asked Jessie.

  “Great idea,” Jessie said with a grin the size of Texas before she waltzed off, heading toward the pool tables at the back of the room.

  “Why are you here?”

  Kylie flipped her gaze back to Travis’ and processed his question. He didn’t seem upset. In fact, he sounded somewhat optimistic. Although, she had no idea how she was going to answer his question. It wasn’t like she could tell him that they just ventured out for a beer because… Yeah, well because Coyote Ridge was an hour’s drive from her house.

  “I wanted to show my sister a house,” she said truthfully.

  “In Coyote Ridge?” Travis’ gaze turned skeptical.

  Rather than risk the words, Kylie just nodded.

  “Well, I’m glad you’re here.”

  The words were so unguarded, Kylie’s heart tripped a couple of times before it resumed its normal rhythm. “You are?”

  Travis must’ve realized what he said because that mask of indifference that she’d seen on his face when she presented him with divorce papers slammed into place, nearly knocking her back a step or two.

  “I’d offer to buy you a beer, but it looks like you’re good.”

  For now. She still wasn’t confident she’d be able to hold on to it long. Her hands were shaking like a leaf in a hurricane.

  “I’m good.”

  “Come on, I’d like to introduce you to a few people,” Travis said as he turned, keeping his eyes on her as he did.

  Kylie couldn’t have been more shocked if Travis had hit her over the head with a club and dragged her from the bar. Who was this man? And why was he acting like he had expected her to show up?

  Then again, who was she to question it? It wasn’t like she had anything else to do because as she roamed the room to locate Jessie, she saw her sister standing at the back of the bar talking to a couple of really tall cowboys. Huh. They looked like identical twins.

  After three steps, Kylie reached out and grabbed hold of Travis’ arm. Hard.

  He stopped abruptly, glancing down at her with one eyebrow cocked in question.

  “Whatever you do, please don’t mention that we’re technically still married.” Kylie glanced over at where her hand still rested on his arm and then back up to meet his eyes. “My sister doesn’t know.”

  Travis’ mouth formed a hard, thin line, but he nodded. Kylie took that to mean he would keep their little secret.

  They fell into step once more, and Kylie kept her eyes on Gage who hadn’t seemed to notice her up to this point. That changed in an instant just as they reached the group. Their eyes met, locked, and she noticed something akin to shock on his ruggedly handsome face.

  She couldn’t help but wonder whether he would have taken his arm off of the pretty blonde who was currently standing much closer than Kylie was comfortable seeing. Granted she had no claim on the man, but still… No, there truly wasn’t anything there for her to get upset about. She’d sent him on his way and apparently Gage didn’t have a problem moving on.

  Excusing himself from the man he was talking to, Gage released the woman and headed directly toward her. Male instincts must’ve kicked in because Travis’ body went rigid beside her as though he was prepared to defend her if necessary.

  Little did Travis realize but Gage wasn’t a threat to anything other than her heart at this point.

  She totally didn’t see this going well.

  ♂♀♂

  Kylie?

  At first Gage thought he was imagining things, but as he looked closer, he realized she was definitely real. Just as beautiful as the last time he’d seen her, he drank in the sight of her like he’d been in the desert for months and she was the only thing to quench his thirst.

  Her hair was just as silky and long as he remembered, her skin just as clear and perfect, her body just as curvy. With her tanned, toned legs disappearing into a pair of cowboy boots, Gage was suddenly grateful that he’d gone casual, his shirt untucked and hiding the instant hard-on he got from seeing her.

  Telling Kaleb he’d be back in a minute, Gage headed right toward her. He noticed how Travis’ posture changed, his stance reflecting that of a bodyguard ready to go toe to toe with him if he tried to approach too close.

  Bring it.

  “Gage,” Kylie greeted when he reached her. The sound of his name on her lips made a strange churning sensation take flight in his chest. It was a combination of happiness, anxiety, and confusion. God, he just wanted to stand there and stare at her for a little while.

  Travis took a step closer. Breaking eye contact with Kylie, Gage turned and looked directly at the man. Since he’d walked into the bar, Gage had felt Travis tracking his every move, but they hadn’t spoken. Gage hadn’t even looked his way, afraid of what he’d see. He didn’t want to see disgust or contempt on Travis’ face.

  “Matthews. Bout time you showed up again,” Travis said.

  There wasn’t any anger on his face, but that I don’t give a shit attitude was front and center.

  “Been busy,” he replied, glancing back down at Kylie.

  “Hey, bro. Want to introduce us to the lady?” Sawyer’s exuberant voice echoed through the bar and effectively redirected their attention.

  “Sawyer, meet Kylie. Kylie, this is one of my brothers,” Travis explained as the others were closing in around them.

  With a
nod of his head, Travis introduced the rest of the group, “Kaleb and his wife, Zoey. Zane and his fiancé, V. This old man right here is our father, Curtis. This here’s Ethan. Over there,” Travis nodded toward the back corner, “the two giving your sister a hard time are the twins, Braydon and Brendon.”

  There was a round of “Hi, how are ya’s” from the Walker group.

  “Wow, there really are six,” Kylie muttered as though she hadn’t expected Travis to have that many brothers. How much had he told the woman he married, Gage thought to himself.

  “Now if you’ll excuse us, I’d like to talk to her for a bit,” Travis told the others. “Oh, and E, make sure the twins know her sister’s off limits, would ya?”

  Rather presumptuous of Travis to assume as much, but when Kylie didn’t say a word, Gage opted to keep his trap shut.

  “Excuse us,” Travis told him.

  “No way in hell,” Gage barked back. He knew he should walk away, but he wasn’t about to be dismissed. Not by Travis anyway. “I go where you go.”

  Kylie’s head turned back and forth, watching them like one would watch two prowling tigers in their backyard. Gage waited for her to tell him to go to hell. She didn’t. She didn’t say anything, and Travis must’ve taken that as her consent because he exhaled and then turned to walk away. His retreat was rather disappointing because Gage wanted to hear what the man had to say.

  It wasn’t like he could use the wife excuse because for the last ten years, he damn sure hadn’t treated her as though they were married. However, Gage had been gone for a while and he didn’t have any idea what had gone on between the two of them since then.

  They reached a booth in the back, but before they could sit, Kylie spoke up. “Mind if we sit at a table?”

  Ahhh, so she didn’t want to get trapped beside one of them. Her request both amused and disappointed Gage. Trapping her, preferably between their bodies, had been one fantasy he hadn’t been able to shake in recent weeks. Not that this woman would ever be onboard with that idea. Gage wasn’t even sure Travis would be open to the suggestion, but it wasn’t like he was going to mention it either.

  Travis opted for a table farther in the back, and they were once again on the move. Shit, by the time they sat down, they were all going to need more beer because they were going to be dehydrated at this rate.

  They both moved to pull out a chair for Kylie at the same time and Gage thought he saw an amused smirk on her lips, but she quickly turned away as she lowered herself into the chair.

  “Sit.” Travis nodded to Gage, and he instinctively went on the defense. Before he mouthed a “fuck you”, he forced his legs to bend, and he dropped into a chair beside Kylie.

  Now was not the time for him and Travis to go toe to toe. Especially not with Kylie present.

  “So, what house did you show your sister?” Travis asked as he eased into the chair on the other side of Kylie.

  The question got Gage’s attention. Why the hell hadn’t he questioned why she was there? Was he so far gone that it hadn’t mattered to him why? He was just so damn happy to see her, he hadn’t thought about anything else.

  “Just a house I had considered working on,” she explained, but she wasn’t looking at him as she answered and Gage knew at once which house she was referring to.

  His.

  “You restore historic homes?” Travis questioned, tipping his beer bottle to his lips as he eyed her.

  “I do.”

  Hmmm. Gage wondered whether those two words brought back any memories for Travis. I do. He forced his eyes to the table, not wanting Travis to see his irritation. This situation bothered him for so many reasons, most of which he wouldn’t be able to explain if anyone asked.

  First and foremost, Gage was pretty damn sure he’d fallen in love with Kylie Prescott several months ago. Even after she sent him on his way, he’d never been able to stop thinking about her. Secondly, during those rare times when he wasn’t thinking about Kylie, he was thinking about Travis.

  And wouldn’t this just be fodder for town gossip? The three of them sitting there, talking like old friends when Gage knew better. He and Travis were far from being friends. They might have some sort of dangerous attraction to one another, but aside from that, he wasn’t even sure he liked the man. And then there was Kylie. If it was true, and Gage had fallen in love with her, then she was sitting with two men who loved her – either present tense or past.

  Hell, by the look on Travis’ face, Gage wasn’t so sure the guy didn’t still have feelings for her.

  “When will you start working on this house?”

  Gage’s eyes flew to Kylie’s and she met them head on. He held his breath as he waited for her answer.

  “I’m thinking of starting in a week or so. I’ve been waiting for the owner to get back in town.”

  She had?

  The way her eyes darted away from his, Gage knew she wasn’t telling the truth. Either she was trying to placate Travis or she was flat out lying.

  “Where’s this house at?”

  What was with the interrogation? Shit.

  “Your sister staying with you?” Gage tossed his question out before Kylie answered the last one from Travis. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to know the answer, but he’d rather not hear her flat out lie about taking on his renovation. If it was the truth, which he doubted, he’d find out soon enough.

  “Yes,” Kylie said with a sigh of relief, as though the change of the subject had eased some of her tension. “She’s down here to visit during her vacation.”

  Gage already knew all about Kylie’s sister thanks to the time they spent together. He knew she was two years younger than Kylie and lived in Dallas. According to Kylie, they didn’t spend nearly as much time together as she would have liked.

  Gage glanced back to see Jessie was laughing and joking with Braydon and Brendon. He wasn’t sure whether Kylie even realized what her sister was getting herself into. The twins shared women. They didn’t fly solo ever, which meant if Jessie was interested, she might be learning a riveting lesson tonight. Or whenever.

  “Not married?” It was Travis’ turn again apparently.

  “No, she’s not married.”

  “And she doesn’t know that you are?”

  Kylie’s back straightened, and she glanced around as though hoping no one else was listening to their conversation.

  “No, she doesn’t. I didn’t think it was necessary to tell my family since the marriage was over before it even started,” she retorted, and Gage watched the conversation as it volleyed back into Travis’ court.

  Interesting.

  At least he understood one thing, these two clearly hadn’t spent any time together while he was gone. By the way they were regarding one another, there was still a decade of emotion lingering between them.

  Gage leaned back in his chair and waved the waitress over. Might as well get comfortable. Looks like it might be a long night.

  Chapter Fourteen

  ♀♂♂

  Travis wasn’t much for conversation, but sitting with Kylie and Gage, especially at his own suggestion, didn’t leave him with much room for an out. It wasn’t like he could sit there and stare at the two of them, although that idea did have its benefits.

  “Are you going to take the job?” Gage questioned, finally bringing the conversation back around to where it was before he hijacked the damn thing in the first place.

  “I’m considering it. I think it just depends,” she answered, and Travis got the distinct impression that Gage was genuinely interested in Kylie’s response.

  Awww, hell.

  It dawned on him that Kylie was talking about Gage’s house. And everything fell into place. That’s how Gage had approached her in the first place, using his house as an excuse.

  But wait. Gage didn’t own his house. He rented it. In fact, he rented the damn thing from Charles and Myrna Talbott who owned the diner down the road.

  “Where is this house?” Travis asked ag
ain, suddenly taking a keen interest in the details. How far did Gage’s lie go?

  Kylie glanced between the two of them and then she met Travis’ gaze full on. “I was originally hired to restore Gage’s grandparents’ old farmhouse.”

  From the corner of Travis’ eye, he could’ve sworn that Gage grinned with the news. Had she quit after he pulled his little stunt? Not that he blamed her, but Travis suddenly felt like he was on the outside looking in, and he wasn’t fond of the position. At all.

  “Out on county road 406,” Gage said by way of his two cents, his smirk still lingering as he tipped his beer bottle back to his lips.

  Daaayumm. When Gage smiled like that… It was fucking hot. Travis tried to subtly reposition himself now that his Wranglers were trying to strangle his dick. He added a simple nod as though he gave a shit where the house sat.

  Coyote Ridge was as familiar to him as the back of his hand, so he knew exactly which house Gage was referring to, even if he hadn’t linked him with the house’s original owners.

  What an interesting turn of events. If Kylie did take the job, then that meant she was going to be spending some time in Coyote Ridge. He couldn’t imagine her driving an hour each way every day. But that also meant… “Where are you going to stay while you work on it?”

  “Haven’t thought about that yet. I’m still considering the job.”

  “Ok, then. Say you take it, where will you be staying?” Travis wanted to know the answer to the question. If Gage even thought for a second that she would be staying with him, the man was delusional. Well, unless he was inviting Travis to stay as well.

  A flicker of need bounced through his insides, and Travis ignored it. He needed to talk to Gage before he went and did something stupid. Like piss Travis off.

  “Can I talk to you for a second?” Travis stood, fully expecting Gage to follow, whether he wanted to or not. He merely asked the question because social etiquette required him to be polite in front of a lady.