Heartbreakers and Heroes

by Box Set

  He laughed. "Which is useful, since you're a good talker."

  She ate her last bite of muffin. "I can listen too, but any time I ask you a question, you kiss me."

  "Are you complaining about that along with the coffee?"

  "Definitely not," she answered immediately, and turned to the bookcase that ran the length of the far wall.

  He hid the smile that threatened to overtake him. When was the last time he'd been with a woman who didn't play mind games? He couldn't remember a single one. But Hailey was completely open, a breath of fresh air in his surprisingly stale existence.

  He hadn't realized something was missing until she'd filled the void. And he sure as hell liked kissing her. Instead of a race to the finish every night, he enjoyed the ride. He might want to take it to the next level, but a woman like Hailey deserved more than a quick roll in the sheets. Or even a long roll. He wanted to savor her, and when the time came for more--and the time would come--he knew it would be all the sweeter because of the buildup that came before.

  She shifted, thrusting out a hip as she reached for something on one of the high shelves. His body grew heavy in response. Yeah, she made him feel different.

  She made him feel more.

  "This picture was taken in Montana," she said, turning to face him. "Were you in high school?"

  He stood from behind the desk, walked over to her and plucked the framed photo out of her hand. "Yep," he answered, then leaned in to brush his mouth across hers.

  She ducked away from him and grabbed the picture before he could set it back on the shelf. "No more kissing until you answer some questions."

  "I answered."

  "Who are the other boys in this photo? Why were you in Montana?" She glanced at the photo again. "Is this on a ranch?"

  He stared at her a moment then said, "Friends. Working. Yes. Can I kiss you now?"

  She blew out a breath, clearly frustrated, and even that was adorable. "Travis, seriously. I want to know you."

  "You work for my family's company. You're in my office. You live across the hall from me. Your tongue has been down my throat." He moved closer then gritted his teeth as she backed away. "You know plenty."

  "Tell me about Montana. Were you with your family? I know our grandfathers were friends."

  "I wasn't in Montana with my family," he said, taking the photo from her and placing it back on the bookshelf. "My father sent me away to a camp for troubled teens."

  "What kind of trouble did you get in?"

  He laughed but there was no humor to it. "My case was a little different. I was there to toughen up."

  She studied him for a moment. "I don't like the sound of that."

  "It was fine," he said, shoving his hands into the pockets of his trousers. "My mom died when I was fourteen, and I was really sad about it. I'd always been kind of a mama's boy. Too soft." He pointed to another photo with three kids waving from the back of a boat. "My older brother, Chase, was the tough one in the family. He was always so damn cool without even having to try. My dad took him fishing and hunting. The outdoors wasn't really my thing growing up."

  "Even though your family owned Mel's?"

  "Selling sporting equipment and using it are two different things." He blew out a breath. "Anyway, Dad thought I needed to learn to be a man, so he sent me to stay the summer with John Stone at Saddle Creek Ranch."

  "I've heard of the place. A kid from my high school spent some time there. John Stone has quite the reputation."

  "He's quite the man," Travis said softly. He pressed his hand to his chest, where a dull ache was forming. He still couldn't imagine that the all-powerful John Stone was lying in a hospital bed in a coma right now. "He was rough around the edges and put up with no bullshit, but he has more honor than anyone I've ever met. He expected the boys in his care to behave not like the hooligans we were, but like gentlemen. We worked hard, and we followed his rules. Those rules were like his personal bible. He held out a lifeline to every boy who showed up on that ranch, no matter how they got there."

  "You really care about him," she murmured.

  "It was the best summer of my life."

  "But only one?" She'd moved closer, and he reached out, trailing one finger down the curve of her arm. The simple touch grounded him in a way he couldn't explain.

  He thought about how to answer her question. So many damned questions. But like everything else about Hailey, he was surprised how easy it was to talk to her. He hadn't told anyone else in his life, not even Clara, about his feelings for John Stone and his time at the ranch.

  "I made the mistake of telling my father how much I liked it. The purpose of being sent away was to punish me for being...me. I wasn't supposed to have a good time."

  She let out a small gasp. "That's horrible."

  "It was life with my dad," he said with a shrug. Travis was long past the point of ruminating over what his life could have been without his father's influence. "And it worked. I got strong at the ranch, physically anyway. When he wouldn't let me go back, I learned not to show my father any emotion. I became the man he wanted me to be."

  "What about the man John Stone expected you to be?"

  That question hit him like a punch to the gut. He dropped his hand from her arm. "It was one summer. I made it into more than it was, kind of like you and your dreams of being a princess."

  "I don't think it's the same thing," she said, shaking her head.

  Suddenly the moment was too much for Travis. It had been years since he'd even considered turning over and revealing his soft underbelly to anyone. What was it about Hailey that made him forget the man he'd become? The scared and lonely boy who'd shown up at the Saddle Creek Ranch, still mourning the death of his mother, was long gone. He was a man now, and that summer was a distant memory, even if John Stone's voice remained on a constant loop in his head.

  "I've got work to do," he said, and his voice was harsher than he'd meant it to be.

  As he moved behind his desk again, he saw Hailey wince. Apparently they both needed the reminder of the type of man he was. "I can't spend the whole morning wasting time with my sister's personal assistant."

  "Of course," she agreed, placing the frame back on the bookshelf. "Thank you again for the coffee and muffin."

  He kept his eyes on his computer screen so he wouldn't have to see how he'd hurt her by being purposely callous. "Shut the door behind you," he said, hating himself more with each word.

  Chapter 5

  "I'll be back, Kiwi." With a last little wave to the dog, Hailey shut the door to Clara's apartment later that night. She couldn't help that her gaze darted to Travis's door and couldn't stop the heavy weight of disappointment that shot through her when it remained closed.

  He'd made it clear with the brush-off today that whatever was developing between them didn't mean anything. It shouldn't bother her. They'd had nothing more than a few quiet evenings and a lot of really great kissing.

  God, but that man could kiss. So well that a shiver went down Hailey's spine just thinking about it. She jumped as his door opened and he was suddenly standing in the hall behind her. He still wore his dress slacks and crisp white shirt, but he'd removed the tie he had on earlier and the top two buttons of his shirt were undone, making him look slightly disheveled and even more intimidating than usual.

  Most of the people who worked for Mel's dressed casually in cargo pants and outdoorsy shirts, like they got a fantastic employee discount and only shopped the Mel's catalog.

  "Tired of me already?" he asked casually, but his eyes were intense as he stared at her, as if her answer really mattered.

  "I texted you after you rudely kicked me out of your office. You never responded."

  "I was busy."

  "I get that," she said, trying her best to ignore the strange thread of attraction that connected her to him. Trying not to let her heart once again make nothing into something. "I don't want to waste your time."

  A muscle clenched in his jaw. "I suc
k at being a decent person."

  "That's not true," she argued automatically. "You just have a hard time letting the decent parts of you show through." She moved toward him, that invisible thread drawing her closer. "But I swear I can see the person you became on that ranch."

  He barked out a laugh. "It was one summer."

  "Sometimes it only takes one instant," she whispered.

  "Where are you going?" He voice was a harsh rasp, as if he'd just swallowed back a decade of buried emotions. Why was she so sure there was more to Travis Jackson than he wanted anyone to see?

  "I'm meeting some people from the office for a drink." She held out a hand. "Come with me?"

  He stared at her outstretched fingers. "I don't fraternize with my employees. It makes them uncomfortable."

  "It makes you uncomfortable," she countered.

  "That, too."

  "Come with me, anyway," she said, and stepped into him, rising up on her toes to kiss the edge of his jaw.

  "I need to change clothes."

  "I'll wait."

  He angled his head to claim her lips, kissing her until her whole body tingled and she practically forgot her own name. She sagged against the wall when he released her and murmured "give me a minute" against her mouth.

  As he disappeared into his apartment, she had to admit she'd give him as much time as he needed, and not only to head out for happy-hour drinks. She wanted Travis, who was smart and strong and had every advantage in life, to see himself the way she did. As something more than a workaholic businessman.

  She didn't think he had many friends, at least not at the office. Since he'd revealed that tiny piece of his history and the relationship with his father this morning, she'd tried to get more details from the longtime Mel's employees she'd met.

  Although the morale in the office seemed high, no one had a good thing to say about Dominic Jackson or the way he'd run things after taking over for his father years ago. In the same vein, Travis's tenure as CEO these past two years gave her the impression he seemed destined to follow in Dominic's feared but universally disliked footsteps.

  Mostly what she heard was that Mel's used to be a family company, but the later generations of Jacksons were more concerned with the bottom line than anything else.

  But when Travis teased his sister or spoke about his mother or even the man who ran Saddle Creek Ranch, she saw a side to him that others might not. That was the man who was quickly becoming an important part of her heart.

  Whoa. Not her heart.

  This was fun. This was casual. Believing it could be anything more would only lead to heartache. She just wished she could remember that when Travis turned his dark gaze on her.

  He reappeared a moment later in a grey t-shirt, faded jeans and boots.

  "What?" he asked when she stared at him. "Did you think I was going to a bar on a Friday night wearing a suit?"

  She grinned. "I've never seen you outside your apartment or Clara's in anything but business attire, and I'm guessing most of your employees haven't either." She turned and led him toward the stairs at the far end of the hall. "You obviously didn't get the office memo about casual Fridays."

  "I don't believe in casual at the office. I'm the CEO."

  "Who knows if anyone will even recognize you?" she joked.

  "Then why bother going? We can grab carryout and--"

  "We're going," she said. "It will be good for you. I promise."

  ***

  It was a promise she shouldn't have made.

  They'd walked the few blocks to the nearby bar, and her body was on fire by the time they arrived from Travis's feather-light touches. He'd managed to brush into her hip, graze her arm, whisper into her hair, and all the while to anyone looking on, it would have appeared they were just two people strolling the busy sidewalk on a summer evening. But she felt each stroke, and the scent of him was like an invitation and a promise of something more.

  If she'd been in her right mind, she would have realized her mistake in bringing him to the bar. She led Travis to the tables near the back, where a dozen or so Mel's employees congregated, then saw the ripple of unease go through the group as they noticed she wasn't alone.

  "I ran into Travis in the hall outside Clara's apartment," she said brightly to a couple of guys from the marketing department, "and invited him to join us."

  "She made sure I brought my credit card," Travis said coolly, coming to stand beside her. "Happy hour's on me tonight."

  There was a flutter of awkward laughter from the group. "Thanks, Mr. Jackson," one of the younger men said.

  She nudged the guy's shoulder. "We're not on the clock, Jeremy. You can call him Travis."

  Jeremy, who ran the company's social media campaigns, looked past her to Travis. "I'll stick with Mr. Jackson," he said, and took a drink of beer.

  She glanced over her shoulder to see Travis glowering behind her with a look on his face about as friendly as the angel of death.

  "I'm going to give the bartender my credit card," he announced loudly, then stalked toward the bar.

  "Seriously," Julie from accounting said as she came to stand between the two guys across from Hailey at the high table, "did you have to bring him here? This is supposed to be fun."

  Hailey guessed Julie had meant to be subtle, but there were several empty shot glasses on the table, and the woman's speech was slurred and far too loud. She turned slightly to see Travis glaring at her from the bar. She was pretty sure he'd heard Julie over the din from the other patrons.

  "Travis is fun," she insisted.

  "Don't get me wrong," Julie continued, not realizing the CEO of the company she worked for might be listening to her every word. "I appreciate the paycheck, and he gives a helluva Christmas bonus."

  Another woman, whom Hailey thought might be one of the catalog's graphic designers, joined the group. "Clara makes things fun when she's in the office, but Mr. Jackson always seems like he has a stick up his ass, you know?"

  "It's the suits," Julie said, nodding. "Except maybe he's like that rich, hot and freaky dude from the Fifty Shades movie." She pointed at Hailey. "Has he taken you to his red room yet?"

  "How much have you people had to drink?" Hailey asked, leaning forward. "He's not like that. He's nice."

  "Tell that to all the local stores Jackson is putting out of business once the contracts are up," Julie said with a sigh. "He's good at making money, and I guess that's good for us. But it still feels dirty."

  Hailey straightened and felt her mouth grow dry. "What stores? What contracts?"

  "Girl, you're new," the graphic designer told her. "But things are about to get ugly at Mel's. It's the worst-kept secret at the company. Why do you think Clara's on this forced march to visit the retailers?"

  Jeremy held up a hand. "Hey, Anna, not now. Hailey's family owns Big Sky Outfitters."

  Anna's overly mascaraed eyes widened. "Oh, honey. I'm sorry."

  "For what?" Hailey asked, her voice raspy.

  "Another round of shots," Julie called out, again too loudly. "Especially if the boss is buying."

  Hailey turned to the bar. Travis stood rigidly at the end of it, a glass of brown liquid cradled in one hand. He lifted the glass in mock salute to his employees, and everyone except Hailey gave a halfhearted cheer. His dark gaze crashed into hers a moment later, accusation in their black depths.

  She moved toward him woodenly, her whole body stiff with tension.

  "I told you they wouldn't want me here," he said. "Office happy hour isn't my scene."

  "Tell me about the contracts," she whispered.

  His hand stilled in the midst of lifting the drink to his lips, and those golden flecks sparked in his eyes. She had to give him credit. He recovered quickly. "I deal with contracts all day long, sweetheart. Those are my deal, not yours."

  "They are if you're going to pull Mel's gear from my parents' store."

  "Another danger of drinking with coworkers," he said slowly. "Alcohol makes everyone too talk
ative."

  "Why, Travis?"

  "No one is supposed to know yet," he said, glancing past her to where the company's employees were clustered. "It's not a done deal."

  "But it's why Clara is visiting the West Coast stores," she said, not bothering with a question when the truth was written all over his face. "Is she telling them?"

  "No. I would never do that to her. She's gathering information on how dependent the local retailers are on the Mel's line."

  "You're joking, right?" She shook her head. "If those stores are anything like Big Sky, Mel's makes up at least half their revenue. You're the CEO of the company, so you should know how popular the brand is for outdoorsmen."

  "I do," he said. "Which is why we're going to build our own flagship store, and it won't do our bottom line any good to have competition from smaller outlets."

  "But those outlets have been loyal to Mel's for years. They're the backbone of the company, Travis."

  He shook his head. "Things change, Hailey. It's business. The bottom line. Mel's has been run like a mom and pop shop for too long. If we want to be taken seriously by investors, we need to show we can play with the big boys. We need to consolidate and control our retail offerings to do that."

  "You sound like a robot saying those things," she whispered. "It isn't you, Travis."

  "Of course it is," he said. "I'm the fucking CEO."

  "So this was your idea?"

  He opened his mouth then snapped it shut again. He looked at her for a long moment before downing the brown liquor from his glass in one gulp. "The contracts between Mel's and the retail outlets were set up by my grandfather when he founded the company. I'm not sure why he picked thirty years. That's a lifetime in business terms. The plan not to renew the contracts has been in the works for a while."

  "Since your father ran the company," she guessed.

  His features went hard.