by Mandy Baxter
Ryan bucked his chin in acknowledgment as he continued his conversation with a few other guys from the team.
The trek across the crowded ballroom took three times longer than it should have. Every five seconds, someone waylaid him, be it the press, an acquaintance, or a fan looking for an autograph. Travis did what Reily expected of him and kept a polite demeanor with each and every one of them. Even the rude son of a bitch who acted as though Travis owed him for the money he’d lost on the Stars’s 3–2 loss against the Avalanche early in the season.
Travis swallowed down the snarky retort that sat on the tip of his tongue, though. He smiled, shook the guy’s hand, and promised to try and make it up to him in the finals. It seemed to be enough to placate him—thank God—and Travis managed to avoid any more distractions on his way to Reily’s table.
“You know, just because I’m on lockdown, doesn’t mean that you have to be. I thought this was a party.” He took a seat next to Reily and bumped his shoulder playfully against hers. She looked up from her screen as though she hadn’t even noticed him sit down. Now, that was a hell of boost to the ego. Jesus. Travis swallowed down his disappointment and motioned for one of the wait staff. The guy brought over a tray laden with fresh flutes of champagne and he plucked two of them from the tray before setting one beside Reily. “You look like you could use a drink.”
“Do I?” Her brow puckered adorably and Travis shifted in his seat so he wouldn’t be tempted to lean in closer.
“If you have to ask, you definitely do.” He angled his head toward hers and took a deep breath of Reily’s heady lavender scent. “What are you doing over here, anyway?”
“Working.” She reached for the flute and took a sip before pulling the glass away to study it. She’d been so preoccupied, she hadn’t even realized what she was doing. God, Travis found those little quirks of hers almost too sexy for words. “The same as you.”
“I’m socializing,” he stressed. “You look like you’ve got your life savings invested in a risky stock and are waiting for the market to open.”
Reily laughed. “You’re sort of right.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re my nest egg.”
“What does that mean?”
“You’re the biggest client I’ve had since I opened my own firm.” Reily averted her gaze as though embarrassed to admit it. “I’ve been trying to build my reputation back up for months. This is sort of a make-it-or-break-it situation for me.”
Talk about pressure. Travis was pretty sure he’d rather be on the receiving end of a hundred and twenty mile per hour puck. “Why would you have to rebuild your reputation?”
“The firm I used to work for went under last year. A failed business doesn’t exactly instill confidence. Despite the fact I’ve worked with some high-profile clients in the past, it didn’t help my firm to take off. Maybe I need my own image consultant,” she said with a bitter laugh.
“Who were some of your high-profile clients?” Travis asked in an effort to pull her out of her maudlin mood. As expected, she looked down her nose at him, over the tortoiseshell rims of her cat-eye glasses. Goddamn, that stern and exasperated expression was hot.
“You know I can’t tell you that.”
“Even if I asked you nicely?”
She cracked a grin. “No.”
“What if I bribed you?”
“Nice try.”
The dance music the DJ had been spinning all night died down to something slow and mellow. Travis stood from his seat and grabbed Reily by the wrist. “Come on.”
“Where are we going?” Her bemused expression made him want to put his mouth to hers that much more.
“We’re going to dance,” he said.
Reily resisted and tried to pull away but Travis kept his grip on her hand. “Oh, no. I don’t dance.”
“There’s a first time for everything,” he countered as he tugged her closer to the dance floor. “If I can try to behave tonight, you can at least try to dance.”
“Dancing isn’t in my job description.”
Travis grinned. “It is tonight.”
Reily cocked a brow. “And if I refuse?”
Travis chuckled. “If you do, I’m bee-lining it for the nearest bar and I’m not leaving until they kick my drunk ass out.”
The threat worked and Reily fell into step beside him. “I’ll be damned if I’ll let that happen, so I guess I’m dancing.”
Damn straight. Travis never did take well to losing. And he wasn’t about to start tonight.
Six
What in the hell are you doing, Reily?
It was like watching an accident about to happen from a mile away and not being able to do anything to stop it. She’d never done anything like this before. Hell, aside from giving guidance to her clients, she never interacted with them more than in a strictly professional capacity. Travis’s laid-back attitude and his inability to recognize boundaries forced her out of that professional comfort zone. But no matter how much he flirted, Reily needed to remind herself that flirting was all it was.
Travis pulled her close and took one of her hands in his while he settled the other at the small of her back. Heat radiated from his palm, soaking through the thin chiffon fabric of her shirt and Reily shivered. He held her close, closer than what was appropriate for business colleagues and when he angled his head toward hers, the warmth of his breath brushed her ear. Reily tried not to let herself melt against him. Their close quarters caused her nipples to tingle in anticipation of contact and she resisted the urge to allow her breasts to brush against his chest. Her breath caught and her step faltered. If not for Travis’s size and balance, she would have tripped them both.
“How’d I do tonight?” His words vibrated low and husky in her ear, spoken for her alone. Did he have any clue what sort of effect he had on her? That the tenor of his voice sent delightful shivers that wandered over her flesh and settled in a steady thrum low in her belly.
“Not too bad,” Reily said with a nervous laugh. “I’ve definitely seen worse.”
“That response isn’t doing much for my ego, you know.”
He held her tighter, the tips of his fingers gripping her with a possessiveness that made Reily want to moan. “I think we’ve already established that your ego is just fine without any help from me.”
Travis pulled away and met her gaze. “Maybe I’m only interested in hearing it from you.”
Heat rose to Reily’s cheeks. She couldn’t tear herself away from the intensity of his gaze. “I told you, you can’t talk to me like that, Travis.”
A corner of his mouth hitched. Sweet mercy, she wanted to kiss him there. “And I asked why not.”
“Because of the way you’re looking at me right now,” she breathed.
Travis put his mouth to hers. Reily started to pull away but he held her close, his arm wrapped tightly around her waist. It was probably a good thing, too, because her knees actually went weak. What sort of woman literally swooned from a kiss? She did, obviously.
He tucked their grasped hands between them as he slowed to a stop on the dance floor. The world melted around them until there was only the two of them. Reily had never been kissed with such sinful intent before. As though the kiss was a precursor to what he’d do to her body, given the chance.
His lips brushed against hers once, twice, and again. Each time slower and more methodical than the last. His tongue darted out at the seam of her lips and Riley’s clit pulsed as though his mouth were a hell of a lot lower than it currently was. Travis urged her to open to him and she obliged, her heart thundering in her ears as he deepened the kiss. She’d never felt such a rush before. As though a stream of pure, electric light shot through her veins. The taste of bourbon lingered on his tongue and coupled with his clean, masculine scent, Reily wasn’t sure how much more she could take before she did something she’d regret. For once, she understood why Travis took the risks he did. Was there anything more exciting than kissing him
in the middle of the crowded dance floor for all the world to see?
The sound effect of a camera shutter invaded Reily’s consciousness and she pulled away with a jerk. Several smart phones were pointed in their direction, each one of them snapping off shots of Travis Christensen’s latest make-out sesh, no doubt.
Oh no! Reily tried to calm her racing heart. The damned thing felt like it was about to burst out of her chest. Those pictures would be scattered all over social media at the speed of light. She’d been an idiot to let herself go like that! Forget damage control. If Bob Spencer got wind of any of this, Reily would be as good as fired. So long, vacation. See you later, designer shoes. Nice knowin’ ya, apartment! Not even McDonald’s would hire her once the Stars organization was through with her.
“Oh my God.” Reily tried to make a run for it, but Travis kept his cool. He pulled her against him once again and resumed their dance. “Travis!” she seethed. “Let me go!”
“Running is only going to give them more to talk about,” Travis replied. He was cool under pressure. Completely unflappable.
“Travis, this is a disaster.” Reily couldn’t even fake calm. “It’s going to be all over the internet. I’m going to lose my contract over this. I need to get Bob Spencer on the phone and do damage control before he sees the pics for himself.”
Travis’s jaw squared and his eyes narrowed as he looked down on her. “A disaster?”
Reily didn’t miss the tension in his voice. He couldn’t possibly be hurt by what she’d said. Not the self-proclaimed playboy who slept with a new girl every week. The furrow in his brow told another story, though.
“You know what I mean. It’s my job to help clean up your image and I single-handedly sent it to hell in a handbasket. Travis … Why did you do that?”
She searched his gaze, hoping to find some proof of the truth in his response. His grip on her waist didn’t slacken and he didn’t take his eyes from hers when he said, “Because I wanted to. I’ve wanted to kiss you since the day I walked into your office.”
“Don’t say things like that,” Reily replied.
Travis let out a long sigh. “Why the hell not?”
“Because you don’t mean it.”
His gaze further darkened and Reily’s stomach tied into a knot. He stopped the swaying steps that led her in the dance. “I think it’s time to call it a night.”
For once, Reily was inclined to agree with him.
“I need a second.” She couldn’t believe she wasn’t sprinting for the exit. Travis was right though, that wouldn’t help either of them. “I need to think of what to say to anyone who snapped a pic. I need damage control.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
“Travis, I don’t think that’s a good idea. Just let me—”
“I’ll take care of it.”
The commanding tenor of his words froze Reily in place. She gave a quick nod of her head and he let her go, but not before he took her hand in his.
Curious stares followed their progress through the ballroom and Reily wished that the floor would open up and swallow her whole. If any of the media there did their due diligence, they’d find out that she’d been hired to improve Travis’s public image. She might as well pack up her office now. By tomorrow morning, her reputation wouldn’t be worth a dime.
“Travis, can I get your date’s name?”
Reily turned toward the sound of the E! correspondent’s voice and swallowed down a groan. Of course she’d be front and center for their ill-timed photo op. She didn’t miss the sneer in the woman’s voice, either. As though Travis was hard-core slumming it to be dragging someone like Reily home for the night.
“Aw, come on now,” Travis replied in a teasing tone. “You guys love a good mystery woman story. Cut me a little slack and let me keep this beauty to myself before you scare her off with all of the attention.”
The correspondent’s eyes narrowed and she gave Travis a wry grin. “All right. But you owe me.”
“The next time I hit the strip clubs, you’ll be the first to know.”
Her throaty laugh echoed in Reily’s ears as Travis tucked her close to his large frame, his head bent close to hers as though in deep conversation as he led the way out of the ballroom.
“Thank you,” she whispered. Reily knew that Travis hadn’t truly bought her any anonymity, but he’d definitely gotten her a reprieve. At least now she’d have until morning to work on a passable excuse for her behavior when she had to face the music and call Bob Spencer. What a mess. Reily couldn’t believe it, but for the first time in her life, she was going to have to use her talent as a spin doctor to help herself.
* * *
Reily acted as though she’d rather be run over by a bus than be seen with Travis. What a kick to the nuts. He’d brushed off his annoyance that Bob and everyone with the Stars thought he was a brainless jock who didn’t have the good sense to know how to put out his own fires or keep his dick in his pants. And he’d tolerated the mandate that he be shackled with an image consultant because from the moment he’d laid eyes on Reily, he’d wanted her. But knowing that she didn’t want him back was a blow that no amount of damage control could smooth over.
They left the Omni in silence. Travis didn’t wait for their driver; he opened the door for Reily and climbed in after her. He closed the door behind him and leaned his head back on the headrest as he pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. He should have stayed home with Carter, Tess, and the girls. What a shitty night….
“You don’t need an image consultant,” Tess said so quietly that he almost didn’t hear her. “Or a PR person, or a handler, or anything else.” He looked up to face her and made out the furrow of her brow and the stern set of her delicate jaw in the glow of the car’s dash. “Why let Bob bother with hiring me? With doing any of this, when you can manage yourself without an ounce of trouble on your own?”
Travis let out a gust of breath. “Because I don’t give a shit what people of think of me. I’m a damn good goalie. Maybe even the best in the NHL. And the people who matter know who I am and what I’m about. I don’t like to play games, Reily. I never have.”
She let out a soft snort that he almost didn’t catch. “You could have fooled me.”
Travis’s temper surfaced. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Oh come on, Travis. You and I both know that what you did in there was meant for show. I doubt it would’ve happened if you hadn’t had an audience.”
Travis’s gut churned. Indignation flared in his chest and burned a path up his throat. She thought he’d kissed her to get a little fucking attention? “I think we’ve already established that I’m pretty capable of getting attention—and a date—without your help.”
Reily flinched as though she’d been stung. Goddamn it. If he could’ve, Travis would’ve taken back the hurtful words, but he’d been stung as well. That she thought he was nothing more than a superficial man-whore wasn’t doing much for his current temperament.
“No,” Reily replied. “I suppose you don’t.”
She turned away from him and stared out the window. Travis settled back in his seat and raked his fingers through his hair. Why in the hell was she so damned concerned with what everyone else thought, anyway? So what if people saw him kiss her? He’d do it again, given the chance. He was proud to kiss her, to hold her against his body smack dab in the middle of a crowded dance floor. It was Reily who seemed too embarrassed to have anyone see them together.
The alert on his phone went off and Travis dug it out of his pocket to see a text from Carter:
You do realize that “lip warmer” isn’t in your handler’s job description, right?
Great. Travis cursed under his breath. It sure as hell hadn’t taken long for the pics of him and Reily to hit social media. He didn’t respond to Carter’s text—no use in fueling that fire—and checked Twitter instead. He’d been tagged in several mentions and each and every one was attached to an ima
ge of him and Reily together on the dance floor.
He couldn’t even be pissed off about it. The sensation of her petal soft lips and supple curves was ingrained in his memory. Her breath had been warm against his mouth, and her taste sweetened by the champagne she’d sipped just moments before. His body responded to his thoughts, and Travis shifted to ease the pressure of his growing erection against the fly of his slacks. Reily thought he’d taken her in his arms and kissed her for shock value. Hell, it had been one of the first times in his life that he hadn’t done something for show.
That moment between them had been for him and Reily alone.
“Reily—” Travis snapped his jaw shut. He had no idea what to say to her. How to placate her. Shit, did he even want to make her feel better about what had happened? A great kiss shouldn’t have to be followed up with a consolation. Jesus. This was totally fucked up.
“Don’t, Travis.” She didn’t turn to face him, simply kept her gaze focused out the window. “You don’t have to explain or apologize. I’ll call Bob in the morning and try to smooth things over. We don’t even have to talk about it ever again.”
“You know what? I’m getting pretty damned sick of people trying to manage me. You included.”
She whipped around to face him and Travis forced the smug expression from his face. He knew how to get a rise out of Riley, and he was more than happy to have stirred her temper. Her blue eyes sparked with indignant fire, making her all the more alluring. Did she not realize how beautiful she was? How absolutely desirable? God, it took a sheer act of will not to tackle her in the seat and strip her bare.
“That’s right,” he said in an effort to further goad her. “You’ve been micromanaging me for days and I’m over it. You said that I know how to handle myself, so quit trying to feed words into my mouth. You obviously have no idea why I did what I did.”
“It doesn’t matter,” she replied. Her tone dropped an octave and her chin dipped.
“The hell it doesn’t.”
“It’s my fault,” Reily continued. “I didn’t use good judgment and I let myself make a mistake. I’m the one who should be apologizing. It’s my job to make you look good and I didn’t come through.”