CHAPTER EIGHT

brOOKE

"From the moment I first saw you in my club, it was game over for me."

"That was intense."

Travis and I are finally back at his place after the showdown with Samuel. I've only met the man once before when he had Sunday supper with everyone at Serenity Ranch, but I didn't peg him for a quick temper.

"I'm sorry you had to see that. I don't know what Braden was thinking if this is his fault." Travis sets my overnight bag on his dresser before wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me in for a hug.

I squeeze him tight and bury my head in his chest, his heartbeat a steady rhythm against my cheek. "Either way, you didn't deserve to be ambushed. Though you handled it like a champ." I press a kiss to his sternum and smile up at him. "That cool demeanor of yours came in clutch today."

"Told you it serves me well. Around everyone but you, of course." His lips brush over my forehead. "You snap my control as easily as a stray twig. From the moment I first saw you in my club, it was game over for me."

"I should send a thank you note to whoever designed that dress."

Travis chuckles as he slowly walks us back toward his bed. "It wasn't just the dress, sweetheart. It was you. For decades, I've been alone. Content with building my business so my mom and I would never know the struggle of my youth again."

When the back of my knees hit the mattress, we stop, and he cups my face with both of his hands. The large palms are gentle and tender as he strokes the delicate skin with his fingertips.

"But something's been missing, and I couldn't figure out what it was until you appeared. Sexy and sweet and damn irresistible. I knew you belonged to me before I even knew your name. A gift just for me."

The declaration is firm, confident—full of promise and forever.

"Travis…" Words fail to materialize. What do you say when the man of your dreams bares his soul to you?

Reciprocate the vulnerability.

Shoving aside the ball of nerves rattling around my stomach, I inhale a deep breath and then release it.

"Ever since my parents died, my brother has been my security blanket. I've followed him around the country while he pursued his dreams, too afraid to venture off by myself." My eyes drop from his for a brief moment. It's embarrassing to admit how much of a coward I've been. "Until now. Before we learned of the inheritance, I decided this year would be different. I'd leap into writing. Move out on my own. So many huge changes. Then I met you—the biggest surprise of them all."

"But a good one?" he asks.

"The best." I bite my lip as my anxiety heightens. This is where I lay it on the line for him. Just like he did for me. And even if I think I know his response, there's still a niggling fear in my heart that this is all just temporary.

A whirlwind fling before Travis jets back to the city.

"You bring out this spontaneous side of me. Make me feel comfortable while also full of butterflies. But all of this scares me, too, because what if I'm not enough?"

"What are you talking about? You're more than enough." Travis steals a hard kiss that leaves me breathless, clutching at his shoulders.

Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I soldier on, needing to get it all out before I give into him completely. "You don't know that. Everything's happening so quickly with us riding this wave of chemistry, but what about when things settle? You're a New York club owner with a vacation home in the town I plan on living in for at least a year. You're used to sophisticated women. Women with experience, and I'm not just talking in the bedroom. I mean women with connections, who can help you network."

"Brooke…" He sighs, and a softness enters his eyes. "I don't need a partner to help me grow my business. I've spent almost two decades doing it myself. What I need is a partner who sees me as I am. Just the man, not the CEO. Someone I can be myself with—even if it happens to be a possessive caveman." Travis winks, drawing a small smile from me. "What I need is you ."

Sincerity rings throughout his voice and body. Hope, too. And I finally let myself melt into his embrace.

"Okay… so, we're doing this," I confirm, then glancing behind me, I can't resist teasing him. "And near a bed again. We're definitely improving our time and place."

A swift swat to my ass follows before Travis promptly throws me on the bed like I'm one of those tiny women who are easily pinned against walls and mattresses for sex.

And I guess for him I am.

"Oh, we're improving alright." He crawls up my body, dealing with each item of clothing he runs into by tearing it away. "Now I'm free to fuck you again without distraction. We're the only ones here, and I plan to take complete advantage of it and you. Because this weekend wasn't nearly enough. No amount of time will be enough."

Spreading my arms and legs out like a starfish, a wide, goofy grin lights me up from the inside out. "Do your worst, Mr. Gibson. I'm all yours."

Travis reaches my lips and stares down at me for a second, amusement darkening his eyes. "That's what I was hoping you'd say."