Nicole Edwards - Travis

To my husband:

You, above all else, are what keeps me going every day. Youve changed your entire life to accommodate my dream, and I am forever grateful that we get to take this journey together.

I love you.

~Nic~

At the party for Kaleb and Zoey

Gage Matthews wasnt sure exactly what he expected was going to happen if and when he ran into Travis Walker again, but this specific scenario wasnt anywhere on the list.

Hed been coming back from the bathroom on his way to rejoin the pre-wedding slash bridal shower slash bachelor slash bachelorette party when Travis stepped right in his path. In the dining room of Travis parents house of all places.

Now that he was pinned against the wall, Gage was fighting the ever present supply of lust that bubbled inside of him anytime he laid eyes on Travis. It seemed to be a response that was hardwired in his brain at this point. Going toe to toe with the man was a byproduct of that reaction as well and well, Gage was more than ready to put up a fight.

Considering what the reward was going to be, he didnt see a downside one way or the other.

What the fuck do you want, Walker? Gage asked, maintaining a defiant bite to his tone.

With the sheetrock at his back, a hard, warm body at his front, Gage stared into stormy blue eyes that appeared to be trying to read his mind, versus determining whether he approved of the physical contact or not. His dick was already answering the latter for him, so he doubted Travis had any questions as far as that went.

What he couldnt determine was what Travis was thinking. The shadows in the mans eyes were just as vivid as they always were, guarding whatever deep, dark secrets he harbored.

Despite his desire to be pissed at Travis for blowing his cover to hell and back in order to save his brother Zanes life which, by the way, Gage wouldve done without the threats Travis had made to his physical well-being at the time combined with a staggering urge to take him to the ground and bury himself balls deep inside of him, Gage found himself waiting for Travis to explain what the hell he was doing.

Im picking up where I left off, Travis stated. He was eerily calm, his restraint admirable as he kept Gages body pinned between his and the wall.

When Travis lifted one hand, gripping Gages chin firmly, he knew he wasnt going to be able to turn away. He also knew clear as day what was about to happen. He welcomed it, damn near close to begging for it. But, he prayed the indifference he let settle over him was shielding him from Travis scrutinizing gaze.

Hed silently been taunting Travis for weeks, every time the opportunity presented itself. The last time, at Zoeys and Kalebs bachelor/bachelorette party in Vegas, Gage had gone out of his way probably a little overboard to make sure Travis understood Gages role in Kalebs current relationship.

And just like that night, Gage recognized Travis determination to exercise his own version of payback at the next opportunity.

Gage had been banking on it.

And here they were.

Granted, there wasnt any privacy where they stood but considering his hunger for this man was picking up speed and rumbling in his veins, Gage wasnt sure he even gave a shit where they were.

But Gage wasnt giving in just yet. And you picked now to do this?

It will happen again, I told you that, Travis answered, sounding bored. But the way his gaze slipped down to Gages mouth told him that Travis wasnt holding on as well as he wanted him to believe.

Before he could get another word out, whether it was to defy him or to beg, Travis mouth came crashing down on his. A blatant claiming that took Gage by surprise, but not for long. Instinct kicked in and he kissed Travis back, one hand snaking into Travis hair, an attempt to hold him close.

God, this was beginning to tear at him. The teasing kisses, these promises of what might happen in the future. It didnt matter that his body damn near melted from the heat churning between them, there was still this little niggling voice deep in his subconscious that suggested Travis was just fucking with him.

There was no doubt that Travis wasnt a man who was searching for a forever kind of love. He was a onetime only kind of guy, and since Gage had had his fair share of meaningless sexual encounters, he wasnt currently in the market for another.

No, what he wanted he seriously doubted Travis could ever give him. Which made this whatever it was all the more disappointing.

Before they broke apart, a fleeting thought sprang to mind as though it had been planted there: a flickering image of him and Travis and a beautiful woman trapped between them, her body coming apart as they both fucked her. At the same fucking time.

His dick twitched, a warning that he was about to get in over his head.

Their mouths separated, their gazes locked as they both worked to suck in air, and Travis said, Will. Happen. Again.

A promise that Gage prayed Travis would keep, but one that still pissed him off, making him crave revenge against this man for putting thoughts in his head that he knew were better left alone.

Damn Travis Walker.

Kylie Prescott couldnt stop smiling as she stepped onto the wide, rickety wood steps that circled the old farmhouse. According to the tax records the house was built in the late 1800s and according to Gage, his great, great something or another grandparents had built the house with their very hands. That alone made this project so much more exciting than most she had worked on.

The piles of pictures taken throughout the last several decades certainly hadnt done the house justice, although they had given her a vivid journey through the wondrous childhood Gage had lived. Not only had she felt the love showered upon every person within the visual catalog of their history, she knew the house would still have remnants of such a sweet, loving family within its walls.

The fact that the house still remained within the family made her want to work that much harder to restore it to its former glory. Her inspiration could also have come from getting to know Gage and hearing the stories of his youth, the years he spent growing up here, the love of his grandmother and grandfather as they raised him after the devastating loss of his parents when he was a teenager.

From where she stood, the vast overhang covering the porch having seen better days, Kylie could tell that, at some point in the last two centuries, someone had done significant work to the exterior, although time had taken its toll, and it was definitely time to rejuvenate and preserve what had been restored so long ago.

There was a lot of work that needed to be done; however, even through the years and the many hands that held hammer and nail, the original uniqueness of the structure had been maintained. A bubble of excitement erupted in Kylies belly. In her experience, that didnt happen very often.

And yes, since the day she met Gage Matthews, when he went into detail about this little project of his, shed hoped he wasnt pulling her leg. Clearly, he had been upfront and honest with her. That made her heart sing all the more.

As she spun in a slow circle, taking in the white paint flaking on the strong, sturdy bones of the old house, she felt Gage move up behind her.

What do you think?

Rather than turning to face him, Kylie let his arms encircle her from behind, pulling her against his hard body. Leaning her head back on his chest, a comforting warmth consumed her. For two months, the more time she spent with him, the more shed begun to care for him. Not only was he able to set her body ablaze with just a slight tilt of his lips, but he also had managed to make her feel protected. Cared for.