Page 15 of Fashionista's Playbook

“What are you doing here?” I winced. I was standing inhisbedroom, inhishouse. “Duh. I’m sorry, I wasn’t expecting you home.”

I gestured with the designer suit I’d picked up from the cleaners. “Had this freshened up for arrival in Denver.”

He just stood there, t-shirt in his hands, watching me with an amused expression. He was so hot, I was babbling. “I’m really sorry…I…”

“Stop apologizing.” He laughed and leaned against the doorway between in bedroom and the master bath. “It’s not like I caught you rifling through my boxer briefs.”

I scrunched my nose. “That wouldn’t be creepy at all.”

“I cut out of practice early to watch some tape at home—easier to block out the noise here.”

I nodded and spun, moving to the massive walk-in closet to slide the suit into the luggage that waited to be packed. Everything else he’d pack himself.

Thinking about him like that, as the down-to-earth guy he was, left a lump of guilt in my stomach. I shouldn’t feel the little tendril of excitement that he was home before I’d left for the day.

When I spun to exit, he was right there, his lips moving. He’d been talking the entire time. I hadn’t heard him, of course, because I’d been too busythinkingabout him.

The closet shrunk then. I stood inches from Travis’ bare chest, the sound of his voice slowly coming to me. The heat of his skin was so close I could feel it, warm against me. My breath caught and I ran my tongue over my lips and ripped my gaze from his chest.

“Careful.” He wasn’t smiling.

“What were you saying?” I took a step away, toward the door back to his bedroom.

And found myself looking straight at his bed, with a half-dressed Travis behind me.

Get it together, Moriah.

“That I came home in part because I needed to talk to you.” Was his voice huskier than normal?

I stared at him over my shoulder like he was missing his shirt—because he was. I lifted both my eyebrows in question.

“I need a favor.”

This wasn’t some weird come on. He wasn’t about to ask me to tap dance naked on his bed. Even if I wanted him to. Travis was the Lancelot his brother had proclaimed him to be—my own personal knight in shining armor. Whatever he needed, I was there.

I flicked a glance over his tattooed, glistening bare chest.Definitely shining.My thoughts were on the verge of being obscene—I needed to find some separation between us and this simmering attraction.

Thinking of all the dirty favors Travis could ask me to perform, caused me to stumble as I tried to turn. When he reached for me, I slapped a hand on his chest. “I’m good.”

Whoa. Wow.

The muscle there, the strength against my touch, took my breath away. Any man I’d touched definitely hadn’t possessed this solid definition. A blush burned my cheeks and I droppedmy hand and stepped back. “You need a favor from me? Part of my job description.”

I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the intricate ink and my hand tingled where I’d touched him. That Travis was covered in tattoos was one of the sexiest things I’d ever seen.

Pain Is Temporary, Legends Live Foreverwas stenciled across his chest in thick lettering. Beneath that, an angry eagle stretched its wings, a busted football clutched in its talons.

“This is more a personal thing, not a business one.” He must have sensed my embarrassment, because he finally tugged on his t-shirt. “Yates and Linc are giving me grief over the cops getting called when my brother housesat for me last time I was out of town.”

“Oh.” I’d heard about that and hadn’t been surprised. Travis’ brother seemed more than a bit…wild.

“Yeah.” He snorted and shot me a tired glance, before moving past me to sit on the edge of his bed. “I need a way to keep Vincent out of the house while I’m gone, without being an asshole to him. My yearend bonus requiresexemplary off the field behavior. Cops showing up because of a party he threw is bad business for me.”

I hadn’t been around Vin much, but when I had he’d left me a little disconcerted. But he’d mostly kept his distance. The light bulb clicked in my head.

“And if I’m here, he won’t have a reason to be here.” Made sense, and really, I’d climb a mountain to wipe that tired look off Travis’ face.

A nervous flutter that had nothing to do with my attraction to Travis twisted in my chest. My nurturing nature had got me into trouble more times than I cared to count. And really, it reminded me of a time a more innocent version of myself had been manipulated.

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