Ally nearly choked on her coffee. Her body heated at thoughts of Travis’s ripped, naked body, and him stroking himself in her bed while he thought about doing wicked things to her. “You didn’t,” she denied.
“Oh, I did,” Travis replied evilly. “And it was immensely satisfying to know that I was probably getting more pleasure in that bed with my fantasies about you than he ever did with his girlfriend.”
Okay…maybe he actually did. And that made Ally even hotter. If the ghosts of her ex screwing another woman in that room hadn’t already been exorcised, they certainly were now. Changing the subject, she sat down next to him at the table. “Can we talk about my new job title and repayment terms?” She certainly couldn’t spend one more moment thinking about Travis touching himself.
“No,” he answered simply, picking up his own coffee and taking a slug. “Consider it a bonus. Although I wouldn’t argue if you let me be the first person to read the second book in your fantasy series. You left me hanging.”
“You actually read the first one?” she asked, amazed. He had to have read the manuscript almost immediately to have already finished it.
“I said I wanted to read it. It’s good, Ally. Really good. You need to finish it. Does the young hero eventually get his princess?”
He’d said he wanted to read her book, but people said those things all the time. They didn’t necessarily mean it. Obviously, he had read the story if he knew about the hero and the princess. “My hero is a little young for that right now.” She took a small sip of her coffee. “You don’t strike me as the type of guy to read young adult fantasy.”
“I grew up reading fantasy,” Travis answered thoughtfully. “The Chronicles of Narnia series was one of my favorites. I remember looking in every closet we had, trying to find a secret door so I could take Kade and Mia away somewhere else after reading the first book.”
Ally’s heart began to bleed for him, thinking about a young Travis trying to escape his horrible childhood. “I loved that series.” It had been one of her favorites too, liking it for much the same reasons as Travis: to escape her miserable childhood.
“You need to write, Ally. Finish the books. You’re talented. I have no idea why the book was rejected, but books like yours brighten the lives of a lot of young people. They can escape into a dream when everything else in their life isn’t so great.” Travis eyed her with a pensive expression before digging into his pocket and pulling out a velvet box. “I missed your birthday, but this made me think of you. I meant to give it to you yesterday.”
Ally stared at the fancy box Travis was holding for a moment before reaching out a trembling hand to take it. She wasn’t used to getting gifts, and especially not from men. “Why?” she asked nervously.
“It’s a reminder to follow your dreams. And a belated birthday present. It’s nothing really,” Travis told her tensely, as though he felt a little awkward.
Ally popped the lid, gasping as she saw the contents. There, nestled in a bed of red velvet, was the most exquisite necklace she’d ever seen. But it wasn’t the diamonds or the sapphires that immediately caught her eye, but the design. It was a small unicorn, the entire body sparkling with white diamonds, the horn and eyes made of small blue sapphires. “My unicorn,” she said breathlessly, taking in what was almost an exact tiny replica of the unicorn from her books.
“It doesn’t talk like yours does, but I’m hoping that you’ll remember to write every time you wear it,” Travis told her huskily.
Tears rolled down Ally’s cheeks as she fingered the delicate, beautiful beast on the gold chain. “I don’t know what to say.” And she didn’t. No one had ever given her such a thoughtful gift. “The first piece of jewelry I’ve ever gotten as a gift,” she mumbled tearfully. “It’s beautiful.” She also knew it was expensive. “Travis, it’s too expensive of a gift for me to accept.”
“Bullshit. I said it was nothing,” he rumbled. “I’m not taking it back unless you don’t like it. Then I’ll get you something else.”
“I love it,” she cried anxiously. “But I don’t get gifts like this. It’s too much. But it’s incredible.”
“It’s nothing compared to what I want to give you, Ally. And I still want to be the first to read the next book,” he demanded.
Ally looked up from the sparkling unicorn to look into his eyes, eyes that were turbulent and uncomfortable, as though he wasn’t quite sure how to express himself. “You believe in my writing that much?”
“Not just your writing. I believe in you,” he admitted, his tone sincere.
Her heart ready to pound out of her chest, Ally rose and went to Travis, putting her arms around him gently and kissing him lightly on the cheek. “Thank you,” she whispered, unable to express how much his faith meant to her. She wanted to tell him, wanted to let him know how much his support meant to her after what she’d gone through with her ex, but the lump in her throat wouldn’t let her say anything else. So she just hugged him, tears still rolling down her cheeks. “I love this, and I’m keeping it. It will always remind me that one person actually liked my book,” she told him lightheartedly, knowing emotion wasn’t something Travis dealt with easily. “And we will talk about repayment for the bills.” She let him go reluctantly and sat back in her chair.
“No, we won’t,” Travis answered in a graveled voice. “And that hug was good for an all-week boner.”
She laughed, amused by the disgruntled look on his face. She highly doubted Travis got excited over a simple hug, but he was good for her battered ego. Travis Harrison could get any woman he wanted, any time he wanted one. But she let the compliments wash over her, let the fact that he found her attractive warm her soul. “I can’t believe you didn’t go into the office today. Are we working tomorrow?” she asked, knowing Travis never missed a day of work.
“Hell, no. And I’ll need to bandage those wounds again later. You aren’t going to feel like working for a while. You’re starting vacation early.” Travis shot her an obstinate look.
Ally rolled her eyes. “I’m fine. You don’t need to take care of me.”
“I’m going to,” he replied irritably. “So get used to it.”