His phone pinged that he had a text, and he dug it out again eagerly. It was from Ally, and there were no words, just a picture. He touched the image and it came up full screen, a photo of the delicate red lingerie with barely there red panties and a red garter belt.
Travis almost dropped the damn phone.
He groaned quietly and decided that an hour was going to make a hell of a lot of difference.
Chapter 9
Ally studied herself in the full-length mirror in her bedroom. It was only five thirty, but she was as ready as she was going to be. The red dress was simple, the neckline plunging a little more than she usually liked, and it clung to her hips in ways she wasn’t exactly certain were good for her figure. But she thought she looked passable. She’d taken time with her hair and makeup, leaving her blonde locks down to caress her back and shoulders. The hem of the dress came almost to her knees, and the three-quarter length sleeves hid her healing road rash. The three-inch stilettos made walking a little precarious, but if she stepped carefully she’d be okay.
Ally wished, not for the first time, that she was thin and pretty. She sighed as she turned away from the mirror, chastising herself for caring. She was just going out to dinner with the boss. Travis looked at her with hunger in his eyes, but she still had a very hard time believing that a man like him actually wanted her, or why he actually did. Maybe he was as lonely as she was sometimes. Even when she’d been engaged to Rick, she’d felt alone. She just hadn’t really had time to think about it then.
Fingering the chain around her neck as she walked carefully down the stairs, her heart lightened as she thought about Travis and the faith he’d had in her when he’d given her the unicorn. She wouldn’t—she couldn’t—make too much out of the attention Travis was giving her. While it might be good for her ego, there couldn’t possibly be anything more to his behavior than to lighten her spirits, and maybe a misplaced sense of responsibility for their accident in the parking lot. Men like Travis Harrison weren’t interested in women like her. Yeah. Maybe he would screw her if he was in-between women, but having a brief affair with him wouldn’t be good for her. It would leave her feeling even more empty when it was over. She needed to remember that.
The doorbell rang and her eyes flew to the clock. He was twenty-five minutes early. Her pulse accelerated as she walked to the door and grasped the handle, wondering if she really should have sent that picture of the red lingerie she was wearing. It had been an impulse, a rare mischievous moment for her. Now, she wondered what he’d say.
The face that greeted her was not the one she’d been expecting, and the slight smile on her lips turned to a frown as she saw her ex-fiancé standing on her doorstep in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, looking more disheveled than she’d ever seen him. Ally took in his light brown hair and even features, waiting for the emotions she should be feeling to register. But she felt…nothing.
“What do you want?” she asked him calmly, wanting nothing more than for him to leave.
“I want to come back, Ally.” Rick sent her a tormented look.
“No,” she answered simply. Did he seriously think she’d even consider it? She might be codependent, but she wasn’t that damn pathetic.
He walked around her and into the foyer. “You got me fired. I think you at least owe me a place to stay.”
Ally closed the door and faced him. “I didn’t get you fired. And you should be in jail for the money you charged to me after you screwed someone else in this house and we broke up.”
“Bullshit. My boss knew exactly what happened. How would he know that? He didn’t think it was appropriate behavior for a new professional in the practice. They’re all family men. How would he have found out, if not for you? You, me, and Amber were the only ones who knew,” Rick said bitterly.
Ally gritted her teeth. “Get out. Go stay with your new girlfriend. You’re not staying here.”
“Amber doesn’t want me to stay with her. She said she’s reconsidered our relationship and she broke up with me.” His tone got whiney and less angry.
Maybe because you’re a cheating bastard! Did his girlfriend even know, or had Rick made up some fantastic story that the woman had bought into because she was young and naïve? “Did she know we were engaged?”
“I’d told her we were having problems. We were, Ally. You were gaining weight, and you came home every night smelling like alcohol, grease, and cigarettes from the bar. It wasn’t exactly good for our romantic relationship. You never had time for me. I needed you, but you were never there. So I slipped up. I know I shouldn’t have done it, but we were together five years. Do you really want to give all that up for one mistake? We should try again.” His blue eyes weren’t pleading or remorseful. His look was calculated and so were his words. “I was going to pay you back. I needed something to get me through until I started getting paid. I’d been thinking about us anyway. I think we could have worked everything out. We planned for years. It just got too hard having you gone all the time.”
Bastard! He’d needed the money to buy things to impress his new woman. No doubt he hadn’t thought for even a second about her until his girlfriend started having second thoughts. He’d all but admitted that.
She took a long, hard look at Rick. He was physically attractive, but the sight of him made her guts churn. This man, this unfaithful jerk, had been her whole life for years. Now, he wanted her to take him back? He wasn’t just an ass; he was sociopathic. “So you came running back here until you find another job and another woman to screw?”
“Ally, I need you. I didn’t realize how much until I didn’t have you anymore.” His eyes roamed her face and body. “You look good. Have you lost weight?”
She clenched her fists, trying desperately not to let him get to her. This man had been her life, her reason for existing, until he’d ruined everything.
He’s trying to make you feel guilty. He’s trying to get to you, make you feel like he’s justified because of your behavior.
Maybe she hadn’t been there every time he needed her, but she’d been working for them. “I worked my ass off for you, Rick. And I’m not responsible for you losing your job. And yeah, I let my appearance go because I needed sleep more than I needed a haircut or a manicure. And yeah, I gained a few pounds because I didn’t have time to work out or watch my diet. I was too busy worrying about you and what you wanted.”