“Mr. Sutherland?” The woman rose from the chair and gave him a friendly smile that surprised him.
He was used to a sly, artificially bright welcome from women, and looks that sized up him and his bank account at the same time. Hope Sinclair, Grady’s younger sister, was the only woman who had ever really treated him like a person rather than an eligible billionaire. In fact, Hope had always treated him with a little too much nonchalance, and way too much like an older brother for his taste—until the incident that had happened at Christmas when he’d seen her in Amesport. “Ally.” He grinned back at her, taking the hand she offered him in welcome. “It’s very nice to meet you in person. Please call me Jason.”
Ally took her hand from his and nodded as she answered. “It’s nice to meet you, too. Thank you for calling this morning. Mr. Harrison is expecting you. I’ll call him.”
“He’s already here,” a low, irritated baritone announced from the other side of the office. “Come in, Sutherland.”
Jason looked toward the voice, feeling underdressed in a pair of jeans and a buttoned-down shirt when he looked at Travis Harrison. Grady had already warned him that Travis was an intimidating son of a bitch, according to Simon, and now Jason knew why. The dark look on Travis’s face was almost homicidal, and Jason had to work to keep a straight face as Travis glanced at Ally in a proprietary manner and then back at him again. Really, Jason didn’t care that Travis was openly an ass**le, and wasn’t the least bit daunted. He’d rather have a man be openly hostile than have him smile to his face and then stab him in the back. He had a feeling he’d always know exactly where he stood with Travis Harrison, and that was fine by him.
He winked at Ally as he passed her desk and sauntered into Travis’s office.
“She’s off-limits,” Travis growled at him after he’d closed the office door.
“She married?” Jason asked innocently, taking a seat in front of Travis’s desk.
“No,” Travis rumbled, sitting down behind the massive oak desk.
“Involved?” he pushed, smirking as Travis scowled at him.
“No.”
“A relative?” Jason knew damn well she wasn’t related to Travis, but he was starting to really have fun yanking Harrison’s chain. He guessed that misery really did love company.
“Hell, no,” Travis replied, disgusted. “But if you touch her, I’ll kill you.”
Bingo. Jason knew he’d hit a nerve. “She’s very nice, and very pretty—”
“I told you—”
“But I’m not interested,” Jason finished with a grin.
“You g*y?” Travis asked, actually looking hopeful.
Jason shook his head, nearly hating to squash Travis’s relief that he wasn’t heterosexual. Shit, Travis had a real thing for Ally. Obviously, the man thought that any guy who looked at her wanted to f**k her because he was so obsessed with the idea himself. And Jason knew exactly how that felt. “No. But my affections are otherwise engaged.”
Travis picked up a pen and twirled it thoughtfully between his fingers, scrutinizing Jason so thoroughly that it almost made him want to squirm. Hell, Jason had gone rounds with the biggest boys out there, sometimes more than once, but Travis was in a whole different league. Not meaner, exactly. Just…different.
“I didn’t know you were engaged, or even had a girlfriend,” Travis admitted, dropping the pen on his desk.
“I’m not. It’s…complicated,” Jason confessed, leaning back in the chair and giving Travis a disgruntled look.
“Ah…unrequited lust. You want to f**k her, but she doesn’t want you. It sucks, doesn’t it?” Travis finally commiserated, shooting Jason a knowing look.
That wasn’t exactly how it had gone with Hope, but close enough for him to answer, “Big time,” Jason affirmed, starting to feel a strange affinity with Travis. The poor guy had a serious case of blue balls over his secretary, and that situation was obviously uncomfortable because Travis had to be in close proximity to Ally all of the time.
“So how serious are you about managing this foundation with us?” Travis asked, changing the subject, obviously satisfied that Jason wasn’t going to pursue Ally.
“My time is valuable, and I flew here from the East Coast. I’m extremely serious. I’m not only willing to donate, but work the investments to keep the charity solvent as long as the overall plans are workable.” Jason wanted to be involved, needed to do something valuable. He had more money than he could ever possibly spend over several lifetimes, even if he bought every toy he wanted. He admitted to himself that he was restless; he needed something more important to work on than just increasing his own wealth.
“It’s workable. I figured out most of the plans myself,” Travis answered arrogantly, pushing a thick folder across the desk. “We can go over to Kade’s office and go over it with him. This is an important project for both he and his wife, Asha.”
Jason stood, ready to get busy. He needed the distraction right now. “Kade Harrison. He was a hell of a quarterback,” Jason said, following Travis to the door of his office.
“Still is,” Travis replied, opening the door to his office, and turning back to Jason. “He just doesn’t play anymore. Hell of a businessman, too.”
Jason smiled at Travis’s back as they left the office. Travis Harrison might be raw, but he obviously was fiercely protective and proud of those he cared about. As far as Jason was concerned, that type of loyalty was better than false charm, and rare in the circles that they both traveled in.
Ally smiled at Jason as he walked past her desk, and he grinned back at her, wondering absently if she knew that she had such a ferocious protector, and that Travis’s feelings for her, like his own for Hope, were about as far from brotherly as feelings could get.
“I’ll be in Kade’s office,” Travis snapped at Ally.
Judging by Travis’s not-so-gentle treatment of his assistant, Jason doubted she knew a damn thing. But he nearly laughed when he saw her dismissive attitude, acknowledging Travis’s comment with a small nod, but not appearing the least bit afraid of him. In fact, she’d almost ignored him, not even looking up from whatever work she was doing on the computer.
She challenges him.
Jason smirked as he followed the other man down the hall to Kade’s office, wondering just how long it would take Travis to crack.