Not His Type (17 page)

Travis reached
for Brooke’s jacket where it hung on a peg in Jazz’s office.  He held it for
her as she slipped it on; once again, he wrapped the scarf snuggly around her
throat.  Brooke avoided his gaze and quickly stepped away.  She gave Riley and
Jazz a tight smile and turned to leave.

“I’ll see you in
the morning,” she said.

Riley followed
Brooke and Travis to the front door and locked it behind them.  He returned to
the office to find his wife grinning smugly.  She smirked at him, her dark eyes
sparkling impishly.

“So dinners with
my family were awkward, huh?” she asked.

“I didn’t say it
had anything to do with the language,” Riley laughed.  “No, I was more
concerned about being the gringo who was trying to steal their little princess,
actually!”

“Do you think
she’ll go with Travis?” Jazz asked hopefully.

“We have a week
to convince her.”  Riley tilted his head thoughtfully.  “Do you feel up to a shopping
trip?”

“What are you
thinking, Riley Parker?”

“I think you
should knock off early Saturday afternoon and take Brooke shopping.  I don’t
know what’s going on with the baggy sweatshirts and jeans, but I think she’d
see herself in a whole new light if you took her shopping and helped her pick
something out.”

“I love you so
much!” Jazz said, smiling fondly at her husband.  “You have the best heart!”

Chapter
22

Travis tried
several friendly overtures, attempting to get Brooke to open up and talk to him
on the ride home.  He had little to no luck as she answered in single words or
short phrases.  Sighing, Travis steered the Hummer to the side of the road and
killed the engine.  Brooke stared at him.

“What are we
doing?” she asked.

“What are
we
doing?” he repeated.  “Well,
I
am trying to get you to talk to me, and
you
are having none of it.”  He paused, looking at her solemnly.  “Brooke, did I do
something to make you angry?”

“No,” Brooke
answered.

“Have I
said
something to upset you?”

“No.”  That wasn’t
really a lie; Will, not Travis, had said the words that had cut so deeply.

“Brooke, come
on!” Travis cajoled.  “Talk to me!  We were fine yesterday.  We had a great day
– at least I thought we did!  Now today, you left before I could take you to
work and you won’t talk to me.  You barely
look
at me.”  He sighed and
placed a finger beneath her chin, forcing her to look at him.  “Brooke, please
tell me what’s wrong, sweetheart.”

“I am not your
sweetheart,” she said tonelessly.

Travis stared at
her uncomprehendingly.  “I don’t…I didn’t mean….”  He shook his head, a puzzled
frown on his face.  “You don’t want me to call you sweetheart?  Is that it?”

“You didn’t do
or say anything, Travis,” Brooke finally said.  She sighed.  “I’m an idiot,
okay?  That’s what’s wrong.  I’m just an idiot, and I need to get a grip and
get over myself.”  She gave him a hint of a smile, her violet eyes soft.  “And
once again, I find myself in the position of needing to apologize.  I’ve been a
witch and I’m sorry.  You didn’t do anything, Travis.  Really.”

“You promise?”
he queried doubtfully.

“I promise,”
Brooke said, smiling more fully now.

“So…um…we good? 
Friends again?”

“Friends.”

A satisfied
smile on his face, Travis faced forward and started the engine.  They drove in
silence for a few minutes.  As the truck stopped in Travis’ driveway, he
reached over and caught Brooke’s arm before she could get out.  She glanced
back at him curiously.

“Will you come
over in a while?” Travis asked.  “Are you still willing to work with me?  Until
I hire someone, that is.”

“Yes,” she
agreed quietly.  “I’ll be over in, say, an hour?”

“Perfect!” he
said happily.  “I’ll see you then!”

Brooke walked to
her own house.  She let Boo outside while she went to the kitchen to look for
something to eat.  Staring into her pantry, she remembered the conversation
she’d had with Jazz and Riley.  She eyed her reflection in the glass of her
back door; she closed the pantry and reached for an apple.  Leaving the
kitchen, she sat down on the sofa to watch the news.

Whistling
cheerfully, Travis walked into his own house.  In the kitchen, he found some
frozen containers in the freezer; each one was labeled neatly, complete with
heating directions in his mother’s feminine handwriting.  Smiling, he  popped
one in the microwave and went to his office; while his dinner heated up, he
sorted through mail and organized his desk so he’d be able to show Brooke what
he needed her to do.  As he worked, he wondered again about Brooke’s behavior;
he still felt there was something he should know.  He’d felt he’d somehow hurt
Brooke, or disappointed her; for the life of him, he didn’t know how he’d done
so.

Exactly an hour
after he’d arrived home, Travis answered a knock at his door.  He smiled down
at Brooke and stepped aside to allow her inside.  She stepped in, her jacket
wrapped snuggly around her.  In the warmth of his house, Travis helped her out
of the jacket, laying it casually across the back of the sofa.  Brooke followed
him to his office, and Travis gestured for her to sit behind the desk.  He
moved to stand behind her, one hand resting on the back of the chair.

“Okay,” Travis
said.  He leaned forward and pointed at an icon on the laptop’s screen. 
“That’s my accounting software.  I do everything from there.”

“Billing, paying
and payroll?” Brooke asked.  She clicked on the icon.  “Which are we doing
tonight?”

“Ah,” Travis
said thoughtfully.  “I guess we should do some billing.  Payroll is pretty easy
right now.  Receivables is pretty self-explanatory, too.”

“And if you
don’t bill, you can’t make payroll or payables.”

“Exactly!” he
chuckled.

Fifteen minutes
later, Brooke already had a solid grasp on Travis’ billing system.  He watched
her, impressed with how quickly she caught on, adding several new client accounts
in preparation for the regular monthly billing.  Suddenly, she turned to ask
him a question about an installation; her soft hair brushed against his cheek. 
She smelled so good Travis wanted to bite her!  Her face was close to his; her
mouth was so close he could feel her warm breath against his lips.

Brooke leaned
slowly to one side, moving away from Travis.  Just as slowly, he leaned
forward, following her as she shifted away.  His mouth touched hers; it was
just the slightest pressure of his lips against hers.  Brooke froze and Travis
increased the pressure.  One large hand slid beneath Brooke’s silky hair;
Travis tilted his head, slanting his mouth across Brooke’s.  His tongue slid
across the seam of her lips, seeking entrance; after a moment, Brooke opened to
him, her eyes fluttering closed.  She sighed and leaned into him.

The sound of
Travis’ cell phone, ringing and vibrating on the desk, brought Brooke back to
her senses.  She spun around in the chair, nearly knocking Travis off his
feet.  She jumped up and backed away from him, staring at him, one hand pressed
to her mouth.

“What are you
doing?” Brooke demanded.

“I’m sorry!”
Travis said, apparently as stunned as Brooke was.  He rubbed his hand down over
his face, his eyes closed briefly.  “Brooke, I’m sorry, I – you just smelled so
good!”

“I
smelled
good?” she echoed.  “Are you nuts?  Do you kiss everyone who smells good? 
Random strangers on the street?”  Brooke affected a deep voice.  “Excuse me,
sir, you smell really great, I think I’ll kiss you!”

“Don’t be
absurd, Brooke!” Travis said defensively.

“Me?  Absurd? 
Oh, I don’t think so!”

“Listen, Brooke,
I’m sorry,” he said again.  His voice was sincere, his expression pained. 
“Really sorry, okay?  Look, I’ll go take care of some things in the garage and
leave you alone to work in here.  Please?”

Brooke looked at
him for a long moment before she finally nodded her agreement.  She gave him a
wry look and said, “You must really need the help.”

Chapter
23

Travis nearly
knocked the door off its hinges in his hurry to get out of the office.  He
strode through the house to the garage door, closing it firmly behind him.  He
stood there for a moment, eyes closed again, wondering what had gotten into
him.  He’d
kissed
Brooke Valentine!  Really kissed her, not given her a
little peck on the cheek or a big brotherly kiss on the top of her head.  And
he couldn’t blame it on Brooke, either!  As attracted to him as he believed she
was, Brooke had been leaning
away
from Travis, until he’d leaned forward
and kissed her.

And what a
kiss!  Travis hadn’t intended to kiss Brooke –
ever
!  But as soon as his
lips met hers, he felt a bone-melting heat flood through him.  If pressed,
Travis didn’t think he could explain the feelings and sensations that had raced
through him when Brooke had opened her lips to his.  He’d kissed plenty of
women, beginning with the popular, pretty cheerleader-type in high school, all
the way up to now, when women like Lorna Morgan never seemed to be in short
supply.

But never in his
life had he kissed a woman that stirred in him the response Brooke had.  He’d
felt protective of her innocent hesitation.  He’d felt gentleness toward her
soft sweetness.  Then her tongue had shyly touched his, and he’d tasted the
complex blend that was Brooke, and it had nearly been his undoing.  He’d felt a
rush of lust, pure and simple, roar through his body.  If the ringing of his
phone hadn’t interrupted that kiss, Travis wasn’t certain he’d have regained
control.  It actually hadn’t been
him
who’d regained control when the
phone rang; he hadn’t even heard it!  No, it was Brooke who broke off the kiss.

Now Travis
smacked himself in the forehead with his open hand.  He’d be lucky if Brooke
ever spoke to him again.  And thinking about it, he realized he felt a sense of
loss at the prospect of losing her friendship.  They’d only known each other a
few weeks, but Travis realized he valued her friendship already.  When her
defenses weren’t up, Brooke was sweet and smart and funny.  He enjoyed spending
time with her, and wanted to get to know her even better.  Travis expected he’d
find a good friend in Brooke if he didn’t mess things up between them.

In Travis’
office, once again seated behind his desk, Brooke wondered much the same thing
Travis did; what had gotten into him?  Why had he kissed her? 
Her!
 
Short, plain and plump Brooke Valentine!  Brooke had shared a handful of kisses
with boys in high school, but not many.  Her mother’s reputation often
prevented Brooke being asked out by the boys she
wanted
to date, while
sparking the wrong kind of interest in other boys.  As a result, Brooke had
kept to herself more often than not.  But now, Brooke had to admit, she’d never
been kissed the way Travis Cooper had just kissed her!

The rest of his
physique, from what Brooke had seen and felt, was hard as a rock; his lips,
however, were soft and warm.  His mouth and tongue had teased hers until she’d
returned his kiss eagerly.  Brooke blushed now remembering just how eager she’d
been!  When his phone rang, she’d nearly wept with frustration at the end of
the contact.  But it couldn’t happen again.  If she had the slightest chance of
her heart remaining intact, Brooke had to promise herself there were no more
kisses like that one.

The cell phone
lying near Brooke’s hand began ringing again.  Brooke automatically glanced
over at it.  A photograph of the redhead – Lorna, Travis had called her –
smiled up from the display on the phone, along with her name.  Brooke felt as
if she’d been doused with ice water; that little reminder would certainly go a
long way toward ensuring Brooke never kissed Travis again!

“Brooke?”

At the sound of
Travis’ voice, Brooke shifted her gaze from the still ringing cell phone to the
man in the doorway.  She gave him a polite smile, picked up the phone and
extended it to him.

“Lorna,” she
said.  “Probably calling to confirm your date.”  She rose.  “You should get
that, I’m about done here anyway.”  She scooted past him, trying not to touch
him as she did so.  “I think you should just be able to print your invoices. 
Good night, Travis.”

“Brooke, wait!”
Travis said quickly, reaching for her arm.  “Will you let me give you a ride in
the morning?”

Travis waited. 
Finally, Brooke nodded quickly.  She pulled her arm from his grasp and hurried
from his house.  Sighing, Travis answered his phone.

“Hey, Lorna,” he
said, aware that his voice sounded very unenthusiastic.

“Did I catch you
at a bad time?” Lorna asked.  Travis could hear the frown in her voice.  “I can
call back later.”

“No, no, this is
fine,” Travis said.  “I was just, uh, finishing up some work.  How’re you doing
this evening?”

“Good,” she
answered.  Her voice, following his reassurance, shifted to a deeper, slightly
husky tone.  “I was just thinking about you and thought I’d give you a call.  I
can’t tell you how happy I am that I ran into you, Travis.”