Indecent Danger (Danger Incorporated Book 3) (7 page)

Aubrey rolled her eyes as she dabbed at her nose. “I do work for you and you forget that I’ve seen all the lovesick women parading in and out of your life. There’s something about you that women adore, Travis.”

“Yeah, my money,” he snorted. “Don’t make the mistake of thinking it’s any more than that. I attract a certain type of lady that believes size matters. As in the size of my bank account. They don’t usually care much about me personally.”

“You don’t think I’m like that, do you?”

Biting her lip, her eyes were starting to fill with more tears. He’d screwed up again.

“Of course not.” His arms tightened around her and he pressed his face to her fragrant tresses. “I know you like me for me and that’s one of the big reasons we’re together. You don’t care how much money I have or where we eat dinner, what parties we attend. You’d much rather hang around my house and watch television or ride horses. You came here this weekend for me, not for you.”

“You could tell that? I guess I’m just not a glamour type girl.”

“Thank God, because that’s what I prefer too. I do parties like this because of social commitments and good friends, but honestly I’d just rather take you out for a moonlit horseback ride next to the lake. I’d lay out a blanket and a picnic and we could make out under the stars.”

From her brilliant smile it appeared she really liked that idea but then her lips turned down in sadness.

“I’d like nothing better but I have to get through this weekend first. That detective suspects me and let’s face it. I have a motive. A good one.”

A motive she hadn’t told the cop about, which worried Travis. If the detective found out about it on his own then Aubrey would be under even more suspicion.

“I wish you had been honest about Bruce’s blackmail but I understand why you weren’t. Although you should have known I wouldn’t care about your past. It hurts to think that you thought me that self-righteous and judgmental, baby.”

She tried to move from his lap but he held her fast. “It wasn’t that I thought you were like that but…I just thought you wouldn’t want…a used girlfriend.”

Travis sighed with frustration. “You’re not a car, you’re a woman. A beautiful, sexy, amazing woman and it never occurred to me that I was the first man to realize it. I’m sure you’ve had many boyfriends through the years.”

She opened her mouth to say something, then seemed to think better of it. “That’s another discussion but not for tonight. Right now all I can think of is that Bruce is dead and Prather thinks I did it.”

“He hasn’t talked to everyone yet,” Travis laughed, thinking about the guests this weekend. “Once he does he’ll see that there is no shortage of people that had motive to kill Bruce. Many of them much stronger than yours. The man was an asshole and pretty much everybody knew it. He didn’t bother to hide it.”

“Will he talk to everyone? Or will he just find a convenient scapegoat – namely me – and close the case?”

Her voice trembled with fear and he couldn’t stand the thought of her being so terrified. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you. I’ll get Shane out here and if I have to find the real killer myself, I damn well will. No one is going to railroad you into a murder charge on my watch.”

“Shane? How can he help?”

Aubrey didn’t know his cousin’s background.

“He’s an attorney. A damn good one too, which is important in business dealings. He’s not a member of the bar here in Florida but he does know the law. I’ll give him a call.”

Shoving her hair back from her face, Aubrey appeared slightly dazed. “This day has been so strange. First Bruce threatens me, then he ends up dead, and now I’ve told you my biggest secret. And you don’t seem to care.”

He’d told her several times already, but he had a feeling she was going to have to hear it many more times before she believed deep in her heart.

“I don’t care. I’m not going to judge you for what you’ve done. Hell, with everything that you’ve been through your reaction doesn’t seem all that extreme. Some people might have turned to drugs or crime.”

A smile bloomed on her beautiful face and his heart skipped a few beats. “Did I forget to mention the multi-million dollar crime syndicate I’m the head of?”

He captured her lips in a long, hot kiss that left them both breathless. “Baby, make me an offer I can’t refuse.”

“How about you shower up and I’ll rub your shoulders. Your forehead has those lines again so I know you’re feeling tense.”

Aubrey always seemed to know when he was feeling stressed just by looking at his expressions. He didn’t know how she did it but she was never wrong.

“I’m worried about Martin,” he admitted. “He has a powerful motive for murder and the police are bound to find out about it.”

“Do you think he did it?” Aubrey asked, her voice soft and tentative.

“No, but as you pointed out that won’t stop the police from ripping apart someone’s life. I think it might be a good idea to do a little investigating on our own. I don’t know much about the local law enforcement, but you made a good point earlier about placing too much trust there. We need to take control of this situation if we want to stay on top of it.”

His mind was moving in fast forward, making a list of things to be done and people to call.

“At this point I’m grateful for any help I can get,” Aubrey sighed. “I’m not too proud to admit that I’m scared. I didn’t like Bruce but I didn’t want him dead.”

“There are dozens of people who did and we’ll go through them with a fine-tooth comb. We’ll find who really did this and clear your name once and for all.”

If it was the last thing he’d do, Travis would help Aubrey put the past behind her and move forward.

With him.

‡

A
ubrey couldn’t sleep.
She’d tossed and turned for the last hour, wide awake, her head spinning with the events of the evening. She needed a shot of whiskey or maybe a sleeping pill. As it stood now she’d be up all night.

Throwing back the covers she padded into the bathroom, rummaging through her toiletry case for a few ibuprofen with the added sleep medication. She’d kill her headache and her sleeplessness in one shot. She tossed back two tablets with a glass of water and opened the bathroom door only to smack into a hard wall of warm, muscular man.

“Shit! You scared me.”

She sagged against the doorframe, her hand on her racing heart, trying to catch her breath. For a moment she’d been stuck in one of the horror movies she loved to watch. Add in a killer on the loose and she’d almost fainted with fright.

“I didn’t mean to.” Travis reached for her and she let him tug her into his safe embrace. Suddenly serial killers and crazed clowns didn’t seem so scary. “I heard you moving around and I was worried.”

“I was quiet. How did you hear me? I just came in here to take something to help me sleep. I can’t turn my mind off.”

Aubrey reached into her case and rattled the bottle of pills.

“It will take a while for those to kick in, but maybe I can help you relax like you helped me. Wait here.”

She was glad the shoulder massage had relaxed him enough that he was able to get some rest, but if his plan was to return the favor it wouldn’t work. His big, strong hands on her body weren’t going to relax her in the least. Arousal would be the more than likely outcome.

He disappeared into his bedroom and came back out with a blanket, nudging her along with short hallway to the living room area. Snagging two water bottles from the bar he led her out to the patio where they snuggled on a chaise lounge wrapped up in the blanket. Aubrey could see a scattering of stars in the deep purple night sky along with the bright moon that cast shadows over the trees and buildings.

“It’s not the lake and we didn’t get to ride but it’s not half bad. At least it’s warm.”

It was perfect. The temperature had dropped enough that the blanket was welcome but not so low that she was chilled. A gentle breeze was blowing off the Gulf, bringing with it a tangy, salty aroma that soothed her overwrought senses. It was no wonder people came here to destress from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

“It’s beautiful. A different kind of beauty than Montana but still gorgeous.”

She laid her head on his chest as it rose and fell steadily under her cheek. It epitomized this man – rock solid. Someone that could be depended upon. He made other men seem pale and uninteresting.

“We can come here more often if you like,” he offered. “I’m always up for a beach weekend.”

Did he really believe that he had to give her vacations and gifts? She once again wondered what kind of women he’d dated in the past. Were they all a bunch of mercenary bitches?

“Do you really think women only date you for your money?” she blurted, wincing as the words came out sounding much less smooth than they had in her head.

She could feel his laughter start as a rumble deep in his chest. “I know it for a fact, baby. If I dug ditches for a living I have no doubt that I’d be much less popular with the ladies.”

“Not all women are like that.”

“No, they aren’t and I don’t mean to make it sound like they are. I’ve dated some lovely females in my life. Really smart, funny women who didn’t care about the size of my wallet but there have been more than a few that were quite open about coveting my financial assets.”

Those women were certifiably crazy. Travis was handsome, sexy, smart, and sweet. His money and success was such a minuscule part of who he was. Born into any other family he would have been good at whatever he’d chosen to do. If he’d been a ditch digger they would have been the best damn holes in the ground anyone had ever laid eyes on.

“You have a lot more to offer besides your money.”

Travis tugged on a strand of her hair, sending arrows of arousal straight to her feminine parts.

“Like what?”

With a fingernail she traced a pattern on his chest over his t-shirt. “You’re handsome. And smart. Kind of dangerous in negotiations. I actually felt sorry for that guy when we were working on the mine contracts. He wasn’t in your league and he knew it.”

“I doubt my girlfriends cared much about that. Not too many wanted the details of my work.”

“You also have a kind heart. You’re close to your family and you’re very charitable. I bet that soup kitchen should have a photo of you on the wall with the words ‘Our Founder’ emblazoned on it even though you’re always pretending the things you do for the community are no big deal. They’re a big deal for the people you help. And let’s not even mention the fact that you saved my life. If it weren’t for you and Jason, Gigi and I would be pushing up daisies. Don’t think I don’t know that.”

His fingers ran along her jaw and softly traced her lips, setting a thousand butterflies free in her abdomen. “You make me sound like a cross between Santa Claus and James Bond. Believe me, I have a lot of faults. Tons of them.”

Like she didn’t know. But they seemed insignificant when compared with his positive qualities.

“I’m your assistant. I’m well aware. You growl until you’ve had your first cup of coffee. You sing off key when the radio’s on in your office. You’re impatient with yourself when you don’t live up to your own expectations and you can get lost in work to the point where you forget about the outside world. You also don’t eat enough vegetables.”

To her delight Travis threw back his head and laughed. “You’ve been monitoring my diet? That’s going above and beyond, baby. It’s just that junk food tastes so damn good and Brussels sprouts taste like a grilled tennis shoe. Something went wrong in the universe there. But you missed so many other faults.”

“Like what?”

“I snore,” he stated with a grin. “Loudly. Like cows stir in pastures miles away. I hope you’re a heavy sleeper.”

She wasn’t and his intimation that they would soon be sharing a bed made color rise in her cheeks.

“You might want to see a doctor about that. It can’t be healthy. What else?”

“I snore because I broke my nose a few times playing football. Not much they can do. Let’s see what else? Oh yeah, I’m a hot water hog. I love taking long showers and I empty the water heater, leaving none for anyone else.”

That
was
kind of rude.

“Do you leave the toilet seat up? That and the hot water thing might be a deal breaker.”

“After living alone for so long I sure do. Looks like this thing between us is doomed to a fiery death.”

Except he was wearing a shit eating grin and not a sad face.

“Looks like it,” Aubrey agreed, trying to hide her own mirth. “Too bad, but now I guess I get to work in your Paris office.”

“But perhaps I could be persuaded to reform. Or maybe I could give you your own bathroom.”

Aubrey giggled, delighting in his playfulness after a terrible, awful day. “It sounds like I’d need my own zip code if what you say about your snoring is true. At least I’d need my own water heater. Besides, men never really change.”

“I can change, woman.” Aubrey loved the growl in Travis’s tone and this time she couldn’t hide her laughter. “I have worlds of change inside me. I’m the old dog that can learn new tricks, I’ll have you know.”