CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
brOOKLYN
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After breakfast on our final day, we did a light hike around the resort grounds and down to a gorgeous lake at the bottom of the mountain, where we had ice cream.
It’s so breathtakingly beautiful here with all the enormous trees, the green rolling hills among the snow-covered mountains, and animals roaming the grounds.
I know I should be concerned about the threat made by Taylor's legal team to the world’s media, but I told the team we’re staying on track then posted on all our social channels saying we’ll have exciting new information to share next week.
It’s had half a million views already.
Trav and I are leaving today, so I decided to enjoy the last few hours.
Being such an exclusive resort, there aren’t hundreds of rooms, so it’s not bustling with visitors.
There were kids playing in the pool, and we passed a couple of families catching the tram on our way to the spa, but otherwise it’s quiet.
After a couple’s massage, we head to the bar for a final cocktail, then came upstairs to pack. It has been a whirlwind weekend, but I don’t regret it at all.
If I take him up on the offer to interview him, we may see one another, but otherwise, when we get home, our brief love affair is coming to an end.
Because if we don’t, we both have to acknowledge this is a relationship. Which neither of us wants.
Travis, my lover , as he called himself, will simply become Travis, my source . If we do the show.
That nagging feeling in the back of my mind still lingers, but nothing makes sense. His concern seems to be purely on my safety. That and an unfounded possession.
I think, like me, he realizes we have something here, but we are both too afraid to pursue it.
At this point, I’m not sure what to do with that. I need space to think about it. Which may be a waste of time, because Travis is likely to not give it another thought.
He’ll go home to his sex club and find someone new to play with.
My eyes dip at the thought of his mouth on another woman. Him smirking at her and not me. My chest tightens, and the pain I’ve been avoiding waves hello.
Nope.
I am not going to fall for him.
Sorry to tell you this, babe, but...
Shut up!
Travis comes up behind me, kissing my neck. “I have bad news. It turns out the jet blew up, just like poof, gone. So, sigh, we are going to have to stay here forever. Very unfortunate.”
I giggle.
“There are no other planes left in the world?”
“None. Isn’t that crazy? They are not making them anymore.”
“You’re funny, you know that?” I shake my head and start folding a pair of pants. “For someone who claims not to be, you’re incredibly romantic and adorable.”
He spins me around, and I drop the pants.
“There is nothing adorable about me. I’m gruff and masculine. Dark and dangerous. Very manly.”
“And adorable.” I grin, tiptoeing up to kiss his lips.
He growls playfully, lifting me up and tossing me on the bed. “Me man. You sexy woman.”
Then he’s falling on top of me while I giggle and fight to get away from all his kisses. Until I realize my stupidity and meet his mouth, melting for him all over again.
“We don’t have time.”
“I own the plane.”
“I thought it blew up.”
“I haven’t done it yet. Now kiss me, woman.”
This man.
He is adorable, and I’m certain I’m wrong about him. I hope so, because while I had no intention of getting into a relationship, if he wanted one I might say yes.
And if he doesn’t, over the next few weeks I’ll be piecing together the part of my heart he’s stolen while I wasn’t paying attention.
My phone beeps.
Travis groans. “I’m going to the bathroom, then we need to get downstairs.”
With one last passionate kiss, he climbs off and lifts me to my feet. Then pats my bottom and walks away. I chew my nails and watch the sexy man, taking in his confident swagger.
Hot.
Then I frown, remembering that even if he did want a relationship, Travis owns a sex club. He’s not shared that with me, so it’s obviously his dirty secret. Will he go there tonight after we get home?
Ugh.
I grab my phone, see Scott’s name and almost ignore it, but something makes me swipe and read the message.
B, I know you said not to ever do this, but after the comment about his family by the legal team, I got super curious. Who is the family? There isn’t anyone except this Terrance kid. But we’ve found zip about him. So...”
Shit. I bite my lip.
What has he done?
The kid just vanished about fourteen years of age. I got my government contact to do a trace.
I curse.
Get this—his records are protected. Sealed.
What the hell? I glance up just as Travis walks out of the bathroom.
“What’s going on?” he asks.
“Terrance Taylor's records are sealed. Did you know about this?”
“How the fuck did you find that out?” He snaps angrily.
I flinch, surprised by his reaction. I understand the guy was his friend, but if there is more going on here, he shouldn’t have raised it with me. I am a journalist doing a story on the guy's father, what did he expect?
Those voices in my head screaming at me again.
Open your eyes.
I’m not telling him our source, especially as I don’t know who it is, or that it was searched illegally. If there’s one thing we journalists do well, it’s protecting our sources.
Throwing my phone into my bag, I zip it up and swing it onto my shoulder.
“It’s what we do.”
“Sounds like he doesn’t want to be found.”
That doesn’t mean he can’t be...or that he won’t. But it raises huge questions.
Why would the government seal his records?
Was his father truly that evil during his childhood?
What else happened?
Does Travis know about any of this?
Travis puts his phone and wallet into his pocket, and we both startle when someone knocks on the door.
The porter.
“Ready?” he asks, and his tone is still on edge as I nod and park my thoughts until tomorrow when I’m home and can think more clearly.
Once we’re in the air, Travis tucks his hand between my thighs and reads his device like nothing was said and we’re a happy couple returning from vacation.
Which we aren’t.
Whatever we are, there’s a huge unspoken divide between us made up of secrets. The question is why and what’s in it for Travis?
Open your eyes.