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“I’d like to kill him, but I think it would upset Ally,” Travis said morosely.
“You have it pretty bad for her, don’t you?” Kade asked quietly. “Don’t deny it, Trav. I’ve known for a while now.”
“How did you know?” Travis eyed his brother warily.
“I have it bad myself. I can see the signs. I think you’ve always fought with Ally to keep her at a distance. How long?”
Travis sighed, not wanting to admit it, but needing to talk to Kade. “Since the fucking day I hired her. There were more experienced applicants, people who had better qualifications. But I must be a damn masochist, because I hired her anyway. I couldn’t stand the thought of not seeing her again.”
“Does she know?” Kade asked quietly.
“She should. I tell her every damn day that I want to fuck her,” Travis grumbled.
Kade coughed hard several times before gasping. “Very romantic and smooth, Trav. Is that all you want from her?”
Was it? Travis didn’t exactly know. “I don’t do romance, and all I know is that the woman drives me crazy.”
“She was hurt pretty badly, Travis. Ally may act tough, but she’s fragile right now. Her self-esteem was battered. If all you want is a fuck, get it somewhere else.”
Travis slammed his fist down on the wooden desk, making everything on the surface rattle. “Don’t you think I’ve tried? I don’t want anyone else. I can’t do another woman. I just want her. I want to kill any man who looks at her, anyone who hurts her in any way. I want to give her anything and everything she wants. I want her to be happy, dammit.”
Kade grinned at Travis. “Why didn’t you try to take her away from her asshole ex before?”
“Because I didn’t know he was a bastard. I thought she was happy. I’m an asshole, Kade. Everybody knows that. I thought she was better off with a nice guy.”
“And now that she’s single?” Kade prompted.
“She’s mine,” Travis growled. “I’m not giving her a chance to hook up with another loser. If she wants an asshole, she can just take me.”
Kade chuckled before he answered more seriously, “It’s your turn, Travis. You’ve spent your whole life taking care of the business, the employees, Mia, and me. It’s time for you to figure out what you need.”
“I need her,” Travis replied desperately. “Christ. I don’t know how you do it. How do you need a woman so much and survive?”
Kade smirked. “You don’t. So you make damn sure you get her.”
“She’s stubborn,” Travis grumbled. “She doesn’t even want to take the new clothes I bought for her. It’s in her damn contract. I provide her a new wardrobe.”
Kade grimaced. “Women are funny that way. Asha did the same thing.”
“And what did you do?”
“I ignored her protests. She got over it eventually and took them from Maddie as a gift from her sister.”
“Ally complains pretty loud,” Travis answered unhappily, knowing she’d make it difficult for him not to hear her. But he’d still try to ignore it. He wanted her to keep the clothes. Christ! It wasn’t like he couldn’t afford it.
“I know,” Kade said happily. “It’s one of the reasons I think she’s perfect for you.” He hesitated before asking, “What would you have done if Ally hadn’t found out her ex was a dick? What if she had actually gotten married?”
“I don’t know,” Travis answered honestly. “I tried not to think about it, tried to tell myself it didn’t matter. But if it came down to that day, that moment, I’m not so sure I wouldn’t have done just about anything to keep it from happening. The only thing that had ever stopped me was the possibility of ruining her happiness. Shit! I have no idea how I never noticed how tired she was, or how miserable things were for her. I didn’t know she had to work in a damn bar to make ends meet. I thought she had the perfect life, the perfect fiancé who was getting ready to start a prosperous career. I wanted her, but I didn’t think I was the best thing for her.” He was a murderer and an unfeeling bastard. He’d wanted Ally to have someone better than that.
“And now?” Kade asked solemnly.
“Now I’m taking her. After understanding the bullshit she put up with for years, even being with me would be better than that. I’d treat her well, Kade. I’d give her whatever she wanted.”
“Nobody knew what Ally was going through. She hid it very well. It isn’t your fault. I don’t think any of us could see beneath her tough exterior,” Kade told his brother thoughtfully. “I think she just needs a man who cares about her. From what Asha tells me, Ally’s self-esteem got hammered pretty badly. This asshole has obviously been knocking her down mentally for years.”
“He killed her dreams,” Travis said harshly. “Not only did he betray her and leave her stuck with his bills, but he didn’t support her writing either.”
“Ally writes?” Kade asked, surprised.