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“I probably wouldn’t have,” Ally admitted, knowing she’d grown emotionally a great deal since she’d broken off her relationship with Rick. Still, submitting her manuscript for such a prestigious award would have been daunting, and it honestly probably wouldn’t have even occurred to her to do so.
“I wanted you to have official validation that your work is fantastic from people who wouldn’t be biased. People other than me.”
Ally got up and walked around the desk, and threw her arms around his neck. He seized her body immediately, pulling her into his lap.
“I’m not mad,” she told him tearfully, still so amazed at the strength and thoughtfulness of the man she had married.
“I just want you to be happy, Ally. I know you said you still wanted to stay here and work with me, but I want you to do whatever you want to do, reach for whatever dreams you have. You can finish your MBA, or write more award-winning novels now that everyone in publishing will be wanting to put out your books. I don’t care what it takes to make you happy. I’ll do it,” Travis said fiercely, his grip tightening around her waist. “As long as you’re always mine.”
“I’m already ecstatically happy, Travis, because you love me.” She brushed an errant lock of hair from his forehead. “And I don’t want to go back to college for my MBA anymore. I think I was studying business because it was safe, normal. I do want to write, and I want to be with you and make you happy. Those are my only two dreams now. And someday I’d like to have a child.”
“Sweetheart, I’m already happy. And I’m more than willing to do overtime to work on that baby dream,” he told her enthusiastically.
Ally smiled, knowing if he worked any harder atthat, she’d be exhausted. Travis was already insatiable. And really, she loved her job at Harrison now that her husband wasn’t the billionaire boss from Hell anymore. “I’d like to stay, unless you want another assistant. I can write in the evenings and weekends when you’re busy. And you did promise me you’d take me everywhere with you. I can write anywhere.”
“Thank God,” Travis replied fervently, placing his forehead on her shoulder, relieved. “I doubt I could find anyone else to put up with me, and I wasn’t sure how I’d make it through an entire day without you here. I need you, Ally.”
Ally’s heart clenched, knowing he meant that he needed her in more ways than just an assistant. And she needed him, too. Maybe as the two of them got used to their intense relationship that left them both feeling vulnerable, they’d feel differently. But right now, Ally was exactly where she wanted to be.
“I’d never get another job with such great fringe benefits,” Ally told him teasingly. “And it would be sad if you started hating your desk again.” She reached out and stroked a hand over the polished wood.
Travis growled and stood, lifting her onto the desk in front of him. “I think I need a reminder of just how much I love it.” His expression was wicked as he started unbuttoning her blouse.
“Mr. Harrison, you have a meeting shortly,” Ally reminded him sternly.
“They can wait. I’m the damn boss,” he rasped.
Ally reached out and started unbuttoning his shirt, needing to touch his heated skin. “I need to touch you,” she murmured, her heart so full of love that she was afraid it was going to burst.
“Fuck. Then I’ll probably make it to the meeting on time,” he said harshly. “You know what happens when you do that.”
“Then kiss me,” she asked him sweetly.
Travis looked down at her, his eyes dark and swirling with emotion. “I love you, Ally.”
Her heart skipped a beat as she saw the intensity in his eyes as she replied, “I love you.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, abandoning his buttons to sink into Travis’s passionate embrace.
He was still late for his meeting, but when he finally did arrive, he shocked his employees by entering the conference room with an enormous smile on his face. Halfway through the meeting, Travis’s phone blasted a loud, upbeat musical tone. Every face around the conference table was stunned when, instead of being irritated about Ally changing the ringtone on his phone…Travis Harrison actually laughed.
~The End~