Mending Fences
Page 23
She backed away a step, her gaze on her feet, her cheeks dusted pink, and pulled earbuds from her ears. The music blared through them. Ah. She hadn’t heard him.
“Hey, sorry I startled you,” he said. The rest of his words died in his throat when her gaze lifted and she smiled. A sweet, welcoming smile that lit up her entire self. It slid down inside him, stunning him and leaving a trail of light. No one he’d ever known had a smile like that.
“It’s okay. Thanks for catching me before I hurt myself.” She hitched her thumb over her shoulder at the ladder. “Guess I should have taken the ‘do not stand on this step’ warning seriously, huh?” Her voice was low, with a slight whiskey-rasp.
It was a punch to the gut after anticipating that she’d sound like a little girl to match her small size. She couldn’t be more than, what, five-two? A grin spread across his face, he couldn’t help it. “Pretty sure the warning is there for a reason. Are you here with Rachel?”
“Yeah, I’m visiting her, and attempting to help.” She shrugged. Her smile faded and the part of Travis that had revived inside because of her smile died again, too. It stung. How could he fix that?
“You were doing great, I messed you up.” He held out a hand. “I’m Travis Holt.”
Her handshake was surprisingly firm. “Andri Miller.”
“Andri? Interesting name.”
“Short for Andromeda. I know, I know, my mother is Greek, so I come by it honestly,” she added hastily as his smile widened.
“No, it’s a beautiful name.” The sweet blush colored her cheeks again and his stomach flip-flopped.
Her gaze shifted to the right and she said, “You about got me killed, sending me up on a ladder like that.”
Travis turned to see his electrician walk in. Rachel Garrett, dark red hair looped through a baseball cap, looked Andri over. “You appear unscathed.”
Andri pointed at Travis. “Thanks to the hero.”
A sharp jolt of pleasure hit him. He’d love to play the successful hero again, anytime. He bit down on the thought that her need for a hero was his fault. He refused to let his failings shadow her words.
Rachel stood beside him, tall enough to meet him eye to eye. “Yep, that’s Travis. He spends his copious spare time rescuing damsels in distress.” She nudged him with her shoulder, and that contact from his lifelong friend snapped him out of the magnetic pull emanating from Andri.
Shaken by his reaction, he steeled himself and glanced at his watch. “Unfortunately, speaking of spare time, I have none. Rach, you’ll be finished today?”
“Yes. Another half-hour maybe, and we’re out of here.”
“Just what I wanted to hear, thank you.” He nodded at Andri. “Nice meeting you.”
She smiled as she said goodbye, but he yanked his gaze away from her. That smile was kryptonite, best avoided since he couldn’t hope to fight the way she drew him without even trying.
He did a high-speed check of the rest of the mansion, pausing only to confer briefly with Delgado. The plumber had already finished and gone. Inspection complete, he beat a hasty retreat to the truck.
Andri. He’d known Rachel forever and never run into this friend of hers before. She’d said she was just visiting Rach, so chances were that he’d probably never see her again. And while that realization pained him, it also relieved him.
There were two kinds of women. Those who played, and those who didn’t. Andromeda Miller was decidedly one who didn’t. She sent off waves of home and hearth and ‘till death do us part’ vibes. Absolutely off-limits, and he knew precisely why—stability was the one thing he needed, the one thing he wanted. The one thing he didn’t deserve.
It was also a hell of a catch-22. If she wasn’t what he thought…well, he’d paid the price for mistaking a player for a stayer before, with his ex. And if she really was what he read her to be, a good girl…damn, he couldn’t go there. He’d only end up failing her somehow, like he failed everyone else, and in the process, she’d learn to hate him. He knew if he ever saw that light in her eyes replaced with hatred, it would utterly destroy him.
One more thing added to the pile. No. He simply wouldn’t allow himself to go there. Period. No matter how much he wanted to cling to the lifeline her smile had thrown him.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Epilogue
About the Author
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