The Billionaire Heartbreaker by Mandy Baxter Page A

receiving end of a hundred and twenty mile per hour puck. “Why would you have to rebuild your reputation?”
    â€œThe firm I used to work for went under last year. A failed business doesn’t exactly instill confidence. Despite the fact I’ve worked with some high-profile clients in the past, it didn’t help my firm to take off. Maybe I need my own image consultant,” she said with a bitter laugh.
    â€œWho were some of your high-profile clients?” Travis asked in an effort to pull her out of her maudlin mood. As expected, she looked down her nose at him, over the tortoiseshell rims of her cat-eye glasses. Goddamn, that stern and exasperated expression was hot.
    â€œYou know I can’t tell you that.”
    â€œEven if I asked you nicely?”
    She cracked a grin. “No.”
    â€œWhat if I bribed you?”
    â€œNice try.”
    The dance music the DJ had been spinning all night died down to something slow and mellow. Travis stood from his seat and grabbed Reily by the wrist. “Come on.”
    â€œWhere are we going?” Her bemused expression made him want to put his mouth to hers that much more.
    â€œWe’re going to dance,” he said.
    Reily resisted and tried to pull away but Travis kept his grip on her hand. “Oh, no. I don’t dance.”
    â€œThere’s a first time for everything,” he countered as he tugged her closer to the dance floor. “If I can try to behave tonight, you can at least try to dance.”
    â€œDancing isn’t in my job description.”
    Travis grinned. “It is tonight.”
    Reily cocked a brow. “And if I refuse?”
    Travis chuckled. “If you do, I’m bee-lining it for the nearest bar and I’m not leaving until they kick my drunk ass out.”
    The threat worked and Reily fell into step beside him. “I’ll be damned if I’ll let that happen, so I guess I’m dancing.”
    Damn straight . Travis never did take well to losing. And he wasn’t about to start tonight.

Six
    What in the hell are you doing, Reily?
    It was like watching an accident about to happen from a mile away and not being able to do anything to stop it. She’d never done anything like this before. Hell, aside from giving guidance to her clients, she never interacted with them more than in a strictly professional capacity. Travis’s laid-back attitude and his inability to recognize boundaries forced her out of that professional comfort zone. But no matter how much he flirted, Reily needed to remind herself that flirting was all it was.
    Travis pulled her close and took one of her hands in his while he settled the other at the small of her back. Heat radiated from his palm, soaking through the thin chiffon fabric of her shirt and Reily shivered. He held her close, closer than what was appropriate for business colleagues and when he angled his head toward hers, the warmth of his breath brushed her ear. Reily tried not to let herself melt against him. Their close quarters caused her nipples to tingle in anticipation of contact and she resisted the urge to allow her breasts to brush against his chest. Her breath caught and her step faltered. If not for Travis’s size and balance, she would have tripped them both.
    â€œHow’d I do tonight?” His words vibrated low and husky in her ear, spoken for her alone. Did he have any clue what sort of effect he had on her? That the tenor of his voice sent delightful shivers that wandered over her flesh and settled in a steady thrum low in her belly.
    â€œNot too bad,” Reily said with a nervous laugh. “I’ve definitely seen worse.”
    â€œThat response isn’t doing much for my ego, you know.”
    He held her tighter, the tips of his fingers gripping her with a possessiveness that made Reily want to moan. “I think we’ve already established that your ego is just fine without any help from me.”
    Travis pulled