Blue Autumn in the Bayou (Gumbo Love) (25 page)

Had it not been for the firm grip Travis had on Autumn’s shoulder, she might have stood to greet him. Travis wasn’t
having it. He looked straight through the man she called Romeo. Damn, this was the second man tonight he had to put in his place. In the short time he’d known Autumn, he quickly understood that she wasn’t the kind of woman who was romantically or casually involved with a lot of men. The fact that this character had a nerve to roll up to their table said one thing; he was interested in Autumn. She, on the other hand, had either ignored his advances or was unaware of them. Travis continued to watch the man. He had every intentions of shutting this down, and fast.

Romeo focused on Autumn for the moment and dismissed
the man she was with. He could tell the move pissed the man off and he looked like he was about to come unglued, but Romeo didn’t care. The very last time he saw Autumn, she’d explained that she couldn’t see him anymore, but that she thought he was a terrific friend. Hell, he wasn’t interested in being just her friend.

He accepted her request initially because he thought he had more time to get to know her, to change her mind. He liked her; he liked her a lot. He thought she didn’t want to get serious because she traveled so much, but he never guessed that he had competition. She’d not shared that bit of information. Had he known, he would have pressed a little more. But in his mind, it was never too late.

“Autumn, I almost didn’t recognize you. It’s great to see you again. How are you?”

“Hi Romeo. It’s nice to see you again. This is Travis Brooks. Travis, Romeo West.”

“Travis.” He finally pulled his attention away from Autumn to acknowledged Travis. Romeo stuck his hand out to Travis who, until he stood, was unimposing. However, the moment Travis pushed back from the table, releasing Autumn, he towered over Romeo, and Romeo could tell the guy had a good sixty pounds on him. This giant looked a little intimidating, but he had a reputation to protect, so Romeo held his hand out until Travis accepted it. He didn’t see Travis picking a fight with him, at least not yet.

“What’s up?” Travis would have totally ignored him had Autumn not looked directly at him. Having to fraternize with
this joker, trying to move into his space, wasn’t something he took lightly. And to be openly friendly with this guy was out of character for him. He saw the hesitation in Romeo’s expression when he stood.
Good
, Travis thought. He accepted the man’s hand.

Autumn interrupted the next thought. “Romeo is originally from Detroit, right?” She tilted her head to the side.

He drew his gaze back to Autumn and shook his head. “Yeah, that’s right. You remembered. The last time I saw you, you were preparing for the new season. How’s that going?”

“You
’re funny, Romeo. You’re—”

“So
, how long have you been in New York, Romeo?” Travis interrupted Autumn’s conversation. He didn’t plan to stand around while they reminisced. His patience was short fused when it came to the disrespect this man showed. No way in hell he was going to just stand there and allow the conversation to continue. He balled his right hand into a fist.

CHAPTER 25

Autumn frowned. She still couldn’t figure out what was going on with Travis
, and finally saw the war between the men. She touched Travis’s hand bringing his attention to her. The questions in her gaze went unanswered as his expression turned to indifference. Romeo was her friend. Did he think Romeo was an old flame? He didn’t give her the opportunity to confirm or deny it.

“About six months, give or take.”
Romeo nodded. He saw where this was going. “And you?”

“I live in New Orleans for the time being.” That comment caused Autumn
’s head to jerk toward him. He’d placed inflection on the words “for the time being.”

“Musician?” Now Romeo was curious about this Travis cat.
He refused to believe he was Autumn’s type. He seemed too intense to be compatible with such a dynamic woman. 

“Businessman
,” Travis’s answer was short and curt.

“But Travis is an accomplished jazz musician. His uncle was the great Clemons Boudreaux
,” Autumn added, the need to defuse the situation was paramount at this point.

“
The
Clemons Boudreaux!” Romeo’s whole demeanor changed. Even though he was the competition, he dared not pass up an opportunity to meet a relative of a musical legend.

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Man, I grew up listening to Clem’s smooth grooves, man. I’m sorry to hear about his passing, though.”

For the moment the men’s mutual respect
for Clem seemed to shrink the rising tension between them. Autumn smiled inwardly, having neutralized the strain between Travis and Romeo. Romeo shared how he’d opened for Blue Note’s recording artist, Robert Glasper, who was scheduled to perform in Camden, New Jersey.

The conversation didn’t last long before he excused himself.
“Autumn, I’ll be in touch. I’ll let you get back to your evening.” Romeo didn’t return to his table; instead he went to the bar and stood there until the show restarted. Then he disappeared. Only he’d disappeared from their view not the club. He watched Autumn from the balcony. She was more intriguing than he remembered. Now he had a reason to rethink how he planned a way back into her life.

Autumn noticed that Travis was unusually quiet on the way home. He drove and listened carefully to her instructions as she guided him back to her condo. One hand lightly gripped the steering wheel
, the other laid in his lap. She reached over and touched his leg. “Are you okay?” she asked with a measure of caution inflected in her voice.

He shot her a curious glance. How did she not know he didn’t like this Romeo guy
, even after they’d acknowledged a common interest? They shared more than an interest in music. Now he was on the receiving end of a situation he’d ignored often. In the middle, was the woman he loved more than life. “Yeah, I’m fine. Tired?”

“A little, it’s been a full day.” She managed a
small smile.

“We’re almost home, right?”

“Yes.” She took the hand he offered before placing it back into his lap.

When they got back to the apartment, they snuggled together. By the third evening
, she couldn’t stand it any longer. They’d played cat and mouse as they danced around the rising and very edgy passion between them. He left for his meeting with Jacob Euclid and stopped at a local gym before he returned. She was on the phone with Reggie when he came in.

He strolled into the door shirtless. Ribbons of muscles strung across his upper and lower body, while beads of sweat dripped down the center of his chest and disappeared
into the rim of his gray briefs. His skin glistened, and his damp hair clung to his chest and arms. Autumn lost track of her conversation upon seeing him. He almost always wore a T-shirt, even while cuddled up in bed with her. He’d told her when he was alone at home, he slept in the buff. But he didn’t trust himself to do the same when he was with her.

Now she didn’t trust herself with what she saw and felt. He stepped in and kissed her briefly. “I love you.” He whispered into her mouth as she held the phone away from her face to receive his kiss.

“Autumn?” The voice on the other end of the phone brought her back to her senses, and pulled her attention back to the conversation with Reggie. Her eyes remained glued on Travis’s back as he headed to the shower.

“Uh, I’m here, sorry.”

“Look, I can call back if you and Travis are getting busy,” she teased.

“No, he just got back from the gym. He’s headed for the shower.”

“An even better reason I should let you go.”

“Okay, I’ll call you later.”

“No you won’t. Enjoy, girlfriend.”

“Thanks.” But instead of following Travis to the bathroom, she went to the kitchen and fixed a light lunch. Something about seeing Travis earlier
, in low-riding shorts, revealing his damp briefs and bare chest, set her on fire. When he returned to the kitchen in a T-shirt and a pair of clean shorts, she just couldn’t dismiss the image of him before the shower, which had been charred in her memory.

She rose from the stool and rushed to meet him as he entered
the arched doorway. His fresh shower scent sailed through her nostrils, and as she folded herself into his embrace, she could feel the strength of his body against her. The stubble on his chin grazed her face.

“You smell delicious
,” she managed through a moan.

“You are delicious.” 

Autumn turned her head into the base of his shoulder and inhaled deeply. Her hands traveled the length of his back until they rested at the blades of his shoulders. She moved her hips closer to his groin and she felt the sudden quake of it as she pressed against him. When Travis dipped his head to retrieve her lips, her head fell back and her lips accepted the onslaught of a kiss so passionate she lost her balance. Travis tightened his hold around her waist and didn’t lift his head until he savored her lips for several minutes.

“I have lunch.”

“Are you going to feed me?”

“Not a chance.”

He smiled and moved to the refrigerator. “Okay, I guess I’ll have to tell my mother you’ve been mistreating me.”

“Your mother knows better.” She set a small platter in front of him.

Travis slipped onto the stool, said grace, and dug into the scrumptious seafood pasta dish she set before him that she’d made earlier and had heated up. They chatted for a minute before she stopped eating, and observed him watching her.

“You’re a great cook.”

“I’m a Cajun girl, remember?”

“Yeah, I remember
,” he laughed. “And why are you looking at me that way?”

“Because you know you want me.” She moved from her stool and walked around to where he sat. She moved close into his person space.

His smile faltered. “Are you sure that’s what I want?”

Travis came dangerously close to kissing Autumn’s tempting lips
, but resisted with all of his might. This game they were playing now was about to come to a climax. If he touched her now, he would have to break his promise. At this point, they stood at the cliff with nowhere to go, it was time to leap or fall. Whenever he was this close to her, when things were this volatile between them, he feared he would lose the control he’d managed to keep in check over the last several months.

The desire he saw when he looked at her didn’t help matters much. She lowered her lashes to conceal the hunger
, but once she raised them again, the intensity only grew fiercely out of control. She signaled the male in him to respond, and he didn’t fail her. He stood, food all but forgotten, and moved within inches of her without actually touching her. The inflamed energy racing between them flew back and forth, like an open spigot left unattended. Their steamy exchange made him tremble.

Autumn knew he was
trying to stay in control. Her dancing eyes tempted him when she licked her lips. “Can we play a game for a minute?” She stood, gaze still locked with his.

“If you think you can handle it, sure.” He waited. His middle thickened and firmed at thought of her gesture. “I got this.” He challenged
her.

One eyebrow lifted. “So, I set the rules and you’ll play along, right?”
Autumn decided to guard her territory. She couldn’t have another woman tempting her man. Besides, she burned for him, and she wanted a taste of what he’d been holding back all those months.

“Of course. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Okay, here’s the deal.” She moved a little closer. Their bodies almost touched and each could feel the breath of the other on their faces. “You can’t touch me with your hands but I can touch you. Can you handle that?” She smiled into his face.

Nothing could prepare his body for her challenge. “Yes,” he lied easily.

“And, I’m in control for at least the next ten minutes.”

“Okay, control is yours. Can you handle it?” Travis instantly regretted the lie. Just the thought of her hands on him made him crazy. Still, he defied her; he refused to back down at this point. He steeled his body to withstand what came next.

“Promise.”

“Promise.” He voice dropped an octave.

Her breath caught when she moved her mouth an inch from his
. “I guess we’ll see.” Her hands slid up the front of him, circled his neck, and she grazed her body up to his. “Are you okay?” she whispered, her lips almost touching his.