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snug jeans and Polo shirt for a sleeveless T-shirt and a pair of thigh-length running shorts. His upper body looked like a chiseled work of art. Light perspiration dotted his forehead, and the damp T-shirt clung to the ripples on his chest and torso. She could see a horseshoe branded on his left upper arm from where she stood. He’d just lifted a huge vat with hot seafood in it from the spit and had dumped it into a bucket. Caught off guard, Autumn hadn’t counted on the sight of the man, not that way. Pure masculinity exploded and everything virile about Travis hit her with one eyeful. Her step faltered and she almost turned to run back to the house. Just as she contemplated the thought, he turned.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER 5
     
     
    That Brooks smile brightened his face when he saw her headed toward him. He carefully placed the hot vat back on the spit and in the same instance pulled the towel from his waist and brushed it across his forehead. He stood to his full height and Autumn sw ore he looked like an eight-foot giant, more powerful than a dozen men put together. “Hi.” His gaze penetrated straight through her, like he’d caught her watching him. His hands dropped to his sides as he watched and waited for her arrival.
    “Hi.” She recovered and continued toward him. You got this, little girl, she coached herself as she moved closer to the aromas that forced her out there in the first place. “Something smells delicious.” She wanted tell him he looked delicious, that if she didn’t watch herself she would become a slave to his touch, to the passion she saw just beneath those long dark lashes.
    Heat resonated at the center of her body and forked in all directions. She knew the kind of danger she was subjecting herself to, and instead of leaping, she forged on, commanding her heart to stay strong. She took a really long breath and held it as she moved closer, her body trembling.
    Autumn stopped a short distance from Travis. She had to set the record straight between them , otherwise, they wouldn’t get anything done. And just as she put up her guard and had formed the words in her mouth, Travis moved in. With his face only inches away, her armor slipped. The heat from his body radiated over to her. She gripped the frozen drink with shaky hands and dropped her gaze to shield the last of her restraint from his probing, but it was too late.
    “It’s done. So you can eat when you’re ready.” he watched her approach. Travis noticed for the first time a change in her. What was it? He studied her closely. His curiosity got the best of him, so he lifted his hand and touched her face. He didn’t know why, but he did. Any other woman would have slapped his face, but she didn’t. “Look at me, Autumn.” The hoarse command was all but a whisper. They stood inches from one another, so he knew she heard him. 
    Autumn wanted to oblige him but she couldn’t. Instead , she took a couple of steps back. The drink in her hand almost slipped again. “No, Travis. I came to tell you something.” She suddenly found the strength she lost earlier. “I’m here to help Reggie. I’m not interested in you. I don’t want to get to know you. I don’t want you to get to know me. So please, just stay away. I want things to go well for Reggie and Trae.”
    “Is that what you really came to tell me, Autumn?” He scrutinized her closely. Her body said something totally different. She still didn’t totally lift her eyes to him. What else was she concealing because he could see she was hiding the attraction between them?
    “The sauce is ready… oh, hello, Autumn.” Trae looked from her to his brother and instantly knew something had happened. He and Reggie talked about pairing the two together and after a long discussion, decided that surely the two could work together to get them through the wedding. Were they wrong? “What’s up?”
    Travis answered, but he never took his gaze from Autumn. “Oh, little