Chapter 8. Kiss

“Business,” Travis reminded himself, buttoning up his shirt with hands that were suddenly steady once more. The earlier tension that had coursed through him—raw, distracting, and far too personal—was locked away with practiced ease. He had always been good at compartmentalizing. Years in boardrooms and hostile negotiations had taught him how to bury indulgence beneath discipline, desire beneath strategy.

He smoothed the fabric over his chest and exhaled slowly, grounding himself. The mirror across the room reflected a man once again composed, tailored, and controlled. Whatever had passed through his mind moments earlier—those fleeting thoughts that carried heat and danger—were sealed behind steel walls.

His focus shifted forward, recalibrating toward the challenges waiting just beyond tonight.

“Tomorrow,” he spoke into the silence, his voice low but resolute