WAYNE

CHAPTER 6

Kora should’ve been scared of him.

Honestly, she knew that.

Any sensible person would’ve walked away already.

Because men like Travis Wayne didn’t belong in normal people’s lives. They belonged in whispered conversations. Headlines. Rumors people repeated carefully because they weren’t sure how true they were.

And yet somehow…

Here she was.

Sitting barefoot on the counter of her bakery at nearly midnight while Travis stood beside the coffee machine rolling up the sleeves of his black shirt like he actually worked there.

The image alone felt ridiculous.

Rain tapped steadily against the bakery windows while soft jazz music played quietly overhead. The warm smell of vanilla and cinnamon still lingered in the air from the pastries they’d finished baking hours ago, mixing strangely with the darker scent of Travis’ cologne every time he moved near her.

Kora watched him carefully as he poured coffee into two cups with surprising patience.

“You’re doing that wrong,” she said finally.

Travis glanced up calmly. “It’s coffee.”

“You’re offending me as a bakery owner.”

A faint smirk touched his lips. “You’re dramatic.”

“You’re in my bakery disrespecting my profession.”

“That serious?”

“Yes.”

His low chuckle filled the quiet bakery softly, and Kora hated how much she liked hearing it.

It was strange seeing him here.

Men like Travis looked like they belonged in penthouses, expensive restaurants, or dark rooms making dangerous decisions—not standing in cozy bakeries at midnight making terrible coffee.

Yet somehow he fit into both worlds too easily.

Mia had left almost three hours ago after loudly accusing Kora of “falling in love already,” which Kora had denied immediately.

Repeatedly.

And very aggressively too.

Though honestly, she wasn’t entirely convincing anymore.

Travis handed her one of the coffee cups before leaning against the counter across from her.

His eyes stayed on her for a second too long.

Again.

Always.

“You stare a lot,” she murmured before taking a sip.

“I know.”

“At least you’re self-aware.”

“You don’t like it?”

Kora hesitated slightly.

That was the problem.

She did like it.

Too much.

There was something dangerously intense about being looked at the way Travis looked at her. Like she was the only thing capable of holding his attention fully.

It should’ve overwhelmed her.

Instead, it made her feel seen in a way she wasn’t used to.

Her eyes narrowed slightly. “You avoid answering questions a lot.”

“So do you.”

“I asked first.”

Travis took a slow sip from his coffee before speaking. “What do you want to know?”

Everything.

The thought came immediately.

But Kora ignored it.

Instead, she asked carefully, “What actually happens at the docks?”

There it was.

That slight shift again.

Tiny. Barely noticeable.

But she caught it immediately.

Travis remained calm, though something colder slipped quietly into his expression.

“Work.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“It’s the only one you’re getting tonight.”

Kora sighed softly. “See? This is what I mean.”

His eyes held hers steadily. “You’re curious about dangerous things.”

“And you’re suspicious.”

“That too.”

The honesty caught her off guard again.

God.

Everything about him felt layered. Like there were multiple versions of Travis Wayne hidden beneath the calm surface he showed everyone.

And she was beginning to realize she’d only met the easiest version so far.

Her phone buzzed suddenly beside her.

Ivy.

Kora answered immediately. “Hey.”

“YOU’RE STILL WITH HIM?” Ivy shouted dramatically through the speaker.

Travis actually looked amused.

Kora rolled her eyes. “Why are you yelling?”

“Because it’s midnight!”

“And?”

“And men that fine are dangerous, Kora.”

Travis’ mouth twitched slightly.

Traitor.

“I’m hanging up now,” Kora muttered.

“Wait wait wait,” Ivy rushed out quickly. “Liam wanted me to ask if you’re coming tomorrow.”

Kora frowned slightly. “Tomorrow for what?”

“The dinner thing.”

“Oh.” She completely forgot. “Yeah, maybe.”

“Maybe?” Ivy repeated suspiciously. “You never say maybe.”

Kora glanced briefly toward Travis before looking away again. “I’ll text you later.”

Ivy gasped dramatically. “OH MY GOD YOU LIKE HIM.”

Kora immediately ended the call.

Silence filled the bakery for exactly two seconds before Travis spoke calmly.

“She seems entertaining.”

“She’s annoying.”

“She’s right though.”

Kora blinked. “About what?”

“That I’m dangerous.”

The sudden seriousness in his voice shifted the atmosphere immediately.

Kora looked at him carefully now.

Rain tapped softly against the windows while the dim lighting inside the bakery cast shadows across his face, making him look darker somehow. Harder.

More honest.

“You keep saying things like that,” she murmured quietly. “Like you’re warning me.”

“Maybe I am.”

Her heartbeat slowed strangely at the answer.

Most men tried to look harmless when they weren’t.

Travis did the opposite.

He practically handed his red flags over himself.

And somehow that honesty made him even more dangerous.

Kora slid off the counter slowly before walking toward one of the display shelves, pretending to reorganize pastries she’d already arranged perfectly earlier. Mostly because she suddenly needed something to do with her hands.

She could feel his eyes following her movements instantly.

Again.

Always.

“You know,” she muttered softly, “normal men don’t casually describe themselves as dangerous.”

“Normal men usually lie first.”

She paused slightly at that.

There was something unexpectedly genuine hidden inside the statement.

Something tired.

Kora turned toward him again carefully. “And you don’t?”

Travis leaned against the counter, studying her silently before answering.

“I try not to lie to you.”

The response affected her more than it should have.

Because she believed him.

At least partially.

And that was dangerous too.

Outside, headlights briefly flashed across the bakery windows as a car slowed near the curb before continuing down the street again.

Travis noticed immediately.

His eyes shifted toward the window for less than a second before returning to her calmly.

Too quickly for Kora to think anything of it.

But internally, Travis’ mind had already sharpened.

Black SUV.

Second time tonight.

Could’ve meant nothing.

Probably meant something.

Years in his world had trained him never to ignore patterns.

His phone buzzed sharply inside his pocket.

The atmosphere around him shifted immediately the second he looked at the screen.

Kora noticed that change too.

He answered without taking his eyes fully off her. “Talk.”

She stayed quiet instinctively.

Travis listened silently for several seconds before his jaw tightened slightly.

“When?”

Another pause.

“No mistakes this time.”

Then he ended the call immediately.

Kora folded her arms lightly. “That definitely sounded illegal.”

A quiet laugh escaped him despite himself. “You watch too many movies.”

“Do I?”

His eyes stayed on her for a long moment.

Then his phone buzzed again.

This time the message came from Tobi.

[Pier Twelve wasn’t random. Somebody leaked movement schedules.]

Travis’ expression darkened instantly.

A leak.

Inside his operation.

Which meant somebody close was talking.

And that complicated things badly.

Especially now.

Especially with Kora suddenly existing in his life.

Because enemies didn’t attack powerful men directly first.

They attacked the people those men cared about.

And Travis had already started caring far too much.

Kora noticed the subtle shift in his expression immediately. “Okay, that one definitely looked serious.”

Travis locked the phone calmly before walking toward her.

“You should go home.”

She frowned slightly. “That sounded like an order.”

“It was.”

“And if I say no?”

He stopped directly in front of her now.

Close enough for her to feel his warmth.

Close enough that her pulse immediately betrayed her again.

“You won’t,” he said quietly.

Not controlling.

Certain.

That confidence should’ve irritated her.

Instead, her stomach flipped painfully.

Kora hated how easily he affected her.

“You’re very arrogant,” she muttered softly.

“And yet you’re still here with me.”

That shut her up immediately.

Because again—he wasn’t wrong.

Travis reached up suddenly, his fingers brushing gently against a streak of flour near her cheek. The touch was brief. Careful.

Still, her breath caught instantly.

His eyes darkened slightly as he looked at her.

And for one dangerous second, Kora genuinely thought he was going to kiss her.

The tension between them thickened almost painfully.

Her heart pounded harder.

Travis’ hand slowly lowered back to his side, though his gaze never left her face.

“You should lock up early tonight,” he said quietly.

Kora blinked slightly, the sudden change in subject disorienting her. “Why?”

“Humor me.”

“There you go again.”

“What?”

“Acting suspicious.”

A faint smirk touched his lips again, but it didn’t fully reach his eyes this time.

“Maybe I just worry.”

The words settled strangely in her chest.

Nobody had ever said things like that to her with such calm certainty before.

Not like they already considered her theirs to protect.

It should’ve frightened her.

Instead, it warmed something inside her she hadn’t realized was lonely.

Travis glanced briefly toward the window one final time.

The street outside looked normal. Quiet. Empty.

But instinct still crawled beneath his skin sharply.

Something was shifting.

He could feel it already.

And deep down, Travis knew one terrifying thing with absolute certainty.

If danger ever truly reached Kora because of him…

There would be nothing humane left of him afterward.