Love Bet

Travis's POV

Some women are a challenge.

Some women are a game.

And then there's Sophia Moreau.

She wasn't just untouchable—she was a fortress. Every glance, every word, every shift of her body language screamed one thing loud and clear: Don't bother. You won't get in.

But here's the thing.

I've never been the type to walk away from a locked door.

I left Moreau Dynamics with a slow smirk still tugging at my lips, her last words playing in my head on a loop.

"Stay out of my way, Cole."

Right. Like that was ever going to happen.

The drive to my next destination was smooth, the city unfolding around me in a blur of high-rises and flashing lights.

By the time I pulled up to the private lounge where Lucas and Adam were waiting, I had already made my decision.

The place was dimly lit, expensive as hell, and filled with the kind of people who had more money than sense. The usual.

Lucas was the first to spot me, raising a whiskey glass in greeting from the corner booth. Adam leaned back in his seat, watching me with amusement as I slid in beside them.

"Took your time," Lucas drawled, swirling the amber liquid in his glass. "Let me guess—you had some urgent business to take care of?"

Adam snorted. "Yeah, business with a certain CEO?"

I ignored them, signaling for a drink. "You two sound like a couple of gossip columnists."

Lucas smirked. "So, that's a yes."

Adam leaned forward, his grin widening. "What was she like?"

I thought about it. The sharpness in her eyes. The way she'd held her ground. The way she had hesitated—just for a split second—when I asked if I made her nervous.

"She's exactly what I expected," I said. "And more."

Lucas let out a low whistle. "Damn. So you're actually considering it?"

I exhaled slowly, glancing between them. Lucas and Adam had been my best friends since college—brothers in every way that mattered. We had built our lives side by side, pushed each other into success, into trouble, into everything.

And now, here they were, watching me with that same familiar spark of mischief that had led us into countless bad decisions over the years.

Adam grinned. "You know, I thought you were going to walk away from this one. I really did."

Lucas chuckled. "So, what changed?"

I took a slow sip of my drink before answering. "She looked me in the eye and told me to stay out of her way."

Silence. Then—

Adam barked out a laugh. "Oh, shit."

Lucas grinned. "She challenged you."

I smirked. "Not directly."

Adam shook his head. "Doesn't matter. You're hooked now."

Maybe.

Definitely.

Lucas leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "Alright, then. Let's make it official. You accept the bet?"

I ran my tongue over my teeth, letting the weight of the decision settle.

Sophia Moreau wasn't just another name on my list.

She was the one that wasn't supposed to be there.

The woman no one touched. No one could touch.

And now?

Now, I wanted to see just how wrong they all were.

I set my glass down with a quiet clink.

"I'm in."

Adam let out a victorious cheer, and Lucas smirked, raising his drink in a toast.

"To Travis Cole," he said. "The only idiot crazy enough to chase down the impossible."

I clinked my glass against his, my smirk widening.

They thought this was a game.

They thought I'd go in, charm her, win, and move on like I always did.

But what they didn't realize—what I hadn't even fully admitted to myself yet—

Was that this time, I wasn't just playing to win.

I was playing for something more.

And that?

That made this the most dangerous bet I'd ever made.