Wild Weekend

“Travis.”

Hello, Travis. Otherwise known as number one hundred and one: have a weekend fling.

She froze as the words tumbled in her mind. One hundred and one. This was a mistake. How could she add him to the list when she hadn’t crossed anything off? Was she trying to sabotage her goals the moment her vacation started?

Christine reluctantly withdrew her hand from his grasp. She immediately missed the warm, masculine touch, but she tightly folded her hands on her lap.

She wasn’t going to get distracted from her dream list. Especially not with a man. She couldn’t let that happen again.

2

TRAVIS WAS SURPRISED at Christine’s withdrawal. One moment he saw the glow in her eyes and the next moment she’d banked it. It was as if she took one look at him and decided pursuing him wasn’t a good idea. That he wasn’t a good idea.

It wasn’t the first time for him. Good girls and proper ladies kept their distance...unless they were looking for a good time. He was a momentary lapse of judgment or a vacation from real life.

He felt a twinge of disappointment that Christine wasn’t going to act on the instant attraction. He liked the way she’d looked at him. It was a mix of excitement and trepidation. Anticipation and doubt. He knew that feeling—it was what he experienced every time he was about to embark on a great adventure.

He liked the idea of being someone’s great adventure, and he wanted to see that wicked glow in her eyes again. Hold on to the promise of something special. It had nothing to do with his goal to blend in and everything to do with exploring the wild streak he saw inside her.

Travis knew he would have to be careful in his pursuit. He realized now that Christine wasn’t as bold as she appeared. Despite the sexy dress that hugged her curves and the thirst for adventure in her serious brown eyes, this woman was quiet and reserved.

He should have picked up on that in the way she checked out the casino when she first stepped inside, but he wasn’t used to hesitant women. This one observed before she moved forward. She didn’t run headfirst into a situation, nor did she see an opportunity and grab it.

This was a woman who considered the pros and cons. She saw potential problems before she saw possibilities. He remembered how his grandmother used to do that and he always pushed himself to do the opposite. His mind-set worked because most people he met on his travels were impulsive, ready to forget common sense in their quest to go crazy before they had to return to their real life.

“What brings you to Vegas?” Travis asked. She was playing the slot machines with a decided lack of interest but was perched on the gold seat as if she were waiting for something wonderful to happen.

Christine was an intriguing puzzle. He felt the buzz of interest in his veins. Normally he felt like this right before he stepped into uncharted territory. But those times he knew the payoff would be big. Christine wasn’t a sure thing but she was the challenge he was looking for in Vegas.

She tilted her head and gave him a quizzical look. “What makes you think I’m not from around here?”

Where should he start? Her attire was wrong for a casino and a Las Vegas native would know that. She was dressed more for a nightclub. He could also tell that the desert sun never touched her pale skin. Travis curled his fingers as he imagined she would be smooth and silky to the touch.

There was also the fact that she was dragging around a bag that had an airline sticker on it. He gave a casual shrug. “Just a wild guess.”

“Do you live here?” she asked as she gave him a longer, more thorough look. “Is that how you can tell?”

“No, I don’t have a home base.” After feeling trapped in his childhood home, he chose not to have a permanent address these days. In the past few months he had lived everywhere from a hut in Belize to a pickup truck along Route 66. He made good money along the way. Once he picked up a skill, he turned around and taught them to tourists. He could do anything from teaching people how to surf to guiding them through the jungle. “I don’t really see the need for one.”

“I don’t think I follow,” Christine said as her eyes widened. “You just pick up and leave whenever you feel like it?”

He nodded as he watched Christine’s eyes cloud over. She obviously couldn’t comprehend that kind of freedom, but he couldn’t tell if she was envious or horrified. “I don’t mind roughing it,” he added. “Comfort and excitement don’t go hand in hand.”

She dipped her head and her long hair fell over her face like a veil. “You’re right, they don’t.”

Christine’s voice had been so quiet he almost didn’t hear her above the ringing bells and shouts of laughter in the casino. Yet he caught the regret in her tone.

She straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin. “Once you have a comfort zone, it doesn’t grow wider,” Christine said as she tucked her hair behind her ear. “It gets smaller and smaller until you realize you’ve put yourself in a cage.”

“Exactly,” Travis slowly agreed. It was why he didn’t stay in one place for more than a month. There were moments when he longed to call a place his own, but he’d grit his teeth and keep moving until the feeling passed. “Sometimes you need to shake things up. The way you’re doing now.”

“You can tell that just by looking at me?” She glanced at her dress and automatically pulled at the short hem that revealed her long, slender legs. “What else can you tell?”

Travis paused. He was usually good at figuring out people; the skill helped him survive whenever he found himself in sticky situations. But he got the feeling that Christine was trying to be someone different during her Vegas trip. He saw that a lot in the more touristy areas he’d visited. It was like role-playing, trying on a more exciting or an entirely different persona.

“This is your first time in Vegas,” he guessed.

Christine jerked her head back in surprise. “That’s true,” she reluctantly admitted. She glanced around the casino as if she wondered how he’d come to that conclusion.

“First trip anywhere?” he asked.

“Not at all,” she scoffed. She rubbed her fingers over her bare collarbone. Her hand stilled as if she realized something was missing. “I travel around the world all the time.”

Travis silently nodded his head. It may not be the first time she’d been out of her hometown, but it was definitely the farthest she’d been away from home. Only she didn’t want him to know that. Christine wanted to look more sophisticated and experienced than she really was. How far was she willing to go to live out this role? Travis was willing to play along.

“I’m taking advantage of a long weekend,” she said with a defiant thrust of her chin, “and I decided to try something closer to home.”

He didn’t buy that excuse. Christine was definitely the kind of person who would make incremental goals. Once she found success, she would build up to a bigger goal. He couldn’t imagine living like that.

“What do you do?” he asked. It was probably a desk job that dealt with numbers. She would want something that was climate-controlled and dealt with absolutes. But what would her alter ego say? Would she pick something creative or something dangerous? What she decided would give him a little more insight into her dream life.

Christine pursed her lips. “What do you think I do?”

Travis arched an eyebrow. It was time to rattle her cage. He reached out and grabbed her hand.

“Are you going to tell me my fortune?” Christine asked with a nervous laugh.

“No, but I can tell a lot about a person by their hands.” Hers were soft and delicate. The nails were short and unvarnished. There was no wedding ring and no indication that there had been one.

“I can’t tell what you do for a living,” he said as he trailed a fingertip down her palm before resting it against her wrist. Her pulse skipped under his touch. “You are searching for a challenge. You’ve done it all. Seen it all.”

Her hand jerked but she didn’t pull away. “Go on.”

“You’re looking for a jump start.”

She snatched her hand back. “What makes you think that?”

He wasn’t sure why he said it. A jump start suggested she had once been adventurous but now found herself in a routine. That didn’t sound right. She was too cautious. She wanted to be reckless but just couldn’t let herself go.

“It’s been a while since you had an adrenaline rush,” he continued, watching her closely. He needed to see her response or have her correct him, but Christine’s expression didn’t give anything away. “Vegas may be too tame for you.”

The corner of her mouth twitched as she leaned back in the gold seat. “Are you talking about me or yourself?”

“Can you read people, too?” he teased.

“No, but I looked around this casino when I came in,” she said. She did a quick survey and looked back at him. “We don’t fit into this crowd, so I have to wonder why you’re here. The only other guy who’s around thirty is the blond guy with a beard at the blackjack table. Are you with him?”

Travis froze. He hadn’t expected Christine to be that observant. How had she already connected him with Aaron? Had she seen him talking to his friend or was there a detail he had missed?

“That guy?” He casually glanced over at where his friend was sitting. His gut clenched when he noticed Underwood and Pitts talking to Aaron. “Never met him before. I was giving him blackjack tips, but he didn’t need them.”

Aaron and Pitts looked over at him. Travis knew that wasn’t a good sign and refused to make eye contact with his friend. He needed to distance himself from Aaron before they realized he was the one who had the emerald.

He didn’t know why he assumed Pitts and Underwood wanted to steal the emerald. He just knew. Maybe it had to do with the instincts he had developed over the years. Or it could be because those two were around the last time someone tried to take Aaron’s gem.

That emerald was bigger than any gem he and Aaron found on their treasure hunts. Any of his poker compatriots could be after it, but Hoffmann had more of an emotional investment in it since it was a family heirloom.

“Why are you in this casino, Travis?” she asked. “Do you work here?”

The idea of working hours in a dark and windowless room sounded like torture. Travis shuddered at the thought. He hated being indoors. It reminded him too much of home. “No, I’m here looking for business.”

Christine gave a skeptical look. “You’re a businessman?”

Travis shook his head. No one would believe that. He realized he should have planned a cover story so he didn’t get caught in a lie. But why should he start thinking ahead now? He always thought on his feet. Not knowing what he was going to say or how he was going to get out of trouble was half the fun. “Most of these guys are senior citizens who like to gamble and invest in expeditions.”

She blinked and it was as if the light went out in her eyes. “I see.”

He knew that look. He got it all the time when he tried to fund his next extreme adventure. “I’m not a con artist or a grifter,” he insisted, flattening his hand against his heart as if he was making a pledge. “I plan and guide friends through adventures.”

“Yes, I can imagine there’s a huge difference.”

“I’m trying to raise money for my next trip,” he added. He wasn’t sure why he felt the need to tell Christine. He wanted her to open up, but it felt as if he was the one who was telling her everything. “I want to climb the volcanoes of Indonesia.”

“Never been there,” she said coolly. “But then, if you climb one volcano, you’ve climbed them all.”

Travis pressed his lips together. No climber would make that kind of declaration. “Yes, I can tell you’re an experienced mountaineer with that backpack.”

She reached down and touched the pack, as if making sure it was still there. “I take it with me everywhere.”

“It’s in great condition for a world traveler,” he commented as he leaned more comfortably against the slot machine. “So where have you been?”

She hesitated. “Everywhere but here.”

“Hmm...” She wasn’t giving him any information. He needed a new tactic. Travis didn’t think she was trying to be mysterious. Was she worried she’d get caught in a lie or was she out of practice talking about herself? “How long did you say you’re staying in Las Vegas?”

“Just for the weekend.”

He could do a lot in Vegas in forty-eight hours. Take Underwood and Pitts on a wild-goose chase. All he needed was a woman at his side who was game for anything. “Christine, it sounds like you need a guide,” he said with a smile. “I’m happy to be at your service.”

* * *

OH... CHRISTINE FOUGHT to keep a mildly interested look on her face as disappointment washed over her. So that was what this was all about. Her pulse had fluttered when she realized Travis had crossed the casino floor to meet her. Her heart had thumped against her ribs when she met his piercing brown eyes. She felt like the exciting and fascinating woman she’d always wanted to be.

It had only taken a moment to believe in the fantasy. But Travis set her straight. He wasn’t flirting with her. He wasn’t interested in her as a woman. Travis had given her his full attention because that was his routine. He didn’t want to bed her; he wanted her money.

Not even as a gigolo. No, her luck never worked like that. He wanted to be her tour guide.

She should have known. If she wasn’t exciting enough for her ex-boyfriend, Darrell, then she really wasn’t going to be spellbinding for a guy like Travis. Darrell was the most eligible bachelor in Cedar Valley, but honestly, there wasn’t that much competition.

Travis, however, was different. He was so handsome that it almost hurt to look at him. He walked with the confidence of a man who had faced life-and-death situations. His hooded eyes couldn’t hide the shadows or the hard-earned experience. Women were immediately drawn to a man like Travis. He was danger, fantasy and sex wrapped in raw masculinity.

He could have his pick of women. Travis probably had met thousands of women just like her. She had nothing new to offer him, nothing to hold his attention, except for her money. He should have picked someone richer.

“You’re a guide?” she said, her voice high as she tried to hide her disappointment.

“I’ve been a guide all over the world,” he said. “I’ve taken travelers through the jungles of South America, the mountains in—”

“How many did you start out with and how many came back?”

Travis’s knowing smile made her pulse skip hard. “I haven’t lost a client,” he said proudly. “There were a few I wanted to push over the cliff, but that’s bad for business.”

“And what makes you think I need a guide?” she asked, not really sure if she wanted to hear the answer. Did she look lost and out of place? Was it obvious that she didn’t know what she was doing?

He had figured her out pretty fast. Did most women visiting Vegas alone feel as if their lives were in a rut? What did they do to get out of it? Something told her that their Vegas to-do list was sexier than hers. That wasn’t a surprise. She wasn’t a sexy woman and passion never ruled her dating life.

“You’re not interested in the gambling or the shows,” Travis said. “You want the wild side of Vegas and that isn’t so easy to find.”

“You don’t know what I’m looking for,” she pointed out.

Travis’s gaze captured hers for a beat. “I have a pretty good idea.”

She chuckled. If he knew, he would offer an indecent proposal and the key to his room. It was best that he didn’t know. She didn’t need any distractions while she tried to cross something off her list.

“I want to do something I haven’t done before,” she said, rubbing her fingers against her collarbone, belatedly remembering that she’d left her dainty pearl necklace at home. “And I’ve had so many experiences that I’m sure I’ve forgotten a few.”

“I know the feeling.”

He would know. What was she doing pretending to be a worldly woman with this man? Her blood was pumping through her veins harder than it had in a long time. Travis was the real deal. He was going to catch her in a lie.

So what? The question swirled inside her head. After this weekend, you’ll never see him again. Tell outrageous lies and do something daring. If you crash and burn, no one will ever know.

Yet she still hesitated. “I don’t think I can afford you.”

Travis’s smile grew triumphant. As if he knew he had hooked her and only had to reel her in. “Yes, you can, Christine. I’m giving you this night for free.”

That instantly made her suspicious. “Why?”

He shrugged his broad shoulders. “Because I like you.”

Sure he did. There had to be a catch somewhere. “Wait, did you say tonight? You want to start now?”

“Of course. Did you have other plans?”

She nervously bit her lip. This was the moment when she could find her wilder, more adventurous side. Suddenly the idea of getting settled in her room and having a good night’s sleep sounded better. Safer. “Nothing set in stone.”

“Then let’s go.” He pushed away from the slot machine and reached for her.

Christine looked at his hand. It was large and masculine. Rough and weathered. Not the kind that had earned a living working on a computer. “What are we going to do?” She cautiously placed her hand in his.

He closed his fingers around hers and helped her up. “See everything Vegas has to offer.”

“That’ll take more than one night.”

He looked over his shoulder. “That’s the plan.”

Her instincts told her this guy never had a plan. He was a bad boy looking for trouble. She knew she could see Sin City on her own, but she doubted it would be as much fun as the Vegas Travis knew. She hadn’t crossed anything off her list in ten years, but with this man at her side, she’d get more done than she had in a decade.

Christine squared her shoulders and took a deep breath as her stomach twisted with nervousness. “Let’s do it.”

3

SHE WAS SCARED. Travis could tell Christine was trying to act calm but she was almost doubled over with tension. Her breath stuttered as she looked out the window from the top of the Top of the City Hotel and stared down at the Las Vegas Strip. “How high is this jump?”

“Over eight hundred feet,” Travis said as he watched Christine close her eyes and whisper something. “More than one hundred floors.”

“Yeah, yeah. I got it. It’s very high.” She pulled uncomfortably at the powder-blue flight suit. “Is it hot in here?”

“No, it’s fine,” he said. Christine looked very different with her brown hair pulled back in a ponytail and wearing a baggy flight suit. She was adorable, but he had a feeling she wouldn’t think that was a compliment.

He heard her groan before she put her hands on her waist and doubled over. He wasn’t sure, but Christine looked like she was about to become sick.

Travis felt a sharp pang of guilt. He thought this was a good introduction. A baby step. It wasn’t as if she was hurtling out of a plane or BASE jumping. Obviously his idea of a beginner’s jump was completely different than hers.

“You’re overthinking this,” Travis said encouragingly as he rubbed his hand on her back. “It’s a very controlled jump. You are hooked up to so many lines and cables. It’s like a vertical zip line, but the jump is slowed down so you land safely on the ground.”

“Oh, this is so not on my list,” she muttered.

“List?” Travis asked. He bent down until his face was level with hers. “What list?”

Christine opened her eyes wide. “What? Nothing.” She straightened to her full height.

What kind of list? Travis wondered. It didn’t surprise him. Just on the walk along the Strip from the casino, he had learned that Christine Pearson was not a spontaneous person. She was the type who had tunnel vision and to-do lists. “Wait a second, is this a bucket list?”

Christine looked away as her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “Uh, I guess so. I didn’t see it that way. It’s just a list of dreams. Things I want to accomplish.”

“So basically things you want to do before you kick the bucket. Hence the name,” he said as he continued to rub her back. He should stop touching her. He wanted to give her comfort and support but he was very aware of her. His hand glided low on her back and he knew he should stop.

“If you say so,” Christine said.

“Why did you make it?” He dropped his hand as he studied her carefully. She was healthy and strong as far as he could tell. “Were you sick?”

“Bored,” she replied. She tilted her head and clucked her tongue as if she didn’t like that answer. “No, that wasn’t it. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life. So I wrote a list of one hundred things that sounded fun.”

What did Christine think was fun? He was deeply curious about that. She had been interested in everything she had seen on the Strip. She enjoyed watching people and taking in the sights. She wanted to know more about the street performers who were dressed in silver and acted like statues, and she had never heard about the persistent card clickers who lined the sidewalks offering cards about escort services. Everything was new to her. What was it that she found really exciting? “Like what?” he asked.

She shook her head, refusing to give details. “Some of the stuff on my list are stupid. Not this stupid,” she said in a low voice as she looked out the window.

A hundred entries on a bucket list would take time. However, Christine seemed organized, and he had a feeling she didn’t dream big. She could have blown through that list in record time. “How many do you have left?”

Christine dipped her head. “A few,” she said tightly. “That’s one of the reasons I came to Vegas.”

“What’s on the list?” And why did it require visiting Sin City? Most of the guys he knew would have winning the jackpot in strip poker or skinny-dipping in the Bellagio fountain on their Las Vegas bucket list.

Christine blushed bright pink and looked away. “I’m not telling.”

Could her list be just as naughty? No, Christine was too innocent, too much of a lady. She might try to rock a sexier persona but she was a good girl. He didn’t know many good girls. What would they want out of life? Probably a husband, kids and a house with a picket fence. The idea sounded claustrophobic to him.

“Become a rock star?” he teased. “Find the end of a rainbow?”

“No,” she said with a laugh. “I was eighteen when I put the list together, not six! They’re a list of experiences. I wasn’t thinking about milestones like graduating high school or getting a driver’s license. When my friends were looking at colleges and deciding their career paths, I was planning to backpack across the globe. But I had to put some of those ideas on hold when my dad walked out of our lives. I stayed to look after my mom. You know how it is.”

Travis nodded as if he understood, but he didn’t think he would have done the same. He had been desperate to break free from his grandmother’s strict rules and debilitating fears. When she had died, he had left town after the funeral. He didn’t know where he was going to go, but he knew he was not going to end up like his grandmother. He wanted freedom and nothing was going to tie him down.

“By the time Mom got remarried and moved away, I was dating someone who hated traveling.” She rubbed her hand over her face, took a deep breath and gave a determined smile. “But now, nothing is holding me back from completing my list.”

Travis watched her closely. Christine didn’t seem to realize that she had given herself away. She had stayed home. Was she still going to pretend that she was a world traveler?

Why had she stayed home? Travis would never have made that choice. Did Christine love her ex-boyfriend so much that she had given up something she enjoyed? It occurred to him that Aaron was making the same choice to be with Dana. Travis couldn’t imagine loving someone so much that he would ignore the wanderlust that drove him.