“Sure we can. You like to fight. This will make people believe we have a reason.”
“I don’t like to argue. You’re the one who’s contrary.”
“Really? I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Why do you have East Coast hats? I thought you grew up in L.A.”
“I did. The Sox cap is Hayden’s. I picked the Yankees just to needle him.”
He opened her door for her. She gave him a strange look before sliding into the car.
“What was that look?”
“Most guys don’t hold the door.”
“Most guys don’t have my mom. She’s a stickler for manners and men holding doors.”
“She sounds like my kind of woman.”
“She’s…fierce, I guess. She made sure no one took advantage of me when I was a kid. She still watches out for me now.”
“What about your dad?”
“He backs her up when she needs him. But he’s content to let her lead the way.”
“Sounds like they have a good marriage.”
“They do. What about your folks?” he asked as he put down the top on the convertible. Once it was down, he backed out of the parking space and headed to the exit.
“My folks are divorced. My mom remarried when I was sixteen. We’re not real close.”
“What about your dad?”
“He lives on the East Coast so I don’t see him.”
“My folks live in Malibu. I see them all the time when I’m in Los Angeles.”
She said nothing as he maneuvered the car onto 215 and headed toward Red Rock. “Too bad I didn’t think of asking you out sooner. We could have applied for a rock climbing permit.”
“I think I’d have a heart attack if I tried to do that.”
“It’s easy.”
“Sure it is. Easy to fall.”
“What kind of guy do you think I am? I’d never let you fall.”
“Stop it. You sound too good to be true. Remember, I’m on to you and your smooth-talking ways.”
If only she were right and he were feeding her lines. But there was something too real about Raine. He’d felt her pain when she’d spoken quietly of her lack of parental contact. He wanted to sweep her into his arms and promise she’d never be alone again.
No matter how much she intrigued him, this would be the same as every other relationship in his life. Fleeting and memorable.
Three
A tense silence filled the car as they entered the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. The area had some of the best examples of the Mojave Desert terrain in Nevada. Raine had never been an outdoorsy girl. But there was something so clean about being here now. Especially compared to the overdeveloped Vegas strip where she’d been spending all her time. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply.
“You okay?”
“Yeah,” she said, realizing that she was. The bet with Scott, the constant fear she felt being close to gambling, even her own tension about his interest in her dropped away. Within moments there was nothing but the two of them and nature.
“Sure?”
“Yes, I was just thinking how different this is from Vegas. I have to warn you that even though I suggested this, I’m not really a nature girl.”
“That’s okay. I am.”
“You’re a nature girl?”
“Ha, nature boy. Seriously, I spend all my free time outside.”
For a man who had the world at his fingertips, he spent a lot of his time like any other guy his age.
“I still can’t believe this place is so close to our hotel,” she said, offering a tentative olive branch to Scott. This was a mistake, she thought. Her gut had said it from the beginning, but she’d foolishly thought she could dip one foot into the world she’d always forbidden herself.
She’d been out of the game too long to pull a con on this guy and she knew it. Besides, her hormones were making it difficult to concentrate on conning him. She wanted to just tip her head back and enjoy being around Scott. This man who’d been acting before he could walk or talk. This man who made his living betting on everything under the sun.
“Me, neither,” he said. He pulled into the visitor center parking lot. Turning to look at her, he tugged off his sunglasses, but his eyes still weren’t visible under the brim of his Red Sox cap. “Have you been here before?”
His tone was conversational. No more flirting. She wasn’t disappointed. Really, she wasn’t. “No. I read about it in the area information in my room.”
“I’ve been here a few times. How adventurous are you feeling?” he asked, a hint of speculation in his eyes.
“Moderate.” She suspected he was talking about more than the trail. And she’d never been adventurous; she’d always chosen the safe and sane route. Even her career, which was in a field that was constantly changing, had always been stable. Being unadventurous was her one goal in life.
“What would it take to bump that up?” he asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe getting to know you a little better?”
He nodded and put his sunglasses back on. “What kind of shoes are you wearing?”
“Why?” she asked.
“There’s a trail that involves some climbing and leads to a waterfall. But if you don’t have hiking boots on…”
“I don’t. Plus I’m not really very athletic.”
“Then how about an easy trail?” He pulled a well-thumbed-through guidebook from the side pocket on the door. “Can you do two miles round trip?”
“I guess driving through the park is out of the question?”
Considering he’d only arrived in Vegas a few days ago, Raine thought, he seemed very comfortable and at home here. But then he was a gambler, so he’d probably spent a fair amount of time in Sin City. She had the feeling that he was always at home, wherever he was.
She envied him that. She was still searching to find that kind of peace deep inside herself. And she knew she needed things around her. The same things, the same routines, the same people, to find her comfort level.
He was a chameleon, she reminded herself. He changed to fit all of his surroundings, and she’d do well to remember that.
“Hell, yes, it’s out of the question. I really want to do the Ice Box trail but I don’t think you’re up to it.”
“Fine. I can go two miles. I do more than that at the Galleria during the holidays.”
Raine went into the ranger station to register them while Scott gathered supplies. She met him back in the parking lot five minutes later and found him talking baseball with two guys.
“There’s my lady,” he said, leaving the men and joining her.
“I’m your lady?” she asked.
She’d never belonged to any man before. She’d had sex with exactly two men in her life. Her first boyfriend had been in college, and that had lasted one semester. The second guy had been looking for a job in the industry and saw her as the most expedient route to where he wanted to go.
She knew