A stunning woman with silky red hair gave him a long, lingering glance. Travis didn’t seem to notice. The redhead was sleek and sophisticated in a little black dress. She was a symbol of effortless elegance, and Christine couldn’t compete. She felt like a broken-down car next to a Ferrari.
Christine hesitated, but Travis gently pulled her forward. Why was Travis with her? He could have any woman he wanted. Was it because he thought she was a kindred spirit? Bold, adventurous and wild? She hoped he never found out the truth.
Travis stopped in the middle of the dance floor and turned around. Christine’s heart began to pump hard as he gathered her close in his arms. Her body was on full alert as she curled her arms over his shoulders. She was surrounded by him. His scent, his heat. Christine looked away, unable to meet his gaze. She felt safe and protected in the sea of people and yet she felt just as she had when she’d been on the edge of the Top of the City Hotel, ready to let go and fall.
She wanted to pursue this. Pursue Travis. It didn’t make sense. She didn’t have flings. She had relationships. Loving, committed relationships with a future. She wasn’t thinking about that with Travis.
And yet, she wanted him more than she wanted to check something off her list. But she couldn’t repeat that mistake. She couldn’t allow a man to distract her from a goal. When she had delayed her dreams for Darrell, she had considered the pros and cons. She thought it had been the right decision to stay in Cedar Valley and make their relationship a priority.
A lot of good that did. She should have put herself and her dreams first. This time her dream list was top priority. She wanted Travis more than she wanted to climb Mount Rainier or get a tattoo, but she simply couldn’t leave Vegas with nothing crossed off her dream list.
As she followed Travis’s movements, her breasts brushing against his chest, Christine fought back the urge to roll her hips against his. She hadn’t crossed anything off her list and she had only two more days here.
What if she crossed one thing off her list before exploring this thing with Travis? The excitement started to fizz through her veins as she grabbed hold of this idea. Just one. That was all she needed. Complete one goal and then she could add Travis to her list.
“You look very serious all of a sudden,” Travis said against her ear.
A one-night stand. But it wasn’t enough. She wanted more than one night, one time.
“Relax,” he continued. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
But she wanted something to happen. Something that would change her life. Her point of view.
“I was thinking I haven’t checked anything off my list since I got to Vegas,” she said. What would be the easiest thing to accomplish? Something quick. She didn’t want to waste any more time. The sooner she crossed something off her list, the sooner she could start her wild night with Travis.
“We’ll have to do something about that,” he said as his hands slid down the small of her back. “What’s on your list?”
You. And by this time tomorrow, Travis Cain will have been added and checked off her list. “How do you feel about the Grand Canyon?”
“I can make that happen.” Travis said.
Christine smiled. “I know you can.”
5
WHAT WAS HE doing wrong? Travis had Christine in the palm of his hand last night. She had been so attuned to his body that they moved as one on the dance floor without thinking about it.
It was obvious that she didn’t want the night to end, yet she went to her hotel room alone. Today she’d refrained from touching him, as if she’d been having second thoughts. He had felt her hot gaze on him, had caught the yearning looks before she glanced away, but she’d kept her distance all morning and afternoon.
It had been agony to be on his best behavior all day, Travis thought as he watched Christine feed another dollar into the slot machine. He knew he had to keep moving to avoid Pitts and Underwood, but all he really wanted to do was stop time, find a private corner and pull Christine back into his arms.
“It’s official. Lady Luck hates me,” Christine announced as she raised her hands and glared at the slot machine. “That’s all there is to it. The world knows what I want and won’t let me have it.”
“An extreme view,” Travis said with a smile. And he knew it was a temporary one. He wondered when she would show a sign of exasperation. They’d had a streak of bad luck, but Christine didn’t allow it to slow her down. She kept looking for the next adventure.