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
