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.”
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?”
