going back there.”
“Listen Mr. Introspective. Don’t start psychoanalyzing me unless you’d like the same treatment. There’s buckets I could say about a man whose attention span changes faster than the numbers on a stopwatch. You’re avoiding going to this wedding as much as I’m trying to get to it.”
He leveled his gaze at her. “That is ridiculous. I flew across an ocean to get to Trent’s wedding. I’ll be there in plenty of time. You’re the one looking for any excuse not to have to spend the summer prepping your sister’s wedding.”
“I am not! It’s not my fault my car was stolen.”
“J’aime, you worked summer school instead of heading back. And we both know that if you truly wanted to be there, you’d have made it happen. So stop being so disagreeable and decide what we do next.” He slid his bag to the floor and set the folder with their passes and information on the attractions on the bar. “I’m up for anything.”
“Oh, I just bet you are.” She gave a promising smile, but it froze on her face. “For the record, I am not disagreeable. I just don’t agree with you. Sightseeing along the way is a road trip. Stopping and buying package deals is a vacation.”
He shrugged again. “Perhaps we are having a language problem.”
Jaime groaned and looked at the ceiling. “I swear, you’re giving me a brain cramp.”
He knit his brows. “Okay, we’re definitely having a language problem.”
Her eyes narrowed as she stepped toward him. “Don’t give me that garbage. You speak English as well as I do. And you know we’re heading to Oregon. I don’t know what you think you’re going to gain out of stranding us in South Dakota. If you wanted a four-day sex-fest, you should have headed for a spa. Hiking around a dusty ghost town does not make me horny.”
“You’ve just never hiked around with me.” He stepped close, expecting her to back up, but she held her ground as only a whisper of space separated their bodies. “Whenever you try something new with me, you like it.”
“I didn’t like the haunted hotel and I didn’t like getting a speeding ticket and I guarantee I won’t like being stuck here for four days. This hotel is a museum. There is so much memorabilia downstairs I was afraid of knocking over something valuable.” She let out a sigh and stepped away, then sank onto the burgundy velvet-covered bed. “If this was black satin it would belong in the Playboy mansion.”
He let out a bawdy laugh because he’d been thinking the same thing. “There is too much to see in one day. Wild horses, gold mines, mammoth fossils, sex museum, Rushmore cave, Mt. Rushmore and the Crazy Horse monument. Which reminds me, we need to get moving.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her up.
“Excuse me, sex museum?”
“In a former brothel, but don’t get too excited. I’m going to make you wait for it.”
Haunting music surrounded them as the laser-light show animated Native American history in a series of moving cave paintings along the side of the Crazy Horse monument. Before the sun had set, they’d seen the enormous sculpture-in-progress of the famous Lakota chief, his head and chest emerging from the scarred rock. The sunset had painted his features, and the visitor’s center had highlighted the history, proudly displaying a model of what the sculpture would look like when finished.
Xavier wrapped an arm around her, his warm hand rubbing her shoulder through her thin cardigan. The cedar tones of his cologne mixed with the sweet scent of the Ponderosa forest surrounding the monument.
The experience had been so fascinating she wanted to apologize for trying to get out of it. But as much as she’d enjoyed this appealing escape from reality, she knew she couldn’t justify a four-day vacation, especially since they were still days away from home.
She leaned her head on his shoulder and wished she could simply enjoy what he offered, but instead she knew she had to
“Listen Mr. Introspective. Don’t start psychoanalyzing me unless you’d like the same treatment. There’s buckets I could say about a man whose attention span changes faster than the numbers on a stopwatch. You’re avoiding going to this wedding as much as I’m trying to get to it.”
He leveled his gaze at her. “That is ridiculous. I flew across an ocean to get to Trent’s wedding. I’ll be there in plenty of time. You’re the one looking for any excuse not to have to spend the summer prepping your sister’s wedding.”
“I am not! It’s not my fault my car was stolen.”
“J’aime, you worked summer school instead of heading back. And we both know that if you truly wanted to be there, you’d have made it happen. So stop being so disagreeable and decide what we do next.” He slid his bag to the floor and set the folder with their passes and information on the attractions on the bar. “I’m up for anything.”
“Oh, I just bet you are.” She gave a promising smile, but it froze on her face. “For the record, I am not disagreeable. I just don’t agree with you. Sightseeing along the way is a road trip. Stopping and buying package deals is a vacation.”
He shrugged again. “Perhaps we are having a language problem.”
Jaime groaned and looked at the ceiling. “I swear, you’re giving me a brain cramp.”
He knit his brows. “Okay, we’re definitely having a language problem.”
Her eyes narrowed as she stepped toward him. “Don’t give me that garbage. You speak English as well as I do. And you know we’re heading to Oregon. I don’t know what you think you’re going to gain out of stranding us in South Dakota. If you wanted a four-day sex-fest, you should have headed for a spa. Hiking around a dusty ghost town does not make me horny.”
“You’ve just never hiked around with me.” He stepped close, expecting her to back up, but she held her ground as only a whisper of space separated their bodies. “Whenever you try something new with me, you like it.”
“I didn’t like the haunted hotel and I didn’t like getting a speeding ticket and I guarantee I won’t like being stuck here for four days. This hotel is a museum. There is so much memorabilia downstairs I was afraid of knocking over something valuable.” She let out a sigh and stepped away, then sank onto the burgundy velvet-covered bed. “If this was black satin it would belong in the Playboy mansion.”
He let out a bawdy laugh because he’d been thinking the same thing. “There is too much to see in one day. Wild horses, gold mines, mammoth fossils, sex museum, Rushmore cave, Mt. Rushmore and the Crazy Horse monument. Which reminds me, we need to get moving.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her up.
“Excuse me, sex museum?”
“In a former brothel, but don’t get too excited. I’m going to make you wait for it.”
Haunting music surrounded them as the laser-light show animated Native American history in a series of moving cave paintings along the side of the Crazy Horse monument. Before the sun had set, they’d seen the enormous sculpture-in-progress of the famous Lakota chief, his head and chest emerging from the scarred rock. The sunset had painted his features, and the visitor’s center had highlighted the history, proudly displaying a model of what the sculpture would look like when finished.
Xavier wrapped an arm around her, his warm hand rubbing her shoulder through her thin cardigan. The cedar tones of his cologne mixed with the sweet scent of the Ponderosa forest surrounding the monument.
The experience had been so fascinating she wanted to apologize for trying to get out of it. But as much as she’d enjoyed this appealing escape from reality, she knew she couldn’t justify a four-day vacation, especially since they were still days away from home.
She leaned her head on his shoulder and wished she could simply enjoy what he offered, but instead she knew she had to
Similar Books
