Wilde One (14 page)

“Good Lord.”

She grinned. “I meant my immediate family. My parents, Ron and Barbara, my older brother, Peyton, and his wife, Janet, and their kids, Damon and Mallory, and my younger brother, Gage. He’s not married.” She gave him a poke. “Think you can remember all those names?”

He snorted. “Not even a challenge. My memory is excellent.”

“Good for you. Oh, Grandma Nell will be there, too. She’d kill my mom if I showed up in town, and she didn’t get to see me. I’m her favorite.”

“Your grandma likes odd ducks?”

A giggle erupted. “Swan, Griff. I told you before I’m the swan in our family pond.”

He stretched one arm out to pull her close against his side. “I’m not buying it because there’s no way you were ever an ugly duckling. With those curls” —he gave one a tug— “you were probably the cutest kid ever.”

“Possibly true when I was really young, but I had several awkward years later on that were
not
pretty. Scrawny with braces, and to make matters worse, I begged and begged to get my hair cut. Mom finally caved in. Big mistake. I looked like a poodle—or Shirley Temple’s ugly twin.”

His laugh echoed through the campground. “That’s nothing. Sawyer and I made this stupid bet when I was around ten. We had a pair of pet turtles, and I was positive mine was faster. Turned out it wasn’t.”

“What was the bet?”

“I had to shave my head. Talk about ugly… My mom nearly killed us both. It was right before school pictures.”

Ainslee doubled over, snorting and choking with laughter. Rocky danced in circles at her feet and barked. After a moment, she wiped her eyes.

“It wasn’t that funny.”

“Oh, God, remind me never to have little boys.”

“My mom threatened to put all three of us up for adoption on more than one occasion.”

“I bet. My younger brother was pretty awful, too. He brought home creepy, crawly things. Snakes, lizards, weird bugs with lots of legs…” She shuddered.

Griff slid his arm around her again and tightened his grip. “Hanging out with you is like spending time with my buddies.”

She pulled away slightly to study his face in the light from the dancing flames. “You hug all your guy friends—or just a couple of the special ones?”

Amusement flickered in his eyes, and a smile tugged at his lips. “That’s what I’m talking about. You make me laugh. And you’re a hell of a lot prettier than Joe.”

“Joe?”

“We met in nursery school. Now he’s my right hand man on the
Wilde Lady
, my salvage vessel.”

“I have a friend like that. Devin. Even though her family moved away from Cloverdale when we were in middle school, we’ve always stayed in touch. I can tell her anything.”

“If I told Joe my secrets, they’d wind up on the six o’clock news.” He grinned. “My buddy has a big mouth.” His gaze zeroed in on her lips. “Your mouth, on the other hand, I’d describe as kissable.”

“Uh, what’re you doing?”

His lips grazed the side of her neck. “What do you think?”

“Are we going to…” Putting coherent words together became a challenge as the hand on her waist moved upward.

“I sure hope so.”

“Griff.” She forced out the word, doing her best to ignore his other hand, which had come to rest on her thigh—high up on her thigh.

“What?” The word was a whisper in her ear. His teeth nipped the lobe.

“Maybe we need to define our relationship. This is fun and all, but…”

“Does it have to be more than that? Fun is good.”

She pulled back. “That’s it? Fun? You aren’t interested in anything else?”

The hand on her thigh fell away. “I didn’t say that. After we find Victor’s treasure, there’s no reason we can’t still see each other now and then. Once I settle on a wreck site to salvage and you find a new job…” He lifted one shoulder. “We could get together for a weekend or something.”

A stray gust of cool air sent a shiver through her. “I was thinking about giving California a try. Maybe someplace on the coast.”

“Hey, that would be convenient since I…oh.” He scooted over, leaving a foot of space between them.

She brought her heels up to rest on the edge of the bench then wrapped her arms around her knees. “Do you have a problem with that?”

“No.” His voice gathered strength. “No, why would I?”

“I’m not sure. Maybe you should tell me.”

“I really do want to keep seeing you. If you find a place you like, and it isn’t far from where I’m located, that’ll make getting together easier. At least for a few months. Until I move on to the next job.”

Ainslee’s heart squeezed tight. “Right. I fully understand. You don’t have to hit me over the head with the facts.” She stood. “I think I’ll go to bed.”

He rose to face her. “Are you okay? Your voice sounds funny?”

Probably because I’m gritting my teeth so hard my molars ache.

“I’m just peachy.” Back stiff, she stalked toward the SUV.

“I thought you wanted to go to bed.”

“I do.” She retrieved the keys from her pocket and clicked the remote to unlock the doors. With a jerk, she lifted the back hatch.

“Then what are you—”

“Can’t sleep without a tent.” She yanked the nylon sack off the top of the pile, slammed the door and relocked the car. Turning, she rammed into his chest.

His hands settled on her shoulders. “You’re angry.”

“You’re right.”

He tightened his grip. “Why?”

“Why? Because I feel like some cheap hook-up, that’s why. Good enough for a vacation fling, but—”

He gave her a shake. “Stop. Just stop. I certainly never said—”

“You said plenty, and right now I’m not in the mood to hear anything more. I thought…never mind. I thought wrong.” She jerked out of his grasp. “Good night, Griff. I’ll see you in the morning.”

She assembled her tent in record time, fully conscious of the man standing near the fire, watching her every move. With a muttered oath, she stumbled over the uneven ground to his larger tent, wrenched open the zipper and grabbed her sleeping bag, pad and suitcase full of clothes. Turning, she carried the load back to her tent and tossed everything inside.

“Ainslee.”

She stiffened, fighting back a wave of emotion as his voice broke. “I don’t want to talk about it right now. Maybe tomorrow.”

“I’m sorry. Whatever I said to upset you, I’m sorry.”

With a short nod of acknowledgement, she pushed Rocky into the tent then followed the dog inside. Once she’d zipped the door closed, she finally allowed herself to dissolve into tears.

“Thanks, Bud. I appreciate the lift.” Griff stepped down from the semi’s cab and slammed the door.

“Hey, no problem. Sorry I’m not going further in your direction. Good luck.”

Hefting his duffle bag over one shoulder, Griff backed away from the truck as the driver took the onramp to the interstate going west. Studying the barren stretch of highway, he let out a sigh and headed for the only patch of shade beneath a scraggly tree. Dropping his bag, he ran a hand through his hair and resettled his ball cap. He’d sit for a minute to regroup and decide what the hell he wanted to do next.

Another sigh slipped out as a hint of breeze stirred the air of what promised to be a scorching day. Mid-morning and he was already sweating. Sitting on a rock beneath a tree he couldn’t identify in the middle of freaking Missouri without a vehicle in sight wasn’t exactly improving his mood. Leaving the campsite at dawn with the intention of hitchhiking his way to Iowa had seemed like the right thing to do. The noble choice. Ainslee was angry and upset. Better to take the initiative than wait for her to tell him to go to hell. As far as he was concerned, he was already there.

What he should have done was ask the trucker for a ride to the nearest airport. Screw Victor and his treasure hunt. Without Ainslee, finding the next clue would be an unpleasant chore instead of an exciting adventure. For him, the game was over. He scowled down at his dusty running shoes.

He’d screwed up. Royally.

A motor home rolled by, then a low-slung muscle car with the bass booming. Neither vehicle slowed. If he wanted a ride, he’d have to get off his ass to stand by the road and stick out his thumb. The effort seemed barely worth it. What he really wanted was to take back the crap he’d said the previous evening. He wanted to glance across the center console of the SUV at Ainslee’s smiling face, touch one of those long curls and laugh at her dry humor. Hell, he even missed Rocky giving him the evil eye.

Lowering his face into his hands, he pressed fingers against closed lids. He wasn’t sure what had come over him or why he’d acted like such an ass. Hell, it had taken him several sleepless hours to figure out exactly why she’d been so pissed. Reconstructing the conversation in his mind, he’d come to the conclusion she’d had every right to be angry. In hindsight, he wondered why she hadn’t punched him in his arrogant face.

He’d had a knee-jerk reaction to a couple of her remarks. A completely unwarranted reaction. Too bad he hadn’t realized it at the time.

A red compact car slowed on the highway, and a couple of teenage girls leaned out the passenger side windows. “Want a ride?” Giggles followed the question.

“No, thanks.”

With another round of giggles, the car sped away.

Just what he needed, the mindless chatter of underage girls. Or worse—one of them accusing him of God knows what.

He wiped perspiration off his brow with the back of his hand. Ainslee had accused him of treating her like a cheap hook-up. He certainly hadn’t thought of her that way. The woman was pure class with an innocent air and a go get ’em attitude. Her independent spirit was a huge turn-on. So when she’d started talking about arranging her life around his plans… Another deep sigh stirred the hot, moist air. He’d overreacted. Hell, in his mind, he’d turned a casual comment on her part into a signed proclamation of intent. If he went in for a colonoscopy right now, the only thing the doctor would find up there was his head, complete with his foot in his mouth.

Ainslee had probably happy-danced all around the campsite when she woke up and found him gone, his tent and sleeping bag neatly stacked beside her SUV. She could use them or chuck them in the nearest dumpster. He hadn’t needed the extra weight to carry. His heart was heavy enough as it was.

Rising to his feet, he hoisted his bag. He might as well go find a spot to stand on the interstate heading west. Maybe he’d hitchhike to Wyoming. He sure as hell wasn’t going to subject Ainslee to his presence while she was home in Cloverdale. He hadn’t been thinking straight when he’d gotten out of the big rig—the result of a sleepless night. For him, the scavenger hunt was over. Anyway, he had every confidence Ainslee could beat the rest of the competition without his help.

He’d only gone a few yards when a tan SUV headed his way. Blinking, he squinted against the sun. Surely it couldn’t be Ainslee. Either a lookalike vehicle, or maybe the heat had fried his brain, and he was completely delusional. The SUV slowed and pulled over beside him. The passenger window lowered. Rocky stared at him, lip curled. His gaze rose to meet Ainslee’s. Her eyes were sober, lips unsmiling.

“Get in before someone rear-ends me.”

“Just like that?”

“Do you have a better offer?”

His mouth curved. “No.” Opening the rear passenger door, he hefted his duffle bag onto the pile of miscellaneous odds and ends. He slammed it shut then climbed into the front, giving Rocky a nudge. “Move over.”

The dog complied, and Ainslee pulled back out onto the road. They drove in silence for several minutes.

“Thank you.”

She glanced his way. “For what?”

“Not running me down. I wouldn’t have blamed you.”

That got a smile. Not much of one, but something.

“The thought crossed my mind for about two seconds. Since you saved Rocky, I gave you a pass.” She shot him another look. “Just so you know, you’ve used up all your credit. Next time, I’ll flatten your ass.”

“Duly noted.” He leaned his head back against the seat. “I won’t give you a reason. I’ve finally come to my senses.”

“
Oh?
”

“Your skepticism is warranted.” He let out a breath. “I’m sorry. Honestly and truly. I didn’t mean to insult you. I didn’t mean to belittle our friendship or what we’ve shared. I suck at talking about my feelings and other
girly
crap, and what I said came out all wrong. I’m an idiot. Still, I hope you’ll forgive me, though I know I don’t deserve it.”

Her grip on the steering wheel tightened. “Look, you have a right to feel the way you do. You made it clear you don’t want a long-term relationship. Fine.”

“It’s not that, exactly.”

She held up a hand. “Whatever. You obviously have issues. Since I don’t want a quick fling, we’ll go back to being friends. Sleeping together was a mistake I won’t make again, but we can still travel together.” Her voice caught. “When I found you gone this morning, I realized I didn’t want to continue the treasure hunt without you.”

“Yeah? Me, too. I was headed up to the interstate to catch a ride toward Wyoming when you came along.” He touched the tense muscle of her forearm before withdrawing his hand. “I’m not against working on a real relationship. I just…” He let out a sigh. “My reaction last night was pure gut reflex. I didn’t think.”

“Reflex to what?” Her voice rose. “What the hell did I say wrong?”

When Rocky growled, he stroked his sleek, quivering back. “Nothing. You mentioned looking for a place on the California coast. I’d told you my next job would be somewhere in the area. I guess it scared me a little.”

“First of all,
the area
you just mentioned is hundreds of miles long. Talk about paranoid…” She cleared her throat. “After five years in New York, I was thinking about settling in a western state, either a small town in the mountains or near the ocean. I made that decision long before I met you. Maybe your talk about the California coast influenced me to some extent. Sounded really attractive, but I’m not basing my decision to move west on you. We’ve known each other for a few days. How stupid do I look?”

“Obviously, not nearly as stupid as me.”