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Eventually, he took the plate, but he didn’t head b
ack inside. “Do your tatts have meaning or are they just random things you picked out?” He moved closer, until he was standing over her blocking her sun.
Geez. This guy was harder to get rid of than chlamydia.
“They represent places I’ve been.” She tossed the magazine on the table and flipped over. Obviously, he was in no hurry to leave. She pointed to an ornately dressed geisha. “That represents my trip to Japan.” She pointed to a volcano. “This is Popocatépetl in central Mexico.”
“Popocatépetl—good hiking when the ash isn’t too thick.” He sat on the edge of her chaise.
“How would you know?” There was no way that Mr. Folds His Jacket had hiked Popocatépetl.
“Hiked it during the off-season. About three months ago.” He shrugged like it was no big deal.
“You’re lying. It’s been closed since January because the eruptions are so violent.” She’d caught him in a lie—he was so busted. The only thing she hated more than a starched-collar guy was a faker. Which said something, considering her whole life was fake, apart from the three weeks she spent with Lyric every year.
“There’s a back way onto the national park.” He worked his phone out of his front pocket. He tapped on the screen several times and pulled up a picture. It was a selfie of him standing on the rim with the lava exploding in the background.
She took the phone from him and analyzed the photo, making sure it was real … not that she’d know if it wasn’t. It looked like he really had hiked the closed volcano.
“Now who’s dull?” He took the phone back from her.
“You made it all the way to the rim?” It was hard to refute with photographic evidence, but he just didn’t seem the type to risk life and limb, not to mention time in a Mexican prison.
“You don’t have to sound so surprised.” He slid the phone back in his pocket. “There’s more to me than meets the eye.”
She really didn’t like the fact that she wanted to know what that more was.
“So, where exactly is the back entrance to the park?” She wasn’t testing him exactly, more like trying to satisfy her curiosity.
“Before I tell you, I want you to make me two donuts. One with chocolate glaze.” He stood and offered his hand.
“Extortion … really? I didn’t know you had it in you.” It was one more thing she kind of liked about him. “Well played.”
“Extortion is such an ugly word. I prefer to call it an exchange of goods for information.” He put his hand at the small of her back and led her back to the house.
If another man had tried to touch her like that, she probably would have punched him. But with Dalton, it felt … nice. She didn’t know how she felt about that.
“You never did tell me why you’re baking in a bikini and heels.”
“I’m inclined to make up this elaborate lie that involves spies and nuclear weapons and saving lives, but really, I just got hungry while I was out by the pool. And I always wear heels. It’s my thing. Except when I’m hiking a Mexican volcano, of course.”
She still couldn’t believe that Dalton had snuck into a Mexican national park and hiked the freaking rim.
He sighed long and hard. “Yes, I really did hike the rim.”
She threw her hands up. “What? I didn’t say anything.”
“It’s written all over your face.” He pulled out his phone again. “Feel free to check out all of the photos yourself.”
“No, no, I believe you.” Still, she totally took the phone and hit the photos icon. Not that she was looking for any women in his life, but if she did see one, she absolutely was not going to ask if he was in a relationship. Just because he appreciated the sight of her in a bikini, and just because he currently had his hand on the small of her back … nope. Didn’t matter. She didn’t care at all.
She totally scrolled through the photos looking for any photographic evidence of a girlfriend. Instead, she found several selfies of him just about to BASE jump. “You’re into BASE jumping?”
She didn’t mean for it to sound so improbable, but it did.
“Yes, I just got back from Chile.” His eyes stayed on her. “Heath told me you and your sister were supposed to go next week. Sorry you had to cancel.”
“Yeah, well, he’s an ass. And the trip isn’t cancelled. I’m going to change his mind. Lyric and I will be going on the trip.” Especially since her plan to be a badass here in Fort Worth was currently foundering.
