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“Yeah.” He rubbed at the whiskers on his chin. “You going to grab that dog or what?”
Ruby looked at her fur baby, but the little dog was staring up at Travis, head cocked to
the side inquisitively. “Why would I grab the dog?”
Travis nodded. “I’ve got plans for us, and I’m guessing you don’t come solo.”
She looked at the convertible, a top-of-the-line Mercedes. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“You don’t like convertibles?”
“I like convertibles just fine. It’s the driver I have a problem with.”
“You want to know what I think?”
“Not particularly.”
“I think you don’t want to spend the day with me because you’re afraid.”
“What am I afraid of?”
“That’s the big question, isn’t it?” He was challenging her. Getting under her skin. “Come with me, Ruby.”
“Why should I?”
“What else have you got to do?” He took a step down and waited.
Tasha barked and jumped at the window. “Are we really going to do this? Pretend that we’re friends? That everything is perfectly fine between us?”
“Yeah,” he answered after a few seconds. “We are.”
She was tired, and it just seemed easier to give in. At least, that was what she told herself when she found herself actually considering the idea. She thought ahead to the afternoon she’d planned. Hours of alone time with no company but her dog. It had sounded like heaven, but now…
“What do I need?”
“Nothing.”
“Seriously?” She looked up. He’d taken off his aviators, and when her eyes slammed into his, she felt the pull from the top of her head to the bottoms of her toes. It left a trail of warmth that burned in her gut and made her feel jittery.
“Seriously,” he murmured, a slow grin touching his face. “I’ve got everything covered. Just get the damn dog.”
This was the moment when Ruby could have put a stop to this nonsense. That would have been the smart thing to do. Instead, she grabbed her dog and followed Travis to the car.
A few hours later, they cruised into Port Hagan, a beautiful town on the shores of Lake Michigan. Travis pulled into a marina and cut the engine. He got out of the car, walked around to the passenger side, and deftly lifted Tasha from her lap. The dog was way too eager to jump into Travis’s arms, and she watched them as he walked to the back of the car and grabbed a large bag.
“You can change here.”
“Change?” Surprised, she looked at him, but he only nodded and smiled. It was a killer smile, and he knew it. He’d always been so damn confident.
“Come on.” He stood back and waited while she got out of the car. They walked side by side until Travis stopped in front a large cabin cruiser. The boat was big and expensive, and she looked at him questioningly. “It belongs to a friend.”
Ruby didn’t ask, and Travis didn’t volunteer information, though the name of the boat was telling. Black Note. She figured it belonged to Crystal Lake’s resident rocker, Cain Black. Though what his boat was doing docked in Port Hagan was anyone’s guess. His own place in Crystal Lake was on the water and not far from where Ruby lived.
They jumped
aboard, and she headed for the cabin. “I’ll just…go inside and change.”
“I’ll be waiting.” He winked. “You might need this.”
