Damn it!
“You okay?” he asked, jerking her out of memories of that dream.
Feeling her cheeks heat up, she turned away, trying to hide her face from his too-knowing eyes. “I’m fine,” she fibbed.
“Are you packed? Ready to go?”
“Um…sort of. I guess. I’ve never been camping before, so I’m not sure what to take.”
“Just jeans and sweatshirts will be fine.”
“But…what about…?”
“No makeup.”
Kinsley’s mouth fell open. “No makeup? But…!” She couldn’t go without makeup! And especially not if she was going to be around Lincoln during this adventure!
“Just pack soap, shampoo, and conditioner. Leave everything else.”
Kinsley laughed, shaking her head. “Not gonna happen,” she told him.
He straightened, crossing his arms over his chest and her gaze automatically moved to his arms, admiring the bulges of his muscles under the material. Yum!
“Are you disobeying a direct order from your supervisor?”
She laughed again, her eyes sparkling. “Yep! I’ll be right back. Give me five minutes and I’ll be packed.”
Lincoln watched Kinsley walk back to her bedroom, admiring the gentle sway of her hips. Something was different about her. And it wasn’t the gaunt look to her cheeks, as if she’d barely eaten over the weekend. No, there was something about her shoulders or maybe her eyes.
He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but he could tell something had changed. Was it because of Saturday? Had she been thinking about that moment all weekend too? He’d imagined her throwing herself into his arms, kissing him. Then he’d shift, changing so that he was in charge of the kiss. In his mind, the kiss would never end. It would have morphed into making love. And if he’d had the chance to do it right there on the grass beside his garage, then he damn well would have!
Camping was going to be interesting, he thought. When he’d suggested it, he hadn’t really thought it through. Hell, when he’d called her to tell her that they would be traveling, he’d fully anticipated showing her around Paris. He’d like that. He’d love to take her to all of the beautiful sites and museums, see her eyes light up in wonder. And then he’d take her back to their suite and he would make love to her…that’s where his idea stopped because he had to remind himself that Kinsley was engaged. He would never violate the trust between a man and a woman. He doubted that Kinsley would ever do so either. She was just too honest of a person to betray the man she loved.
And that was the hell of this whole thing. Kinsley loved another man. He’d have to keep reminding himself of that to keep his lust in check.
She came out of her bedroom, lugging a heavy suitcase behind her. It rolled, so he wasn’t sure why she was carrying it, but he moved forward and took it from her.
“Don’t make it look so easy,” she grumbled, releasing it and rubbing her fingers.
“Okay, grab your keys and let’s go!”
“Fine. But where are we going? Do you have a plan?”
He shrugged and waited while she pulled the door closed, locked it, and tugged at it to make sure it was locked. “Sort of,” he replied, just to see the look of horror in her eyes.
He wasn’t disappointed. Turning, she looked up at him with her mouth hanging open in shock. “Sort of? What does that mean?”
He shrugged, putting a hand to the small of her back to lead her down the stairs. He’d parked his truck along the back of the parking lot, knowing that his truck and trailer took up too much space. “Well, let’s just say that I have an end goal in mind, but I don’t care if we make it that far.”
She paused and looked up at him. “Wait a minute. Have you mapped this out? Did you make reservations? Do we have a place to stay?”
He pointed to his truck where a gleaming silver trailer was attached. “Have hotel, will travel.”
She stared at the camper. “We’re traveling in that?” she asked, her voice about the same level as a whisper.
“Well, sure. Why not?”
He opened the door and stored her suitcase, then closed and relocked the door.
“Because…I thought that we’d be staying in one of those cute, sort-of-rustic-but-not-really-rustic cabins that some camp grounds build for the people who didn’t really know how to camp.”
He chuckled as he led her to the passenger door of his truck. “I like the jeans, by the way,” he commented, then closed the door when she was safely seated in the passenger seat.
When he pulled himself into the driver’s seat, she turned to look at him, her eyes wary. “Linc, where are we going? I don’t know if I’m comfortable with just driving off into the sunset.”
He started the truck, then checked the side view mirrors as he strapped on his seatbelt. “Well, since we’re heading east, we won’t be driving into the sunset. Does that make you feel better?’
“Not even a little! I used the term loosely and you know it.”
He chuckled, then leaned back as he turned out of her apartment complex, heading for the highway. “I think you need to relax and let someone else take charge for a while.”
She huffed, but settled back into her seat. “I’m fine with someone else taking control, Linc. But I don’t think that you’re in control. From what you’re saying, fate is in control here.”
“Exactly. Let’s just drive to wherever the road takes us.”
“That doesn’t sound very…efficient.”
“Nothing efficient
