by Candis Terry
“I don’t believe it’s out of line when someone’s trying to kill you.”
“I would never do that.” She feigned indignation. “Lead you astray?” She shrugged. “How about we ease you into things with a bag of these?”
Suspiciously he eyed the bag of Combos. “I’m not even sure I want to know what that is.”
She sighed dramatically. “So much to learn. So little time.”
Much to Dec’s dismay they left the convenience mart with a large bag guaranteed to be a gastrointestinal nightmare. Brooke’s dog caught scent of the snacks they’d also picked up for her as soon as they got back in his car.
“Want to know how Moochie got her name?” Brooke opened the bag and set a dog snack on Dec’s thigh. “Watch.”
From the backseat the little dog’s impatient whining turned into an attention-getting sneeze, a dance, and a comical growly bark. Dec didn’t move as Moochie put her front paws on the center armrest and gave him another goofy little growl. She nudged his arm with her long nose and pleaded with her big blue eyes. When he remained motionless, the dog hefted her entire little body onto the armrest.
Having never had a pet before, he didn’t know what to expect. And since her owner had completely jumped off the business rails, anything could happen.
The dog gave him a flirty little bark while she crept closer and closer to the snack on his leg. Then she placed her front paws on his arm and licked his chin. He chuffed a laugh then told the dog to go ahead and get the snack. That’s all it took for her to snap it up and then devour it while sitting on his lap, gazing up at him with canine adoration.
“She’s got quite the personality.” Dec petted the dog then backed out of the parking space. “Until Jordan gave Nicole a kitten, we never had pets.”
“Never?”
He shook his head. “Parents didn’t want any, and when I moved out I never had time.”
“So who keeps you company at night?”
Was she fishing?
He glanced across the car too late to know. She’d conveniently dropped the sunglasses that had been perched on her head down onto her small, straight nose.
“Usually the light of my laptop,” he said.
“Declan Kincade, that’s just sad.”
What had she expected him to say? That he was never alone and had plenty of willing women to warm his sheets?
They’d already veered too far from the boss/employee line. He had to keep that in mind at all times. Because this fun, flirty side of Brooke was going to be very hard to overlook.
He’d been denied many things in his life. Forbidding himself at least a taste of Brooke was going to be like sitting in front of a decadent slice of chocolate cake with a shark cage between them.
Just before he swung the Infiniti onto the freeway onramp, she said, “Pull over.”
“What?”
“Right there.” She pointed to yet another gas station.
Against his better judgment—because today he seemed to be minus a few marbles—he complied. “Did you forget something?”
“No. You did.”
He braked to a stop near the driveway. “I’m sure I didn’t.”
Mischief written all over her, she folded her arms across her breasts and grinned. “Would you consider yourself the adventurous type?”
Uh-oh.
“Depends on what kind of adventure you’re talking about.” Between the sheets? Hell yes. Trying to figure out what really went on inside Brooke’s quick mind? There’d never be enough time in the day.
A small shrug lifted her shoulders. “Life in general.”
“In that case I prefer to gather information and make calculated and appropriate decisions.”
She leaned in just slightly and his senses were filled with sweet, warm woman. “Of course you do.”
“Exactly where is this all going?”
“Calculated and appropriate decisions might be great for business or emergency situations. But when it comes to your personal life?” She shrugged again.
She might have a point, but the implication had temptation written all over it, and he was not about to willingly walk into that inferno.
“My personal life is just fine.”
Her head tilted and those loose, sexy curls tumbled over her shoulder. “Is it?”
“Yes. It’s fine. Great. Perfect.” He tightened his hands on the wheel. “Can we go now?”
“Not so fast.” She pulled the sunglasses off her face and tucked one of the handles down her shirt and between her breasts.
Yep.
No question.
She was trying to kill him.
Her eyes locked onto his. “When is your family expecting you in Vancouver?” she asked.
“There’s nothing life-threatening on the table, so I didn’t give them an exact time. I just said in the next day or two.”
“In that case . . . how about we test that theory?”
He looked skyward. Dear God, please don’t make me ask. “What theory?”
“Whether your life is fine. Great. Perfect.”
“Mimicking me isn’t going to get you that raise.”
“Were we still talking about a raise?”
Yes. But probably not the kind she meant.
“Were being the key word.”
She chuckled. “Then in light of me continuing to live on a tight budget, how about you turn this car around?”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because you’re dying to be adventurous.”
“I think you’ve misjudged me.”
“I’m going to keep hope alive that I’m right.”
“I really wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
“Oh come on.” She started to touch his arm but at the last second, pulled her hand away. “It will be fun.”
“Supposing I agree—which I won’t—exactly where is this fun supposed to take place?”
“On the road to Vancouver,” she said enthusiastically. “Via the scenic route.”
“I don’t believe I signed up for the scenic route.”
“Have you ever driven all the way up the coast?”
“No.”
“Then why would you be opposed?”
It would take him all day to count the reasons.
“Dec. Come on. You have a convertible, aka a fun car. Not only is it a convertible but it’s red. Double score in the fun factor.”
“Have you ever driven all the way up the coast of California or Oregon?” he asked.
“No. Then again I drive a Honda. And while we might have the same taste in the color of cars, I guarantee the driving experience is patently different.”
“And driving up the coast is something you’re determined to do?”
“Absolutely. It’s on my bucket list.”
“You’re too young to have a bucket list.”
She laughed. “I’ve had a bucket list since I was ten.”
He tried to picture her as a little girl and couldn’t. She was too grown-up and sexy now in her cutoff shorts and breast hugging tank top. “What kind of kid does that?”
“If you take the coastal route to Vancouver, I might tell you.”
He had no idea she was such a tease. As her boss, he frowned at the level of pleasure that rippled through his blood at that thought. But that didn’t stop him from considering the possibilities in the rearview mirror. Against every sane thought he possessed, he flipped a U-turn and headed toward Pacific Coast Highway.
“Woohoo!” Brooke lifted her arms in victory. Her shriek of sheer joy and the delighted expression on her face sent a wild shot of adrenaline through his heart.
In that breath-stealing moment, Dec thought they might be in for a grand adventure.
In a professional sense only.
“Maybe we should stop and get a map.”
A sigh drifted from Brooke’s pretty pink lips. “Just drive, boss man. Live a little. I’ll make sure you get off in all the right places.”
Ho
ly shit.
Her words might have been innocent, but they had him picturing something entirely different than pressing the pedal to the metal.
“You said you’ve never driven the coastal route,” he said.
“That’s true.”
“Why not?”
“It’s hard to find someone who wants to take a play day and just go.” She fed another snack tidbit to Moochie. “What’s your reason?”
“Too busy.”
“At least I made it to Malibu one time for a suntan.”
He turned his head and found her with her face tilted toward the sun, her sunglasses in place, and a smile playing at the corners of her lips. “You drove all the way to Malibu just for a suntan?”
“Of course not. I drove all the way to Malibu so I could stop at the Santa Monica Pier, ride the carousel, and go to trapeze school. And so I could eat oysters at Gladstones in Malibu on the beach. The suntan I got was just topping on the cake.”
“Then how do you know the way to Vancouver?” Sure, the answer was simple. There was a phone app that would give them directions to the damn front door easily enough. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but the way her mind worked fascinated him. He didn’t want to feel that way, but God help him, he did.
“I don’t know the way,” she said. “But I think the discovery will be fun.”
“You big on taking risks?” Yeah. He knew the answer. But he felt compelled to ask anyway.
She held up her arm and her Fearless bracelet flashed at him in the sunlight.
“Does that have anything to do with you coming up with a bucket list at ten years old?”
“It has everything to do with it.” She sank down more into the seat and lifted her face to the sun. “Go ahead and ask me. I know you’re dying to.”
“Apparently I’m not.”
“Sure you are. Admit it. You want to know what makes me fearless.” She leaned in. “And you want to know what else is on my bucket list.”
Of course he did. He wasn’t dead for God’s sake.
“I’ve never known you to have so many miscalculations at the office.”
“But we’re not at the office.” She grinned. “And that look on your face tells me you want to know what makes me tick. You want to dissect me and figure me out like you do with all those numbers you play with every day.”
“I don’t play. I analyze.”
“Playing might be a lot more fun.” She folded her arms. “So go ahead. Ask me.”
“Is that a request? Or a demand?”
“Neither. It’s your sheer curiosity.”
“What if I’m not curious?”
“Then it might be fun if you learned to be.”
If there was ever a moment in his life where he felt like he was sliding down a slippery slope, this was it. “If I ask will you let it go after so I can focus on getting to Vancouver?”
“Maybe.”
Jesus.
This went beyond a can of worms. This was like an invitation to a party he couldn’t afford to attend. “What makes you fearless?”
“The story is too long to tell.”
Squeezing the steering wheel he dared to look at her. “So you brought it up why?”
“Because this road trip is for us to learn more about each other.”
“No. I believe we agreed this road trip was a faster option to reach Vancouver than going standby with the airlines.”
“But that’s not much fun. I like my version better.”
Someone picked up a sledgehammer and smashed him between the eyes. “Brooke?”
“Yes, Dec?”
“Would it be too much to ask for a moment of silence?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“Then could we just listen to the radio? I’ll let you choose the station.”
“How about we listen to music and talk?” She leaned forward and turned the radio to a country station where Florida Georgia Line was sippin’ on fire. “I’m surprisingly great at multitasking.”
The coastal highway was busy as Dec maneuvered between cars to get ahead of the sightseers. “I need to focus on driving.”
“So you’re saying you’re not great at multitasking?”
“I’m not saying that at all. Point being, I’m trying not to say anything.”
“So . . . back to my bucket list.”
Yep. This was going to be the longest damn drive of his life. He didn’t even bother to wonder if he’d be sane at the end.
“Why don’t you just give me the CliffsNotes and hit on some of the highlights.”
“They’re all highlights.”
Dear God. “Then give me your top five.”
Moochie crawled up from the backseat and into Brooke’s lap. The dog looked up at her adoringly before her long pink tongue slipped out and licked the bottom of Brooke’s chin.
“Top five? Okay, here we go.” She held up her index finger. “I want to hug a sloth—”
“Wait.” He took his eyes off the road and turned them toward her. “Did you say a sloth? Like the animal?”
“Does that seem weird?” Her head tilted as though she wondered why he’d even question that.
“A little.”
“Well, I think they’re adorable.”
“Duly noted. Continue if you must.”
Finger two popped up. “I want to see the aurora borealis. Sleep under the stars on the top of a mountain. Kiss the Blarney Stone.” Four fingers wiggled and her thumb joined the party. “And own my own business.”
“Now there’s something I can get behind.”
“But the number one item on my list is that I want to marry the love of my life.”
Pushing aside the distasteful image of Brooke wrapped in some faceless guy’s arms, he dared to engage. “What? No jumping from airplanes or climbing Mount Everest?”
Her nose wrinkled. “You only said the top five.”
“Jumping from a plane is on your list?”
She nodded. “So is diving the Great Barrier Reef and wrestling an alligator. Although that scares me pretty bad so that one might eventually come off the list.” She stroked the top of Moochie’s head and received another chin lick for her efforts. “What about you? Do you have a bucket list?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
He shrugged. “Never thought about it.”
“Seriously?”
He nodded.
“Well, now is as good a time as any to start one. So what’s the first thing you might put on your list?”
He could hardly tell her that on top of his list would be stripping her naked and having mind-shattering sex, so he came up with something totally unsubstantial. “Maybe I’d drink my way across the small pubs in Ireland.” Because drinking himself into oblivion right now seemed like a really good idea.
“That’s a great start. I might even be tempted to join you.” Her dimples winked as she laughed. “And then you could come with me to kiss the Blarney Stone.”
When she looked at him with so much hope and enjoyment in her eyes he was tempted to go anywhere with her. But kissing some old rock seemed a waste of good kissing time.
“What else?” she asked.
He thought for a moment and knew that in reality there was really only one thing on his mind that didn’t involve her. “I’d like to honor my parents by making our family business a success again.”
“You will.” Her voice softened with genuine affection. “And I’m sure your parents already knew what a special son you are.”
Apparently not, considering the fact that his own father hadn’t asked him for help in his area of expertise when he’d needed it.
Dec frowned behind his sunglasses.
Where his parents were concerned, he really wasn’t sure of anything anymore.
They made it to Santa Barbara before Brooke begged Dec to pull over. She and Moochie both needed a potty break and they could also use a chance to stretch their legs. She’d never been this far north, but lik
e all the travel magazines promised, the scenery was breathtaking.
And that included her handsome albeit grumpy driver who asked, “You hungry?”
She nodded even though her stomach had been plied with a snack pack of Swedish Fish and she still had a sugar high going.
“Maybe we can find an outdoor patio so your dog can come along.”
“Sounds great. She likes to be involved. If she’s not, she pouts.”
“Seriously?”
“Yep.”
“Wonders never cease.”
After they parked and made a quick restroom stop, they passed a beautiful dolphin fountain and headed toward the wharf. The day was clear, the mountains rose into the blue sky at their backs, and the warm midday sun gleamed across the vast Pacific Ocean.
Brooke couldn’t believe she had this opportunity to share something so beautiful with the man she’d crushed on for nearly four years. She may have fantasized about it, but to actually have it come true made her want to drag her iPhone out to take some selfies as proof. If she didn’t feel she’d already pushed enough of Dec’s buttons today she wouldn’t hesitate.
Midway down the wharf they stopped so a little girl could give Moochie some love. Of course, the pooch, who loved children, returned the favor with several slurps up the darling little towhead’s chin. The child giggled and Brooke did too. Dec watched the action from several feet away with a blank expression.
“Don’t you like kids?” she asked as they walked away.
“I’m fond of my nine-year-old niece. And although I was sixteen when my little sister was born, she was a lot of fun.”
“Have you ever thought about having any of your own?” she asked.
“My own?” He answered as though she’d asked if he had sex with aliens.
“I’ll take that as a no.”
“Kind of like a bucket list—never entered my mind.”
“You don’t think you’d make a good dad?”
“I have no idea.”
“Huh.”
He lowered his sunglasses and peered at her over the black frames. “Clarify ‘huh.’ ”
“Well . . . usually people from large families either want a large family themselves or they completely steer clear of it.”
“I’m not steering anywhere. Neither marriage nor children are on my radar.”
“Ever?”
