He could speak gibberish, and that deep voice of his would keep me riveted. “If I get really intimidated, I’ll throw out a geological term to make myself feel better.”
“And then we can each look it up when we get a signal again.”
I laughed, and we started back to our parking spot on the trail. We walked side by side, his hand so close to mine I could feel the heat emanating from him. “I had fun today.”
“Walking in the rain and digging in the mud. You’re an easy date.” His gaze flickered. Was he worried I’d think he meant a real date, and this marriage between us would get more awkward than it was?
“It often scares guys away. Either that or I just give it up.”
“Never give it up. For anyone.” He kept his gaze on the path in front of us. “The right guy won’t ask you to miss out on it just because they don’t like it.”
If I looked too hard into what he said, I’d also worry I thought this was a real date. “I agree and ditto.”
“The only girl who hasn’t laughed at me about Pokémon is you and a buddy’s twelve-year-old daughter who’d come to some tournaments.”
“Then you’re hanging out in the wrong crowd.”
He glanced over, but I couldn’t read the expression in his eyes. “Think I should surround myself with different people?”
“Yes.” Unless that didn’t include me.
Van
* * *
After eating dinner at a rustic saloon, we were tucked into our motel room. The rain was heavier than earlier, so we didn’t plan to go out again, and that was just fine with me. I packed my laptop so we could watch movies if we had nothing to do.
We’d watch them from our separate beds.
I bit back my indignation, all aimed at myself. What a time to be responsible.
She was in the shower now, her clothes from earlier folded neatly on the dresser by her luggage. Our ponchos were hanging in the bathroom in case we went out tomorrow, and it was sprinkling again.
Today was fun. Despite the clouds, Clover glowed like the sun shone just for her. She could see a plain, dirty rock and discover a gem, then carefully tuck it back where she found it.
She came out of the bathroom, scrunching her hair with a towel. She wore loose flannel pajamas with little suns all over them, and her shirt was white with a giant sun in the middle. Spots of dampness spread from her shoulders. I couldn’t look farther down than that. There was less forgiveness in the motel room than in the house for errant erections.
Her gaze landed on the laptop I had open on the bed next to me. “Do you have work to catch up on?”
“Nope. I have the movie options up. I can hook this to the TV.”
“Ooh, that’d be great.” She plopped on the bed, and it bounced. This time, I lost the battle of wills and caught a glimpse of her tits jiggling against the fabric. I moved the laptop onto my lap and focused on getting a menu of movies pulled up. “I made a selection of geology movies.”
Her laughter was becoming a favorite part of my night. “Please say you chose Dante’s Peak.”
Pride sang through my blood. “Yes. I did.”
“San Andreas?”
“If you promise to tell me everything they got wrong.” I turned my screen to her. “I’ve also got Gold, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and I would be remiss if I skipped Armageddon.”
“You would be. Who knows more about drilling into asteroids than Ben Affleck?”
“Billy Bob Thornton?”
She threw her covers back and slid between the sheets. “Armageddon it is, but I have to warn you, my knowledge on asteroids is limited, but it likely has silicate materials, ferronickel, or a combo of both.”
“See? I’ve learned something already.”
