He raked a hand down his face. “I know it’s crazy,” he muttered. Hell, it was crazy that she was still in here with him. He should have politely but firmly booted her out before her brother saw her in here and canned him.
“You won’t talk to me, and you won’t see me anymore. You say it’s not my fault, but . . . how can I not think it’s me?” Her hands pressed to her chest and he watched her lower lip tremble again, her eyes full of tears.
Ah, shit. “Don’t cry, okay? Tears from a girl just f**k up my head something awful.” He rubbed his face again, thinking.
This was worse than not seeing her. All that pain in her eyes? It wasn’t worth the paycheck and the cabin. He’d find another job, another place to stay.
But there was only one Elise.
And as he realized that, he came to a decision. He’d promised this sweet, innocent girl that he’d help her experience life. Seemed a shame to bail out on her now. So he grabbed her hand and pulled it to his mouth, kissing the palm. “It’s been a hell of a week, and I’ve been an ass. I’m sorry. You want to get away?”
Confusion flashed in her eyes, followed by growing excitement. “Sure.”
“Great.”
He was going to give her a weekend to remember.
ELEVEN
Rome grabbed Elise and gave her a quick kiss, then grinned. “Let me grab a couple shirts and I’ll be ready to go.”
“A-all right,” she said, a smile curving her mouth. “Where are we going?”
“We,” he told her with a smug look, “are going to have an incredible weekend of life experiences.”
“We are?”
“We are,” he agreed. He was going to give her the best damn weekend of her life, and cram as much into it as she possibly wanted to experience. It was going to be all about Elise this weekend. Whatever she wanted to do, whatever she desired, he’d make it happen. He’d give her this incredible weekend, just like he’d promised.
And then he’d be gone. It would hurt, but at least she’d have memories. He’d move on to another town, another shit-ass job, another shitty motel, and his hand for company when things got too lonely.
He pulled his backpack out of the corner it had been flung in and stuffed toiletries and his changes of clothing in there. It was a good thing he always packed light; hopefully she wouldn’t realize he was packing up most of his stuff. After a moment’s hesitation, he packed a strip of condoms. This wasn’t about sex; it was about living . . . But if his girl wanted sex, he’d give her the best damn sex she’d ever had.
“So where are we going?” she asked, and he could hear excitement in her voice.
“I’m thinking either a beach or a casino. Which one strikes your fancy?”
“Oh, I love the beach,” she told him. “I’m not really a fan of gambling, though. I don’t see the point.”
She wouldn’t, would she? She’d never had to worry about money. Never hoped that the last ten in her pocket would magically turn into a hundred. “That’s fine,” he told her, and slung his bag over his shoulder. “How’d you get here?”
A hint of a flush colored her cheeks, but the excited look remained on her face. “I parked my rental out on the highway and walked in so Grant wouldn’t see it. Are we taking your bike?”
He thought for a minute, then shook his head. If his bike was here all weekend, they’d see it and assume he was hiding out in his cabin. Sulking, probably. That was fine. If they thought he was sulking, they’d leave him alone and not come after him for dragging Elise away. “Why don’t we take your car? So we can talk on the way down.”
Her face shone. “I’d like that. You want me to drive?”
“I can drive if you’d rather.”
She handed him the keys and grinned. “Shall we sneak out?”
“This another life experience?”
She giggled. “Running off to spend a wild weekend with my boyfriend? Definitely something I’ve never done before.”
“Then let’s go,” he told her, and took her hand in his.
They turned off the lights in his cabin and shut the door quietly. Then, hand in hand, they tiptoed past the other cabins and headed out to the highway, avoiding the gravel parking lot, where every step was a loud crunch that might give them away. Rome felt for a moment like he was a teenager again, sneaking out to be with a girl. He was too old for this shit. But, looking back at Elise’s glowing face, he realized that she’d never had a chance to experience anything like this.
And it was worth it just for her.
When they got out to the car, he went around to the passenger side and opened her door for her, a gesture that brought another giddy smile to her face. This, he realized, had been the right call. It was an adventure, and Elise’s boring life was short on adventures. So she was heading off to the beach for a weekend of fun on a Friday night with a man she wasn’t supposed to be seeing. That was all part of the thrill, right?
He got into the car on the driver’s side and tossed his backpack into the back seat, then slid behind the steering wheel. The car wasn’t exactly a hot rod; it was a champagne-colored sedan. For a moment, he wished they were taking his bike, just to give her the thrill of driving up to the beach on the back of a motorcycle, but he supposed the vehicle didn’t matter. It was enough that they were doing this.
“Should we go back to the bed-and-breakfast and grab my clothes?” she asked him as he started the car.
“Nope,” he told her. He worried that if she went back to her room, someone would see her with him and try to talk her out of going. “We’ll buy you some clothes when we get to the beach. Or you can just go naked.” He looked over and winked at her, and was rewarded with a lovely flush on her cheeks.
Then he tore down the highway.
• • •
The beach wasn’t more than a couple of hours from Bluebonnet. He took the roads that led down to Galveston, one of the more scenic beach towns in Texas. He had vague childhood memories of a historic shopping strip there, chess on the beach, and other things that might appeal to a girl like Elise.
She seemed to be having a great time, though. She rolled down the window and sang along with the classic rock station he’d set the radio to, and he was entranced by her. The shy girl he’d first met who had been terrified to speak in front of him was nearly gone, replaced by this gorgeous smiling creature who let the wind ripple in her hair and kept flashing him excited looks as if he were the best thing on earth.