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Colin drove the next three hours with blue balls and anticipation rushing through his veins. When they at last entered Death Valley National Park, the sun had begun its descent, painting the sky and mountains with splashes of red, orange and violet.
“This is brilliant,” Jihae breathed, leaning forward in her seat to look out the windshield.
“It is. The rest of the park is spectacular but you can’t beat the sunsets against the mountains.” He turned into one of Death Valley’s two hotels. “So are you ready to rough it for two nights? We’re on the same travel budget as location scouts, so the accommodations won’t be up to your usual standards.”
“I’ve stayed in hostels before.” She crinkled her nose at him. “A standard room in a four-diamond hotel isn’t roughing it.”
“When did you stay in a hostel?”
“Around seven years ago.”
“But what kind of accommodations do you usually have?”
“Presidential suites and penthouses. Fine. I get your point. You don’t have to rub my nose in it. I never asked to live like a spoiled princess,” she said glumly. “So how do you rough it, Mr. Self-Made Millionaire?”
“I usually camp when I come to national parks.”
“Camp?” Her face held both horror and fascination. “Like as in camping? In the outdoors?”
“Wait a minute. You can’t be serious.” He turned to stare at her after parking the car. “You’ve never gone camping?”
“You probably don’t know a lot about my family, but my father isn’t exactly the type to load the family into the car and go camping,” she said a little wistfully. Colin shrugged to hide his discomfort, because he did know quite a bit about her family. Before he could think of an appropriate response, she continued, “But I do want to try it.”
“I’ll take you someday,” he said before he could think.
Did she think he was making her a promise? That they would be together long enough to reach someday? Maybe they could have their someday. He could come clean to her. Every moment he’d spent with her had been real. His every word and every touch had been true. But no. It was too late. She would despise him if she found out about his identity and how he’d betrayed her trust.
“Let’s see if I could survive a couple nights in a standard room,” Jihae said with a small, sad smile that broke his heart. “Besides, I don’t think Best Placed Bets has a camping scene.”
During the check-in, Colin requested adjoining rooms, so they could spend the night together without sneaking back and forth. When they got to her room, he was the perfect gentleman, opening the door for her and placing her suitcase just inside the entry.
“I’ll see you later,” he said, and left Jihae with her mouth gaping. Once he let himself into his room, he promptly found the entrance to hers and knocked. He heard shuffling and a muffled oof before she flung open the door.
“Hi.” He grinned at her wide-eyed expression.
“Is that your room or the rest of my room?” she asked, getting on her tiptoes to look over his shoulder.
He laughed, and stepped aside to invite her in. “Welcome to my room.”
“So this is the whole room,” she said, excited about the new experience.
“Sure is.”
Her eyes took in his room, identical to hers, in a quick sweep, then pressed herself against one wall. Then she took measured strides until she reached the opposite wall and burst out laughing.
“You could walk from one side of room to the other in less than twelve steps. It’s so small and cute.”
He walked over to her—in ten steps for him—and leaned down to nuzzle her neck. “I’m glad you like it.”
“Mmm-hmm. I do. It’s so fun.” She leaned her head to one side to give him better access. “And I love our connecting door. We could finally have a sleepover.”
He placed his hands on her waist and walked her backward until her back met the door that led to the hotel hallway. She gasped in surprise and stared at him.
“For real?”
“Hell, yes,” he said before he crushed his mouth against hers.
Jihae’s surprise was short-lived as she eagerly pressed her body against his and deepened the kiss, urging him to respond. He growled deep in his chest, his desire for her bursting into dangerous flames.
