“Hm,” was all he said.
My brows pulled together. “Last night? Melissa? You went after her?”
“Right.” He cleared his throat, and I could swear it sounded like he was smiling. “I mean, yes, we had dinner. She’s… well. I mean, she’s just fine.”
If I was meeting anyone besides Elaine, I would’ve stayed until I got answers, but I was meeting Elaine. “Well, see you tonight,” I said. “And when we get back, you’re going to tell me what the hell’s going on.”
“Have fun,” he said, that smile still in his voice.
I hung up wondering if he’d ever told me to have fun before. Previously, I’d been convinced he didn’t know the meaning of the phrase. I decided to let it go. Grabbing the keys to my rental and my phone, I hustled down to the lobby.
* * *
Scottsdale with Elaine by my side seemed brighter and more interesting than it ever had before. I took her to the Frank Lloyd Wright estate, and she took pictures of the unusual statues and plants growing on the land along with the house built into the landscape. Then I took her to Camelback Mountain to climb the assorted flights of stairs that seemed to go straight up to the sky embedded throughout the red-rock hillsides.
In the cleft of one of the boulders, I took her hand and pulled her onto my lap. We were sitting on a low cliff, and the 360 degree view of the city below was breathtaking. She exhaled and leaned her head back against my shoulder.
“How do you know about all this?” she asked as I laced our fingers together. “Did you live here before?”
“One of my uncles owned a winter home here,” I said, kissing her neck. “We came a few times to visit when I was in high school.”
“It’s so different from anywhere else. Barren and rocky, but still green and colorful.”
“Mm-hm,” I said, running my lips behind her ear as my hands searched for her skin beneath the front of her shirt. “And hot,” I added.
She turned her lips to my cheek as my fingers lightly touched her stomach, traveling higher until I found the edge of her bra. Her sigh whispered across my skin as I pushed the garment aside. I loved her breasts, soft in my hands and slightly heavy. I pinched her tight nipples and a little noise came from her throat. Her head was on my shoulder, eyes closed, and her breath was growing faster as I massaged her. I wanted to replace my hands with my mouth. Just the thought was causing some pretty significant heat to rise in my pants.
“I have never enjoyed this city so much,” I said against her neck, and she laughed.
Just then a head popped up at our feet. “Oh,” a male voice said loudly.
Elaine squealed and jumped off my lap, turning her back as the hiker apologized and attempted to climb back down.
“Sorry,” I said, clearing my throat as I tried discreetly to adjust my fly.
Elaine caught my hand and jerked me with her away from the edge and to the steps leading down the mountain. I laughed as I followed her. “Slow down, you’ll trip. And it’s impossible to run with a hard-on.”
Instantly, she turned back into my arms, burying her head in my shoulder. I caught her, hugging her close as she straightened her bra laughing. “We have to go. I’ll die if I see that person again.”
I grinned as I held her, and once her underthings were back in place, she turned and began walking again. “I’m sorry,” I said, catching her hand. “You’re just so damned sexy.”
“Where are we headed next?”
“Back to my room?”
Stopping, she wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed my nose. “You are supposed to be showing me Scottsdale.” Those green eyes pierced right into mine, and I was gone. Anything she wanted.
I kissed her lips briefly before catching her hand and taking the lead again. “There’s a ghost town south of here. They do tours and Old West shows. You’ll love it.”
We spent the rest of the day in the shadow of the Superstition Mountains exploring mines, looking at antique photographs, and wandering through souvenir shops. I bought her a sterling silver ring embossed with a turquoise Kokopelli, and after several hours, we headed back to the resort dusty, tired, and hungry.
Again, when I helped her out of the car at the entrance to the spa, I could barely let her go, but we were meeting up again for dinner in a few short hours. “Tell Melissa you’re spending the night with me,” I said, catching her cheeks and kissing her.
She nodded, holding out her hand. “I love my ring. I don’t think I’ll ever take it off.” Then she wrapped her arms around my neck. “It’s silly, but this felt like the best day ever.”
“Even when the hiker caught me feeling you up?”
She laughed and pinched my arm. “You’re such a guy.”