Her High-Stakes Affair

“About as often as I make it with my alien lover.”

She laughed and felt free in a way she hadn’t in a long time. Scott reminded her of what life could be when she let go of the tight control she kept on herself.

“What now?”

He picked up her winnings. “Let’s go cash out, and then the rest of the night is up to you.”

The glow of victory still hung around Raine as they stepped away from the cashier and she pocketed her winnings.

“So what’s the plan? I think we’ve got a few hours until you have to be in the editing room.”

She glanced at her watch, then tipped her head to the side, studying him. “How do you feel about going to Red Rock? They have a nature trail that’s supposed to be pretty awesome and it’s not that far from here. I haven’t had time to check it out yet.”

“Sounds good. I’ll drive, unless you want to?”

“No, you can drive. I’m sharing the production van with Tim and Leslie.”

Just then Scott became aware of a group of three women who were eyeing him. He knew the second they recognized him. They took a few steps toward him, but Scott wrapped his arm around Raine and made for the exit. She shoved her elbow against his stomach but he refused to budge. He suspected she was worried about Joel or someone from the show catching them together, but he liked the way she felt tucked up against him. “You have a choice.”

“Of what?” she asked as they left the casino behind and walked out into the warm spring afternoon.

He put on his sunglasses and led her toward the employee parking garage. Hayden kept the top floor of the garage for his own private vehicles and allowed Scott to store his there, as well. Sometimes Scott thought his entire life was just one long travelogue as he moved from one location to another.

“Of how you want to go,” he said, leading her to the garage elevator. He pressed the button for the top floor and then inserted his security key to access the parking level.

“I keep a Hummer H2, a Porsche Boxster and a Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle V-Rod here. I don’t think we can off-road at Red Rock so the Porsche or the bike would be a better choice.”

“Your cars cost more than my house does back in Glendale, California.”

He shrugged. “It’s just money.”

She put one hand on her hip and narrowed her eyes. “Not to everyone.”

“Is this going to be an issue?”

She said nothing, and he knew it was. He’d dated women with Raine’s outlook before. Some women honestly had a problem with the insane amount of money he had. He recognized it could be an issue and he hated that because the money was part of who he was.

“I started working when I was nine months old,” he explained.

She dropped her hand. “I know.”

“Then you can’t expect me to be poor. I spent my entire childhood earning that money.”

“Should I grovel for forgiveness?”

Realizing he had his own problems with this issue, he forced himself to relax. “Maybe later.”

“I have money issues in general. It was just a shock to hear you rattle off your list of vehicles.”

“Can you get over it?” he asked teasingly.

She tipped her head to the side and gave him one of those looks of hers that cut past all the images he’d cultivated over the years and burned straight to the bone. He should probably stay here in Vegas where he fit in. Out in nature he always felt more like the fraud he was. No longer the actor on a set but out in the elements.

“Yeah,” she finally said. “I can get over it—especially if you let me drive the Porsche.”

“Didn’t you hit the security rail with the production van yesterday?”

She wrinkled her brow. “That story was grossly exaggerated. No damage was done to the van.”

“I’ll think about letting you drive my car on the way back.”

He crossed the parking lot to the Porsche convertible. Opening the trunk, he pulled out two baseball caps. “If we’re taking this car you’ll need a hat. The sun is hot with the top down. You want the Yankees or the Red Sox?”

“We can’t ride in the same car wearing those hats.”

“Sure we can. You like to fight. This will make people believe we have a reason.”

“I don’t like to argue. You’re the one who’s contrary.”

“Really? I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Why do you have East Coast hats? I thought you grew up in L.A.”

“I did. The Sox cap is Hayden’s. I picked the Yankees just to needle him.”

He opened her door for her. She gave him a strange look before sliding into the car.

“What was that look?”

“Most guys don’t hold the door.”

“Most guys don’t have my mom. She’s a stickler for manners and men holding doors.”

“She sounds like my kind of woman.”

“She’s…fierce, I guess. She made sure no one took advantage of me when I was a kid. She still watches out for me now.”

“What about your dad?”

“He backs her up when she needs him. But he’s content to let her lead the way.”

“Sounds like they have a good marriage.”

“They do. What about your folks?” he asked as he put down the top on the convertible. Once it was down, he backed out of the parking space and headed to the exit.

“My folks are divorced. My mom remarried when I was sixteen. We’re not real close.”

“What about your dad?”