Read Online Wilde One by Jannine Gallant - Free Book Online Page B

which is called Old Man River. Boy, am I dense.”
    “Maybe a little slow…”
    She smacked his arm. “What about the second part of the clue?”
    “Who cares. We’ll figure out the specific location once we get to Louisiana. It’s a long drive.”
    She glanced down then ran the toe of her shoe through the grass. “Are you going to ditch me to catch a flight south?”
    A finger touched her chin, tilting her head upward. She looked into clear green eyes filled with promise.
    “No, I’m not going to ditch you.”
    “If the others fly, they could get ahead of us.”
    He took a step closer. “We know Parnell Jones hasn’t figured out the New York clue yet. The bartender at Fast Times said a blond man had been in the night before looking for the correct bar. If he figured it out, he can’t have much of a lead, and my guess is he didn’t. We wouldn’t have found the right place without Grandpa’s letters. Searching every bar on Mulberry Street for the bottles holding the clues would take a while.”
    “So there’s only one other person who could be ahead of us at this point.”
    “Exactly. I’m not in such a giant rush I’ll dump you at this stage of the game.” Another step brought him right up against her. The hand on her chin held her in place. “Anyway, I like hanging out with you.” He dipped his head and dropped a light kiss on her upturned lips.
    Ainslee drew in a breath when he returned for a second, this one no simple peck. She opened her mouth a little, and his tongue stroked inside. When he finally pulled away, she grabbed his arm to steady herself.
    The smile he gave her shook a little. “Wow.”
    “Yeah, wow.” Flutters danced in her stomach. Taking a step back, she pressed a hand against her middle. “Is this going to complicate things between us?”
    “Doesn’t have to. We’re still in the getting to know each other stage of our relationship. That kiss was just part of the process. Anyway, I don’t do complicated. I like to keep things simple.”
    “If you say so.” She crossed her arms over her chest. Since he wasn’t going to make a big deal out of the kiss, neither would she. “I guess we should hit the road. We have a long drive ahead.”
    “No doubt. We’ll check the map and plan our route then figure out where we want to stay tonight.”
    She walked toward the SUV at his side, their shoulders brushing. Griff’s easy-going good cheer was contagious. The anxiety stirred up by the kiss they’d shared eased. Sure it had rocked her world, but she wouldn’t let a kiss ruin what was turning into a promising friendship. In her experience, admittedly not vast, friends with benefits always ended in someone getting hurt. Best to back off and simply ignore the fact that Griff had the ability to heat her southern regions with a single glance.
    Sure, Ainslee. That’s going to happen.
    She chose the passenger side, content to let him drive. Before long, they cruised down the freeway, radio blasting a classic Rolling Stones tune, windows wide open with the breeze blowing her hair into tangles and cooling her libido. Pulling out the road atlas, she anchored it on her lap. “Too bad we can’t take our time and do a little exploring. I’d intended to visit a few historic landmarks this summer. As it is, we’ll be rushing past them all.”
    “We don’t have to. No reason we can’t take a break for an hour or two now and then to do what? Tromp through old battlefields?”
    She smiled. “I wouldn’t mind.”
    “Then we’ll stop and tromp. I have at least a month before I need to think about my next salvage job. Since I’m still a total skeptic about the value of Victor’s treasure, at least to us in the long run, it’s no skin off my nose if one of the others beats us to it.”
    “With that attitude, why are you even bothering to compete?”
    “Because I like a challenge. I’m having fun hanging out with you, and there’s the slight possibility I’m wrong about Victor. All