After breakfast, Krissi changed into her own clothes, but not before Ruger showed her just how much he liked seeing his shirt stretched tight across her tits. After she was dressed, she wasn’t sure what came next. Normally, she would just leave, catch a bus, or call a cab, but he had brought her, and she was pretty sure there was no bus route out this far. She was almost ready to suck it up and ask him to take her home when he pulled her close and dropped a kiss on her nose.

“Wanna go for a ride before I take you home?”

She looked up at him and couldn’t stop the rush of heat that washed through her. All the tension and uncertainty disappeared.

“Sounds good.”

* * *

Ruger could tell something was wrong before he’d offered the ride and trip home, but whatever it was seemed to disappear as soon as he offered. He wondered about it for a few minutes then dismissed it. They got on the bike, and Ruger started out. He drove away from town at first. Ruger had no real destination in mind. The whole point was the ride. It was a nice day, and Ruger could think of nothing better than wind on his face and the woman pressed against his back.

Once they were well away from the few houses near his and on the highway through the desert, Ruger twisted the throttle until they were doing eighty. This road didn’t get much traffic, so it didn’t warrant much of a police presence, and there was little risk of getting pulled over. They cruised for a while until Krissi tapped him on the shoulder. His extra helmet wasn’t equipped with an intercom, so he pulled onto the shoulder and killed the engine.

“What’s up?” he asked after pulling off his helmet.

“I was curious where we are. I don’t recognize anything.” Krissi tugged her helmet off and leaned over to look over his shoulder.

“You know the mountains on the west side of town?”

“The ones on the far side of the interstate? Yeah.”

“We’re on the other side of those.”

“Oh. I’ve never been out here. It’s pretty, but kind of isolated.” She stared out at the desert around them.

“There are a couple of different routes, but we’re only about a half hour from your apartment. You need to get back?”

“No, I just wanted to know where we are. I kind of got turned around last night and lost track.”

“All right.” Ruger started to put his helmet back on then stopped and twisted around to look at her. “You said you’ve never been out here. Have you been to Old Tucson?”

“What’s that?” A frown creased her forehead as she squinted in the sunlight.

“An old western movie set turned tourist attraction. Want to go?” He knew he should just take her home and be done with her, but he was enjoying being with her, even when they weren’t in bed.

“I don’t know...” She trailed off.

“Come on, it’ll be fun. My treat.” Ruger waited while she seemed to fight some inner battle, but after a few seconds, she spoke.

“All right, let’s go.”

* * *

Krissi didn’t know how long they were on the road since she had agreed to go to this movie place, but it seemed like no time at all. Partly because she was distracted by the rumble of the bike and the heat coming from Ruger. Not that she was complaining. She loved both feelings. They just wreaked havoc on her ability to focus.

Ruger pulled the bike into a parking lot and parked in one of the white outlined spaces that wasn’t really a parking space because it was too small for a car, but a motorcycle fit just fine. He took her hand as they went to the gate and inside. Krissi stared down at their hands for a moment as she let him lead her along, wondering why such a simple thing felt so right, so natural.

From the name, Krissi assumed the theme park would be a copy of what Tucson had been a hundred or a hundred and fifty years ago, but now she wasn’t sure. It was a cute little western town, buildings with facades and dirt streets. There were a lot of people about. Some just wandering, most moving with some purpose as they went from one building to another. Most of the crowd was dressed in modern street clothes, but there were more than a few in period clothing. They looked like they belonged here with the old-fashioned buildings and stage coaches.

Krissi didn’t know where to go first, but Ruger seemed to. He led her into a building and stayed with her as she looked at each display of western movie history. She was fascinated. She’d never seen anything like this. Ruger stayed quiet as she took her time reading all the displays and stories. At first, she thought he was bored since there was nothing really going on, but when she turned to look, she found him busy reading the little plaques as well.

“Did you watch this growing up?” she asked. They were standing in front of a display with costumes from a popular television series she had watched reruns of for years.

“Not by choice. My sister loved it, though, so I sat through a lot of it.” Ruger moved on without saying anything more. Krissi followed him to the next display. When they’d made it through the rest of the building, they stepped out onto the narrow boardwalk and continued down the street. They hadn’t gone very far when the sound of raised voices drew their attention. Curious, Krissi headed toward the noise.

A little way down the street, she found a couple of men dressed in old-fashioned shirts and pants with revolvers on their belts, shouting at each other. Before she had time to wonder what was going on, one of the men pulled the gun off his hip and aimed at the other. A loud pop sounded, and Krissi noticed several in the crowd jumping at the noise as if it were real gunfire. The sound alone told her it was a show. The guns made a popping sound that was much quieter and less shocking than real gunfire. She stood and watched the show, noticing how practiced the men were as they went through the motions of the choreographed fight. Once it was all over, the man who’d been “shot” got up, dusted himself off, and all the actors shook hands and posed with any of the crowd who wanted pictures.

“Want to have your picture taken with one of them?” Ruger asked.

“Nah, I don’t need to.” Krissi shook her head, not wanting to snuggle up to some stranger when he’d brought her.

“Go ahead. Give me your phone and I’ll take the picture.” He took her phone and pushed her in the direction of a couple of the gunfighters posing for pictures.

What the hell, she thought. Why not enjoy it while she was here? She waited her turn and then stood between the two men and wrapped her arms around them while smiling big. Might as well make it look like she was having a good time. Ruger focused on her phone then nodded.

“Thanks, guys,” Krissi said to the actors before going back to Ruger. She looked at the photos he’d taken and realized she looked happy in a way she couldn’t remember ever looking before. But she couldn’t put her finger on just what it was.

Shaking her head, she pushed the thought away and turned her attention back to Ruger. He’d already taken her hand in his, and they were headed for another building. They went inside and sat down. Soon, a show started. It didn’t last long, but it was cute and entertaining. The rest of the day was much the same, and by the time they left the park, Krissi was tired but couldn’t think of a better day she’d had in recent history.

* * *

By the time they made it back to her apartment that evening, Krissi was exhausted, but it was a good tired. She’d seen and done more in her new city in one day than she’d done since she’d moved there two months before.

“You want to get some dinner?” Ruger asked as he dismounted his bike in front of her building.

“I wish I could, but I need to get some homework done before I have to go to work tomorrow.”

Ruger hooked one arm around her waist and tugged her close. “We can order in, and I can just hang out, maybe help you with your homework if you like.” She got the impression he didn’t want the day to end, either.

“As good as that sounds, I’m afraid we’d end up naked, and I’d get no work done.”

“Now that sounds even better.” He gave her a playful leer.

“Which is why I’m going to say no, not tonight.”

Ruger stuck his lower lip out in a false pout. “All right, if you say so, but give me your phone.” She handed over her phone, and he messed with it for a moment. A phone in his pocket rang, stopped, and then he gave it back. “There, now you have my number, and I have yours. You don’t have to come into Drifters to find me, not that I mind seeing you there.” He winked and grinned, and Krissi knew she’d made the right decision.

“That will be nice.” Krissi reminded herself this was supposed to be a one night stand as she tucked her phone back into her pocket. “I guess I better go.” She turned and looked down the street, avoiding meeting his eyes.

“Come here a minute.” He tugged her close again. “If I’ve got to let you go, I need another kiss first.” His mouth came down on hers with a hard, possessive kiss. After a moment, he pulled away. “Go on before I forget my good intentions and follow you inside. You’re right. You probably won’t get any work done if I go in with you.”

She turned and left him leaning against his bike as she went up the stairs to her apartment. At the door, she turned and saw him still watching her, making sure she made it inside safely. A warm, secure feeling rushed through her as she unlocked the door and went inside.