Page 31 of From Wink to Kink

"Besides," I continue, "think about how much this place must have cost. Seems a shame to waste it, even if it's not exactly what we signed up for."

Ruby's quiet for a moment, and I can practically see the gears turning in her head. Then she looks at me, curiosity replacing some of the anger in her eyes.

"How did you end up here, anyway?" she asks. "I mean, I know my idiot brother is involved somehow, but..."

I sigh, running a hand through my hair. "Honestly? I'm still trying to figure that out myself. Tyler suggested a little getaway like the one you were going on when he found out I was in hot water with the team.” I trail off, not really wanting to get into the whole 'management thinks I need to get my act together' thing. “So, basically, I said give me the phone number of the place because it seemed like the easiest thing to do at the time.”

Her eyebrows rise, but I continue anyway.

“Look, I’ll level with you. I kind of had to come here. Team management is holding my job over my head.”

She rolls her eyes and shrugs, and I’ll bet she knows all about my latest night in lockup. Damn that Tyler. He’s a nice guy but has a big fucking mouth.

"Anyway," I continue, "Tyler gave me the number, and I called to book. Here we are."

Ruby's looking at me with an expression I can't quite read. It's softer than her usual 'you're an idiot' look, but not quite friendly either.

"You didn't know it was a couples thing?" she asks.

I snort. "Trust me, if I had known, I would've run screaming in the other direction. No offense," I add quickly.

To my surprise, she laughs. It's a nice sound, too. Warm and genuine, not like the fake, tinkly laughs I'm used to hearing from the puck bunnies trying to impress me.

"None taken," she says, her voice lightening. "I'm not exactly your type anyway, am I?"

I open my mouth to respond, then close it again. Because, the thing is, I'm not entirely sure what my 'type' is anymore.Sure, I've dated my fair share of model-esque women who were more interested in being seen with a hockey player than actually getting to know me. Who were happy to spend the evening with a ‘walking wallet’ who pays for everything. But lately, I've been feeling... I don't know. Like maybe there's something more out there?

I go for a joking tone, my usual default. "Maybe my type is brilliant, snarky librarians with a vendetta against sports."

Okay, she’s definitely smiling now. "Keep dreaming, Newcomb. Flirting will get you nowhere."

We lapse into silence, sipping our champagne and gazing out at the rainforest, each probably wondering which wrong turn ended us up here. The sun is starting to set, painting the sky in shades of pink and orange that reflect off the champagne flutes, casting little rainbows oh our hands.

That should make her happy. She seems like the rainbow type.

"You know," I say after a while, "this doesn't have to be a total disaster. Just sayin’."

Ruby smirks. "Oh? And how do you figure?"

I shrug. "Well, we're in a beautiful place, with free food and booze, and a whole week away from our regular lives. Sure, we might have to sit through some awkward yoga crap or whatever, but who says we have to take it seriously? We could treat it like... I don't know, an undercover mission or something."

"An undercover mission…" she repeats without sounding entirely dismissive.

"You know?" I say, warming to the idea. "We'll be like spies, infiltrating the world of... whatever the hell this place is. Gathering intel, maybe having a few laughs along the way. And hey, if we have some fun while we’re at it, what’s the harm?"

Ruby's quiet, and I start to wonder if I've said something wrong. But then she looks at me, a mischievous glint in her eye that I've never seen before.

"Okay, Newcomb," she says, holding out her glass for a toast. "I gotta hand it to you for trying."

I clink my glass against hers, grinning. "Trying. It’s one of my best qualities.”

“But I’m still gonna leave. In fact, I should go see what the options are right now. As soon as I finish my champers."

As we drink, I can't help but feel like maybe, just maybe, this week won't be the disaster I thought it would be. Sure, it's not going to be the relaxing getaway I had in mind. And yeah, sharing a room with Ruby is going to be... interesting, to say the least. Unless she takes off and leaves me on my own. Which would still be fine.

But looking at her now, a smile on her face and the sunset reflecting in her eyes, I realize something. I'm actually curious to see how this all plays out.

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