Page 29 of Seeking Happily Ever After

She ignored his hand and pushed herself to standing. Stephanie ignored his grin.

“She’s not giant now,” he said. “Besides, I found her in a patch of the purple flowers.”

“What do crocuses have to do with fairies?” She focused on his eyes so she wouldn’t have to look at his chest, which was smooth, ripped, and way too tanned considering it was only April. She swallowed hard.

“Nothing.” He shrugged. “I was just testing you to see if you knew what they were called.”

“You don’t think I know my flowers?”

“I don’t know what you know.”

“I know a lot of things. I think you’d be impressed.”

She didn’t mean for it to sound flirty or sexual at all, but when he narrowed his eyes and dipped his head a little and said, “Oh, I have no doubt of that,” Steph was certain she was going to completely self-combust.

She had to get control of her emotions. One man should not have the ability to impact her so dramatically and it was getting beyond annoying. Especially because he was just playing with her. No doubt because he could. Travis Bishop was exactly like every overconfident boy she used to know growing up who thought they were God’s gift to women. Cocky and arrogant and—

“Where is your shirt?” She blurted out the question and he laughed.

“Why? Am I distracting you?”

Steph inhaled deeply in an effort to stay in control of the spiraling situation. “Yes,” she answered honestly. “You look cold.”

He laughed harder. “I’m not cold. I was out for a run.”

That would explain the glistening.

“A run? But…don’t you live…” She realized she had no idea where he lived. She really didn’t know anything about Travis at all except that he was sexy as sin and made her feel things she wasn’t even sure were possible.

He roughed his hair with his hand and squatted down to pet the dog, who was tugging on the laces of his runners. “I’m living in my vehicle right now.”

“What?”

“Don’t get all worked up.” He looked up at her and grinned.

She liked him at this angle, too.

“It’s not nearly as pathetic as it sounds. A few years back, I refitted an old bus to be a camper. It’s actually really comfortable with pretty much all the comforts of home, only…”

“It’s not a home.”

He stood and crossed his arms over his chest. “No,” he agreed. “It’s not a home. But it’ll do for now.”

“How long have you been living in avan?”

He cocked an eyebrow. “It’s not avan. It’s a camper. And not long. I was living on the Langdon ranch while I was working there, but when the Langdons sold, I decided to stay in the camper until I figured out where I wanted to build. So this made sense.”

Stephanie couldn’t imagine how living in a van or a bus or whatever it was made any sense at all, but for Travis…maybe it did. She really shouldn’t be surprised by anything anymore. “Okay, so if you’re living in acamperand you’re out for a run so early, does that mean—”

“I’m not living on your property,” he interrupted before she could finish. “If that’s what you’re going to ask.”

“I was…not that I’d care…”

“You wouldn’t?” He grinned and took a step toward her. “Really?”

Was that a challenge? What was it with this man? Why did he push all of her buttons as if it were a game?It probably was to him.

Fortunately, before she had to answer, or he could get any closer, Tinker Bell, tired of being ignored, let out a bark at her feet. She bent down and gave the black and white fluff ball attention until she started licking her face and trying to clamber up on her. When she stood again, Travis was still standing close, watching her.

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