Grave Destinations Read Online Free Page A

opened, and they stepped inside. Jack pressed the button for deck nine, and the doors closed with a quiet whoosh. “But you make a habit of keeping all of them. I don’t know anything about you—where you live, what you do. Christ, I don’t even know your last name.”
    It wasn’t like he minded a little mystery. Hell, he had enough secrets of his own. But conversation was a two-way street, and he’d grown tired of being the only one contributing anything substantial to the dialogue.
    Ruby’s smile faded on the heels of a tired sigh. “Oh, Jack. You’re completely missing the point of this cruise.”
    “Vacation?”
    “Close, but you’re not seeing the big picture.” She took a step closer, her movements as graceful as a leopard stalking prey. The smell of her perfume filled his senses, as lush and exotic as the woman wearing it. “Why do people go on vacation?”
    “To rest and relax.”
    Ruby shook her head. “No, that’s incidental. People go on vacation to escape.”
    He shot her a puzzled look. “Escape what?”
    “Everything.” She said it like the answer was obvious. “They want to forget about the boss who’s making them crazy, or the mortgage they’re working two jobs to pay, or any number of other things that are driving them to an early grave.” She lifted her hand, ran a finger down the center of his chest. “For seven days and eight nights, these folks are going to pretend that the real world doesn’t exist. They can be anyone or anything their little hearts desire.”
    The elevator dinged a few seconds before the doors opened, and all conversation stopped while they stepped into the lobby. A young couple walked past, so wrapped up in each other they almost collided with a group of older women.
    “And what are you escaping, Ruby?”
    She lifted a shoulder as she flashed a sly smile. “Who says I’m escaping anything? I’m not the one who booked this cruise.”
    “Yes, I remember. Your boss booked it for you. Why?”
    “How should I know?” A trace of defensiveness crept into her voice. “He didn’t say, and I didn’t ask. In my line of work, it’s usually better that way.”
    And once again, she’d answered his question without giving a single shred of personal information. “And what line of work is that?” he asked, his patience wearing thin.
    Anger sparked in her eyes. “What’s the point, Jack? Why do you even care?” Her accent grew thicker as her temper flared. “We’ll never see each other again once the ship docks back in Port Canaveral, so why is it so important for you to know all of my personal business?”
    “Obviously, I’m attracted to you.” Jack moved deep within her personal space, so close he could see the pulse beating at the base of her throat. He wanted to touch her but resisted the temptation, jamming his hands into his pockets instead. “I happen to enjoy your company. I’d like to spend more time with you, but all of this cloak-and-dagger bullshit is beginning to wear on my nerves.”
    She regarded him for a long moment, as if mentally debating what to tell him. Finally, she tipped up her chin and said, “What do you want to know?”
    “Let’s start with a last name.”
    She shook her head. “Sorry. Not going there. Ask me something else.”
    “Fine. How about where you’re from?”
    Ruby pursed her lips together, letting out a huff of annoyance as she braced a hand against her hip. “This is the great mystery that’s been gnawing at you all evening?”
    “One of many.” He pinned her with a level glare. “Answer the question.”
    “If you must know,” she said, the words coming out in an exaggerated drawl, “I was born in a single-wide about twenty miles north of Brunswick, Georgia. My daddy kept a moonshine still in the shed and two hound dogs chained up in the front yard.” Her posture went rigid, her chin jutting forward. “Congratulations, you just spent the evening with backwoods trailer trash. Happy?”
    Jack smiled in