Accidentally Hooked (The Naked Truth Series Book 1) by Carmen Falcone Page A

couldn’t just leave her now to go walk into the sunset with a man she had just met. Nope. Didn’t make any sense at all.

Chapter Seven
    “Not bad.” Ryan squinted his eyes against the sun, and a nice breeze stroked his face. Even though they had been walking along the trail on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon for over an hour, every lookout showed a different part of the glorious, endless vastness. An abundant variety of brown and reddish rocks, from various sizes and shapes, fought for attention against the flowing Colorado River beneath, and the flocks of tourists crowding the valley.
    He stepped near the steep edge, hands in his pockets. A strange sensation of complete fulfillment arrowed through him. Closing his eyes, he took a deep, long breath. Not bad at all.
    “It’s been a while since I was last here,” she said, and he turned to face her.
    With a sheen of sweat slicking her forehead, and donning a baseball hat she had bought at the souvenir shop, Kika looked gorgeous. Real. She wasn’t though. She was good at what she did—entertaining men. Why would she act any different with him? As a sex worker, she sold a fantasy, a dream. An escape from reality. That’s all that it was, even though just being around her reminded him of his reality. His little sister, getting hitched to a guy who most likely was a bastard. No.
    Charlotte had not once judged him when he decided he needed to go to a rehab. She supported him, visited him, and even stayed away from her best friend Lynn for a while after the break-up, even though he had stressed that wasn’t necessary. Damn it, she was his bloody little sister. Twenty-four years old and way too nice for her own good.
    He had emailed Blake and asked for authorization to talk to the human resources director of the hotel. Ryan had claimed he was interested in hiring a new software developer for his business in Australia, and wanted to study a different type of database. Although their relationship was strained, he just knew Blake would say yes. Ryan hoped direct access to the employees’ files and reports would give him some insight. Maybe he could get the contact information of a fired kitchen worker, possibly disgruntled, who would be interested in spilling the beans in exchange for some cold hard cash.
    “Tell me about it,” he said.
    She ate up the distance between them with a couple steps, but instead of facing him, she contemplated the scenery unveiling in front of them. He had to yank his gaze from her profile and do the same. “I was eight. Maybe nine. My mother had heard news my father was marrying someone back in Mexico. She was devastated for a while, then decided to bring us here for a weekend trip.” She cleared her throat, and he followed the rise of her chest.
    “How did that go?”
    “My aunt Rosa came with us. I was scared of the height, it was so intimidating.” She let out a small smile. “She held my hand, and said in Spanish, ‘Francisca, don’t be scared. That big hole won’t swallow you unless you jump.’”
    He smiled a little. “Did it work?”
    “I wasn’t sure what she meant, but she held my hand and promised a cupcake afterward. How can you say no to a cupcake?” she said, her voice strained.
    The previous sensation of fulfillment began to vacate him, little by little. “What happened to your mother?”
    “Never remarried. Died in a car accident several years ago.”
    He held her hand and gave it a light squeeze. How could he ignore the coldness of her palm? “I’m sorry. Are you and your sister close?”
    “No,” she said, and he noticed her body tensing up. She withdrew her hand from his, and straightened her shoulders. He could feel the stiffness of her muscles, her shoulder blades stretching the cotton material of the white tank top she had on. “How about you? I guess you are close, if you are coming all the way to her wedding?”
    He ran a hand over his face. What option did he have? “Yes. My sister Charlotte was