Betting on the Wrong Brother (What Happens in Vegas) (11 page)

“Only when he’s nervous. Then, everything comes out jumbled. Especially when he’s trying to read out loud.”

She nodded, and said, “So, why a pilot?” shifting the topic completely.

His mind raced for an answer as she turned the conversation back to him. “
A last-minute decision.
” Shit, he really needed to tell her the truth, but now he was in so deep he wasn’t sure how. She arched a brow, waiting for more of an explanation, and he said, “It was the right thing at the right time.” She drank the last of her coffee and yawned. “Bored?” he asked, taking that opportunity to change the subject.

She shook her head. “No,” she said quickly. “Book signings always wear me out. Even with the coffee, I’m just beat.”

He pushed his plate away and gestured toward the hotel with a nod. “We should head back. We can get some real food at the hotel restaurant if you want.”

He put his arm around her back and he noticed how easily she moved in closer to him as they sauntered back to the hotel, both walking slowly like neither were in a hurry for the night to end. Being with her like this was easy, comfortable, and he enjoyed talking to her, enjoyed having a real conversation with an intelligent woman who cared about more than her hair and nails.

When they reached the lobby, they heard a huge commotion in the casino.

“Should we go check it out?” he asked.

She nodded. “
Sure. So far I
’ve done a lot of things in Vegas, but I’ve yet to play the machines.”

“Then, we should rectify that. It’s not as fun as playing with heavy equipment, but it’s something you should experience at least once.”

They walked into the casino and her eyes widened as she took it all in. Bells and whistles and the sounds of coins being dropped into machines engulfed them.

She looked up at him. “I have no idea where to even begin.”

He pointed to the slot machines. “Want to start there?”

“Sure.”

They pushed through the crowd and grabbed two machines side by side. Andi dug through her purse and came out with a handful of change. She looked over the buttons and all the instructions. “Now what?”

“Drop your quarter into the slot, or you can use dollar bills.” He pointed to the upper right hand corner where she could slide in paper currency. “Then, press the button.”

She did as he said, and Ryan pushed a five-dollar bill into his slot. Loud bells and whistles sounded, clanging like symbols, and a moment later he was staring at a mish mash of bars, sevens, cherries, and diamonds. He looked over at Andi who was jamming more coins into her machine. He laughed, loving her enthusiasm.

“Hey Jack, buddy. How have you been? Jesus, I haven’t seen you since college. How are you, man?”

Ryan looked up to see his old college pal, Conrad Green standing, or rather swaying, over him.
Shit
. He jumped to his feet.

“Conrad,” he said putting his hand on the man’s shoulder to still him. He shot a glance over his shoulder to Andi and found her staring at him, her brow crinkled. No doubt she was waiting for him to correct this man who had him mixed up with his brother. “Conrad, this is Andi. Andi, I’ll be right back.” He squeezed the man’s shoulder and turned him, leading him around the corner, out of Andi’s earshot.

“What the hell was that all about?” Conrad asked, taking a sip of his whiskey and letting it spill over his glass.

“I’m a writer and I don’t want everyone knowing my real name. So, just call me Ryan okay?”

“Ryan?” Glassy eyes moved over Ryan’s face, assessing him? Conrad hiccupped and said, “
I think you’re up to something and I’m guessing it has everything to do with getting into that girl’s pants.
She looks like a wild one.”

Ryan cringed, suddenly wanting to punch his old college pal in the face for talking about Andi like that. “Don’t say things like that about her. She’s a nice girl,” he said.

“Yeah, then what’s she doing with you?” he countered, his big boom of laughter rising over the pings of the slot machines.

Andi came up behind him and put her hand on his back. He flinched and turned to her. She pulled her hand back like it had been burned. “Ryan, is everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything is fine,” he said. “Conrad was just leaving.”

“That’s right,” Conrad said, “Nice to meet you Andi, and catch you around,
Ryan
.” Wobbling, he gave a feeble wink and sauntered off.

Andi had a perplexed look on her face when he focused in on her. “What was that all about?”

“He’s drunk. I didn’t want him around you.” That much was true.

“And he thought you were Jack?”

“Yeah, that happens a lot.”

She cocked her head, her gaze moving over his face a little too slowly, a little too carefully, but then her phone beeped, and she reached into her purse to grab it. Thankful for the distraction, Ryan almost exhaled a relieved breath.

She read her message and frowned. An uneasy feeling moved through him. All this talk about ‘Jack,’ had him worried that she’d found out the truth from someone other than him. He needed to tell her, he just needed to figure out how and when. The longer he waited, the harder it was going to be.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

“It’s Jan. She’s at the lobby bar with Lauren and they were hoping I could come by.” She dropped her phone into her purse. “Apparently Lauren’s fiancé just came clean and admitted he’s been cheating on her.”

He scrubbed his hand over his chin. “Shit. You better go.” This would give him the opportunity to make sure his buddy was out of there, and not able to let anything else slip.

“Yeah.”

She stood there for a second. “Thanks for tonight. I had fun.”

He brushed her hair back and rested his hand on her shoulder. “Me, too. And it’s nice to see you recharge and let someone entertain you for awhile instead of the other way around.”

Her brow bunched. “What do you mean?”

“You give a lot to your fans and that can take a lot out of you.”

He used to do the same, until the stalker incident and his need to go incognito. Now he didn’t do book signings or public events, but he did know how hard they could be to introverts like Andi.

She narrowed her eyes, and he could almost hear the wheels spinning. “You sound like you know what you’re talking about.”

He shrugged. Now was not the time to reveal his identity to her. “I’ve seen you with your fans. You adore them as much as they adore you and you gave a little piece of yourself to everyone who came up to get a book signed. That’
s exhausting.
”

She nodded. “When did you get so insightful?”

He leaned in and dropped a kiss onto her mouth. She didn’t jump away, and instead kissed him back. He broke the kiss, then turned her toward the lobby bar. “Go check on your friend.”

He watched her until she disappeared, then looked around for Conrad. When he was nowhere to be found, he hightailed it back to his room. He quickly called his sister to check on her, then jumped in the shower, turning the water to cold. Too bad it did little to help marshal the erection that had been plaguing him since first setting eyes on Andi earlier.

After drying off, he called room service for himself. He pulled on a pair of jeans, jumped into bed, and grabbed the novel she’d autographed for him, still grinning at what she’d written. Andi might have missed the show, but obviously someone had filled her in on the events. Room service came and he brought his sandwich to bed, not wanting to put the book down. He read for a long time, then dropped the book. When sleep wouldn’t come, he jumped from the bed and decided a good long run on the treadmill was in order.

He pulled on his gym clothes and made his way to the mezzanine level. His presence was met with stares and a few friendly waves, as the convention goers sat around chatting late into the night. He looked for Andi, but she was nowhere to be found. He cut down a long hall and found the gym was empty. He wasn’t up for making conversation and simply wanted to run until exhaustion put him to sleep. An hour later, soaking wet, he ran the five flights of stairs back to his room.

He peeled his clothes off, in need of another shower before bed. He climbed in, rinsed off, and was about to put his towel on the hook when a soft knock sounded on his door. It was well past midnight, and he was sure Andi would have been asleep by now. He tied the towel around his waist, crossed the room, and looked through the peephole. When he saw her standing there, still in the evening’s clothes, he pulled open the door. Her eyes met his, tired eyes that looked like they’d been full of tears.

“Hey,” he said pulling her in. “You okay?” He ran his hands through her hair and kissed the top of her head. Even though she was shivering, she melted into him and went silent. He didn’t press. Instead, he just held her, offering his strength and warmth until she was ready to talk.

She rested her head against his chest and yawned. “I didn’t wake you did I?”

“No. I went to the gym and just finished showering.”

She looked up at him, the warm mint on her breath washing over his flesh. Her face was scrubbed and her teeth were brushed, like she was ready for bed, but she was still fully dressed.

“I should go,” she whispered, sagging into him even more. Even though her mouth was saying one thing, her body was telling him another.

“No, I think you should stay. You’re exhausted, mentally and physically. Just crawl in with me. Let me take care of you, okay?” She was always giving and giving, loyal to her friends and fans, but when was the last time someone had taken care of her?

She nodded, her hair tickling his flesh as he led her to his bed. He looked her over. She couldn’t sleep in the clothes she wore all night. He pulled open his duffle bag and grabbed one of his T-shirts. “Here,” he said, tossing it to her, then grabbing a pair of boxer shorts for himself.

“
Thanks.
”

“Have you eaten?”

She nodded, and he darted to the bathroom to brush his teeth and pull on his pants. He stepped back in the room, and found her wearing nothing but his shirt, looking sexy as hell. He damn near bit off his tongue. Christ, he wanted her, but tonight she needed more from him than sex.

He jumped into the bed and tapped the mattress. “Come here.”

She slid in beside him and he slipped his arm around her, pulling her back against his chest. He pushed her hair from her shoulder and kissed the soft hollow of her neck. She exhaled slowly, and he just held her tight.

A long time later, she broke the quiet and said, “Lauren was really hurt. It broke my heart to see her in so much pain.”

He waited to see if she was going to continue, but when she went quiet he said, “This might be too soon to say this, but isn’t it better for her to find out now, before she got in too deep and actually married him?”

Her hair brushed over his face as she nodded. “I know you’re right, and in time she’ll see that.” She yawned again. “I just wish there was a way I could have made her feel better.”

“You’re a good friend, Andi.”

“
Thanks.
” A beat passed and then, “If he wanted to be with someone else he should have just came right out and told her. But apparently it wasn’t that he wanted someone else. He wanted both of them. What a jerk. A person who lies to get what they want is the lowest form of life, don’t you think?”

Ryan swallowed. Hard. “Yeah, but it never would have worked anyway.”

She turned to him. “Why do you say that?”

“I’ve just seen it my whole life. Volatile relationships where everyone cheated. Mom and dad. Their parents. Now I’m waiting for the ball to drop with my sister and her boyfriend.”

“So, I take it that’s why you don’t believe in happily ever after.”

“Yeah, and it’s a pattern I’m not going to perpetuate.”

“You think you’
ll cheat.
”

He gave a hard shake of his head. “No. If I were in love with someone, I’d never cheat. Ever.”

“So, you think she’
ll cheat.
”

“
I guess.
”

She touched his face. “Not everyone cheats, Ryan.”

“Says the
romance
writer who believes in happily ever after.”

“I’m not saying marriage is easy. I just think people have to work hard for what they want, because in the end it’s worth it.”

He snorted. “You sound like Wayne from the dig site.” As he mulled that over, she yawned. He gave her a nudge to turn her. “Let’s get some sleep, okay.” She snuggled in and he threw one arm around her, his heart racing so fast he was sure she could feel it against her back.

It was true, anything worth having was worth fighting for. But what if he took a chance on her and asked for more, only for her to follow the pattern he knew so well?

What if she didn’t?

Not that he’d have to worry about that. When she found out who he really was, shit was going to hit the fan. Technically, he hadn’t lied to her to get what he wanted. He wanted to come clean but she stopped him, wanting the fantasy.

Bloody hell, who was he kidding? She was going to hate him.

Chapter Eleven

A strange noise pulled Andi awake. Still half asleep, she blinked her eyes open and looked around, trying to orient herself. When she found Ryan asleep beside her, emotions bombarded her. Last night he’d been so sweet, holding her tight and comforting her when she was so upset. Her heart swelled and she tried to fight down the things she was feeling. But she didn’t have time for that battle at the moment, not when the tortured sounds grew louder…came closer.

Oh God.

Fear propelling her, she slid her hand across the mattress, slowly, quietly, not wanting to make herself noticed. Her fingers landed on Ryan’s shoulder and she gave him a shake. “Wake up,” she whispered.

“Huh,” he said, rolling onto his back. His eyes opened and closed again, but when the moan grew louder, it sounding like it was coming from the foot of the bed.

He jackknifed up. “Shit.”

“Yeah, that about sums it up,” she whispered, pulling the blankets up until only her eyes were showing. She really did have a thing against ghosts. When she mentioned them in the elevator she thought he did too. So, why the hell would he book himself into a haunted room?

He touched her trembling arm. “You okay?”

Was he serious? “No.”

The moans grew into wails, so loud Andi had no doubt that they’d awakened everyone on the floor by now. Damn, they’d better not think it was her crying out like some wounded animal.

“Stay here. Nothing will happen to you. I promise.” He covered her face, and climbed from the bed. Her ears perked as she listened to him walk around the room. Did the guy have a death wish?

He walked toward the mini-fridge, and the moan grew distant. Was the ghost following him? Now that the spirit had moved, Andi had a direct path to exit to her own room. If she ran she could get inside the safety of her suite in seconds flat. But Ryan told her to stay put so she thought it best to listen to him. Besides, how nice would it be for her to take off and leave him here all by himself?

The room turned cold. Her body felt icy, even with the blankets over her head and she began shivering. Her teeth clanged together, making it hard for her to hear what was going on. Was Ryan trying to communicate with the ghost? What the hell did he think he was, some kind of ghost whisperer?

The phone on the nightstand rang, and she nearly jumped out of her skin. The shrilling sound cut through the room and the moans disappeared as quickly as they started.

Ryan answered, and from his end of the conversation, she knew it was the front desk. He hung up and a moment passed, then another. She felt the mattress compress beside her. She shrieked, and drew the blankets up higher.

“Hey, it’
s just me,
” Ryan said, his voice low, soothing. “Everything is okay.”

She threw the blankets off. “Like hell it is. This room is haunted, and I’m getting out of here right now.” She jumped from the bed, grabbed his hand and dragged him across the room with her.

“Andi, it’s okay, really.”

“No, it’s not.” She snatched her clothes and purse from the chair she had draped them over last night. “
You coming?
”

He touched her cheek, the hard lines on his face softening as his gaze moved over hers. “You really are scared aren’t you?”

“Have you not seen the Grudge?” Her entire body practically convulsed as a shiver raced through her. “Ghosts aren’t my thing.”

“Okay, let’s get you out of here.”

Still dressed in the T-shirt he’d given her last night, she pulled open the door and once again found a group of women in the hallway. Their gazes left hers and turned to Ryan, to his boxer shorts specifically, and the hard ridges the material did little to hide. They glared at him like he was nothing more than a piece of meat and it seriously irked her.

Ryan might lack modesty, standing in the hallway near naked and unashamed, but he was far more than something nice to ogle over. He was kind and thoughtful and last night he’d been sensitive to her needs, caring for her when she was exhausted and upset. Feeling protective of him, she grabbed her keycard from her purse, an unwise pang of jealousy racing through her as the women drooled over him.

“Show’
s over,
” she said, coming to his rescue as she stepped in front of him and opened her door. “Nothing to see here.” She waved a dismissive hand. “Everyone back to their rooms.”

She ushered him into her room and locked the door behind them. He pulled her into his arms, and she melted against him, letting his body warm hers.

“You’re kind of feisty when you want to be,” he said, his voice sounding rough, sexy.

She dropped her belongings on the chair beside the door. “I didn’t like the way they were looking at you.”

“No?”

“No,” she repeated.

“Well, you can’t be upset with them. For some reason they have it in their heads that I’m one of the male models, here to be photographed and admired.”

She cringed, mostly because she didn’t want him here for anyone’s pleasure but her own. “I never should have done that to you. You didn’t deserve that.” She listened to his heartbeat against her ear as his hands raked through her hair. He gave a small tug until she was looking up at him.

“Andi?”

“What?” she asked, placing her hands on his chest and splaying her fingers so she could touch more of him. The instant she felt the strong, rhythmic beat beneath a thick layer of muscle, her body came alive and she knew she had to have him again.

He brushed his hand over her face, a conflicting look in his baby blues as his jaw seesawed back and fourth, stiff one minute slack the next. Did he want to tell her something? She wasn’t sure, but watching his lips move warmed her in all the right places. What he had to say would have to wait, because at the moment she needed him in ways she’d never needed another. Unable to help herself she went up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his, leaving no question about what she wanted at this very moment, and what would have to be postponed until later. A growl crawled out of his throat, and his hands moved to her back, pulling her hard against him.

His fingers slipped under the T-shirt and felt warm and rough against her back. Excitement built in her as he touched her all over. It was almost frightening how much she craved his hands on her, and vice versa. She ran her fingers through his hair, mussing it even more before she reached for his broad shoulders, reveling in his strength, power and virility as they kissed hungrily.

“You’
re still shivering,
” he whispered into her mouth, his hands rubbing her arms to create heat. She was, but not for reasons he was thinking. He captured her hand. “Come with me.”

She followed blindly. She didn’t care where he wanted to take her. All she cared about was that they were together. He guided her to the bathroom and reached behind her curtain to turn on the water. His eyes smoldered with heat and hunger when they locked back on hers. His hands went to the hem of her shirt and she lifted her arms, giving him the answer he was looking for.

He peeled the material from her body, and his blue eyes darkened as her breasts spilled free. He looked his fill, his gaze traveling the length of her body, stimulating every erogenous spot along the way.

His eyes moved back to her face. “You know this is the first time I’ve actually seen you completely naked.”

As he continued to look, longer than was comfortable, staring at her like he could see into the depths of her soul, see the unlovable girl inside, her hands crept over her body as old insecurities rushed back.

He pulled her hands away. “Don’t,” he said, his soft whisper covering her like a warm blanket. “You’
re beautiful, Andi.
”

Her body flushed hotly as she took in the sincerity in his eyes. Her heart thumped with the things she felt for him. She let her hands fall to her sides, everything in the way he was looking at her, and talking to her, making her feel like she could actually be loved. Honest to God, she’d never felt so sexy, so desired by anyone before.

As steam filled the room, he kicked his boxers off. She drank in his rock-hard, gorgeous body, and the stiff erection aimed her way. Her fingers curled. She wanted to touch him in the worst way.

He took her hand in his and helped her into the shower, positioning her under the spray. The warm water felt glorious against her skin. He grabbed her bar of honey-scented soap and ran it over her body. No man had ever washed her before but when it came to him, she was doing a lot of firsts.

His hands slicked over her flesh, arousing her even more as his mouth found hers. God, she loved the taste of him, and would miss his kisses when this was over. That thought had a lump pushing into her throat, so she buried it, not wanting to dwell on anything negative at the moment.

His hand slipped between her legs and her breath caught as he soaped her sex, taking an extra moment to run his thumb over the bundle of nerves that craved his touch. Her legs went weak and she could feel herself unravel like an old frayed pair of shorts. She gripped his shoulders, and his hands went to her breasts, taking his good old time to lather them, too. Once her entire body was coated in sudsy bubbles, he turned her to face the shower, and she felt his erection press into the small of her back as the water ran down the front of her body.

Needing to touch him, to clean every inch of his body, she turned and took the soap from him. She lathered her hands then placed them on his body. She ran them over his shoulders, his chest, then lower until she gripped his throbbing appendage. She stroked him, going all the way from his crown to his base and he placed his hands on the ceiling, looking like he was in total agony.

“Christ,” he murmured, his erection throbbing and tightening. “You know how to make me crazy.”

Taking full possession of him, and wanting to make him just a little bit crazier, she ran her palms over his thickening length and his hips rocked, pushing himself into her hands.

While she wanted to keep touching him, feeling his hardness in her hand all night long, the look in his eyes told her he had other plans. He repositioned them in the shower, and rinsed the soap off his skin. With their bodies clean he turned the water off and grabbed two towels. He quickly dried himself, then knotted the cotton around his waist. His attention turned to her and there was such warm and tenderness in his eyes, her heart missed a beat.

He wrapped her in the towel and looked her over. “Warm now?” he asked.

She took a fueling breath, a burn working its way through her body at his concern. God, he was so sweet. His head cocked, and she realized he was waiting for an answer. Since words were a little beyond her at the moment, she nodded, and he scooped her up, catching her by surprise.

A little yelp sounded in her throat as he carried her to her bed, her wet hair tumbling over her shoulders and wetting her back. She pressed her face against his chest, breathing in the clean scent of his skin, along with that manly aroma that was uniquely his. Everything in his scent stirred her body and steered it into overdrive. Her hard nipples rasped against the cotton covering as he gently tossed her onto the bed, losing his towel before climbing over her.

He pushed her knees open and knelt in between. “Towel off. Now.”

She reached for the knot, and spread it open, reveling her naked body to him once again. The sound of his indrawn breath thrilled her.

“I’ll never get tired of looking at you,” he murmured.

Her gaze moved over him. “Same,” she managed to get past a tongue gone thick. She still didn’
t understand Jan
’s comment on him being a sex popsicle, but she did want to lick him all over.

A tremor moved through her as he pinned her with his weight. Heat suffused her body and she could feel her cheeks grow warm. His hand pushed her damp hair from her forehead, and his eyes moved over her face.

“You’re not afraid anymore, are you?”

“No,” she whispered, expecting his teasing, but what he did instead filled her with a bone deep warmth unlike anything she’d ever felt before.

He brushed soft lips over her mouth, and said, “Good, because I’d never let anything happen to you.”

Her heart squeezed, and in a move she recognized as protective, he drew her closer to the edge of the bed, positioning her near the wall and packaging her in his strong arms, creating a deeper intimacy between them.

She touched him and his muscles tightened. “Fuck,” he murmured. “When you touch me like that…let’s just say it damn near kills me.”

His mouth found hers and pleasure gathered in her core to know how much he liked her touch. She ran her hands over him, scratching his back with her nails. His lips left hers and he buried his face in the hollow of her throat. She angled her head and moaned as he licked the spot on her neck that nearly drove her mad. His fingers ran the length of her side, stroking the outer edges of her breasts and her breath caught. It sure didn’t take him long to learn her likes. No man had taken the time to get to know her body before and the fact that he went through the trouble, even though they’d only agreed to a brief affair, touched her deeply.

His mouth traveled the length of her body, and the warmth of his tongue on her sex ignited a fire in her. He burrowed deep and she writhed, delirious with need. His tongue licked, stroked, and alternated between fast and slow as his fingers worked magic inside her. The man really was a magician. She gripped the sheet to hang on as an orgasm ripped through her. He moaned from deep between her legs and stayed there until the tremors stopped.

His hands pushed her legs together and he climbed up her body. He was about to kiss her again, but went deathly still, a tortured look in his eyes.

“Shit, Andi. I don’t have any condoms.”

“
I do.
” Thank you, Jan.

He gave her a sexy, lopsided grin. “Oh, you do now, do you?” The teasing look on his face was so damn adorable she was sure she was going to melt all over the bed. “I don’t think you’re afraid of ghosts at all. I think you were just trying to lure me to your room to have your way with me.”