Betting on the Wrong Brother (What Happens in Vegas) (12 page)

“There’s no maybe about it,” she said, running her hands over his body. “But I am afraid of ghosts.”

He chuckled and pulled her closer, the soft bristles on his face brushing over her cheek. Tomorrow she’d be chafed, her skin red and bumpy, but she honestly didn’t care. She wanted to wear his marks. He ran the soft pad of his thumb over her cheek, his touch intimate, soft, full of heat and passion.

“Where are they?”

“
My bag,
” she said, pointing to her tote by the door.

He hopped from the bed, and her eyes were glued to his perfect ass as he crossed the room and brought her bag back to her. He climbed between her legs and went up on his knees, ready to sheathe himself. She rooted around inside until she found a condom.

She handed it to him and he turned the package over in his hand. “
Neon pink. My favorite.
”

“Jan had them for a workshop. She was giving lessons on how to put one on a man and make it sexy.”

“
Here.
” He handed it back to her. “I want to watch.”

Her heart jumped. She’d never put a condom on a man before. “I didn’t attend the workshop.”

He arched a brow. “I still want to watch.”

She ripped into the foil, tossed it away and placed the condom on his crown.

He growled. “Fuck, that’s sexy.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “I haven’t even done anything yet.”

“
Doesn
’t matter.” He gripped his hair. “It’
s still sexy.
”

He sounded like a wounded animal as she rolled the condom down his length. When she finished, he pushed her until she was flat out on her back. He fell over her, his smoldering gaze sliding over her face as he pushed into her body.

She sucked in a breath as he filled her, and pulled him tighter against her, unable to get him close enough. He moved, in and out, long deep strokes that were less hurried than before. His tongue brushed the seam of her mouth, searching for a way in. She parted her lips, and he buried himself inside her, like he was seeking more than just release.

Moisture broke out on her body and as they came together as one, slowly, softly, each taking and giving, she could feel a new connection between them. She palmed his muscles as blistering heat exploded, taking her to the edge and leaving her hovering there. She rocked with him, creating a rhythm that took her higher and higher. Hugging him to her, she returned his kisses, the hunger inside her all consuming.

He angled for deeper thrusts, and her climax caught her by surprise. Pleasure resonated through every nerve in her body as wet heat flooded her sex.

“Ryan,” she cried out, holding him tighter, his hot breath washing over her face as he panted right along with her. “So good.”

“Andi, baby, you got me right there.”

“Come with me,” she said as her muscles squeezed him. She cupped his face, and held him as he let go. Their eyes met and held as he pulsed inside her. A whimper escaped her lips as she basked in the glow of her orgasm.

He collapsed on top of her and her thighs hugged his hips, never wanting to leave this position. Her heart settled back to a steady rhythm, and he lifted his head to place a tender, almost loving kiss on her lips. A riot of emotions ran through her. He gave a low growl of satisfaction, rolled to the side, and pulled her close. He ran his hands over her arms, touching her in a possessive way. She angled her head and took in his strong jawline. His lovemaking was different this time, slower, full of tenderness, yet still every bit as potent as the last time. She’d never been so satisfied in her entire life. Honest to God, she could get used to this. Get used to having him in her life permanently.

But he
’d straight up told her he wasn’t into long term relationships and she couldn’t forget that what happened in Vegas stayed in Vegas, right? Or was it possible that there could be more between them? If not, what the hell was she going to do about these things she was feeling for him again?

Chapter Twelve

The week passed by in a flurry of events. Ryan had left the hotel, talked with locals, and visited more haunted sites in the area as he plotted his next book. When Andi was off at one of her panels or chatting with her readers, he spent his time making notes…not to mention thinking about Andi, and when she’d be back in his arms.

They’d spent every night together in her bed, the sex alternating between wild and kinky and soft and tender, each time better than the last. Now, here it was Saturday morning, and the conference was ending tonight after the awards show—
one he
’d won special tickets to, thanks to his moves. A smile touched his mouth. Andi really pulled a fast one on him there.

And more than a dozen times he’d tried to tell her that he was Jack. But every time he said he wanted to confess the truth about something, she’d remind him this was all fantasy. And maybe he’d let her because he didn’t want to ruin their time together. Every moment he spent with her, she wound herself a bit more around his heart.

In a little over twenty-four hours, they’d be flying home, heading off in different directions. He was anxious to get home to see his family, but he had no idea where he and Andi went from here. He’d only been with her one week, but in that short period of time she’d turned his life upside down.

He shifted, and looked at the woman asleep beside him. Her hair was a mess of tangles around the pillow, compliments of a night of lovemaking, and her sheets hovered around her waist. His tongue brushed over his bottom lip as he zeroed in on her beautiful pale nipples. He instantly grew hard. He might have made love to her nearly every night this week, and sometimes even throughout the day, but when it came to her there was a need inside him he couldn’t seem to assuage.

He touched her shoulder lightly, and a soft sexy noise crawled out of her throat. “Time to get up,” he whispered. She’d asked him to wake her early, but they’d both been up until the wee hours of the morning, and she had to be as tired as he was.

“What time is it?” she asked.

“Eight o’clock.”

She rolled, turning her back to him. “It’s too early,” she grumbled.

He grabbed her and pulled her back, then flattened himself over her. “If you don’t get up, you’ll be late.”

A spark backlit her whisky eyes as he pressed her in to the mattress. “I can see you’re already
up
.” She wiggled, until his erection was throbbing against her thigh.

“Oh you’re going to go there, are you?”

She laughed and wiggled some more, teasing and tormenting the living hell out of him.

“If you keep that up, you’re definitely going to be late.”

“If you’re fast…” she said, a wicked gleam in his eyes.

He could do fast. “Condom. Now.”

“I’ll be right back. She rushed to the bathroom and when she came back, she bent over to dig a condom from her bag. Her ass went up in the air, soft, round, and beckoning. Ryan nearly sobbed with pleasure.

He pushed the blankets off and stepped up behind her, pressing his chest to her back as he reached around to run his hands over her breasts.

“Oh,” she said.

He spun her around, and backed her up until she was against the wall. “Yeah,
oh
.”

He grabbed the condom from her, quickly put it on, and shackled both of her hands in one of his. He put them above her head and pushed against her, caging her with his chest as he kissed her mouth with passion and possession. Every nerve in his body was strung tight as he tore his mouth from her lips and went to her neck, to revel in the flavor of her skin. Jesus, he couldn’t get enough of her. She was like a drug and he an addict in need of a fix. She moved against him, blatantly grinding her sex on his leg and he briefly closed his eyes in distress. It was a good goddamn thing she wanted fast and hard, because under the circumstances, there was no other way he’d be able to give it to her.

“Tell me you want me baby? Tell me you want this,” he said, for some reason needed to hear her say.

“I want you, Ryan. I want this.” She bit down on her bottom lip an added, “Fast and hard.”

He dropped her hands, and grabbed her ass, giving her cheeks a good hard squeeze. “If you want it fast and hard, then I’ll give it to you fast and hard,” he said, his voice sounding deep, labored.

Heat colored her cheeks. “And rough,” she said, the anticipation in her voice exciting him. “Don’t forget rough.”

Fuck.

“Legs around me, now,” he ordered as he lifted her clear off her feet. She climbed on, and in one quick push he drove into her, slamming them both against the wall hard enough to rattle the pictures in the room.

She gasped. “Oh my G…”

His mouth found hers and muffled her words as he kissed her, his lips fierce and demanding, wanting…everything…from her. His cock throbbed so hard inside her, his semen had their laces tied and were pushing off the start line before the gun had even cocked.

Their bodies rocked, air left his lungs. Never in his life had sex been so good. She squeezed around him, and he plunged impossibly deeper. Her nails raced over him cutting deeper than ever before.

“Ryan,” she called out, the air around them growing heavy, both of them panting hard as they clung to each other. “Harder,” she cried out as he ravaged her.

He repositioned himself, buried his mouth in her neck and powered into her. She whimpered and moved restlessly against him, her nipples scraping over his chest, as he rode her hard. She tossed her head from side to side, her hair falling over her face, the sexy sight of her making him throb.

He pulled out, only to impale her again, spearing her with his cock and stretching her open until she went delirious in his arms. Hell bent on finding what it was he was searching for, he continued to plunge, continued to take and give until a strange strangled noise crawled out of her throat.

“You feel so good,” she cried out as she let go.

Her hot release was more than he could take. “Fuck,” he growled as his boys hit the finish line, jettisoning into the condom high inside her. His lips found hers and he kissed her so deeply, so thoroughly and with such possession, when he pulled back they were both left shaken. He backed up, his cock slipping from her body as she slid down his hips. Her feet hit the ground and when she wobbled, he held her tight.

For a moment he could not speak, and the two just stared at each other. His gaze moved over her flushed face, taking in her expressive eyes. Was she too thinking about what would happen tomorrow when this convention was over? Or maybe she was thinking that she wanted him again, right now—on the bed, the floor, in the shower. Everywhere. Forever.

“
I don
’t think I can walk,” she said, holding onto his shoulders.

He swallowed, gave her a light tap on the ass, and forced himself to talk. “I’ll help you to the shower, but I’m not getting in. If I do, we’ll never get out of this room.”

“Fair enough,” she said.

He paced the room as she showered. He needed to talk to her, to tell her who he really was and pray to God she didn’t hate him. Today he had to meet with his agent and go over the contract she had for him, and tonight he’d be at the awards ceremony. He at least wanted to wait until all the events were over so they could have a good long talk.

She came from the shower and stood in the doorway. “Your turn,” she said. She was just about to open her towel.

He held his hand up to stop her. “Not yet,” he said, turning to walk past her. “Make sure you’re dressed when I get out. I don’t want to be the guy responsible for you missing your meeting.”

Her soft chuckle curled around him as he closed the door and jumped into the hot spray. He took his time washing, giving her a chance to get ready, and when he stepped in the other room, he found Andi all dressed and set for her meetings.

“What are your plans for the day?” she asked.

“I…uh…have a meeting,” he said, not wanting to tell her it was with Cassandra. “Then tonight it’s the awards ceremony.”

“Right, soldier boy who won the male model contest gets a special seat at the nominees table.” She grabbed her tote bag and a frown pulled at her brow when she looked back at him. “Who is your meeting with?”

“
A colleague,
” he said, glossing over the truth.

She touched his cheek. “You seem nervous.”

He closed his hand over hers. “No, I’m fine. Just thinking about heading back, and Allie. She should be having her baby soon.”

Andi briefly lowered her head. When he touched her chin and lifted it, she gave him a smile but he could tell it was forced. “Okay, I’ll see you tonight, then.”

He touched her arm to stop her. They really needed to talk. “Andi, tonight. We need to talk.”

“Okay.”

She blinked up at him and his heart squeezed. Christ, when had lust turned into so much more?

He dropped his hand. “Go, you’ll be late.”

He inched back, guilt from his lie swamping him. He’d fallen for her. Hard. As a sworn bachelor he had no idea what to do about it. And of course, he couldn’t forget that she had no idea who he really was. Talk about a fucked situation.

Chapter Thirteen

Andi wiped her mouth with her cotton napkin and glanced around the wide expanse of ballroom, the awards ceremonies well under way at this late hour. She strived to focus, but ever since she’d spotted Ryan having coffee with some woman—his colleague—an uneasy feeling had been plaguing her stomach and filling her with dread. Who exactly was she and how were they colleagues?

There was a connection between her and Ryan, one she was sure he felt every bit as much as she did, but just before he saw her out the door, he put a degree of distance between them, saying they needed to talk. It was a small measure, but it might as well have been a chasm. The week was coming to a close. Was this his way of letting her know things were over between them? Or maybe he was feeling the same things she was, and didn’t know where they went from here. Did she dare hope?

Fortunately, her day went by quickly, filled with numerous convention activities that kept her mind off Ryan for the most part. The emcee tapped the microphone, dragging her thoughts back. The lights dimmed and because nervousness about their future had slayed her appetite, the plate of food in front of her had gone untouched. Jan leaned into her and nudged her with her shoulder.

“Looks like lover boy is having a good time.”

Andi looked across the room to see Ryan sitting at the table filled with nominees, the women all dressed in beautiful gowns and jewels. Many looked at Ryan with interest, leaning a little too close, touching him a little too intimately. He flirted back, looking sexy in his jeans and T-shirt and she couldn’t blame them for wanting a piece. How could she be jealous? She was the one who’d thrust him into a game and he was doing his best to play the part, all in the name of literature.

There was no denying that she’d fallen for the boy who’d grown into a man full of surprises, a man who could rival any hero in any romance novel. A gentleman by day, a bad boy by night. Did it get any better than that?

Their affair had an expiry date, but the thoughts of never seeing him again sat like a rock in the pit of her stomach. How could she possibly walk away without finding out where he stood? To see if there could be more between them? Sure, he’d said he wasn’t into happily ever after, but the passion and possession in his touch, the heat and hunger in his eyes spoke of something deeper. She drew a breath and let it out slowly.

What the hell was she supposed to do now?

She already knew the answer to that. The only way for her to find out where they stood was to gather her bravado, march over to his room—despite the ghost—and lay her feelings on the line. She also needed to come clean and tell him this bad girl act was simply that, an act. The part she’d been playing wasn’t really her. She’d never before seduced a guy, kissed passionately in an elevator, or shared a moment under the starlit sky. Although now that she had…

Seriously though, she’d started out pretending to be brazen to get revenge, then it turned into getting good story ideas. Then again, maybe that really was another part of her personality and it just took the right man to bring it out in her.

Regardless, what started out one way had certainly ended in another, because she wanted him, and when he touched her, kissed her, looked deep into her soul, he made her feel loveable, wanted. He made her want to take down the wall she’d constructed around her heart and trust in him, see if there could be more between them.

Her mind raced for the remainder of the night, and when the ceremony was over, she excused herself and hurried back to her room. Once inside, she paced, waiting for him to return. Equal amounts of nervousness and excitement welled up inside her as the minutes ticked by.

A sound outside her door gained her attention. She darted across the room and looked through her peephole. When she found the hall empty, she glanced at the keycard Ryan had left in her room. Maybe she’d let herself in, and wait for him to return. Knowing they needed to talk, she pulled up her proverbial big girl bloomers, opened her door, and walked across the hall.

She pushed the keycard into the slot and opened his door, surprised to find Ryan inside.

Her head came back with a start. “I didn’t know you were back.”

His smile fell when he saw her and her heart sank in response. He pushed agitated hands into his pants, and shot a glance to his closed bathroom door. “What are you doing here?”

“Ah…you said you wanted to talk.” Her mind raced to the women fawning over him tonight, to the colleague he’d met for a drink, but she quickly squashed those thoughts, not wanting to think anything negative about Ryan. He made her feel special, wanted. Would he have done that if he didn’t care, if this was just an affair?

He glanced at the bathroom door again. “I just never thought you’d step foot in this room again. Why don’t I meet you in your room in a few minutes.”

What the hell? He was acting like someone was in the room with him. Unease burst inside her, old insecurities coming back to haunt her.

“You want me to leave?” she asked quietly.

He rushed around the room, gathering papers and notepads and stuffing them into a folder, like he’d been banking on her never returning to his room. Papers spilled and he quickly gathered them, keeping them from her view. Was he trying to hide something?

“This room is haunted, remember? I just don’t want you getting scared again.”

There was more going on here. She could feel it in every fiber of her being. “What are you doing?” she asked.

Anxiety poured off him and thickened the room. “Nothing I…”

He stopped talking, and she was about to cross the room when a buzzing sound on the table beside her drew her focus. She looked down at his cellphone as it vibrated on the table.

She blinked several times. Her sleep-deprived brain taking a moment to digest and assimilate what she was looking at. Oh God! The text, along with the image on the screen, was like a hard slap in the face. She blinked again, but when she opened her eyes, there was no denying who she was looking at. The resemblance between brothers was uncanny, and she could see how the mistake could be made, but on the screen she was looking at the grown up version of Nolan Wheeler. No mistake about it.

How’s it going? Does she still think you’re me?

Equal measures of anger and embarrassment hit at the same time and gripped her hard. Her throat constricted, and she stepped away from the phone like it was about to explode. She stumbled, her legs barely working, as all the pieces clicked into place.

“Andi,” Ryan said, hurrying to her. He reached for her but she stepped back, never wanting to be touched by him again. His glance went from her, to the phone, then back to her. “Shit.”

“Shit?” she said quietly, her tone belying the storm going on inside her. “That’s all you have to say?”

“Andi… I… I didn’t want you to find out like this.”

“It’s Jack, right?” she asked, hating the sudden tremble in her body.

He hesitated a moment and said, “It’s not what you think.”

She gave a humorless laugh. “Really? So you’re not Jack, pretending to be Nolan, and going by Ryan?”

He gripped a fistful of hair, the muscles along his arm flexing and clenching. “Yes, wait, no—”

Tears pricked at her eyes. She’d never felt so stupid, so foolish in her entire life. She thought he was Nolan, thought he liked her. “I can’t believe I fell for it—again.” Apprehension surged inside her, and her voice came out unnaturally high. She forced herself to take a breath so she could think straight, make sense of the situation.

“You didn’t fall for anything. This isn’t the same. I know what happened between you and Nolan—”

“Of course you do!” She’d been sleeping with Jack. Jack Wheeler. The two brothers must have been having a hell of a time. She could only imagine the stories they were telling, the laughs they had behind her back.

“He’s sorry for what he did,” he said quietly.

“Sorry? How can he be sorry? If he was, he wouldn’t still be playing with my head…and my heart.”

God, she should have fled when she had the chance. She should have stuck to her original plan, then none of this would have happened. How could she have fallen for his tricks again? She shook her head, disgusted with him…disgusted with herself.

“Nolan has nothing to do with this. This is about me and you.” He spoke slowly, like he was weighing his words carefully, but how could she believe anything that came out of his mouth?

“He kind of has something to do with it since you were pretending to be him. You lied to me. Tricked me into believing you were him. Why? So you could keep me in your bed?”

“Technically, I told you I wasn’t that guy.”

“Technically, you’re an asshole, no better than Lauren’s fiancé. Lying to get what you want.”

“It wasn’t like that. I never really lied, and I tried to tell you, but you wanted the fantasy.”

He may have been right, but he’d also understood that she believed he was Nolan the whole time.

“Withholding the truth is the same as lying, and did you forget you told me your name was Ryan?”

He took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. He held his hands up, like he was laying all his cards on the table. “Here’s the complete truth. My full name is Jack Ryan Grayson Wheeler. A few years ago, after a stalker incident, I dropped my first and last and go only by my middle names.”

“A stalker incident? What are you talking about?”

He grabbed a fistful of papers from the file he’d been stuffing them into and held them out.

“What’s that?”

“Notes on my next story. I’m horror writer Parker Perry. I had a stalker a few years back. Since then I’ve had to go under the radar.” He looked at the bathroom door again. “I wanted to tell you all this. It just wasn’t the right time.”

She blinked, hardly able to believe what she was hearing. Her mind raced, piecing things together. “I guess that’s how you knew so much about writing, and why you’re staying in the room that’s haunted. You were here doing research.” She shook her head. “Was I just a fun distraction for you and Nolan?” She fought back the tears pricking her eyes.

“
Andi listen
—”

He reached for her but she pulled away. “All those times you said you couldn’t write a romance novel, were you just mocking me? Were you just playing with me, insulting the genre, because you’re one of those writers who thinks what I do is a joke?”

“No. I respect what you do. I couldn’t write a romance book to save my soul.”

“Soul? If you had a soul, you wouldn’t have pretended to be your brother so you could get me in your bed.”

“It wasn’t to get you in my bed. I tried to tell you the truth, but I didn’t think you really wanted to know. Every time I brought it up, you shot me down. And I’ll be honest, I didn’t want you to run.”

“Why?”

“I wanted to get to know you.” He took a step closer. The blue in his eyes deepened and a muscle in his jaw ticked as he touched her face. “Andi, I’m sorry. I’m so damn sorry. I wanted to tell you, but as time went by, I didn’t know how. I never meant to hurt you. You have to believe me.”

She paused, wanting desperately to believe him—for him to love her, the real her, not the girl she was pretending to be. “Why do I have to believe you?”

“Because I—”

Just then the bathroom door opened and out walked the woman she’d seen him meeting with earlier that afternoon. Her heart sank, all hope fading. Ryan stiffened and his hand fell from her face. A sound caught in her throat as she backed up.

“It’s not what you think,” he said quickly.

Her stomach clenched like she’d just been sucker punched. Actually, a sucker punch might have been less painful. A laugh in the face might have been, too. He made her think that he cared, that she was loveable, yet here he was with another woman. One who was beautiful, thin, and exuded confidence—the kind of girl the Wheeler brothers gravitated toward. How could she have been so stupid? How could she have let herself believe he could fall for someone like her?

She choked back the tears. Ryan had been pretending to be someone he wasn’t and so was she, and now it appears he didn’t know her any more than she knew him. “Don’t worry about it. It’s not what you think, either. I was only using you to get a story,” she said, reconstructing the wall around her heart as she backed out of his room and his life.

…

Ryan stood there, cringing as she slammed the door in his face. His hands shook as he drove them into his pockets, trying to calm himself, to figure out how to make this right. He couldn’t let her walk away, couldn’t let her leave things like this. She knew as well as he did that things might have started out one way, but now their feelings went deeper than sex.

He hadn’t meant to hurt her, hadn’t meant to keep his identity a secret for so long, but as the days went by, the harder and harder it became to tell her.

“Ryan?”
Cassandra asked.
“What’s going on?”

He turned to his agent and swallowed the bile punching into his throat. Now she thought he was here with another woman. Why wouldn’t she? He told her he believed everyone cheated. Then again, he told her if he was in love, he’d never cheat. But why would she believe he cared anything about her after the lies?

“I just fucked up, that’s what.”

Cassandra picked up the contract he’d collected from her and read through earlier that day. “It seems the self-proclaimed bachelor is in over his head,” she said.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, working to wrap his brain around what had just happened. “Yeah, it seems that way.”

Cassandra tucked the manila envelope into her bag. “So, what are you going to do about it?”

Fight for her.

The answer came quickly, no hesitation. Andi was sweet, kind, and loyal. He’d seen her with her friends, fans…him. She definitely wasn’t the kind of girl to cheat or hurt anyone, and it was damn well time he grew a set and went after what he wanted.

He pulled open his door and crossed the hall. His fist pounded, but she refused to answer. Hell, he didn’t even know if she was in there.

“Andi,” he said. “Come on. We need to talk.” He continued to pound on her door, until guests started peeking at him through their doors, and eventually security showed up. Not wanting to cause anymore of a scene, he went back to his room, Cassandra long gone.