Endless Nights

The sex is crazy good. Is it crazier to want something more?

Vegas Nights, Book 2

Andrea and her two best friends have shed their nurses’ scrubs for a long-awaited weekend in Las Vegas, and nothing—flight delays, lost luggage, or the slightly weird guy with the sketchy invite to an exclusive bash—is going to stop their fun.

Within minutes of arriving at the opulent party, she’s deep in conversation with gorgeous, funny Luke Nelson, wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks. For some crazy reason, he can’t seem to keep his eyes—or hands—off her.

Luke isn’t looking for a hookup, he just wants to relax…until he gets one look at the classy brunette in the barely there dress. One minute they’re talking, the next they’re all over each other in a dark corner. It’s like he’s an addict and she’s the fix he’s been searching for all his life.

One night of hot sex isn’t nearly enough. But after a weekend spent never more than a few inches apart, the time is quickly approaching when they’ll have to make a long-distance relationship work—or break it off.

Warning: A lady who wants to go a little wild, a good-guy pro athlete who likes a little sass with his class, crazy good sex, and a crazy ex.

Endless Nights

Karen Erickson

Chapter One

“Heads up, baby doll. Sexy boyfriend has got his eyes on you and I think he’s headed straight for us.”

It took a moment for James’s words to sink into Andrea’s head. Her newfound friend was quick with the one-liners, and since she’d already slammed a glass of champagne in a matter of minutes on an empty stomach, she was feeling a little woozy.

“Who?” She glanced around, squinting into the dimly lit room. There were a lot of people there. Beautiful people. Expensive-looking people, dressed in designer clothes, their bored expressions telling. Like they’d done and seen it all.

Andrea felt like she hadn’t seen or done anything beyond studying for nursing school, graduating, getting a job and then working her butt off. This girls’ weekend in Las Vegas was her chance to let off some steam and have fun.

James inclined his head. “Mr. Tall, Broad and Handsome over there. He’s checking you out, gorgeous. Not that I can blame him.”

“I have no idea who you’re talking about,” she murmured, feeling self-conscious. It was the dress. Had to be. Black and skimpy, it barely covered her butt. Her friends Reagan and Natalie had reassured her that she looked amazing in it. Andrea wasn’t so sure. She’d never worn anything this short in her life, beyond a swimsuit.

The skimpy panties she wore underneath weren’t helping either. She felt completely exposed, especially when James kept insisting someone was checking her out. She tugged at her skirt and James reached out to slap her hand away.

“Ow!” She shook her hand, taking a step away from him. “Why did you hit me?”

“Because you’re ruining the lines of that dress by constantly pulling on it,” he said irritably. “The skirt is not going to magically grow, honey, no matter how much you want it to.”

“My ass is hanging out,” she reminded him, turning so her back was to James and not the crowd—or her mystery man. “And I don’t see anyone checking me out.”

“They are
all
checking you out because you’re so disgustingly beautiful, but only one has set his sights on you.” James grinned and batted his eyelashes, making Andrea giggle. “Ah, here he comes. Oh my, you couldn’t do much better than this one. I think he’s perfect for you. So big and strong and those hands…it is a damn shame he plays for the other team.”

Andrea rolled her eyes at James’s dramatics. Funny how at ease she felt with him, though they’d only met a few hours ago at the shops in Caesars Forum. One minute she and her friends were passing the time looking around while waiting for their luggage to show up at their room, and the next, they were being encouraged by the very man standing next to her to buy the most expensive dresses ever so they could attend a very private, very exclusive party.

She’d already lost sight of her friend Reagan, who had taken off with the host of the party, actor Declan Carter. Natalie—Andrea checked the room yet again, looking for her friend. Nope, she’d disappeared too.

“My, my, aren’t you looking particularly manly tonight?” James practically cooed.

Andrea turned around and stopped short at the giant man standing in front of them. She was no shrimp. In fact, she hated how tall she was because a good, tall man was hard to find for whatever reason, but this guy…he was huge.

“Jimmy,” the man said, his voice deep and rumbly and sending a scattering of goose bumps all over her skin.

James huffed out a breath. “You know I hate it when you call me that.”

“I do.” The man smiled. Oh dear, and what a smile it was. Andrea swore her knees gave out a little. “Don’t be rude. Introduce me to your friend.” He flicked his chin in her direction.

“This is Andrea. She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” James gushed, pressing his hand against the center of her back and giving her a little shove toward the man. “And Andrea, this is Luke Nelson.”

“Um, hi.” She gazed up at him, caught by his magnetic eyes. They were so dark, his close-cropped hair a light golden brown, his face hard chiseled planes off set by the softest looking lips she’d ever seen.

“Hi.” He took her hand, dwarfing it with his own, and gave it a soft squeeze. “How do you know James?”

“I picked her up at the Forum,” James said, sounding bored. “Brought her and her friends here tonight.”

Luke cocked a brow. He still hadn’t let go of her hand. His palm was wide and warm, his fingers long and the tips rough. Like he worked with his hands. He wore a soft-looking button-down black shirt and dark jeans, and he smelled incredible. “Picked her up at the Forum?”

Andrea withdrew her hand from his, her cheeks hot. “You make us sound like hookers you picked up off the street,” she muttered out of the side of her mouth, making James laugh.

“Oh, that’s rich. Yeah, I did, didn’t I? Sorry, baby doll. I’m just a little moody after Luke here called me by my least favorite nickname.” James leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before he turned his attention to Luke. “She’s a nurse. So are her friends. They’re sweet girls from L.A. looking for a weekend adventure. Maybe you can deliver.”

Now both of Luke’s brows went up. “I’m always up for an adventure.”

“I’m sure,” James drawled, reaching out to pat Luke’s arm. He frowned. “You do have the biggest muscles I’ve ever come across. Here, honey. Feel his biceps.”

Oh, good lord. Cheeks burning, she followed James’s lead and touched Luke’s upper arm. It was like pressing into a rock. Solid. It didn’t give, but it was warm. Firm.

Very, very firm. She couldn’t help but wonder if he was that hard everywhere…

“I’ll leave you two to get acquainted. I need another drink.” Before Andrea could protest, James was gone.

She watched his retreating back, feeling at a loss. She didn’t know how to act around gorgeous, made-of-stone men. Her throat dried up and her mind was a whirl with possibilities. None of them good. All of them bad. She might say something stupid. Worse? She might
do
something stupid. And ruin her chance at flirting with a really handsome guy. Like, the most handsome guy she’d ever been around before.

Okay. It was the champagne talking. It had to be. One glass and she was down? What sort of lightweight was she?

“So you’re really a nurse?” Luke asked, breaking through her all-over-the-place thoughts.

“Um, yes.” She turned to face him. “I am.”

He smiled, revealing dazzling white teeth. “Do you like it?”

“Definitely. It’s hard work, but very rewarding.” She winced. How much more like a commercial could she sound? “What do you do?”

His smile faded. “Uh, I play football.”

Wait a minute. “You do?”

“Yeah.” He nodded. “For the Seahawks. I’m a running back.”

“Oh.”
Oh.
The Seahawks. Like, professional football. Holy. Shit. “That’s Seattle, right?”

“Uh-huh. Though I’m a California native,” he said. That smile was back, softer this time. He looked really pleased with himself. She wondered why.

She wondered if it had anything to do with her.

Of course not. He’s a professional football player who you didn’t even recognize and he probably has scads of women falling at his feet at any given moment.

Where are all those women right now? Why weren’t they vying for his attention?
Because he’s gorgeous. And he seems sweet. Oh, and he smells so good.
She took a step toward him, inhaling as discreetly as possible, her eyelids wavering when his intoxicating scent hit her.

Wow. Citrus? Yes. Mixed with spice and something else. Something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. But he smelled rich and clean and so freaking delicious. She exhaled slowly, tucking a stray hair behind her ear and trying to play it cool.

“Did you just smell me?”

Whoops. Yeah. Guess she wasn’t so cool after all.

This girl, Andrea, in her skimpy dress with the barely contained breasts and her ass practically hanging out, was messing with his head. Didn’t help matters that she just inhaled him like he was some sort of drug and she was desperate for a hit.

Yeah. He kind of liked that. A lot.

She blinked up at him, all doe-eyed innocence despite the scrap of a dress. Her hair was dark and glossy, as were her eyes. Bee-stung lips that she was currently licking, the sight of her little pink tongue making his skin tighten. Her bare shoulders gleamed beneath the soft light glowing down upon her, and he wondered if they were as smooth as they looked.

He suddenly, desperately wanted to find out.

“Come with me,” he said, slipping his arm around her so his hand settled at the base of her spine. She stiffened beneath his touch, the air between them turning electric, and then she started to walk, following along beside him.

“Where are we going?” she asked. Her voice was low, sexy. Her hips swished when she walked, and it would take nothing for his hand to drop and settle on her ass.

But he kept it on her back, feeling like a jerk for even thinking such a thing. Hadn’t he had enough of easy one-night stands? Ever since he went professional—hell, in college too—women threw themselves at him. Everyone wanted a piece of him. It was all take, take, take and with nothing left to give…he was sick of it.

Had been sick of it for years.

This woman didn’t even recognize him. Looked at him as if he were a complete stranger when they were introduced, and wasn’t that something? He remembered back in the day when that sort of thing used to insult the shit out of him.

Don’t you know who I am?

Jesus, he’d been such an asshole.

Now he found her lack of knowledge refreshing. A relief, even. He’d been playing for a few years now and while he was on top of the world professionally, personally, he was sick of the crap.

So when Declan invited him to Las Vegas for the weekend, he’d thought, why not? Intense practices started soon, with the preseason following. Soon he’d get caught up in the regular season and have no time for any fun.

Andrea was perfectly normal. Stunningly beautiful, no doubt about it, but being around her for only a few minutes, he could tell she was grounded. Focused—and not focused on becoming an actress or model or someone famous, like so many of the women he was used to meeting. She was a nurse, for the love of God. That meant she actually wanted to help people.

He was down with that.

“We’re not leaving the party, are we?” she asked, sounding alarmed.

“No, I just wanted to find us some more privacy,” he reassured her, stopping when they were in the darkest, farthest corner of the room.

She glanced around, her teeth catching her bottom lip. Damn, that was sexy.
She
was sexy. “So. Are you a friend of Declan’s?”

“I am. We’ve known each other for a long time.” So long he could hardly remember how they met. Elementary school? That had to be it. Or maybe peewee football league. “Where are your friends?”

“Reagan took off with Declan almost as soon as we got here. I don’t know where Natalie is. I’m guessing James is keeping tabs on her.”

“I’m sure she’s fine.” He still hadn’t removed his hand from the small of her back, so he drew her into him, slowly. Subtly. She took a step forward as if she had no will over her feet, and he wanted to smile. “Were you really smelling me earlier?”

She nodded, dropping her head, a little smile teasing the corner of her lips. She had nice lips. Full and juicy and ripe for kissing. “Maybe.”

“Are you embarrassed?”

Andrea shrugged. “It’s not every day I get called out for smelling someone. It’s sort of weird.”

“You think so?” He pulled her in a little bit more and she took another step, lifting her head so her gaze met his. “Well, let me return the favor.”

Before she could protest, say a word, do anything, he leaned in, his face pressed against her neck as he inhaled deeply. Ah, Christ, she smelled fucking unbelievable. Sweet and soft and mysterious, and hell, was that his dick twitching in his pants?

Yep, it sure was.

Her soft gasp when he lightly nuzzled her neck with his nose told him she was just as affected by him as he was by her. “So?” she asked shakily, settling her hands on his chest as if to push him away.

He stiffened beneath her touch, withdrawing so he could meet her gaze once more. “So what?”

She curled her fingers into his shirt, her nails grazing against his skin and making him stiffen. “Do I pass the test?”

“What do you mean?”

“Smell plays a huge part in two people being—attracted to each other,” she said breathlessly.

“You don’t say.” She was standing so close now that her chest brushed against his with her every inhalation. Her hands were still curled into his shirt, tugging lightly, like she wanted to draw him closer.

Luke was down with that. He didn’t normally move this fast, but nothing that was happening with this girl was what he usually did.

“So tell me.” She released his shirt, her hands remaining sprawled across his shirtfront. “Did I pass the test?”

“If you’re asking do I like your scent, that would be a yes.” He slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her in so her body was flush with his. “Because you smell like fucking heaven,” he murmured.

Just before he kissed her.