What Happens in Vegas... (3 page)

He ran a hand over the leg Evie had draped across his lap, and she sighed contentedly. “Starlight closes at four. We should probably get dressed.”

Evie switched from sensual to shy in a heartbeat; the woman who’d clawed his back and screamed his name—repeatedly—couldn’t seem to meet his eyes now. A blush stained her cheeks as modesty returned about three hours too late, and she fumbled for her clothes.

“Um, okay…sure. Just give me a minute.”

Her face was redder than the desert sunset, and she practically ran for the attached bathroom, giving him a lovely view of her backside as she retreated.

He untangled his own clothes and pulled his shirt on over his head, surprised to find that the scent of Evie’s perfume clung faintly to it. The smell wasn’t a familiar one—he couldn’t place it. It was heady, yet subtle, exotic and unique.

Much like Evie.

She was tempting and seductive, yet there was a wholesome genuineness underneath. She seemed cautious to approach new things—even hesitant at times—but she had an adventurous streak that couldn’t be denied. Her honeyed Texas drawl wasn’t affected, but it gave way sometimes to something else, leading him to believe she wasn’t a true Dallas native.

Part of him thought she had to be from that Southern aristocracy he’d heard about; she had class, elegance and she could be unbelievably polite and well-mannered. At the same
time, she lacked that air of superiority Old-Money people had: that belief they were somehow better than everyone else just because great-grandpa once owned half the town.

He had personal experience with Old Money and New Money. Vegas was full of New-Money people—hell, he was one of them—and he far preferred the New Money over the Old, even if he was, technically,
biologically
at least, both.

Evie returned—dressed, hair somewhat tamed—but still looking as if she’d been…well, having sex for the last four hours. Her lips were slightly swollen, and her jaw was a little red from where his stubble had rubbed.

Still not quite able to make eye contact, Evie retrieved her shoes from under the table and grabbed her purse. “I’m ready,” she claimed, as she hurried to slide her feet into the strappy silver sandals.

“Don’t rush. No one’s going to be banging down the door.”

“Well, I don’t want Dave to get in trouble for letting us up here.”

He bit back a smile at that.

“Here. Take these.” She pushed glassware into his hands and started straightening the cushions on the couch.

“You don’t have to do that, Evie.”

“If this room wasn’t supposed to be used tonight, they’ll know someone was up here when they see the mess.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Evie frowned. “Nick…”

With no way to explain that wouldn’t tell her more about his finances than he wanted her to know, he bit his tongue and took the empty glasses.

Evie
had
to notice the number of strange looks sent their way as they came down the stairs. Earlier, when the place had been hopping, only a few people had noticed he was here. Now, with so few customers still hanging on, he could see the questions on every face of the Starlight staff.

Evie’s cheeks grew redder and redder and her feet moved faster, until she was out the door in almost a full trot. Outside, she leaned against a wall and covered her face with her hands. “Oh, my
God,
that was so embarrassing.”

“What?”

“Did you not see everyone staring at us? I felt like I was carrying a giant neon sign that said We Just Had Sex.”

He laughed, but smothered it with a cough when Evie turned stormy eyes on him. “It’s not funny.”

“You don’t know these people, and you’ll never see them again, so why do you care?”

Evie leaned her head back against the concrete wall. “I guess you’re right. That only makes it
slightly
less embarrassing.”

He’d never seen anyone die of embarrassment before, but Evie had to be close, so he took pity on her, even though he was loath to end their evening. “It’s late, and I have to work in the morning. I’ll take you back to your hotel. Where are you staying?”

“The Bellagio.” Her voice sounded small and he wondered why.

A taxi coasted to a stop, and he opened the door for Evie to climb in. In the backseat, Evie seemed even more withdrawn, a huge change from her brightness earlier. Unable to ask why when the cabbie was listening, he settled for lame small talk. “That’s a nice hotel. Have you had a chance to explore it?”

“Not really. Bennie—Sabine,” she corrected, “and I did a little shopping earlier today.”

“Bennie’s the friend who came with you?”

Evie nodded. “But I haven’t been to the casino yet. I’m not much of a gambler.”

“Don’t like it?”

“Don’t know how to play any of the games. I’ve played penny-ante poker with my brother and blackjack on my laptop, but that’s about it.”

“I could teach you.” Why had he offered that? He hadn’t been in a casino in years.

“You’d do that?” Evie brightened considerably. Maybe she really did want to learn to gamble.

“If you’d like.”

Her mood improved exponentially at that point, and by the time they pulled in at the Bellagio, Evie was almost back to her earlier self.

Including using her best manners. “I had a great time tonight, Nick. Thank you.”

“My pleasure.”
Understatement of the year.

A Bellagio doorman opened the taxi door, and Nick slid out and extended a hand to Evie. Once she was on her feet, he slid a hand under her chin and turned her face up for a kiss.

Evie’s response was as voracious as before, and he let the kiss continue until the cabbie started complaining about the wait. Evie stepped back, another adorable blush rising over her cleavage.

“Do you know the bar that overlooks the fountain?”

She nodded.

“Meet me there at seven tonight.”

Evie’s smile could be breathtaking, especially when she rose up on her tiptoes to kiss him one last time before finally turning to the doorman patiently holding the lobby door open.

At the door, she turned and waved.

He directed the cabbie to take him back to The Zoo, where he had left his car in a not-great alley off a side street. At the time, he only planned to be in the club for a couple of hours, tops. If he’d known it would be more like six, he’d have found a safer spot. Hopefully, it would still have a stereo and all four tires when he returned.

Hell, who was he kidding? He didn’t care, even as he noticed the broken window. A night with Evie was well worth the consequences.

E
VIE FELT LIKE SKIPPING
through the Bellagio lobby, but ladies didn’t skip through hotel lobbies. She stamped down the urge.

She’d just had what was possibly the best night of her entire life, and even better, Nick wanted to do it
again
tonight. Ladylike or not,
that
thought put a bounce in her step anyway.

Even at this time of the night—or technically, morning—the lobby was active, the employees greeting her politely as if she didn’t look as if she’d just come in after a night of debauchery. She should feel exposed and embarrassed, since it was obvious what she’d been up to, but she realized that probably wasn’t an uncommon occurrence in Las Vegas.

And, as Nick had reminded her, it’s not as if she’d ever see these people again.

In the elevator, she slipped out of her shoes and stretched tiredly. The adrenaline and endorphin rush she’d been on all night dissipated quickly now that Nick wasn’t around to fuel it, and exhaustion settled heavily on her shoulders. An enormous yawn cracked her jaw, and she really, really needed to sleep.

She closed the door to the suite behind her quietly. Sabine’s shoes and evening bag were on the couch, and the door to her room was shut. Evie had no way of knowing if Bennie was alone in there or not.

And to be honest, she was too tired to care.

Evie collapsed on her bed and stared at the ceiling. She was keyed up mentally, sated physically and totally exhausted. She should shower, maybe eat something, but her legs felt too heavy to move. Getting out of her clothes almost sounded like far too much work, but she managed to shimmy out of them and wrap a robe around herself before she pushed the button to close the drapes and crawled under the covers.

When she closed her eyes, Nick’s face was there. She could feel the imprint of his hands on her hips, taste him on her lips, hear that low growl. She wanted to relive every moment and savor the anticipation of tonight, but sleep was dragging her under quickly…

“Jeez, Evie, wake up. How hungover are you?”

Evie felt Sabine land on her bed next to her. “I’m not hungover. Just tired,” she mumbled. “Go ’way.”

“The day is half-over, and I still haven’t heard about your night. What time did you get in, anyway?”

“Dunno. Four-ish. Maybe?” She pulled the pillow over her head as Bennie pushed the button controlling the drapes and light flooded the room. “Late.”

“Way to go, Evie! I want details. Graphic ones.” Sabine shook her shoulder. “Spare nothing.”

Evie pried open her eyes and looked at the clock. After ten. “You lie. The day is not half-over. Wake me in another couple of hours.” She could go back to the dream where she and Nick were swimming in that cove not far from where she grew up on St. Kitts…

“Evie Harrison, I am
dying
for details.” Another shake. “Get up or I’ll call Will and tell him you stayed out all night.”

She didn’t believe Bennie would do such a horrible thing, but…“Fine. I’m up.” She untangled herself from the covers and sat up slowly.

Sabine giggled as Evie pushed her hair out of her faced and yawned. “You look awful.”

Bennie, as always, looked like one of Botticelli’s angels: adorable round face, curly blond hair, big blue eyes. Petite, thin and perky, Bennie was the perfect debutante. On the outside, at least. On the inside, she was more trouble than a biker gang at a Sunday School picnic. Sabine—unbeknownst to her family—was what Uncle Marcus would call a Bad Influence. It was why they were such good friends. “Thanks, Bennie. Just what I needed to hear. I feel awful, too.”

Sabine handed her a bottle of water and eyed her critically. “Good thing I made reservations at the spa. It’ll take them all afternoon just to take care of those bags under your eyes.”

“Oh, that sounds excellent.” Evie unscrewed the lid and drank deeply. Some of the cobwebs left her mind, and she felt better almost immediately. Nick had warned her that the desert air would dehydrate her. “How was your night? You and Toby have a good time? His name
was
Toby, right?”

Bennie smiled angelically. “What Toby lacks in finesse, he more than makes up for in enthusiasm and stamina. He’s not the sharpest tool in the shed, but who needs conversation, anyway?” Bennie nudged her. “If I want to talk, I’ll call you.”

Evie scrubbed a hand over her face as she laughed. “I’m glad you had a good time.”

“I
am
a little achy this morning.” Rolling onto her back, Bennie stretched, then grinned. “But enough about me. I want to know who
you
hooked up with. I nearly died when I saw your text, and then when I beat you back to the room, I couldn’t believe it. Spill.”

“His name’s Nick.” A little smile tugged at her mouth.

Bennie nearly crowed. “I know that smile. Was he that good-looking or just that good?”

“Both. Tall, dark, drop-dead-oh-my-God
gorgeous.
Broad
shoulders. Great arms, too.” Evie sighed, feeling like a school-girl with a crush.

Bennie echoed her sigh. “Oh, I love good arms.”

“I had a fabulous time, though.” Evie scooted to the head of the bed and leaned against the headboard.

“I can tell.”

“Not just
that.
” She tried for a disapproving frown, but Bennie laughed it off. “Well, the sex
was
fabulous, too, but we danced and talked—”

“Why on
earth
would you waste time talking if he was that hot?”

“Because I like to get to know people a little bit before I get naked with them.”

Bennie shrugged.

“So much fun and absolutely no pressure at all to do anything except enjoy myself. Have I mentioned how much I love this town?”

“I would, too, if I’d hooked up with a hottie like your Nick. Are you going to see him again?”

She could feel the goofy smile tugging at her cheeks. “He wants to do something again tonight. If you have other plans, that is. Are you seeing Toby again?”

“Lord, honey, even if I wasn’t, I’d expect you to go with Nick. That’s why you came here, after all.”

Evie felt her jaw drop. “You think I came to Vegas just to hook up?”

Sabine was wide-eyed. “Didn’t you?”

“It wasn’t my primary agenda, no. I wanted to let off a little steam, drink a little, let my hair down and dance.” She raised an eyebrow at Bennie. “
I
came to Vegas to have a girls’ weekend.”

“Then I misunderstood. My bad.” Bennie was wonderfully unrepentant. “But now you’ve found someone yummy, so you should make the most of it. And take a few pictures tonight. I wanna see this god who’s got your libido doing the lambada.”

“I’ll try,” she promised and her stomach growled. She pounced on the distraction eagerly, not really sure she wanted to go into too much more detail with Bennie at this point. She wanted to hug it all to herself for a little while longer. “I’m starved. Is there anything in the minibar besides pretzels?”

“I took the liberty of ordering brunch. If you can hang on a little longer without falling away to a shadow, it should be here about another twenty minutes or so.” Bennie gave her a once-over. “I’d recommend you use that time to grab a shower and sort out your hair. You really do look a mess.”

“I do not!”

Sabine merely raised an eyebrow. “Our first appointment is at twelve-fifteen. I’ve booked the works—massage, manicure, pedicure, facial and a detoxifying hydrotherapy bath. What time are you meeting him?”

“Seven.” Her pulse kicked up at the thought.

“What are you wearing?”

Damn, she had no idea what Nick had planned. “Not a clue.”

“Then we’d better get moving. We may have to shop.”

“You are an angel, Bennie.” Evie leaned over and kissed her cheek. “What would I do without you?”

“Based solely on today? Sleep all day, starve and be celibate and inappropriately dressed.” Sabine threw her legs over the side of the bed and started to leave. In the doorway, she paused and turned around. “Hmm, I think I’ll call the spa back and add a wax for you.” She winked.

In the shower, Evie debated whether she should go tonight. Last night had just
happened.
The stars or whatever aligned to give her one wonderful night, and she should just leave it at that—a perfect memory. What if tonight didn’t turn out, as well…? Who was she kidding? Tonight would be just as good as last night.

Although she would like to have a bed this time. She had a bit of a crick in her neck from last night.

She didn’t even sound like herself. Standing here planning to…This wasn’t like her at all. There was her usual life, and then there was…

Then there was Nick.

Bennie was right. She’d needed this. Needed someone like Nick to shake her up a little. Las Vegas had to be the next best thing to heaven.

Evie turned the tap off. Sabine must’ve been listening for the water to stop, because a second later, her voice drifted through the open door. “Food’s here. And your phone was ringing.”

Evie wrapped her hair in a towel and pulled a robe around her. Sabine was already at the table, munching on a bagel, and Evie’s stomach growled. Grabbing a muffin, she took a hungry bite as she picked up her phone. Three missed calls and three messages: the first one time-stamped at eight this morning.

And every one of them was from her brother.

Damn.

The mystery and memory of Evie—and her unbelievably long legs—had haunted Nick in the four hours of sleep he’d managed to get last night before Kevin and business forced him out of bed.

By the time lunch rolled around, he’d almost convinced himself that Evie hadn’t been real. Or at least not as he remembered. Beautiful women were a dime a dozen in Las Vegas; tourists out for a good time were even more plentiful. Evie was just one in a crowd—maybe he’d built more into it simply because he’d been so immersed in business he had, as Kevin insisted, gotten jaded and forgotten how to have plain ol’ fun.

But that rational knowledge didn’t stop him from spending way too much time deciding on a plan for tonight. He could call in a favor, get seats to the best shows or a table at the most
exclusive restaurant, but he didn’t want to try to impress Evie like that. He liked not having a woman know how much his bank account was worth—it tended to skew the genuineness of their reactions. And after last night, he knew that wasn’t really what Evie liked anyway. She had simple tastes and didn’t need ostentatious displays to have a good time.

Since he didn’t want to waste all that time at shows and restaurants anyway…That gave him the perfect idea.

Kevin was in the offices at Blue—the first club Nick had purchased outright and, for sentimental reasons, still the main hub—when Nick called. And while Kevin had a mouthful of things to say about it, Nick knew it would be done.

And when Evie turned out to be less than he remembered? He shrugged. They’d still have a good time, and he’d go easily back to normalcy tomorrow.

At just a minute after seven, Nick was on the Bellagio patio watching the door while everyone else watched the fountains do their thing. When Evie walked in, nervously chewing on her bottom lip, he felt as if all the oxygen had been sucked out of his lungs.

A shimmery green dress hugged those luscious curves he’d memorized last night, the neckline plunged to reveal generous cleavage, and the hem stopped high enough to showcase her long legs. She’d piled her hair up on her head, exposing the line of her neck and emphasizing her bone structure.

If anything, his memory of last night couldn’t compete with the reality.

She scanned the crowd, and when her eyes met his, she smiled shyly—at complete odds with the sensual picture she created. He wanted to meet her halfway, but his feet seemed rooted to the floor.

Then he noticed the attention she was garnering from several other places in the bar—one man was even on his feet
and headed in her direction—and that kicked him into motion, a need to claim her taking hold.

“God, you’re beautiful,” he muttered as Evie turned her face up to his.

“I didn’t know if you’d actually come tonight or not.”

“How could you possibly doubt that?” He inhaled deeply and her scent shot through his veins, sending all of his blood south. They were in a hotel, for God’s sake; he could have a room and have her in it in less than five minutes.

And that seemed like far too long to wait.

Evie smoothed a hand along his arm, scorching him with her touch. “You look nice.” Her hand moved to his jaw. “You shaved. I kind of miss the sexy stubble.”

She was killing him.

“Should we get a table?” she asked, looking around.

That brought him back to the conversation. “No. I’ve got a surprise for you.”

Evie’s eyes lit up. “A surprise? What kind of surprise?”

“If I told you, then it wouldn’t be a surprise, would it?”

Evie brushed at her dress. “Is what I’m wearing okay for this surprise? I wasn’t sure about the dress code…”

That scrap of fabric barely counted as a complete dress, and he was already imagining peeling it off of her. “Like I said, you look beautiful. Let’s go.”

Evie’s heels clicked against the floor of the lobby, reminding him to slow down. He wasn’t an animal dragging Evie off to mate—regardless of what his instincts were urging him to do. He could at least attempt civilized conversation. “What did you do today?”

“Slept late, hung out with Bennie. You?”

“Got up early, went to work.”

“Ouch. Sorry.”

Even the valet gawked at Evie as he returned with the car, but a frown from Nick put a stop to it. Evie didn’t seem to
notice that attention any more than she’d noticed the men in the bar. She was a danger to herself and others if she really didn’t know the effect she had on men. But how could she not? Beautiful women knew they were beautiful, knew what it could do for them.

It only took a few minutes to get to Blue, and Evie looked around eagerly as he pulled into the parking lot. “Blue. Is it a nightclub? Are we going dancing again?”

He flashed back on the memory of Evie moving against him on the dance floor and groaned. That would kill him for sure. “Patience.”

“Sorry. I know it’s rude to ask so many questions. I’ll be good.”