What Happens in Vegas: A BWWM Alpha Male Romance (2 page)

He finally broke the kiss and they both drew in a deep breath before grinning at each other. He was about to say something when his eyes darted to someone on the dance floor area and back to her. In that second, his expression completely changed. She tried turning to look in the direction he had but he cupped her chin and said, “I have to go. May I have you phone number?” She jerked her head back and narrowed her eyes in confusion. What had just happened? Of course, her mind went in the worst direction and assumed he was involved with someone or even married. He must have seen his girlfriend or wife in the crowd and had to make a quick escape. He ran his hand over her cheek and said, “It’s not anything bad. Not whatever you may be thinking. It’s sudden but I have to go. I want to see you again. I hope you would like to as well.” She hesitated but gave in quickly, muttering the numbers in his ear as he programmed them into his phone. She did not know him enough to assume the worst and he was someone she truly wanted to get to know.

Chapter 2: First Date

“So he just left?” Michelle was over a couple days later for breakfast. She was looking at Shauna intently over the rim of her teacup, her finger rubbing the handle up and down. “That’s pretty weird,” she said before taking a sip of tea and setting it down. She reached out for a scone and paused, her hand hovering over it. “You’re right. Let’s not assume the worst.”

Shauna swiped the scone Michelle was about to grab out from under her hand and took a bite of it. Michelle gaped at her in disbelief. “I’d been eyeing since before you chose it!” The two of them laughed and Michelle settled on another scone, grabbing it quickly before it was snatched away from her. She took a bite and looked off into the distance while thinking. “Are you going to contact him first?”

“No,” Shauna replied quickly, causing Michelle to snap her head and look at her with surprise. “I already decided on that.” She took another bite of her scone and finished it off. She then drained her cup of tea and stood up, beginning to clean up. This was her clear sign it was time for Michelle to leave. She was not rudely kicking out her friend but she needed to be alone now. She had some thinking to do and, quite frankly, felt exhausted. She could not properly rest with company around regardless of who it was. Michelle cleaned up after herself, gathered her things, and left the apartment in less than five minutes. Shauna walked to her bedroom and undressed, grabbing the sheer robe hanging from the back of the door and wearing it before heading back out into the living room where she settled on her favorite armchair. She stared out her window and admired her view, thankful as always to have such a great house in such a wonderful location. She drifted off to sleep with the gentle breeze floating in through the open window and settling on her skin.

Less than an hour later, she was woken up by the alert tone of her phone. She yawned and stretched before standing up and crossing over to the dining table to check who sent her a message. Her breath caught in her throat when she read Nick’s name on her screen. She did not even bother with looking at the preview and immediately opened up the message.
Hello, are you busy?
She bit her lip and tapped the screen of her phone. As much as she did not want to seem overly eager or come off as too available, she also did not want to bother with playing any of the usual dating games. She replied simply with
Not at the moment. Why?
Not even a minute later, her phone lit up in the palm of her hand as it rang. It was Nick. She drew in a breath and answered, “Hello.” She did not fail to notice her voice sounded a bit higher than usual.

“Hello, how are you?”

“Good. You?”

“I’ve had a good day so I can’t complain. Do you happen to be free tonight?”

She paused in surprise. She was not used to someone being so forward. She did not register any hint of hesitance in his voice. It was strong and steady, almost as if he were confident she would agree to go out with him. Actually, he seemed more like the type who would understand if she had prior plans and not take it personally. Once again, she appreciated these mature qualities because they definitely stood out from the crowd. “I am free tonight,” she said. She wanted to say more but she could not seem to locate the words she was wracking her brain for and actually speak them.

“Great. Dinner?”

It was so simple and straightforward. “Yes,” she found herself saying in a way that was a tad too submissive for her taste. She did not want to fall so deeply under any man’s spell, much less a man she hardly knew. “Would you like me to pick you up or meet there?”

“Let’s meet there,” she said coolly. After all, she had no idea who this man really was so she thought it might not be the best idea to give him her address right off the bat. They agreed on a time and place and hung up, sending Shauna running into her room to figure out what to wear. As she rifled through her closet, she suddenly stopped and looked at her hands that were gripping a turquoise cocktail dress. This was so unlike her and she was not sure she liked what was going on. She was not one to be so giddy over a date. She wondered what it was about Nick that brought this out in her. In fact, he had brought out a different side of her from their first meeting. There had been something inexplicably intimate about their encounter and kiss at the club, something she did not usually engage in. She did not even give out her phone number easily when she went out so she was much less prone to suddenly engage in that way with someone who flirted with her. She shrugged it off and started getting ready, settling on the turquoise dress she was already holding.

Before stepping out, she looked at herself in the mirror from head to toe. She had her hair flipped out as she usually did and wore winged eyeliner and clear lip-gloss, but nothing more than that for makeup. The turquoise dress was a V-neck that showed off her ample cleavage but not too much and the way the dress draped on her truly accentuated her wide hips. She tilted her head and nodded in approval, feeling confident in the way she looked. She especially liked the way her warm, medium-brown skin and its orange-red undertones glistened and contrasted with the bright color of the dress. She picked up her purse and left her apartment, intent on arriving a few minutes early at the restaurant to scope it out. What she did not know was that she would find Nick waiting already with a table set for the two of them. He stood up and greeted her with a wide smile followed by a kiss on the cheek, his hand landing gently on her forearm. “You look great,” he told her earnestly. She smiled and gave a nod before taking a seat and opening up her menu.

“Have you been here before?”

“No,” she replied setting her menu down in front of her in favor of looking at him. He was very handsome with sharp features; his green eyes were a striking hue that stood out against his white skin and light blonde hair. She began to feel a bit awkward when she felt him staring at her face, almost as if he were concentrating on something. “Sorry,” he said, “I just had not noticed your freckles before. They’re lovely.”

She pressed her hand to her cheek and smiled. “Thank you,” she said. She had always loved her freckles and they were actually her favorite physical feature. They were just lightly speckled across her nose and tops of her cheeks, slightly darker stains on her rich skin tone. She glanced back down on her menu and settled on a pasta dish. Taking a sip of her water she looked back up at Nick and asked, “Have you always been like this?” He only stared at her blankly. She chuckled and said, “You have a way about you that commands attention. You have an effect on people.”

“So I have an effect on you?”

She looked down and nodded. “Yes,” she said very quietly. She was not insecure but it felt a bit odd to suddenly be talking to him so frankly. Just as direct as he had come off, he seemed to bring that same trait out in her. She was always honest but she was not used to people being so forward. The air between them was charged and she had a sudden urge to ignore the dinner. Would that be the wrong move? He reached across the table and placed his hand over hers, running little circles on her skin with the tips of his fingers. She smiled warmly at him before slipping her hand out from underneath his to grab her glass of water and take a drink. “I’m actually not very hungry,” she admitted.

He nodded and stood up saying, “I will be right back.” He walked off to the host’s stand and she saw him talking to the young man for a couple minutes. When he returned he said, “Would you like to go somewhere else tonight?”

“Do you have something in mind?”

“Yes. Are you open to it being a surprise?”

Shauna thought about his proposition for moment. She did not really know much at all about this man but she did feel extremely attracted to him. She wanted to say yes but did not want to make a rash decision. “You don’t have to if you’re not comfortable,” he said quietly. There was no offense in his voice. It was actually very understanding and she could tell from the look in his eyes he did not want to push her. There he was, exhibiting his ability to take control without pushing someone past any limits once again. She nodded and said, “Let’s go.”

As they walked out, he informed her that she could follow him to the destination so as to not leave her car behind. Relief swept over her because, somehow, having her own transportation made her feel safer than she would otherwise. He warned her it would be something of a drive and asked if it was still okay. About an hour and a half later, they arrived at a dock of a lake on the outskirts of town. It was already dark out but the dock was well lit and there were a few couples strolling along or sitting on the benches, cuddling and admiring the view. When she got out of her car, he was already standing next to it waiting. “Right this way,” he said as he offered his arm. She took it and the two walked in silence along the dock, the cool night air settling around them and the murmurs of the scattered people reaching their ears. It was peaceful and beautiful with the reflection of the moon and the stars on the water. He led her onto a loading dock where there was a boat and he motioned for her to board it.

“Really? This is yours?”

He smiled and nodded. He withdrew his arm to take her hand and pull her onboard, turning to see the look on her face. She was stunned and had no idea what to say. This was nothing at all of what she had been expecting and he was the only person she knew who owned a boat. Though it was small, it seemed to be quite luxurious and comfortable. It had an indoor cabin, to which he led her into after switching on the light as they stepped inside. It was simply decorated but quite beautiful, everything seeming to be of very high quality. He motioned toward the couch for her to sit and asked, “Would you like a drink?” She nodded as she continued to look around and carefully observe her surroundings. She heard a loud
pop
and turned to see him pouring two glasses of champagne before walking over and taking a seat next to her on the couch. He was not shy; he sat right next to her, their legs and arms touching just enough to send an electrifying feeling through her body. He raised his glass and toasted, “To a wonderful evening.” She clinked her glass against his and took a small sip of the champagne, savoring the rich taste. It was the best champagne she had ever tasted.

He continued to look at her and she felt his eyes roving over every inch of her face, that look of admiration obvious in his eyes once again. Feeling bold, she set her champagne glass down and cupped his face between her hands to pull him forward into a soft kiss. She shuddered slightly when she felt his cool glass touch her bare shoulder, causing him to chuckle. He took another drink before setting it down and pulled her into a kiss that he deepened almost immediately, his arms wrapping around her back to pull her body closer to his own. She gave in to the kiss completely, feeling as if she were melting right in his arms. He pulled back from it only to sweep her hair away from her face and look at her with that same look of admiration she continued to see but never got tired of. “There is something about you,” he said in a tone that sounded almost as if he were thinking out loud. He gave her a swift kiss on the lips and continued, “There is something special about you. That’s why I was drawn to you that night at the club. You shined. You stood out from everyone.”

Shauna bit her lower lip and averted her gaze. She was not quite sure what to say in response to his statements. “Thank you” did not seem adequate or accurate. Instead of thinking what to say in return, she ran her hands through his hair and pulled him forward into another kiss. This one quickly turned much more passionate very quickly and she felt her skin grow warm as his hands ran up and down her arms. She felt one of his hands slide up her arm and settle on her shoulder, right at the base of her neck, while the other settled on her lower back. He began to kiss slowly down her jawline until he reached her neck, where he licked down to her collarbone before leaving a trail of kisses to her shoulder. Her breathing was starting to grow heavy and her head felt foggy from the warmth surrounding them now.

He pulled back and gazed into her eyes as he asked, “Want to step outside? It’s a gorgeous view.” She nodded and they both stood, walking out with him in the lead. He turned on the boat, sending a shock through her body, and after a couple minutes eased it out onto the lake. They traveled for a few minutes and she enjoyed the cool night air whipping at her face along with the occasional splashes of water speckling her skin as she sat on the edge, looking out onto the lake and up at the sky. He then turned off the engine and took a seat behind Shauna, pulling her back against his chest and wrapping his arms around her. “It’s gorgeous, isn’t it?” She made a contented
mmm
sound and nodded, letting her head fall back onto his shoulder. This was not the typical first date by any means; completely setting aside that they were on a private boat. It was not typical because it was not awkward or tense. The two were very comfortable with each other, direct, and close. It would seem to an outside observer they were in a relationship already.