Betting on the Wrong Brother (What Happens in Vegas) (9 page)

When he pulled back, she gave him a quizzical look. “What was that for?”

“You’re just so irresistible.” It was true, she was. “I couldn’t help myself.”

She arched a brow, her lips quirking. “Does that line always work?”

“You think I’m feeding you a line?”

“You were kind of known for those things.”

“So, we’re not pretending anymore?” he asked as she brought up the past.

“No, we are,” she said quickly. “I just forgot.”

Damn
. He wanted to come clean and tell her who he was. “Okay, and just for the record, the only thing I’m trying to feed you is a sandwich and juice.” He pulled a wrapped sandwich and juice box from his bag and handed it to her.

A huge smile lit her face and her hair fell around her shoulders as she gave a slow shake of her head.

“What?” he asked. He peeled open the waxed paper. “You don’t like peanut butter? I thought everyone liked peanut butter. Wait. You’re not allergic, are you?”

“No, I’m not and I do like peanut butter. I just don’t normally eat…” She sat crossed legged, placed the sandwich on her lap and removed it from the wrapper. “
I just hadn
’t expected this. You’re full of surprises.”

He bit into his sandwich, chewed, then said, “I mean I’m no romance hero, but I do know how to make a mean sandwich and show a girl a good time.”

She laughed around a mouthful of bread. “You made these?”

He laughed with her. “No, the kitchen did it for me.”

She jabbed her straw into the juice box and took a drink. “Fruit punch. That was always your favorite back in the day.” She put her hand over her mouth. “Oops, no talking of the past.”

A bird flew overhead, and he nodded as he watched it until it disappeared. “How did you get in to writing?” He laid down on his side of the blanket and propped himself up on one elbow.

“
I don
’t know. I wasn’t even very good in English class, but I was always a dreamer, and I just had these stories in my head I needed to get down on paper.”

He could relate. Thanks to his dyslexia, he sucked in English class, but he loved paranormal and supernatural movies and books and thought why not try his hand at writing one? Of course, he couldn’t tell her that, she thought he was a pilot and she wanted a fantasy. He finished his sandwich, crinkled the paper into a ball, and tossed it into his bag.

“Plus, well, I read a lot,” she continued. “When other kids were out at parties, I was at the library pouring over books.”

He wanted to ask why she too wasn’t at the parties, but from what his brother said, he already knew. “I have a confession,” he said.

Her eyes widened. “What?”

“I read one of your books.”

She cringed. “You did? Why would you do that?” she asked, her voice going unnaturally high.

“
Curiousity.
” She looked away. “What, millions of people read your books every day and you’re embarrassed because I did?”

“You’re not my target market.”

“I am now.”

She turned back to him, and gave him a dubious expression. “
You can
’t be serious.”

“Yup, you turned me into a romance reader.”

She crinkled up her wrapper and threw it at him. “You’re just messing with me.”

He ducked and grabbed her hand. “
No, I
’m not. I’m now officially you’re number one fan.”

She cocked her head. “That’s a bit creepy, don’t you think?”

Pulling her hand back, she reached for her juice box and took a drink.

“Does your family read your books?” he asked.

“
Mom does.
” She set her juice down and picked a piece of lint off her pants. She cringed and added, “I think I’d die if Dad did.”

“Because of the sex scenes.”

She gave a slow shake of her head and briefly closed her eyes. “You just
had
to bring that up, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, I’ve been looking for an opening all night.” She laughed and shoved him until he fell onto his back. He stared up at the sky and said, “I could never write a romance novel.”

“Too many big words?” she teased, even though he’d already told her the real answer. He didn’t believe in happily ever after. Happy endings, however…

He laughed hard at her sassy comment and she bit her bottom lip innocently.
Damn.
Now he wanted to kiss her again. But first he wanted to know more about her. Which went completely against his sex only relationship rules. What was it about her that had him acting out of character?

“Can we talk about something else?” she asked.

“Okay. Do you get home often?” As soon as that question left his mouth, her smile fell and confused him. Asking her if she visited home wasn’t bringing up the past. “Was it something I said?”

“I visit at least once a year but that could be changing.”

“What do you mean?”

“My roommate Cammy is in the process of moving out with her fiancé, and I can’t afford the rent myself. New York is expensive, and I don’t want to bring a stranger into the place just to help with the cost. I might have to move. Rhonda said I could stay with her until I get a place of my own.”

“Rhonda?”

“Rhonda Berry.” She grinned at him, guessing he was playing the stranger, when in reality he had no idea who Rhonda was. “Rhonda was my best friend growing up.”

“I see,” he said. With the sun almost gone, he could barely make out her face in the dark. He shifted closer. “At least with your job you can live anywhere. And New York isn’t really the hub for agents anymore. Not when everything is done electronically.”

She arched a brow, no doubt wondering how he knew so much about the industry. “True,” she said, not calling him on it. “And to be honest I kind of miss the quiet of a small town.” She opened her mouth to say something else but then shut it again. Why did he get the feeling there was another reason she didn’t want to go home? Did it have something to do with him—or rather Nolan?

Hating that he’d said something to upset her, that his brother had hurt her so deeply, he jackknifed to a sitting position. “Want to go check out the Bellagio fountains?”

“Sure.”

He climbed to his feet and pulled her up with him. Their bodies collided, and his cock thickened. He slipped his hand around her back and held her close. In the dimly lit park he could see the outline of her features. His gaze moved over her face, taking note of her breathing, the way it changed, became a little deeper. She too was affected by their closeness, her needs and desires matching his.

Not wanting to move, he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, his heart pounding a little harder. “So…ah…about your win earlier.”

“What about it?” Her hands went to his shoulders, her touch going right through him.

“If you wanted to exercise your win, we could do it now, if you like.” He brushed more stray hair from her face and dipped his head. “I mean, it’s kind of romantic here, and after reading your book, I can’t help but think you would have inserted a little
something
right about now.”

“Ryan.”

“Yeah.”

Her breath was warm on his face when she said, “I think I’d like to exercise my win.”

She inched back and his stomach fell. Was she exercising her choice
not
to kiss him?”

But then she went up on her toes and poised her mouth open. She didn’t have to ask him twice. He dipped his head and closed his lips over hers. She melted into him and they exchanged kisses that were soft, easy, full of emotion and need. Her fingers tightened on his shoulders, and the soft noise in her throat urged him on. Blood left his brain and all coherent thought fled as he moved her backward, until she was centered on the blanket.

Desperate to reacquaint himself with her body, more desperate than he’d ever been in his life to be with a woman, he dropped to his knees and pulled her down, then nudged her until she was on her back and he was on top of her. This time, his kiss was firm, hard enough to bruise her lips, not only because he couldn’t seem to get enough of her, but because he wanted to leave his mark on her. She touched his face, her fingers burning over his flesh as she shaped the outline of his jaw.

Holy fuck, he was the luckiest guy in Vegas to be here with her, kissing her, feeling her body beneath his. No big monetary win at the tables could give him the high he was feeling right now. He dipped his head, making a slow pass with his tongue, tasting and savoring her mouth, branding her with his lips.

He brushed her hair from her face. “I love the way you kiss,” he murmured.

“You’re not so bad yourself,” she teased, a new intimacy between them as she relaxed beneath him.

His mouth went to her throat and he breathed in her scent. Something scurried by the site, some animal running through the underbrush. The sound brought his attention to the fact they were in a public place where anyone could walk by and catch them. He might have no trouble taking risks, but deep down she was a nice girl, a true innocent. Last night she’d been mortified when her peers had caught her leaving his room, and there was no way she could be comfortable with this scenario. He pulled back and looked at the beautiful woman beneath him.

The good girl might want to be bad, might want the fantasy, but she deserved better than this from him.

He went up on his hands. “We should probably head back.”

“You want to stop?” she asked, her voice a strained whisper.

“
I don
’t
want
to.” He lifted his head and looked around. “
But we
’re outdoors, and I want to take better care of you, Andi.”

Her eyes moved over his face, and his heart pinched at the warm, thoughtful way she looked at him.

He climbed to his feet and pulled her up with him. Her soft body meshed against his hardness. Jesus, she aroused so many things in him. Need stole the air from his lungs and he reached out to find her fingers trembling. He threaded his through hers, and held tight until they both stopped shaking.

He put his mouth close to her ear, and kissed her lightly. She reacted and as her body quivered all over, it set off another chain of events in his body. Dammit, he needed her. By God, she did things to him no other woman ever had. It was crazy, intense, insane, and overwhelming all at the same time, and he suddenly wasn’t sure he wanted it to end after the week. What the hell was he saying? That he wanted more? But he didn’t believe in happily ever after, knew loyalties ultimately failed, and all relationships eventually crashed. Regardless, he couldn’t control his thoughts, or wonder how she felt about him.

Him
, as in Ryan Grayson, not Nolan Wheeler. Guilt once again twisted his insides. Perhaps keeping his real identity a secret was a dumb-ass move. He felt a flash of unease. If he wanted more, he’d have to tell her the truth. But, he was worried what would happen if he broke out of their fantasy world—would she laugh it off or kick him to the curb?

Chapter Nine

Trying for casual, Andi walked through the bustling lobby with her head down. She hoped to avoid a run in with anyone she knew. Especially the ever-astute Jan. She wasn’t quite ready to share the details of the night with anyone. Wasn’t quite ready to examine the things Ryan made her feel when he kissed her, touched her with such gentle hands, showing he cared about her well-being. She hurried her steps, and beside her Ryan picked up his pace to stay close.

Christ, not only was his scent on her skin, she had hot make out session written all over her. Messy hair, ruffled clothes full of dust and grass, and legs that were barely holding her up, she looked like she just had sex outdoors with him. While she was ready to go through with it, to live a fantasy, he put a stop to it. God, he was so sweet and considerate with her. Her heart squeezed, the things she felt for him whispering through her blood.

Her body still burned where he’d touched and kissed, making it hard to think about anything else. Ryan walked beside her and she stole a glance at him. His hair was mussed, his clothes were wrinkled and dusty. It didn’t distract from his good looks at all. In fact, it made him that much sexier. A smile pulled at her mouth as she looked him over, and there was nothing she could do to squash the things she was feeling.
Damn. Damn. Damn.

“What?” he asked, a slow, easy grin curling up his lip. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You took me to a dig site, to drive an excavator.” Things went down way differently than she’d ever expected, and there was nothing…
nice
, about their date. She’d predicted a stretch limo, followed by a drive down the Strip and a candlelit dinner. Never in a million years would she have guessed she’d be driving heavy machinery and dining on peanut butter sandwiches. She normally didn’t eat peanut butter because of the fat content. She might have lost a lot of weight but she still had curves that could blossom if she ate the wrong things. Nevertheless, she ate the sandwiches because she wasn’t going to ruin a night that was different, exciting…like him. “I can’t imagine what you do on a real date.”

His expression was full of mischief when he said, “Want to find out?”

“No,” she lied. Okay, so maybe she did want to go on a real date with him. He was fun, spontaneous, and really threw her for a loop. She’d seen a side of him she’d never seen before and she liked it. A little too much, considering this was a Vegas fantasy.

She placed her hand over her fluttering stomach. Butterflies erupting might be cliché and happened to be one of her editor’s pet peeves, but she had no other words to describe what she was feeling. She liked this grown up version of the bad boy she knew. Which meant she needed to be careful. She couldn’t fall for him again. In a few short months she’d likely have to move back to Cedar Point. Seeing him all the time and pining over him again while he dated other women was something she couldn’t, wouldn’t go through. And it wasn’t like they could carry on as lovers after the conference. Soon enough he’d see the real, unlovable her, and run away laughing again.

“Good, because I’m not really interested in dating you, either,” he said. She swallowed as his words reminded her of what this really was between them. “But I do have two tickets to the Criss Angel magic show tomorrow night.”

“
Mindfreak?
”

He nodded. “Yeah, I hear it’s a great.”

“I’ve wanted to see it, but it was sold out this week.” Honestly, if she wanted to see a magic act all she had to do was go somewhere private with Ryan. One grin and abracadabra, clothes gone. “How did you get them?”

“I have connections. So, do you want to go?”

She hesitated. Maybe she shouldn’t be spending so much time with him. Being around him all the time was playing havoc with her head. “
Connections, huh?
” Of course he had connections. The man was a pilot and probably did favors for people worldwide. She just didn’t want to know what kind of favors.

“Yeah, it’s for the seven o’clock seating.”

She pursed her lips and looked at the floor as she walked. “
I don
’t know.” Geez, her mood swings were getting out of control. One minute she was all about having a brief affair, the next she was sure it was a crazy idea, one that could only lead to pain and more scars.

“You still owe me,” he said.

Her head jerked up and she caught the teasing look in his eyes. “For what?”

He squared his shoulders, a look of righteousness in his baby blues as he feigned offense. “For making me dance on a stage in front of hundreds of women.”

“Wasn’t tonight’
s da
…I mean…tonight’s dinner and drinks to make up for that?”

He pulled open the stairwell door and she slipped past him. “No, that was for making me wear tight pants. Now you have to make up for all that dancing I had to do.” She looked over her shoulder to see him cringing. He held his hand out, and shook his head. “I actually abused a prop gun, Andi. What did the gun ever do to deserve that?”

She burst out laughing, and slapped her hand to her forehead. “I can’t believe I missed that.” She stopped on the stairs and turned to face him. “Wait, you still have the pants, right. Maybe you can do an encore.”

He grabbed her waist, and pulled her to him, his mouth aligned with her breasts. “I’ll show you any move you want, but not that one.”

She lowered her head and when his lips moved toward hers, her body heated all over again. He wet his mouth but when a door somewhere in the stairwell banged open, she pulled back, severing the intimacy between them. Gripping the handrail, she went up another step to put a measure of distance between them.

“It’s getting late. I have to get ready for tomorrow’s literacy book signing.”

“Okay,” he said, and they started back up the stairs. They reached their floor and he saw her to her room. “Sleep well.” He leaned into her again, but voices came from down the hall, and he inched back, his lips never meeting hers.

She didn’t even want to examine the depth of disappointment she was feeling. “You too,” was all she said. She opened her door, slipped inside and leaned against it, her body so blissfully pleasured, it was all she could do to think straight. She stayed there for a long time, reliving every moment spent with Ryan tonight. A yawn pulled at her, and she glanced at her clock. She had an early morning and needed to get to bed.

Move, legs.

She pushed off the door and peeled her dusty clothes off as she made her way to the shower. Even though she didn’t want to wash Ryan’s scent from her skin, she stayed under the spray for a long time.

Sleep came easy, exhaustion of the day and night pulling her under quickly, and when she woke, her mind instantly went to Ryan and last night’s kisses. Shit, she really wished she wasn’t so preoccupied with him. Working to put him out of her mind, she climbed from the bed and ran to the shower, not wanting to be late for her breakfast with Jan before their big book signing.

Andi dressed quickly, pulling on a short dress she’d purchased for the event, and finished it off with a flirty blue scarf.

No way was she riding in the elevator alone again, so she darted to the stairwell. She hurried down the five flights of stairs and found Jan and their other friend, Lauren, sitting at a small café table. They were holding a chair for her.

She gave her friends a hug but couldn’t miss the smirk on Jan’s face as she wagged her eyebrows. “Late night?” Jan asked, but knew her friend well enough to know she wouldn’t talk about Ryan in front of Lauren.

First thing’s first. Andi reached for the coffee carafe and filled her cup. “Not too late,” she said. “And I had a good night’
s sleep.
”

“Must be from all that fresh air.”

Fresh air? Had Jan caught her coming in all windblown and dusty last night?

“Enough about me.” She looked at Lauren who was jabbing her fork into her scrambled eggs like she hated everything about them.

“What did they ever do to you?” Andi asked, touching her friend’s arm.

“What? Oh!” Lauren dropped her fork. “I got a text from Danny.”

Danny was Lauren’s fiancé. They’d been together a little more than two years now and as far as Andi knew they were madly in love. “What did it say?”

“It said,
Can’t wait to see you tonight
.”

“That’
s nice,
” Andi said, confused by the mixture of sadness and anger on Lauren’s face.

“Not really, he’s in Ohio and I’m in Vegas. I think the text was for someone else and he accidently sent it to me.” Lauren wiped her mouth with her napkin and dropped it on her plate. “He’s saying it’s not, and that he mixed up my return date.”

The waitress came and Andi ordered a blueberry bagel and orange juice. When she left, she turned back to Lauren. “I take it you don’t believe him?”

“I’ve only been here two nights. No way could he be expecting me home tonight. Unless he was in some sort of coma and lost track of time.” She drew in air and let it out slowly. “He’s lying to cover something up.”

Andi looked at Jan, and they exchanged a look of unease, because they both knew it, too. They wanted to reassure Lauren, but how could they? Danny was obviously lying.

“Maybe we can all catch a show tonight, do something fun,” Jan said, trying to lighten the mood. Jan’s positive energy was one of the many things Andi loved about her. That, and that she was always there when anyone needed her.

“I can’t,” Lauren said. “After the book signing, I’m giving a workshop, then I have meetings with my agent and editor.” She took a sip of coffee, planted her palms on the table, and plastered on a smile. “I guess it’s time to forget about Danny for awhile and turn on ‘Lauren’ for the next few hours.”

Both Andi and Jan nodded. Their pen names were their personas, and they all had to put on their ‘author’ faces at these events. Andi loved it, loved interacting with her fans, but as an introvert she was exhausted at the end of the day.

She’d been putting on a different ‘face’ for Ryan, however. One where she was wild, adventurous and…bad…the kind of girl he gravitated toward.

But it didn’t matter. This was temporary. A fantasy week with a hot guy. But forever wasn’t in the plans. If anything, Lauren’s problems were a good reminder of just how tough relationships could be.

The waitress came back with her food, and she ate quickly as the clock ticked. She had to get to the mailroom and grab the box of swag she’d sent in advance and get into the ballroom to set up her table before they opened the doors to fans.

They finished off the carafe of coffee, and they went their separate ways to set up. Andi grabbed her box filled with notepads, pens, and bookmarks and placed them on her table. As soon as she sat down, the doors opened and a crowd of excited readers came rushing in.

Time flew by as Andi met with her readers, getting her picture taken with excited fans, and autographing print copies until her fingers cramped. The afternoon went by in a rush. When the crowd began to die down, an odd tingling started at the base of her neck and ran down to the tips of her toes.

She looked up and found Ryan watching her.
Ryan.
The catalyst for the storm inside of her. Her eyes met his and a thrill moved through her with the hungry way he was looking at her—like he couldn’t wait to get between the sheets again, too.

He pushed off the doorframe and started toward her, and she cursed the excitement bubbling up inside her. She really shouldn’t be so happy to see him. Dressed in jeans that fell low on his hips and a T-shirt that showcased well-defined muscles, she stared at him as he crossed the room. She wasn’t the only one watching. Others zeroed in on him. Of course, they all thought he was one of the male models. He stopped to talk to a few women who flagged him over, then turned to her again. Stride confident and sexy, he made his way over and stopped in front of her table.

“
Hello, Ms. Palmer,
” he said. He picked up one of her novels, flipped it over and read the back blurb. “
I don
’t think I have this one yet.”

“Here you’d think my number one fan would have had all my books by now,” she teased.

He grabbed a bookmark and stuffed it inside the pages, then shot a look at the long line of readers waiting to pay for their books.

“You can get the e-book online, and skip the line up.”
Andi suggested.

“But it wouldn’t have your autograph.” He flipped the cover and placed it on the table in front of her. “And proceeds do go to literacy, right? You know me, anything for literacy.”

She laughed. “You really want me to sign this for you?”

“Of course.”

She grabbed her pen, tapped it against her mouth for a second then wrote, ‘To soldier boy, who’s got the moves like Jagger.’ Grinning, she closed it and handed back the book.

He looked at the book, and then gave her a worried look. “I think I might be afraid to read this.”

She handed him a pen and notepad with her logo on them. “Here, free swag with each purchase.”

“Thanks. I think I’ll browse before I hit the line up. I’ll see you at seven.”

He sauntered away, and Jan leaned over from her seat beside Andi. “Did I hear you two have plans tonight?”

“Do you miss anything?” Andi asked, grinning.

“
No, I don
’t. So tell me, did he wine and dine you last night?”

Andi shook her head. “No, he actually took me to a dig site to play on excavation equipment then we had peanut butter sandwiches at the park.”

Jan’s eyes went wide. “You’re kidding me.”

“No, it was…” Her words fell off and she couldn’t seem to wipe the silly smile from her face as she thought about her night with Ryan, and how it ended on the blanket.

“Oh boy.”

“What?” Andi asked.

Jan pulled a mint container from her pocket. “You like him.”

Andi shrugged.
“What’s not to like? He’
s nice.
”

“I know he’s nice, but does he feel the same way about you?”

Honestly, he didn’t even know who she really was. “It’s just an affair,” she said. “I’m only in it for the research, remember?” And to get what was denied her all those years ago.