Dirty Sex (21 page)

“So?” Her eyes went from brown to gray. The change was

instantaneous.

I prayed that I was reading the invitation correctly and kissed her.

Reese groaned and pulled me into her. We were in serious trouble.

❖

“I was starting to think you were dead,” Ryan said the second I

came out of my room the next afternoon. I was glad I’d left Reese’s bed

in the small hours of the morning.

“Not yet. When did you get back?”

“Couple hours ago.” He finally looked at me. “Shit. What

happened to your face?”

“Long story.” I didn’t elaborate.

“Well?”

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“Where’s Reese?”

“She’s sleeping. Your face?”

“Seriously, it’s a long story. I’m going to get Reese and we’ll tell

you the whole thing.” I started for Reese’s closed door. “You want to

order some coffee?”

“Anything else, princess?” Ryan poured himself a scotch. How

late was it?

“Breakfast. Eggs and potatoes and sausage. Chicken sausage.” As

if he didn’t know. “Double order of the potatoes and sausage. Oh, and

see if I can eat the biscuits and gravy.” I’d exerted myself a lot recently.

There was a lot to make up for.

“Damn.” He raised his eyebrows. “That all?”

“Maybe order something for Reese,” I said before going into

Reese’s room. I accidentally on purpose let the door close behind me.

Reese was asleep wrapped up in an ill placed sheet. The curve of

her naked ass was visible under the cover and a very sexy foot hung off

the bed. I started with the foot. Gradually, I kissed my way up her calf

to that spot at the back of her knee, up to her very sexy thigh. Reese

moaned softly. Her back was exposed so I kissed that too. She tasted

sweet like Reese and skin and sleep. She didn’t wake up until I kissed

the curve of her neck, up behind her ear.

She smiled first then whispered, “Hi.”

“Hi.” I rubbed my palm down her back to rest under the sheet on

her ass. She lifted her hips slightly. I couldn’t stop myself. I moved my

hand the rest of the way until it was cupped between her thighs. I slid a

finger on either side of her clit.

“We were at it until four this morning and you already want

more?” She gasped.

“You’re so wet.” As if that explained my behavior.

“You’re insatiable,” Reese murmured appreciatively.

“I know.” I pulled my hand away playing with the silky strands

of wetness covering my fingers. “Your brother’s here. We can’t do

anything.”

“I hate you.” She grinned and turned to kiss me. “What does he

think you’re doing in here?”

“Waking you up so we can explain my face.”

“How about we lock the door and…” She kissed me again. Her

tongue pushed inside my mouth and made me forget almost everything.

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AShley BArtlett

I stopped kissing her long enough to say, “I would if I didn’t think

he would come in here and shoot me when he heard you screaming.”

“Hey.” Reese pushed me away. “I’m not the screamer. You are.”

“Right, babe.” I grinned. “Whatever you want to think.”

“You are so annoying.” Her criticism was sort of lacking because

she couldn’t stop touching me.

“Let’s go eat breakfast while I can still walk, okay?”

“You ordered breakfast?”

“Ryan did. I had to give him something to do to distract him.”

“Got it.” Reese started pushing me away again. “All right, go. Let

me get dressed. I’ll be right out.”

“I’m okay with you being naked.”

“Go,” she ordered. I decided to do the intelligent thing and leave.

Over breakfast, Reese and I took turns updating Ryan on everything

that had happened while he was gone. We forgot to mention the whole

hooking up thing.

“So is anyone going to tell me who the hell Vito is?” I pushed

Reese’s fork away from my plate for the second time. She kept trying to

eat my food when hers was perfectly good. “Stop it. Eat yours.”

“I want biscuits and gravy.” She stole another bite.

“Hey, guys, pay attention,” Ryan demanded.

“Oh, yeah. Uncle Vito?” I asked again.

“I think he worked for Mom. And he was like her distant cousin or

something,” Ryan mumbled.

“You’re related to that guy?”

“Not really.” Reese wouldn’t look at me. “Kind of. But it’s like

through marriage or something.”

“Well, maybe he’ll help us.” If this guy was their uncle or whatever,

he would probably be happy to help.

“Not likely. I think he works with Christopher now,” Ryan said.

“What about those guys from last night?” I asked Reese. “Do you

know them?” Yes, I was pissed.

“No.” She scooted away from me a little. “Okay. I recognized

them, but I don’t know them. I don’t even know their names.” I was

pretty sure she was lying.

“Vic and Gino,” I supplied.

“What?” Ryan’s eyes got real big. “Vic, big guy? Smokes a lot of

cigars? And Gino? Fat little fucker with squinty eyes?”

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“That’s them.” I was going to kick some ass. Reese never

mentioned that she knew them. Not that I gave her a chance.

“Shit,” muttered Ryan.

“I really didn’t know.” Reese sounded a little pissed too. “There

wasn’t time to ask if they were working for my asshole stepfather.

Sorry.” The apology was totally insincere.

“How about after we left? You couldn’t have mentioned it then?”

“Guys,” Ryan yelled. “I can’t take it. No fighting today.” When in

doubt, he just shouted louder than us.

“Sorry,” Reese said.

“Yeah, sorry,” I said to my plate.

“Now. Did anything fun happen while I was gone? You win big or

anything?” As usual, Ryan tried to distract us with a new subject as if

it were a shiny toy.

“I didn’t. Reese did pretty well.”

“How much did you win?” Ryan asked her.

“No idea. Haven’t counted it.” Reese dug into her breakfast with

renewed fervor.

“Where is it? Let’s count it.” He was totally excited. Reese nodded

in the direction of the bar. There was a heavy glass bowl filled to the

brim. The clouded glass distorted the outline of the chips, but the color

shone through.

“Knock yourself out. I’m going to shower.” Reese abandoned her

seat.

“You want to help me count it, Coop? It looks like a couple

thousand bucks.” Only Ryan could get excited about a couple thousand

dollars when he was sitting on thirty-four million. It was the clay chips.

Color excited him.

“Sure. Why not?” I snagged the last piece of sausage and followed

him to the bar.

“Damn.” Ryan was already dipping his hands into the bowl.

“There are some five hundred dollar chips in here.”

“No way.” I peered inside. Damn. “Dude, like half of these are

five hundred dollar chips. I told you Reese was good.”

We proceeded to stack the chips, first according to denomination,

then according to casino. Reese was pushing twenty grand. Not bad for

a couple hours.

“That’s a lot for one night, right?” Ryan asked me.

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AShley BArtlett

“I’d say so.”

“She’s been before though,” he attempted for an explanation.

“Once.” Beginner’s luck didn’t go that far.

“What?” Ryan looked at me like I was crazy. “You’re thinking

something weird. I know it.”

I had to tell him. “I kind of accidentally overheard Reese talking

to the valet downstairs. They knew each other.”

“I don’t follow.”

“I think Reese has been here more than once. A lot more.” There.

I’d finally said it. I didn’t have the balls to say it to Reese, and besides,

we’d been busy, but at least I’d said it.

“What do you mean?” Ryan rubbed his face and covered his eyes.

A sure sign he knew what I was talking about.

“I think she comes here to play poker.” Duh, Ryan. Get the picture.

“You think she’s some kind of high roller?” The water shut off and

we both looked at the closed door.

“Not exactly. She doesn’t have the capital.” Reese wasn’t the type

to flaunt it anyway. She would intentionally be discreet.

“You want to ask her?” He appeared a bit nauseous at the prospect.

“No, I want you to.” The door opened before he could answer.

“Hey, Reese.” Ryan sounded all guilty.

“Hi.” So did I.

“You guys are weird.” She disappeared into her room and took

long enough to get dressed for us to excitedly gesture at each other. I

won.

“So, Reese,” Ryan began nonchalantly when she came back out.

“You’ve got almost twenty thousand dollars.”

“Damn. Good for me.” She went over and gazed out the window.

“That’s a lot for one night.”

“I guess it is.”

“Have you played poker before?” He sounded idiotic. I should

have just asked her.

“Yes, Ryan.”

“I knew it,” he shouted. What a liar.

“You did not.” I smacked him and looked back at Reese. “I knew it.”

Great, we sounded like a bad movie. “You come here all the time, don’t

you? That’s why everyone at this fuckin’ hotel knows you. The waitress

on my birthday, the valet.” Jumping to conclusions was my forte.

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Reese turned from the window, her face totally blank. “What do

you mean they know me?”

“When you went to ask about selling gold bars I thought you were

crazy, but the valet knew you by name and ten fuckin’ minutes later, he

called up here with everything all arranged.” I walked closer until I was

standing directly in front of her.

“You followed me downstairs.”

“And it was a damn good thing. What else are you not telling us?”

Okay, I was acting a little irrational.

“You fucking followed me?” Now Reese was yelling. “Are you

my keeper now? You have no right. What the hell were you thinking?”

“Don’t make this about me. You’re the one who’s been lying.”

“Hey, hey. Everyone just shut the fuck up.” Ryan moved between

us. “Reese, you should have told us. Cooper, you shouldn’t have

followed her. Let’s just talk like adults. For once, please?”

“What should I have told you?” Reese wanted to know.

“That you’ve come here before like a billion times and you’re a

liar,” I suggested.

“Coop.” Ryan put up a hand to silence me. “Let her explain.”

“All right. During school, I come about once a month,” she

confessed.

“Once a month?” Ryan stared at her like she’d gone crazy. “Why

didn’t you tell me?”

“I don’t know.” Reese slumped back against the glass. “I just like

it I guess.”

“Vegas?” he asked.

“Poker. And I can’t stand Atlantic City so I guess I like Vegas too.”

“The whole time we’ve been here. You never said a thing.” The

fight had gone out of my tone even though I was still pissed. I was

feeling a little defeated. And deceived. “Why didn’t you tell me?” I

couldn’t even see Ryan anymore, just her gorgeous, slightly apologetic

face.

“Why didn’t you ask?” Reese was quieter too and looking straight

at me. Something passed between us, a sort of pain. Like we both knew

she was lying. But she didn’t trust me enough to give me the whole

story. And I didn’t trust her enough to ask.

“Maybe this is a good thing,” Ryan said. He was always trying to

be positive. He also had no idea what was going on. We didn’t respond,

so he continued. “Those guys might not know I’m here.”

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AShley BArtlett

“Good for you, but where does that leave me and Reese?”

“Apparently, it’s normal for her to be here. So she can start

dropping hints that her asshole brother took off for Canada with a

shitload of cash.”

“What about you guys?” Reese wanted to know.

“You can just call us Justin”—Ryan pointed at me—“and Heather.”

He pointed at himself.

“Only if I get credit for the idea,” I said.

“Which was totally Coop’s idea.”

“Thank you.”

“So we’re in the clear,” Ryan said.

“We also might want to change hotels,” I said. They’d already

followed us once.

“Oh, yeah. Good call. Classic move.” Ryan threw up his hand for

a high five. I ignored it.

“Or not,” Reese said.

“Why?” I asked.

“I think we should make it look like we changed hotels, you know,

pack our bags, load the car, whatever. And then put you two in drag and

come back here. They’ll think we changed hotels, but we will just get

another room here. Maybe ditch our cars and get rentals.”

“Oh, yeah. Double back. Classic-er.” Ryan attempted another high

five. Reese ignored it.

“You in?” she asked me.

“Totally.”

❖

Reese and I left the hotel first. We piled our bags in the small

backseat just high enough to be visible out the window. A dark sedan

started following us after half a block. We let them. Reese made a

couple half-assed attempts to lose the tail. The dark sedan dropped

away and was replaced by a slightly different sedan.

These dudes needed to broaden their taste in cars. Fucking boring.

Ryan texted twenty minutes later. He’d left the hotel in his own

car. No one seemed to be following him.

Reese got on a freeway. Merged onto another freeway. Went south,

then south again. The dark sedan was back.