Vegas Vacation (Destination Desire) (13 page)

Frank gasped, “Not your style, Walsh?”

“I’ll go if everyone else does.” Tightening his grip on the bar as Frank wobbled, Finn lifted the weights and set them back in place.

Flopping backwards, Frank wheezed for a few moments before speaking. “I’ll give it a try. One more ride to go on.”

Finn held out a hand to pull the other man to his feet. “Not as fast as some of the others on the Strip, though. How did you like the one at the New York?”

His eyes lighting up, Frank flapped an excited hand through the air. “Fantastic! The engineering that goes into those rides is just amazing.”

And this was why Frank was the math teacher and Finn handled P.E. This was just not his interest. They took turns sucking down some water from the drinking fountain, and Finn sighed when the cool liquid flowed over his parched tongue. He’d managed to forget his water bottle. Not a smart move, but it would have been worse if he’d been out in the Vegas heat without it.

“Want to grab some coffee?” Frank asked.

Caffeine sounded far too good, probably because Finn had been keeping Meg up most of the night, every night. If his time was limited, he couldn’t waste it by sleeping, could he? That was what coffee was for. “A double espresso might be in order.”

Chuckling, Frank led the way to the nearest caffeine dealer.

Brunch had somehow turned into shopping, and Meg followed along behind Doreen and Cindy with her arms loaded down with bags. Carla walked beside her, burdened with even more bags. Meg had no idea how it was possible, but Doreen had found every deal the Strip had to offer. She’d dragged them into so many shops having sales they’d started to blur for Meg. They’d been to the Venetian, Planet Hollywood, and everywhere in between, and ended at the Forum Shops at Caesar’s Palace. She’d bought postcards to send to Anne’s sisters, cheesy souvenirs for her friends, a Vegas snow globe for her mom, and a set of Vegas-themed trading cards for her dad.

When the other women weren’t looking, she’d also purchased a slinky teddy to wear for Finn. If tomorrow was her last night with him, she wanted to make it memorable. She’d like to see those blue eyes of his pop open wide and lust that could curl her toes reflected on his handsome face. The sheer, sexy little number she’d picked up might make that happen, even though she turned bright red just knowing she’d bought the thing.

They trailed out of the Forum Shops and into the hotel proper, smothering their laughter at the sight of a mannequin in one of the windows. It was dressed in an outfit that could put Liberace to shame. On the way, they passed the hotel’s food court and a massive theater complex.

“Hey, guys!”

Meg startled as Frank popped out from between two rows of slot machines. Finn was right behind him. The musky scent of male sweat wafted off them. Both wore baggy mesh basketball shorts and a tank top, but Finn’s was pale pink.

Carla snickered. “I think someone dropped his white shirt in the laundry with something red.”

“Ah, no.” He turned around so they could read the back. There was the classic pink ribbon for breast cancer awareness along with the saying,
Save Second Base.

Everyone chuckled as they read it. “Nice.”

He faced the group again, waving a large coffee cup. “I do the walk for breast cancer every year in San Francisco in my mom’s name. She died of it about five years ago.”

Doreen made a sympathetic noise, Cindy reached out to pat his shoulder, and Carla said, “That’s a really nice way to commemorate her.”

Nodding, Meg forced herself to stay where she was and say nothing or she might be tempted to hug him. Cancer was such an awful way to lose someone. Poor Finn.

“It’s something I like to do for her. She was an amazing mom.” He took a final swig of his coffee and lobbed the cup into a nearby trash can.

Empathy squeezed inside her, and she ached for him. But it mingled with a growing anger on her own behalf. It had caught her by surprise at odd times the last few days and hit her again now. Because… God, could he get any more wonderful? It just wasn’t fucking fair that he had to be her coworker. Why couldn’t he be a lawyer or dentist or electrician? Anything but a teacher at Half Moon Bay Middle School.

The injustice of it seared through her. She wished that something about their situation was different, that there was some way around that one blockade. But there wasn’t or she would have found it by now. They suited each other so well on so many levels, and it was still doomed. How sucktastic was that? He might argue that it didn’t matter that they were coworkers or remind her that they weren’t her parents, but he hadn’t seen what she’d seen or been through what she’d been through. If he had, he might not be so quick to dismiss her fears. And it still pissed her off that she shouldn’t—
couldn’t
—keep him.

He gestured down at his sweat-soaked clothes. “I think a shower is in order. I’ll see all of you for dinner?”

“Mon Ami Gabi is one of my favorite restaurants in Vegas.” Doreen’s face creased in a smile. “My husband and I like to eat there when we come here. He’s a bit miffed I’m cheating on him with my friends to go there.”

“Aw, poor hubby. Too bad he couldn’t come this week. Maybe you can get him a really great present to make up for it.” Meg lifted her arms as high as she could, which wasn’t far because they were loaded down with bags. “You do have an outstanding gift for shopping.”

Covering her mouth, Doreen giggled. “I do, don’t I?”

“Yes, and before I lose feeling in my hands, I’m going to take all this stuff to my room. Dinner at seven, right?”

“Right,” Cindy replied. “I made reservations. Everyone just meet over there.”

“See you at seven!” Meg gave a little wiggle of her fingers to wave goodbye, though her wrists were starting to throb from the heavy load of the plastic bags cutting into her skin.

Finn’s gaze moved over her in a quick sweep before she turned away. It was subtle enough that she doubted anyone else picked up on it, but his expression told her he wanted her. Now, always. A frisson of heat passed through her. She could feel his gaze on her as she walked away, but she couldn’t look back with everyone else watching. Damn it.

When it came to Finn, she could never really have everything she wanted. The thought depressed her.

Finn’s phone rang the moment he stepped into his hotel room. Hoping it was Meg, he grabbed it, but the display showed Anne’s number. He fought a groan, knowing better than to ignore a call from her. “Hello?”

“Hey there, lover boy.” Her words had a teasing lilt. “How’s everything going?”

He cringed at the term
lover boy
. “Fine.”

“Just fine?” He could practically hear her eyebrows arching.

Injecting as much cheer into his voice as he could muster, he said, “Really, super fine.”

She harrumphed. “I can fly back there and give her an excuse never to speak to you again.”

Toeing out of his shoes, he tucked the phone between his shoulder and ear, then bent to tug off his socks. “Do it and I’ll kill you. Seriously dead.”

“Oh,” she purred. “Then things are going better than even really, super fine. How soon after I left did you score?”

Yeah, like he was answering that question. But she wasn’t going to be put off by evasions, so he kept it as short as possible. “We have an agreement for the week.”

“An agreement.” Her tone was doubtful.

“No strings attached.” Tapping the button to turn on speakerphone, he set his cell down and then shucked his shirt. When his own stink annoyed him, it was definitely time to shower.

A crack of gleeful laughter sounded through the phone. “Good for her. I wasn’t sure she had it in her.”

“She does.” A rueful smile touched his lips. “It was her idea, not mine. I wanted a date, she wanted a lot less.”

“Or more, depending on how you look at it.”

“It’s less, trust me.”

There was a long pause. “Are you going to be okay with this?”

“I’m…not sure.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I like her, Anne. This week has made it more than just like. But she’s determined that it’s a spring fling only, and…I’m not sure I’m going to be able to change her mind anymore.” He was less and less certain by the minute. Doubt was starting to weigh down on him and what had once felt like a game wasn’t fun anymore. There was far too much riding on the outcome when they were playing for keeps.

Somehow watching her walk away with her shopping bags had hit him, and he realized he was forty-eight hours away from watching her walk away for good. Jesus, it fucking sucked.

She snorted. “You went into it pretty cocky, and she’s taken you down a few pegs.”

“Confident, not cocky,” he protested. “I didn’t assume anything, I was just hoping like hell I could pull it off. That hope is fading.”

At this point, it was almost dead. She’d shown no real signs of backing off her one-week-only stance, and he was a hairsbreadth away from falling in love with her. Helpless desperation gripped his gut.

“She’s a stubborn girl, our Meg.”

“And we like her that way.” He liked everything about her. He even liked how graciously she’d apologized when she’d messed up. It said good things about what a real relationship would be like with her, where confrontation and compromise were inevitable.

“Yes, we do.” Anne sighed. “Don’t give up, okay? That big blowup we had between two teachers a few years back, the ones who were together?”

“Yeah, I’ve heard of it.” More than he ever wanted to.

The line rustled as if she’d shifted the phone. “It hit Meg really hard—harder than anyone else in the school district. She was pretty tight with the guy, Brandon, and the fact that he had to leave HMB to get away from the whole mess really got to her. I think being so close to it made it that much worse. It reminded her a lot of her parents’ breakup, which redefined ugly, public, and scandalous.”

“I just…we’re not those people, we weren’t involved, and we don’t have to end up like that.” He pressed his fingers into his eyes, a familiar frustration welling in him. He felt like a fucking broken record, but as true as it was it didn’t seem to make a damn bit of difference.

“I know, but…don’t give up, okay? She’s just scared. I can understand why, but don’t let her fear get in your way. She deserves a guy who would fight for her, even if it means fighting her fears. I’m hoping you can be that guy, or I wouldn’t have left her there with you.”

A small smile lifted his lips. “That was pretty profound, Anne.”

“Yeah, well.” He could all but hear her shrug. “My friends should have the best.”

“Thanks.” He was…touched…that she thought he would be the best thing for Meg. Anne wasn’t an easy woman to impress, especially when it came to anything involving her friends. Meg had a similar loyalty to her little group. He had to wonder what the other two friends were like. He’d never met them.

“Good luck.” A muffled shout sounded from the background. “Oh, crap. Mom and Cami are going at it again. Keeping Cami cooped up in the house is not going well. Gotta run!” She hung up before he had a chance to say goodbye.

He removed his shorts and underwear, leaving them in the middle of the floor while he headed for the bathroom. The rush of hot water over his skin felt good, but did little to wash away all of the worries that pressed down on him.

A soft knock sounded on the bathroom door. “Finn?”

Meg. She’d finally used the spare key card he’d given her for his room. He called out, “I don’t need housekeeping today.”

“That’s too bad,” Meg replied, mirth in her tone. “Maybe there are other services I can provide instead.”

“Come on in and show me what you’ve got to offer.” He tilted his head to listen for her movements, but there was a silence for several long moments.

The shower curtain slid back and Meg hopped in naked, her hair tied up in a loose knot on her head. She gave him a siren’s smile as she stepped in behind him. His cock began to harden in response to her nearness. She got to him, and the affect didn’t seem to be diminishing. It was intensifying.

Her arms wrapped around him from behind, her breasts pressed against his back. He closed his eyes, the feel of her so damn sweet. One of her hands slipped up to tease his nipple, and he shuddered as it tightened for her. When her other hand coasted down his abs, tracing the muscles before closing around his dick, he groaned.

“Are these services you’re interested in?” Her lips brushed his shoulder blade.

“Fuck, yes.” He set his hands against the shower wall, letting her play with him as she pleased. Water sluiced down him and amplified every single sensation. “Don’t ever stop.”

The words were ripped straight from his soul.
Don’t stop touching him, being with him, being his
. She paused in her ministrations, as if sensing his words had more weight than they should, but then she kissed his back and twisted his nipple. The breath whooshed out of his lungs as lust and pain and rejection mingled. His swallowed and pushed aside everything but the physical. That was what she wanted, and at the moment, it hurt too much to give more than that.

Her grip tightened on his cock, stroking him until his teeth clenched and fire roared through his veins. The water slipped in a caress over his skin, the heated steam wrapping around him like an embrace. He drove his hips forward, moving with her stroking fingers. Meg bit his shoulder, and he jolted, his cock swelling even more. Her low laughter echoed in the bathroom. “I put a condom on the ledge of the tub before I got in. Care to use it?”

“Yes,” he groaned.

Turning, he enjoyed the view of her bending over to fetch the rubber. He wasn’t usually an ass man, but hers was exceptional. He curved his hand over one cheek, squeezing. Then he dipped down to bite the other one.

“Finn!” Squealing, she jerked upright, the condom clutched in her fingers.

He grinned, snagging the protection from her and putting it on in seconds. “Come here.”

She stepped close, pressing herself against him, and the water glued their bodies together. “I want you.”

“For now.” The words hit him hard and he saw her gaze darken. Slamming his mouth down over hers, he put enough force behind the kiss to be punishing. Instead of pulling back, she slipped her arms around his neck and arched into him. Her tongue dueled with his, and she lifted one leg to twine around his hip, opening herself to him.