Vegas Vacation (Destination Desire) (4 page)

And he’d just scored a point in their game of hearts, whether she knew they were playing or not.

Chapter Three

Meg followed Anne into their room, shut the door behind them, and collapsed against it. She let a relieved breath ease out. Surviving that much time alone with Finn had taken Olympian effort. Then she remembered she’d agreed to go to an Olympic exhibit with him. Damn. Well, Anne would just have to come along and play cockblocker, because Meg didn’t know how much longer her resistance could hold out. Not that she’d had much resistance in his room. If he hadn’t stopped, they would have had sex. She’d been ruled by lust instead of logic, and that wasn’t normal for her at all.

Not good.

“Uh-oh.” Anne bounced onto one of the double beds, but came up onto her elbows to stare at Meg. “That’s a bad look. What’s wrong?”

She pinched her eyes shut, not wanting to meet her friend’s gaze when she confessed the truth, but she had to talk to someone about this. She was going to drive herself crazy if she let her thoughts chase themselves in circles. “I dry-humped Finn against his hotel room door.”

“Wow, that boy works fast,” Anne replied, sounding almost impressed.

“What am I going to do?” Meg looked at the other woman, hating the desperate note in her tone. “What was I thinking?”

“It sounds like you weren’t thinking, but that maybe you want to do him.” She grinned puckishly, shrugging. “I’m just guessing here.”

“No,” Meg snapped. “I have rules.”

“Rules are made to be broken.”

“Not my rules!” Meg shoved a hand through her hair. “You saw what happened when Brandon and Regina dated. It was perfect until it wasn’t and the next thing you know the police are getting called, there are restraining orders, lives blow up, and two people don’t have jobs anymore.” Brandon had been a friend, and she’d been there when he’d poured gasoline on his life and lit it on fire. Ugly didn’t even begin to describe it. And when she thought about her secret role in the whole mess, the guilt was almost enough to eat her alive. She shuddered, her stomach jolting. “Was it worth it? I don’t think so. I’m not doing that, Anne. I am not.”

The redhead was quiet for a very long moment, her gaze assessing. She probably saw far more than Meg would be comfortable with. “Okay. So don’t date him, just fuck him.”

“What?” Staggering, Meg flopped onto the bed nearest the door. “You have to be kidding me. What kind of advice is that?”

Anne sat up and propped her elbows on her knees. “Hey, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, baby.”

Meg made a derisive sound, though her hormones jangled with a sharp disagreement. They were more than happy to take any excuse to get some play. “That’s ridiculous.”

“Maybe, but it’d get you laid. Been a while, hasn’t it?”

There wasn’t a single response she could make to that one.

Anne smirked. “That’s what I thought.”

“Maybe he’s not as interested as you think,” Meg fired back, though she thought lightning might strike her for the lie. “He’s the one who stopped it, not me. I should have, but he did.”

She still didn’t know what to make of that. He’d been aroused, but he hadn’t taken the opportunity when he’d had it. Was it really because he wanted her totally on board before sleeping with her? She didn’t know many men who wouldn’t have taken advantage. It was…kind. Kinder than she deserved, considering she’d had her tongue down his throat.

“Did he, now?” Anne grinned. “He’s smarter than he looks.”

Narrowing her gaze, Meg folded her arms. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means I stand by my suggestion—enjoy the responsibility-free Vegas experience. Ride that man like he’s your personal pony.”

Another cheer from her hormones. The thought of riding Finn made her heart skip a beat. She didn’t want to want a man she worked with. Not again. But she did. It was foolish and she had to keep denying herself. Clearly, letting herself be alone with him was a bad idea, so she needed to make sure that didn’t happen again. Even if it meant going off on her own or hanging out with the booze crew.

“We’re going to an exhibit tomorrow on the history of the Olympics.” Meg leveled her gaze on Anne. “And by we, I mean you, me, Finn, and any of the others we can round up. You owe me for making me come on this trip. You are not leaving me to deal with Finn by myself.”

Her friend pursed her lips. “I get why you’re hesitant to get involved in any way with a coworker, but you’re never going to get him out of your system unless you try him on for size. This week is your opportunity. No strings attached.”

Trying him on for size sounded far too tempting. No strings attached sounded even better. She shook her head, denying herself, denying the free pass Anne offered. Brandon had thought he could get involved with another teacher and come out of it unscathed, but he’d been wrong, hadn’t he?

She should learn from his mistakes. And her own.

Anne continued her persuasion campaign. “Look, you’re cautious by nature, I know that. Your parents’ heinous divorce only made you more cautious around men. Are you sure you’re not letting their problems influence you too much? Because this is a totally different thing. You don’t have to commit to more than sex.”

Heinous didn’t even begin to describe her parents’ breakup, but Anne was right about their example making Meg cautious with commitment. She’d learned from their mistakes too.

“When do we meet everyone for dinner?” Meg set her jaw and went to unpack her suitcase. She ignored Anne’s long-suffering sigh at the deliberate change of topic.

“Not until seven. You have some time.”

“Good, I’m going to do a little window shopping at the fancy mall thing they have in the hotel.” She unloaded her toiletries onto the counter in the bathroom. “Maybe I’ll get lucky, hit a sale, and replace the clothes Carla and Ed annihilated today.”

Anne bounced to her feet. “Great, I’ll come with you.”

Dinner was riotous. Luckily, Vegas waiters knew how to handle drunken loudmouths.

Meg shook her head. When Carla swung her wineglass a little too close, Meg grabbed her wrist. “Be careful. If you ruin another outfit, I’m going to send you a bill.”

The group whooped with laughter as if that were the funniest thing they’d ever heard. Meg rolled her eyes and sipped her mojito—her first drink of the day, which she definitely couldn’t say for the six stooges. Roger seemed semi-sober, but Frank was listing to one side. Any second now, he was going to be lying against Finn’s shoulder. Finn cast a rueful glance at Frank, then met Meg’s gaze, winked and shrugged. Somehow their colleagues had reverted to college co-eds.

Finn tipped his beer to his lips and took a deep swig. She watched his strong throat work, and she wanted to slide her tongue up his neck to his ear, maybe bite down on the lobe a little. She was usually better at resisting those kinds of thoughts, but Anne’s words about using this week as a chance for a no-strings fling kept coming back to her. Could she really do that? She, Meg Phillips, have an affair that she knew would be short-term? She’d never tried it before, never even considered it.

One thing was certain—her libido really hoped she’d go for it.

She wished she wasn’t so attracted to him, wished if she were this drawn to a man that he wasn’t a colleague, but she’d been wishing that for a year and it hadn’t done her a bit of good. So she could take Anne’s advice and do something about it, or she could continue to make wishes that would never come true. She didn’t want to date another teacher, but this wouldn’t be dating, would it? It wouldn’t be a relationship. It wouldn’t even be a potential relationship. It would just be sex.

She shook her head at herself, at her justifications. She knew it was a bad idea, but she still sought an excuse to do what she wanted. Was that so terrible? Maybe, maybe not. Until she was sure, she couldn’t make a decision.

The servers stuck with the loud and rowdy party came bearing food, which caused a cheer to go up from the table. Meg laughed. She had to see the humor in the enthusiasm with which her fellow teachers unwound from work. They’d worked hard, and they wanted to play hard. It wasn’t her style, but she couldn’t hold it against them. As long as they kept their cocktails away from her clothes.

Her burger and fries were pretty good, and she relaxed as everyone talked about all the things they intended to do for the week. Drinking and gambling all around, the championship fight for Anne, Roger, Frank, and Ed, shopping for the girls, and Frank was also on a mission to try every roller coaster or ride on the Strip, starting with the one at New York, New York.

“Meg, Anne.” Leaning forward, Carla projected her voice enough that the entire restaurant got to eavesdrop. She motioned to Cindy and Doreen. “We’re hitting a strip club tonight. You ladies want to come? Naked hot guys, woohoo!”

Anne shook her head. “I have a date tonight. I’m meeting the shuttle driver for drinks at nine.”

“I’m bowing out, too.” Meg smiled. “You girls have fun. Don’t post any evidence on Facebook!”

That had them all giggling, and the guys made a few ribald jokes. Meg was glad they didn’t press. Some stranger rubbing his junk in her face was not her idea of fun. She could only be glad if anyone was taking advantage of the local brothels, they didn’t say it out loud. There’d be no bleaching away that mental image.

Anne’s phone trilled out a ring, and she leaned sideways against Meg to fish it out of her back pocket. She answered and stuck her finger in her other ear to block out the noise of the restaurant. “Hello!”

Meg felt her friend go rigid. Anne slid out of her seat to pace in front of the table as she listened. Fear contorted her features, and when she spoke, it was slowly and distinctly. “Calm down, Mom. Tell me what happened to Cami.”

“Cami?” Meg whispered, and she couldn’t keep the worry out of her voice. Cami was Anne’s sixteen-year-old sister, the baby of the family. Meg had done her fair share of babysitting Anne’s three younger sisters, so hearing the girl’s name made her stomach twist into knots.

Anne leaned forward and braced her hand on the table, her face pale. “Is the doctor there? Let me talk to them. Now, Mom.”

There was silence for a long moment while she listened, and Meg gripped the edge of her seat, tension ratcheting up inside her.

“Thank you, Doctor. No, I’m not staying here to wait for updates. I’ll hop on the next flight home. Try to keep my mother calm until I get there. Shoot her up with Valium if you need to.”

She tapped a button, and stood there for a moment, a slight tremor running through her.

Finn stood and grabbed her by the shoulders to keep her upright. His blue eyes darkened. “What happened to your sister? How can we help?” He shook her a little. “Breathe, Anne.”

Sucking in a lungful of air, Anne squeezed a few sentences out. “She was in a car accident. The doctor says it’s minor—she needed five stitches, has a concussion and they’re keeping her overnight for observation. But my mom is freaking out and I need to be there. The girls depend on me to be the responsible one.”

Truer words had never been spoken. Anne had basically raised her younger sisters because her flighty mother couldn’t be counted on to remember to sign permission slips, send lunch money, or get the girls on the bus to school every day. If something went wrong, they turned to Anne.

Meg grabbed her purse and rose. “All right, let’s get our things together and get home as quickly as possible.”

“Yes.” Anne nodded, some color seeping back into her cheeks. “Okay, let’s do that. Wait, just me. You said
our
.”

“I should come with you.” Meg arched her eyebrows.

Anne’s gaze went from Finn to Meg and back again. “No. I want you to stay here and enjoy your spring break.”

“But—”

“No buts. I’ll call Karen and have her pick me up from the airport. Julie can go to the hospital in the meantime and give us any updates.” Anne let out a breath. “I want you to stay here and have fun, since I don’t get to. Please?”

“Okay, if you’re sure.” Meg shook her head, knowing exactly what Anne meant when she said
fun
. She wanted Meg to sex it up with Finn. Even in distress, she was pushy.

Finn’s fingers were flying over his phone, his brow furrowed in concentration. “Okay, there’s a flight to SFO in ninety minutes. If we hurry, you might make it in time. I have the airline’s phone number. Anne, you’ll need to speak to them.” His gaze speared the suddenly quiet group at the table. “Which of you is sober?”

Only Roger raised his hand.

“Great, you’re in charge of making sure a cab is waiting at the curb for Anne so she can get to the airport. The cab lines here can take forever, so figure out a way around it. The rest of you take care of the dinner bill and we’ll settle up later.” He looked at Meg. “Can you get her stuff from your room while I help her deal with the airline?”

“Yes.” Meg fished her key card out of her purse.

Finn nodded, surveying them like he was coaching a team to a win. “Let’s hustle, people.”

At his barked command, they rushed into action. Thankfully, Anne hadn’t unpacked much from her suitcase yet, so Meg had everything back down to the lobby in short order. Finn met her there.

“Anne’s printing out her boarding pass now, and she’ll join us at the curb,” he said.

“Okay.” She let him take the suitcase from her and shivered when he laid his hand on the small of her back to usher her outside.

The chill of the desert night struck her as they exited the hotel, and she shivered again. They joined Roger at the curb, where he’d waylaid a taxi. Anne appeared, her printout fluttering in the breeze. Meg hugged her and Finn handed her into the cab.

Anne rolled down the window. “I’ll text you to let you know what happens.”

“Good.” Finn knocked on the top of the taxi. “Now, go on before you miss your flight.”

The car pulled away, and Roger sighed. “I’m going to go check on everyone else. They’re probably still eating. You coming?”

“Not right now,” Finn replied, and Meg nodded in agreement. She didn’t want to go back. She wasn’t really hungry anymore.