Vegas Vacation (Destination Desire) (7 page)

After giving her a pointed glance, he returned his focus to the TV. “You’re right. We’re not meant to be just friends.”

She knew he’d deliberately taken her words the wrong way, because he thought they were meant to be more than friends. There was no point arguing with him. He knew where she stood, and she knew he hoped she’d change her mind. Stalemate. But there was nothing that could change her mind, not even the best sex of her life. This…closeness between them ended when spring break did. Then things could go back to normal.

Or as normal as things ever were with their chemistry spiking off the charts.

Chapter Five

She was a study in contradictions, and it fascinated him.

Cool, quiet, and logical out of bed. Hot, wanton, and willing between the sheets. Sweet and a little shy the morning after. If anything, last night had only steeled his resolve to change her mind. He knew she was a long way from giving in, but he wanted her even more.

The remains of breakfast were piled on a tray, and they sat together in bed watching the
Pawn Stars
marathon. It cracked him up that she seemed so enthralled by baseball memorabilia. Another surprise. But he liked just being here with her, hanging out and chatting. No pressure, no façades. The news about her parents’ divorce had shed some light on her reluctance to get involved…probably with anyone, not just him. He thought there might be more layers to her resistance than he’d first imagined, no thanks to her cheating father. That would be hard to watch as a kid, and definitely had the potential to make for a wary adult.

Good thing he liked a challenge.

He reached over to run a fingertip up her arm until he touched her sleeve. “I do like you in this thing.”

“I just borrowed it.” She shrugged, and one shoulder of the shirt slipped dangerously low. “Don’t worry, I’ll give it back.”

“Don’t be surprised if I want it back pretty soon.” He traced the curve of her collarbone, her shoulder, down the neckline of the shirt until he stroked the top of her cleavage.

Her breath caught, lifting her breasts higher. The thin cotton clearly outlined her beaded nipples, and he wanted his hands on them, wanted to suck them into his mouth one by one until she gasped and begged.

She licked her lips. “Finn.”

God, he loved when she said his name like that, all breathless and wanting. It made him hard, and the fact that he was naked did nothing to hide his condition.

Her gaze dropped to his lap, and her lovely silver eyes went wide.

“Yeah.” He chuckled. “I want you. Hardly a surprise, is it?”

She shook her head slowly, her gaze not leaving his cock, which jerked under her attention. Setting her hand on his thigh, she made him shudder.

“I want you, too.”

It was almost too soft to hear, but his chest tightened with emotion that he couldn’t even begin to name. Dipping down, he pressed his mouth to hers. She sighed, parting her lips for him, and he tangled his tongue with hers. She tasted of the fruit she’d had for breakfast and something uniquely Meg. The kiss was tender enough to make that band of emotion around his chest cinch tighter.

He cupped her breast, thumbing the tip while she moaned into his mouth. Blood raced through his veins as his heart rate sped. Her nails dug into his leg the longer he stroked her nipple, and she arched to press herself deeper into his touch. The smell of her, feel of her, was the headiest aphrodisiac he’d ever encountered. His cock ached, especially when her fingers slipped higher, her knuckles just brushing the underside of his erection.

They both jolted when his phone blared out a ring, and he snarled. “Fuck.”

“What’s wrong?” The question was hazy with lust, and she swayed toward him. It made him feel just short of murderous to have to ease away from her.

“I have to get that. It’s my dad’s ringtone.” He scooted over to the nightstand and snatched up the vibrating phone.

“Oh, okay.” She ran a hand over her hair and straightened the shirt, looking self-conscious again, which made him even more furious. She hadn’t been self-conscious a few moments ago—she’d been ready to pick up where they’d left off last night.

“Sorry, sweetheart. I did tell him I’d be available to talk now. That was before we started…this thing.” Hell, he didn’t even know what to call it. A fling or an affair just sounded insufficient, even though it was correct for what she’d claimed she wanted.

“No problem.” She drew in a breath, snagged the remote control and muted the TV. “Answer the call before you miss it.”

He did, stabbing the button to pick up the phone. “Hi, Dad.”

“Hey, son.” There was a hesitation to his voice that made Finn sit up straight.

Concern cut through the annoyance at the interruption. “What’s up? Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine. Better than fine. For me, anyway.” There was a rustling sound. “The woman who picked up the phone the other day…”

“What about her?” Sudden dread fisted in his gut and he swallowed hard. Turning away from Meg, he swung his legs over the side of the bed so he sat on the edge of the mattress.

His dad cleared his throat, and there was a long, awkward moment of silence. “I’d like you to come to dinner while you’re in town. And meet her.”

Ah, shit. Finn dropped his head in his hand. It was strange enough that his father was dating again, but now he was getting dragged into some warped, reversed version of
Meet the Parents
? It made him feel a bit sick, thinking about some strange woman replacing his mother. But did he really have a choice? It had been years since his mom passed and there was no reason his father shouldn’t date again, but Finn had just wrapped his mind around that. A girlfriend introduction was something else entirely. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

“Her name is Ursula,” his father continued, and Finn had to resist the childish urge to cover his ears. He didn’t want to know anything about this woman. Jesus.

“When?” The word grated out of his throat and he dragged his palm down his face.

He heard his dad sigh, but didn’t know if it was in annoyance at Finn’s lack of enthusiasm or relief that Finn wasn’t fighting him on the meeting. “You’re leaving Friday, right? So, how about the night before you leave? Do you have plans Thursday?”

Finn wanted to make up some kind of plan to avoid what was sure to be a horrific experience, but he didn’t. “Okay, yeah. Thursday sounds good. See you then. I have to go. I, uh, I have a friend waiting for me.”

“Sure, sure,” his father said, a false heartiness to his voice that made Finn cringe. God, this was uncomfortable. It didn’t help that the older man seemed as ill at ease as he was.

“Bye, Dad.” He closed his eyes, shaking his head. “Love you.”

“I love you too, son.” The words echoed with the gruff affection Finn had grown up with. “I’ll see you Thursday.”

Hanging up, Finn sighed. Well, there was nothing to do but get through this. His family had always been a close one, and losing his mom had devastated both his father and him. He wasn’t about to alienate his one remaining parent by being petulant about the older man moving on with his life and finding someone else. Hell, his mother had even told his father to do so before the cancer had finally taken her. At the time, his dad had been adamant in his refusal and told his wife she was crazy from the chemo, but things had apparently changed.

Finn just wished he’d had a bit more warning before he’d been blindsided by this new and not particularly welcome development in his old man’s love life.

He hoped there was going to be alcohol at this meal. A stiff drink or three was going to be in order, no doubt. “Shit.”

Meg had tried not to listen in on what was obviously a private conversation, but the tension radiating off Finn was unavoidable. She could see the muscles in his back and neck grow taut. Her belly knotted, but she laid a tentative hand on his shoulder.

“You all right?” He flinched at her touch and she jerked her fingers back.

“Hmm?” He glanced over at her. “Oh, yeah. I’m fine.”

Wow, there was a load of bull if she’d ever heard it. She snorted. “You don’t have to tell me what’s going on, Finn, but don’t lie to me.”

He swiveled in place so he could look at her, propping one bent leg on the mattress. “My dad wants me to come to dinner while I’m in town.”

That much she’d gathered from the one-sided discussion she’d heard. What she didn’t understand was why that had caused so much tension. “And you don’t get along with your dad? Because you sounded like you were agreeing to go to the gallows when you were talking to him.”

He forked his fingers through his hair, leaving the auburn strands in furrows. “I get along with him just fine. We visit each other several times a year.”

“Uh-huh.”

Wincing, he sighed. “He wants me to meet his girlfriend.”

“That’s the bad part?” Her brows arched. She still wasn’t quite clear on the problem.

“It’s his first girlfriend since Mom died. Or at least the first one he’s wanted me to meet.”

And there it was. The problem. “Ouch.”

“I know, right?” He shook his head. “It’s crazy, but it feels like I’d be betraying her by meeting Dad’s other woman. Even though it’s been five years and he has every right to move on.” One shoulder twitched in a shrug. “My mom would have wanted him to be happy. And yet…”

“And yet it feels a little wrong to do that.” The pain on his face coaxed her across the bed until she sat next to him, and leaned against his side, wanting to offer some comfort but not sure how.

He blew out a deep breath, his arm circling her waist. “Yeah.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I miss her. I always will.” He set his chin on the top of her head, squeezing her just a little too tight. “She was an amazing mother. It’s odd to think about my dad with someone else. I’ll get over it. What other option do I have?” He huffed out a laugh that sounded far too close to a sob. “Jesus.”

What an awful situation. Both of her parents were still alive, so she couldn’t even imagine what he was going through, but the usually affable Finn being so upset broke her heart. She didn’t say anything, just slid her arms around him and held on.

“Would you…” He swallowed audibly. “Would you come with me? I think it might make it easier, not to be the third wheel at dinner.”

Tipping her head back, she tried to meet his gaze, but he wouldn’t look at her. “Distract them with me, huh?”

“You don’t have to. Never mind.” He pushed to his feet, sliding out of her embrace. The smile he gave her was overly bright and totally false. “Maybe we should think about getting dressed and going to that Olympic exhibit.”

“I’ll go with you. To dinner.”

The words were out of her mouth before she thought them through. It was unlike her not to consider things before she jumped in. Then again, she’d almost expected to regret sleeping with him when she’d woken up this morning. She was doing a lot of things that weren’t like her lately.

Profound relief, disbelief, hope, and what might have been gratitude flashed across his face in rapid succession. “Really? You will?”

“Yes.” Again, no hesitation—just reaction. “If me coming along helps make this easier for you, then I’m happy to come.” Wouldn’t she have loved someone to deflect the discomfort the first time she’d met Barbie? A friend would have been so appreciated just then, so she had some idea of what Finn was dealing with. Though without the home-wrecking part thrown in. She shrugged. “Anne would probably make for a much more entertaining distraction.”

An odd expression she couldn’t decipher met that declaration. “You’ll be great. Thank you, Meg. Really. Thank you.”

He stepped closer, caught her face between his palms and popped a kiss on her mouth. She tilted her head back, inviting more. His lips clung to hers, lingering. He tasted good. Like coffee and Finn. An addicting combination.

“Mmm. You’re welcome,” she said when he let her up for air. “Can your dad cook?”

He laughed. “Yes, he can. Meat and potatoes fare, but very edible.”

“That’s good.” But reality—along with her usual careful consideration—was already rearing its ugly head.

It was, in fact, a very bad idea to go to dinner and meet his father. She might be having sex with Finn, but they really weren’t friends. They’d agreed on that point earlier. She might justify it by sympathizing with the dad-has-a-new-girlfriend weirdness, but if she wasn’t his friend, what was her role? It would have been appropriate for Anne to go, but Meg? Not really. So what the hell was she doing? It crossed lines and made this more personal than it really should. Meeting the parent went way beyond just sex. But she hesitated to take the offer back. When had she ever seen Finn look so insecure, so uncertain? So agonized? He was usually the king of confidence, and she found she didn’t have the heart to let him down.

That should tell her something right there, but she didn’t want to acknowledge it. So she pushed it aside. Not the smartest or most mature choice she’d ever made, but responsibility hadn’t exactly been high on her to-do list since she’d arrived in Vegas, had it?

Finn had pretty much been the only thing on her to-do list, and she had done him. Repeatedly and in some very creative positions. And she wanted to do it again. The thought made a delicious shiver course through her.

“We should get ready to go. The exhibit awaits.” This time, his smile reached his eyes, his expression warm enough to make her heart trip.

Bad, bad idea. Agreeing to this dinner was going to make him think he was gaining ground in their romantic battle of wills. Not true, she assured herself. Helping him out with his dad didn’t mean she was giving in about dating him. But she didn’t want to point that out. He’d see for himself.

She wanted to think about something else. Anything else. Time for some distraction, and she knew just how to get it. Letting a slow smile curve her lips, she held a hand toward him. “It can wait a little while, can’t it?”

Chapter Six

Mellowness filled Finn as he wandered around the Olympic history exhibit. His muscles were loose and a satisfied smile curled his mouth. Amazing sex would do that to a man. That and the sure knowledge that he was starting to make some headway with Meg. She was going to the Disaster Dad Dinner with him because she cared. She might not realize it, or maybe she just didn’t want to admit it, but he had no doubts.