Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
Darryl POV
I stepped out of the Vegas terminal with Ashley, the desert heat hitting us as we hauled our bags to the curb, her hand tucked in mine.
The flight had been short and sweet, her teasing me the whole way, and I was still buzzing from it, liking how easy it felt to just be with her, no work, no rush.
We’d grabbed three days off to bond before the wedding, and landing here, not as crew but as us, felt good, different.
“So,” I said, squeezing her hand, nodding at the strip stretching out ahead, all lights and noise. “Where to first?”
“Everywhere,” she said, grinning big, tugging me toward a shuttle pulling up. “Let’s drop our stuff and roam. See it all.”
“Alright,” I said, following her lead, liking how her eyes lit up at the chaos around us.
We hopped on, her leaning into my side, my arm slipping around her shoulders as the shuttle rattled toward a hotel I’d booked, a mid-strip place with a pool and decent reviews.
Check-in was quick, the lobby loud with slot machines and chatter, and we dumped our bags in a simple room, bed made tight, window overlooking the neon sprawl.
“Ready?” I said, turning to her, catching her tying her hair up in a loose ponytail.
“Yep,” she said, stepping close, kissing my cheek quickly, her lips soft against my skin. “Let’s hit the streets.”
We headed out, her arm looping through mine, the strip buzzing with people, music thumping from every corner, lights flashing in a way that made my head spin a little. “This place is nuts,” I said, pulling her closer as we dodged a guy handing out flyers, her shoulder brushing mine.
“Totally,” she said, laughing, pointing at a giant fountain shooting water into the sky. “Look at that! We’ve got to see it up close.”
“Sure,” I said, steering us toward it, her hand slipping into mine, fingers lacing tight.
We walked along, her tugging me to stop at a street performer juggling flaming sticks, clapping loudly when he finished, me digging out a few bucks to toss in his hat.
“You’re a softie,” I said, grinning as she clapped again, her ponytail bouncing.
“For cool stuff, yeah,” she said, nudging me with her elbow. “What’s your excuse?”
“You,” I said, leaning down to kiss her forehead quickly, liking how she smiled up at me, her eyes crinkling. We kept moving, her pointing out a massive Ferris wheel, then a guy dressed as Elvis strumming a guitar. “Think he’s real?” she said, giggling, pulling me closer to listen.
“Nah,” I said, chuckling, wrapping my arm around her waist. “Too much glitter.”
“Fair,” she said, resting her head on my shoulder for a second as we walked on, the crowd thinning a bit. We hit a spot with a big lion statue, and she stopped, digging her phone out of her pocket. “Picture time,” she said, holding it up, turning to me with a grin. “Come on, stand here.”
“No way,” I said, stepping back, hands up. “I don’t do pictures.”
“Yes, you do,” she said, grabbing my arm, pulling me in front of the statue. “For me. Please?”
“Fine,” I said, grumbling, but I couldn’t say no to that smile, stepping beside her, my arm sliding around her shoulders. “Make it quick.”
“Perfect,” she said, holding the phone up, snapping a shot, then turning to kiss my cheek right as she took another, giggling when I flinched. “Got you,” she said, showing me the screen, her lips on my cheek in one, both of us grinning in the other.
“Great,” I said, pulling her closer, kissing her temple softly, my hand resting on her hip. “Happy now?”
“Very,” she said, tucking her phone away, looping her arms around my neck quickly, hugging me tight. “You’re cute when you’re grumpy.”
“Shut up,” I said, grinning, kissing her nose quickly, liking how she laughed against me. “What’s next?”
“Fountain,” she said, letting go but keeping my hand, tugging me toward the big one we’d seen earlier, water dancing in patterns as music blared.
We found a spot by the railing, her leaning against it, me standing close behind, my arms wrapping around her waist, my chin resting on her shoulder.
“Pretty, huh?” she said, tilting her head back to look at me.
“Yeah,” I said, kissing her cheek softly, holding her tighter. “Real nice.”
“Sweet talker,” she said, turning in my arms, kissing me quick on the lips, her hands on my chest. “You’re good at this.”
“Trying,” I said, brushing her hair back, tucking it behind her ear, my fingers lingering on her neck. “You’re easy to be good for.”
“Aw,” she said, hugging me again, her cheek against my shirt, my hands sliding to her back, rubbing slowly.
We stayed there, watching the water, her pointing out a big splash, me stealing little kisses on her neck when no one was looking, liking how she giggled every time.
The sun started dipping, the lights getting brighter, and my stomach growled, loud enough for her to hear.
“Hungry?” she said, pulling back, grinning up at me.
“Yeah,” I said, taking her hand, lacing our fingers together. “Restaurant?”
“Yep,” she said, leading me down the strip, her thumb brushing mine as we walked.
We found a place, a little Italian joint tucked off the main drag, with red checkered tablecloths and candles flickering on every table.
The hostess sat us in a corner, and I pulled out her chair, grinning as she sat with a smirk.
“Fancy,” she said, grabbing the menu, kicking my leg lightly under the table.
“Only for you,” I said, sitting across, resting my foot against hers, opening my menu. “What are you getting?”
“Spaghetti,” she said, pointing at it. “Meatballs. You?”
“Lasagna,” I said, setting the menu down, reaching across to take her hand, holding it on the table. “Sounds good.”
“Perfect,” she said, squeezing my hand, her foot brushing mine again. “You’re sweet today.”
“Always sweet,” I said, lifting her hand to kiss her knuckles quickly, grinning as her cheeks went pink. “You bring it out.”
“Liar,” she said, laughing softly, pulling her hand back to grab her water, sipping slowly. “You’re grumpy half the time.”
“Only half,” I said, leaning forward, resting my chin in my hand, watching her. “Other half’s all you.”
“Aw,” she said, setting her glass down, reaching over to pat my cheek. “You’re too good.”
The waiter came, a skinny guy with a notepad, and we ordered, me adding breadsticks, her tossing in a side salad. “Good call,” she said, grinning as he walked off, leaning across to kiss my cheek quickly, her lips soft against my skin. “Breadsticks are key.”
“Know you like ‘em,” I said, catching her hand before she pulled back, kissing her palm slowly, holding her gaze. “Got to keep you happy.”
“Happy,” she said, giggling, leaning her elbow on the table, resting her chin in her other hand. “You’re doing great.”
“Good,” I said, letting her hand go as the breadsticks hit the table, grabbing one to split with her, and handing her half. “Here.”
“Thanks,” she said, taking a bite, grinning as she chewed. “You’re spoiling me.”
“Plan to,” I said, dipping mine in sauce, nudging her foot under the table. “Three days of this.”
“Love that,” she said, reaching over to swipe a bit of sauce off my lip with her thumb, popping it in her mouth. “You’re messy.”
“You’re worse,” I said, grinning, catching her hand to kiss her fingers again, liking how she laughed.
The food came quickly, steaming plates of spaghetti and lasagna, and we dug in, her twirling noodles, me cutting into layers, trading bites across the table.
“Good?” I said, watching her slurp a meatball, sauce on her chin.
“Great,” she said, wiping her mouth, handing me a forkful of her spaghetti. “Try.”
I took it, chewing slowly, nodding. “Solid,” I said, feeding her a bite of lasagna, grinning as she leaned over, sauce dripping on the table.
“Yum,” she said, swallowing, grabbing her water. “We’re good at this.”
“Yeah,” I said, resting my hand on hers, squeezing lightly. “Real good.”
We finished slow, splitting the salad, her stealing my last breadstick, me pretending to fight her for it, ending with her laughing and kissing my hand quick.
The bill came, and I paid, her leaning into my side as we walked out, the night air warm, lights flashing around us.
“Best date,” she said, looping her arm through mine, resting her head on my shoulder.
“Glad,” I said, kissing her forehead slowly, pulling her close as we headed back to the hotel, the day sweet and full, just us.