Chapter 2
2
JOSS
After all Peter had put me through, after planning JaCinda’s entire bachelorette party only to be uninvited , I was due something special. Why shouldn’t I allow myself to get caught up in a handsome man?
Rylan certainly was handsome, there was no denying that. I hadn’t even taken two steps from where we met, and he’d already swept me off my feet. And here I was, letting him take me to the restaurant that was my top choice after researching for this stupid trip. I’d wanted to come here for so many years, only for JaCinda to shut down my first and only chance. And here he was, making my dreams come true. This man I had only just met.
It was unbelievable.
“So, Joss, tell me about yourself.”
I couldn’t stop myself from comparing him to Peter, who’d been more and more vicious to me every day, while Rylan was a breath of fresh air. The way he walked by the street on the sidewalk, keeping me on the inside and keeping me safe. The way he kept his hand on my lower back as he guided me into the cab to bring us here. When he curled himself around our table, like doing so could bring him closer to me.
His legs were spread wide. His broad shoulders curled inward as he cracked open the lobster tail and pulled out a hunk of meat. My mouth watered, and I wasn’t sure if it was for the lobster or for Rylan.
I eyed him as he cut the meat in two, putting part on my plate and jabbing a big hunk of steak off in return.
Surf and turf.
His idea, not mine.
“What do you want to know?” I wasn’t trying to be coy, but he was still a stranger. I dabbed a bit of lobster in the butter between us and stuck it in my mouth.
Immediately, Rylan grabbed the napkin off his lap, wiping away the dribble of butter on my chin before I even realized it was there. My skin flushed, and it felt like we were still out on the scorching hot sidewalk rather than this air-conditioned room.
“Favorite color?” His smile seemed to knock me off-kilter. I couldn’t help but smile back.
“Purple.” I tucked my hair behind my ear. “What about you?”
“Green.” He bit a bite of steak off his fork and chewed. “Favorite food?”
“Chocolate covered strawberries.”
“Really?” He leaned forward, only to grab his beer and take a swig, his gaze never wavering from mine. “You know, they sell boxes of them in the?—”
“The gift shop of our hotel? I know! I’ve been trying to resist.”
“Why resist?”
It was my turn to take a much-needed drink. It felt like the alcohol went straight to my head. “Whew. This daiquiri is strong.” After another sip, when Rylan still sat waiting for my answer, I finally found the courage to give it to him. “I’d probably eat the whole box.”
“Yeah? Nothing wrong with that.”
Lowering my attention to my plate, I shrugged. “I don’t need all of them. Peter always—” My gaze snapped to my hand on the table. Rylan had covered it with his. My bottom lip wobbled, and I took a breath to compose myself. “Peter always gets mad when I eat too many sweets. He says I’m going to get fat.”
“Peter’s a douche bag.”
A surprised laugh sprung from my chest. I looked up and found Rylan beaming. “He is.”
“Such a douche bag. I’ll tell you what.” Rylan leaned closer, his voice quiet, like this was a secret he didn’t want anyone to overhear. I leaned in, too, and a shiver raced through me as he brushed my hair off my neck, fingers trailing over my flushed skin. “I’ll buy you some. You and me? We can eat the whole damn box in the privacy of my room. No one will see. No one will know.”
Flames burst through me. I wanted to strip my dress over my head and throw the remnants of my icy drink on my body.
“It’ll taste delicious,” he whispered, breath grazing my skin.
I nodded. I mean, really, what else could I do? The man had stolen all sense straight from my head. Because I was considering it. No, that’s not right. I wasn’t considering it; I was all for it.
Swallowing the saliva that had flooded my mouth, I gave him a shaky smile and tried to change the subject. “What’s yours?”
He traced along my jaw with his fingers, giving my chin a light pinch before he grinned like a madman. “Donuts.” He sat up and stabbed the last piece of lobster on his plate, shoving it in his mouth.
I tossed back the last of my daiquiri—damn, it was strong—and asked, “Donuts? What kind?”
“Every single kind.”
For some reason, with the hungry look in his eyes, it didn’t feel like he was talking about donuts. I opened my mouth to speak but had to clear my throat. Rylan grinned.
“Glaze?”
“Delicious.”
“Chocolate sprinkles?”
“Heavenly.”
I bit my bottom lip and felt steam rising from my skin as Rylan’s attention dropped to my mouth. “My favorite is raspberry cream filled.”
A breath heaved out of his chest before Rylan leaned in so close, I could feel the heat of him warming the air. “Fuckin’ orgasmic.”
“Yes!” The word was just a breath.
He traced his fingers along my hairline, sweeping the long strands across my neck. “The sweet flavor of the fruit, the way the cream fills my mouth and coats my tongue…” He shook his head, locking his eyes on mine. “I could devour them for hours and still never get tired.”
I wasn’t sure I existed anymore. Wasn’t sure I hadn’t just combusted right here in this room, without ever having bothered looking at the amazing view. All the heat in the room pooled in my stomach before turning me into a puddle of gigantic proportions.
“Can I get you two anything else?” The voice of our waiter broke whatever spell was between us. I jolted back at the same time Rylan did, the two of us glancing at the older man.
Rylan recovered faster than me. “Do you have any chocolate covered strawberries?”
“I’m sorry, sir. We don’t have any on the menu.”
“No worries.” He rubbed his palms together. “I know where we can find some.” Rylan looked to me. “You ready to get out of here?”
I nodded vigorously but bit my tongue before I could tell him just how ready I was.
“Great. Here’s my card.”
The waiter grabbed Rylan’s credit card before I could stop him and walked away.
“Rylan, I can’t let you pay for all of this.”
A cocky smirk played across his lips. “You can and you will. Don’t worry, gorgeous.” He swept my hair aside once more, though this time he gripped the back of my neck and pulled me so close I thought he’d kiss me. “I’ll let you pay me back.”
He didn’t kiss me. I tried to hide my disappointment when the waiter intruded once more to return Rylan’s card. He signed the slip, then grabbed my hand and tugged me out of the room, not even letting me get a glimpse of the view.
When we got to the elevator, the door was already open. Rylan rushed in, jabbing his finger at the button before he had me cornered against the wall.
His lips were so close, and my body was begging him to get closer, that pool of warmth in my tummy swallowing me up.
“Gonna give you an experience you’ll never forget.”
I nodded again and somehow managed to choke out, “Can’t wait.” Only, the ding of the elevator had Rylan turning away, dragging me off with him.
Those views I’d wanted to see in the restaurant?
They were nothing compared to this.
Rylan had dragged me up to the roof, where the warm air had me boiling as much as my confusion.
“What are we doing?”
“Told ya, gorgeous. I’m giving you an experience you’ll never forget.”
I’d never been a thrill seeker, but luckily, I wasn’t afraid of heights. Something I couldn’t say for JaCinda’s bestie—the whole reason she refused to come here. I knew there were rides atop the Strat, but never once did I consider that Rylan would take me here. I never thought he’d string his fingers between mine as we waited to get on the rides, holding on like he was worried the slight breeze might blow me away. I’d been sure this was nothing more than a quiet lunch to make Peter jealous, and I was okay with that.
I was also okay with getting shot into the air, my heart rising and falling in my chest as those views I missed shimmered like a mirage in the distance. We were dangled eight hundred and fifty plus feet over the side of a building on the second ride, then launched down the most terrifying roller coaster ever to exist, hanging off the side of the building.
And now, I was about to jump out of that building and into the waiting arms of the man who’d turned my life upside down.
“I’m gonna die!” I screamed as I stepped off the edge. But no matter how terrified I was as I plummeted toward the ground, the hot desert air raking my eyeballs and drying my tears the wind created, I couldn’t look away. Not from his handsome face. Not from his gorgeous smile.
A smile that grew and grew as I got closer and closer to the landing zone.
They’d barely gotten my harness off me before Rylan was there, scooping me up and swinging me around in his arms. Our shared laughter felt like a drug, and the look in his blue eyes had my skin turning hotter than the midday sun.
“I did it!” I gushed as he set me on my feet.
“You sure did, gorgeous.” He tugged at the sleeves of my jumpsuit, helping me out of it. “Good thing you had this on.”
I hadn’t gotten one foot out of the suit before a gust of wind swept by, brushing the skirt of my dress up my legs. I felt like Marilyn Monroe standing over a New York City vent, pressing my hands over my legs to keep from flashing Rylan or anyone else.
He had a glimmer in his eyes as he stood with the jumpsuit in his hands, and he didn’t bother turning toward the worker as he handed it over. Rylan offered me his elbow, leaving me feeling like I was drowning in him.
“Come on, let’s get out of here.”
As Rylan led me away, I had no trouble keeping up with his long strides. I had a kick in my step I hadn’t felt in… Well, since before Peter.
“Where are we going now?” I asked as we cleared the area and started back toward the main strip.
Rylan peered down at me, a crooked smile tilting his lips. “I was going to say zip lining”—my eyes widened and my mouth gaped—“but now I’m having second thoughts.”
“Oh.” I snapped my mouth shut as my stomach clenched, as if I could hold back the wave of nausea that hit.
Of course.
Of course, he was having second thoughts.
Hadn’t I expected that all along? I wasn’t needed here. I wasn’t wanted. Rylan had gotten what he needed from me, and now he was cutting me loose.
Something squeezed my hand and my attention zipped to where Rylan’s fingers were strung with mine. He hooked my chin with his finger and directed my gaze to him.
“I’m thinking we should take a little side trip first. Get something to cover up those gorgeous legs of yours so you don’t flash all of Fremont Street as you pass.”
The tightness in my stomach clawed its way upward until my chest started to hurt. “Wait, what?”
“Shorts.” His thumb grazed my bottom lip. “That is, unless you want everyone to see your lacy purple panties.”
I sucked in a gasp that only served to widen Rylan’s smile. He caught me by the back of the neck as I took a step back, and I braced myself on instinct.
Except, the hit I was expecting didn’t come.
Nothing did, except swirling confusion and a lungful of the most mouthwatering scent.
Rylan’s chest shook against my cheek before something pressed gently against my head.
“Your face!” It wasn’t more than a grumble, those words, laced with his rolling laughter as the movement of his mouth nudged my head. With his big hands gripping my shoulders, he edged back and graced me with a wide smile. “You’re lucky they had the landing zone so blocked off, otherwise all of Vegas would have gotten a glimpse.”
“My God.” I tried to cover my face with my palms, but Rylan snagged my fingers, walking backward as he held on tight.
“Come on, gorgeous. Let’s go get you something you won’t be embarrassed to wear zip lining. And maybe, if you’re good”—he yanked me toward him and wrapped an arm around my shoulders—“I’ll get you a special treat.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I know I don’t. But I told you, I won the jackpot because of you and your gorgeous legs. The least you can let me do is treat you.”
My brow furrowed. “But you said…”
Rylan’s voice floated through my head as I dropped my eyes to where his fingers wrapped around mine.
I won a jackpot earlier. Got distracted by the most beautiful girl in the world and shoved a twenty in a machine. Now I’ve got money to burn.
He couldn’t have meant me, could he? I glanced up and found him smirking down at me in a way that made me think I was the stupidest woman in the world.
How did I miss that? How did I not realize he meant me? How did I let Peter ruin my confidence until I couldn’t even tell that someone was giving me the biggest compliment in the world?
A shaky smile lit my face. I pressed my hand against Rylan’s stomach to steady myself and was momentarily distracted by the hard-packed muscles under his shirt. He was damp with sweat, but the feel of it didn’t make me want to cringe away. It made me want to peel the shirt right off him and see what was hiding underneath.
“Come on, gorgeous. Let’s get you out of this dress and into something new.”