Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
As Seth opened the door to the suite, he knew that he had to give her the right to spend her money on something like this.
It was his hangup that he knew she had more money than he did.
For Autumn, she couldn’t care less. She said she would use the money when she needed it or found a worthy cause. He knew she gave a lot of it away.
He held the door open for her, and she walked in.
“Holy shit,” she said. “You could fit my old apartment in this thing.”
As he followed her in, he mentally agreed. Of course, the apartment she had in Honolulu when he met her was a one room hole in the wall.
There was a massive living area with a white sectional to the side of a fully stocked bar, facing the windows.
They were the typical floor-to-ceiling windows that so many of the suites in Vegas had.
It looked out on the strip, and he could imagine what it would be like in a few hours when the sun set.
“Oh, there’s even a dining area. Like, who uses that?”
He glanced over and saw where Autumn was walking around a long table with seating for eight.
“I guess some people cater dinners using room service.”
She snorted. “Well, that’s not happening.” Then she paused. “Unless you think we should do that with our families.”
She sounded unsure of herself. Seth knew that she didn’t let too many people see her vulnerable side that often. She liked everyone to think she was tough, and she was, but that soft underbelly also attracted him.
“We can do whatever we want.”
Her frown cleared, and he felt like he had won a prize. When she took a step, then grabbed one of the chairs, he rushed forward.
“Are you okay?”
She nodded. “I think my blood sugar is low.”
Her face was pale. “Autumn.”
She shook her head and drew in a deep breath. “Let’s check out the rest of the suite and then go have something to eat. They have a steakhouse here that’s supposed to kick ass.”
He wanted to push her, but her face no longer looked pale, and she was smiling at him. The truth was that she could probably get him to do anything with that smile.
“You got it.”
They called down to the steakhouse before going down. Their luggage had arrived, and Autumn had insisted that she needed a change of clothes. Of course, she had enticed him into a shower that lasted three times as long as a standard one.
He was looking out over the strip, waiting for Autumn.
She didn’t need to dress up and often went casual.
He always thought that Hawai’i fit Autumn in all ways.
She would rather be in a pair of board shorts, a t-shirt, and one of her bikinis so she could take a dip when she wanted to.
The islands were part of her in a way he was starting to feel.
It was odd being on the mainland these days.
He heard something behind him, and he turned.
Damn, she took his breath away.
She had pulled her auburn curls up, leaving a few free.
The dress surprised him. She didn’t wear them that often, but when she did, it always stunned him.
It suited her, and he could see her standing on the beach wearing it.
It was dark green with a Hawaiian pattern.
It was tied over one shoulder, leaving the other exposed.
It wasn’t revealing, but it pulled him to her the same way as always.
“Well, what do you think?”
His gaze shot up to hers, and he realized that she looked unsure of herself.
And again, he was knocked on his ass. She had put on more makeup than usual, doing something to make her eyes look sexier.
And that red mouth…he wanted those lips wrapped around his dick again, just like she had done in the shower less than half an hour ago.
“It’s too much, right?”
He shook his head. “You are never too much for me, Autumn. You never will be.”
“I notice you still haven’t said anything.”
“It’s hard to come up with any words to describe how I feel. And the only word I can say about how you look is perfection.”
The smile started slowly, then her entire face lit up. “Yeah?”
He nodded. “In fact, I was thinking maybe we could forget dinner, and you could use that red mouth all over my body. Again.”
Bright happiness and surprise filled her laughter. “I would like to do that, but I’m starving. We both need some fuel.”
“Fine, but know you’re going to have that lipstick on your lips the next time you wrap them around my dick.”
The flush started in her chest and then crawled up into her face. “You say the sweetest things.”
He laughed and took her hand. “Let’s go before I forget myself and toss you over my shoulder.”
“I like it when you do that,” she said, as Seth pulled her out into the hallway. The faster they got down to the steakhouse, the faster he could get her back up to the room.
The hallway was deserted, which probably wasn’t that uncommon.
She had booked one of the suites that could only be accessed through their key card.
Their family would be on the floor below.
He was still getting used to being with a woman who could drop thousands of dollars on a few nights in Vegas.
Most of the time, it was for charity, so this was a new experience.
They stepped onto the lift, and he realized he was always counting down the minutes until he got her back into the room.
Autumn was still trying to get her head screwed on straight, but it was hard to do with the man standing next to her.
Seth was still just as hot as the day she met him, all sleek muscles and brooding good looks.
And damn, the man could fill out a suit.
She often wondered how she would react if she had met him in that white uniform from his SEAL days. Probably jump his bones.
It would always be the man who would call to her. Granted, the slate grey pants fit him perfectly, showing off his ass. He was wearing a red button-down shirt that showed off his grey eyes with his ridiculous eyelashes. And he was hers. She still couldn’t believe that fat.
“What?” he asked without looking at her.
“I was just thinking how lucky I am.”
The truth slipped out easily. He looked at her, his eyes showing his surprise.
For other people, it was probably a common thing to say things like that.
Still, she had been taught by her fake father that telling people you cared for them was a weakness and should only be used for leverage.
For the first time in her life, she trusted someone completely—outside of her birth father and brother.
She did not fear that Seth would use her love to twist her up.
Instead, she knew he truly loved her back.
“Right back at you.”
To most people, it might have sounded like a flip answer, but it wasn’t. The emotion in his voice told her everything. His love vibrated through each syllable.
She blinked back tears. Jeez, she was getting teary-eyed in an elevator.
“Are you okay?”
She nodded, still trying to collect her emotions and put them in the pocket where she usually kept them.
Before he could question her more, the doors opened.
They stepped out into the hallway, which she knew led to the steakhouse.
Once again, she felt something shift on the back of her neck.
What the hell was going on with her? Almost weepy because Seth looked at her like he always did, and now she felt like someone was watching them.
Autumn pushed all of that aside because she wanted to enjoy this night with her man.
The Parthenon Steakhouse was as promised.
From the moment they stepped into the three-level restaurant, Autumn’s mouth was watering.
The scents were amazing, and Seth had been right.
They both needed some kind of food to keep going.
In fact, she was a little dizzy. She realized that she hadn’t had a snack in hours, which was unlike her.
Of course, it had been worth it, because she had gotten Seth naked and in the shower.
They were given a table on the top level that looked out over the strip. The lights of Vegas sparkled, hiding all the danger and sadness. She blinked, wondering where that thought came from. The table was a round booth. Seth waited until she slid around, then joined her.
“The special tonight is lamb chops. After being marinated, our chef prepares them in our wood-burning grill.”
As their waiter continued to talk, Autumn had to swallow down bile.
What was wrong with her? Lamb had never been one of her favorite foods, but she had never had an issue like this.
She opened the menu and started looking over the offerings and tried to ignore her stomach issues.
God, if she had the flu, this vacation would suck.
“Would you like to see our wine menu?”
She looked up at the waiter. “No, thank you. I’d just like some water.”
“Of course. And for you, sir?”
Seth was studying her in a way that made her want to squirm. Autumn refused to let anything ruin this weekend. After a long moment, he ordered a soda, which was odd for him.
“You know I don’t mind when you drink,” she said once they had been left alone.
“Are you feeling okay?”
She nodded, because the moment of nausea had disappeared as fast as it appeared. “I’ve gone too long without eating. You know I need to eat every couple of hours.”
Growing up in a cult, she had often gone hours without any food, and once in a while, she had been punished with twenty-four hours of penance, meaning nothing but water. So, these days, she always ate every few hours.
“I hope they have good bread here,” she said.
His face relaxed. “I bet they do.”
Soon, their waiter returned to their table with their drinks and delicious bread, and she felt better as she munched on the delicious carbs. Both of them ordered steaks and then settled back in their booth.
She glanced at the window again, thinking about her first thoughts when they sat down. “I wonder how people live here.”
He shrugged as he buttered another piece of bread and made her take it to eat. How could she not love this man? He was feeding her carbs and butter. Insisting on it, actually.
“Some people love the glamor of it all.”
“When we sat down, I thought about how the shiny strip hid all the bad things here.”
He nodded. “Yeah, it can be a bad place to get trapped if you have vices.”
“And there are too many people here. Don’t get me wrong, I think I would have a great time watching people in the casino, but all the time? Too much.”
He chuckled. “You live on the most populated island in Hawai’i.”
“True, but there are times you can find a small area just for you. Even on a beach with people. Or like our house.”
Seth studied her for a second. “I love you.”
It never failed to make her stomach flip-flop when he said those words to her.
He didn’t have to say them every day, but it seemed it made it his mission in life to make sure he did.
Autumn almost opened her mouth to tell him her plans for their visit to Vegas, but their waiter returned with their salads.
As they dug into their meals, she decided waiting just one more day wasn’t too much to ask of herself.
Hopefully, he would be okay with a wedding in Vegas.
Pleasantly stuffed from their meal, Autumn had her hand in Seth’s as they walked to the elevator.
“That was probably one of the best steaks I’ve ever had,” she said.
He hummed his agreement.
“We’ll have to bring our family here.”
He pressed the button. “I told you we could get the dessert to go.”
She had been too full to eat dessert, which was odd for her, but the idea of something sweet on top of her heavy dinner had almost upset her stomach again. Seeing as she had no problem with their food, Autumn felt that she shouldn’t push her luck.
The doors opened, and they stepped onto the lift. After swiping his keycard, Seth stepped back, slipping his arm around her waist and pulling her close. His warmth surrounded her as she settled her head on his shoulder.
She expected the elevator to go all the way up to their floor, since it only stopped at the floors with keycard access, so she was surprised when it stopped at the floor beneath theirs.
The man who stepped on was dressed in the same uniform that their waiter had been wearing.
Seth stiffened immediately because, unlike their waiter, this asshole was holding a gun.