4. Tom
TOM
We’re standing in line at the buffet and it’s even more packed than I remember. We’re jammed in so tight that I can feel her ass shifting against my body over and over.
Her soft, rounded curves fit against me perfectly and make my mouth fucking water. She’s everything I’ve ever wanted and can’t have and I’m a sick fuck for wanting such a young girl. It’s so wrong.
She turns to face me and her gorgeous eyes widen when she sees that my eyes are locked on her ass like a heat-seeking missile before they come up when she clears her throat. She flushes and her dark brow lifts.
Grinning sheepishly, I clear my throat. “So what are you doing here in Vegas?”
“My girlfriends and I came to have a little fun and unwind after graduation.”
I nod. “I hope you guys were behaving yourselves. There’s a lot of trouble that you can get into in Vegas.”
Her brow lifts and she runs her gaze up and down my body, making a shudder of something primal skate across my skin. Some want, some desire that I just can’t push down.
“I guess we both know what kind of trouble you can get into in this town,” she says, forcing a choked laugh out of me.
“Yeah, I suppose you can look at it like that but there’s a whole lot of other things that are worse.”
Now both of her dark eyebrows lift as she glares at me. “I don’t know exactly what could be worse than this. I mean, my dad is going to have a shit fit when he hears about this.”
“I don’t think we need to tell him.”
Her muffled snort makes me smile. “Trust me. You know my dad will absolutely find out. The man can sniff out a lie miles away. And he’s got this weird way of finding things out from people even though he doesn’t know anyone who’s in Vegas.
He’ll still find someone who will somehow manage to spill the beans and then all hell will break loose. ”
Sighing, I shove my hand through my hair as we reach the register. “I’m sure we can get this taken care of. Don’t worry about it. He’ll never know.”
Rolling her eyes, she pats me on the shoulder as I pay for our buffet. “It’s cute that you think that.”
“Let’s go, Reva,” I say, rolling my eyes. “Faster we get breakfast, the faster we can hunt down this place and check on what our options are.”
“Maybe they haven’t even filed the paperwork. It is a weekend. And it’s first thing in the morning.”
“I would like to believe that, but I’m just not sure. Seems like we’ve had nothing but bad luck so far. I can’t help but think that we’re going to get some horrifyingly bad news as soon as we get there.”
She grimaces and her lush coral lips purse, my mind immediately wandering back to what I’d like to do to her when I can finally get her alone.
“Try to think positive, Tom.”
My head snaps up and my heart races over something as stupid as hearing her say my name. It feels like warm water pouring over me, washing me, purifying me somehow.
And yet, dirty. How the hell is that possible?
She seems to notice the shock that goes through me and her full lips quirk in a naughty smile.
“I’m sorry, do you think that I shouldn’t have said your name?
It is your name, isn’t it? Or did I get it wrong?
” Her little snicker makes me want to pull her over my lap and smack that round ass.
“After all, you are my husband. I should be able to call you by your first name.”
“You know perfectly well that’s my name. I’ve just never heard you say it like that. It was always Uncle Tom.”
She smirks. “You’re not my uncle.”
“I know that but I always found it cute when you called me that.”
“Please. I’m a grown woman not a little child.”
“I’m aware of that. If you weren’t a grown woman we wouldn’t have this problem,” I growl.
“Alright. Let’s stop this right now before we say something unpleasant.”
The rest of breakfast is completed in a strange silence, charged with unspoken issues and words that shouldn’t be said. Desires that I need to get tamped down before I do something I regret. Or don’t regret.
I help her out of the little booth when we’re done and we stride quickly out of the hotel. Then we follow directions to get to the Happy Chapel and stand, staring at the chaos.
“What the hell is going on?” I say, my eyes locked on the charred mess, clueless and shocked.
Reva’s face is a study in beauty locked underneath an appalled expression that makes my chest hollow out.
“I think it might be harder than we first thought to get this straightened out and I’m supposed to leave today.” She sighs and pushes her hair back behind her ears. We both see a man who’s disconsolately staring at the mass of rubble and moodily kicking at the dirt.
Reva stomps over to him, both of us unnerved, which apparently makes Reva a little surly. I really shouldn’t find it as cute as I do.
“Hello,” she calls out and the man turns with a glare. Apparently he’s a little surly too.
“What?” he snarls, still kicking at the mess.
“Do you know what happened here?”
“Yeah. The place burned down last night.”
“Do you own it?”
“No. My brother does.”
“Where is he?”
“Well, oddly enough, since the guy likes to run from his problems, he took off after the place burned down. Went on a fucking vacation and left me to clean up the mess just like he usually does.”
My mouth drops open and I glare at him. “Wait, what? What happened to all the paperwork?”
“What paperwork?”
“We were supposedly married here last night. We need to find out if our paperwork was registered and if we’re indeed married. If there was a fire, maybe it wasn’t.”
The man shakes his head, his eyes narrowing.
“I doubt if that paperwork was here. My doofus brother tends to carry everything with him. He is a horrible pain in the ass but he’s very cautious with stuff like that.
He’s also very conscientious at getting paperwork filed.
” He glances around moodily. “Which is weird considering how immature he is with everything else.”
I sigh and Reva glances down, her slim shoulders sinking until she looks like a wilting flower. I want to pull her in for a hug and tell her it’s all going to be alright, that I will fix everything.
But I’m not sure what the truth is so I can’t make a promise like that.
So instead, I ask if there’s a phone number for his brother and he groans.
“My brother decided to go to a resort where they lock up your phone and don’t let you have it for your entire vacation.
That’s why I have to take care of the insurance and everything else for him.
Selfish bastard,” he mutters under his breath.
I groan. “Can you get ahold of him and let him know that we need that information?”
“Sure. But it might take a couple of days. Can you guys stick around until then?”
I turn and my eyes laser in on Reva’s little white teeth digging into her full lower lip.
Immediately, I feel that ache building in my jeans where my zipper is pressed against my suddenly-burgeoning, hard dick.
Her darkened gaze lifts, her dark lashes fluttering and I feel like the earth shifts under my feet.
Fuck, she’s beautiful! Why does she have to be so beautiful?
“I guess. My dad’s already asking me why I haven’t come home yet. I’m not sure how long I can stall him.”
Patting her arm sympathetically, I feel a spark of electricity zipping along my fingers and darting up into my chest where it feels like a warm fire builds and I rub at my chest absently, seeking to gain access to that warmth, that fire that I feel only around her.
“I can stay.” I turn to look at the man and hand over a business card that includes my profession, carpenter, and social media and contact information.
The other man nods at me, his eyes on the card.
“Got it. I’ll give you a call as soon as I hear something.
Hell, maybe I can get some information from you on this mess.
” He stares at the smoldering remains. He turns to face us, holding out his hand.
“I’m Luca by the way. And don’t worry…I’m sure your marriage went through fine. ”
With that, we both have to be satisfied and I lead Reva away, inching her until she’s alongside me, wrapping my arms around her waist. She stares up at me and for just a moment, something seems to well up between us, anchoring us together.
For just a moment in time. And then we both hurry away, our bodies separated and my own aching at losing her sweet touch.
It’s for the best. I can’t have her and if I have to wean myself away from touching her, well, then that’s what I will do.
No matter how much I don’t want to.