“You’re going to have to work hard to convince me otherwise.”
I cut into my filet and speared the first piece with my fork. “Would knowing how much I wish there was some hot sauce on the table to go with my steak change your mind?”
“Hot sauce on filet?” He took a bite of his meal, chewing while he thought about it. “It’s unusual, but definitely not a deal-breaker.”
“Even if I eat it on my eggs, too?”
“The last thing I’m ever going to bitch about when I’m having breakfast with you is how you take your eggs.” His blue eyes heated. “I’m more than willing to serve them to you in bed with as many bottles of hot sauce as you’d like if that’s what it takes to get you there.”
I almost choked on my piece of steak, and Drew took it as a signal to back off a little while we finished our meal. He guided our conversation to more talk about favorites—the usual first date fare of colors, movies, books, and music.
“Rock-n-roll, huh?” He pushed his plate away, and I followed suit. “You wouldn’t happen to be a fan of Griffith Thorne, would you?”
That question was a no-brainer. The rock god with the blond faux hawk and sexy tattoos was one of my favorites. “Duh. Of course.”
Drew rose from his chair, stalked around to my side of the table, pulled me out of my seat with a gentle tug, and proceeded to kiss the heck out of me. My lips parted on a startled gasp, and he took full advantage as his tongue swept inside to tangle with mine. When he finally ended the kiss, his eyes held a possessive gleam as he looked down at me. “As long as I keep that freshly kissed look on your face, maybe I won’t feel the need to punch him when I take you backstage to meet him after his concert.”
“You’re taking me to Griffith Thorne’s concert?” I clapped my hands together in excitement.
“I hadn’t planned on it but if you want to go, then that’s what we’re going to do.”
“I do. I really do.” I shook my head and sighed. “But there’s no way we’ll be able to get tickets, let alone backstage passes. I checked about a month ago, and it was completely sold out.”
“Like I said, baby, if you want to go then I’ll make it happen.”
He sounded completely confident, but I refused to get my hopes up as we headed down to the lobby. I didn’t want to be disappointed after such an amazing dinner. Not when he’d already given me the best first date of my life. “Wait here for just a second,” he instructed before striding over to the concierge’s desk.
After less than a minute’s worth of conversation, the guy was handing an envelope over to Drew. The smug grin he flashed at me told me he’d managed to accomplish the impossible. Wow. He really hadn’t been kidding about those connections.
5
Drew
As I strode over to the concierge desk, I realized that I was already at a point where there wasn’t much I wouldn’t do to make Autumn happy. Even if that meant introducing her to a good-looking (panty-melting, according to Knox’s sister, Belle) rockstar. I’d contracted Griffith Thorne for a month-long gig tacked onto the end of his latest world tour. We’d become good friends, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t kick his ass if he tried anything with Autumn.
I escorted her to the large concert arena attached to the back of the hotel and took the back way up to the seats reserved for me and my guests. Autumn looked a little shell-shocked as she took in everything around her. Her dark, expressive eyes held admiration but were also full of questions.
I opened my mouth to explain about being the owner of the hotel, but was cut off when the lights suddenly went out and an electric guitar started to play a low intro.
Autumn shrieked and clapped with everyone else, her attention riveted on the stage. The band entered, and I sat back to enjoy the show, though I watched Autumn more than anything else. Damn, she was fucking incredible. Gorgeous, smart, funny, energetic…I could go on and on.
The concert ended, and I stood next to Autumn as she clapped loudly before putting two fingers in her mouth and letting out an ear-splitting whistle. My mouth split into a grin. This girl was fucking awesome.
After the crowd calmed and started to disperse, Autumn spun around and threw her arms around me and planted a kiss squarely on my lips. My hands fisted in her shirt at her lower back and my head tilted to the side, changing the angle and deepening the kiss.
A few catcalls from the seats around us broke the spell, and I reluctantly tore my lips from hers. “Come on, sunshine,” I encouraged as I grabbed her hand. We made our way down to the backstage entrance and I nodded to security as they stepped aside to let us through.
“Wow. You didn’t even have to flash a badge or anything?” Autumn observed with muted curiosity. I shrugged without comment and continued to lead her through the hallway, down to the green room. When we walked through the door, Autumn came to a dead stop and I laughed at the frozen expression of disbelief on her face. “Holy shit,” she gasped. “I’m in the same room as Rising Phoenix.”
“Drew!” My head swiveled at the sound of my name, and I gave Griffith a chin lift as he strode towards us. My hand impulsively tightened around Autumn’s and I pulled her possessively into my side. I heard, but chose to ignore, her muted chuckle. This was a side of myself that I didn’t recognize but apparently, Autumn brought it out in me.
“Great show tonight, man,” I told the rocker as we shook hands.
“Thanks,” he accepted with a grin. His smile widened as his eyes landed on Autumn, and I fought the instinct to take her and run away as fast as possible. “And who is this stunning, woman?” he asked with a wink. I couldn’t help the growl that escaped my lips and both Autumn and Griffith looked at me with surprise. To my disbelief, I felt my cheeks heat. It quickly morphed into annoyance when my friend’s smile turned mischievous.
“Autumn meet Griffith Thorne,” I introduced grudgingly. “Aptly named as he is constantly a pain in the ass.”
He grinned widely and lifted Autumn’s free hand so he could kiss the back. “Great to meet you, Autumn. I hope you enjoyed the show.”
She nodded enthusiastically. “You guys were awesome! I’ve heard you put on a great show, but this was better than I imagined.”
“Want an autograph?” he offered, his eyes laughing as they darted to my face and he clocked my hard expression. “I’m happy to sign anything, body parts included.”
“Watch it,” I barked, making him throw his head back with laughter.
After a minute, he caught his breath and said, “How about a T-shirt?”
“That would be great!” Autumn beamed, then bit her lip a little nervously. I was suddenly incredibly jealous of her teeth. I couldn’t wait to nibble on those plump lips. “Could I possibly get two?” she asked hesitantly. “My best friend would flay me alive if I didn’t ask for one for her as well.”
I was about to insist that Griffith agree, but I should have known better because he winked at her and answered, “Of course! Anything you want. Besides, Drew basically owns my ass right now, so I should keep him happy.”
Autumn cocked her head to the side, her face a mask of confusion. “What do you mean?”
This was not the time or place to get into the discussion about who I really was, so I jumped in before he could say anything else. “I negotiated his contract with The Lennox,” I explained, trying to sound casual.
Griffith raised a pierced brow but didn’t remark on my cagey response. He turned and asked one of the roadies to grab a couple of shirts and other memorabilia. We shot the shit for a few minutes with the whole band until the young kid returned to the room. The guys all signed the items and then shoved them in a bag and handed them to Autumn with bright smiles. Then they said goodbye and headed to their dressing rooms.
When we were left alone, Autumn faced me with twinkling eyes, and raised onto her tip toes to kiss the underside of my jaw. “You’ve officially blown away every first date I’ve ever had. Honestly, some seconds and thirds as well,” she proclaimed with
a delighted giggle.
The preening peacock threatened to return, so I stole a kiss from her lips, giving in to my urge to nibble at the sweet, puffy flesh. “The night’s not over, baby.” I twined our fingers and we walked side by side back to the casino floor.
“Ready to take some risks?” I asked as I gestured towards the Blackjack tables. My tone was heavy with innuendo and I swallowed hard as I waited for her to reply. She bit her lip again, forcing me to stifle a groan and try to discreetly adjust myself.
Autumn glanced in the direction of the pit and then back to study my face. Then she took a deep breath and whispered, “Yes, I’m ready.”
All the tension drained from my shoulders. Unfortunately, it traveled straight to my groin, causing my already stiff cock to painfully harden.
“Let’s start with a gambling lesson,” she proposed, emphasizing the word start then licking her lips suggestively.
I silently and sternly told my dick to stand down but he continued to strain towards the gorgeous female who was currently eyeing me like a piece of candy. Quickly, before I gave in to my rising libido, I put my hand at the small of her back and guided her over to a table manned by my best dealer and good friend, Becket.
“Surprised to see you on the floor tonight, Drew,” he stated with a nod of greeting. Then his eyes swept over Autumn and his expression turned curious. Not only was I rarely on the floor, except to schmooze high rollers, but I’d never been with a woman in my own casino. I didn’t mix business with pleasure. It hadn’t really been an issue in some time though since I couldn’t remember the last time I’d spent time with a woman beyond business.
“Autumn is learning to play Blackjack,” I said simply. He scratched at his scruffy chin as he studied me for a moment, then looked Autumn over one more time and smiled knowingly. I scowled at him and opened my mouth to say something sarcastic.
“I’m new to risk-taking,” Autumn jumped in with an evocative glance in my direction. “Drew offered to show me some moves.”
I pulled out her chair, strategically positioning myself behind it to hide my reaction to her words. She took her seat and as I scooted her in, I leaned down to whisper in her ear. “I definitely intend to put the moves on you, sunshine. All fucking night long.”
Her breathing picked up and she shivered. I grinned, loving how she responded to me before tracing the shell of her ear with the tip of my tongue then straightening.
Autumn handed her card over to Becket who swiped it through a card reader that would subtract the amount she requested from her account. He looked to me and I gave him a barely noticeable head shake. He bobbed his head in acknowledgement and handed it back without recording a deduction. Then he pushed a stack of colorful chips in front of her.
Becket called for the initial bets, and Autumn glanced up at me nervously since this table had a one-hundred dollar minimum. I smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her an encouraging squeeze. She took a deep breath and placed the minimum bet in front of her.
As Becket dealt the cards to each player and himself, I softly instructed the basics to Autumn. He flipped over one card, revealing a King. She peeked at her cards revealing that she’d been dealt an Ace and a two. I told her that she would want to take another card and explained the strategy behind the move.
She was dealt a five, giving her a total of eighteen when using the ace as an eleven. She decided to stand and grinned when I nodded my approval.
When it was the dealer’s turn, Becket flipped his other card over to reveal a six.
“The dealer has to hit until he reaches seventeen or busts,” I murmured. He turned over another card, adding another six to his total.
Autumn’s eyes darted between her eighteen and Becket’s twenty-two. She squealed and bounced in her seat as she realized she’d won. I couldn’t help laughing at her innocent joy.
We played a few more hands, her pile growing slightly with my tutelage. Before long, she sighed and dragged the chips closer to her, asking to cash out. She grinned at me sheepishly. “As someone with a mountain of student-loan debt, I think I’ll stop while I’m ahead”—she pointed to her winnings—“this little extra will come in handy paying the bills while I’m in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
She played with a chip, trying to mimic the way my fingers manipulated the one in my pocket. It was a habit and most of the time, I didn’t even realize the little disc was in my hand. I smiled at her cute attempt until her words sunk in. “The Congo?” My head started to spin and something strong clenched my heart.
“Yes, I’ll be leaving next week to spend a year with Doctors Without Borders,” she said as she handed her card to Becket.
He swiped the card again, watching me surreptitiously. Probably, wondering at what I’m sure was an appalled expression on my face. Not only had I just been informed that my time with Autumn was more limited than I’d thought, I was suddenly picturing every horrible thing that could happen to her while she was on a different continent.
Autumn sprang to her feet and grabbed my hand, dragging me towards the exit without looking back. I took the opportunity to ogle her delicious ass and though the disturbing thoughts were still in the back of my mind, I was sufficiently distracted by Autumn’s eagerness and the realization that my fantasies about her were about to come true.
6
Autumn
A romantic dinner with a sexy stranger on the roof of one of the most extravagant hotels on the strip. Backstage passes to meet Griffith Thorne. Gambling a hundred dollars a hand at the Blackjack table and winning. As amazing as it all was, it was also completely out of character for me.
So was having sex with someone on the first date, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me from dragging Drew up to my fancy hotel suite so I could have my wicked way with him. Or at least that’s how I thought it was going to go until the door shut behind me and Drew flipped the script on me and took control.
He tugged me close and cupped the back of my head with one hand and my jaw with the other. “I’ve wanted you since I first laid eyes on you, sunshine.”
He made it sound like he’d waited forever to get this close to me. “It’s only been a day.”
“It’s been a little more than a day,” he corrected.
I shook my head a tiny bit and his thumb brushed against my cheek. “Wrong. I was there when we met last night, and it’s definitely been just one day.”
His blue eyes darkened to a light shade of navy. “It’s been twenty-six and a half hours since I spotted you.”
I did a quick mental calculation. “That can’t be right. I’d barely walked into the hotel by then.”
“You were standing in line, waiting to check in.” The hand at the back of my head slid down, gliding along my spine and stopping to rest an inch above the swell of my ass. “It shouldn’t come as a surprise to you that the view from behind snagged my attention.” His thumb stroked my cheek again. “Then you turned around.”
I had been incredibly gratified by the compliment he’d given me, but now I was confused. If he’d been so drawn to me when I’d been standing in line, why didn’t we meet until a couple of hours later? “And what? The front view didn’t live up to your expectations, so you decided not to approach me?”
His hold on me tightened, and I found myself pressed tightly against his body. His hard length left me without a single doubt as to how much he wanted me, and I softened against him when he growled, “The front view was somehow better than the back, which should’ve been impossible considering how spectacular your ass is. I went from wanting you to needing to have you, and I resented every single minute I had to wait until I saw you again.”
“Drew.” For the first time since I’d signed on with Doctors Without Borders, I second-guessed my decision. My conference was scheduled to end tomorrow at one. Then I was supposed to fly home the next morning. And then I only had a few days to finish wrapping up everything at home so I’d be ready to get on another plane for my t
wenty plus hour journey. It didn’t give me much time to spend with Drew. “I’m leaving—I can’t—”
“I know, baby.” He bent his head low and brushed his mouth against mine. “But I’ve got you now, and I’m not giving up the time I have with you even though I know it’ll be hell letting you go in two days.”
He slipped his tongue between my lips and devoured me. His erection was thick and long as it pressed against my belly. And hot. So damn hot.
Desire coursed through my veins, more intense than anything I’d ever felt before. It scared me, but I refused to give in to that fear. That would’ve meant backing away from Drew, which was the exact opposite of what I wanted. Instead, I tore at the buttons of his shirt, desperate to get my hands on bare skin.
“I’ve got no problem taking you against the wall,” he murmured gruffly. “But I want a bed for our first time.”
I wrapped my hands around his thick biceps when he lifted me off my feet like I weighed barely more than a feather and carried me into the bedroom. He lowered me onto the mattress and followed me down. His hard body pressed against mine, and I curled my nails into his arms before letting go to attack his buttons again.
He grabbed the back of my head, stroking his tongue against mine. I moaned into his mouth and his hips jerked, pressing his cock against my core. I pulled my head back and stared up at him. “Too many clothes,” I panted.
A low rumble crept up the back of his throat, and it sent shivers up my spine. It was a sound of pure need, and it amplified my own and sent me spiraling out of control. Clothes flew in every direction until we were completely naked. I stroked his chest, enjoying the feel of his muscles under my fingertips until his hands slid down to my inner thigh. My nails dug into his shoulders as he pulled my legs farther apart.
“Fuck, I can smell you from here.” A deep flush spread across my chest and neck, but it wasn’t from embarrassment. He crawled down my body, and shame was the furthest thing from my mind when his fingers slid through my wetness to part my pussy lips as he bent low. I lost the ability to think anything at all. I could only focus on the pleasure I felt as his warm breath teased the most sensitive part of me. “My mouth is watering for a taste of you.”
Vegas, Baby: Complete Series Page 3