Vegas, Baby: Complete Series

by Fiona Davenport

  I pushed them back a few steps and hissed, “I thought you said you were leaving?”

  “Aww, c’mon,” Ariel cried. “You can’t blame us for wanting to eavesdrop on you guys.”

  “Maybe not,” I agreed. “But I can make it harder for you to get away with it.”

  “Okay. Okay.” Belle held her hands up in a gesture of surrender. “We’re really going this time.”

  I watched them walk down the hall and around the corner. I waited another minute to make sure they didn’t just turn around and come back, and then I shut the door again. Turning toward Will, I said, “I’m not sure how you did it, but you somehow got my sisters on your side. Which means I’ll never hear the end of it if I don’t have dinner with you.”

  “I’ll take a yes from you any way I can get it.” He flashed me a panty-melting grin and ran his hand through his blond hair. The action brought my attention to his arms, and I finally noticed the bunched-up sleeves of his dress shirt and the black ink they’d been hiding. Between those and the muscle tone he was rocking, I was getting a bad boy vibe under the good guy exterior. If he kept getting exponentially hotter every time I saw him, I was going to be screwed—most likely, literally and figuratively.

  Going over to my desk, I pulled open the bottom drawer and grabbed my purse. A quick glance at the desktop confirmed that everything was in order so I could dive straight into my to-do list tomorrow morning. After powering down my computer, I turned to Will and said, “Let’s go.”

  Will took my hand to lead me outside and down the street to the small restaurant inside the hotel and casino that Becket Parker, who I knew from when he worked as a dealer for shits and giggles at the Lennox, owned with his brother. The hostess balked at the idea of seating us since they were usually booked months in advance until I said, “You should have my name down on the list for the owner’s table. Lia added me to it a while back in case I ever wanted to come over for dinner. Look for Aurora Dawson.”

  “And Will Scott should be on there, too.” He flashed the girl a grin that made her blush before she ducked her head and tapped on the screen of the tablet she used to check reservations. Then he turned to me and explained, “Becket told me that I’d earned a spot on the list since I lasted the longest in a round of poker against his wife about two weeks ago.”

  Holding your own with Lia was quite an accomplishment since she was one of the best professional poker players in the country. The hostess must’ve agreed that his hotness factor was off the charts because she was looking at him with goo-goo eyes when she said, “Your name is on the list, Mr. Scott. Sorry about the mix-up. Please follow me to your table.”

  “How much do you want to bet she didn’t even bother to look for my name?” I mumbled as Will placed his palm against my lower back to guide me through the restaurant.

  Will chuckled, not bothering to answer since he knew I was right. The hostess left us after a long, lingering glance at Will, and I asked, “How do you know Becket?”

  “Drew Lennox and I went to college together, and he introduced me to Becket shortly after I moved to Vegas.”

  “Huh.” I smiled at the waiter as he set a couple of glasses of ice water on the table. Will and I gave him our drink orders, and I finished the thought after he walked away. “I’m surprised we haven’t met since you’re friends with Drew and Becket. Our circle is kind of close-knit.”

  “I just moved here about a month ago.” His dark green eyes twinkled with humor as he added, “I’m sure we would’ve met through them eventually...if you hadn’t already come storming into my office this morning.”

  At the verbal reminder of what he did for a living, I leaned back and crossed my arms. “Yeah, you mentioned something about wanting to explain some things to me. Now’s your chance.”

  “You want me to dive right into it, huh? No wasting time on any more small talk.”

  I nodded. “Yup.”

  Will waited until after the waiter dropped off our drinks and took our food order to say, “I used to work in mediation and specifically divorces involving children. I loved being able to help kids when they needed it, but some of the cases I had were rough.”

  “Oh, wow,” I murmured. “Yeah, I can see how that would be a lot.”

  His eyes were haunted as he continued, “After a while, the bad started to outweigh the good. A few months ago, I took a case”—he ran his hand through his hair again before scrubbing it down his face—“that was flat-out awful. From beginning to end. I felt like I failed that child as much as the system did, and I just couldn’t do it anymore. So I walked away from my firm without knowing where I was headed or what I was going to do next.”

  “And you ended up in Vegas because of Drew?” I prodded, wanting to hear the rest because my heart hurt for him now. I wasn’t so much angry about the focus of his law office here anymore.

  “Yeah, he knew what’d happened and offered me space to open my own shop,” he confirmed. “I know the whole quickie divorce thing pushes some buttons for you, but I’m not doing it because I’m out to destroy marriages. My aim is to help couples who’re having doubts right off the bat so they don’t turn into a messy divorce five, ten, fifteen years down the line when kids are involved. Better to take care of it now when they’re the only ones who’ll get hurt. Or in some cases—like a drunken, spur-of-the-moment wedding—when nobody will get hurt because neither party wants to be married.”

  Dammit. His explanation actually made sense. Any hope I had of resisting him just went out the door.

  4

  Will

  As I explained my situation, Aurora’s expression softened and even turned a little sheepish. “Okay,” she sighed. “So maybe you aren’t the devil like I thought.”

  A smile spread across my face, and I winked at her. “Don’t underestimate me, baby. I can be very wicked.”

  Aurora’s cheeks turned pink, and she squirmed in her seat, making my grin widen. Before I could say anything else, our food arrived. Once our dishes were served, and we were alone again, I started to speak when yet another shadow fell across our table. I looked up to see Zack, the manager and half-owner of the restaurant standing in front of us.

  “Will,” Zack greeted me before turning to my dinner companion. “Aurora. What brings you two in tonight?” His lack of surprise told me that the gossip train had reached his station.

  “The same thing that brings in everyone else,” I grumbled, annoyed at the interruption. “Food. Now how about you let us get back to our date before our meal gets cold?”

  Zack’s eyes widened just slightly, but enough for me to infer that he hadn’t realized this wasn’t just a friendly dinner.

  Aurora chuckled and shook her head. “This is so not a date.”

  I glared at her and put my hand on her knee under the table. She shivered, and I eyed her smugly. “This is absolutely a date.” I patted her knee before removing my hand, letting the tip of my fingers slide along her skin as I pulled away.

  She opened her mouth, probably to argue with me, when Zack spoke again. “Knox know you’re out with his sister?”

  I glanced up at him and rolled my eyes before shrugging carelessly. When I looked at Aurora’s face again, she was studying me with an unreadable expression. “You aren’t scared about my brother finding out about our date?”

  “Date, huh?” I grinned triumphantly, and Aurora’s cheeks dusted with pink. She was fucking adorable when she blushed. I hadn’t seen it spread down past her face yet, though, and I couldn’t help but wonder what it would take to make it happen. Now it was me squirming in my seat, trying to find a comfortable position with a damn baseball bat between my legs.

  “Whatever,” she mumbled, making me laugh.

  “To answer your question,” I continued, “no, I don’t give a damn if your brother knows about our date.”

  Zack gave a low whistle, and when I glanced at him, he shook his head. “I would be if I were you. He’s a scary motherfucker most of the time, but when yo
u mess with one of his sisters?” He shrugged. “It’s your funeral.”

  Aurora giggled, and I was so enamored by the sound that I almost forgot Zack was even there. She smiled at me, and her beautiful blue eyes twinkled with something like admiration as she stared at me.

  “Well, enjoy your dinner, you two.”

  I waved at Zack, not sparing him a glance as I heard him walk away.

  “Most guys run for the door as soon as they know about my brother,” Aurora mused. “Except for my brothers-in-law.”

  “I’m not most guys.”

  Aurora smiled and cocked her head to the side. “I’m starting to see that.” She picked up her silverware and started to eat, so I followed suit.

  “So, tell me about these dangerous people you know.”

  I laughed when Aurora choked on her food and took a long drink of her water. That sweet blush returned, and I wondered if her whole body would turn pink when she was flushed with desire.

  “I might have been exaggerating,” she admitted.

  For the next hour, we talked about our pasts and families as we polished off our meals. My parents had retired to Florida, and I was an only child, so I didn’t have much to say on that front. However, Aurora had me rolling with laughter at her tales of the antics between her and her sisters.

  When our plates were cleared, the server placed a dessert menu on the table and excused himself for a few minutes while we decided.

  As Aurora perused the choices, she licked her lips and sighed. “I can never decide. Everything is so delicious.” I watched, captivated as she bit her bottom lip for a second, then her pink tongue darted out once again to lick along the bee-stung flesh.

  I hadn’t taken one look at the menu; I already knew exactly what I wanted for dessert.

  The waiter returned, and I snatched the menu from Aurora’s hand and handed them both over. Aurora frowned at me and grumbled, “Hey, I wasn’t done deciding.”

  I speared her with an intense gaze, and her eyes widened, but she pressed her lips together and didn’t say anything else.

  “We’ll take one of everything,” I told the young guy. “To go.” I quickly fished out my wallet—not an easy task considering how tight my pants were at the moment—and handed him a credit card. “The faster we’re on our way out of here, the bigger your tip.” The server grinned and scurried off as though his ass was on fire.

  I turned back to find Aurora gaping at me. I tried to smile at her, but then I started to picture sliding my cock into that warm, wet space. At that point, I imagined my expression looked more like a grimace as the teeth of my zipper imprinted themselves on my dick.

  “Did I say something wrong?” she finally asked. “Are you so eager to get away from me?” She was trying to look as though she didn’t care, but the hurt in her voice bled through.

  I immediately leaned forward and took one of her hands in mine. “You’ve got that ass-backwards, baby. I’m desperate to spend more time with you.”

  “Then why did you order everything? So that I’d stop hesitating and dragging out our meal? Not to mention getting it to go so that I’ll be forced to go home and eat it all by myself.”

  I squeezed her hand to make sure I had her full attention. “First of all, I ordered one of everything because I didn’t want you to have to decide. I want to give you everything.” I meant that. Everything. Not just the desserts. “Second, I ordered it to go because if I’m going to watch you enjoy those treats, it’s going to be when we’re alone so I don’t embarrass myself in the middle of a restaurant. And third, don’t think you won’t have to share. I intend to eat a little of everything.” My eyes drifted down, and I would have done a full sweep of her delicious body, but the table was in my way.

  Aurora’s blue orbs were round and wide as she stared at me. She appeared to be a little puzzled, but the rosy hue of her face told me that she understood my innuendo, she just wasn’t sure if that was how I’d actually meant it. I decided to leave her wondering a little longer.

  The waiter returned with two bulging bags of to-go containers and set them on the table, along with the check holder. I nodded my head and glanced at my watch. “Impressive.”

  He beamed at me, then asked, “Will there be anything else?”

  After declining his offer, I added a generous tip to the bill and tucked my credit card back into my wallet. I stood from my chair, then held my hand out to help Aurora up from hers. Keeping a firm hold on her, I grabbed the handles of both bags in my other hand and guided her outside. We walked up to the cab stand, and they hailed a taxi for us within a few minutes. “I’ll bring you back to work in the morning,” I explained when she started to protest about leaving her car behind.

  Her forehead creased as she frowned. “You’re going to come pick me up and take me to work? That doesn’t make sense.”

  I squeezed her hand as the cabbie came around to open our door. “Don’t worry about it.” I didn’t tell her that she’d be leaving for work from my house in the morning. She’d figure it out eventually. I placed the bags in the trunk, then assisted my girl into the back of the vehicle.

  She leaned toward the opening in the glass partition, and I tugged on her hand, pulling her back and curling my arm around her. Then I rattled off my address and the car sped off.

  “I thought you were taking me home to eat all that dessert?” she asked. Her voice was a little breathy, and it caused my dick to twitch painfully.

  “I am, baby,” I assured her with a warm smile and a peck on her temple.

  “But that’s not my address.”

  “I know.” To avoid further arguments or questions, I gave in to the urge that had been clawing at me since the moment I saw her standing in my office, breathing fire. I used the arm around her to drag her onto my lap, then captured her chin with one hand, forcing her to face me. Leaning close, I brushed my mouth over hers. She let out a tiny gasp, and her lips parted, giving me exactly what I wanted.

  My mouth sealed tight over hers, and my tongue slipped inside the warm recesses of her mouth. She tasted like strawberries and white wine. I groaned and deepened the kiss, wanting more yet knowing this was all I could have for the moment. I released her chin, and my hand delved into her long, golden blond hair, clenching it tight so I could position her head into just the right spot.

  Aurora moaned, and her upper body practically melted into mine. I was losing control by the second, and I knew I should tear myself away for the rest of the drive, but she was like a drug, and I had clearly become addicted to her from the first moment our lips had touched.

  “Yo!” the driver yelled as the cab screeched to a stop. The jolt separated us, and we both sucked in a deep lungful of air.

  I glanced out the window to see we were in my driveway and sighed in relief. “Thank fuck,” I groaned. Any longer, and I might have given the cabbie an X-rated show.

  5

  Aurora

  “I guess this really is a date if you brought me to your house after dinner, huh?” Between all the kissing we did in the cab, and where we were, his reason for ordering dessert to go was abundantly clear. The embarrassment he’d mentioned was because of how turned on he was—which I’d felt for myself when we’d been pressed against each other during the ride over.

  “Of course it is, baby.” Will laced his fingers with mine and led me up the sidewalk to a ranch-style, stucco house. “But you already knew that since you admitted to this being a date earlier.”

  “Don’t try to use your lawyering skills on me,” I chided in a teasing tone as my cheeks filled with heat. “It wasn’t an admission so much as me being thrown off by your lack of concern over Knox’s reaction to us having dinner together.”

  “Okay, I guess I’ll let that one slide.” His charming smile and wink made my toes practically curl. We made it to the top of the steps, but he didn’t release my hand. Instead, he set the bags on the ground so he could pull his keys out of his pocket and unlock the door. After opening it, he ushered me i
n ahead of him. “But only since you just admitted to it...again.”

  I laughed and shook my head as I checked out what I could see of the inside of his home. The living room had tile flooring and vaulted ceilings. The furniture was brown leather and looked comfortable, perfect for snuggling. The couch faced a fireplace, and there was a big flat-screen television mounted over it. His place had a definite bachelor pad vibe going on, but it didn’t look like a frat house the morning after a party—thank goodness—because I wouldn’t have been able to resist the urge to clean up if it had. “You’re not going to cut me any slack, are you?”

  “When it comes to getting you to go out with me on actual dates? Not a chance in hell.” He winked at me as he tugged on my hand and led me into the kitchen. Any resemblance to a bachelor pad ended there. It had granite counters, stainless steel appliances, and a noticeable lack of dirty dishes. There was even a bowl of fresh fruit sitting out, full of apples and pears.

  Will pulled all the boxes out of the bags and spread them out on the counter. Then he grabbed a couple of spoons and forks from a drawer next to the sink. He slid one of each in my direction and asked, “Can I get you something to drink?”

  Eyeing the sheer volume of sugary goodness in front of me, I nodded. “Yeah, I’m definitely going to need something to wash this down.”

  “Follow me,” he instructed as he headed toward the door off to the left of the kitchen.

  I walked into the garage with him but veered away from a beverage fridge on my left because I spotted the motorcycle sitting on the opposite side of his garage. I drifted over to it as though pulled by a string. When I got close, I trailed my fingers over the glossy black paint. He’d been super preppy looking this morning, all buttoned up in a suit and tie with those sexy glasses perched on his nose. “Tattoos and a motorcycle, huh?”

  “What can I say?” He shrugged his broad shoulders. “I’m a firm believer in letting loose outside of work.”