“How’s your mom tonight?”
She told him about dinner. “I can’t believe how normal she seemed. Almost as if she’d never gotten sick.”
“I’m glad you had such a good time with her. Maybe I should let you go—”
“No, it’s okay.” Janie tried not to sound too eager, or demanding. “Mom’s gone back to bed. She started fading away again after we ate. She’s probably asleep by now. It’s after nine o’clock.”
“I know.” Background noises came through the phone—voices in conversation, along with the clink of glasses and some kind of piano music.
Janie recalled that he’d been scheduled for a business dinner. “Aren’t you at a restaurant somewhere? With cattle buyers?”
“Yeah. But the dinner is breaking up. I left the table for a few minutes so I could check with you before it got too late.”
“That’s nice of you.” She had to let him go—in more ways than one. “We’re doing okay here, so you should get back to your guests.”
“Wait a second.” He didn’t say anything for much longer than that. And then he asked, “Uh…what are you doing for the rest of the night?”
Janie blinked, shook her head violently, stared hard at the phone receiver and then put it back to her ear. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”
The words came to her slowly, distinctly. “Do you have plans for tonight?”
“Tonight is almost over, Jesse.”
“Depends on your definition. There are places in this town, like Fremont Street, where tonight doesn’t end until the sun rises on tomorrow.”
“That’s a pretty wild point of view.” And her heart pounded at the thought of what he might really be asking.
“I told you this was a crazy place, during one of the craziest weeks of the year. Do you want to see what I mean?”
“You’re planning to go out? Now?”
“If you’ll come with me.”
Chapter Five
Fremont Street, the echo of Las Vegas’s rowdy past, lived up to its reputation. And then some.
But as far as Jesse was concerned, the most spectacular sight of the evening had to be the woman walking beside him, holding his hand.
Her dark eyes wide with excitement, her lips parted in surprise, laughter or amazement, Janie moved easily through the crowd, finding something new to investigate every yard or two. She got more than her share of glances from the guys they encountered, and Jesse wasn’t sure whether to be proud or just punch them out.
But he couldn’t blame them. Under a white Stetson hat, her shiny hair swung like silk down past her shoulder blades. Lacy silver earrings with turquoise stones dangled from her earlobes, tinkling with every move of her head. She wore a white jacket, fringed along the sleeves and across the back yoke, with a low-necked turquoise top underneath. Jesse’s favorite part of the outfit was the slim black skirt and shiny black boots with white stitching. All these years, Ms. Janie Hansen had been hiding a terrific pair of legs under her everyday jeans.
“There it is!” She halted, looking up. “The light show is starting again.”
Jesse followed her gaze for a few minutes, watching computerized images composed by millions of tiny lights dance over a canopy stretching the length of five football fields. Then he let his eyes return to Janie herself, taking pleasure in the delight on her face at the holiday-themed program and synchronized music. She had a great smile—why had he never realized that before now?
Maybe because she rarely smiled when she was at home? Not around him, anyway.
She’d refused his invitation when he called, explaining that she needed to stay at the hotel in case her mother woke up. Then, ten minutes later, she’d called him to say she’d changed her mind. Jesse had decided not to ask why—he knew better than to give her a chance to review the decision. He’d allowed her ten more minutes to get ready before knocking on her door. Serena had his cell phone number, and would call immediately about the slightest problem.
Midnight had come and gone, and they’d been on Fremont Street for a couple of hours, now. Janie made him check his phone every five minutes, but so far there had been no calls.
Instead, they’d gambled a little, stepped into a few clubs for drinks and dancing and visited the traditional Las Vegas Christmas tree. Janie studied each of the huge neon signs rescued from Las Vegas landmarks and stopped to read every information poster along the way. Jesse was glad he’d worn his most comfortable boots.
The show above them came to its cheerful conclusion, accompanied by applause from the wall-to-wall crowd along the street. Still grinning, Janie came back to earth.
“I’m thirsty.” She shouted to be heard over the noise. “And I’d like to sit down for a while.”
Jesse nodded. “Sounds good.” Taking the lead, he pulled her after him as he wove through the press of people toward a sign promising Cold Beer and Hot Jazz. Since the other nearby option offered Beautiful Babes, he figured this was the safer choice.
The noise level dropped as soon as they crossed the threshold, which was a definite improvement.
“Whew.” Janie rubbed her hands over her ears. “Will I ever hear a pin drop again?”
The hostess, dressed in skintight black leather, showed them to a round table with booth seating, in a room so dark he couldn’t see the other walls. Jesse chuckled as he slid in after Janie. “These places are a little claustrophobic, don’t you think? I’m getting homesick for an empty prairie and the whistle of wind coming off the mountains.”
“But this is much more exciting.” She glanced at the empty stage. “A real Vegas dive. I hope the band is coming back.”
They asked the waitress when she arrived. “Sure,” the blonde said, not looking at them. Her pink tank top and white satin boxer shorts barely corralled all of her physical assets. “What’ll you have?”
Jesse ordered beer and Janie asked for her favorite ginger ale. As the waitress left, Janie nearly choked as she started laughing. “She must have spent a fortune on plastic surgery. Wow.”
“I notice a lot of…uh…enhancements walking around Vegas,” Jesse said, trying to keep a straight face.
“I bet you do.” She stuck her tongue out at him. “Do you suppose they have food? I just realized I’m hungry, too.”
When the drinks arrived, they ordered a plate of tiny cheese burgers and a side of fries. The band members—all women, all dressed like the waitress and with similar “enhancements,” as Janie pointed out in a giggling whisper, wandered onto the stage one at a time, made a few startling noises with their instruments and then started to play.
Jesse widened his eyes at the sound, and a glance at Janie showed her equally impressed. The hot, smoky voice of a sax threaded through the shadowed room, joined by a growling trumpet and throbbing bass. The waitress dropped off a plate of perfect burgers and crisp fries, proving the food as good as the music.
Gradually, couples materialized on the dance floor, swaying to the music. Jesse watched and listened, knowing he should keep his butt solidly in the seat underneath him. Dancing with Janie, in this situation, would be a very bad idea.
Sure, they’d danced earlier. Jumping around to rock tunes or boot scootin’ with a country crowd posed no real threat. But this sex-driven music required a totally different style. This kind of dancing would generate all the wrong signals.
Not for everybody, maybe. But between him and Janie…oh, yeah.
So he stuck to the booth and kept his hands wrapped around the cold beer on the table. Beside him, Janie sat with her chin propped in her hands, eyes half-closed and body swaying with a sultry rhythm. Jesse took a deep breath and ordered another beer when the blonde waitress drifted by.
In the end, her lips did Jesse in—Janie’s lips, plump and rosy, slightly parted as she drifted with the music. His body ached to move. He needed a woman in his arms. This woman. To hell with the consequences.
He swiped his palms over his jeans, then touched her hand.
Her
lids lifted, slowly, and she looked at him.
“Want to dance?”
Jesse saw his own thoughts go through her mind, read surprise and desire fighting against caution. Maybe he could count on Janie’s willpower, since his own had failed.
But then her smile widened, and he knew desire had won. She nodded, without saying a word.
They came together on the dance floor. Her high boot heels brought her head to the level of his shoulder, aligning their bodies just right. She put an arm around his waist and her left palm against his, while he slid his hand from her shoulder to the perfect hollow in the curve of her back. Lucky for him, the room was warm and she’d left the fringed leather jacket at the table. The fabric of her shirt only lightly veiled her warm skin.
Bodies swayed around them. Jesse shifted side to side, slid a foot forward or back, without traveling anywhere at all. The temperature climbed—or maybe it was just his temperature. Having Janie this close, feeling her breasts curving into his ribs, her knees pressing and re leasing against his, tested the limits of his control. Nothing would happen—he knew that. They were out in public, for God’s sake.
Then Janie lifted her head to stare into his face. The arch of her throat, flowing into the low V of her shirt and the shadow at its point…the silver earrings dangling from tiny earlobes…silky hair falling back from her face, revealing the shape of her bones and the smooth skin beneath her ears…
Those red, red lips.
Jesse didn’t think about it. He just bent down and claimed the kiss he craved.
JANIE KNEW SHE WASN’T asleep. So how could she be having The Dream?
Since she was fourteen, every so often she would wake in the middle of the night with a sweet flush throughout her body and a warm tingle in her lips that revealed where her mind had been. The setting was always different—the clothes, occasion, atmosphere and music changed every time. If she lay quiet, though, the images would come back—herself somewhere, in Jesse’s arms. The kisses they shared seemed as real as the pillowcase under her cheek or the wind whispering through her window.
Tonight felt exactly the same, as his mouth pressed into hers and his lips moved against her sensitive skin until her knees almost gave way.
He would catch her, in that case, with his arms supporting her body, pulling her tighter against him as they shuffled on the dance floor. The sax wrapped its sinuous tune around them, murmuring suggestions that embraced every wish she’d ever made concerning Jesse Cody.
If they didn’t stop soon, those wishes would all come true. In public.
Jesse’s hands were moving over her back, down to her waist and below. She gasped as his fingers stroked over the backs of her bare legs, just below the hem of her skirt. His hand came to her head, then, and held her still while he kissed her until she couldn’t even breathe, let alone think.
After some unknown length of time, the music ended, with a long whinny on the trumpet that sent a shiver up Janie’s spine.
“Gonna take another break,” the bass player said into her mike. “Back soon.”
Aware that people were walking past them, Janie managed to step back, away from Jesse’s body. She had to think hard about which direction to take to reach their table, and what to do when she got there.
While she was still puzzling, Jesse came up beside her.
“Restroom,” she croaked. “Then we’d better go.”
“Right.” His voice didn’t sound any steadier than hers.
She grabbed her jacket from the booth and walked a crooked path toward the hostess station to ask directions, then made a U-turn toward the back of the club to find the ladies’ room. Inside, gray fluorescent light showed her a marginal standard of cleanliness and herself in the mirror looking heavily drugged. Smudged mascara ringed her eyes. Her cheeks were pale but her lips were bright red.
Been kissed lately? she asked herself.
She did what she could to repair the damage and wiped a wet paper towel over her throat and the nape of her neck, trying to cool down. Too bad the fire was all internal and impossible to quench.
Back in the club, Jesse stood by their table. “Ready?” he asked, without the smile in his eyes she’d been enjoying all night long.
Janie nodded and blazed a trail toward the exit. What would happen now, she couldn’t predict. Stepping into the cool night air tumbled her from a daze of passion into a state of nervous energy, as if she’d had too much coffee. The noises seemed louder, the colors brighter. She wanted to do something crazy.
Like make love with Jesse all night long.
Out on Fremont Street, the family crowd had thinned considerably, leaving the casinos as the center of attention. Plenty of “enhanced” girls still walked the streets. After they sidestepped a woman bargaining with her cur rent customer, Janie blew out a breath. “I guess for some people this is just the middle of the workday.”
Jesse had his hand pressed securely against her back. “You have to be truly dedicated to continue gambling after 2:00 a.m.”
“I can understand some kinds of addictions.” As they passed a casino, the man at an outdoor slot machine begged the woman next to him for another coin. “But gambling?”
Beside her, Jesse shrugged. “The search for your next adrenaline rush, I guess. Risking all you’ve got on the next round. Sorta like riding bulls.”
She gave him a sideways glance. “Sounds like you’re reconsidering your choice of a hobby.”
When he didn’t say anything, she gave him a longer look. His eyes had narrowed and his mouth was hard. They walked past several shops before he answered. “Not until next Friday night, anyway. Once I win, then maybe I’ll quit.”
She waited to speak again until they’d passed underneath the neon sign for Fremont Street. Immediately, the noise level diminished. “What if you don’t win?”
“Not an option.” He stared straight ahead without meeting her gaze. Instead of holding her hand, he’d put a good yard of empty space between them.
His standoffish attitude provoked her to attack. “Mark’s good.”
He clenched his fists at his sides. “I’m better.”
“Are you luckier?”
Finally, he turned to face her. “Are you trying to start an argument because I kissed you?”
“No, of course not.” Then she thought about it. “Maybe.”
He rolled his eyes and put up a hand to attract a near by cab. “If you think you have to make me angry to keep me from hitting on you again, don’t worry. I won’t.”
The cab pulled up and Jesse opened the door for her to get in. With her head reeling as if she’d just been slapped, Janie walked around to the street side of the car and opened her own door. They both got in and slammed their doors at the same time.
Jesse turned sideways to face her. “Look, I didn’t mean—”
Janie held up a hand. “I don’t want to discuss it with an audience.”
He glanced at the driver and dropped back into the seat. “We will discuss it,” he muttered.
“That’s what you think,” she said, gritting her teeth.
At their hotel, Jesse didn’t wait for her to slide out on his side, but the cab driver jumped out and opened her door. That gave Janie a chance to score—she handed him a couple of bills and told him to keep the change.
Jesse took her arm as they walked into the lobby. His grip wasn’t gentle. “You paid him four times too much.”
She jerked out of his grasp and hit the elevator button. “So he can go home early tonight.”
Unluckily, they had the elevator all to themselves. “I didn’t mean to insult you.” Jesse turned to face her, leaning sideways against the back wall. “Back at the club—that was a serious mistake. My fault, I admit it. But you know I’m right.”
The fortieth floor seemed very far away, and the elevator had slowed to a crawl. Janie refused to look at him. “Do I?”
“Yes. We’ve already got one family mess on our hands. Do we need another?”
&n
bsp; “This would be a mess? You and…me?” Starting to cry while he was talking to her—that would definitely be a mess.
Jesse sighed. “Your brother is my brother. My dad and your mother…it’s all wrong.”
“If you say so.” She stepped to the front of the car, showing him her back, hiding her face. He only spoke the truth. It was her problem if she didn’t want to hear it.
“I’ve got all the complications I can handle right now, Janie. Maybe once the Finals are over—”
The doors slid open and she left as quickly as she could, all but running down the hall. “Great. Give me a call when your schedule lets up.”
His footsteps pounded after her. “Janie, stop.”
“No, really.” She’d been digging out her room key since they’d left the lobby. Now she fitted it into the door. “I had a great evening. Let me know when you can work me in. I’ll always jump at the chance to enjoy a charity date with the high-and-mighty Jesse Cody.”
“Tonight wasn’t about charity.”
“Could’ve fooled me.” She pushed the door open, then turned back and gave a snap of her fingers. “Oh, wait—you did fool me. Good job. And good night.”
Janie shut the door in his face, then shut herself into her room, vowing to ignore that same high-and-mighty Jesse Cody for the rest of the trip. If she spent all her time in the hotel, that might be possible.
No matter where she was, though, she wasn’t sure she would manage to ignore her aching heart.
THE CODY BROTHERS STAYED out late after the third go-round on Saturday night, sending the women and children and even their father back to the hotel while they went for steaks, beer and pool.
“I invited Mark,” Dex told them once they’d ordered. “He said he needed to get back and check on his mom.”
Jesse gritted his teeth and swallowed a protest.
But his reaction hadn’t gone unnoticed. Dex frowned at him. “He’s part of the family, whether we like it or not.”
Walker set down his beer mug. “He’s not a bad guy. A little on the prickly side.”
Jesse: Merry Christmas, Cowboy Page 6