“Morning, sunshine,” his rough voice greeted before flashing his dimples.
“Yeah, yeah.” Someday I would perfect the art of a sexy response, today clearly wasn’t going to be that day.
“What? My panty dropping grin isn’t doing it for you this morning?”
“Oh, my God.” I slapped my hands over my face and groaned. This wasn’t happening. I hadn’t shared PDG with him in my drunken state, had I?
When I peeled my hands back, I could see the cocky arrogance splashed across his face.
“I have to say I’m embracing the term.”
“Clearly your ego needed the boost.”
That garnered a smirk. “Considering you normally don’t feed it, I’m going to soak in this moment.”
Uh, yeah, right. Having a crush on him for sixteen years wasn’t enough? “What else did I say last night?”
He chuckled in response. “That bad, huh?”
“Not great,” I mumbled, cringing at the sound of my own voice, which was reminiscent of seasoned chain smoker.
“If you feel anything like you look, then you’re definitely in rough shape.”
I attempted a frosty glare. “Thanks a lot.”
Good Lord, now he had propped himself up on his side, causing the sheet to ride down and showcase his impossibly toned abs. If I wasn’t busy salivating at the image in front of me, I might have thought he was a real asshole for teasing me.
“Don’t worry; despite the matted hair, raccoon eyes, and horrendous smell of your morning breath, you’re still adorable.”
He proceeded to pat me on the head. Like a freaking puppy. Oh, yeah, seduction fail number forty-three. Not that I should bother to count anymore.
“A gentleman wouldn’t mention those things,” I grumbled, annoyed he was enjoying this far too much. Although he might insist on seeing himself as the big brother type, the thoughts I was having were more in line with wanting to follow the start of his happy trail, something that was peeking out from under the sheet.
He laughed. “Good thing no one would ever mistake me for a gentleman. Stay here. I’ll get you some water and Motrin. I’m assuming it’s early yet as my alarm hasn’t gone off.”
I watched him cross the room, wishing there was more light, so I could catch a better glimpse of him in nothing but boxers. Had that beautiful man actually been in bed with me in merely the one garment, and I’d passed out? Loserville was definitely missing their mascot with me being in Vegas.
But then a glimmer of hope sparked. Why had he climbed into bed with me in only his boxers? It wasn’t something either one of my brothers ever would’ve done. I decided to embrace the hot mess I was and find out.
He returned with a large bottle of water and two pills. “Drink,” he urged sitting close to me. Regrettably, he was now dressed in his jeans and a clean T-shirt.
“I’m wearing your shirt. How did that happen?” I drank greedily, hoping the water and pills would help me feel better quickly.
Colby seemed uncomfortable, blushing slightly. “Uh, after you threw up, I put you into something clean, doing the big brother thing by changing you.”
Leave it to him to try to turn this into a brotherly gesture. Only this time I wouldn’t accept it. I swung my legs out from under the blankets to hang off the side of the bed, well aware I was in nothing but my panties, with his shirt riding up to my waist. I winced with the effort. So, the opportunity wasn’t ideal, however I’d be damned if I was letting him out of this room without finding out if there was some interest piqued. “If I remember correctly, I have you to partially blame for the excess drinking, telling me it would help get me on stage to sing.”
His gaze traveled down my legs briefly before he practically leapt off the bed. “Guilty as charged. I shouldn’t have suggested tequila shooters.”
The thought of it made my mouth water and not in a good way. “I may be off the hard stuff awhile.”
“What, uh, do you remember about last night?”
I decided not to come clean with all I could recall. “Some.”
“At what point did it start to get fuzzy?”
“Um, we came back here after I sang, then it gets blurry from there. Did we end up having hot sex, and I missed it?” Yeah, I couldn’t help myself.
His eyes went wide. “Nothing happened between us last night, Kenz. I held your hair when you puked and put you to bed. Your brother Brian would’ve done the same.”
“Really? Because I don’t think he would’ve climbed into bed with me, stripped down to his boxers, to spend the night.”
A vein on the side of Colby’s face throbbed. “Nothing happened,” he reiterated.
I grinned. “Well, I’d be greatly disappointed if something had, and I woke up without being the least bit sore.”
He opened his mouth, then promptly closed it again. Colby at a loss for words. Interesting. He blew out a harsh breath. “Don’t say shit like that to me. And do me a favor: don’t advertise the sleeping arrangements to anyone. You were upset about your day and kept talking, I was trying to ensure you were all right, then we both fell asleep. Got it?”
I nodded, biting my lip to keep from laughing at his absurdly serious expression. His baby face didn’t do serious very effectively. “Yep, Vegas, everything staying here: got it. One question, though.”
His voice sounded wary when he asked, “What?”
“Did you see me naked?”
His face turned a peculiar shade of pink, giving me my answer, which made me blush in return.
“You weren’t completely nude. I had to get a shirt on you, and I didn’t think you’d want to sleep in your bra. Your thong—I mean underwear—stayed put. It was purely clinical.”
“Clinical?” Did he really use such a word? I cringed at how he made it sound.
“Uh-huh, like a nurse would dress a patient. So don’t be embarrassed. I didn’t notice a thing.”
Well, now, this was a new seduction low. “Okay.”
“How about you take a shower while I order up some breakfast?”
I got up unsteadily and shuffled to the bathroom. Holding the doorframe for support, I turned back to see his gaze tracking me, then snapping up to my face. If I wasn’t mistaken, he’d been fully focused on my exposed legs.
“See you soon.” With that, the bedroom door clicked behind him.
Brotherly, my ass. Quite literally in a thong which was barely covered by his T-shirt. Huh. A smile curved my lips at the potential behind his heated glance. But by the time I glimpsed my image in the mirror, all confidence left me. Reflected was a real-life example of a seduction abomination.
***
After a shower, breakfast, and with the Motrin kicking in, I was on my way to feeling human again, so I donned my running gear. My hangover lingered, but I had learned the hard way, thanks to my sadistic lacrosse coach, that nothing worked better than to sweat out the alcohol on the morning after drinking. Doing so would also serve as a painful reminder of why I shouldn’t drink to excess.
Colby came in through the front door looking as though he’d just returned from the gym and immediately frowned at my attire, which consisted of a sports bra, shorts, and my tennis shoes. “Where the hell are you off to?”
“Running.”
My lack of enthusiasm must’ve been obvious as he quirked a brow. “You feel well enough to go for a run?”
I downed some more water, leaning into a side stretch. “Nope, but it’ll help me sweat it out. My lacrosse coach used to make us suffer after a night of drinking, but I swear it worked. The only problem is it sucks balls while doing it.”
It was kind of adorable how he appeared mildly offended by my language. “Do me a favor and don’t say balls again. It’s a weird thing, but hearing a girl say that word or—” he stopped mid-sentence.
“Or what?”
He sighed. “The other word that weirds me out is beaver.”
I put my hand to my head because it hurt so much to hear myself laugh this h
ard.
“Everyone has those words that make them cringe.” He almost looked embarrassed.
Finally, when I could breathe through the giggles, I spoke again. “Fair enough. If it makes you feel better, I’ve got two of my own as well.”
He seemed part curious and part apprehensive. “Let me guess, one starts with a C.”
“How did you know?”
“Almost every woman hates that word.”
“Every woman hates the word cute?” I could probably add clinical to the C-word list as well.
“Are you being serious?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I mean, I don’t have anything against the word in general, such as: look at the cute beaver playing with those balls in the pond.”
He rolled his eyes, grinning. “Cute.”
We were both laughing now. “I don’t have a problem with it being used that way, either. It’s being called cute as a twenty-two-year-old that’s annoying.”
“So noted, but the other C-word doesn’t bother you?”
“You mean C-U-Next-Tuesday? No, not really.”
He smirked. “Then why didn’t you say it?”
“Because I was raised in the South and, although I don’t mind hearing it, I don’t say it.”
He shook his head, laughing. “Virginia is not the South.”
“Oh, I think Robert E. Lee would beg to differ. Hello, you grew up there too. Virginia was the South during the Civil War.”
“Okay, maybe it was back then, but Northern Virginia is definitely not considered part of the South now, and since when have you abided by Southern manners?”
“Every time my mother is paying attention.”
“I get it. Guess we all do that in front of our parents. Do you prefer to run outside or down on the treadmill?”
I picked up my sunglasses, figuring I’d need them. “Outside.”
“Okay, I’ll go with you, considering those running shorts are—”
My brow arched as I waited for him to finish that sentence and focus his gaze up from my legs.
“I’m only saying you might need a chaperone.”
I looked down at my attire. “I’m wearing regular running gear. Besides, didn’t you just come from the gym?”
“I only did weights, so a run would be good. What, you don’t think a thirty-one-year-old can keep up with a hungover twenty-two-year-old?”
“Don’t worry, today I’ll be quite slow. Let’s get this torture shit show on the road.”
In the elevator on the way down, he turned. “What’s the other word you hate?”
“Moist.”
His brows shot up. “Moist?”
My lips twitched. “Would you like me to use it in a sentence?”
He shook his head, chuckling. “Nope. I’m assuming it isn’t in reference to a cake?”
“No, it definitely isn’t.” I laughed, liking how much fun we could have with any random conversation.
By the time we returned to the hotel, I was convinced I was going to die. The sun was already intense by eight o’clock in the morning. We’d run mostly in silence because I couldn’t spare the breath to speak and according my Fitbit, we’d gone about five miles. Colby gave the impression he could have gone another five.
“How come you’re not the least bit hungover?” I questioned once we got back into our nicely air-conditioned room.
He shrugged, downing some water. “The thought of excess drinking doesn’t really do it for me anymore, especially considering the morning-after hangovers. Don’t go telling anyone that, though. I have a Vegas reputation to protect.”
I thought it odd he wished to perpetuate the stereotype if he wasn’t that person any longer but kept my mouth shut. Considering I was the master of regression, the dutiful daughter who always did what her parents asked, I wasn’t one to talk about keeping up appearances. “Do you, uh, still want to tour the city?”
“Definitely. Let’s hop in the shower and then I’ll show you around.”
I arched a brow.
Realizing the way he’d made that statement sound, he backtracked quickly. “I mean, we each separately shower.”
I grinned. “Oh I think one clinical view of the goods is enough for you in twenty-four hours, mister.”
He chuckled while I had to walk slowly towards the shower with now both my brain and my body hating life. Clearly his philosophy of avoiding hangovers was one to take note of.
***
Colby turned out to be an awesome tour guide of the city that afternoon. He was also attentive when it came to ensuring we stopped for lunch and that I kept hydrated.
By the late afternoon, I was feeling almost one hundred percent. Colby had a couple of business calls to make, which allowed me the perfect opportunity to head down poolside and wear the gorgeous bikini purchased for me. It was a deep chocolate brown which matched my eyes and contrasted nicely with my blond hair left long down my back. The high cut on the sides gave a little curve to my hips and showcased my long legs.
I took a seat on a plush lounge chair in the VIP section, sprayed on some sunscreen, and texted my brother. I kept it short and sweet as I wasn’t prepared to tell him I was in Vegas but hoped whatever was happening with him was going better by now.
After I set down my phone, I was unprepared for the two college-looking guys who came up to flirt with me. They were both clean-cut and attractive, but on the heels of a hangover and my death run, I wasn’t really in the mood.
“What’s your name, beautiful?” the taller of the two guys asked, taking a seat beside me.
“Kenzie. And you guys?”
“I’m Chuck, and this is Adam.”
“Nice to meet you both.” And because I didn’t wish to appear rude, I asked, “You two enjoying Vegas?”
“Yes, although we’re looking to enjoy it even more, if you get our meaning.”
I cocked my head to the side. I wasn’t a novice at flirting, but mind-reading wasn’t a talent of mine. Maybe the drinking last night was making me slow. “Nope. ‘Fraid you’ll have to spell it out for me, boys.”
Adam, who’d taken a seat on the other side of me, smiled while Chuck nodded towards him to explain it. “You ever been with two men, honey?”
Jesus. What was it with guys in pairs in Vegas? First the two assholes last night on the dance floor, now this. Despite normally being cool with meeting new people and dating quite a bit, this was my first threesome proposition. That being said, I refused to storm away like some sort of priss. “I can’t say I have.”
Chuck’s face lit up, probably because I hadn’t told them both to go to hell yet. “You up for a first, then?”
I shook my head. “Sorry, guys, you’ve got the wrong girl.” Cuz I’m pretty sure there’s an unwritten rule of ‘thou shall not lose your virginity to two guys at the same time during a one-night stand in Vegas.’ Or something to that effect.
Adam appeared apologetic, obviously the less cocky of the two. “Sorry for the bluntness, but we figured we’d put it out there. Hope you weren’t offended.”
“It’s okay, but can I ask, are you two into each other, too?”
I got a resounding NO from both of them, which made me giggle. “Okay, sorry, only checking as I was curious what kind of dynamic you guys had. Anyhow, I guess, um, good luck on your quest.” I went back to my phone, hoping they would get the hint. Adam stood up; however his friend wasn’t ready to throw in the towel quite yet.
“Haven’t you ever fantasized about DP?” Chuck questioned, reaching out to stroke my arm.
I brushed his hand off me, ready to tell him to get lost as Colby’s voice cut through.
“Excuse me, gentlemen, are you hitting on my girlfriend?”
There were three pairs of astonished eyes looking up at him.
“Uh, sorry, man. We were only trying to talk to Kenzie here who didn’t mention she had a boyfriend.”
I couldn’t believe they were implying I’d been trying to hide one. “Well, Chuck, it’s like this. I
don’t have a boyfriend, however my older brother’s friend who thinks of me as a little sister believes you’re both bothering me, which is why he’s pretending to be one.”
Colby’s tense jaw showed his temper at being outed.
“And since you’re starting to do exactly that, let me make it abundantly clear, the answer to your DP proposition is still no. And for God’s sake, work on your delivery, boys. Maybe buy a girl a drink first, get to know her, because your approach is for shit.”
Colby was instantly furious. “Leave now before I have you both kicked out.”
Adam was happy to take the hint, but Chuck decided to get territorial. “How ya gonna get us kicked out for hitting on a pretty girl?”
“Because I own the hotel, asshole. And because I don’t need you approaching any more of my guests this way, go see Marcia at the front desk. Ask for the number to Lucky Stars Escort Service, then request Cindy and have a ball.”
Both men lit up like prepubescent boys witnessing their first set of boobs. They couldn’t run fast enough towards the lobby.
I wasn’t sure how to feel about Colby’s little recommendation. “Wow, your hotel really goes all out with the customer service. Should I ask how you know Cindy?”
He took a seat beside me with temper remaining in his expression. “No, you shouldn’t. And what—you were sitting here discussing a threesome?”
“I wasn’t discussing anything; they were.”
“Kenz, don’t test me. There’s a difference between being a flirt and being a tease. You didn’t know those guys.”
I fought my temper. “I wasn’t teasing them. In fact, I didn’t ask them what DP meant, even though I wanted to, because I thought it might send the wrong message.”
He held my gaze for the longest time before speaking. “It means double penetration.”
My face heated. “Oh, ohhhh.” Then I tilted my head to the side. “Both of them at the same time in the same place or in two different—”
He shook his head. “No, no, no. We are not having this conversation and you’re missing the point.”
“No I’m not. I was friendly while informing them they had the wrong girl. And by the way, what was that crap about being my boyfriend? For all you could’ve known, I was happily flirting with them.”
Bet Me Something (Something Series Book 3) Page 5