So I tired not to.
“So, tell me, Penelope,” Harold went on, as if two of the most famous faces in the world weren’t sipping gin and tonics not ten feet away. “How did you enjoy your time in Las Vegas?”
Penelope smiled. “Well, it was eventful, that’s for sure.” She tossed me a cheeky wink that had me chuckling, then she went on. “But, honestly? I love this town. I didn’t think I would, but I do. I love everything about it. It’s so vibrant and alive, busy, but in a completely different way than in New York. There is a pulse to this city, a heartbeat all its own.” She sighed, her eyes going glassy as she spoke of the town we both fell in love with.
Fell in love in.
Blinking away the wetness that was gathering on her lashes, she smiled broadly at my dad. “I’m really going to miss it.”
Harold looked to me and I nodded. We had discussed this at length and I wanted him to present it to her, see how receptive she would be. “What if I told you that you didn’t have to miss it?”
Penelope frowned gently, the little furrow appearing between her eyebrows. “What do you mean?” She looked to me, but I just smiled.
“I’m talking about a big changes for Pennington Hotels, Penelope. I’m talking about relocating our executive offices to Nevada.” Penelope gasped, her mouth dropping open in shock.
“Are you serious?” she questioned, her eyes widening as the spark of hope appeared there.
“Absolutely I am.” Harold looked around the casino again, taking it all in. “This casino was my dream. My passion project, if you will. Where else but in Las Vegas can you let your childhood fantasies become a reality?” We all nodded, watching as the servers dressed as old west saloon girls wandered between the tables, their fishnet stockings and tight corsets marking them as part of the team. There were themed rooms, and wagon wheels, old photographs and historical items everywhere we looked. “For a little boy who wanted to be a cowboy when he grew up, this was my chance to make it happen.
“It also happens to be something very close to my son’s heart as well. When we started construction, I had the business center built big enough to accommodate the executive offices if that was the direction I decided to go. Before I knew Stone would be willing to take over as CEO, I had intended to move here myself. I’m getting far too old for those New York winters.”
We all laughed at that. No one liked January in New York. No one.
“But now, I think that this might be the right place for you and Stone, for a lot of reasons. The first being that you already have an excellent team established here. And now the disaster that is the Atlantic City project will require a delay and a marketing overhaul.” He grimaced at the thought of the mess Toddrick had left behind. Constance hadn’t spoken to any of her family since that day, but I had a feeling she was not just going to let sleeping dogs lie. “We are going to need our best people on that, and you, my dear, are our best.”
“Thank you, sir. I mean, thank you Harold. I won’t let you down.”
I turned to her, looking into her beautiful blue eyes, so expressive and open. “Penelope, I know before, I talked about Texas, and I made decisions about us without discussing it with you, not giving you the opportunity to make your own choices. So, with that in mind, I’m asking you now.” Her quickly drawn breath was the only hint at her shock. “Penelope Lund, would you like to move to Las Vegas and run a hotel empire with me?”
Her laughter rang out around the room, drawing looks from the people nearest to us, including Mr. Hollywood at the bar, who ran his eyes over her in a way that had me scowling at him when Penelope couldn’t see. He raised his hands and turned back around, smiling like the smarmy ass he probably was.
Drawing my attention back to Penelope, I saw her nodding furiously, her smile brighter than the desert sunshine. “Yes,” she gasped, throwing her arms around my neck, squeezing me tight. I never wanted her to let go. “Yes, I most certainly will. Thank you!”
She released me, much to my displeasure, and turned to Harold. “And thank you, so much. This opportunity is just beyond anything I could have imagined.”
“Well, you certainly deserve it,” he replied, draining the last of his glass and setting it on the bar behind him. “Both of you. Truly. Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s time for one last time around the gauntlet. This may well be my last opportunity to schmooze with these fancy folks. After this, it’s all on you, son.” He laughed at my groan, slapping me on the back as he walked away.
Penelope wrapped her arm around my waist, snuggling in against my chest, and I couldn’t help the smile that appeared on my face. I loved that we had gotten to this place, that she was comfortable enough to just stand here like this, wrapped around me, and just be. It was important to her that she wasn’t judged for our relationship, and I completely agreed. For the most part, people had been very receptive, not caring one bit that we were an official couple. I did still catch the occasional dirty look from Toby, but we’d had a chat about that and I didn’t think he would be a problem anymore.
At least he better not be.
“I can’t believe this is real,” Penelope breathed, and I squeezed her close.
“Believe it, Blondie. It’s you and me against the world now.” I placed my finger under her chin, drawing her eyes to mine. “Forever.”
Her lips parted at the implication of my words, but instead of looking panicked, as she might have, her pupils expanded and she smiled wide again, showing me her perfect teeth and that gorgeous lip she liked to chew on. “You bet your ass it is, Cowboy.”
Taking her hand, we made our own circuit around the party, stopping at all the tables and glad-handing as many people as I could. Ava Carlisle was looking fierce and predatory in a blood red dress that didn’t hide a single thing, her long black hair pulled tightly back from her face. She introduced us to her highest of high rollers, a group of Japanese business men who could not say enough about our Queens of the Alamo. God love Japan.
“I can’t believe the entertainment line up,” Penelope whispered, as another famous band made their way past us from one gaming table to the next. I watched as the lead singer settled at a blackjack table, while the other band members were a bit more interested in the women scattered around the place. “The entire first year is a different band every month. That arena space is gonna be packed every night.”
“That’s the idea. I have to admit, Carson lining up twelve different acts in the first year was a miracle. Most places struggle to convince one big name to commit at all.”
“I think it was the short-term contracts that did it. Everyone could come down and have fun, without having to give up other things, like tours or recording time. Carson is a genius.”
“He is,” I agreed. “But I’m working on something for next year that I think will be a perfect fit.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. Do you know The Gun Show?”
“Know them?” she exclaimed, her eyes going huge. “I freaking love them! God, their last album was a masterpiece. Lyrics that would break your heart. Wait.” She turned and stepped in front of me, halting our movement with a palm on my chest. “Stone, are you telling me you have The Gun Show lined up for The Alamo’s arena?”
“Hey, now,” I admonished, looking around to see if anyone had over heard. “I may have The Gun Show lined up. May have, Blondie. Don’t get your autograph book out just yet.”
“Stone, if you only knew! I tried to get tickets last time they played Madison Square Garden, but the price was way outside my price range. Hang on,” she said, her brain finally catching up the fangirl raging around inside her head. “Isn’t the lead singer in rehab?”
I grimaced. “Yeah,” I said. “Rem’s a good guy. He’s just been through some serious shit in his life. The last two or three years were really hard on him. I’ve talked to him a few times since he went in, and-”
“Holy shit!” her mouth gaped open and she pressed her hand to her own chest now. “Wait just a minute. Are you seriously tel
ling me you know Remington Ford? Like, the Remington Ford? Lead singer of the hottest country rock band on the freaking planet?”
“Yes,” I said cautiously. “We used to hang back when I frequented Dirty Sixth.” I had known Remington since he was just a snot-nosed kid with a busted guitar and a leather jacket. But, damn, did that boy have talent. Life sure kicked him in the ass, though. I was hopeful that a steady gig at The Alamo, and maybe my steady presence, could help him get back to the life he deserved. Because that guy deserved the world.
“Oh, my God, Stone! You have to introduce me. Please. Oh, please.” She looked like she was about to pass out.
“Well, I’m not sure I want to now. You might run away with him. Don’t girls have a thing for bad boy rock stars?”
She laughed, linking her arm with mine as we started walking again. “Not this girl. I’m more of a grumpy cowboy fan, myself.”
As we moved from the casino and out to the pool area, the place looking spectacular, all lit up against the darkness with decorative lighting, Penelope and I found ourselves wandering hand in hand back to the corral. We hadn’t been on horseback since that day in New York, there had just been way too much to do, but I planned on getting her out to the ranch again real soon. The Grand Opening was four weeks away; I was sure we could fit in a ride or two somewhere along the way.
Penelope leaned her elbows back against the fence rail, tipping her head up to look at the sky. The lights of the city took away some of the stars we had grown used to seeing in the desert sky, but I knew it was still an impressive sight. I, however, couldn’t take my eyes off her. Out here, we were alone, away from the crowds of the party, and the glow of the garden lights made her creamy skin shine like gold. Unable to help myself, I reached for her, leaning down and running my mouth over the delicate curve of her throat, feeling her pulse increase against my lips. After a few tender kisses I pulled back to look at her, taking in her flushed cheeks and parted lips. I’d give anything to be able to have her, here and now, but I knew that was not the right move, for either of us.
Didn’t stop me from thinking about it, though. Adjusting the tent that was forming in my pants, I backed off, hoping a bit of distance would make me presentable enough to re-enter the party soon. I didn’t stop touching her, though. I couldn’t, and so I kept one arm around her back, running my fingers over her neck and shoulders in a wispy pattern.
“Are you certain you’re okay with this, Blondie?” I asked, wanting to be absolutely sure this was her decision. “I know how much New York means to you.”
Penelope smiled at me, her gaze so full of love it completely blew me away. The fact that this woman, this sweet, kind, hardworking woman, felt that way about me was beyond comprehension. There was no way I was ever letting her go.
“Stone,” she said, her voice low in the dark. “Those days we spent apart, when I didn’t know if I would ever even talk to you again, they were the loneliest days of my life. I was home, in the city I grew up in, with my mom by my side, but I had never felt more alone.” Penelope leaned against me, pressing her full body against mine, her head on my chest, as if she could hear my heart calling for her. “The only place I want to be, Stone, is wherever you are.”
My heart took off at a gallop, racing toward a future with Penelope that I could never have even imagined for myself, but one that I was looking forward to starting right this minute.
“I love you, Blondie. So much.” I placed a chaste kiss to her full lips, savoring her taste.
“I love you, too, Cowboy,” she replied, threading our fingers together as she drew me back to the party. “Forever.”
Epilogue
Stone
Eighteen Months Later
The evening sun was still hot, making this suit feel like an oven, as I stood there trying not to panic. There were more flowers than I’d ever seen in one place, the deck of the pool at The Alamo looking more like a tropical garden than the desert oasis it was designed as, but it was what Penelope wanted. There was no way I was gonna tell her no.
I looked around the pool deck, cleared out and emptied for the day’s big event, my eye never really able to turn work off as I scanned the hotel grounds for things that may need attending to. There was nothing, of course. We ran a tight ship with a great team. I still kept my eyes open whenever I was on sight, which wasn’t as often as I’d like these days.
Being CEO was great, more fulfilling than I could have ever thought. But I sure did travel a lot. When my dad suggested moving the base of operations here to Las Vegas, I thought it would be the perfect way to be able to spend time with Penelope in a location we both didn’t hate.
When he suggested we take over the Summerlin house together, I was elated. Penelope was not.
According to her, she didn’t want to just jump into living together. She was worried that it would put a strain on our new relationship. When I pointed out that we had lived together for months, strain and all, and still ended up falling in love, she gave a little. She moved in with me, but insisted she keep her stuff in the guest room like she had before, saying she wanted to ‘maintain some boundaries’.
That lasted all of two nights. Then I hauled her into my bed and kept her there, where I made her make those sexy noises that I loved so much, until she relented.
Was it bad of me to use sex as a weapon to get what I wanted? Maybe.
Did I care? Not one bit.
That woman was mine, and there was no way even something as simple as a hallway was ever gonna be between us again.
Unfortunately, life didn’t always work out the way you planned. I had to travel so much in the first several months of my new appointment as CEO that it seemed like I was hardly in Las Vegas at all. I’d hired an operations manager for The Alamo, a woman named Alexis Vaughn, who was doing great work, but I sure missed this place when I was gone, and was always glad to be back in Sin City.
Back home.
Casting my eyes around the pool area again, I noticed that there are only a few dozen people here, which is more than I would have liked, but the choice wasn’t mine alone to make. The white chairs were laid out in neat rows, with the aisle in the middle, and the back of each chair was tied with some sort of gauzy navy-blue fabric. I wasn’t really sure what it was called, all I knew is Penelope and Daphne gushed over magazines and websites for months, choosing colors and flowers, and dresses. There was a lot of laughing and a lot of wine and I loved listening to them as they tossed out words like ‘tablescape’ and ‘décolletage’ and I just left them to it. The happiness and sheer joy that Penelope often exuded was still something I wasn’t used to, something I cherished every day. I never wanted to take her laughter for granted.
Music started playing softly, and I turned, seeing my friend Remington Ford sitting off to the side, one knee propped up on the rungs of his stool, as he strummed his acoustic guitar. I caught his eye and gave him a head nod. He tipped his chin up at me then returned his focus to his playing, something soft and instrumental that he wrote just for today. Penelope cried when he told her he was doing it. Over the last six months, they’ve gotten close. Not in a way that I am concerned about, but in a way that Rem really needed. The kid was so starved for family, he has become like a little brother to us both, and we loved watching him grow.
As I made my way to the make-shift alter that had been assembled next to the pool, Silas stepped up and took his place beside me, his face revealing nothing, but I knew this was going to be hard on him. This would be the first time he laid eyes on Daphne since she moved back to New York. Neither of them will discuss the other, and that alone tells me that they aren’t quite finished yet, but I have more than learned my lesson about meddling. Those two needed to figure it out on their own.
My attention was drawn to the end of the aisle, where my baby sister appeared, standing in a beautiful navy-blue dress, holding a bright bouquet of flowers with a huge smile on her face. They told me the dress was ‘tea length’ but hell if I knew what that
meant. All I knew is she looked beautiful and I hope she knew it.
As she began to move toward the front of the aisle, I chanced a glance at Silas. If I didn't know him so well, I’d have never seen it, but the longing in his eyes kind of broke my heart.
Daphne neared the end of the aisle, but paused and leaned down to press a kiss to Harold’s cheek where he sat in the front row. I smiled, noticing he was wearing the gift I had given him last night. That damned Lorne Green Bonanza vest. He loved the thing, and seeing the camel colored leather peeking out from under his suit jacket made me proud that I had managed to find it for him.
Seated next to Harold was my mother, Eleanor, holding his hand as she beamed as smile my way.
When Harold said he was tired of New York winters, I expected him to join us in Las Vegas. But he declined, instead taking himself back to Austin, and he hasn’t left since.
I guess it was true what they say; it was never too late.
My attention was stolen from my parents when the guests, the people who were here today out of love for Penelope and me, all stood to attention, their heads turning to the far end of the aisle.
My throat was dry, my chest tight, as I stood there waiting for her. Waiting for the moment that I got to say before all our friends and family, how much she meant to me. How much I adored her, and cherished her, and would never, ever let her go.
My heart raced as I waited, but when Penelope rounded the corner, it stopped all together.
She was so damn beautiful it hurt.
Her dress was gorgeous, made out of a shiny material, it fell over her body like a champagne waterfall, hugging every last curve. It draped in the front, hinting at her fabulous cleavage, then flowed down around her to puddle on the ground at her feet, making it look like she was gliding when she walked. In her hands she was carrying a huge bouquet made of white and navy flowers, though for the life of me, I couldn’t tell you which ones.
Because I couldn’t seem to take my eyes off of her face. Her smile was wide, her cheeks pink, and her eyes sparkled as she looked at me with all the love I felt for her. Everything we had been through, everything we had overcome in the last two years, had all been leading to this.
The Cowboy and the Bombshell Page 26