She tried to force herself to look at the looming building ahead, the fountains to the left, but she couldn't take her eyes off him. As fiercely as she knew this was a bad idea, she needed it, needed him, just as passionately.
"Anything in particular you want to see in the Bellagio?" he asked, unaware of her inner monologue.
"I want to see everything. Especially the fountain show."
"I thought you said you wanted to dance?" His door swung open, Philip on the other side, but Jude didn't move. He waited for her answer.
"You hate to dance," she said, before she remembered herself. "At least, you used to hate to dance."
He lips ticked up and his gaze turned wicked. "A lot can change in five years, Brianne. If you want to dance, we'll dance."
She fought the urge to ask Philip to take her home. This relaxed, sexy version of Jude was too much, like an intimate touch on over-sensitized skin. She might trust Jude to protect her from ill-intentioned strangers, she might trust him not to take advantage of her if she drank too much, but she didn't trust him with her heart.
Forcing a smile, she held herself stiff, out of his reach. "Let's start with a tour of the casino and maybe a . . . They have gondolas here, right?"
"They do." He slid out of the car and offered her his hand. "Come on. We'll start with the botanical garden if that suits you."
He didn't release her hand once she stood beside him on the sidewalk, he wove through the throngs of people waiting to watch the fountain show and led her toward the grand front entrance.
Inside, the air felt light and energizing. Probably the effect of the oxygen they pumped in to keep people up later and spending more money.
Jude got them into the gardens with a smile and the flash of some sort of card, but she didn't have time to see what was written on it. Once inside, he dropped her hand and she missed his touch more than she should. The gardens towered around them, scenting the air with exotic fragrances and a humidity she knew would make her hair frizzy.
He smiled at her like she was the most beautiful woman in the world, and she forgot to care about frizzy hair. "Do you ever gamble?" she asked. It wasn't something she could afford to do, but if she had money like Jude did . . . The old Jude wouldn't have wanted to take the risk, but this Jude . . .
"It's not exactly kosher for a casino owner to play in another casino. I've got a few friends who get together the occasional poker game, but gambling's never been my thing. If you want to gamble--"
"No," she said, quickly. "Luck is not one of my superpowers."
He laughed as they wove through the garden. "You have superpowers?"
"I do. I can apply mascara while driving, my pasta never boils over, and I can find a favorite teddy bear in under--"
She stopped, remembering who she was with, remembering she didn't want him to know too much about her. She couldn't bear his pity, or worse, his disdain.
He grinned back at her, unaware of her discomfort. "You have a teddy bear collection?"
"Wow," she said, pointing out an enormous plant with vibrant red blossoms. "What kind of plant is that?"
He told her and then pointed out several more plants, explaining which were local and which were from exotic locales.
"When did you learn about botany?" she asked as they walked.
"I like to learn new things," he said. "Otherwise I'm just doing the same things over and over, allowing my world and my interests to narrow. I don't ever want to be that boring guy. I'd be bored with myself."
She could never imagine Jude as boring. "I wish I had the time to learn something new."
He glanced over at her, expression serious. "Isla said your mother has been sick?"
She waved a finger in his face. "No talking about real life. Maybe I'll learn something while I'm here. I've always wanted to learn to rock climb."
He grinned. "I can teach you, but maybe we'll start with a climbing gym. I remember you falling out of a tree and nearly breaking your arm once."
An urge to kiss his grin made her stumble. She cleared her throat and took a step back from him and his super-powered grin. "How about that gondola ride?"
"Fountain show first," he said. "We'd better hurry."
Up the elevator and down a long hall they came to the entrance of a loud, luxurious club. "I thought we were going to see the fountains?"
"Just wait."
He paid their way and led her into the dimly lit club. "I want to pay my own cover," she said.
He leaned in close, his warmth filling her space, his lips millimeters from her cheek. Her whole body sang, and she had to focus really hard to hear his words. "You don't pay for anything when you're with me. Not ever."
"Okay, but just tonight," she said into his ear. "Just for this . . ." What was it? Game of pretend? Fantasy? Truce?
He straightened and grabbed her elbow, leading her to the left and onto a wide, covered balcony with plush furnishings and throngs of drinking, laughing tourists. Jude stopped at the balcony rail and she turned her attention to the view of the strip and the large pond below them.
"They should start in about five minutes," he said.
She watched the people on the street below, some laughing and shouting, others moving with intent purpose. A warm, night breeze blew, and she leaned into it, seeking warmth after the cold air of the casino.
"Thinking about leaping from the balcony," he asked, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her tight against his side. He'd always been a bit overprotective, no chance of daredevilry for him.
"Just trying to warm up." She held herself stiff, not wanting to relax in his arms, but then he rubbed a warm, callused palm over her arm, and it felt so good, she couldn't help but sink against him.
She reached for his other hand and ran a finger over the matching calluses on his palm. "Aren't you office types supposed to have baby soft skin?"
"I don't spend all my time in an office," he said. "I also rock climb and lift weights."
His defensive tone made her smile. She opened her mouth to tease him, but the music started below with a soaring, lilting tune and the water from the fountains rose to meet the sound of the music.
She watched, in awe at the sheer beauty laid out before her. New goosebumps popped up on her skin and not from the cold. She didn't take a full breath until the last note of the music fell and the fountains went still.
"It's better from the ground level," he said. "I thought it would be cool to see the show from here, but the effect isn't the same."
She looked up at him, not sure how to put what she was feeling into words.
He met her gaze and his eyes lit with his smile. "You liked it."
"I loved it. I can't imagine how it could be any better, but if you want me to see it from the ground level, I'm game."
"It's a plan," he said. "First, we dance."
She barely recognized him, his smile was wide, his expression open. He looked younger, his eyes lit with a mixture of fun and hope.
She dropped her gaze to the bouncing, pulsing movement of the dance floor and reminded herself that he wasn't hers, could never be hers.
He grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. "Do you still want to dance?"
She pushed aside her thoughts and her concerns and let the excitement of the club fill her. Whatever she might do about Jude, she would not let worry ruin her night out. Taking the lead, she gave him a tug and he followed.
Once they got to the edge of the dance floor, though, he caught up and passed her, leading her into the crowd and swinging her around to face him.
He smiled down at her and then he began to move. If anyone had told her Jude could dance, that he could do it with a genuine smile, she'd have laughed and called them a liar.
So stunned was she by his ability to move his body to the beat of the music, to move so well and so confidently that he drew stares from other dancers, that she stood still and stared with them.
Then, he grabbed her hips and pulled her against his hard body, one h
and pressing into the small of her back so that she had to move to his rhythm or break away from him. The last thing in the world she wanted was to move away from him.
The hard-thumping bass of the music and the feel of Jude against her moved into her and through her, lighting her up and making her forget her problems and her responsibilities, making her forget all the reasons she needed to act like a grown-up. She let it all go, just slid into the moment like it was the only moment that had ever been or ever would be.
The song changed and with it their rhythm. He eased away just a bit, giving her space to move, and she hesitated, the absence of his warm body reminding her to be self-conscious about her own dance moves, about the raucous crowd around them.
Then, he lifted her chin with one strong finger, and she looked up into his eyes. Those eyes held only respect and fondness and promise, and she forgot to care what anyone else thought. She danced just for him, lost in him, the music a dim back beat for their moment of reconnection.
The music changed again, slowing to a ballad and he pulled her close, his hands on her waist. She leaned into him. Voices in the back of her mind reminded her to be careful, not to trust him, or get too lost in him, but she ignored reason. For the first time in so long, she felt light and free and alive and she never wanted the moment to end.
His hands tightened on her waist and she looked up into his eyes. Eyes that had darkened and heated, eyes she couldn't look away from. Slowly, his grip loosened, and he ran his hands up her waist, his thumbs dangerously close to her breasts. Breasts that immediately sat up and paid attention, nipples tightening, heaviness settling in.
He lowered his hands, his pinky fingers brushing the top of her ass. Drop kicking daylilies, she wanted him, and she was so tired of denying herself what she wanted.
When he bent his head, possibly to ask her a question, she caught his lips with her own, drunk on the moment and the music. He responded immediately, kissing her back hard, and pulling her closer.
It had been so long since she'd been kissed, so long since warm hands had slid over her skin. She leaned into the kiss, wanting more, so much more.
She could feel Jude's groan as a vibration against her lips, feel his hardness against her belly. She slid a hand between them and stroked him through his pants, lost to the feel of him and the beat of the moment.
He broke away, eyes wild. He gripped her hand in his and pulled her through the crowd and away from the dance floor, down a dark hallway and into the shadows. He pressed her against a wall, his gaze intense, his jaw tight. "I want you," he growled.
"I want you, too." She wanted so badly to continue to feel this heady buzz of freedom and Jude.
"You make me insane. I was ready to slide a hand under your skirt right there on the dance floor."
His words sent a tidal wave of shivers up her body, or maybe it was his tone, or the rasp in his voice, or the flare of heat in his eyes. Whatever it was, he just did it for her. "We aren't on the dance floor now."
"I didn't plan this. I meant it when I promised we could put everything aside for one night, but I didn't mean. . ."
She pressed a finger to his lips and his eyes flashed. "I kissed you, remember? I'm on board with this plan. One night, Jude. One night to forget the past and pretend. One night to find out what we might have had together."
He leaned in, his lips a hairsbreadth from hers and pulled in a shuddering breath. She lifted her head, expecting a kiss, but met only air. He took a step back, taking his hands with him and stuffing them into his pockets, his expression grim. "You wanted a gondola ride."
All the champagne bubbles of want and pleasure coursing through her blood fizzled and vanished. Reality seeped back in and she remembered all the reasons he was bad for her. She crossed her arms over her middle. She was an idiot. She was also a bad sister, betraying her brother by kissing the man who'd ruined his dreams.
He stepped in closer, his frown slipping into concern. "Shit, Brianne. I'm sorry. I never should have--" He looked toward the light of the dance floor, before turning back to her, his expression set, the heat gone from his eyes, along with the light and his easy smile. "We need to be responsible. To remember the boundaries we laid out at the start of the night." He took another step toward her and she fought the urge of her arms to rise to meet him and wrap around him, because she did remember, and he had a valid point. Her body wanted him, but her mind understood the danger he represented. He wasn't a man to be trusted. "Will you let me take you on a gondola ride?"
"Sure," she said, but she felt colder and lonelier than she'd felt in a very long time. "Let's go."
CHAPTER FOUR
Bri's phone rang as she stepped into Isla's apartment after work the next day. Jude had barely been in the office and, when he was, he'd barely looked her way, so a stupid part of her wondered if he might be calling. Not that she wanted to talk to him. Their one-night fantasy had ended, so they were back to being enemies, just . . . Last night had ended strangely, with Jude dropping her off back at Isla's and going all cold and formal on her. She had no idea if they were friends or enemies, wasn't sure which she'd prefer, and she would've liked more closure than she'd gotten. Right, that's what she was going to go with.
She pretended the disappointment she felt when she saw Isla's name on her phone screen was indigestion.
"How's it going?" Isla asked. "How's the job?"
"It's fine." Bri sank onto the bed. She forced a smile so Isla wouldn't hear the sadness in her voice, the stupid idiotic sadness over a man she shouldn't want. "So far it's nothing I can't handle, but there's so much to learn. I had no idea how much went into running a casino."
"I know. Jude works his butt off, but it's his dream, so . . ."
Isla paused, her silence heavy. It wasn't just Jude's dream. It had been Max's dream, too. "It's okay," Bri said. "I'm working for him now, we might as well nix the rule about pretending he doesn't exist. How's it going with the new job?"
Isla sighed happily. "It is ah-mazing, Bri. I just . . . Who knows if they'll love my pictures or not, but you should see the places we've visited. I thought I wanted to work with models, but working with a travel writer is pretty damn cool."
"I'm so glad. And I know he'll love your photos. You are so talented."
"I hope so. Tomorrow we're going to tour a village in the desert and he's going to let me take the lead." Her voice softened until she was practically whispering. "I've got no idea what the hell I'm doing, Bri."
"Yes, you do. This is what you've been working for since we were kids. You may have dreamed about photographing models and designer clothes, but you always said that every picture should be a story. I know you can come up with a story to tell in that village."
"I might have a few ideas. But I can't believe . . . I mean this is huge. What if I mess this up?"
"Then you'll come back to Vegas and get a job taking pictures of Elvis weddings. Think of the stories those pictures will tell."
Finally, Isla laughed. "Shut up. Worst case scenario, I'd get a job at Jude's casino taking tourist photos."
"Even better. Look at all the options you've got."
"Speaking of options," Isla said. "Found any better ones than working for my brother?"
"It's only been two days. I'll look into it tonight." Getting away from Jude would be best for everyone. They'd made a deal for one night and they'd had one night. Never seeing him again would cure her of thinking about him every third moment of every day.
"You should try Stratosphere. A friend of mine has a connection there and heard they might be hiring. Do you want her number?"
"That would be great. Thank you."
"Your mom called me this morning," Isla said. "I missed her call, but she left a message asking me to promise to make you have some fun."
"I'll call her in a bit. I'll make sure she knows you've introduced me to all the debauchery Vegas has to offer."
"Maybe have a few drinks first. Make it sound more real."
Bri laug
hed. "I'll do that."
"How's the plan for catching a billionaire going?"
Bri's cheeks heated as her thoughts zoomed straight to Jude. He was a billionaire she'd had in her arms and he'd felt way too good there. "Maybe I'll go out tonight and try out the meet cute."
"Ask Jude to send a driver for you."
"Um, yeah, I'll do that. Please don't call him for me again."
"He did send a car, right? He told me he would."
Bri kept secrets about all the hard things in her life from Isla, but she'd always talked to her best friend about guys. Isla had more experience with guys than Bri, and she'd been better about staying unattached to the men she dated. She was an excellent source of dating advice. It felt weird not to talk to her about her night with Jude and she had to pause a moment to figure out the right thing to say. "I did. He was very gracious and made sure I had the number of his driver. I'll only need to use it one more time, though. Next time I go out, it'll be in the car of my new billionaire boyfriend."
Isla hooted. "That's the spirit, girl. Have a blast."
"I will. Do awesome on the shoot tomorrow."
"Love you."
"I love you, too, Issy."
Bri dropped her phone on the bed and then laid down next to it, yawning. Her thoughts immediately returned to Jude. Her night out with him had been everything. The best night she'd had in years. Okay, maybe not the best. She'd loved her time with Addy, every moment of it. It was the best adults-only night out she'd had in years.
She should do it again. Not with him, but with someone. Jude couldn't be the only person in the world who could steal her breath with just a touch and make the world seemed dipped in rose petals and magic shimmers.
She picked up her phone again and looked over Isla's plan for lassoing a billionaire. It might be a joke and beyond silly, but she couldn't help wondering how she could make it happen. She wanted to get swept off her feet, to have an adventure. She wanted to prove to herself there were other men in the world besides Jude.
How to Lasso a Billionaire Page 6