Seeing her discomfort at his questions he let it go. He’d get his answers later, perhaps once she trusted him.
“Would you like something for dessert?” He leaned back and pushed his nearly empty plate away.
She glanced down at her plate and seem surprised to find it empty. “No.” She pushed the plate away. “It was delightful, but I’m good.”
He considered pushing her to have a little more, she looked a little slight, but decided to let it be. “Come out on the balcony.” Justin stood, pushing the chair back as he went. While he waited for her, he went to a nearby table and hit a button on the house phone sitting there. That would let housekeeping know to come collect their dishes without having to say a word. He had seen a voice command system that would signal the staff, but he preferred it be less obvious.
Hannah stood and he went back to her. Looking to offer her a little comfort, he let his hand rest on her waist as he walked her to the door and out. “Wow. It’s cooler out here that I thought it would be.” She stretched and tilted her head back as the breeze pushed away the heat of the day.
“It’s hot during the day, but we cool off pretty well at night, especially three hundred feet up.” A thick strand of her long, dark hair blew across her face. He reached up and tucked it behind her ear.
Her color rose, and his gaze lowered to her mouth. Her full, almost pouting lips that made him want to see if they were as soft as they looked. He leaned in. Her breath caught in her throat then came out in a quick rush. Her hot breath feathered against his hand where it had remained after tucking her hair back.
“Stop me if you’re not ready.” Justin moved slowly, giving her time to stop him if she wanted. But she didn’t. His lips touched hers, ever so gently at first, just a whisper of a caress.
Heat sparked between them.
Hannah’s hands came up to rest on his arms as he moved closer. The enticing scent of her perfume called to him, a sweet, faintly floral scent. Justin brought his other hand up to up her petal soft cheek as he once more lowered his mouth to the velvet softness of her lips. Justin’s world narrowed as he became more aware of the woman in his arms. The soft sounds echoing from the streets far below faded away and all that mattered was her. The taste of her kiss. The way her hands clutched at his arms.
A gust of wind hit them, jarring them out of the spell.
Justin held her close and felt a shiver run through her.
“Cold?”
“A little.” A shy smile curved her lips.
“Let’s go inside.”
He escorted her inside, wanting to take her straight to bed, but he was afraid that would scare her off, and he’d promised not to push her into sex before she was ready. Instead he led her to the living area of the spacious apartment.
“Tell me about yourself.” He sat on the couch and indicated for her to have a seat.
“I’m not sure what you want to know.” She sat on other side of the sofa and watched him. “You said you looked me up, you already know all about me. On the other hand, I know nothing about you.” She gave him an uncertain smile. “Where are you from?”
Justin shifted in his seat, he wasn’t comfortable talking about himself. “I grew up in a small town in New Mexico, but I left there as soon as I could. The minute I graduated I took off and never looked back.”
“What about your parents?”
“They live in Tucson now.” He smiled as he thought about his mother’s joy when he’d bought them a home. He’d let them choose where they wanted to be, though he’d made some recommendations and he’d been as satisfied as they had been with where they’d chosen. “I see them often. They’re both retired now though.”
“You get along?”
“Most of the time.” Justin thought about the fight he and his father had when Justin had tried to give them some of his winnings when he’d won his first tournament. His father hadn’t wanted to take what Justin had earned, Justin had wanted to thank his parents for some of what they’d sacrificed for him. Later, as he’d won more, and had become more affluent, they’d argued less when he’d wanted to do more for them. “Can I ask you about your parents? Or is it too soon?”
She gave him a sad smile. “You can ask, sometimes it’s hard but not always.”
“So tell me about them, what were they like?” The only person Justin had ever lost was a grandmother, years before, but he’d found that after that initial burst of grief, talking about her felt good. It helped him keep his memories of her alive and fresh.
“They were good parents.” She turned to stare out the glass wall that led onto the balcony. “They did their best to provide for me, and had made a good match for me.”
“But?” Something about her tone told him there was one, but he wasn’t sure she would tell him about it.
“But things didn’t work out as they planned, did they?” She looked back at him with a sad smile. “They died, along with James and there went everything they’d planned for me. Everything. I was left alone and penniless. There was no life insurance, nothing. I didn’t even have enough to bury them.” She shook her head. “I don’t even know where the money came from while I was growing up. Dad worked, but I couldn’t tell you where or who with. Looking back at it, I realize how strange it all seems but at the time, it just felt normal.” She took a deep breath and let it out in a rush. “Anyway, I’d been trained to be a society wife, to keep house, decorate and entertain. I had no marketable skills. I finally got a job, cleaning tables at McDonald’s.”
“They left you nothing?” He could understand his parents leaving nothing behind. It had taken everything his parents had made to raise his brother and him, and they’d scraped by with what they needed, but little of what they wanted. Hannah had been raised in luxury, or so he’d thought.
“A few mementos, sentimental items. That’s all. I don’t know where the money came from while I was growing up, but once they were gone, it was too.” She shook her head and smiled. “Enough about me and my pitiful circumstances. You said you’re from a small town in New Mexico. I take it you weren’t raised like this?” She waived one hand around the room.
“No. I wasn’t. Let’s just say we weren’t from the right side of the tracks. My dad worked in the train yard. He came home every night filthy and exhausted.”
“How did you turn things around?”
Justin thought about those early days, how he’d worked his ass off for enough money for that first buy in. “I started in construction. It’s hard work, but it pays well. I lived cheap and saved everything I could, then I bought into a poker game.”
“Poker? You’re a gambler?” Her eyes went wide and somehow he knew she feared he would lose everything and she’d be penniless again.
Fat chance of that, Justin only took calculated risks these days.
“I am, or at least I was.” He glanced around the room and marveled, not for the first time, at how far he’d come. From scrubbed walls in a tiny rented house to owning not just this casino, but several. “I started with small games and worked my way up. Two years after I started, I won my first million-dollar pot. After that I kept playing, but that’s not all. I only used a small percentage of my winnings to keep playing. I invested the rest.” He paused, watching her a moment. “I wasn’t going home and telling everyone I’d made it big, then lost it all, so I made sure that didn’t happen.”
Hannah reached out and laid her hand on top of his where it rested on the back of the sofa.
“How long ago was that?”
“More than ten years. I’ve made a lot of money since then. I’ve spent a good share, but invested more and I’ve made it work for me. I live here,” he glanced around again, “my parents have a nice home to live out their retirement, with good access to care when they need it.”
“That’s sweet.”
The soft, adoring look in her eyes made Justin uncomfortable. He wasn’t sure why, so he changed the conversation.
“What kind of music do you like?
” He expected her to say something like symphony or Broadway tunes, and was a little surprised when she answered.
“Hard rock.”
“Really?” He knew he looked as surprised as he felt. In the office, and at the card table, he had a good poker face, there’s no way he would have made it this far if he didn’t, but for some reason he just couldn’t do it with her.
“Yes, really. Why?”
He looked her up and down again. The wool designer suit that was softer than it looked, he knew because he’d noticed when he’d had her in his arms, the shoes that had to have cost several hundred dollars, and she liked rough, screaming hard rock music, which just happened to be his preference as well.
“I just didn’t expect it. It doesn’t seem to fit…this.” He waved one hand toward her, meaning her look.
“Oh, I know my culture. I can talk about it all ad nauseum, but it’s not what speaks to me. Disturbed speaks to me.”
“Disturbed? Hm.” He watched her with narrowed eyes. “How do you feel about Five Finger Death Punch?”
“Not as high as Disturbed, but they’re high on my list, why?”
Justin picked up a remote from the table beside the sofa and pushed a couple buttons. The rumble of drums and the deep base voice of the band’s lead singer came on. He kept the volume low enough they could talk, but the familiar and preferred sounds seemed to relax her some.
“Have you ever seen any of them live?”
“No. I wanted to, but rock concerts weren’t the right kind of culture my parents wanted to cultivate, so I was never allowed.”
“Would you like to? Maybe tomorrow night?”
Her eyes widened, and she looked at him almost unbelieving. “Well, um, yes! As if you have to ask.”
“I don’t know you that well, yet, so I do have to ask. Five Finger Death Punch is playing here tomorrow night, I’ve seen them several times and hadn’t planned to go, but if you’d like to see them I’d be more than happy to take you.”
Her face fell. “If you weren’t planning on going, then we probably won’t be able to get in. I heard the show was sold out.”
“It is. But no worries. I’ll take you.”
“I don’t want you paying some scalper some crazy high price for tickets at the last minute just because I’d like to see them. I can wait until the next time they’re in town.”
“Babe, what do you think I mean when I say they’re playing here?”
“In Las Vegas. I knew they were in town, I had a lot of time on the plane and needed something to distract me so I looked up things to do here.”
“Hannah, did you look at where they’re playing? I mean the name of the venue?”
“No. I told you, I’ve never been here. The place name wouldn’t mean anything to me anyway, so I didn’t bother looking.” She frowned. “Why?”
“Because when I said here, I meant here. As in, in this building.”
“You’re kidding?”
Justin smiled and shook his head, waiting for her to realize what that meant. Excitement filled her face and before he knew what she as doing, she’d leaned forward and thrown her arms around his neck.
“Thank you.”
He shook his head and smiled. It was a small thing, but worth it to make her so happy. Her breasts flattened against his chest and he wasn’t sure what to do. He wanted to pull her close and kiss her, but he was afraid of pushing her too fast. After a moment she pulled away and sat back in her spot.
She tried to hide it, but a yawn was hard to hide. He glanced at the clock on the wall across the room and realized it was almost ten. If she’d started out on the east coast, it was likely well past midnight for her, added to the exhaustion travelling caused.
“I’m sorry. You’ve had a long day and it’s late. I shouldn’t have kept you up so late.”
“I’ve enjoyed talking to you, but I am tired.” She stood and stretched, unable to hold back another yawn. “Are you sure you don’t mind if I call it a night?”
“Not at all. The bedroom’s through there.” He motioned toward the room he would share with her and wondered if she’d thought about that yet. “And there’s a bathroom attached. Make yourself at home. You should find your suitcase in there.”
“Oh,” she looked toward the bedroom. “A shower sounds nice.”
“Help yourself. There’s also a tub in there.”
“A bath sounds heavenly, but it’s too late tonight. I’d fall asleep and drown.”
“I could get in with you, keep you from drowning.” The idea had more than a little appeal, though he didn’t think she’d be sleeping if he was in the tub with her.
“Um.” Her face turned bright red. “I think I’ll just take a shower tonight.”
“All right. Let me know if there’s anything you’d like. We’ll make it happen.”
“Thank you.” Hannah disappeared through the bedroom door and Justin wondered how he’d sleep beside her and keep his hands to himself.
Chapter Six
Hannah stepped into the bedroom and closed the door. Her body ached. Her mind had gone fuzzy and numb with exhaustion. Looking around, she frowned. Her suitcase was nowhere to be found. She looked more carefully, even opening doors to see if it had been put in the closet. She found a huge closet with suits, shirts, jeans and more, with plenty of empty space. That made her realize this was Justin’s bedroom. Why shouldn’t it be? They were married and he’d made it clear he intended this to be a marriage in all ways. She should have expected to share his room. To set up in another room, if there even was one, would be impractical.
Frustrated, she opened the bedroom door and looked out to where Justin still sat on the sofa.
“I can’t find it, are you sure it’s here?”
Justin frowned and stood. “It should be. Barry said he would have it delivered.” He came in the bedroom and looked around, even checked the closet like she had done, then shook his head. “You’re right. It’s not here. I’ll call down.” He headed for the front room, but stopped next the open door. “Go ahead and get in the shower, once I find it, I’ll leave it in here for you.”
“What if you don’t find it?”
“Then help yourself to my closet. There are plenty of t-shirts and even a few pair of pajama pants in there. What’s mine is yours,” he smiled, “literally.” He went to the phone on a small table at one end of the sofa, picked it up and hit a button. As he spoke to someone on the other end, Hannah pushed the door until it was almost closed, giving herself the illusion of privacy, then stepped out of her shoes, put them beside the door and went into the bathroom. She closed the door and locked it. She started to undress then stopped, stunned by not just the size but the glass wall that gave her a stunning view of the city below and the night sky.
Hannah stood for a moment, a little uncertain about undressing in a room with a huge glass wall, anyone could see in. Then realized she was more than three hundred feet in the air and there was no one around to see her. As her surprise started to wear off, she looked around the room and found it was nearly as large as the bedroom she’d just left. To one side of the room was a pair of sinks, and a door. She frowned wondering where it went, then realized that’s where the closet was. That had to be where the door led, and it made sense. In one corner of the glass wall was a huge glass walled shower with several nozzles. On the other end of the glass wall was a huge Jacuzzi tub big enough for a half dozen people. Hannah had been in some opulent bathrooms, but she’d never had one to call her own. That tub was tempting, but she was too tired to wait for it to fill tonight.
She peeled out of the pale pink Chanel suit she’d put on almost eighteen hours earlier knowing it would likely be her wedding dress, and opened the door to the closet for a hanger. The suit was dirty and she wouldn’t wear it again without it being cleaned first, but her mother’s repeated reminders to take care of her clothes and not to throw something that cost that much on the floor, echoed through her mind. After hanging her suit, she went to th
e shower that could easily fit four and turned on the water. Her mind drifted while she adjusted the temperature and stepped beneath the spray.
So far, nothing she’d anticipated about her marriage had happened. Not what she’d dreamed of as a child, not what she’d planned for a year ago, not what she’d feared this morning. She’d dreamed of marrying for love, she’d planned to marry a friend and she’d feared an old man. Justin was none of those, but he seemed like a good man. At least so far. He’d taken the time to talk to her, and had promised not to force her into sex before she was ready. Hannah only hoped he was true to his word.
Hot water washed over her face and down her body and she couldn’t help but recall the way she’d reacted to his kiss earlier. If he kissed her like that again, then she probably wouldn’t even hesitate. Nerves made her stomach knot when she thought about it, but somehow they eased when she looked at him. They were forgotten all together when he touched her. It was the weirdest thing.
Of course, she’d had sex education in school, she knew how the mechanics worked. She’d read what her mother called trashy romance novels until her mother had found them and thrown them away, declaring that they were worthless and beneath someone of her status. Hannah had spent six months engaged to James, but it was a match their parents had arranged and while she’d been friendly with him, there hadn’t been more than a few kisses between the two of them. Before the crash that had taken him, and her parents, Hannah had started to wonder if maybe he was gay and was afraid of his parent’s reactions. She didn’t know. Maybe she’d been wrong and he just hadn’t been interested in her.
Hannah shook her head and pushed thoughts about the past away as she finished showering. Dwelling in the past, wondering what might have been would do no good. She might as well look to the future. This was the life she had now, there was no use wishing for anything else. She shut off the water and pulled a towel off a rack, surprised to find it warm and amazingly soft as she dried her face and wrapped her hair. Taking a second towel, she wrapped it around her body and went out into the bedroom. Her suitcase still wasn’t there. She glanced at the door that led to the main part of the apartment and found it had been closed. She assumed Justin had done it, maybe to make her feel better.
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