by Bethany Shaw
Table of Contents
Lucky in Love
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Lucky in Love
Bethany Shaw with Michelle Fox
Mitzi Carroll, Editor
Chapter One
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And don't forget to read the other books in the Charmed in Vegas Series.
Dear God. What have I gotten myself into?
When she chose to run away from her old life, she hadn’t expected this. Elly stared at her reflection in the mirror and shuddered. She was barely recognizable, but for someone who didn’t want to be found, that was a good thing, right?
Thick makeup covered her porcelain skin. Her sea-blue eyes were hooded with dark eye shadow, and her charcoal-colored hair was covered with a golden cap that had rainbow colored feathers spiking out of it. It reminded her of a peacock. She looked like one too; the matching rainbow feathers that covered her ass made sure of it.
The gold-sequined bikini she wore left little to the imagination. The attire was nothing like the cheerleading uniforms she’d worn in high school or college. She looked ridiculous.
Welcome to Vegas.
No one would even think to look for her here, dressed like this. She couldn’t be any more different if she tried.
Good. I don’t want anyone to recognize me. If no one knows me, then no one can find me.
The door to her dressing room creaked open and she let out a relieved breath. Acelynn, one of her new roommates and her new best friend, was a blessing. Not only had the other woman helped her out with a job, but also a place to live.
Their apartment was nice—the job, not so much. But, hey, who was she to complain? Anything was better than what she was running from.
“I’m not sure I can do this,” she said quietly as she turned around.
A squeal of surprise burst from her lips. She’d been wrong; Acelynn wasn’t back. It was a man who’d opened her dressing room door—a very handsome man—one she’d never seen before.
Elly licked her lips as her eyes roamed over the strange guy. He was tall, built, and yummy. The suit coat he wore fit snugly, covering what she was sure were ample muscles beneath it. Gel spiked his cocoa-colored hair and his amber eyes bore into her. Who is he and why was he in her dressing room? What if he was here to drag her back to LA? Her eyes darted around the room, and other than the couch and dressing room table, it was empty. She was weaponless, unless she decided to attack him with the perfume on her makeup table and spray him in the eyes. I bet that would sting. I should be paying attention to what he’s doing. Elly snapped her attention to him, narrowing her eyes as she met his. The amber color had swirls of orange twinkling in it like his eyes were on fire.
She lost her train of thought and lost herself in his gaze. Her mouth popped open. I could stare at him all day.
The man cleared his throat, snapping her out of her trance. What is wrong with me? I’m here for a fresh start and I need to lie low. I shouldn’t be ogling the first hottie I see. Girl, you better get it together and find out who he is and why he’s in your dressing room. He could be working for Ian.
She shivered at the thought of her creepy ex-boss. The man had been obsessed with her, and she was certain he was looking for her.
“Who...who are you?” she stammered, her voice coming out weaker than she’d intended. She took a step back, running her rear into her makeup table. A bottle of perfume fell over and rolled across the wood. She reached out, grasping for the bottle, but it slipped through her fingers and toppled to the floor. The perfume cruised across the room, coming to a stop at the sexy stranger’s foot. At least it didn’t break, she thought. The potent perfume would never come out of the carpet, and she’d lost her only weapon.
Now was not the time for her clumsiness to strike. She was making her debut in ten minutes and accidents followed her everywhere lately. It was annoying as hell. Not to mention, she still had no idea who the mystery man in front of her was.
The man sniffed and looked around the room before focusing his gaze back on her. “I’m looking for my sister, Acelynn. Do you know where she is?”
Thank God. He’s here for Acelynn, not me, but...
Acelynn hadn’t mentioned a brother or that she was expecting anyone to be in the audience tonight.
You didn’t exactly invite your family to these types of shows. At least she wouldn’t—not dressed like this. One of the top students in her class and she was reduced to a Vegas show girl. Not that she didn’t admire all forms of dancing, but she’d worked damn hard to earn her master’s in business and it wasn’t to dance to Elvis songs on the Vegas Strip. Her parents would have a fit if they found out where she was working. She cringed at the thought. God love them, but they were so uptight. Clearly the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree, she mused.
The sexy stranger took a step forward and quirked his brow up. “Do you know where she is?” he repeated.
Right... Acelynn. Where is she?
Heat crept over her cheeks. Answer the man! “Oh...uh...she’ll be right back,” she stumbled over her words as she wrapped an arm around her middle in a vain attempt to conceal herself. His gaze pricked her skin, causing her chest to tighten and her breath to get stuck in her throat. She was practically naked in front of him. Aren’t you going out to dance in front of hundreds of people, she reminded herself. If her ex-boss, Ian, were here, he would be throwing a tantrum. The possessive bastard had tried to take over her life and he didn’t seem to understand the word no. That’s why she’d hightailed it out of LA as fast as she could. Ian’s not here. And he’s never going to find me. Unless someone tells him where to find me.
Elly snapped her attention back to the mystery man. She’d never seen the guy before, thank goodness, but Ian was a powerful businessman. Who knew how many people he had working for him? What if this guy was lying and trying to make sure she was alone?
The man gave her a once-over, his eyes lingering on her feathered hat before slipping down her body, causing her to hug herself tighter. She wasn’t used to people ogling her. Though she couldn’t really blame him for staring at her in this getup. She’d gape too. His eyes blazed a deeper golden-orange as he met her gaze. She blinked in surprise and gasped only to find they’d returned to normal.
She was probably so nervous about her upcoming performance and the stranger’s unexpected arrival that she was imagining things. Fantastic! She wanted to crawl into a corner and die. At least then she wouldn't have to go out on that stage. It was ironic how much she dreaded her dance tonight when, as a college cheerleader, the thrill of the crowd had encouraged her.
“I’m sorry, I’m being rude. I’m Laik,” he said, introducing himself with a velvety, deep voice while extending his hand to her.
Elly swallowed as she took in his large hand. You know what they say about men with large hands. Seriously? Shut up, Elly! You shouldn’t even be thinking like that.
“I’m, uh...” she started as she took a step forward.
Her ankle shifted in her giant heels and she gasped as she pitched forward. The ground rose up toward her. Cringing, Elly stifled a scream, bracing for impact.
Warm arms enveloped her, pulling her against Laik’s strong chest. He cradled her to him as he righted her. His warmth seeped through his shirt, caressing her skin as he e
mbraced her. “Careful now,” he cautioned.
Heat blossomed over her cheeks. Please tell me that didn’t just happen. She gripped the lapels of his jacket for support while struggling to stand. “I’m so sorry.” I’m such a fucking dork. How the hell am I going to dance in these things? I can’t even walk. Someone as clumsy as me shouldn’t be allowed on stage. Someone as clumsy as me shouldn’t be allowed out in public. What is happening to me? I used to be so graceful and sure of myself.
She gritted her teeth and stood straight, praying she’d find the woman she’d been only a few months ago. One or two bad things would get any person down, but with her string of bad luck it was enough to make her question everything.
“No problem. You okay?” he asked, staring down at her. The golden-orange hue was back in his eyes, and her breath quickened at the intensity swirling in his gaze.
“Yeah. Thanks,” she mumbled as she pushed away from him and stumbled back to her chair. Her skin tingled from his touch, igniting a fire that scorched its way down to her core. An image of him naked and above her flickered in her mind, causing her to pant.
She nibbled her lip and shook her head. What is wrong with me? No man had ever caused a reaction like this before. And she had no interest in dating, or anything that involved men. Nope. She was done with men. Period. Ian Palmer had seen to that and she hadn’t even dated the bastard.
***
Laik couldn’t tear his eyes away from the enchanting woman in front of him when he ought to be searching for his sister instead. The voice mail she’d left last night had prompted him to fly overseas, leaving his current case in the hands of another while he was away. He had the right room. It smelled just like her, but clearly, she wasn’t in it. Not that he minded the woman in front of him. She was gorgeous, but oh, so human. Innocence churned in her sea-blue eyes and something else he couldn’t quite decipher. An overwhelming need to protect this woman consumed him as he instinctively shrugged off his suit coat.
It was obvious by the way she hugged herself she wasn’t comfortable in...whatever it was she was wearing. He didn’t know what the outfit was, but damn did that gold bikini look amazing on her. Except the hat, if you could call it that. He wanted to see her hair too.
The swells of her breasts peeked out at him from beneath the sequins, and he had a perfect view of her long, creamy legs, thanks to the outfit. Her thighs would fit nicely around his waist as he thrust into her. His cock twitched at the idea, causing him to rake his gaze over her again.
Her curvy frame was magnificent—perfect. He’d like nothing more than to wrap her graceful legs around his waist and have his way with her against the wall right now. The beast inside him bubbled to the surface, rallying him to claim her.
She’s ours. Take her, it encouraged.
He took a step forward.
“Oh, good, I see you two have met,” Acelynn’s sultry voice interrupted his thoughts.
Laik let out a breath, thankful for the interruption. His dragon didn’t usually react to women this way, especially not human women. He drew in a deep breath and let it out, fighting to keep control of the dragon within him. It had to be the jet lag from his long plane ride to Vegas that was causing him to lose his cool. He wasn’t interested in a human. It hadn’t ended well for his mother, and he had no interest in repeating his family history.
“Acelynn, you didn’t tell me your brother was stopping by,” the woman squeaked as she shifted her gaze to his sister.
“I didn’t?” Acelynn asked coyly, as she flicked her wrist. “I’m sorry. I hope he wasn’t too big of an oaf. You did introduce yourself to Elly, didn’t you, Laik?” she shot him a glare as she arched her brow at him.
Elly? What a wonderful name for a beautiful woman.
“He did,” Elly said, inching along the dressing-room table. Her fingers gripped the edge, turning her knuckles white as she turned back to the mirror and bent down to gaze at her reflection. She leaned too far and whacked her forehead on the glass.
A curse escaped her glistening, red lips and he chuckled at her language.
“It’s time to head out,” Acelynn said, frowning at the sight of the bottle by his foot. She picked up the bottle of perfume and shot him a questioning glance before tossing it onto the couch to her left.
Elly closed her eyes and let out a long breath. “Okay. I can do this,” she said to herself, though she didn’t sound very convinced to his ears.
She turned on her feet and wobbled towards the door. Her knees knocked together as she stumbled along. A screech escaped her lips right before she pitched forward again, spilling into Acelynn and his arms. Thank God for dragon reflexes.
“You okay, sweetie?” Concerned, Acelynn met Laik’s gaze instead of Elly’s.
His sister wanted him to do or know something, but what? He glanced to Elly, assessing her. She was definitely a human. What interest did Acelynn have in her? Was this human the reason Acelynn had called?
Elly plastered a smile on her face. “Oh, yeah. I’m fine. Let’s get to the stage.”
Liar. She was a walking disaster. He’d been in the room for less than five minutes and could tell that much. In that time, she’d tripped over her own feet twice.
The stench of fear wafted off of her, and her smile didn’t come anywhere close to reaching her enchanting eyes. She wasn’t ready to perform. Not that he could blame her. If she went out there in those heels, she’d likely fall off the stage and kill herself. As much as he wanted to see her perform in that sexy, gold bikini, he didn’t want her injured in the process. There had to be a way to stop the show.
His eyes darted around the room until he found what he was looking for.
Ensuring Elly wasn’t looking, he drew in a deep breath and let a puff of smoke out, blowing it directly at the fire alarm.
A red light flickered on the device as a shrill chirp abruptly howled through the room. He grimaced as the siren wailed, blaring in his sensitive ears. Sprinklers jutted down from the ceiling and a steady spray of water shot out of them.
Elly’s face scrunched up as a stream of water gushed right into her eyes. She grunted and took a step back. Her foot slid out from under her, causing her to slip and fall on her ass.
How many times was this poor woman going to fall?
“Elly!” Acelynn exclaimed, crouching next to her friend. “Are you okay?”
“No,” she groaned, while blinking up at them. “Have you ever sat on these feathers? They really freaking hurt.” She took Acelynn’s hand and stood, smoothing her hand over the colored feathers on her butt. Red crept over her face as she lifted a hand and covered her eyes. The thick makeup on her face bled down, causing black rivulets to cascade down her cheeks.
“Let’s get you out of here.” Without thinking, Laik bent down, wrapped his suit jacket around her shoulders and scooped her into his arms, cradling her to him as he marched toward the exit.
The hallway was filled with several women. Each of them dressed in the same sequined outfit as Elly. None of them looked anywhere as good as the woman in his arms. He brushed past them and down the corridor.
Using his shoulder, Laik shoved the service door open that led to the main floor and peered into the casino. Some people ran for the doors, others scrambled to collect their winnings, and some looked like they had no care in the world that the alarm was going off. Oops. He hadn’t really thought about all the people who were in the hotel that would be affected by his stunt with the fire alarm. Oh well. It was too late to change it now.
At least he’d gotten a chance to hold the sexy woman in his arms. Maybe after I find out what Acelynn wants, I can take this bewitching beauty out. No! Don’t get involved with a human.
“This way,” Acelynn tugged on his elbow as she pointed back into the hallway they’d come out of.
He let the thick, steel service door shut and followed his sister and a few other showgirls to the end of the corridor. A woman shoved open the emergency exit door allowing everyone to file o
ut into the stifling Vegas night air. Moonlight filtered down between the large casinos, casting the alley in pale light.
Laik strode through the alley. He walked a few hundred feet before setting Elly down. She tried to step away from him, but her head whipped back as she cried out. His ring was caught on a strand of her dark hair that had fallen from her hat. She grimaced as it pulled a few strands out.
“I’m sorry,” he told her as he reached up to loosen his ring. The ruby stone held magic that enabled him to be invisible to the human eye while he flew or did anything in his dragon form. It wasn’t something he could just take off.
“It’s okay. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m something of a walking disaster.” She laughed out loud and met his eyes. Laik grinned as he worked his ring free and took a step back. She wiggled her arms into his jacket and wrapped it around her body as her eyes darted around.
Lights flickered above from the Vegas signs and an Elvis impersonator strummed his guitar as he exited the building from a door near them. Acelynn had disappeared to God only knew where, but it wasn’t her he was concerned about. His twin sister could take care of herself. Elly, on the other hand, was another story.
“This wasn’t your work, was it, sweetie?” Elvis asked as he stopped next to Elly and snuggled close to her.
“Me?” Elly whispered as her eyes widened. She gulped and hunched her shoulders like she actually believed she’d set off the alarm.
Laik frowned. Why on Earth would Elly think she had anything to do with this?
“You’re smoking hot, darling.” Elvis winked at her, then wagged his brows playfully.
A puff of steam bubbled up Laik’s throat. How dare Elvis talk to her like that? He inhaled and his eyes flickered, partially shifting into his dragon’s eyes to see if Elvis was human or more like him. It was as he’d suspected. Elvis was a vampire! Was he planning to do something to Elly? The casino Elly worked at was a supernatural hot spot. Ninety percent or more of the employees were not human, and about fifty percent of the guests were supernatural, too. Acelynn must be crazy if she thought she could befriend a human girl and get her a job at a place like this.