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“No way. I have plans for you.”
She cupped his cheek, rubbing her thumb across his scruffy cheek. “Are you shaving this for tomorrow?”
He itched his throat where the stubble climbed into his shirt. “I think my mom would skin me if I didn’t.”
“Really?”
He grinned. “Yeah. But I’ll wait to do it until after tonight.” He dragged his knuckle down the side of her neck. “I like leaving my marks on you.”
She shivered. There was nothing quite like the buzz and burn all over her skin when Ryan was through with her. She stood up. “Yeah, I’m ready to go.”
He laughed and stood with her before lowering his mouth to hers. The kiss didn’t spin out like it usually did. It was achingly perfect and sweet. So much so that her eyes welled up behind her lids. When he pulled back, she ducked her head quickly and went down the stairs before he could see the tears she had to dash away.
He caught her hand and dragged her back to his side as they went through the parking garage to the entrance of the casino. As soon as the large angel statue in the foyer came into view, her stomach plummeted.
Vegas.
In all its glory.
Ryan’s grip tightened on her hand as his eyes whirled to all of the stations in the casino. Baccarat, blackjack, slots, and the all-important poker tables reached as far as the eye could see.
Her shoulders tightened instantly. “Ryan.”
He swung his gaze to hers. “I’ve been in a casino before, Colorado. I’m not jonesing.”
“They why are there huge heart bubbles in your eyes?”
“Everyone with half a brain cell wants to try their luck. Especially when you know the tricks I do.” He laughed. “Don’t give me that death ray.” He tapped his inner elbow. “I promise I’m not an addict.” He shook her arm with their clasped hands. “Did I make a mistake in New York? Yes. I got in over my head. I was winning and I got cocky.”
“Cocky enough to get yourself hurt. Actually, more like stomped on by big burly dudes.”
“No need to remind me.”
She released a breath as her heart raced. “I think maybe I do. Pit bosses here would make your run-in with those guys look like a tickle party.”
He tipped his head and curled his arm around her back until they were face to face and their thighs bumped. “And how do you know so much?”
Her heartbeat throbbed between her ears. “I just do.” A year of flying back and forth between Vegas and New York gave her a lot of knowledge. How many times had she come in here with him? How many times had she seen the darker side of Vegas?
Just once in all its twisted glory, when Marco’s mask had finally fallen away.
Before then, she hadn’t wanted to see the grime beneath the glitz, so she’d rationalized the ominous things she’d seen. The secret conversations, the veiled threats, the shady accomplices. Until she couldn’t anymore.
“I think it’s more than that.”
She shook off the memories. “I just worry about you. I can’t help it. What if I hadn’t come around that night?”
He pulled her closer. “I would have woken up and called someone.”
“Me?”
“Well, I didn’t exactly like the idea of you in that alley, but yeah, I would have called you or Mikey.”
She pressed her free hand against his chest, her fingers curling into his faded Metallica shirt. “I don’t want you in that position again. I couldn’t take losing you like that.”
“You won’t. I swear it.”
He didn’t know the shit she brought to the table. Who she’d been when she was with Marco. How blinded she’d been by the lifestyle he’d shown her. And worst of all, how far and fast she’d run once she’d figured out how unhinged he could be. Her former lover just happened to work for the Andrettis, a notorious mob family with businesses in both New York and Vegas.
