Page 81 of Vas

“I know. And I love you too.”

“So are we… good?” he dared ask.

She gave him a small smile and, thank fuck, it reached her eyes. “Yeah. We still have a lot to talk about,andI reserve the right to have a meltdown later, but we’re okay.”

For the first time since finding Anya by the elevator waiting for him, he took a full breath, the oxygen hitting his head and making him feel lightheaded. Or maybe it was relief that had his head swimming. “Thank fuck.”

He sat up and swung his legs off the bed.

“What are you doing?”

“We need to get ready to go. The cleaners will be here soon.” Not to mention, he probably had until the next shift ended at the Palms before the bodies were discovered and maybe another few hours after that before it was all over the news and Maximo realized the hit hadn’t gone down as planned. Vas wanted to get the fuck out of Vegas before the shit hit the fan.

That led him to another thought. “How’d you get here?”

“To this hotel or Vegas?”

“Vegas. And please don’t tell me you drove your piece of shit all the way here by yourself.”

“I’m smarter than that. I came here with Tiffany and Luke. We took her car.”

He nodded. “Good. You need to call, tell her you won’t be going home with them.”

“Okay.” She stood to dig her phone from her back pocket. “But wouldn’t it be easier if I drove back with them? You flew here. I’d hate for you to waste money on an unnecessary ticket for me.”

He furrowed his brow. “First off, I’m not letting you out of my sight until we’re safely home. And second, we won’t be flying.” He took the step that separated them and placed his hands on her hips. “Now, give me a kiss.”

She did and fuck he didn't want to let her go.

“Mine,” he growled against her lips when they came up for air.

The sting of his stitches pulled reminding him it was time to get the fuck out of Dodge, Vas pulled away on a groan. Taking in her slightly dazed expression, he let the relief flow through him. She accepted him darkness and all and damn if that wasn’t a wonderful feeling.

Chapter 28

Vas settled into his chair as the shadows of dusk lengthened into the quiet hours of the night. The sound of an occasional car or the distant barking of a dog drifted in through the slightly ajar window. He was content to just sit there, the warm evening breeze bringing in the scent of cut grass. Good things come to those who wait. He remembered his mother saying that to him time and again. That’d proven true with his Anya. So he stretched out his long legs, crossing one ankle over the other to relax and wait.

His mind played over the hectic pace of the previous weeks. He could hardly believe their wedding was in just eight short days. Anya would soon carry his name, and they would create the family he’d never dared hope for. Even now, it was hard for him to wrap his brain around the fact that, after everything Anya had discovered, she still wanted him. He’d never forget the moment she’d said yes—it would be imprinted on his brain until the day he died.

Thanks to the doctor, the cleaners had arrived just as Vas had finished washing up. He’d chucked his soiled clothes with the bloody towels onto the bed and exchanged car keys with the younger of the silent duo, then he and Anya hit the road.

Miles of highway stretched before them with the car’s twin beams the only break in the darkness of the vast desert. Unlike Vas and Anya’s last road trip, there weren’t any snacks or excited car seat dancing from his girl. The radio was silent and the only sound in the vehicle was the hum of the tires eating pavement. He was giving her time to process the shitshow that had been laid on her that evening even if her silence was killing him. His grip on the steering wheel tightened until his knuckles turned white and his foot pressed down on the gas pedal. The faster he got them away from Sin City and all its dark revelations, the sooner he could get them back to normal.

“I’ve been thinking.”

Anya’s voice cut through the long silence, pulling him from his thoughts. Shit, she may be his first relationship, but even he knewthosewords said inthat tone didn’t bode well. He took his eyes off the road long enough to look at her. Her expression was hard to read in the poor lighting, but she didn’t look angry or upset, merely determined. He wasn’t sure that was any better.

“You know my scholarship—the one that miraculously appeared out of thin air?”

Dread hit his gut. Fuck. He’d planned to ease into that discussion, but it seemed it was time for yet another confession. “Yeah.”

“That was you too. Wasn’t it?”

“I, uh, might’ve had a little something to do with it,” he hedged.

She wasn’t buying his evasion as evidenced by her put-upon sigh. “A little something or a lot something?”

He sent up a silent prayer this wouldn’t come back to bite him in the ass, then admitted, “The whole something.” He darted a quick look to gauge her reaction. When he didn’t find her glaring at him, he asked, “On a scale from one to I’m going to ditch Vas at the next pit stop, how mad are you?”

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