Page 27 of Vegas Baby

Raina unzipped her coat and he held the collar while she removed it, impatient to leave the lawn.

She draped it over her shoulder and walked with him back toward the room. Veer and Anaya fell into step next to them.

“That was intense,” Veer said.

“That’s saying it nicely,” Howler agreed. Give him a hard day in the gym lifting weights any day. Whether the heat, the woman, or the fact he sucked at yoga put him into a foul mood.

“We wanted to say thanks to both of you for what you’re doing. We know it’s hard but it’ll be worth it in the end,” Anaya said.

Howler rolled his reply around in his mind, trying to formulate his answer for maximum impact but minimum damage. “My business rides on my reputation for getting my talent what they’re worth while taking their preferences into consideration. Had you been upfront and honest about Patel’s reluctance for Veer to sign with me, we could have worked it out without all this drama. Now Raina and I are married and expectations are high on all sides. Once things calm down, we all need to set some ground rules.”

Anaya slipped her fingers through Veer’s, both looking like chastised teenagers. Howler opened his mouth, ready to apologize but snapped his jaw shut. He couldn’t cave nor would his pride allow him to quit. “Until then, you two have a wedding to get ready for and worrying about your dad, or your career, isn’t something you should be doing today.”

“I agree. The offer from the Pioneers is still on the table regardless of who’s representing you,” Raina said, reaching out and squeezing their clasped hands.

“We’d better get back inside and get ready.” Anaya and Veer walked arm in arm across the grass, heads together in deep conversation.

Howler waited until the couple were out of earshot before he turned on Raina. His temples throbbed from an oncoming headache and being with her seemed to make it worse. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Nonplussed, Raina shrugged, hooking her coat over her shoulder. “Business. You broke him down, I built him up.”

He strode after her departing back. “Hold on, he’s my client.”

“Who I want on my team and who wants to be on my team. A win, win. If you’re willing to walk away, fine. My offer is still on the table.”

“It’s a shitty offer and you know it,” he said, the agent in him kicking in. She’d jumped in on his lesson to his errant client and made it about her. Smart but annoying. She wasn’t going to get away with it, not on his watch.

She glanced at him over her shoulder, her brow raised, lips curled in a slight smirk. “It’s not a shitty offer, it’s a good offer and you know it. You’re pissed because I took advantage of the situation.”

“I tried to teach him a lesson. He used us. Used me. You were a willing participant.”

“You signed both documents. If I used you, you weren’t fighting very hard.”

“You admitted blame.”

“Yes, but it doesn’t mean I’m lying down and letting you sign Veer to the Scorpions. All’s fair in love and war.”

“We’re not in love,” he snapped.

She spun around and skipped backward, her breasts bouncing beneath her racer-back top. “Then are we at war?”

He couldn’t help but watch the movement, zeroing in on where her nipples were visible beneath the fabric.

She flipped the jacket over her chest, blocking it from view. Whether from design or intentional, he couldn’t judge from the mischievous gleam in her eye. “War is such a harsh word. Let’s call it a battle of wits,” she said.

“Or of wills, I— Watch out.” He lunged forward, slipping his arm around her waist before she fell onto the grass, her foot caught in the sprinkler. Her momentum brought him tumbling down with her. He caught himself at the last second and rolled her on top of him, cushioning her body with his own.

She landed with a noticeable hiss of breath, her elbow ramming him in the ribs.

“Ouch,” he said, neck arched against the pain. “Shit that hurt.”

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry. Where does it hurt?” she asked, troubled eyes meeting his, her mouth close enough to kiss. Her hips were nestled between his legs as she raised onto arms positioned on either side of his head. Groin to groin, he swallowed the rush of desire. Okay, this was getting real, quickly. Either he push her off or embarrass himself.

Or kiss her.

No, absolutely not. Kissing her had gotten him into this marriage in the first place.

“Can you get up?” he asked, more for his own self-preservation than any pain. “It’s my hamstring,” he lied. Raina’s intimate position caused every bit of discomfort.

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