Page 29 of The MC's Surprise
Did I want to scratch that itch for him? I remembered our time together. Sleeping with Vegas had been the single hottest experience I’d ever had. I still thought about it on occasion when the tension got to be too much and I needed some stress relief with my handy vibrator. I wasn’t sure I could handle being a replacement for what he really wanted, though. That would hurt my pride, and with the pregnancy in the way, it’d definitely make things complicated.
But… I also really liked him. I’d loved the time we spent together before I left. I wasn’t sure how long I was going to be working with him. Would it be so bad to live a little and see what happened? Since I was fully aware of the situation, there wouldn’t be a risk of catching feelings. Maybe. Possibly. I mean, I had a major crush on him once upon a time, but that didn’t mean feelings were involved. It was lust and intrigue. If I said it often enough, I might believe it. And maybe if things happenedwith Vegas, I could finally get over my crush and focus on what was important.
I was going around in circles between what I wanted and what was smart, and I didn't notice where we were going until Vegas nudged me onto a stool.
“What’ll you have?”
Shaking off the conflicted feelings, I thought about it before asking, “Do you have any sprite? I’ve got a craving and my mom refuses to buy me any.”
He moved with ease, spinning a glass with a flourish before pouring my drink from a can in the mini fridge below the bar. When I raised an eyebrow at him, he smiled and my heart skipped a beat. It was cruel just how good looking he was. It made this decision so much harder.
“I was a bartender throughout college. Had to save up to pay for business school.”
“That’s an interesting image. You must’ve made a lot of tips with skills like that.”
He handed me the drink, leaning his elbows on the bar top as he closed more distance between us. “Most of my income was tips. Didn’t hurt to flirt a little, either.”
“I’ll bet.” It was supposed to be a tease, but it came out all breathy and soft. He was so close we were sharing the same air. My eyes dropped to his mouth without my permission, and I bit my lip in an attempt to get myself together. It was like the minute he showed me any attention, my hormones went haywire and I couldn’t control myself.
“Sierra…” My name on his lips was smooth and seductive and my brows furrowed, watching his lips form the sounds. My arguments against doing anything with Vegas were being drowned out by my heartbeat in my ears and the faint feeling of his lips against mine. What happened out front was barely a kiss, and I was almost desperate for more.
“Yo, Vegas! Make me a drink, will you?” someone called out.
The tension snapped like a rubber band, and I finally remembered where we were. Heat flooded my cheeks, and I sat back, grabbing my drink and taking a large swallow. I was too eager, and it went down wrong, sending me into a coughing fit that only embarrassed me more.
“Sierra? Are you–”
Shoving out of the stool, I grimaced as my eyes watered. “Bathroom?” I croaked.
“There’s one next to Prez’s office. I can–”
I waved him off, hightailing it to the bathroom at mach speed. Thankfully, it was empty, and I locked the door behind me, leaning heavily against the door.
This was a bad idea. We were going to be stuck with each other for the foreseeable future raising this baby. I couldn’t make things harder for him than I already had by showing up pregnant with his kid. No matter how I felt about him.
Sighing, I crossed the room and leaned against the sink, glaring at myself in the mirror. I had to do better. Before I left, he was sexy and flirtatious, and heavy handed with compliments. He made me feel good about myself at a time when I’d been struggling. Now, I saw a whole other side of him. He was sweet and thoughtful, playful and kind to the kids, and so loyal. He accepted that the baby was his and stepped up without hesitation. I couldn’t risk ruining that. This baby had to come first. My hormones or whatever would need a stern talking to. It wasn’t going to happen.
It took me a few minutes to pull myself together long enough to rejoin the party. I was out of sorts, and Vegas’s sudden interest caught me off guard. I’d been working so hard to keep him in that little box of ‘never gonna happen’ that I didn’t know what to do when he suddenly broke out of it. Even after I rejoined the crew, I still didn’t know what to think. I almostwished I had a girlfriend to talk to about this. I didn’t have many friends, none in the area especially. What little friends I had were in LA and I didn’t think I’d be comfortable talking to them about having a crush on a biker. The friends in LA were all corporate ceiling breakers. They’d probably see a biker as beneath them.
For the time being, I felt like it was best if I left. Maybe putting some space between me and Vegas would help. We’d hung out pretty much every day since I showed up, either to talk about the events for the crew or just getting to know each other a little better before the baby was born. Spending that much time with him was confusing me. I needed to get my head on straight.
He was still behind the bar when I came out of the bathroom, showing off while making drinks for a couple of the old ladies. My chest tightened, and while he was distracted, I made my escape.
17
Sierra
Iwas edging through the crowded room when someone called my name. I grimaced, plastering a polite smile on my face as I spun around to face Skylar. I didn't want to be rude to her, she had been so awesome since we met. I just wished I could’ve snuck out before she saw me. The longer I hung around, the more likely Vegas would find me and confuse me even more.
“Hey, Skylar. Where are the kids?”
“With my dad. They spent the day with him so we could do the volunteer thing and we knew there would be a party afterward, so we figured we’d let them spend the night with their pop-pop before we picked them up.”
I’d briefly met her and Butch’s kids and I understood better why the crew called them a brood. Four kids, all under the age of ten. It sounded overwhelming, but Butch and Skylar were a team and made it look effortless.
We chatted for a while about the park clean up I was planning, and what would go on the fliers we were going to put up. We wanted to make it a community effort, so we were goingto invite people to join us while the crew did the lion’s share of the work. With Kennedy Storm reporting, I hoped it’d go well.
I finally got a chance to escape when Butch brought Skylar some food and led her to the kitchen to eat. Anyone could go grab something if they wanted, but I lied and said I wasn’t hungry, so I could duck out while she was busy. I liked talking with Skylar, but I was hyper aware of where Vegas was in the room, and I couldn’t focus well on our conversation.
