Page 29 of Gamble
Elijah reached for the paper, getting serious again before adding, “I’m sorry if that made you uncomfortable. I just couldn’t resist.”
“Don’t say you’re sorry,” she snapped. It surprised her she hated that he’d apologized. She paused before adding, “Why don’t we see how the day goes first before we move into bonus territory, okay?”
“Fair enough. So, you’ll stay and spend the day with me?” He asked for the first time since they’d met, seeming unsure.
Staying was tempting for many reasons, mainly because avoiding going home early with her tail between her legs like the complete failure she was. As he waited, his smile was back, lighting up his handsome face. She loved the small laugh lines that formed around his eyes. They told her he smiled often.
While she thought through her options, Elijah had already signed his name and room number to the check before she realized what he’d done.
“Hey, you don’t need to buy me breakfast!” she said, reaching out to grab the leather folio with the signed check. “It’s your birthday. I should treat you,” she pointed out.
Elijah pushed to his feet and helped pull out her chair so she could stand before he answered her. Thanks to the new position, he could lean in and talk in her ear.
“Let’s get this out of the way right now so we don’t have any misunderstandings. Your spending time with me today is the only gift I need. If you stay, you will not be paying so much as a dime of your own money, so please don’t even try to mention it again… got it?”
Something about his authoritative tone told her Elijah was a man who was used to giving orders. The patient look on his face told her most people followed those orders.
“Are you always this bossy?” she teased.
“Oh, baby, you have no idea,” he replied, reaching out to put his hand at the small of her back and leading her out while pulling her suitcase behind. As they weaved through the tables toward the exit, a nugget of pleasure blossomed inside her, something she never dreamed she could feel just hours after breaking up with Tristan. Reagan didn’t want to examine the feeling too closely, choosing to just enjoy what promised to be a fun day.
They were all the way to the bank of elevators when Elijah stopped to ask her. “I’m hoping you not dragging me toward the lobby means you aren’t having any second thoughts.”
It hadn’t been a conscious decision. Being next to Elijah, his hand at the small of her back just felt right. Like it was where she belonged, at least for today. While she may not understand it, she was honest enough with herself to know the idea of walking away and never seeing him again felt wrong.
Her mind made up, Reagan grinned. “And miss the massage you’ve promised? Of course I’m staying. And it’s your birthday. You shouldn’t spend the day alone.”
Chuckling, Elijah teased, “Thanks for taking pity on me and staying.”
Returning his intense gaze back to her, he asked, “Do you feel comfortable leaving your things in my room today while we go out on our adventures? I don’t want to assume you’re okay withthat. I could ask them to store your bag at the bell stand if you’d prefer.”
Such a gentleman—the orgasm note aside. But Reagan also knew she was breaking a lot of her own safety rules by going up to an almost stranger’s room.
“I need your driver’s license,” she said, holding her hand out.
“Excuse me?” he asked. “Are you trying to card me?” he added with a chuckle, yet he didn’t hesitate to reach into his pocket. “Do you need me to take it out of the wallet?”
“Yep,” she grinned.
Once he’d handed it over, she took her cell phone out of the side pocket of her carry-on bag and snapped an up-close picture of his ID before handing it back to him. He then watched as she texted a copy over to Meena.
“Don’t tell me. You steal people’s identities as a hobby?” he asked.
“Nope. Just sending your info to my best friend and roommate. That way, if you turn out to be a serial killer and I end up missing, she’ll know where to point the police.”
He laughed as he pressed the up button for the elevator. “Like I said… beautiful and smart. But I can assure you, no one’s going to hurt you on my watch… at least not a bad kind of hurt.”
What a strange comment. After they were in the elevator on the way up to the fifteenth floor, she couldn’t help but ask, “Is there a good kind of hurt?”
Elijah moved closer into her personal space, stopping just short of brushing against her before answering. “You better believe there’s a good kind of hurt. I’m hoping to get the chance to demonstrate later… assuming you’re game.”
A wave of unexpected sexual tension filled the enclosed space, confusing Reagan. The ding of the elevator’s arrival at their floor broke the spell.
Elijah’s room was twice as big as hers had been. His suite had an extra seating area with a mini-kitchen and an even more spectacular view of Sin City.
“Wow, I can’t believe you have this entire room all to yourself,” she said, realizing how weird it was that he had come to Vegas alone, since he didn’t like to gamble either.
“My buddies paid for my room as part of my birthday gift. They’re the ones who planned this little getaway.”
