Page 57 of Gamble
Everything he wasn’t.
When he pulled under the covered portico at the building’s entrance, neither of them moved to get out. After turning off the key, the Mustang’s engine ticked as it cooled, and Elijah could hear the distant sounds of city traffic even as time seemed to freeze in their own little bubble.
“Reagan,” he started looking straight ahead, unable to look her in the eyes as he contemplated how to best let her down. What was he supposed to say? ‘Thanks for the great weekend, but you’re too good for a kinky old bastard like me?’
He could feel her intense stare even before she reached to touch his face, turning him to face her. The vulnerability in her green eyes nearly undid him.
“This doesn’t have to be goodbye, does it?” she asked softly.
Every instinct screamed at him to whisk her away and never let her go, but his brain demanded he make it easy for both of them. To kiss her forehead and walk away before either of them got hurt. But looking at her face, seeing the hope she was trying so hard to hide, he said the exact opposite of what his brain demanded.
“Have dinner with me Tuesday night.”
The words tumbled out before he could stop them, and he held his breath waiting for her response.
Reagan’s face brightened for a moment before falling. “I’d love to, but I work Tuesday. I’m on call that evening and it’s usually pretty brutal.”
Disappointment crashed through him, followed by relief. Maybe this was the universe’s way of telling him to let her go.
“Of course,” he said, reaching for the door handle until he blurted, “How about Friday then?”
“But I’d love to go another night…” she clarified.
They spoke at the same time, their words overlapping in a rush of simultaneous hope, and then they both started laughing.
“Friday it is,” Elijah said, feeling lighter than he had since they’d left Vegas. “I know the perfect place.”
“It’s a date,” Reagan said, then blushed at her own words.
Elijah got out and retrieved her luggage from the trunk, taking his time because he wasn’t ready for this moment to end. When he walked her to the lobby door, he set her bags down and pulled her into his arms.
“Thank you,” he said, hugging her tight and taking in the scent of her hair against his cheek. “It really was the best birthday weekend of my life.”
Reagan tilted her face up to his, and he kissed her there under the afternoon sun, not caring who might see them. It was soft and sweet and full of promise, and when they broke apart, her eyes were shining.
“Thank you for showing me what I was missing,” she whispered.
As he drove away, watching her wave from the lobby in his rearview mirror, Elijah realized he was in serious trouble. For the first time in decades, he knew he was falling in love. And this time, he wasn’t sure he was strong enough to walk away.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
REAGAN
Reagan stared at her reflection in the full-length mirror attached to her bedroom door, smoothing her hands down the sides of the emerald-green dress she’d tried on for the third time. The color brought out her eyes, the cut flattered her figure, and the fabric felt like silk against her skin—but was it too much for a first official date? Or not enough for a man who’d already seen her naked?
The memory of Elijah’s hands on her body sent a shiver through her that had nothing to do with the apartment’s air conditioning.
“Stop overthinking it,” she muttered to her reflection. “It’s just dinner.”
Except it wasn’t just dinner, and they both knew it. This was their chance to see if what had happened between them in Vegas could translate to real life in Los Angeles. This was her chance to find out if a man like Elijah Keaton could actually be interested in more than just a weekend fling with someone like her.
“Are you talking to yourself in there, or have you finally lost your mind?” Meena’s voice carried through the cracked-open bedroom door, followed by a soft knock.
“Come in,” Reagan called, grateful for the distraction from her spiraling thoughts.
Meena pushed open the door, took one look at Reagan in the green dress, and whistled low. “Holy shit, you look amazing. Elijah’s going to swallow his tongue when he sees you.”
“You think it’s too much?” Reagan turned back to the mirror, second-guessing herself again.
