Page 8 of Fall to Me
Waiting for Nate to finish his call, I stand next to River and glance at the people around us. My attention catches on a person in a gorilla costume, grinding against a woman’s ass—wait—nope, now his face is buriedinher ass. Not that I’m judging. Maybe a gorilla motorboating her ass cheeks was onherbingo card tonight. Her friends cheer them on as they drop money into the cardboard box labeled “tips” scrolled in sloppy handwriting with a black marker.
I force my attention from the gorilla back to Nate. He gives me a subtle nod as three showgirls walk past him, the smell of their fruity body spray wafting in the air.
“Yeah, I’ll be right there,” he says, then pockets his phone. An apologetic expression slides onto his face. “Sorry. I’ve gotta take care of something at the club.”
“What happened? Don’t tell me someone was practicing Shabari and now they need your help untying the knots.” River giggles and my brows pull together.
Nate breathes a chuckle and tilts his head to study her, scratching his jaw. I know he’s on my side, but he’s looking ather with interest, and I don’t like it. My molars grind, and I shoot him a glare.
“You really are something else, River,” he says, shaking his head in disbelief. “Didn’t take you for a rope bunny . . . or . . . maybe you prefer to be the rope top. Now, that’s interesting.”
“Bowline, rolling hitch, double cross. Nate, I can tie a knot better than a Navy SEAL. I can untie them on my own too,” she says, twisting a lock of her hair, then she turns to me. “Now that I’m thinking about it, Carter, would you like to volunteer for a demonstration?”
Instant. Fucking. Hard-on.
I clear my throat and shift my weight. Like that’ll help.
She jerks her head my way, and her giggles bounce around us. “Oh, look ‘Kitten’s’got his tongue. I think he’s broken.”
I don’t have a witty comeback. For the life of me, I can’t form words or force the images of her tying me up out of my head. Without a care in the world, I blatantly adjust myself again, right there in front of God and everybody. If that gorilla can motorboat a stranger’s ass in public, I can damn well adjust my dick.
River glances down at my crotch, then her eyes travel up to meet mine. The little vixen smirks.
“You look excited. If I ever get the chance to tie your ass up, no one will ever be able to save you . . . and I can promise you, Carter Graham, it won’t be a good time. Not for you, anyway.”
“Anything you do to me, Kitten, would most definitely be a good time.” I shove a hand in my pocket, and rock back on my heels as I ask, “So . . . are we talking beginner-level rope work or advanced level with suspension?”
“God help you if you ever find out,” she teases back.
I laugh, but the laughter dies on my lips the second my mind begins to wonder how she knows what Shabari is. Is it frompersonal experience? The image of her with someone else in that way makes my stomach drop.
“Alright, you two. I’ll see you both tomorrow,” Nate says, before turning to me. Leaning close, he clamps a hand on my shoulder and speaks low into my ear. “Don’t fuck this up.”
The palm of his hand gives my face a couple of soft taps before he turns his back.
I chuckle under my breath and watch him disappear into the crowd. And just like that, it’s the two of us, just as Nate and I had planned.
Do I feel like an asshole for orchestrating this? Eh . . . kinda . . . This isn’t how I’d normally behave, but I’ve had enough drinks in me to take advice from Eminem. I’m seizing everything I’ve ever wanted. You only get one shot, right? Fuck. We haven’t even started and I’m already feeling a buzz. River watches him walk away, then tilts her head back and groans.
With the bingo card still clutched tight in her grasp, she glances down, scanning the list as I ask, “You ready for our date?”
“This isn’t a date.”
“Eh. It kind of is.”
Her eyes lift to find mine, and I grin, flashing my dimples. She opens her mouth, then closes it.
The dimples never fail me.
“What’s wrong, Kitten? You okay? Did you run out of snark?”
“Nope. My brain is trying to comprehend how it’s possible for such a big ego to fit inside this city.”
“Vegas was built to handle big things.” I wink.
Her eyes take a turn around her head, then she grabs my hand and pulls. My breath catches. My brain misfires. I’m frozen. Unable to move or even think. Every cell in my body comes to life. Every nerve ending lights up, sending tingles all the way down my spine. I stare down at our hands—her smallone wrapped around mine—then, let my eyes slowly drift up to the back of her head as she gives me another tug.
She whips around to face me with her brows furrowed, her long lashes casting a shadow on her high cheekbones. “What? Carter, come on!” She struggles, jerking on my arm and trying to make me budge from the spot. “Ugh. Why aren’t you moving?”
