Page 100 of When Sinners Dare

“So, room service?” His voice is full of laughter, and it’s beautiful.

“Hell yeah,” I mumble under the pillow. “I’m starving.” Pulling the pillow away, I look up at him smiling down at me with a grin over his face. “Tomorrow, we’re going shopping, we’re going to play a little on the tables and go out to dinner.”

“Whatever you want.”

“That’s what I want. We’ve ridden across the country. Now I need to dress up and have some fun. But after we’ve slept the night in a proper bed.”

~

My head’s groggy, and I ache as I stretch out in bed and roll over. The room’s still dark, but something tells me that’s the thick blinds and not an indication of timing. There’s stiffness in my body still which makes me want to soak in a bath or get a massage – or both.

“Hello, sleepyhead,” he murmurs, cutting through the dark.

“Hey.” I sit up and look for him, and he turns on one of the small lights. “What time is it?”

“Just gone ten.”

“In the morning?”

He laughs. “Yeah,”

“I’m sorry. You should have woken me.”

He sits on the edge of the bed, and I crawl over the bed toward him and curl into him. “No, I slept too.”

“Coffee?” I whisper.

“There’s a machine.”

I reach for my phone as he gets up. It’s blank. No messages, no missed calls. My brows pull together as I frown at the screen. This is what I want, but after so long, it’s odd not to feel their shadows around me, penning me in.

After we’ve both caffeinated, we go down to grab some breakfast in the hotel before going out to explore the strip. Despite it being daytime, it’s busy with people and filled with dazzling lights and flashing signs for shows and games.

“We need clothes,” I announce.

“But I like you out of clothes.” The retort is cute, but I suddenly want to see how fine he looks in tux. His style is very much the jacked t-shirt and jeans get-up, and I like it; it’s what he was wearing at the bar, but what’s the saying? A man in a good suit is what a woman in lingerie is to men?

“Cute, but for what I have in mind, I need you dressed up. Come on.” I pull his hand, and he graciously obliges.

We go into one of the larger hotels and visit a small boutique clothing store. It’s clear that we’re not the only ones who arrive in Vegas with the need to up their wardrobe game from the racks of overpriced but also glamorous attire. I trail my fingers along the rail of dresses that all look a little over the top, but eventually find a cream dress embellished with sequins and crystals.

Pulling it off the rail, I hold it up and turn to Kai. He doesn’t look convinced, but I want to try it on. I drape it over my arm before crossing the store to the suite section.

“Now…” I run through the suits until I find one which should complement the size of his shoulders and his body shape. “Here.” I thrust the jacket at him.

“Do you need some help?” The store assistant beams at us.

“Why, yes. My boyfriend is in need of a great-fitting suit. Can you help him?” I pass her the jacket. She gives Kai a once over, looks a little intimidated, but smiles back at me.

“Of course. Um, sizes?” she squeaks.

“Kai?”

“Let me try this to start, and we can go from there.” His politeness seems to put the shop assistant at ease, and I sashay through to the changing rooms.

Pulling the dress up my body, it fits perfectly, or rather, I hope it does. The zip’s a little tight, but I wrangle it up. I fall in love with it as I look in the mirror. It’s not raunchy or stuffy. The slit to the thigh doesn’t look slutty; it looks classy and grown up. Simple shoes and maybe my hair up with a necklace…

“Hey, Mariana?” he calls.

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