Page 23 of Spreading Her Wings

“The chances we’d win anything are slim.”

Disappointment crossed her face, and a small twinge of guilt hit me. “What if we do?” she asked, perking back up. When I kept staring at her, she flipped her ponytail over her shoulder. “Fine, I’ll play, but if I win cab fare, you have to buy the first round of drinks tonight. For all of us.”

Ash, Jackson, and Simone laughed, encouraging her bet, and Logan shook his head at me like I would regret taking it. I remembered when my grandpa told me as a kid that the odds are like one in five thousand that you win a small amount of money, so I knew the chance was low that she was going to win enough to buy a cab to our hotel. “Go for it, babe.” I cocked my head to the side. “If you don’t win anything, though, you’re going to be thirsty for a lot more than just a drink.”

Her jaw dropped before she regained her composure and narrowed her eyes. “Deal.”

With the same stubborn attitude she had agreed to the bet with, she pulled a dollar from her wallet and shoved it into the machine. Music played and the lights on the machine danced while the digital boxes on the screen bounced around. Katie nervously chewed at her lip, probably aware the odds of her winning more than a dollar or two were slim.

When the screen stopped moving, it felt like we held our breath for a minute, trying to understand the jumbled images and what they meant. It was only a second, though, and then the spinning green light on the top of the machine lit up and a celebratory song came through the speaker. A box popped up over the game.Winner!

“Oh my god!” Katie giggled, jumping up and down and clapping while the machine theatrically tallied her winnings. It stopped, and before I looked at the number, Jackson and Logan were high fiving behind her. “I won a hundred dollars!”

Her excitement rolled through her, and she turned and jumped at me. I caught her in my arms while she squealed likea child. When she caught my lips, she relaxed her body and moaned quietly.

“Looks like drinks are on AustonandKatie tonight!” Simone giggled.

Katie slid down my body, winking at me and turning back to the machine to collect the ticket with her winnings.

Viva Las Vegas.

The small but consistent throbbing in my head reminded me why I didn’t drink gin, especially at 9:00 a.m. I rested my head on Auston’s shoulder, inhaling the soft scent of amber, sage, and sweat. He wrapped his arm around me, pulling me closer.

“You okay, babe?”

A shiver went down my spine. “I really hate gin.”

He chuckled. “So you said earlier. And I thought they saidtequilamade people spicy…”

The way he looked at me brought back memories of his cock in my hand, and a wet warmth traveled to my center. It was something I never would’ve done, giving a man a hand job on a plane, but I’d had a painful urge to touch him. What was happening to me?

“I’m so embarrassed.” I covered my face as if it hid me from others’ sight.

He pulled me to face him. “Don’t be embarrassed. Kitten, that was the hottest thing I’ve ever experienced.” When his lips met my neck, I shivered.

“I need a shower and a nap.”

“Let’s go to the room, then.” He waved behind us to the rest of the group before hitting the button to call the elevator.

“We’ll see you in a few hours. Don’t forget, first round is on you, Auston!” Simone shouted after us, and I giggled, remembering the bet and the hundred dollars I had won.

“She’s right,” I told him with a shrug, stepping behind him onto the elevator.

The metal doors closed behind us, and my breath hitched when Auston turned his stare to me. His hazel eyes were piercing, and I gulped as he took a slow, measured step towards me. When his hand met the wall beside my head, my breath felt trapped in my lungs.

“That little cheeky smile of yours is going to be the fucking death of me this weekend.” Auston leaned in, kissing and then biting the side of my neck, repeating the action along my jaw until he met my lips. My breathing was heavy, and a warm heat settled between my legs.

I slid my hands up his chest and over the tattoos on his neck, weaving them into his hair, and I arched my back. He slid his tongue past my lips, catching the small moan I couldn’t hold back. Before I could settle into the kiss or desperately tear his shirt from his body, the elevator dinged and the doors slid open.

He pulled back at the same time a woman cleared her throat. We turned, finding an older couple with their eyes pinned to us. She looked like she was judging the public display of affection, but her husband looked like the oxygen pack he carried over his shoulder wasn’t going to be enough to help him catch his breath.

“I’m so sorry,” I quickly mumbled, darting through the doors and down the hall towards our room. When we got to the door, I turned and leaned against it. “Oh mygod!”

“What?” Auston chuckled, swiping the plastic keycard and listening for the lock to click.

“We just gotcaught!”

I shivered when he brushed his fingers through the loose hairs that framed the side of my face, tucking them behind my ear. “I was just kissing you.”

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