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That voice, accompanied by a long, low whistle, made my head shoot up and I could have died of embarrassment as I saw him standing there, leaning back against the handrail. Eddie Fletcher. Bold as brass and twice as hot as I remembered him being a few hours ago. Shit! I wasn’t prepared for this. I mean, it was like all my prayers were being answered now, bumping into him again after I’d spent the entire afternoon berating myself for letting him go. But a little bit of warning would have been nice.
‘Looking good there, darlin’.’
Jesus! That accent! I’d never found a Glaswegian accent sexy before. Never. But on this guy it was like honey dripping off a hot crumpet…
What the hell was I talking about?
I quickly brushed down my dress, shook out my hair, and walked into the elevator, displaying what I hoped was an air of confidence, which was more difficult than it should have been thanks to boots I wasn’t quite used to walking in yet.
Leaning back against the rail beside him, I watched as the doors slid shut, neither of us saying anything for a second or two. But I was more than aware of my heart picking up a rhythm that was faster than I’d have liked it to be.
‘Where’re you heading?’ he asked, taking his hand out of his pocket and hovering his finger over the buttons on the wall to his left.
‘Ground floor.’ It was taking every ounce of strength I had to keep my voice steady. I hadn’t expected to see this man again, and yet, here we were, sharing an elevator. Just the two of us. Was I going to mess up a second time? I wasn’t planning on it.
He pulled his hand away, shoving it back in his pocket. ‘Me too.’
I took a sneaky sideways look at him. He wasn’t dressed all that differently to how he had been when I’d seen him earlier, still wearing those battered jeansand biker’s jacket, and those heavy black boots I found strangely sexy.
As he took his left hand out of his pocket again, raking it through his hair, I tried to see if he was wearing a wedding ring, and then quickly turned away as I realised I was probably staring. Again.
‘I’ve never been married,’ he said, as though reading my mind, which made me squirm slightly. Was I that transparent? Still, at least that was one question answered. ‘Never felt the need.’
I turned my head to look at him again, and he was smiling at me, a smile I really liked because it reached his eyes – those beautiful, dark eyes… I really had to get a grip here. I was in Las Vegas. This place didn’t exactly epitomise reality, and what was happening here, this wasn’t real. And even if the invitation to go out with him was still open, which I had yet to find out, in a few days’ time he’d be heading back to wherever he came from, and I’d be on my way back to England. That was the reality of the situation. So was it even worth me telling him I’d changed my mind? That I would, after all, like to go out with him? And what if he’d already found a woman more willing to take him up on his offer? It wouldn’t surprise me if he had.
‘What about you?’ he asked, his voice pulling me back to the here and now. ‘You never did answer my question earlier. When I asked if you had a boyfriend.’
I dropped my gaze, his question making Adam and my past life come rushing back to the forefront of my mind – a place I’d wanted to try and keep both well away from.
‘I’m divorced,’ I replied, the words falling from my mouth before I could stop them, my eyes back on his. ‘Finalised a few days ago.’ He hadn’t really needed to know that. And I had no idea why I’d told him.
It was his turn to lower his gaze, his hair falling down over his eyes as he dropped his head. Once more I felt the strangest feeling flood through me, something I couldn’t really explain, it just felt – I don’t know – like there was some invisible spark between us that kept firing off little shots of, well, it was like a heady mixture of excitement tinged with fear and… I was confusing myself now. It just felt – it felt nice. Really nice. Different.
‘I’m sorry.’ He looked back up, pushing his hair away from his face. ‘I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable, I just… I guess I let my mouth run away with me, huh?’
I smiled. I couldn’t help it. Once more he was just making me feel like smiling, and I wasn’t fighting that. ‘It’s okay. We’d been separated for a while and…’ I stopped talking, because this really was information he didn’t need to know. And I really didn’t want to talk about it.
He returned my smile, his eyes looking right into mine, and all I wanted now was a drink. Something to calm the sudden nerves that had taken over, caused by the close proximity of this darkly attractive man. A man I wanted to get to know better, and I wasn’t going to lose this opportunity a second time.
So when the elevator reached the ground floor, shuddering to a halt with a light thud, I almost willed him to ask me again; the same question he’d asked me this morning, because this time my answer would be yes. A huge, enthusiastic yes. Looking briefly down at my boots I waited for the doors to open, longing for him to ask that question, and wondering whether I should just make the first move myself before it was too late.
But I didn’t get the chance, because all of a sudden the elevator started moving again…
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My head shot back up and I stared at him. Mainly because I couldn’t quite work out what was happening.
‘Sorry, darlin’, but I’m not giving up without a fight.’
I continued to stare at him. ‘Not giving up what?’ Feisty Lana was starting to emerge now. Which was good. I had a feeling I was going to need her.
‘You.’
The way he said that, with that accent of his and that mean and moody look on his face, it was so sexy I actually felt my knees give the tiniest of wobbles. Or that could’ve been because I hadn’t eaten all that much since breakfast, which in a place like Vegas, with its wall-to-wall mega-buffets and endless restaurants, was quite a feat. But I preferred to believe it was because of Eddie.
I gripped the rail behind me tightly as the elevator started to rise again. ‘Where are we going?’ Not that I cared. Not really. Anywhere would be good. I was just relieved I hadn’t messed up again, because there was something about Eddie Fletcher that was drawing me to him, more and more, with each second we spent together.
‘There’s a bar at the top of this hotel,’ he replied, his hands in his pockets, his eyes focused on the elevator doors as we continued to ascend. ‘You get an amazing view of Vegas from up there. And I think we could both do with a drink, don’t you?’
He’d got that right. Those nerves still needed steadying.
I looked down at my boots again, raising one leg up, resting my foot against the glass wall behind me. ‘I could call this kidnapping, you know.’ I slowly raised my head, my eyes meeting his, a slight smirk on my face.
‘You want to call security?’ He raised that eyebrow again, causing me to grip the rail even tighter, but at least I was managing to hold his gaze. Good. Feisty Lana was holding her own here.
I shook my head, a slow smile starting to spread across my face. ‘No. You’re alright. I kind of trust you.’
‘Kind of?’ He still had that eyebrow arched.
‘Well, I still don’t know you, do I?’
He smiled again. But thankfully he’d lowered the eyebrow now. ‘Stick around for a couple of hours, sweetheart, and you’ll know enough.’
I wasn’t quite sure what he meant by that, but just trying to get my head around this whole scenario was exhausting enough without asking any more questions. I’d decided to just go with it now. See where the night took us.
The elevator doors finally slid open and he held out his hand. And, like an idiot, I just stared at it, not really sure if I should take it. But that’s obviously what he wanted me to do, right?
‘I won’t bite,’ he said, that smile still there on his really quite handsome face, if you went for the rough, weathered, bearded look,which I did. Oh, I really, really did.
I paused for just a second longer before tentatively slipping my hand into his, his fingers tightening around mine, and I took a small but deep breath as my stomach fluttered. ‘You okay there, darlin’?’
I looked up at him, my eyes once more meeting his. No. This definitely wasn’t a dream. He was very, very real. The fact he was squeezing my hand was telling me just how real he was.
‘I’m fine. I’m just… It’s been a while, that’s all. Since I’ve done this.’
‘Done what? Embarked on a night out with a stranger?’ He’d raised that eyebrow. Again. And my stomach acted accordingly.
‘How do I know you don’t make a habit of this?’ I asked, not realising I’d just voiced my thoughts out loud until I heard the words. Still, I couldn’t take them back now, could I? ‘I mean, you could pick up different women on a regular basis for all I know.’ I figured I might as well get it all off my chest, because it was something I’d been wondering.
He threw me another smile. ‘Come on. Let’s get that drink.’ He didn’t even attempt to answer my question, but what the hell. I wasn’t going to push it.
I clung onto his hand as he led me through some wide double doors into the busy bar, a space that seemed to go on forever – but the view! He hadn’t been wrong about that. The walls surrounding a huge, circular counter in the centre of the room seemed to be made of nothing but pure glass, meaning that everywhere you looked you could see the lights of Las Vegas down below, the city spread out like a colourful blanket. I gasped as I tried to take it all in.What a view! It was utterly mesmerising.
‘Beautiful, isn’t it?’ He turned to look at me. ‘Just like you, Lana.’
Jesus Christ!I wanted him to say my name over and over again, just keep saying it, because he was making it sound like the sexiest thing in the world right now.
‘Beer!’ It was a statement rather than a question, as if he’d known me for ever.
Okay. One word and the mood could change in an instant, but… Did he know me that well already? All that stuff about fate – maybe he was right. ‘Yes. Please.’ I was grateful for the lovely, comfy couch behind me to sink into as his hand slowly slipped out of mine.
‘I’ll be right back,’ he said, his expression suddenly turning serious. ‘Don’t go anywhere. Okay?’
As if! But all I could do was nod. And stare after him as he walked over to the bar, even though there were servers hovering around all over the place. But I was glad he’d gone over there himself. It gave me a chance to do two things – watch him walk, because he had a swagger I’d never seen on a man before and I was finding it incredibly sexy, and quickly text Finn to let him know what was happening. I didn’t want him sending out a search party.
Less than two seconds after pressing send on that text my phone rang. I quickly answered it. ‘You decided to take that chance, then,’ Finn said.
I looked over at the bar. Eddie was talking to the bartender, smiling and laughing, pushing a hand back through his hair and I watched as it fell forward again almost immediately. ‘Yeah. What the hell, huh?’
‘That’s my girl. Just be yourself, beautiful. Okay? And try and enjoy the night.’
I sighed quietly, my eyes still on Eddie. ‘He knew what to get me from the bar without even asking.’
‘Nothing a ridiculous shade of orange, then?’ Finn deadpanned.
I finally pulled my gaze away from Eddie. I didn’t want to be caught staring again. ‘No. Nothing a ridiculous shade of orange… He’s coming back! I’ll call you later.’
‘If you need us…’
‘I’ll be fine.’ I ended the call, quickly throwing my phone back into my bag.
Eddie sat down on the chair to my left, handing me a bottle of beer. ‘I didn’t get you a glass. Do you want one?’
‘Do I look like the kind of woman who needs a glass?’
He smiled. I was fast becoming addicted to that smile of his. There was something safe about it, almost. Something warm and comforting, which was a little bit at odds with the way he looked – that rough-around-the-edges exterior he displayed with the messed-up hair and beard; those dark, almost dangerous eyes. ‘You sure you’re okay?’
‘I’m fine,’ I replied, taking a quick drink of beer, thankful for the small but significant hit it gave me.
He leant forward, resting his elbows on his slightly open knees. ‘So, shall we start getting to know one another?’
All those nerves had gone now. In fact, I was feeling more relaxed than I had in a long time. ‘You look like a bit of a bad boy to me.’ Possibly too relaxed, because I wasn’t entirely sure I’d meant to say that out loud. But he did have that aura about him; the way he looked, the way he dressed. Even the way he spoke.
He laughed quietly. ‘I think “boy” might be pushing it a bit, darlin’, but… Does that put you off?’
Quite the opposite, actually, but I wasn’t going to tell him that. And at almost forty years old I should probably be past the whole “bad boy” thing but, hey, I’d lived with a good guy for way too long. Was it so wrong to fancy a change? ‘Would it matter if it did?’
He narrowed those beautiful dark eyes of his as he looked straight at me. ‘My name’s Eddie Fletcher, I’m forty-seven years old and I own a motorcycle shop in downtown Las Vegas. I live not far from the Strip in a place called Rancho Oakey, own two Harleys, ride regularly, hang out at biker bars and my MC clubhouse. I like beer and Mexican food, and can’t stand jazz music. And lastly, I’m still hanging around this hotel, instead of just going home, because I was hoping to see you.’
I blinked a few times, trying to take it all in; where I was, everything that was happening. But none of it was easy. I still felt as though I’d suddenly stepped into some kind of weird and unfamiliar parallel world that I wasn’t altogether sure I should be a part of.
‘You don’t have to tell me anything about yourself,’ Eddie went on, his voice shaking me back to the here and now. ‘But, you know, I’d quite like to find out a little bit more about you.’
I stared down at my beer, closing my eyes for a second before I looked back up at him, fixing a smile on my face. ‘Let’s just say I’ve left a lot behind, and I’m starting again.’
He looked at me – right at me – for a few, long seconds. Long enough for my heart to start knocking out a fast and heavy rhythm, pounding away inside me like some pulsating drum. If I’d been standing up I might well have felt faint, but as I was sitting down I just felt a little light-headed.
‘There really is something about you, Lana…’ The smile he gave me seemed to send a wave of calm washing over me. Like I’d just had a shot of something warm and relaxing, and I found my confidence returning.
Putting my beer down on the table in front of us I curled my legs up underneath me, resting my elbow on the arm of the couch as I looked at him. ‘You live here in Vegas?’
He nodded. ‘Have done for over fifteen years now.’
That explained the slight hint of US twang in his accent. I hadn’t really noticed it earlier today, but tonight it was coming through a little more.
‘Came over for a bikers’ convention, and I never went home.’
He didn’t seem in a hurry to offer up any more information, and I wasn’t going to push it. I’d hardly been forthcoming with mine.
‘You said something, this morning, about fate,’ I said, staring straight at him. ‘Do you really believe in all that?’
He shrugged, taking another drink. ‘You obviously don’t.’
‘We’re not talking about me. And I told you, I’m cynical.’
His eyes were still locked with mine and for a few seconds nobody said anything. But it didn’t feel like one of those awkward silences, and that was weird, in a way, given how long we’d known each other. Which was all of five minutes.
‘Maybe fate’s the wrong word,’ he said quietly. ‘Coincidence… is that a better one?’
My eyes refused to leave his, which was fine because, in all honesty, I could have sat staring at him all night. ‘So, were you really gonna hang around the hotel tonight on the offchance you’d bump into me again?’
‘I told you, that’s exactly what I was planning to do.’
‘Okay, well, you’ve found me, so… what else did you have planned?’
He laughed quietly, his eyes dipping briefly before meeting mine again. ‘I hadn’t really thought that far ahead, darlin’, if I’m being honest. But, you know, a few drinks, a club, then… maybe, back to my place…’
I broke the stare, those final few words killing the moment. ‘I’d better go.’ I swung my legs down from the couch, grabbing my bag as I stood up.
‘Lana, wait! Please. Just, wait.’
Oh, God, why did he have to say my name like that? Why?
I turned around, standing completely still as he walked over to me.
‘I’m sorry. That was really…’ He bowed his head, running a hand along the back of his neck before he raised his gaze. ‘It was inappropriate. But you… you’re… Jesus, Lana, you’re hot, you know?’
I couldn’t stop myself from smiling. ‘Thanks.’
He laughed, the mood suddenly lightening. ‘Come on.’ He took hold of my hand, and my fingers automatically curled around his, clinging on tightly as he led the way out of the bar, beating a steady pace to the elevator, his long legs taking the kind of strides my slightly shorter ones weren’t capable of in the dress and boots I was wearing. ‘I know a great club not far from here.’ He stopped for a second, smiling that smile again, his hand still holding tightly onto mine. ‘You’re gonna like this place. I promise.’
It was a bit early to be making me any kind of promises, but his eyes – I trusted him, I really did. As much as you could trust anyone you’d known for less than an hour, anyway.
Neither of us said anything else until we were back in the elevator, winging our way down to the ground floor.
‘I’m gonna give you the night of your life, Lana Saunders.’ He winked at me before slipping on a pair of dark glasses, his hand still holding mine. And it was a nice feeling, holding his hand, his thumb running gently over my knuckles. ‘I won’t hurt you, I promise,’ he said quietly, a slow, sexy smirk spreading across his roughly handsome face. ‘Not unless you want me to.’
I couldn’t stop a full-on smile from appearing. ‘I’ll get back to you on that one, okay?’
