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‘Okay.’ He squeezed my hand, and I felt the most insane sensation shoot through me. I had no idea what it was, or where it had come from, but it both scared and excited me. ‘Let’s play it by ear, huh?’
I was happy to go with that. I’d come this far…
He squeezed my hand again, pulling me closer to him, and I felt a tiny shiver run through me as my hip nudged his. I’m not saying sparks were flying or anything like that, but I definitely felt that hint of a shiver, and my fingers curled tighter around his, almost as if I really did believe this was nothing but a dream and if I let go of him – well, then he’d disappear. And I didn’t want him to disappear. Not yet.
The elevator doors slowly slid open and he looked at me, his expression a touch more serious than it had been before. ‘If you don’t want to do this, Lana…’I took a second to let the way he said my name wash over me, bringing with it the return of that tiny shiver, before I interrupted him.
‘You just promised me the night of my life, Eddie Fletcher. I want to see if you can live up to your promises.’
He grinned, and if I hadn’t been holding onto him I swear my legs would’ve buckled underneath me. ‘You got it, sweetheart. Let’s get out of here.’
He continued that rapid pace he seemed to favour as we exited the hotel and headed out onto the Strip, its bright lights and noise giving everything an unreal, almost fairytale, atmosphere. It was as if I’d, somehow, stumbled into someone else’s life and I was just looking in from the sidelines. But the excitement that was bubbling away in the pit of my stomach, I couldn’t ignore that. I didn’t want to. I was in a place I’d always wanted to visit, with the kind of man I’d always dreamt of. So I was grabbing this experience with both hands and not letting go. Not until I had to.
‘Okay, sweetheart, here we are.’ We’d stopped outside a building not far from the hotel; an unassuming place with a small entrance way and stairs that seemed to descend forever down into darkness. ‘It’s a hidden secret, this is. One of the best clubs in Vegas. I come here all the time; it’s my kind of hang-out. And I’m guessing it might be yours, too.’
‘You think you know me that well, huh?’
He turned to face me, smiling slightly. ‘I think I’m getting there.’
I shook my head, but I was also laughing. It was crazy, to be this comfortable in the company of a man I’d only just met, but that’s how I felt. ‘Well, let’s see if you’re right, hmm?’
He laughed too, letting go of my hand and sliding his arm across my shoulders. Overly familiar maybe but, hey, I wasn’t complaining. This was Vegas and whatever happened here, it stayed here, apparently. Not that anything wasgoing to happen. And even if it did…
I slid my arm around his waist, leaning into him as his thumb slowly stroked the back of my neck, turning that tiny shiver I’d felt earlier into a long, languid tingle running slowly up and down my spine. Okay, so maybe this was crazy. A little unreal. But I was going with it. You only got one life, and I’d promised Finn – I’d promised myself – I was going to start living mine. Even if this hadn’t really been the start I’d planned. Or expected.
We headed into the building, making our way down the stairs, the sound of heavy rock music coming from somewhere below, my fingers gripping the material of Eddie’s t-shirt for dear life because the stairs were so steep, and not that easy to navigate in my choice of footwear. It was only when we were about halfway down that I loosened my grip, although I didn’t let go of him completely. I was enjoying being this close to him. Adam and I, we’d never really been the hand-holding, waist-hugging type of couple. And now I realised what I’d been missing, that comforting feeling of closeness. It was nice. I liked it.
‘You holding up okay there, darlin’?’ Eddie asked, letting his thumb wander over the back of my neck again. God, that felt so good!
I nodded, once more concentrating on those stairs. We seemed to be descending more than I could count now, until we finally came to a long, black-walled corridor, a corridor that, thankfully, seemed to be leading us to the entrance of the club. Once there Eddie had a word with a tall, well-built man at the door who seemed to know him rather well, and after a lot of laughter and genial back-slapping – during which he never once let go of me – we eventually headed inside.
The club itself had a dark, almost dangerous, atmosphere, yet, I didn’t feel in any danger. Nothing felt threatening, and that was probably because I’d been to clubs like this before, with Finn and our friends. They’d taken me to so many places I’d never had the chance to experience before, from biker bars, like this one, to rock gigs, pub lock-ins and house parties that ranged from wild all-nighters to chilled-out evenings spent listening to Pink Floyd and eating great food with good friends. So this world, it wasn’t completely alien to me. It was still quite new, but not completely alien.
Loud, thumping rock music pulsated from what I could only imagine were concealed speakers, because I couldn’t see any anywhere, filling the space with a vibe I couldn’t describe, but I liked it. I craved it. Because this was a place where nobody seemed to care what anyone else thought. The people here were dressed in everything from denim to leather, skinny jeans to short skirts, and tattoos certainly seemed to be something favoured by the clientele, which suited me just fine. The walls, like the corridor outside, were mostly dark, the prominent colours being a deep, almost blood-red and black, all of them decorated with images of rock stars, reapers and huge swirling snakes wrapped around bloodied thorns. I felt like Alice walking into my very own warped kind of wonderland.
‘I knew you’d like it here,’ Eddie murmured, his mouth so close to my ear I could feel his breath on my neck. And that shiver returned. It was growing stronger with every visit.
I gripped his waist tightly again as we walked over to a booth at the side of the room, my head turning this way and that as I tried to take it all in. He let go of me as we sat down, and I continued to stare out ahead of me, watching everything with a slight sense of awe. It was like another world; one I was quite happy to frequent.
‘I’ve ordered beers. That okay with you?’
I turned my head to look at him. ‘Yeah. Yeah, that’s fine. I’m not really a champagne kind of woman.’
He slid his arm along the back of the couch, finally taking off his dark glasses and slipping them into his jacket pocket.
‘Are you always this perceptive when it vomes to women?’ I asked, shuffling my body around slightly, pulling my legs up underneath me, tucking them in, resting my elbow on the back of the couch, our arms touching, just a brief second of contact but enough to cause goose bumps to form.
He smiled, pushing a hand through his hair, although it was refusing to stay back off his face tonight. But I quite liked that just-got-out-of-bed look that he was managing to pull off quite magnificently.
‘I’ve always thought I was rather good at reading people, if that’s what you mean.’
I could have listened to him talk all night. Constantly. I’m sure if he was to sit there reading a take-out menu to me I’d still find it incredibly sexy. He had a way of rolling his tongue that was just so hot! ‘So, do you think you can read me?’ I asked, trying desperately to stop imagining what else he could do with that tongue.
‘I know you’re looking for something.’
I smiled at the pretty, dark-haired waitress as she set our drinks down on the table in front of us before I let my eyes meet his, and all I could do was stare at him. Again. Because I didn’t really know what to say to that.
‘I’m sorry,’ he said, breaking the stare and bowing his head. ‘I’m pushing too much.’ He slowly raised his gaze, our eyes locking once more. ‘None of this matters tonight.’
‘No,’ I whispered. ‘None of it matters.’ Did any of it matter at all? But maybe he was right about tonight. It was too early, too soon – it was pointless getting into any kind of deep conversation about our pasts and who was looking for what when this was nothing more than some chance encounter I really should just be making the most of, while it lasted.
I felt his fingers slide between mine, and I looked at our joined hands, blinking a few times as I tried to force feisty Lana back out of hiding. I needed her right now, because I had a feeling that, tonight, I was either going to do something I could end up regretting for a very long time, or something I might actually enjoy. If I let myself. I just wasn’t sure which it was going to be. Either way, it was going to be something completely out of character – for the old me, which was why I needed feisty Lana back.
‘And in answer to one of your earlier questions,’ he went on, reaching out with his other hand to push my hair back off my shoulder, ‘… I don’t do this on a regular basis. Pick up random women, I mean. I’m not gonna pretend I’m some kind of monk either, but… You’re different, Lana. I know you are. I can feel it.’
The way he put the emphasis on the word feel, with that low, sexy voice and eyes that seemed to be so sincere, it did something to my insides I hadn’t felt happen before. And they’d been experiencing a lot of new activity over the course of the day.
His hand moved up to my neck, resting gently against it, his thumb lightly stroking my cheek. ‘Are you okay with this, darlin’?’
I felt my eyes slowly close, his thumb still stroking my cheek, an action that was almost hypnotic, and all I could do was nod, aware that he was moving closer now.
‘Good,’ he whispered. ‘Because this is something I have wanted to do ever since I saw you this morning.’
I laid my hand over his, our fingers intertwining as his mouth touched mine, and I swear I had never felt anything like it before. I’d never experienced a kiss like that in my entire life, because for most of my life I’d only ever kissed one person. So how could I possibly have known this kind of kiss existed? His lips moved ever-so-slowly against mine, opening just a touch, his tongue hesitating only slightly before pushing its way into my mouth, and I accepted it immediately. I let his hand slip lower, onto my hip, stroking it gently as he continued to kiss the hell out of me. And I was in no hurry for him to stop. Whatever the rights or wrongs of this situation; however weird or unreal it could yet turn out to be, right now I didn’t care. I just didn’t. I might be acting like some teenager out on a Saturday night, but I really didn’t care. Being with Adam from such a young age, I’d missed out on so much. Was it that wrong of me to want to have some fun now?
Eddie pulled away, but only slightly, his forehead resting against mine, his hand back on my neck, his thumb stroking my cheek again. ‘Should I be saying sorry?’ But he was smiling, and I returned it, shaking my head.
‘No.’
‘Lana, I…’ He pulled away a touch more, so he could look at me properly, dropping his hand from my cheek, pushing it back through his hair. ‘I promised you the night of your life, right?’ Our eyes locked, both of us unable to keep the grins off our faces.
‘Yeah, you did. I guess it’s time to see if you can deliver, then, biker boy.’
5 (#ud31a29dd-8e55-5344-ba90-2a90e7210692)
‘Down in one, darlin’. Down in one,’ Eddie shouted, slamming his empty shot glass down onto the table.
Picking up my drink I knocked the clear liquid back in a single mouthful, quickly sucking on the lime in my other hand, which made me choke slightly as the juice mingled with the tequila in my throat, causing Eddie to laugh out loud.
‘Bastard!’ The fact I was laughing too only caused me to cough even more. ‘Still got it down, though.’
He threw me an appreciative look, taking a sip of his beer. ‘You can hold your own, sweetheart, I’ll give you that.’
I sat back, closing my eyes briefly to let the alcohol hit take hold. I was verging on tipsy, but nowhere near drunk. I was determined to keep as clear a head as I could tonight, because I had a feeling I was going to want to remember this. When it was all over.
‘Come on,’ he said, draining the last of his beer and grabbing my hand, pulling me up off the couch. ‘It’s time to hit the casinos.’
This night was turning out to be a fast-paced, whirlwind of an affair, with my feet hardly having time to hit the ground as we almost ran from bar to bar, all of them favourites of Eddie’s, grabbing a drink, meeting all the people Eddie knew – a wonderfully eclectic mix ranging from musicians to artists to fellow bikers. People that reminded me a bit of the new friends I’d made back home. And because of the speed at which everything seemed to be moving, I’d almost forgotten that I was doing it all in a dress that was probably way too short and boots that were a little too high. I was just having the best time. It was the most exhilarated I’d felt since my college days and the weekly Friday-night pub crawl. But this – this was on a whole different level.
Despite the pace at which Eddie was playing this night, I had no urge to fall into bed just yet. This was a twenty-four-hour town, and I was going to make the most of every single one of those hours. As far as casinos went, well, this was Vegas! And you had to hit at least one casino when you were in Vegas, right?
Back out on the Strip, the blast of fresh air was more than welcome and I took a few seconds to catch my breath, once more marvelling at the bright lights and vibrant atmosphere this town was so good at creating. I’d fallen head-first in love with the place.
‘What time is it?’ I asked, snaking my arm around his waist, sliding my hand up under his t-shirt, biting down on my lip as it touched his skin.
‘No clue, darlin’. Could be eight in the morning for all I care.’
All of a sudden he stopped in his tracks, taking me by surprise as he pushed me gently back against the nearest wall, his fingers winding in my hair as he kissed me slowly. So slowly I felt my whole body relax, bit by bit, with every touch of his lips against mine.
‘Still want to check out those slot machines?’ His mouth was twitching at the corners, his eyes trying to stay deadly serious and I couldn’t stop a fit of the giggles from taking over.
‘Where did you come from?’ I whispered, pulling him closer by his jacket collar, running my fingers over his beard, my eyes following their every move.
‘I don’t know, baby,’ he murmured, his mouth gently brushing that soft space just below my ear, causing the most delicious sensation to course right through me. ‘But wherever it is, I’m in no hurry to go back there.’
I rested my hand against his cheek, turning his face to look at me, leaning forward to kiss him again, sighing quietly as his mouth opened slightly, our tongues touching as he pulled me closer. The second our bodies connected I felt a heat the like of which I hadn’t known could exist just from touching another human being; it was like a series of minute electric shocks were being fired into me, one after the other. ‘I think we should probably go check out that casino now, don’t you?’ I whispered, my mouth resting against his as I spoke. I could almost feel him breathing into me – breathing life into me. A new life. The life I’d always been looking for?
His face broke into a smile, his thumb stroking my cheek before he pulled back slightly. ‘This night ain’t anywhere near over, darlin’. You got that?’
I threw my arms up above my head, stretching out, my eyes still locked with his. He had my answer.
Cocking his head just a touch, he raised that eyebrow again, a slow smirk forming. ‘Am I doing okay here, kid?’
‘You’re doing just fine,’ I breathed. ‘But you’ve still got some work to do to make this the night of my life.’
‘You throwing me a challenge there?’
‘Call it whatever you like, biker boy. I just can’t wait to see what you do with it.’
All of a sudden he lunged at me, grabbing me around the waist and nuzzling my neck, causing me to shriek out loud and laugh even louder as he tickled me, pushing my body up against his in the process. I just fell into his arms, letting him kiss me again, over and over, every time we came up for air the kisses growing longer and slower. Sexy, soulful kisses. If there was a heaven out there, I hoped to God it was something like this.
‘Oh, you are really playing for points now, aren’t you?’ I smiled, gently stroking the hair at the back of his neck, running my fingers through it.
‘Well, I’ve got something to prove, haven’t I? I’m a man who keeps my promises, sweetheart.’
It was me who pulled away first, shaking my hair out and composing myself before I took his hand. ‘Casino. Come on. I’m feeling lucky tonight.’
It hadn’t been intentional, to end up back outside the hotel I was staying in, but we seemed to have found ourselves there.
Eddie looked at me, his hand giving mine a little squeeze. ‘We can go somewhere else, if you’d prefer.’
‘Why would I want to do that? We’re only going to play some roulette, maybe a little blackjack. Aren’t we?’
He grinned and that only made him twice as handsome, doubly hot. Ohboy, was I loving this night? ‘Whatever you say, kid.’
‘Let’s start small, huh?’ I winked, leading the way inside.
‘Small?’ he questioned, his grip on my hand tightening.
I glanced at him over my shoulder. ‘Slot machines. I want to ease myself into things gently, okay?’
He grinned again, swinging me around so I fell back into his arms. ‘You’re one hell of a woman, Lana Saunders. I kind of need you to know that, darlin’.’
I reached out to touch his face, letting my thumb run lightly over his cheek. ‘Yeah, well, you’re proving to be a bit of a surprise to me, too, Eddie Fletcher.’ Grabbing his hand I started pulling him towards the sound of a barrage of slot machines coming from the hotel casino. ‘Come on. We’re wasting valuable gambling time here.’
Clutching a fistful of money, I sat myself down at a random machine, Eddie behind me, the closeness of his body something I was used to now. It kind of felt odd if he wasn’t there.
‘I’ll go get us a drink,’ he said quietly, leaning over so his mouth was practically touching my ear. It was an action that sent a lovely sensation coursing through my body. ‘You get started, okay?’
I turned my head to smile at him, my mouth catching his in a quick but still unbelievably hot kiss. And I couldn’t help but let out another of those unfamiliar, tiny gasps as I watched him walk over to the bar, that sexy swagger meaning mine wasn’t the only head that was turning.
Back off, bitches, he’s mine!
Smiling to myself, I turned back to face the machine, carefully sliding a note into it, watching as that first attempt at a win failed. But so what? I had a feeling I’d already won the best prize of the night. Hitting the jackpot here would be nothing but a bonus.
‘Any luck?’ Eddie asked, handing me a beer.
I shook my head, concentrating on my next attempt. Which also failed.
‘Here.’ He leant over me again, his body touching mine from behind as he reached out to take a note from my hand, sliding it into the machine. I could feel his breath on my cheek, his beard rough against my skin, and I had a sudden urge to just pull him down and kiss him until our mouths ached. But I took a drink of beer instead, my head spinning slightly, telling me I was probably on the edge of being drunk now.
His luck was no better than mine, as far as the slot machines were concerned, and I smiled as he swore quietly, making no attempt to pull away from his position behind me. ‘Lady Luck ain’t smiling on us tonight, darlin’,’ he sighed, his fingers trailing lazily along the back of my neck.
Flip!
I wasn’t sure if he was aware of exactly what he was doing to me, but I could feel myself heading in a direction I still wasn’t sure I should be heading in. I needed a bit more time to think about this.
Grabbing my beer and stuffing the money down the front of my dress, I took his hand, dragging him over to the roulette wheel.
‘Oh, we’re going bigger now, are we?’ He smirked, and I threw back a slow smile.
‘You have no idea how big I intend to go tonight.’
‘Feel like giving me a clue?’
I shook my head, digging out a handful of chips from my bag. ‘Stick these on red.’
He looked at me. ‘Any particular reason why?’
I shrugged. ‘I like red.’
‘Good enough,’ he said, turning to place the chips on the table. I slid my arms around him from behind, resting my head against his shoulder, breathing in the smell of leather and cigarettes as the wheel turned, round and round, faster and faster, until it inevitably slowed down, that tiny white ball jumping in and out of the red and black compartments. It was actually quite strange, the level of excitement that small ball could create, but as it finally settled in red even I couldn’t stop myself from giving a shriek of delight and high-fiving Eddie. This was fun!
‘Red again. Or do you want to choose this time?’ I asked, my excitement reaching child-like proportions now.
‘No. What the lady wants, the lady gets.’ Eddie smiled, his eyes meeting mine for a brief and surprisingly intense second. Enough time for me to know, for sure, that I was done with the alcohol for tonight. I really needed to keep my head as clear as possible. I could cope with slightly woozy, but any more than that and I knew I was going to forget too much of tonight. And I didn’t want to forget any of it.
‘Stick it on red then, handsome,’ I whispered, lightly kissing the back of his neck.
