Her Sexy Vegas Cowboy

by Ali Olson

  He opened his mouth to bring up the subject, but before he could say anything, she pointed to a large boulder ahead and asked, “See that rock?”

  Nothing seemed particularly special about it. Just a big red rock. “Yeah.”

  With that, she took off running, shouting, “Race you!” as she went.

  He was so surprised it took him a second to realize what was happening. By the time he started running, she had a huge lead, and even though he ran as fast as he could, faster than he’d run since he was a kid, she still managed to beat him by a couple of yards.

  She leaned against the rock, her arms crossed, her grin triumphant. He tried to look disapproving, but it was impossible not to smile. “You cheated. That absolutely doesn’t count.”

  She only held her chin higher. “Sorry, what did you say? It’s hard to hear you over all the winning.”

  He had to laugh. “Fine. Congratulations on winning by cheating. Cheater.”

  She smiled, apparently satisfied with his remark. God, he liked her. When was the last time he’d just had fun like this? Even counting time with Jeremiah, it had been years.

  He pointed to another rock. “How about we do that again, but fair this time? I’ll race you to that one on the count of three.”

  She shrugged and started sauntering down the path. “No, I don’t feel like it right now.”

  He walked at her side, eyeing her. As he suspected, she bolted after a few steps. He was prepared this time and caught up almost instantly, beating her to the finish line with time to spare. He leaned against the rock, mimicking her pose from before. As she stopped beside him, he shook his head. “Even with you cheating, again, I won. What do you have to say about that, Miss ‘Let’s race’?”

  Her expression was almost neutral, but the tilt to the corner of her lips and the brightness of her eyes made it clear she was holding back laughter. “Well, of course you beat me! You’re a guy. And you run. I’m a proper lazy American.”

  Something about what she said struck him as odd. “Wait, I run? How do you know I run?”

  She blushed a little, and it reminded him of the way her skin flushed as he touched her. He felt his own temperature rise.

  She waved her hand in the vague direction of Las Vegas. “On Friday, I was standing outside the Venetian and you ran by.”

  She was trying to say it as though it were a minor, throwaway event, but her flush told him it was more. He smiled and nodded. “Liked what you saw, huh?”

  She rolled her eyes, but the red in her cheeks darkened. He couldn’t hold himself back any longer. In one lithe movement, he reached over and grabbed her hand, pulling her in toward him.

  She fell into his arms and his lips planted onto hers. She seemed surprised for only a moment before pressing in against him, pushing him into the rock behind him. One of his hands wound into her hair, and the other curled around her waist, sliding down over her bottom.

  Aaron was grateful for the privacy of the rocks that surrounded them. Then Jessica’s tongue slid across his teeth and all thinking stopped as desire mushroomed through him. In a manner of seconds she was pressed against the rock and he was on top of her, his fingers under blouse, teasing at her nipple through the fabric of her bra. He could feel the hard nub of it, and her breath became ragged against his mouth. One hand reached toward the buttons of her jeans.

  And then she started chuckling. His fingers stopped the exploration and he leaned back a little. Her eyes were closed, her skin flushed, and she let her head fall against the rock. His mind finally caught up, realizing where they were and what they were doing.

  She sighed, smiling at him, her eyes still closed. “This is the greatest weekend ever.”

  He laughed and leaned next to her. “Yeah, it is. Should we go see the elephant thing?”

  She nodded, but her look of disappointment sent a little wave of happiness through him. Her passionate side blew his mind. Brushing his lips against her shoulder, he said, “We can continue this back at the hotel after.”

  She seemed pleased at the idea. As she began to move away from the rock, setting herself to rights and walking toward the trail, he grabbed her hand, interlacing his fingers with hers. “Now you can’t cheat at any more races,” he explained.

  It was probably obvious to her that he just wanted to keep touching her, but he didn’t care.

  The next couple of hours flew by as they explored the area. Aaron loved how willing Jessica was to climb over anything, try any challenge. He couldn’t believe she was so excited to be there, and every passing minute he liked her more and more, which he’d been sure was impossible just a few hours ago. There were a few more kisses against the rocks, but he was able to keep himself in control. Mostly.

  By the time they clambered back into the waiting car, her cheeks and nose were red from the cool air, her hair was a mess, her clothes were dusty and she was wearing a huge, cheerful grin. He loved how her eyes glittered when she was happy, and she was happy because of him. All she said, though, was a quiet “Good surprise” as she rested herself against him.

  He leaned his cheek against her forehead. Maybe she’s just enjoying a fun weekend, he thought, but maybe this is more for her, too.

  He knew that he’d have to talk to her about it before the next morning. But not yet. If he had misread things, he didn’t want to ruin this moment.

  So instead he just enjoyed the drive.

  10

  SHE LEANED AGAINST HIM, happy and exhausted, but inside she felt a hint of fear. This was going too far, and she felt powerless to stop herself. She’d almost told him about her father, which was just insane. Why would she share the most difficult part of her life with a near stranger?

  He didn’t feel like a stranger, though. A big part of her regretted that she hadn’t agreed to see him again. Her feelings had gotten out of her control. She liked him far more than was good for her.

  She’d even started hoping that he would ask again. She didn’t know what her answer would be. The more she thought about it, the more muddled she felt, so instead she just relaxed against his side and engulfed herself in his warmth and his smell. Big decisions could wait until the next day.

  He wrapped his arm tighter around her, squeezing her slightly. He said, “Oh, hey. I got some playing cards down at the gift shop on my way back from the rodeo yesterday. Forgot to mention it. We have enough time when we get back for me to destroy you at poker before you need to leave.”

  He really would destroy her at poker, but she found the idea amusing rather than intimidating. It was weird to think that he was the only man she had ever dated whom she didn’t mind losing to. No. Not dating. Just a Vegas fling, she reminded herself sternly with a small shake of her head. Thinking of this thing as a date was dangerous. Screw you, Cody-the-dealer, and your love talk.

  She pushed the thought away. “Sounds fun. Do you have poker chips?”

  His mouth turned up into the crooked smile she liked so much. “Nope. We’ll have to play strip poker or something.”

  The idea sent a thrill through her.

  When they arrived back at his hotel room, they were both quiet and relaxed. She still had a couple of hours before she had to leave to get ready for dinner with Cindy—plenty of time for anything. Aaron looked at her with an eyebrow raised. “Robes?”

  “I thought we were going to play strip poker?”

  His grin told her everything she wanted to know.

  “Robes,” she agreed.

  Soon they were both clad only in the soft fluffiness of the Hard Rock’s luxury robes. He went to the bathroom while she relaxed on the couch, waiting for him to come back, the expectation of their afternoon charging the air around her.

  A phone on the table beside her vibrated and lit up. She glanced at it automatically before realizing her phone was still in her
purse. Before the screen went dark, she saw the name of the person who had texted Aaron, and felt pulled to turn on the screen and read the text that had shown up below the name Olivia.

  Before she could stop herself, her finger pressed the home button and the phone lit up. The entire text showed on the lock screen, and before it turned dark again, she’d read the entire message. Olivia had written Seven works for me. I’ll talk to you tonight!

  He was meeting another girl as soon as she left for dinner. Jessica’s stomach twisted and she found it hard to breathe. She leaned back, away from the phone, and inhaled slowly and deeply. Why had she expected anything different? She’d seen him outside the strip club. She knew that was the kind of guy he was.

  In fact, she decided, she wasn’t sad about the situation, just mad that she had let herself think anything other than what her rational mind had been telling her all along. She knew he’d been with plenty of women. That was the main reason she’d decided never to see him again. Still, she had been hoping that maybe he’d be able to change, to settle down and stick to just one woman. Despite her head’s intention to leave everything in Vegas, her heart had been hoping they could somehow find a way to be together.

  That was stupid. She saw that clearly. Nothing had changed between her and Aaron, because this was the expectation all along. It was a fun weekend thing, and she should’ve known that he would find something to do while she was gone. And that something’s name was Olivia.

  Despite everything she told herself, though, all the logical reasons why she shouldn’t feel upset, she wanted nothing more than to run out the door. The walls of the giant room felt far too close and she longed to be anywhere else, but she worked to get herself tightly under control. Aaron was going to return any moment, and she had to get back to normal before he did.

  Since it was very clear from the outset that they weren’t going to be some long-term exclusive couple, she couldn’t fault him for her emotions getting away from her. She just needed to keep things light and relaxed, which was exactly what she should’ve been doing all along.

  When she heard the bathroom door open, she grabbed the TV remote. She didn’t want to look guilty. With one last long, calming breath, Jessica turned on whatever movie the icon was on when the screen lit up. She didn’t know what it was she turned on, but anything would be better than silence or something as intimate as the type of poker game he had suggested.

  He came back into the room and sat down next to her, dropping his hand onto her thigh. “You’d rather watch a movie than play poker? What are we watching?”

  Her throat felt tight and she didn’t know if she wanted to slap his hand away or curl herself up against him. She chose to stay still and forced her voice to come out even. “I’m not sure. I just turned on whatever.”

  He glanced at her, then looked again more closely, and she knew she was doing a terrible job of letting go of what she’d seen. She wanted to leave things on good terms, but she had to get out of there. His look of concern grew more pronounced as she stood up. “Hey, is everything okay?”

  She tried to make her voice as light as possible. “Yes, I just realized that I really should get back and get ready for that dinner thing. I can’t sit around here the whole day.”

  She grabbed her clothes as quickly as possible and walked into the bedroom, forcing herself not to lock the door. She reminded herself again that he hadn’t done anything wrong and didn’t deserve to be given a cold shoulder from her.

  She was dressed in a flash and back out into the living room. He was still sitting on the couch, but his whole body was turned toward her, and his face showed absolute perplexity. “What’s wrong? What’s going on? Did something happen?”

  She brushed his questions aside with a wave of her hand. “Nothing’s wrong. It’s just me. I have to deal with some things, but it has nothing to do with you.”

  She walked over quickly to give him a peck on the cheek to show him and herself that everything was fine, but he turned his head as she kissed him, pressing his lips hard against hers, his hand moving to the back of her head. She almost let herself fall into the kiss, and the wall she’d been rebuilding around her heart crumbled a little before she realized what was happening and pulled away. As she stood back up, he whispered, “Please don’t go.”

  It tore at her, but she pretended she hadn’t heard and turned toward the door. In the same light voice as before, she said, “Today was fun. I’m sorry I have to go, but enjoy your evening. I’ll talk to you later.”

  Before he could say anything else or ask if she’d be coming back that night, she was out the door. She didn’t want to have to answer questions. The elevator opened the moment she touched the button. As the doors slid shut behind her, she wasn’t sure if she was relieved or disappointed that he hadn’t come after her.

  Her hand brushed away a few stray tears that had appeared on her cheeks. There was no reason to cry. She’d had an amazing weekend fling with an attractive cowboy, and now it was over. Time to get back to her real life and stop the fantasy nonsense. Fantasies don’t work well in real life.

  By the time the elevator stopped at the casino level, she was under control. She strode through the banks of slot machines and out the door into the bright sunlight. Taxis were lined up waiting for customers, and one whisked her away to her own hotel.

  Sitting in the back, she told herself once again that, really, she was making the right choice, not seeing him again. She didn’t want a guy in her life, even if he did have eyes that made her blood run hot and hands that made her tremble with pleasure. Even if his smile melted her inside and he was funny and smart.

  She brought her legs up onto the seat and wrapped her arms around them, holding her body together with all her strength. At the hotel, she paid the fare and walked upstairs quietly and with all the serenity she could muster. Once she was alone in the hotel room, though, the tears came hot and fast, and she let them.

  After a while, she pulled herself back together and began dressing for dinner. She wasn’t sure what level of attire was appropriate, but neither did she care much. Once her hair was tied in a bun and she was in whatever outfit was nearest, she headed to Cindy’s room.

  The moment Cindy opened the door, her expression immediately transformed into one of shock. “Oh my God, what did the bastard do? Are you okay?”

  Jessica was taken aback. “What do you mean? I’m fine.”

  Cindy scoffed. “No, you’re not. I know what you normally look like. This red-eyed girl with the hangdog expression is not you. You look worse than when you came over after the Russ incident.”

  Apparently her efforts to pull things together were not completely successful. “I’m fine. I’ve decided not to see Aaron again. I let myself get too close, and started to forget that it was just a weekend fling, but it’s fine. Don’t worry, really. We’re going back to New York tomorrow and I’ll only remember it as a fun Vegas thing. It’ll be fine.”

  “You said fine way too many times. Did you try to set up something so you’d see each other again? Did he say he only wanted a weekend fling? Was that it?”

  Jessica chuckled lightly, but there was no humor in the effort. “Actually he asked me if he could come to New York sometime, but I turned him down. And it was a good choice. He just wants another woman on the side that he can sleep with when he’s in town and forget the minute he leaves. I don’t want to be that woman, so—”

  “Hold up. I’m confused. Start the story from the beginning. I’ll text the girls we’ll have dinner in an hour or so and we’ll get this figured out.”

  Despite Jessica’s protest, Cindy sent the text and sat down, crossing her arms, to hear the story.

  Jessica sighed and sat beside her. She went through everything that had happened that day, from their conversation in bed to the trip out of town to the text message she saw.

  She co
ncluded, “It isn’t because he’s seeing someone else tonight—he has all the right in the world to do that when we’re just having fun—my emotions about the situation made it very clear that I shouldn’t get any closer. So I left.”

  She expected sympathy from Cindy, but she didn’t get it. “Why didn’t you ask him about the text? It specifically said the word talk in it, right? How do you know he was planning on anything other than talking to her?”

  Jessica was aghast. “You think he was just going to get coffee or something with some old female friend and I misunderstood the situation? Are you kidding?”

  Cindy’s expression softened. “I think that Russ hurt you and you’ve been so closed off from people for so long that you can’t trust others anymore, and that’s sad. You used to be warm and open, but for the past two months you haven’t let anyone get close to you. I think this guy was finally brushing away some of that and helping you get back to the old you. And I think he must either really like you or be the biggest womanizer on the planet if half the things you said are true. Why not ask and find out?”

  Jessica put her face in her hands. “I can’t do that.”

  “I know what it’s like to be hurt. Everyone does. But that doesn’t mean you don’t get a chance at real love. Look at me.”

  Jessica looked over her fingers and saw Cindy’s small smile as she looked at her engagement ring. Her heart took on a life of its own, twisting and writhing in envy. She wanted that.

  In the silence, her phone went off, loud and shrill. For a moment, she was sure it was Aaron calling, despite the fact that she had never given him her number. Then she looked and saw it was her sister, Renee.

  That was an odd occurrence. Renee never called, preferring to text any conversations. She answered, perplexed and momentarily distracted. “Hey, Renee.”

  “Jessica—”

  She could hear the tears in her sister’s voice, and her throat tightened in panic. “Renee, what is it? What’s going on?”

  The voice that responded trembled with barely subdued emotion. “Dad’s back in the hospital.”