They were heading up the block when she stopped.
“Wait…is this it?”
He chuckled. “You see any other observation wheels around here?”
“No, but…is it broken? It doesn’t look like it’s moving.”
“It is; it just goes really slow. Like super slow. Painfully slow,” he added for emphasis. Looking at her face, Finn could see her pout. She was clearly disappointed, but he knew once she got over the speed factor, she was going to love the view once they were on it. Taking her hand in his, he said, “Come on.”
Grace grumbled the entire time they walked the line, purchased tickets, and even purchased drinks.
He thought she’d at least crack a smile at that one.
There wasn’t anyone in front of them and they ended up with an observation pod all to themselves. When they stepped in and the doors closed behind them, Finn stood back and watched Grace take it all in.
“Holy crap,” she said in awe. “How many people can fit in this thing?”
“I don’t know, maybe thirty? I think that’s what I heard someone say once.” He was standing in the middle of the pod and watched as she walked around the entire perimeter. “It only goes one foot per second and it takes a few minutes before you start to get a really amazing view of the city. And–to me–this is the best time to do this.”
“How come?”
“Because everything’s all lit up now.”
With a nod, she continued to walk around and take in the sights.
There was music playing, and all of the screens up near the ceiling had something showing on them. Finn knew the recorded message telling them about the wheel would give her all the information she wanted. The view from the top was going to be spectacular. Finn knew this from experience. And he had to wonder what she was thinking as the wheel continued its slow ascent.
“This is amazing.” She was practically pressed up against the glass and looking over her shoulder at him. “I didn’t think there’d be so much to see because it’s dark out, but you’re right. This was the perfect time for this.” She paused and looked back at the Strip. “And to think, I almost suggested coming here earlier. What would I have done if I missed all this?”
“Well, now you don’t have to worry,” he said casually. But even as he said the words, he knew if that had happened and they’d come here while it was still light out, he would have consoled her and maybe even ridden the wheel multiple times just so she could get the perfect view. Something about her made him want to make that happen for her–like if he could, he’d darken the sky and turn on all the neon in the city just for her.
What the hell is happening to me?
Her hips were swaying seductively, and she was singing along with Taylor Swift’s Delicate as they began to rise above the Vegas skyline. She had a decent voice and just like everything else he was beginning to learn about her, Grace Mackie gave one hundred percent to everything she did–whether it was anger toward her cheating ex, celebrating her win on the slots, or totally captivating him.
Before he knew it, Finn was stepping in close behind her–so close they were touching. In an entire pod with over two hundred square feet, the only place he wanted to stand was right here so he could feel her.
And she was warm and smelled so good and…
Grace slowly turned around so they were pressed together from head to toe. Maybe it was intentional, maybe it wasn’t, but the slow slide of her body against his was a definite turn on. Finn swallowed hard because he knew what he wanted to do–wanted it possibly more than he’d ever wanted anything in his entire life. But he couldn’t do it. He’d already had this conversation with himself. Being the rebound guy or the revenge fling was totally not something he wanted to be.
Her hand skimmed up the front of his shirt before raking up into his hair. “Finn,” she whispered, licking her lips and looking at him in a way most men only dreamed of.
Unable to help himself, Finn reached out and gripped her hips. “What are we doing, Grace?”
Her smile turned a combination of impish and sexy. “You’re going to kiss me,” she said, her voice a little breathless. “And I’m going to kiss you.”
He was lowering his head even though he knew this was a mistake. It was crazy and wrong, and he knew better. Then Grace let out a sexy little hum and he was lost. Closing the distance between them, his lips captured hers in a kiss that wasn’t tentative–or untamed.
It was perfect.
Holy shit, was it perfect.
Her arms came up to wrap around his shoulders and her breasts pressed seductively against his chest. Her lips were soft and wet and when her tongue came out and touched his, Finn wrapped both his arms around her and completely sank into the kiss. It didn’t matter how wrong or crazy it was; there was no one here right now but the two of them and he vowed to himself this one rotation on the observation wheel would be the one and only place this could happen. It would be like they had taken a brief step away from reality for these thirty minutes, and he was going to enjoy every minute of it.
The sounds Grace was making had him harder than he thought possible. He tore his mouth from hers and kissed a path along her jaw and then down to gently bite her throat. “We shouldn’t be doing this,” he said between kisses. He wanted to taste and touch every inch of her that he could reach.
And he wanted to do it all at once.
“Yes, we should,” she countered, nipping at his jaw. “We totally should.”
Her nails scratched along his scalp. Her breath was hot against his skin. And when she lifted one leg to wrap around his waist, he was pretty sure he was being rewarded for being so damn good and responsible all the time.
This was going to happen.
He’d earned it.
His hands skimmed down to the hem of her little black dress–that only hit mid-thigh–and began the slow journey up. Her skin was so smooth, and he’d be lying if he said he hadn’t been wondering about what she was wearing underneath it ever since she stepped out of the bathroom earlier.
He was inches away from finding out.
“Finn?” she panted.
“Hmm?” One finger touched lace and he did his best to hold on to some sense of control.
“Are we…I mean…can we…?” she rambled, but by now his hand was covering the lace he discovered–the now damp lace–and he liked how she was having trouble organizing her thoughts.
Finesse, he reminded himself. Have a little finesse.
But it was pointless. Between the feel of her, the sounds she was making, and the way she was moving against him, any self-control would be useless. Instead, he touched and teased Grace until she was writhing against him. There was a bench seat only three feet away. He could lay her down on it and…
“Oh, God,” she moaned, her movements becoming more and more frantic. “Right there. Oh, please, Finn. Don’t stop. Please!”
He would give her everything he had and more, he thought. “Come on, Grace,” he murmured thickly against her ear. “Come for me.”
And she did.
Gloriously so.
Finn gentled his touch as she came down from her orgasm. They were both breathless, and it would take very little effort for him to maneuver them so they could take this to the next level, but…
“Here we go, folks! The last five seconds!” the recording said. They were almost at the top of the observation wheel, and when he looked out over her shoulder, he knew what he had to do.
“Five, four, three…”
Gently, he grasped her shoulders and turned her around to face the view. They were coming up on the top of the wheel where the view was at its best. “Look at that, Grace,” he whispered against her ear. “You can see all of Las Vegas from here.”
All the lights in the city were on and the timing couldn’t have been more perfect for them to stop and see it all.
“Wow,” she murmured, her hands planted on the glass. “This is amazing. The view is incredible!”
Finn couldn’t agree more, but his view was of Grace with her dress still mildly hiked up and her red thong on display.
It was one damn fine view.
Reaching out, his hands cupped her rear as he leaned in close and pressed against her. The things he wanted to do to her…
“Thank you,” she said quietly.
And Finn wasn’t quite sure how to respond.
Grace looked at him over her shoulder. “As much as I’m enjoying this view, I kind of wish we were back at the hotel.”
It would be at least another fifteen minutes until they were on the ground, followed by another fifteen minutes until they were back in their room.
And that was if they walked really, really fast.
But now that the sex fog was lifting, Finn thought maybe it was better they weren’t back at the hotel. If they were, he had no doubt that they’d both be naked by now, and while it would be incredible, his original thoughts and feelings about why this was wrong came back.
Loudly.
Dammit, he hated how loud his conscience could be.
“Grace,” he began reluctantly. “I don’t think…”
She turned around and placed one finger over his lips to stop his words. “You think too much, Finn. For tonight, can’t you just…not?”
Man, he wanted to say yes so badly. He wanted to be the kind of guy who could just throw caution to the wind and have no regrets. Unfortunately, he knew he wouldn’t be the only one having regrets come morning. If they continued, how awkward would it be tomorrow when they had to get into the truck together and then keep driving for another three to four days? No. They couldn’t do it. It would make an already weird situation worse and he wasn’t comfortable going there.
But he also couldn’t resist touching her. Reaching up, he caressed her cheek as her hand dropped to her side. “I wish I could, but you and I both know this isn’t a good idea. While it might feel really good right now, it would make the rest of the trip home awkward.” He saw the disappointment in her eyes and silently cursed himself. “You have no idea how much I wish it could be different–that I could be different.”
“Can I just ask you one thing?”
“Of course.”
“While we’re here–alone in this pod–could you maybe just kiss me?” There was a slight tremor in her voice and Finn knew how much it must have cost her to ask this of him.
He wasn’t completely heartless or unaffected.
If anything, it gave him the excuse to live the fantasy for a little bit longer.
“Please,” she whispered, and rather than say anything, Finn once again lowered his lips to hers.
They didn’t see any more of the view of the Strip.
They kissed as if they had to squeeze in a lifetime of them in the next fifteen minutes.
Which they did.
Finn did his best to memorize everything about Grace–the feel of her skin, how soft her hair was, the way she hummed while she kissed. Someday, after he was back in Atlanta and alone, he would remember this–their brief reprieve from their regular lives. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that it would be burned in his brain forever.
Music continued to blast through the speakers and the lights outside continued to change colors, but Finn didn’t pay attention to any of it. His mind was fully focused on the woman in his arms and how knowing her for a mere twenty-four hours had turned his world upside down.
“That’s it for our ride, folks,” the recording called out, and it was Grace who heard it because she slowly broke their kiss.
“Time’s up,” she whispered, and those two simple words held far too many meanings.
Reluctantly, he took a step back but took one of her hands in his. As they stepped out of the pod and made their way toward the exit, neither spoke.
As they walked up the crowded side street, they didn’t comment on the shops or the people they saw like they had on their way in. Up on Las Vegas Boulevard, they turned toward their hotel and maintained the silence. He had to admit that he liked it better when she was chatty. The walk over had been spent with her barely taking a breath because she was excited by everything she saw and all that she still wanted to see.
Which reminded him…
“You had a list of other places you wanted to see tonight. It’s still early.” Then he paused and let out a small laugh. “Well, early according to Vegas. We can take an Uber over to the Rio for the zipline, or we can grab something to eat, maybe even sit down for dessert. I don’t think all those snacks constitute a proper dessert.”
She shrugged, and Finn knew he was going to have to take control to get their night back on track. There was still so much to see and do to call it a night and just go back to the room–and considering how he was the practical one, that was saying something. They had this one night in Vegas and even though nothing was ever going to top what they’d just experienced in the High Roller, he was determined to cross more things off her list.
And he knew exactly where to start.
“Where are we going?” she asked when he began to lead her in the opposite direction of their hotel.
“You’ll see,” he promised, grinning at her. When they crossed the street and stopped in front of the Bellagio, Finn checked his watch and knew he’d hit this just right. The music started, and he heard Grace’s soft gasp. Carefully, he positioned her in front of him and wrapped his arms around her as they watched the fountain show.
He was playing a dangerous game–keeping her close and touching her the way he was, but he couldn’t help it. Somewhere in his mind, he reasoned that the Strip was like the observation wheel–it didn’t count. It was neutral territory. And as long as they weren’t in the hotel room or in the truck, this was all fair game.
The fact that all it was really doing was making him want her more didn’t really register with him.
Or he was choosing to ignore it.
When the show ended a few minutes later and the crowd was applauding, they joined in. Finn wasn’t prepared for Grace to turn around and launch herself into his arms, kissing him soundly. He placed her back on her feet and rested his forehead against hers. “I take it you enjoyed the show?”
“Oh, my goodness, yes! That was amazing! And I can’t even believe I didn’t have it on my list tonight!” She stepped back and looked around excitedly. “Where to next? Where should we go?”
Honestly, his first thought was to say to hell with it all and go back to the room, but sanity prevailed. The perfect distraction came to him. “Let’s grab an Uber and get you on the zipline!”
“Yeah!”
After that, the night took a completely different turn. The sexual tension was gone and in its place were two friends having an adventure. They rode the zipline, had drinks on the rooftop bar, and got the commemorative photo before leaving. After that, they took another Uber over to the Venetian where they took a gondola ride and listened as their gondolier sang to them. It was a bit cheesy, but Grace seemed to love it.
“I think we need some food, Finn. It’s been hours since dinner and all this walking around and sightseeing made me build up an appetite," she said as they stepped outside of the hotel. “And if you can believe it, my feet are killing me, and I’d love to just sit for a while.”
It was almost two in the morning, and it had already been a long, mentally exhausting day, but he hated the thought of being the reason she had to call it a night if she wasn’t ready to. “So, where would you like to eat?”
“Would you be upset if I said I just wanted to go back to the hotel, grab something from one of the casual places, and relax?”
He couldn’t help but laugh. “Upset? I was just thinking how long of a day it’s been!”
Looping her arm through his, she rested her head on his shoulder as they walked. “Oh, thank God I wasn’t the only one! I feel like a wuss for wanting to call it a night when there’s still so much to see and do, but…I’m beat!”
They walked back to the hotel and considered
their food options. “What are you thinking?” Finn was hungry, but considering the late hour, he wasn’t so sure he wanted to go too crazy and order a lot of food.
“Is it wrong that I want some pizza and a milkshake?”
He chuckled. “Wrong? I wouldn’t say that. Although I have to admit, you tend to eat like an unsupervised kid most of the time.”
She blushed but laughed with him. “Yeah, well…I feel like I’ve been starving myself for weeks and I totally deserve this. Normally I don’t eat like this, I swear. But I’ve denied myself a lot of things lately and I’m not going to think about all the calories I’m consuming.”
With a curt nod, he stepped forward and ordered a medium pizza.
“Ooh!” she called out. “With pepperoni, please!”
The guy working the counter changed the order and said, “Ten minutes.”
Not sure of what else to do, Finn decided it was pointless for the both of them to stand here and wait, and it wasn’t going to take both of them to carry it all back to the room either. “Tell you what,” Finn said after a minute, “why don’t you go up to the room and I’ll meet you up there? This way you can take your shoes off and get comfortable. I’ll be up in a few minutes.”
She smiled with gratitude. “Are you sure? I hate leaving you here by yourself.”
He waved her off. “Just go. It’s not a problem.”
“And you’ll get the milkshakes?”
“Shakes? As in plural?” he asked incredulously. “Just how hungry are you?”
Grace swatted at him playfully. “I just figured you were having one too! Oh, my gosh, as much as I deserve pizza at two a.m. I couldn’t top that with more than one milkshake!”
“Well, thank God for that,” he teased and then gave her a gentle nudge toward the exit. “Go. I’ll be up in a few.”
With a happy little wave, she was gone, and Finn was thankful to have a few minutes to himself. Earlier, when they had gotten the room, he worried about the sleeping arrangements. There were two queen-sized beds, so he at least had that working in his favor, but that was before everything that happened tonight. How hard was it going to be to stay in his own bed with Grace sleeping just a few feet away?
Drive Me Crazy Page 7
