by Carew, Opal
He wanted to fall in love.
And he knew Quinn wanted the same thing.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Taylor,” the waitress said. “And Ms. Smith.”
Austin glanced to the entrance of the restaurant and saw Quinn standing beside a stunning woman wearing a floral sundress in a black-and-coral print, cinched at the waist with a flowing skirt. It set off her incredible figure beautifully. Her long golden hair cascaded over her shoulders in shimmering waves, and her heart-shaped face with those full pink lips was gorgeous.
As the waitress led them to the table, Austin noted Quinn’s closed expression. Also, the woman’s eyes were puffy, and she clung tightly to the handle of her purse with both hands. She also wore a huge diamond ring. He’d bet she’d just broken up with her fiancé.
Austin stood up as they approached the table.
“Austin, this is April,” Quinn said as he pulled out a chair for her to sit down.
She stuck out her hand, and Austin shook it.
“Nice to meet you,” she said. “I hope you don’t mind me joining you for lunch.”
“Of course not. It’s a pleasure, April.”
“Thank you.” She sank down on the chair as Quinn pushed it in for her.
Austin and Quinn both sat down, April across from Austin and kitty-corner to his friend.
The waitress set a third menu on the table for their unexpected guest.
“What would you like to drink?” she asked.
“I’ll just have a water, please,” April said.
“I’ll have a Guinness,” Quinn said.
“Certainly, sir.” The waitress left to retrieve their drinks.
April opened the menu and glanced through it nervously. When the waitress had called her by name, he’d assumed that she was also an elite guest at the hotel, but she was behaving as if she wasn’t sure if she could afford to eat here.
“How do you two know each other?” Austin asked, though he’d already begun to speculate that this might be the woman.
“We went out together in college,” she said.
Austin’s interest flared.
“We dated briefly,” Quinn added. “It wasn’t serious.”
Aha. She was the woman.
Quinn’s heart had been broken by someone back then, and Austin knew he’d never gotten over her, even though Quinn would deny that adamantly. That’s why Quinn diminished the relationship now, because he wanted to believe it was nothing. But he could never fool Austin.
“It’s nice that you two ran into each other in the hotel. What are you doing in Vegas, April?”
April gazed up from her menu and shifted uneasily.
The waitress arrived with their drinks, and he wondered why his question had made her uncomfortable.
“Are you ready to order?” the waitress asked with a smile.
Austin glanced to April, but she had her head buried in the menu.
“I’ll have the prime rib sandwich,” Austin said, “and the house salad.”
“I’ll have the same,” Quinn said.
They all turned their gazes to April.
Her cheeks flushed a rosy pink as she lifted her gaze from the menu.
“I’ll … uh … just have a small side salad. I’m not very hungry.”
“Nonsense,” Quinn said, a tad impatiently. He glanced at the menu again. “Here, I think you’ll like the seafood linguine they have on special today. Or maybe the salmon steak with dill sauce.” He turned to the waitress. “By the way, put Ms. Smith’s meal on our tab.”
Hesitantly, she agreed to the linguine, and Quinn ordered a bottle of white wine for the table.
“I didn’t expect you to pay for my lunch,” April murmured to Quinn once the waitress was gone.
“I invited you. Of course I’ll pay for it.” Quinn glanced at Austin. “She’s embarrassed because she had a slight mishap with her credit card, but I straightened things out for her.”
“He paid my hotel bill,” she murmured, staring at the lemon floating in her water glass.
Austin’s gaze caught on Quinn’s, and his friend’s exasperated expression told him that Quinn had been trying to spare her that embarrassment.
“It’s fortunate that you ran into each other when you did. It’s nice to be able to help a friend in need.” Austin sipped his beer. “So you were going to tell me why you’re here in Vegas this weekend.”
She compressed her lips. “I came here to get married. Today is my wedding day.”
Quinn glanced her way, his eyes widening in surprise.
“Really?” Austin asked, his eyebrows arching. “Is it an evening wedding, or should I ask the waitress to put a rush on lunch?” he added in a teasing tone.
She bit her lip as she twirled the engagement ring on her finger.
“I meant it was supposed to be my wedding day. In fact, it was supposed to be happening right now. But last night … at the rehearsal dinner…” She sucked in a breath. “I caught him with another woman.”
“By with another woman, you mean dancing? Kissing?” Quinn asked.
She shook her head. “He was … excuse my French … fucking her. I caught them doing it.”
Although the situation was tragic, Austin had to stifle a chuckle at the quaintness of her excusing herself from using the word fucking. In fact, he found everything about her completely charming, and the devilish side of him imagined her in bed, naked, using the word fuck in the most imaginative ways while begging him to give her pleasure.
Whoa, what the hell am I doing? If this was Quinn’s lost love, there’s no way he should be thinking of her like that. No matter how delightfully attractive he found her.
Even if Quinn didn’t have lingering feelings for her, the fact that they’d dated meant she was totally out of bounds. Austin would never do anything to jeopardize his friendship with Quinn.
“I’m so sorry that happened to you,” Austin said.
* * *
Quinn’s stomach clenched. What a fucking idiot the guy was.
“Then this morning, he canceled my credit card,” April said, “leaving me with the bill and no way to pay.”
Quinn felt his heartstrings tug, especially seeing the sheen on her eyes. Fuck, he had to get ahold of himself or he’d convince himself that she didn’t deserve to be dumped by the guy, who’d probably figured out that she was just marrying him for his money and decided to get back at her.
The guy was still a total jerk for his actions. Confronting her and breaking it off would be the appropriate thing to do.
“How did he cancel your credit card?” Austin asked.
“It was a joint card,” she said hesitantly.
Quinn hadn’t been surprised to hear that. Of course she’d be living off the guy’s money.
Their lunch arrived, and conversation slowed. Quinn could tell April enjoyed her lunch. He knew she would. She’d always loved seafood, especially shellfish. Once when they’d been going out together, he’d splurged, taking a hit on his grocery bill that week so he could order her lobster bisque when he took her out for dinner on her birthday.
She’d been very thankful. He still remembered the deep, passionate kiss she’d given him when they’d gone back to his place that evening. It hadn’t gone any further than that. She’d been a virgin when they were dating, and he’d respected her choice to keep her innocence until she was married, or at least knew she’d found the one.
His heart clenched. He’d been so fucking convinced he was the one. But that was before he’d realized that money meant more to her than love. Because, damn it, he’d been sure she was falling in love with him just as much as he’d been falling for her.
He watched as her cute little tongue glided over her lip to collect a drop of sauce.
Fuck, he’d love to pull her into his arms and drive his tongue deep between those soft, pouty lips. To feel her body tightly against his. To hear her beg him to fuck her.
Goddamn. Even though he knew how shallow she was, he still want
ed her. With a deep desperation that scarred his soul.
She put down her fork and raised her gaze. Then froze when she saw how he was looking at her.
Fuck, he didn’t want her knowing how she affected him. She’d be sure to find a way to take advantage of the situation.
She started to twirl her ring again.
“So if this guy treated you so badly, why are you still wearing his ring?” Quinn asked.
Her fingers jerked from the diamond. “Oh, I … shouldn’t be.” She slipped the ring off and stared at it with an uncertain expression.
“What are you going to do with it?” Quinn asked. Probably sell it.
“I could give it to you to help pay what I owe you.”
Annoyance surged through him.
“I told you to forget that.”
He certainly didn’t want the fucking ring another man had given her.
“You should return it to him,” Austin suggested. “Not because he deserves that consideration but to give you closure.”
She nodded. “I know. You’re right.” She sat back in her chair, her brow furrowing. “The only thing is, I don’t want to see him again, so I’m not sure how to return it. The mail doesn’t seem safe enough for such an expensive thing.”
“No problem,” Quinn said, not letting her get away with keeping the ring based on a technical issue. “The hotel can arrange that for you. I’ll go with you and make sure of it.” He held out his hand. “Why not give it to me for safekeeping?”
She reluctantly dropped it into his hand, and he slipped it in his breast pocket.
The waitress asked them if they wanted dessert, and when they declined, she brought the bill for their approval. Austin signed it, then turned to April.
“What are your plans now, April? Do you need a ride to the airport?”
She drew in a deep breath. “Thank you, but I don’t have an airline ticket. I flew here on Maurice’s private jet.”
Quinn’s eyes narrowed. Maurice Dubois. So she’d actually been going to marry the man she’d left him for in college.
Austin nodded. “And you probably don’t have money for bus fare.”
She shook her head. “But that’s okay. I’ll figure something out.”
From the anxiety in her eyes, it was clear she had no idea how. Quinn remembered that she had no family. But she must have friends.
“No matter what, I doubt you want to rush off home after all this,” Austin said. “You need some time away from your normal life to let this all sink in. Why not stay with us for a few days while you figure things out? We’ve got a huge penthouse suite, so there’s plenty of room.”
Her gaze flickered to Quinn. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Nonsense,” Quinn said. “It’s a great idea.”
He didn’t know what the hell he was thinking. Other than his cock hoping for a chance to finally sink into her.
“Your luggage is already at our place, so why not?” he continued.
“At least stay tonight, and you can keep us company at the casino,” Austin insisted. “I have a feeling you’re going to bring us luck.”
* * *
April didn’t know what to say. She had no money and no one to call for help, so having one more night to defer having to figure it out would be a godsend.
“Thank you. I appreciate your generosity.”
“Good,” Austin said. “Now that that’s settled, I’m going back to the penthouse to check on some business. Are you two coming?”
They all stood up, and she walked with the two men to the entrance.
“Actually,” Quinn said, “I think now is as good a time as any to return the ring.” His eyebrow arched. “Right, April?”
“Of course.”
“I’ll leave you to it,” Austin said. “A pleasure meeting you, April. I look forward to seeing you later.”
Austin turned and walked toward the elevator. Quinn grasped her elbow firmly and guided her to the lobby. When he talked to the concierge, the man spoke with someone on the phone, then directed them to the manager’s office, telling them the manager would handle their needs personally. Quinn led her down the elegant hallway paneled in contoured mahogany, then to an imposing office.
A large, very tall man stood up from behind the desk and walked toward them.
“Ah, Mr. Taylor.” He offered his hand, and they shook. “So nice to see you again.”
Then he turned to her, and her chest tightened.
“Ms. Smith, I’m Adrian Gunter, the hotel manager.” He offered his hand, and she shook it gingerly. Then he gestured to three leather armchairs arranged around a glass table. “May I get you some coffee? A drink?”
“No, thank you. We just had lunch,” Quinn said as they sat down.
“Very well.” Mr. Gunter sat across from them. “First, may I say, Ms. Smith, how sorry I am about the unfortunate cancellation of your wedding.”
“Thank you,” she murmured, trying to keep her voice from trembling.
As polite as he might be, this man intimidated her. Especially since she knew he was the one who had arranged to have security pound on her door this morning, demand to know how she was going to pay her bill, then hustle her out of the room while they packed up her belongings.
“I understand that you would like us to arrange the safe return of the engagement ring to your ex-fiancé.”
“Yes, that’s right,” she said.
He leaned forward, folding his hands on the tabletop. “It is most fortunate that you came in, Ms. Smith. I didn’t relish putting you into another embarrassing situation.”
“What do you mean?” Quinn asked, a slight edge to his voice.
Mr. Gunter leaned back in his chair. “Nothing to worry about. Mr. Dubois called me to say you have some things that belong to him. The engagement ring is one of them.”
Quinn’s eyebrow arched. “And the others?”
“Yes, he mentioned some jewelry, designer gowns, expensive shoes…” He waved his hand. “He sent a list.”
Of course he had. Maurice’s father and the owner of this hotel were old buddies. They would be happy to help Maurice humiliate her and, hopefully, put her in jail. They couldn’t allow her to get away with rejecting him. The money wasn’t of great concern to either of them, and she had no doubt that if they hadn’t gotten the money from her, they would have worked it out behind the scenes.
“And what proof does he have that these are his and don’t belong to April?” Quinn demanded.
She couldn’t believe that Quinn was defending her. But then, he’d always been a good man.
“It’s okay, Quinn,” she said, resting her hand on his arm.
As soon as her fingers came in contact with him, an explosion of sensation rushed through her.
He glanced at her, and she could swear he felt it, too.
She took a calming breath. “I don’t want anything from him. If he wants to take these things back, it makes it easier.”
Quinn frowned, but nodded.
“Fine. You may send some of your staff to collect the items in an hour, but they will be under April’s supervision. And if there’s a single thing they try to take that April doesn’t agree to,” he glowered, “they’ll have me to deal with.”
“Of course, Mr. Taylor,” Mr. Gunter said. “That’s perfectly reasonable.” He glanced at April, and a chill ran down her spine at his cool gaze. “Now. The ring, please.”
Quinn reached into his pocket and pulled it out, then gave it to the man. Quinn then stood up and offered April his hand.
She rested her fingers on his and could barely breathe at the electricity surging through her at the contact.
She stood up, and he took her elbow and escorted her to the door. Having him so close, knowing she could lean on him if she had to, made it easier to hold her head up as she walked from the office.
Once the door closed behind her, her knees went weak and she slumped against him.
His arm slid around her. �
�Steady. You’re okay.”
“Thank you for standing up for me, Quinn.”
When she gazed up at him, his midnight-blue eyes seemed to soften.
“I don’t like to see anyone being bullied.”
Even though his answer was designed to make her think he hadn’t done it for her, the gruffness in his voice and the fact he kept his arm around her as they walked made her feel cared for.
As they stepped into the hallway with the column of elevators, one of them opened, and she noticed Sarah Piner step out with her husband, Jon. They were friends of Maurice’s who had come to Vegas for the wedding. Sarah’s finely plucked eyebrow arched high at the sight of April with a man’s arm around her.
Luckily, another elevator arrived, and Quinn guided her into it. April could see Sarah whispering in her husband’s ear, staring at April with piercing disapproval as the door closed.
She leaned against Quinn. His arm tightened around her, and he didn’t say a word as the elevator ascended.
She knew this wouldn’t last long, but right now, she needed it. To feel supported. And cared for. It’s all she’d ever wanted. Deep down in her soul.
And her heart ached as she realized she’d probably never find it.
* * *
As April walked from the elevator with Quinn toward his penthouse suite, she kept her gaze away from the door to the suite she’d been evicted from this morning.
She didn’t want to think about being there with Maurice. She didn’t want to think about how she’d cried herself to sleep last night, his betrayal searing through her.
She didn’t want to think at all.
Quinn opened the door and led her inside. Her eyes widened as she glanced around.
The other suite had been luxurious and grand, with leather furniture, plants, flower arrangements, and beautiful décor. But this one went far beyond that. It had the same gorgeous furniture and décor, but it was much larger.
Her jaw dropped at the sight of the private swimming pool that was part indoors and part outdoors. There was a rock waterfall built into the wall that trickled into the pool. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, she could see a stunning garden terrace.
