by Shana Gray
“That wasn’t the original plan, but I won a jackpot on the slots yesterday. Champagne has been flowing ever since.”
“You won the slots? I love to hear about people winning against the house. Nothing like winning and taking home casino money.” Quinn toasted her with his glass.
“Yes, just after we arrived. I know I should do something practical with my unexpected windfall, but I won it on the complimentary voucher they gave us for booking our rooms. I feel like it’s free all the way around, so why not make it an extra-special trip for my friends?” She took another sip, suddenly feeling as light and bubbly as the champagne. She turned to look up at him and he swooped down, capturing her mouth in a brief, promising kiss.
“You have such an amazingly generous heart. Not many people would share the wealth like that.” Quinn’s voice deepened, and Bonni’s airy feeling popped as a thread of warmth snaked through her.
“Maybe you’re just hanging out with the wrong people.” She gave him a questioning look.
“Or maybe I’ve just found the right one.” A delicious tremor ran through her at the seductive look and subtle message he gave her.
Feeling flirtatious, she bent over a little more than necessary to lift the cover off the first platter. “Oooh, pastries. Your sweet tooth at work again, Quinn?”
Bonni looked up to find his gaze fixed on her cleavage. He lifted his eyes to meet hers and she felt a little breathless.
“Oh, I think you know, Temptress, what I’m hungry for. Some of the greatest pleasures in life are good food and good sex—’
“Great sex,” she interjected.
He winked at her and replied. “Yes, great sex.” Bonni shivered with delight at the warmth that grew between her thighs. “Also, excellent wine, good friends, and the company of a beautiful woman.”
Bonni looked into his eyes. The banter faded away and it was just the two of them sitting across the table, with the candlelight and the glow from the Vegas strip reflecting into the room.
“I’m really glad you’re here, with me.” Quinn’s voice was low, and the deep intimacy of the tone, reverberated inside her. He took her hand and she turned hers over, curling her fingers around his.
“Me, too. I don’t normally do things like this, so it certainly was a surprise meeting you and ending up here with you.” She was astounded how easy it was to tell him things. Well, maybe not all things, but some things.
He nodded, and didn’t let go of her hand, using his other to refill their glasses.
“Yes, it is a surprise. The best one of my life.”
Chapter Fifteen
Hearing Quinn’s amazingly romantic words, Bonni wasn’t sure whether to strip off her clothes and tackle him or run screaming from the inevitable heartbreak that seemed to be looming before her. Luckily, she heard her phone chime in her bag and peeled herself away to check it.
Ava xo: I hope you are having a good time with Q! Don’t worry about us, I’m keeping an eye on Celia and Fredi. They are currently dirty dancing with Landon.
Bonni: Thought he had call?
Ava xo: Ya, over now. He invited us to another dance club and everyone’s treating him like he is a sheikh or something, with us as his harem lol!
Bonni laughed and showed the message to Quinn. He shook his head and chuckled.
“That’s Landon for you. They’re in for a load of fun trouble if they’re out with him.”
“My girls can handle it. I want them to have a good time.”
“Because if they’re having a good time, it makes you feel better about being here with me and not them?”
Bonni met his gaze. “You’re very perceptive. And, yes, it eases my mind. Is he married? Or in a relationship with anybody?” Bonni needed to ask, always feeling the need to protect her friends.
“Now, no. He hasn’t been in a serious relationship for a while. His business takes him away a lot. Some women have a hard time with that.”
“I have to admit, I’m not sure I blame them. No girl likes to be second best. What does he do?”
Quinn finished the champagne and put the glass down. “I think we’ve talked enough about other people for now. Let’s turn off our phones and just focus on us. How about some music?”
“An excellent idea.” He took her phone from her and she watched him put it on “do not disturb.” Then he scrolled through his phone before finding the song he wanted and tapped play before placing it on the desk.
“Sexual Healing” by Marvin Gaye came on. Bonni turned to face Quinn and draped her arms over his shoulder. He looked down into her eyes and it astounded her once more that a simple look from him could ignite her so quickly. She walked her fingers up his neck and pressed the back of his head so he’d bend down toward her.
“I’ve been waiting for a kiss all night. Maybe we can do some of our own sexual healing.”
“You don’t have to ask me twice.”
Quinn swept her up into his arms and she wrapped her legs around his hips. He held her with ease and fastened his mouth to hers. She breathed him in, loving the way his essence filled her, the firm yet gentle way his hands gripped her bottom, the heat of his body next to her core.
She wanted this man with every fiber of her being.
He carried her to the love seat in front of the window. He slid his hands to her hips and allowed her to slip down his body until her toes touched the floor, all the while never lifting his mouth from hers.
Could he feel her heart? It pounded painfully in her chest, pumping her heavy and languid blood through her veins. She clutched him a little tighter as she tottered, her legs feeling rubbery.
He pulled back from her. “Still in?”
“Yes, all in, so very all in. You have a way with me.”
He smiled and tilted his head sideways. “That’s what I like to hear.”
Bonni pulled at his shirt and had it off, tossing it to the floor, and he quickly undid his pants.
Quinn had her clothes off in no time.
“Quinn, won’t people see us?”
She looked out the window and he pulled her so her back was flush to his chest. Bonni pushed her bottom into him and shivered at the insistent press of his cock behind her, the heat from his chest.
“So what if they do?” He shuffled her forward until she was right in front of the window.
“Quinn.” Bonni placed her palms on the glass.
“Be brave, my lady cop…be daring. You might like the thrill.”
He gently pushed her closer to the glass, and Bonni looked down. They were high. She could see people on the streets, the streetlights dispelling the night shadows. If they looked up, would they see her? The windows in the hotel across from theirs could easily be seen. She knew she could be, too. He was right, it was thrilling. Daring.
“A little closer,” he urged.
“The glass is cold,” Bonni whispered, but she let him move her until her nipples touched it. She gasped at the chill as her sensitive flesh pebbled at the shock. But God, it was a turn-on. Bonni, rotated her hips without really knowing she was doing it and Quinn groaned behind her.
“Ah, woman, you are a constant surprise to me.” He reached around, taking hold of her breast, and Bonni pressed into the warmth of his hand, her nipple deliciously pressing into his palm.
He slid his fingers over her belly, then lower, and she sagged against him when he pressed into her folds and found her clitoris.
“Quinn, n-not here.” She moaned.
“Yes, here.”
Her head fell back on his shoulders and she reached back, grabbing his ass. Doing that arched her back even more, giving him all the easy access to her breasts and pussy he wanted.
His cock pressed between her ass cheeks and she pulsed her hips until he groaned. His fingers increased their demand on her and she clung to him. Here. Before the floor-to-ceiling windows, exposed to anyone that looked up. Bonni didn’t give a damn anymore.
“O-oh, Quinn.” She gasped as her release began to
tighten in her belly. She increased the tempo of her hips and it enhanced the sensations of his fingers.
“Come for me, Bonni. Here, at the window, for the world to see, to know that you’re mine.”
And she did. Her body shuddered in his arms and her legs buckled. Quinn held her tight, as she knew he would.
“Oh my God.” Bonni was weak as a newborn kitten, and as Quinn swept her into his arms, she put hers around his neck and he carried her to the couch. She looked up at him. “Please tell me you have condoms.”
“I’ll be right back.”
Bonni lay on the couch, the slightly rough material rubbing against her sensitive skin. Quinn returned, still hard. She reached up and grasped him, slowly stroking his length. He held up a condom.
“You left some behind.” He ripped it open and sheathed himself.
“Damn good thing my friends were well stocked.”
“Yes, a damn good thing.”
Bonni spread her legs and reached for him. Quinn kneeled between her thighs.
“I’m so ready for you, Quinn.” Bonni was almost panting.
She reached between them and guided him in to her.
He thrust deep and slow, drawing out their pleasure. Bonni held him in the cradle of her thighs as he steadied into a cadence that had her soaring back up to the heights of desire.
“Now, Quinn, I want you to come for me,” Bonni whispered into his ear as he enveloped her in his arms, holding her so tightly she could barely catch her breath.
She turned his face to her, wanting to see him. His eyes were closed, and the passion etched on his face thrilled her. Bonni licked his lips, his mouth opened for her, and their tongues tangled together. The power built in him, and transferred to her. She tried to hold off her orgasm, waiting for him to come first, but she couldn’t.
He ground into her, his roar of release echoed off the walls and they lay spent and breathless, entwined in each other’s arms.
…
That had only been the first round. When Bonni woke, hours later, she was delightfully sore. She stretched a little, the bedsheets cool against her bare skin. She was also a little hungry, despite Quinn feeding her strawberries and pastries after a very fun game of Bad Cop, Begging Robber. The room was dark, and Quinn’s breathing was deep and steady. She looked at him lying next to her and she knew she was beginning to fall for him. It was more than just sex. The personal information he’d already shared, it made her want to know more about him. To explore all the layers of Quinn, deeply and intimately, to know him and build a future with him outside of the boundaries of a vacation fling, but she had no idea if that was even a possibility.
She caught sight of the alarm clock and realized he’d have to get up very soon for his tournament. His poker tournament. The most recent event in his very long history of gambling. She should go. She didn’t want to disturb him and throw off his morning routine again. Bonni began to slowly shift out of the bed, but paused. It was harder than she would’ve imagined to leave him. It had been such an amazing night, and she wanted more. She wanted to slide down his body, to wake him with her mouth, to have him look at her with his incredible eyes, dimmed by sleep, before he touched her with his agile hands.
But that would be selfish. He needed to focus. And what about her friends? Yes, her friends. She should really check on them, and this vacation was about spending time with them, after all. Half falling for a life-long gambler with no roots had not been part of the plan.
Bonni slid out of bed quietly, grabbed her clothes, and went into the bathroom to dress. Silently, she padded back into the bedroom to collect her boots and her purse. Again, she stopped, looking down at Quinn. He had turned on his side, his arm flung out, like he was reaching for her. She fought the urge to climb back into bed, to at least kiss him goodbye. Instead she scribbled him a quick note and left it by the lamp. In less than thirty-six hours, she’d be on a plane, starting her journey back to Toronto. This isn’t one of Ava’s movies, Bonni. There’s no fairy godmother to magic you up a happy ending.
She slipped out the door and closed it quietly behind her.
Chapter Sixteen
Bonni tapped her key card and the door unlocked. As quietly as she had left Quinn’s room, she slipped into the suite, not wanting to wake up any of her friends. Were they even home yet?
The living room was dark, as were the bedrooms. Soft snoring came from behind the half-closed doors. Her friends must be sleeping off another wild night. Bonni pulled off her boots and held them, tiptoeing across the marble floor. She weaved her way through the furniture in the dark and wished her eyes would adjust more quickly. Tripping over a chair would definitely wake them all up and then cause a whack of interrogation.
“What are you doing here?” a voice greeted her in the dark.
Bonni nearly jumped out of her skin, dropping her boots with a clatter on the floor. “What the hell, Ava! You nearly gave me a heart attack.” She had to catch her breath.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. Why aren’t you with Quinn?” Ava’s voice was quiet in the darkened room.
Bonni slid onto the couch beside her. It was comforting to be sitting on a couch with her friend again. She wiggled a little, folding her legs beneath her. “Why are you up?”
Even in the shadows, Bonni could see the look Ava shot her. “Bonni, I can tell you have something on your mind. Stop deflecting.”
Bonni slowly shook her head, not in denial but in confusion. “You constantly surprise me with your perception.” She flopped back and shifted to put her feet on the coffee table.
She felt Ava’s hand on her thigh. “Come on, Bon, it’s okay. Talk to me.”
Bonni sighed and let herself relax into the plush cushions. “Quinn,” she whispered.
“What about him? Did you finally accept that he’s the man of your dreams?”
It was no surprise to Bonni that Ava immediately went to the happily-ever-after place, but it wasn’t so simple.
“I really like him, but everything is moving so fast it’s scaring me. Plus, I live in Canada, and he has no roots. He basically roams around the globe looking for a good poker game.”
“That doesn’t mean he can’t put down roots in Canada. Yeah, maybe he’d leave, but he’d always come back to you.” Ava rubbed Bonni’s leg reassuringly.
“You think so?” Bonni wanted to believe her friend so badly. “But maybe, over time, it would feel like a trap.”
“Maybe. Or maybe, over time, it would feel like home. And, remember, you’re not staying in Canada forever. Only another six months or so, isn’t it?”
Bonni wasn’t sure about what Ava just said. She couldn’t decide if the move to Virginia and being more hands-on with her dad would make things better or worse. She stared at her feet, wiggling her toes and lost in thought.
Ava leaned forward to set the thick crystal tumbler Bonni hadn’t known she was holding on to the coffee table and the ice cubes clinked. She liked Scotch on the rocks. Why had Ava been sitting alone in the dark? Before Bonni could ask, Ava spoke, “Bonni, I need you to hear something.”
“What?” Bonni twisted her torso so that she was facing her friend more fully.
Ava took her hand and squeezed it. Bonni got the impression the physical touch was a connection her friend sorely needed.
“I’ve never told you this. I haven’t told anybody this. Because it’s way too painful for me to dredge back up. Because I know now what a huge mistake I made. A mistake made for selfish reasons, reasons that remain unrealized.”
“Ava, what are you saying?”
Her friend took another beat before answering, as if gathering her strength. “About five years ago, there was a man who was everything I dreamed of. Quinn reminds me of him in certain ways.” She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath.
Bonni watched the emotions play across her face and knew Ava was recalling bittersweet and painful memories. Bonni had a feeling she wasn’t going to like what Ava was about to tell her. A
va opened her eyes and Bonni’s heart nearly broke at the despair in them.
“Ava, what? You’re scaring me.”
“We met on a business trip. The client was based in Dallas and he was there as a consultant from his firm in London. Our connection was instantaneous. Similar to you and Quinn. Anyway, we didn’t fight it and began a passionate, crazy, wonderful fling. We kept it secret, though, as we didn’t want our colleagues gossiping about us. I have to admit, the secrecy added a spice to things. The sex was out of this world. But it was more than that, there was something deeper.”
Bonni knew precisely what Ava was referring to. “That exactly describes me and Quinn.”
Ave fell back on the couch and her voice trembled. “I know, I can see it.”
“What happened?” Bonni leaned forward and gave Ava’s hand a squeeze.
“We couldn’t figure out how to make it work. We talked about giving up our respective careers, changing our lives, but neither of us, at the time, was willing to do that.” She shrugged a shoulder. “So we went our separate ways. We never thought about a long-distance relationship, either. It just ended.”
Ava freed her hand from Bonni’s grip to press her fingers against her eyes. All this time, one of her best friends had been carrying around this secret heartbreak, the pain too much to speak off but now she was baring her soul to give a cautionary tale. The love Bonni felt for her friend was overwhelming.
“Oh, Ava, I never knew. You should’ve talked to me. I could’ve helped you through it.” Have you gotten over him?”
“I don’t know really. I think I have. But in a way, it doesn’t matter. It’s still one of the biggest regrets of my life.” The hurt in her voice was evident, but there was also strength and Bonni drew from it.
Ava shifted to grab her drink off the table and downed the remainder. She waved the empty glass as she continued, “God, I can’t believe how similar it is to you and Quinn! But what’s important for me to tell you is this. I’m in my early thirties, I’m settled in a job I mostly love, even if it wasn’t my childhood dream. I’ve tried dating, online and real life, and it’s a zoo. I’m so sick of the ghosting, breadcrumbing, and all the other BS that accompanies dating. So many frogs, Bonni, and I’m tired of kissing them.”
