Deceived by the Shifter

by Juniper Hart

  “Come on, Amber,” Hollie said, shoving her friend gently. “Time to wake up.”

  But it was clear that Amberlyn had exceeded her limit and was not about to wake anytime soon.

  “Dammit!” Hollie swore again, looking around as if to seek help from somewhere.

  “It’s okay,” Aaron told her. “I’ll help you get her to a cab. We’re really close to your hotel anyway.”

  Hollie looked up at him in surprise. “But your friends are here,” she reminded him. “You can’t just—”

  “I have a phone. I can text them and let them know where I am. Anyway, I know where our hotel is,” he replied, grinning. “It’s fine. Let me help you.”

  “Do I need to get security?” the dealer snapped. “Please remove her at once!”

  Aaron turned to scowl at him. “Are you mad because Hollie won more than you?” he demanded. “Keep your knickers on, buddy. We’re moving her.”

  Hollie laughed aloud at the dealer’s pinched expression as she put one of Amberlyn’s arms over her shoulder and Aaron took the other one. In minutes, they were outside, loading the unconscious girl into a cab.

  “I had no idea that she drank that much,” Hollie murmured, glancing worriedly at Amberlyn. “I mean I should have been paying better attention to her, but…” She trailed off, her brow furrowing, and Aaron saw she was thinking. “Wait, how much have I had to drink?” she asked suddenly, her dark eyes questioning.

  “You’re fine,” he assured her. “Don’t worry.”

  The cab slipped down the street silently, and they pulled up to Circus Circus, Aaron paying the fare.

  “You don’t have to do that!” Hollie protested, but Aaron waved her away.

  “Maybe you can buy me a sandwich after we put Sleeping Beauty to bed. I’m starving,” he told her, and she nodded eagerly.

  “Okay!” Hollie agreed.

  Again, they guided Amberlyn to the elevators, and soon, they fell unceremoniously into the room, off teeter from the drinks and the dead weight of the slumbering blonde.

  “Can you wait outside?” Hollie asked. “I want to put her in pajamas.”

  Aaron nodded and stepped back into the hallway. He leaned against the wall in the hallway, a small smile touching his lips. He wondered, What are the chances of meeting a woman like her in Vegas? A warm flush crept up his neck.

  This is one for the grandkids all right. Again, he was surprised by his thoughts, but he decided not to question himself. If it feels right, go with it, he reasoned. Maybe she won’t be like the others.

  His cell chimed in his pocket, and Aaron pulled it out.

  The text was short. Where the hell are you? We’re going to Caesar’s.

  It was Lance.

  He went to text back, but he realized he couldn’t see the screen clearly without closing one eye.

  Whoops. It looks like Amberlyn isn’t the only one who had too much to drink.

  Slowly, with excruciating movements, he managed to send back a barely coherent message. Meet girl. C u eleven.

  The door to the girls’ hotel room opened, and Hollie exited, quietly closing it behind her.

  “She’s out like a light,” she commented. “Let’s go get you that sandwich.”

  He stared at her for a long moment. If they’re going to Caesar’s, they won’t be back for hours still.

  “There’s room service at my hotel,” he told her quietly. “We could order a bottle of wine and eat there.”

  Hollie bit on her lower lip, and Aaron was sure he had never seen a more glorious sight in all his life.

  “Where’s your hotel?”

  “The Bellagio.”

  She cocked her head to the side and nodded slowly, her eyes raking over his frame as if trying to imagine what he looked like beneath the surface.

  “All right,” she agreed. “But never tell Amberlyn where you’re staying. She wanted to upgrade.”

  “Aren’t you glad you didn’t leave when you wanted to?” Aaron asked as they made their way toward the elevators.

  Hollie peered at him for a moment, a coy smile touching her lips. “I’m not sure yet,” she replied. “That remains to be seen.”

  They couldn’t keep their hands off one another in the taxi, their breaths growing hotter and faster as their kisses grew more urgent.

  Aaron didn’t recall how they got into his suite, but it seemed that as soon as they were in the door, they were naked, Hollie doing a crab walk up the pristine bedcovers as she stared into his eyes.

  He wasted no time pouncing onto the bed beside her, and she chuckled, drawing his face toward her, their lips meeting much more slowly. Time seemed to hesitate as they stared into the other’s eyes, a clash of blue and brown that inspired more sparks between them.

  Gently, he lay Hollie back, his palm slipping over the silken skin of her body. She felt as soft as she appeared, and he felt a sigh leave his lips as his hands traced the curves of her body.

  Lower his head fell, nuzzling her crevices tenderly, and his tongue slowly met the tender area between her legs. She purred happily, wrapping her thighs around his head as he met her center. Her slender waist arched upward, and he licked deep, feeling himself grow solid as she groaned.

  “Oh my God…” she mewled.

  His mouth grazed the rawest parts of her body, and she moaned dramatically, her hips bucking up as his movements grew rougher.

  Her fingers found the crown of his head, and she pushed him against her, gasping as her breaths shortened.

  “Cum for me,” he murmured. The vibration of his mouth seemed to send her over the edge, and she sighed long and low as her body trembled against him.

  Barely had she finished when she slipped out from under him, her nipples erect, her flat stomach slick with sweat. On their knees, they faced each other, dizzy with liquor and desire, but both wanting more.

  Aaron had to have her, and he crushed his lips to Hollie’s parted lips before spinning her, sending her crashing to the bed on all fours. He mounted her like a rabid beast, rearing to finish what he had started.

  Hollie yelped as he drove himself inside of her, grasping the crisp linens in a fist, but she was barely able to leverage herself as he slid in and out of her, his pace quickening with each thrust.

  She gasped again, dropping her shoulders to the bed, her rear high up against his waist. Aaron pounded at her, grunting as his palm slid down the satin of her back, pausing his hand at the top of her firm bottom.

  She pushed against him, crying out, and he felt her spasm again.

  It was as if she had given him a cue to release, and he did so in long, hot gushes, filling her over and over as he secured himself to her.

  She was shaking almost violently, her legs collapsing, and she sprawled into a pile, a wide grin on her face.

  “That was fantastic,” she told him, leering at him softly.

  “Yes,” Aaron agreed, smiling back. “It was.” He leaned over to kiss her softly on the lips, and she licked her mouth after he parted.

  “Why don’t you pour me a drink, and we’ll go find something to eat,” she suggested. “I really don’t feel like getting room service.”

  He nodded, sitting up at the edge of the bed as he tried to still his heart. He gazed back at Hollie, watching her for a long moment as she closed her eyes, the beam still on her face.

  I could marry her, he thought. He waited for the usual humiliation to follow whenever he had such silly, idealistic thoughts, but it didn’t come. This is the real thing, finally. She’s the one I’ve been waiting for my whole life.

  “Hey, are you okay?” Hollie asked, opening her lids and peering at him.

  “Yeah,” he replied hoarsely. “I really am.”

  Chapter Three

  Snow was falling, but it was unseasonably warm, and Hollie couldn’t understand it.

  “Where is this snow coming from?” she asked Amberlyn in confusion, but Amberlyn was sleeping as she stood to her left. A peaceful smile on her face, she almost seem
ed dead but erect in slumber.

  Hollie looked to her right and saw a giant slot machine. The lever was its arm, and it was waving at her.

  “Hello Hollie! Come give me a spin!” it cried to her.

  “You should do it,” Aaron agreed from behind her.

  “Where are your clothes?” she demanded, staring at him aghast, but she realized she was aroused and wanted to have sex.

  “Again?” he teased. “Okay, but you might break me.”

  “No! Wait! Give me a spin!” the slot machine ordered.

  “Do you mind?” she asked Aaron, and he shook his head, smiling patiently.

  “You go ahead. We have all the time in the world now.”

  She hurried over to the machine and pulled the lever. The siren erupted, coins spilling wildly from the belly of the beast.

  Hollie gagged.

  Her eyes flew open, and her hand clamped over her mouth as she stumbled from the bed, vomit on the brink of flying from her mouth, the dream fresh in mind. In her still drunk state, she thought that coins were about to erupt from her gut through her windpipe.

  She fell face first into the bathroom, dispelling half the contents of her stomach onto the floor. She retched again, her head swimming in pain and dizziness as she slumped against the wall.

  Sitting very still, she willed the vertigo and sick away. Oh my God. I am still tanked from last night, she realized. How much did I drink? How many shots did we do at that cowboy bar?

  As she half fell onto the cool tile of the floor, she struggled to recall the evening. The mere thought of alcohol caused her stomach to flip again, and she closed her eyes to orient herself.

  Wait a second… Cautiously, she opened her lids and looked around. She was back in her room. Did I bring that guy back here? Is he in the bed too? Mortified, she crawled toward the door, her pulse thick and racing. If alcohol is a blood thinner, why do I feel like there’s sludge in my veins right now?

  There was no energy or brain power for such difficult existential questions. As she poked her head around the corner, Hollie exhaled in relief, falling to the floor to sprawl out. She still wore her clothes from the night before, and Amberlyn was snoring lightly in her bed, but they were alone in the room.

  Hallelujah! I am not as stupid as I thought, she sighed.

  Another wave of nausea forced her to reconsider her earlier praise. She threw up again and felt a bit better, although her head was still swimming as she rose.

  Oh, today is going to hurt a lot. I hope Amberlyn is as miserable as I am today. Hollie had a feeling her friend would be in just as bad shape.

  As far as Hollie could recall, Amberlyn had not woken once throughout the night, but what did Hollie know? She did not know what time she had returned to their hotel room, nor did she remember much of what had happened after the bar they had gone to after she and the stranger had sex in his suite.

  We left his room and went to eat, Hollie remembered. And then we went that bar, and he started with the damned tequila.

  She licked her lips and winced. She needed water.

  “Oh my God!” The moan was plaintive and feral as Amberlyn tried to sit up in bed. “What the hell did I do?”

  “Please,” Hollie begged from her spot on the floor. “Not so loud.”

  Amberlyn glanced around, obviously looking for Hollie. She slid to the end of the bed, her blue eyes widening with surprise.

  “What happened to you?” she asked, her blonde eyebrows at her hairline. “You look worse than I feel, and that’s not saying much, Hol.”

  “Tequila,” she murmured. “The devil’s urine.”

  Amberlyn flopped facedown into the bed. “You’re closer to the minibar. Grab me a bottle of vodka before I start feeling fully hungover.”

  Bile tickled the insides of Hollie’s mouth at the mention of liquor, but she moved to oblige. A drunk Amberlyn was easier to deal with than a hungover one.

  “How did I get back here? Oh, I’m in my pajamas.” Amberlyn looked at Hollie sheepishly. “What did I do?”

  “Honestly, I am trying to piece it all together myself,” she assured her friend. “The point is, we’re safe and alive somehow. Barely alive.” She dropped the miniature onto the bed beside Amberlyn and flopped onto the mattress beside her.

  “Ugh, you reek of puke. Here, drink this,” Amberlyn said, trying to give Hollie a drink from the small bottle of vodka.

  Hollie waved her away, moaning. “No,” she cried, propping herself up to unscrew the bottle of water in her hand.

  “Well, the point of the trip was to forget,” Amberlyn chortled, and her voice seemed unnaturally loud to Hollie.

  “That we did,” she murmured, closing her eyes. “That we did.”

  When Hollie opened her eyes again, she heard the shower going in the bathroom. She felt slightly better, but the pounding in her head was worsening.

  I need ibuprofen. She stumbled off Amberlyn’s bed and made her way to the purse she had dropped on the dresser, digging around for a bottle of pain reliever.

  She pricked her finger on a hair pin and inadvertently opened a lipstick tube, scratching it with her nail. Groaning at the unnecessary difficulty of the search, she flipped the bag onto her bed and began rummaging through the contents.

  There it is, she though with relief, prying open the container and stuffing two pills down her throat with a glass of water. She turned back to clean up the mess, picking up her cell phone. Glancing at it, she saw she had no messages.

  I bet we didn’t even exchange numbers, she thought wryly, picking up the items.

  A white napkin caught her eye with writing scrawled on it. Blinking to clear her blurry vision, she scanned the note. It was almost indecipherable, as if someone had written it with a broken, drunken hand.

  Can’t wait to start our life together, my wife. A.

  Hollie stared at the words, squinting. It doesn’t say that. You’re hungover, and this writing is atrocious.

  But as she stood there rereading the note, a simultaneous wave of hot and cold splashed over her, and she sank onto the bed. A foggy recollection began seeping back to her on the fringes of her mind.

  “Still feeling shitty?” Amberlyn asked, wringing out her damp curls with a towel while another sat firmly about her ample bosom.

  “What does this say?” she asked, thrusting the note at her friend.

  Amberlyn stared at it, adjusting it.

  “It says… ‘can’t what to startle…’ No wait, that doesn’t make any sense…” she trailed off and tried again. “It says ‘Can’t wait to start our life together, my wife. A.’ Who is A, and what is this?”

  Hollie stared at Amberlyn, her mouth agape. “You don’t remember that guy from last night?”

  The blonde’s eyes almost popped out of her head. “There was a guy? What did I do? Oh my God! You were supposed to watch over me—”

  “Nothing happened to you!” Hollie exploded. “He was a guy you met at the Mirage. His name was…Aaron. At least, I think it was Aaron.”

  “We were at the Mirage last night?”

  “Are you shitting me right now, Amber?” Hollie yelled, her face turning red. “You don’t even remember going to the Mirage?”

  Amberlyn shrugged. “I can’t remember anything after lunch,” she confessed. “I mean bits and pieces, but nothing concrete. We drank two pitchers of sangria!”

  Hollie growled. She allowed her canine teeth to extend as her eyes flashed. “You sincerely don’t remember?”

  A glimmer of fear flashed in Amberlyn’s eyes. “Why are you so mad? What happened?”

  “I ended up sleeping with that guy last night, and now I can’t remember what happened after!”

  “Why are you mad at me?” Amberlyn asked.

  “Sorry. I’m not mad at you. I’m just…really worried that I did something stupid.”

  “Wait, did he drug you?” Amberlyn asked, her face worried.

  “No! Nothing like that. I was just really drunk, and I just found th
is note in my purse from him. You don’t think I…”

  Amberlyn’s stared at her blankly. “You what?” she asked.

  “Never mind. Of course I didn’t,” Hollie sighed. “He was just being drunk and cute.” She turned back to the mess on the bed. “Let’s go for breakfast. I need some grease and a Bloody Mary.”

  “Sounds like a good plan,” Amberlyn murmured.

  Hollie ignored her as her eyes fell on something else in the pile. It was a business card, and as she reached over to pick it up, her stomach flip flopped again.

  “Oh…my…God…”

  Amberlyn stepped to her side, toweling off as she stared at what was in her hand. “What is that?” she demanded. Her eyes narrowed as she peered at the writing. “When did you go to a wedding chapel?”

  Hollie wished she knew.

  “Stop pacing the floor. That’s not going to help you think,” Amberlyn said.

  Hollie stared at her friend, dumbfounded. “I married a total stranger last night, Amber. I can’t remember his last name, and you can’t remember what he looks like.”

  “Did you go to his hotel room?” Amber asked.

  Hollie nodded, but then she shook her head miserably. “I can’t remember what room he was in.”

  “Wow. You’re screwed.”

  “Thanks! Thanks a lot! Oh my god! What did I do?”

  “It’ll be fine, Hollie,” Amberlyn said.

  “Fine? I married a guy, and I have no idea how to find him!”

  “What’s the big deal? Judging by the note he left, he’s in love. You probably made plans to meet somewhere, and you blanked. Just stay here until he shows up. I’ll go get us some breakfast.”

  Hollie could think of no better option at that moment except going to the Bellagio and waiting in the lobby, but there was no guarantee she would see him. The Bellagio was huge with several exits.

  Amberlyn is right. He’ll be back. Obviously, the wedding was his idea. We will get this annulled today and when I overcome my humiliation, we will laugh about it. That might be in twenty years, but it will happen.

  Amberlyn grabbed her purse, pausing at the doorway. “I would start drinking if I were you,” she chuckled. “Otherwise you’re going to pace a hole into the floor.”