by Becca Dale
***
They stepped off the plane together and wove through the crowded Las Vegas airport to a relatively open area. Erik’s arm swept around her waist and pulled her against his chest. His gray eyes sparkled. “I know I promised to be rebound guy and let you walk away—I lied. Give me your number or something.”
Her body still hummed from two incredible orgasms and a fantastic backrub that occurred while he was trying to convince the flight attendants that she had cried out in the bathroom for reasons other than a toe-curling, mind-bending orgasm. Still, she’d agreed to and paid for the one-night stand. She had to go through with it. Pressing her palms to his hard chest, Devlynn pushed back far enough to see his face. “I have to do this, Erik. Please understand. I promised.”
“I know. Me, too.”
She dug into her purse and pulled out a business card. “Here. This has my cell on it. I’ll talk to you tomorrow one way or the other.”
He took it and put it in his wallet before he settled his hands on her waist and lifted her to her toes. “One more kiss until tomorrow.” He didn’t ask, more like promised, the second before his warm lips closed over hers. His tongue coaxed her to miss him then he disappeared, leaving the taste of heaven behind.
Chapter Four
Erik settled in his luxurious suite at the Castillo Resort, dropping his overnight bag in the bedroom and flipping open his laptop on an impressive desk. Everything about the place screamed class. How the hell had his sister afforded to pay for the date he’d never know, but she’d picked up the tab on everything, refusing to take anything to help defray costs.
His cell rang just as he turned on his computer. Tapping the phone screen, he picked up and strolled to take in the incredible view of the strip below. “Hey, sis. What’s up?”
“Are you there yet?”
“Yeah. The date doesn’t start for another seven hours though. I thought I’d get some work done.”
“Really? You’re in Sin City and you’re working? Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
He chuckled and twisted the top off an expensive, imported beer. He’d have to put the wet bar stuff on his tab at least. “So did you call just to make sure I wasn’t hanging out in my room?”
“Pretty much, and to see what you think of your date.”
“I haven’t met her yet, remember?”
“I know but you have a file, don’t you? What’s she like?”
“I didn’t read it.” He sat at the desk and clicked on the 1NS file.
“Why haven’t you looked at it yet? You’re supposed to read it so you know what to expect and how to behave.”
“I have it open now, but I’m not changing who I am. What good would that do either of us?” He quickly scanned the basic information. Hot damn! The urge to grin bloomed in his chest and spread upward as he read the information aloud. “Her name is Devlynn Connors. She’s five-foot-seven, one-hundred and thirty-five pounds, with short blond hair and aquamarine eyes.” The profile claimed they were simply blue-green, but he knew better.
“Oh my God, I asked for someone feminine. She sounds like a beanpole.”
Anger flashed through Erik at his sister’s criticism. “She looks sort of like a tall Meg Ryan.”
“Did they send a picture?”
No, but I know. “Of course.”
“Really? They didn’t ask me for a photo of you.”
He wanted to read Devlynn’s profile. “Listen, Cari, I gotta go. I have a ton of work to do before tonight.”
“Wait! This is important. You’ve been alone too long.” The love in her voice echoed through the phone.
Erik sat back with a sigh. “I’ll tell you all about her tomorrow when I get home. Promise.”
“But you will read about her, right? You have to be exactly what she needs. That’s the rule.”
“Thanks for calling and tell everyone hi.” He hung up on her protest already reading the file. Under must haves she’d written Exceedingly confident man willing to take the lead. Must have a strong financial portfolio and solid five-year plan. No do-gooders or mama’s boys need apply.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” He sat up straight and stared at the screen. He had a decent nest egg on his own, and with his tours overseas and peacetime duty working full time for the National Guard, he’d have a damned fine pension from Uncle Sam by the time he turned forty. He wasn’t a mama’s boy, but he dedicated a great deal of time to his sister and her family, and he volunteered at the animal shelter two weekends a month. While those things didn’t exactly make him a do-gooder, they didn’t make him the arrogant bastard she apparently wanted. “You were ripped off, Cari. No way in hell do I fit this description.” Do I?
He read the rest of the information the one-night stand service had provided. None of it sounded like the beautiful girl he’d met on the plane.
You have to be exactly what she needs. That’s the rule. His sister’s admonition rang in his head echoed by Devlynn’s own words, I want something or someone I can count on to be exactly what I need for once. No man I’d ever pick would be that sweet, that concerned about his family.
How the hell was he supposed to pretend he could potentially care about the woman? Just reading the profile made him want to walk away from the whole date. He could like, possibly even love, the gorgeous and generous angel he’d met on the plane, but it had to have been a sham, an opportunity for a quick and potentially dangerous romp with a stranger. No one could be that innocent and write a calculating, money-driven list like hers. Something the real housewives or the Sex and the City chicks would do. He’d seen too many women through the years who focused only on a man’s checking account rather than the man himself. He sure as hell wouldn’t willingly offer himself to a woman who mentioned nothing about emotion.
Emptying the beer, he cracked another and read through the rest of the profile. It did not get better. It got worse. He couldn’t believe his golden angel was so hard. His one-night stand deserved to get exactly what she wanted and he’d deliver it to her in spades.
***
Tipping her head beneath the shower spray, Devlynn sighed as the last of Erik’s scent washed down the drain with her shaving cream. She’d shaved the night before in preparation for the one-night stand, not that she had really intended to sleep with the man, but just in case. However, memories of Erik’s talented hands and tongue, not to mention his incredibly gifted cock, insisted she start fresh in her preparations to meet the man her friends had chosen for her.
She obviously had no skill in picking a good guy for herself. It would be amazing if her date turned out to be Erik, but the profile from 1NS destroyed any hope of that despite his military background. Giving the date a chance was a no-brainer. She wanted Erik, which meant he was probably a big loser just like every other man she had ever been attracted to. Still, he had acted so sweet and tender while keeping that honed edge of arrogance she found so attractive. Maybe he was different?
“Not likely, Devlynn.”
The sound of her own voice bouncing back from the tiled walls jerked her from her thoughts. Shutting off the water, she stepped from the shower to the lush bath mat warmed by the heated travertine floor. She wiggled her toes in the fibers with a wicked smile. Her friends hadn’t been wrong about the lavish accommodations, or insisting that she have her own suite, so maybe they were on to something.
A knock sent her scurrying to tug on a thick hotel bathrobe. She opened the door at the second tap. A bellboy stood in the hall, an ostentatious bouquet of full-blown Casa Blanca lilies clutched in his arms. “For you, ma’am.”
She motioned him inside and moved to get her purse to tip him, but he disappeared before she could turn back around. Oriental lilies were her favorite, but she had never seen so many in one vase. The arrangement had to have cost a fortune. Five dozen perfect, star-shaped flowers crowded the distinct Lalique crystal vase, and the cloying aroma quickly overpowered the room. Devlynn plucked the tiny card from among the blossoms
. The thick paper reinforced the assumption that the bouquet had originated from an upscale florist. Too bad the scent was about to make her gag. Sliding a nail under the flap, she withdrew the card.
Ms. Connors, until we meet, dream of me. First Lieutenant Stephan Mallard
Shit! Although barely a note at all, the card screamed arrogance and her worst fears materialized. Her girlfriends had picked exactly what they thought she liked, hoping Madame Evangeline’s supposed magic would make the difference. With a sigh, she set the vase on the balcony and closed the door on the overwhelming fragrance. A headache had already begun to pound between her eyes.
She opened her purse and dug out the folded paperwork she’d printed out before leaving home and a bottle of acetaminophen. Downing a few pills with a swig from an imported bottle of water that probably cost more than she wanted to dwell on, she flopped onto her stomach on the king-sized bed. The mattress embraced her in rich silk, and she took a moment to appreciate the fine comfort. She tucked a pillow under her arms and opened the information on her date although she already had it memorized.
First Lieutenant Stephan Mallard had trained in the finest schools, had spent three tours of duty in dangerous areas earning several medals for merit and bravery. Born and raised in Boston, but presently residing in Tacoma, Washington. Had he been on the plane as well? She’d seen a man in first-class that could have been her date. The Boston part along with the expensive schools screamed old, spoiled-rotten money, but being honored for his service certainly spoke well of the man. Didn’t it?
Sitting up, she skimmed the info sheet until she found his must have list. Looking for a woman who understands her role as a female. Must be well-mannered and well-groomed at all times as befitting an officer’s standards. No feminazi or career-driven psychos please.
When she read the profile at home, it didn’t strike her as anything but what she expected, but after Erik, her date sounded like nothing more than another chauvinistic ass. If someone purported to border on the supernatural couldn’t get it right, how the hell was she supposed to? She rubbed her breastbone as panic and irritation blended and burned. So much for the magic of a one-night stand.
***
Erik tweaked the razor-sharp crease down the front of his new suit and straightened his lapels in the mirror at the end of the hall opposite Devlynn’s suite. He wished he had his dress blues with his medals lined up neatly across his shoulder and all other pomp and circumstance insignia and accoutrements in order. He didn’t have a lot, but his medals might have impressed the uptight woman he was about to take to dinner. If they didn’t, she could screw off. Hell, she could screw off anyway. The thought that his beautiful angel had been a front, an act to kill time on the flight to meet another man, chapped his ass.
A group of pretty women in dresses too sexy for their years whistled at him as they boarded the elevator. “Hey hottie, come buy us a drink.”
He smiled and held the door open for them as they trooped inside. “Sorry, I have a date.”
A blond with boobs about to overflow her top caught at his elbow. “Please? We’ll buy you a drink. What do you say, cutie?”
He chuckled and lifted her hand from his arm before stepping back. “As enticing as that sounds, ladies, an officer never fails to do his duty.” He saluted and they giggled as the doors closed. The brief encounter lifted his spirits a tad. They were fun and beautiful. Why the hell was he contemplating keeping a date that would be nothing but a fraud? Almost without his mind’s directive, he continued to Devlynn’s room. The idea that perhaps the data on her sheet had been mixed up somehow swirled hope and anticipation in his gut.
She opened the door at his knock and his heart fell. The gorgeous aquamarine eyes and riotous curls of his angel had disappeared beneath layers of refinement. Devlynn’s short hair was restrained by a wide black band and the curls were no more than subtle waves. Sophisticated makeup hid her fresh face, masking the adorable sprinkling of freckles beneath a bland pallet of acceptable nothingness. Even the sparkle in her eyes seemed to have died away. A conservative black dress emphasized her tiny waist, but otherwise camouflaged her physical assets. Stopping mid-calf, it made her lovely, boner-enticing legs ordinary at best. Even her dress shoes were conservative, hiding the crazy Harley-orange polish that had made him want to suck her toes.
Her eyes widened as she recognized him. “Erik?” She looked around him to check the hall before dragging him across the threshold in panic. “You can’t be here.”
Her rejection hurt even though he’d expected it. She apparently hadn’t read his profile sheet. Glancing around the room, he searched for the huge bouquet he’d sent up. “Didn’t you get the flowers?”
Confusion danced over her face. “You sent them? But I thought—you gave me a false name?”
“Of course not. I would have no reason to lie. My father was Stephan so my friends started calling me by my middle name, Erik, and it stuck. Only my sister uses my real name.”
“So did you know all along then…this morning on the plane…in the airport? All of it was a lie?”
He wanted to sweep her into his arms and kiss her until she turned back into his sexy-sweet angel, but the icy words on her profile stopped him. “Not all of it.” He leaned close to her and ran a finger down her cheek. “You really did look uncommonly fuckable.” He stepped back and accessed her outfit in his best impression of a pompous ass. “Now, you look as a woman of refinement should. I wonder which is the lie.”
Devlynn stepped back from the arrogant judgment that rolled off him in waves. How had her hot and sensitive soldier turned into a dick in the span of a few hours? It normally took a few dates at least. Must be well-mannered and well-groomed at all times as befitting an officer’s standards. Perhaps he had not changed at all. The man on the plane was obviously an image he used to get laid. It sure as hell had worked on her.
Erik…Lt. Mallard cleared his throat. “I believe we have an eight o’clock reservation. Shall we?”
She slipped her hand into the crook of his offered arm and closed the door behind her. Her heart beat feebly in her chest as it cried. The man beside her looked and smelled like her dream, but acted just like every other arrogant dickwad she’d ever dated. She wanted to call it quits. To run back to her room and curl up on the giant bed that she would sure as hell sleep in alone and weep for broken promises. Knock it off. No use getting maudlin over a man you know nothing about. At least she knew up front that he was a manipulator.
They walked the hall, rode the elevator, and followed a well-dressed maître d’ to their seats in complete silence. She could almost hear the crickets.
Does the desert even have crickets?
The weird thought almost made her smile until she caught the Lieutenant wink like a besotted idiot at a table full of women who squealed and waved. Seriously, what kind of grown women squeal in public? Reining in her irritation, she struggled not to slap his face. She didn’t have any sort of hold on the prick, but he could at least have the courtesy to focus on her since she was technically his date.
She cleared her throat, waiting until he looked her way. “So what do you do as a recruiter, Erik?”
“First Lieutenant in public, thank you.”
She wanted to throw up, would have if her stomach wasn’t empty. “I stand corrected. What do you do, First Lieutenant?”
Taking a sip of his water, he stared at her nonexistent cleavage before he answered. “I direct recruitment in the Tacoma area. Overseas, I’m in charge of communications. Don’t worry, I make more than a decent living, and I have money invested from the deaths of my parents. My woman will never have to work outside the home, and my children will be well cared for.”
Did he just say his woman? Good God, I’m on a date with Henry the Eighth. Even Lyle had never been that chauvinistic. “I make a decent living myself.”
His chuckle sounded indulgent. “I am sure you do. What is it that your file said you do again? Bank teller?”
&nb
sp; Her spine stiffened. “Not that there’s anything wrong with being a bank teller, but I own an online investment firm. I handle portfolios for investors all over the world.”
He lifted an eyebrow and for a moment she thought he was impressed. “So you couldn’t find a real job then, I mean, with a solid company?”
She picked up her menu and tried to read the choices. She struggled to focus. Was he trying to piss her off? His profile had said he didn’t want a woman too engrossed in her job, but she kept thinking the man from the plane would come back. Of course if he did, that would mean he had multiple personalities, but she might be willing to put up with Lieutenant Stick-Up-The-Ass if Erik turned out to be the dominant persona.
“From the ladies, monsieur.” She watched as his eyes drifted back to the table filed with women and the waiter set down a glass of bourbon. The server offered her a sympathetic glance before he pulled out a small pad. “What will you be having this evening, mademoiselle?”
Devlynn looked across the table at the arrogant bastard, hoping he would show some class, but he didn’t even acknowledge her. No way in hell was she wasting her entire evening on the asshole. With a smile for the waiter, she stood and tossed her menu on the table. “I will be having room service. Sorry to have taken up your table.”
She could feel First Lieutenant Mallard’s gaze as she left, but she didn’t care if he judged her lacking. A warm hand touched her elbow and for a fleeting second she thought it might be her date.
It was the waiter. “Mademoiselle, the meal and everything including wine has been paid for. Are you sure you care to leave?”
A tall and gorgeous man approached. “Is there a problem, René?”
“Non, Monsieur Castillo. It is just that this lady is a friend of Madame Evangeline and it appears her date for the evening is unsatisfactory.”
The little Frenchman looked so appalled she wanted to hug him. “I think it would be best to retire early.”
