by K. G. Reuss
I shivered despite the warmth. “Ante up, Travis,” I challenged him.
He let out a low chuckle in my ear, sending a flurry of goosebumps across my skin. “You’ll lose, Hale. You sure you want to play with me?” His hand landed on my hip, pushing his heat through my body where his hot skin met mine over the slit on my hip. His breath tickled my ear. Everyone had gone ahead of us.
Maybe I hadn’t planned on this moment, but I told myself I wouldn’t let him win. “What are you suggesting?”
“A challenge.”
“Bring it, Owens.”
He chuckled softly.
“Two shots. One dance. Deal?”
I hesitated. Drinking with Travis? I’d seen Ava shit-faced too many times. I didn’t enjoy throwing up in a public restroom. I knew that was how the night would end if Travis called the shots.
“I didn’t think so—” he gloated.
“You’re on.”
He stilled behind me before he gave my hip a squeeze.
“Let’s play, princess.”
Sixteen
Travis
My cock strained against my zipper. Lexy in that siren red dress would be the death of me. I was grateful when she’d agreed to the drinks because I was about to burst out of my pants. I hauled in a deep breath as I moved away from her to go to the bartender.
I ordered a double round of shots for everyone at our table and made my way over, leading the waitress.
“Damn. Nice!” Alex appraised, rubbing his hands together.
“I aim to please,” I said, my eyes locked on Lexy’s. A faint flush touched her porcelain skin beneath the pulsing lights of the club.
I sat down and handed Lexy her drinks.
“What is it?” she asked, her voice shaking.
“Tequila,” I answered, handing her a lemon wedge.
“You’re drinking?” Ava looked overjoyed as she stared at Lexy, who nodded.
“You don’t have to, Lex,” Alex started, but Lexy shook her head at him.
“I want to. I want to have some fun tonight. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, right?”
“Except herpes. That shit is forever.” Mason laughed.
“Gross, Mason!” Ava exclaimed.
We all grinned. Alex hesitated for a moment when the rest of us held up our shots. Then we did cheers and threw our drinks back. My gaze was glued on Lexy as she took her shot and then quickly sucked on the lemon wedge, making my cock grow in my pants.
“Oh, shit,” Lexy gasped, her face crinkling as she coughed. “Ugh. So nasty. Gross.”
I laughed. “Can’t hang?”
She hauled in a deep breath, righting her face, and reached for her second shot of tequila.
“I can hang.” And with that, she threw her second shot back, surprising me. Alex seemed to have gotten over the shock of Lexy’s dress and her throwing back shots because he cheered her on with Mason and Ava.
That ought to loosen her up a little. Maybe she wouldn’t snap at me every few minutes now.
Alex ordered us a pitcher of beer and another round of shots.
“Have a shooter, babe,” Ava called out within the hour, her cheeks flushed as she handed Lexy a tube of blue alcohol. “You’ll like these!”
Lexy hesitated for a moment, casting me a quick look that I returned with an innocent smile and raised eyebrows. That was all it took. She downed the drink. When she finished, she stared at the tube, licking her red lips.
My cock grew two sizes in my pants. I’d never had a woman turn me on as much as her. It troubled me because I had no idea where this lust came from. It had hit me out of the blue and wouldn’t go away. I finished my beer and watched Ava pull Lexy out to the dance floor. In no time at all, they had partners grinding up on them.
An ugly beast unfurled within my guts. I’d never felt that feeling before. It took me a moment to realize it was jealousy. I swallowed another shot, gritting my teeth as some dark haired, popped collar douche grinded against Lexy, his hands on the bare patch of skin on her hip.
That was my spot.
“You two look like idiots.” Mason chortled, glancing at me and Alex.
It took me a moment to realize we both were sitting on the edge of our seats, looking like we were ready to pounce.
Alex gave Mason a sheepish look and relaxed his shoulders.
“Why are you two sitting here? Why aren’t you out there dancing with the girls?”
Alex glanced at me, a look of OK, this one time sweeping over his face. He gave me a nod that was all the permission I needed. I was on my feet, making my way over to Lexy within the span of a heartbeat.
I stalked up behind her, wrapped my arms around her waist and began guiding her body to the rhythm of the song. The guy who’d been dancing on her scowled at me and backed off. Good thing, because I wasn’t above punching anyone.
“Need some help?” I murmured in her ear. I felt the goosebumps pop up along her bare hip. I gave that hip a gentle, but firm squeeze.
“No,” she answered. “I was doing fine.”
“Didn’t look fine,” I growled back. “Looked like your new boyfriend was trying to feel you up.”
“Jealous?” she asked, turning to face me, cocking her head.
I quirked my lips up at her. “What would I have to be jealous for?”
She shrugged. “In that case.”
She pulled away from me and began making her way through the crowd, heading to where the douche was trying to dance up on another girl.
Damnit. She played hardball. But I fucking loved it.
I didn’t waste a moment snagging her arm and tugging her back to me.
“You win this round, Lexicon,” I murmured in her ear as I pressed my body against hers.
She answered with a smirk.
By midnight, we were well on our way to wasted. Seeing my victory in the distance, I pushed the envelope, adding more alcohol and challenges to the mix. Lexy met every drinking and dancing challenge I threw at her, even her and Ava grinding on one another, much to both mine and Mason’s pleasure. Alex looked like he might get sick out of confusion.
We’d hit a couple clubs throughout the evening before Ava slurred and pointed at the MGM.
“We have to go.” She giggled, tugging Alex by the hand toward the lit-up monstrosity. I wasn’t about to argue with her, so we went in.
The girls hit the slots first. I watched as Lexy lost ten bucks right away. Her bottom lip jutted out in the cutest pout I’d ever seen. It didn’t take me long to shove a twenty in the machine for her to play with. Her eyes lit up, and she beamed at me as she pulled the lever. My heart jolted in my chest.
Fuck. I want her. Bad. The realization hit me like a ton of bricks. I needed one night with the fiery redhead. I knew that Lexy wasn’t a one-night kind of girl. She was a forever girl.
I watched as she turned the twenty into fifty, then into a hundred, her eyes dancing with joy.
I had to have her.
Someday she’d get married. Have kids. Move. And none of it would be with me. I knew that.
Unless...
Another challenge came to mind. Another way to win the game we played. One that was a hell of a gamble. But we were in Vegas, baby, and I was willing to roll the dice.
Seventeen
Lexy
“One more drink.” Travis laughed, handing me one of the delicious tooters Ava had me hooked on.
I slurped it down, giggling. I felt light. Free. My head spun, but I loved every feeling that accompanied it.
He’d been nice all night. Teasing. Sweet. Sexy.
I liked this Travis. It must be the Travis the other girls saw when they were with him because he’d sure been hiding this guy from me.
“Dance with me?” he asked.
I nodded, giggling.
He pulled me onto the dance floor, and we rocked against one another.
“I have another challenge,” he cooed in my ear.
“Oh, yeah?” I asked, turning to face h
im and feeling brave enough to wrap my arms around his neck.
The move seemed to please him because he didn’t waste any time moving closer to me.
“Yeah. You in?”
“Depends.” I looked into his green eyes, my heart fluttering. I’d drunk a lot, but not so much that I didn’t remember he was my sworn enemy.
He let out a soft laugh. “There’s a chapel down the street. Let’s make our marriage official.”
I raised my eyebrows at him, not sure if I’d heard him right.
“You want to marry me?”
“I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t serious,” he countered. He slurred slightly, squeezing his eyes closed for a moment before opening them. “You in or do you admit you can’t keep up with me?”
My head spun. I wasn’t sure if it was from all the alcohol or from his question.
“You know if you’re married in Vegas, you’re married everywhere, right?” I tried to focus on his face. I couldn’t be positive, but it looked like there were two of him. That last shot may have been overkill. It was starting to hit me hard.
“I know what it means, Lexicon,” he growled, leaning in to speak into my ear. “Challenge. Marry me?”
My breath hitched in my chest.
“Or admit you can’t keep up. That you’re no fun and a prude,” he breathed out into my ear. A flurry of goosebumps poured through me. “Admit you’ve lost. You’re no match for me.”
“I accept the challenge.” The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them. He stilled against me for a moment before he grabbed my hand and dragged me off the dance floor.
“Tell Alex we’ll be back,” Travis shouted, his words slightly slurred. Mason looked confused but nodded as Travis continued to pull me through the club and out the front door. He hailed a taxi with ease and helped me inside.
“Why are you in such a hurry?” I laughed, the spins taking over. I let out a groan.
His hand was on my back, rubbing it gently. “You OK?”
“Mhmm. Just drank a bit too much, I think.”
“Me too. Are you sure you want this?” he asked, his words still slightly garbled, but his green eyes bright. “You want to be my real wife?”
“No,” I snorted. “But I’m not about to lose to you.”
“Come on,” he urged, leaning in, his fingers brushed against the bare skin at my dress’s slit. “You really don’t want to?”
I swallowed down the butterflies in my throat. What the hell was I doing? Was this even real?
“I’m here, aren’t I?”
“You are,” he murmured, his lips brushing against my ear. “Tell me.”
“I want to marry you.”
“I knew you wanted me.” He laughed softly, his hand riding high on my thigh. I wasn’t sure if I rolled my eyes or not, despite the flurry of tingles low in my belly. “God, please, answer this one question for me, Lexy.”
“What?” I murmured, the prickles growing stronger and rocketing through me as his hand moved higher on my thigh. We were in an unknown territory with each other. Hell, I was way out of my league. I battled it out in my mind on whether it was even real.
“Are you even wearing panties under this dress? It’s been driving me nuts wondering all night.”
“Maybe you can find out later,” I teased, the butterflies thrashing harder in my chest. I never flirted, and never with Travis. This definitely was a hallucination. Maybe I’d drunk too much and passed out, and this was some bizarre dream I’d succumbed to.
“Fuck,” he hissed, his eyes filled with lust.
My stomach did a somersault.
The taxi came to a stop in front of a cute white chapel, the fluorescent lights making me squint. Travis paid the driver and helped me out of the car, his arm winding around my waist in an iron tight grip, like he was afraid I’d run on him.
Not that the thought hadn’t crossed my mind. But I wanted to prove him wrong. I wasn’t uptight or a prude. I could have fun. I could do... this.
This is nuts!
This is every girl’s dream, including yours! And hey, it is just a dream. Loosen up! You’re not a prude!
When we got inside, his arm never left my waist. He made the arrangements while I continued the back and forth argument with myself in my mind.
I wasn’t even listening when we made our way into the chapel area. An Elvis impersonator and a Celine Dion impersonator served as our witnesses.
“Look at me,” Travis urged in a whisper as the minister asked me to repeat after him. “Don’t look away, Lexy.”
I’d been so spaced out I hadn’t realized we’d gotten this far.
I locked my eyes on his, ignoring the voice in my head screaming for me to run. “I, Alexis Sophia Hale, take Travis Michael Owens to be my lawfully wedded husband...”
I kept my eyes locked on Travis’s the entire time. The Celine impersonator nudged my elbow, and I turned to see a silver band in her hand. I took it, realizing it was part of what Travis had paid for when he was negotiating at the counter. I slid it onto his finger, another case of spins taking over me.
When it was his turn to repeat after the minister, he did so without hesitation, his eyes still locked on mine. “I, Travis Michael Owens, take Alexis Sophia Hale, to be my lawfully wedded wife...”
He slid a band onto my finger that Elvis handed him as he said his vows to me. I barely heard them as I stared back at him, completely under whatever spell he’d put on me.
“By the power vested in me by the great state of Nevada, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Please make sure you leave a tip in the tip jar on your way out. You may kiss your bride.”
A swell of music played, and Travis grinned, drawing me to him. It took me a moment to realize what was happening. But then his lips met mine in a hungry kiss. His tongue dipped into my mouth, his hands tightening on my waist. We shared the same breath, everything else disappearing around us, our tongues sliding against one another’s in a frantic dance. When we finally broke apart, we were both gasping for air.
The minister grinned at us and handed us a pen. Travis signed his name on the line before handing the pen off to me.
“What do I do?” I asked dumbly.
“Sign your name, Mrs. Owens,” Travis chuckled, swaying slightly.
I bit my bottom lip and stared down at the paper for a moment before signing my name on the line.
Alexis Sophia Owens.
Eighteen
Travis
I’d done it. I’d pulled off the ultimate challenge. I wish I could say I felt great about it, but I didn’t. It felt wrong to take advantage of her drunkenness. Hell, I wasn’t even sure if it was real. I was just rolling with the punches, hoping beyond anything she’d let me take a peek beneath her skirt so I could solve the mystery of whether she was wearing panties or not.
Drunk Travis was an asshole. I was an asshole most of the time, however, this moment was taking the cake.
But something about seeing that silver band on her finger did something to me.
We didn’t talk much as we got into the cab and rode to the house. Her head lolled against my chest, my fingers combing through her hair.
When we arrived, I helped her out of the car and lifted her into my arms, wanting to make sure I carried her over the threshold. She giggled softly against my neck, sending a flurrying of goosebumps through me.
Please let this be real.
I shook the thought away. I was way too fucking drunk.
“My room or yours, Wife?” I murmured as my feet touched the stairs, her small body still in my arms.
“Yours. I don’t want you to stink up my bed.” She giggled again.
I snorted at her. “You’re a real joker.”
When we got to my room, I laid her on the bed, taking a moment to stare down at her in all her carefree glory. And fuck was she beautiful.
Red hair that cascaded like silk over my white pillow. Long, lean legs that disappeared beneath that red dress. Breasts I wanted to
bury my face in and never leave.
And her red, pouty lips and big, blue eyes. So fucking innocent and sweet.
“You’re beautiful,” I murmured as I stared down at her.
She moved up on her elbow, her plump bottom lip pulled beneath her teeth as she looked up at me.
“You’re drunk.”
“So are you,” I answered back softly, watching as she slid across the bed until she was sitting up. My breath caught in my throat as she reached out and rested a warm hand on my abdomen.
“What do I do?” she whispered, her blue eyes begging me to answer her. “H-How do I touch you, Travis?”
Jesus Christ. Her words undid me, sending my heart careening against bone and muscle. Her words were unexpected. I assumed we’d go to bed and wake up in the morning hating one another. The turn of events had my dick twitching against my zipper.
“Like this,” I murmured in a shaky voice as I unbuttoned my pants and took her hand in mine. “I’ll teach you.”
She nodded, her fingers trembling.
I would destroy her. I wasn’t sure if I should jump for joy or worry about her own ideas. Lexy had a way of playing hard ball.
Nineteen
Lexy
Travis undid his pants as I raked in shallow breaths. I didn’t know what the hell I was doing or why I was doing it, but I didn’t stop myself. My eyes locked on his every movement as he pushed his pants and boxers down, his impressive length springing from its cloth prison.
A moment later, his shirt followed, leaving him naked in front of me. I stared in wonder at his body. Thick muscles corded along his arms and legs. A six-pack that converged into the most delicious V before giving way to his fully erect penis.
With my hand in his, he moved it to his dick.
“Touch me, Lexy,” he murmured, wrapping my fingers around his cock.
Shivers raced through me as I touched him. Thick, long, velvety. My breath caught in my throat as I realized I had his dick in my hand. I pushed all doubts out of my head and focused on just having one night of no self-doubt. If it was even real.
