by Rye Hart
“Then I guess it’s only the two of us on our flight,” I said.
“They better reimburse me for those tickets,” she said with a murmur.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure they do. My brothers can be a bit reckless when it comes to a party weekend. Thankfully, you won’t have to deal with them. You and Lauren will have a good time, I’m sure.”
“I’ve missed her. It’s been almost a month since I last saw her.”
“She’s really excited to see you too. This’ll be a good weekend for all of us. Come on. If we get to the airport a little early, we can get a drink before hopping on the plane.”
“Starting the party a little early?” she asked with a smile.
Fuck me, that smile was gorgeous, with pouty lips that stretched across white teeth. Her cheeks reddened every time she smiled, and her dimples were deep and devilish. She always looked like she was up to something.
“Might as well have a bit of fun,” I said with a wink.
She grabbed her things, and we hopped into my car. Of course, my brothers would be inconsiderate of her time and money. It was why I didn’t think any of them deserved her. Samantha deserved someone who would take her feelings into account. Someone who would look out for her while helping her to achieve her dreams. A man who would support her and catch her whenever she fell, but a man who would also help her back onto her feet instead of keeping her helpless in his arms. She deserved a man who would stand behind her and support her every word before pinning her down and making her his pillow princess. A man whose tongue was sharp at her defense before being sharp between her legs. A man who stood his ground at her side before standing his ground with her pinned against the wall.
Samantha deserved a man like that.
A man like me.
I parked the car in long-term parking, then the two of us hopped out. It took us much longer than we figured to get through security, and by the time we got to the bar inside the airport, it was time to board. Samantha sighed, and I could tell she was disappointed, so when we sat together on the plane the first thing I ordered us were two drinks.
“You know they’re going to be expensive on the plane, right?” she asked.
“Don’t worry. It’s not like you’re picking up the tab. All of this is going on my card,” I said.
“Liam, you don’t have to do that.”
But I ignored her as I reached for our drinks the attendant brought us.
“To a great weekend in Vegas,” I said as I held up my glass. “Here’s to a trip we’ll never forget.”
CHAPTER 3
LUKE
“You paid for the tickets to Vegas out of the company account?” Logan asked. “Liam’s gonna kill you for that, Luke.”
“Hey. I’m the one in charge of the finances. One of our biggest clients is based out of Vegas. I give him a call, meet up for drinks to talk a bit of business before we get the party started, and boom. Weekend trip to Vegas covered,” I said.
“Sounds like a ‘gray area’ for our taxes,” Logan said.
“Then why don’t you stick to dealing with the management of construction sites and leave the numbers to me?”
None of my brothers had been on board with me at first when I suggested we all get an earlier flight out to Vegas. But I wanted to make sure everything was set up before Sam and Lauren flew in. I wasn’t just the numbers guy for the construction company, I was also the guy who set up business trips. I didn’t like that we were all flying down without someone coming ahead to make sure things were set up properly.
So, I took it upon myself to do it.
When my brothers and I had landed three hours ago, we went to check out the rooms. I had already figured out where would be the best place to position myself when it came to Sam. I wanted to be close to her as much as I could be while we were in Vegas. Sam had been gone for almost a month, and I’d missed her. So when we checked out the hotel rooms and I had an opportunity to room next to Sam, I took it.
The thing was, some of us had to double-up, so Logan was rooming with me.
Still, I was excited about being so close to her. The rooms were joined with a shared door in the living room, which meant I’d have easy-as-pie access to her. I liked that. I had plans for my weekend, and they had nothing to do with getting drunk or treating Lauren’s fiancé to anything. Sure, my brothers and I would give him the Bachelor party of a lifetime, then, I would turn my sights to Sam.
This weekend would be the weekend I told her how I felt about her.
For years, I’d had the hots for her. Fantasized about her and yearned for her and craved her. Any time I could get with her in between her insane work hours, I took it. She was the perfect woman, with curves that could kill and blue eyes that sucked me in. Sam was anything but innocent, and that was her allure. That soft exterior encased a strong, independent, self-made woman who stopped at nothing to get what she wanted out of life. She had a vibrant passion for things and always the best attitude.
She could make me smile even when I didn’t want to.
I wanted to make my deepest fantasies come true. I wanted to feel Sam’s naked skin against mine before I professed to her how much I cared for her. But unless I was arguing with one of my brothers, I was quiet. In the corner. Off in my own world. I’d always been that way. It’s why numbers suited me. Numbers never lied, never stole, and never talked unless they had to. I helped our construction company by sitting in an office all day, away from everyone else and running figures to make sure we were on track to profit every quarter.
I enjoyed my job, but my personality also matched my chosen career.
I didn’t like that Liam got to ride on the plane with her all the way to Vegas alone. I didn’t like that he’d already had so much alone time with her. I was happy no one snagged Sam up in Paris, but that didn’t mean I didn’t want to see it with my own two eyes. See her walking off the plane by herself with a massive smile geared towards me. Watching her with Liam, however, brought the reality of my feelings for her down full-force.
I had missed Sam.
And watching her walk towards us in baggage claim was enough to swell my chest with happiness.
Logan had been insistent that someone had to ride out to Vegas with Sam. And since Lauren and Todd were riding in first-class seats, that meant someone had to stay behind in economy and ride with her. I knew Liam would take care of her, so I let it go when it was offered that he stay behind and ride with her. After all, I was the one going ahead and making sure her accommodations were deserving of her presence. That meant something.
But watching Liam walk off the plane with her giggling at his side made me wish I was the one who’d stayed with her. I didn’t talk much about how I felt regarding her to my other brothers, but Liam knew. He knew how I felt about her and there he was, walking a little too closely with his hand on the small of her back. I’d waited an entire month to feel Sam in my arms again, and knowing Liam got there first made me ache for her more.
Sam threw her arms around all of our necks, and I drew in her scent. That spicy cinnamon and apple body wash she always wore enticed me closer to her. I gave her one final squeeze before she smiled up at me, and I fell into the swimming abyss of her gorgeous blue stare.
“Care to share a cab?” Sam asked.
“I’d like that,” I said.
“So, Liam had a theory that you guys probably came early to make sure the hotel rooms were okay.”
“We did.”
“Are they okay?” she asked.
“They’re perfect.”
“Good. So, what are we going to do about these plane tickets I bought for you guys that never got used?”
“Have you checked your bank account?”
She furrowed her brow and pulled out her phone, but I quickly wrapped my hand around her wrist. Her skin was soft. Warm. I’d made a terrible mistake in touching her. Fuck. I couldn’t let go. I wanted more. My heart slammed against my chest and our eyes connected. Liam was star
ing at us, and I knew he could see the love I’d had for this woman for all these years.
“Luke?” Liam asked. “You good?”
“Yeah. Sorry. Um, don’t worry about checking now, but I pulled a few strings and got our tickets refunded. If you don’t see the money in your account today, you should tomorrow,” I said.
“Why didn’t you tell me you guys were coming to do this? We could’ve all rode in early,” Sam said.
I shrugged. I didn’t really have an answer other than I wanted to make sure things were perfect for her. And it wasn’t the time to say something like that. Not with us standing in the middle of an airport and Liam’s eyes burning holes into me.
“You guys coming or what?” Logan asked.
I looked back and saw the rest of the crew standing at the exit.
“We better get going before everyone gets restless,” Sam said with a giggle.
I closed my eyes and took in the sound before I nodded my head.
“Come on. I’ll flag us down a cab,” I said.
“Okay,” Sam said as she slid in next to me, “how was your plane ride?”
“It was what it was.”
“Still the functioning mute, I see.”
“I’m not mute.”
“You don’t talk much,” she said.
“I don’t have much to say.”
“Then tell me about work. How’s the world of finance?”
“Business is good. Profiting.”
“A load of laughs you are,” she said with a grin.
“Don’t make me do it,” I said.
“Do what?”
I reached my hand out toward her body, wiggling my fingers against her soft skin as she curled in on herself.
“That’s cheating.”
“It makes you laugh.”
“I don’t like being tickled,” Sam said.
“I can be a load of laughs if I want to be.”
“By cheating,” she said.
“If it gets you laughing, I’ll do it.”
I felt her eyes on the side of my head as I kept my gaze out the windshield. I wasn’t much of a flirt unless I was drinking, and I expected alcohol to be my close confidant for the entire weekend. If I was going to expose myself to Sam emotionally, then I needed the liquid courage. I was confident in what I did. Numbers. Calculations. I could run some of the most complex equations in my head and regurgitate percentages on the fly. But I wasn’t nearly as confident around women.
“Looking forward to anything specific this weekend?” Sam asked.
“Sleep,” I said.
“Not getting much of that with all those numbers flying around in your head?”
“More like I don’t get sleep with my brothers around all the time. They can really be a handful sometimes.”
“You have no idea,” she said. “Maybe that’s why Lauren’s marrying someone twice her age.”
I panned my gaze over to Sam and saw her relax into her seat.
“Do you not like Todd?” I asked her.
“I like him just fine,” she said.
“Do you not like that he’s older?”
“It’s not my thing, but let’s face it. That’s always been Lauren’s thing.”
“I don’t want to know what that means,” I said.
“It means your sister has a thing for older guys. I mean—never mind.”
I could tell something was bugging Sam, but I didn't want to press it. I didn’t want to be known all weekend as the guy that got her to talk about depressing shit. The rest of the cab ride was silent as her eyes gazed out the window, and I found I wanted to kiss her. Just lean in and plant my lips into her neck until she gasped, then capture her lips and ease her into my body. Soft. Sensual. Romantic in its own right. Every woman deserved a bit of romance. Sam deserved the world.
I held back my urges as we pulled up to the hotel. The Palazzo Resort Hotel and Casino in Vegas. Four rooms, three nights, and a lot of partying and sightseeing to do. I climbed out of the cab and walked around, then offered my hand to Sam. She smiled at me and took it, and I was glad to see her spirits had risen a bit. I already had the room keys in my back pocket to be doled out once we all merged in the lobby, and I carried Sam’s stuff in so we could wait for everyone else.
“I figured we would be the last here,” she said.
“Why?” I asked.
“Everyone else pulled out ahead of us. Didn’t you see that at the airport?”
No. Because I was too busy looking at her.
“Guess not,” I said.
A few minutes later, everyone else came dumping into the lobby, loud and rambunctious, like they always were. Logan and Liam were already arguing about something, Levi was shooting the shit with Todd, and Lauren came running at Sam in a dead sprint. The two of them embraced, wild hair flying everywhere as they squealed and jumped up and down.
I handed out the room keys to everyone before I grabbed Sam’s things.
“I’ll help you take these to your room,” I said.
“Oh, Luke. Thank you. That’s really kind of you,” Sam said.
“You don’t get to stay in that room for long,” Lauren said to Sam. “You’re mine this weekend.”
“Wouldn’t have it any other way,” Sam said with a smile.
We all piled into the elevator and broke off to our separate rooms. Logan was already talking my ear off, and I tried to block him out. My eyes were on Sam in the corner as she chatted with Lauren. Filling her best friend in on everything about France, I guessed. I escorted Sam to her room and watched as she opened her door, then I set her bag down on the floor inside the room.
“Thanks again, Luke,” she said.
“Not a problem. And if you need anything, I’m right here.”
“Oh, you’re next door?” she asked.
“And me,” Logan said as he poked his head out and smiled. “I’m over here, too.”
I felt the sudden urge to punch him in the nose.
“Perfect,” Sam said with a smile. “I’ll come knocking if I need you.”
I watched her pick up her bag and carry it into the hotel room, and I debated on reaching out for her; catching her arm and twirling her into me and taking the moment while I had it. So many smooth things ran through my mind.
But all I did was grin and nod my head before she shut the door in my face, leaving me alone outside in the hallway.
Except for Logan’s muffled chuckle.
“What?” I asked.
“Oh, man. This is gonna be fun to watch. Get in here and get settled. I’m sure everyone’ll be ready to go drink soon enough,” he said.
CHAPTER 4
LOGAN
My brain was pounding against my skull, forcing my eyes to open. It felt like my head was about to explode from our first night of events. Lauren and Todd had wanted to go get a good dinner, then we all bar-hopped and drank until we couldn’t drink any longer. And damn, the alcohol was showing me my age. Two years away from turning thirty and already my body couldn't handle the amount of liquor it once did. And the knock that came at the hotel room door didn’t fucking help matters at all.
“What?” I called out.
“Shut up, Logan,” Luke said.
“Get up. Someone’s at the door,” I said.
“It’s me,” Lauren said. “Well, me and Todd.”
“Lemme put some pants on,” I said.
“Got a girl in there already?” Todd asked.
I fucking wished.
What I really wished was that Sam was in my bed. Curled next to me and looking to nurse her hangover on my cock. Every single text in that group chat from her was a jolt to my heart. Because each text she sent meant she wasn’t paying attention to all those fucking Frenchmen with their accents and their croissants and whatever else they used to woo beautiful women. Sam was better than that shit anyway. Classy in ways Frenchmen would’ve never been able to keep up with. Sam was the kind of woman that held her head high and never did anything without t
hrowing one hundred percent of herself behind it. Strong. Independent. Decisive. Those were the kinds of words that described Sam.
And those were the qualities that drew me to a woman.
That drew me to her.
Watching that woman pour shots back all night like it was nothing made me hornier than I’d been in a long time and I’d had no way to relieve myself with my brother sleeping not six feet away. That was what I loved about Sam. I could watch her walk down the street with her high-waisted jeans and her work blouse tucked int, then I’d watch that same shirt come untucked when she got around us. She let her wild side fly, and I loved watching it waft in the wind.
What I wouldn’t fucking give to tame her wild side with my cock.
I shook the thought from my mind and pulled on some pants, then threw a pillow at Luke to get him to wake up.
“Come on. I think it’s breakfast time,” I said.
I opened the door without a shirt on. Lauren was standing there with Todd. I don’t know how the two of them managed to look so put together after the rager we’d all indulged in, but Lauren was in a full face of makeup and Todd was in some sort of blazer bullshit. My eyes fell to my sister, and I smiled, then I opened my arm for her to hug me.
“I had a blast last night,” she said.
“Until I dragged your ass off the top of that table,” I said.
“I was enjoying the view,” Todd said.
“You better be glad you’re marrying her because those are fighting words around here,” I said.
“Shut up,” Luke said.
“Get up,” Lauren said. “It’s breakfast time. Todd and I want to go fill our stomachs, so we can get an early start on the day.”
“More drinking?” I asked with a grin.
“You know it,” Todd said. “And I believe today is the day where we all split off and go do our own things.”
“One more hour,” Luke said.
I picked up a towel off the floor and threw it at my brother in his bed.
“What the fuck!”
“Get up!” I exclaimed. “Time to get this party started again.”
“Food?” Luke asked.
“Always, big brother. Now get up,” Lauren said.
