Las Vegas Sidewinders: Karl (Book 3) (30 page)

“I don’t know if I’m
the right guy for what you have in mind,” he said softly.

Tessa cocked her head,
curious. “You don’t?”

“I’m not a
one-night-stand kind of guy.” He sighed regretfully, reaching out to tuck one
side of her curls behind her ear.

“Are you married?”

“No.” He shook his
head. “No girlfriend either. I just think maybe I’ve had more than my share of
one-night-stands and now that I’m a little older, I don’t like the game
anymore.”

“I’ve never had a
one-night-stand,” she admitted, turning back to the bartender and motioning for
another drink.

“You say that like it’s
a bad thing.” He looked at her intently.

“It is!” She frowned,
her eyes narrowing in frustration. “You don’t know what it’s like always doing
the right thing, always being a good girl! And for what? So that someone you
thought you could trust tells you that you’re
so pretty
it’s too
stressful to be with you?!” She snatched the shot from the bartender and
swallowed it in one gulp, grimacing.

“Someone told you
that?” he asked softly, his fingers toying with hers.

She nodded miserably.

“If a beautiful woman
like you was mine, I would never say something so stupid.”

“I bet you wouldn’t.”
When her eyes met his, she slid off the barstool and slowly moved up against
him. “Couldn’t you break your rule tonight?”

He hesitated, torn
between doing what he thought was right and doing what she wanted.  “It’s
not really a
rule
,” he murmured.

“If you’ve had so many
one-night-stands, will one more really make such a difference?” she coaxed,
moving her hands to his chest.

“Probably not.” He
caught her hands in his, bringing them down to their sides as his lips found
hers. This time his kiss was hot, demanding, his tongue seeking hers and
slipping inside her mouth without hesitation. She sighed against him,
responding easily. His tongue flicked against hers, exploring her mouth as one
arm snaked around her waist possessively.

Heat so intense she
almost couldn’t move shot through her and her fingers curled around those
biceps she’d been thinking about. He was rock-hard all over, she discovered
quickly, and she’d never experienced anything quite this sexy. Whatever else
happened this week, a kiss like this could not possibly be a mistake. She
refused to feel regret for allowing herself something this exquisite.

“Are you sure about
this?” He pulled away slowly, his eyes hooded, searching her face.

“Yes.” She opened her
purse, digging for her wallet.

“I’ve got it.” He
motioned with his head at the bartender, who nodded knowingly. “Come on.” He
took her hand as he laid his empty beer bottle on the bar.

She pulled a small tote
bag out from under the bar and let him pull her along. He glanced back at her
curiously. “I came here straight from the airport,” she explained.

“So you just picked a
random bar and a random guy?” He looked at her in confusion.

“Random bar, but not an
entirely random guy. Dozens of guys came in and out all night—you’re the only
one I wanted to talk to.”

He seemed torn again
and she reached up to rest her palm on the side of his face. “No regrets. Just
a fun time, and then I walk out of your life so you can go back to whatever it
is you’re looking for. Deal?”

He squinted, shaking
his head. “I’m not sure I’m getting the better end of the deal.”

“Why not?” Even in her
drunken haze, she focused on what he was saying.

“The last time I had a one-night-stand
I got the crabs,” he grunted. “The time before that, I wound up with a son.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh,
no! I don’t have anything like that—and I don’t want another baby right now at
all!”

“You have children?”

“A little girl. She’ll be
two in January.”

“And you’re married?”

“I am 100% separated!”
she said firmly. “He filed for divorce three weeks ago. I’m not cheating and I
never did once in nearly ten years.
Unlike him
.”

He met her gaze. “So
you want me for revenge.”

“You’re someone I want
to be with tonight,” she amended softly. “No matter how things were in my
marriage, I stayed faithful and tried to make him happy. He did whatever he
wanted and filed for divorce while he was out of town on a business trip. So
I’m done with marriage and all that traditional white picket fence bullshit. I
just want to feel alive again.”

The blond man—she still
hadn’t even asked him his name—listened carefully as she spoke, looking into
her eyes. For a while they didn’t say anything, simply standing there looking
at each other. With her right hand in his left, he studied her face, and she
watched the play of emotions moving across his. Finally, after what seemed like
a long time but was probably only a few minutes, he tugged her gently towards
the door.

“I don’t know why I am
afraid I will regret this,” he murmured. “But damned if I can say no to you!”

She hesitated when they
got outside, shivering slightly though it was fairly warm. He turned to her,
sliding an arm around her shoulder.

“You’re cold,” he said,
rubbing his hand up and down her arm.

“I’m drunk,” she
murmured. “And leaving a bar with a guy I’ve known, like, ten minutes. I’m
either really lucky or really stupid.”

“I don’t think you’re
either,” he said. He stopped in front of a big, black SUV and gently pushed her
against it, resting his hands on the vehicle on either side of her. “Look, I
can drive you back to your hotel or leave you here or put you in a cab. Nothing
has to happen. Sounds like you’ve had a rough time and I’m not the kind of guy
to—” He stopped abruptly as her eyes widened and she clapped her hands over her
mouth. He grabbed her and pulled her hair away from her face just before she
bent at the waist and emptied her stomach.

“Shit,” she muttered.
“This is
so
embarrassing.” She groaned as another wave of nausea hit her
and she heaved again. She could hear him opening the door to his car and
rustling around. She wanted to panic, wondering what he was doing and positive
she’d made a terrible mistake coming out here with him, but then he was behind
her handing her something.

“Here.” He put a small
towel in her hand and watched as she gratefully wiped her mouth. “Where can I
take you?” he asked softly.

“I guess I have to find
a hotel,” she sighed. “I don’t want to call my friends this late, and then show
up with some guy and…” She leaned back against his SUV and fought off tears.
“God, I can’t even get laid on my own terms!” Eyes closed, she held the towel
against her face to hide the tears slipping down her cheeks.

“It’s okay,” he
whispered, sliding an arm around her, his voice warm and comforting. “Come home
with me—I promise I won’t hurt you. You can rest, clean up in the morning, and
I can drop you off with your friends, okay?”

She swiped at her face
and looked at him wearily. “You’re really nice.”

“I know.” He smirked at
her, and then winked. “Come on. Let me have your bag while you get in.”

Suddenly exhausted and
unable to think about what she was doing anymore, she did as he suggested. She
leaned back against the soft leather seats and breathed in what seemed to smell
like his aftershave. It was so comfortable she relaxed. Closing her eyes, her
mind going back to that stupidly hot kiss back in the bar, she drifted off to
sleep.

The next time Tessa
opened her eyes, it was dark. She was lying on a soft, comfortable bed and she
could hear someone breathing softly beside her. She turned, startled, and could
just make out the blond man’s profile. He was on top of the sheets, wearing
nothing but a pair of shorts. She glanced down and saw that he’d put her in the
nightgown she’d brought with her. With anyone else, it might have been creepy
that he’d gone into her bag and changed her clothes, but somehow this wasn’t.
He didn’t scare her, not even now that she was sleeping in his bed and had no
idea where she was.

As her eyes adjusted to
the darkness, she could make out a faint light coming from under the door, and
moonlight from the windows. Squinting, she saw an alarm clock that said 3:23.

“It’s okay,” his voice
whispered in the darkness as his hand gently rested on her hip. “Go back to
sleep. You’re safe here.”

She closed her eyes,
instinctively moving against him. He turned on his side so he spooned her from
behind. One arm draped casually over her waist and she basked in the strength
he exuded. Years of marriage hadn’t ever been this comfortable; before she knew
it, she was asleep again.