Gambling on Love (Stories of Serendipity #6) (7 page)

A sob escaped her throat, as the enormity of what had just happened sunk into her. She’d been robbed. At knifepoint. In a matter of seconds. Without her ID, she couldn’t even get home. She didn’t even have money for a taxi back to the hotel.

Pulling down her dress and straightening herself the best she could, Kathy did a mental inventory and felt like a complete fool. Her heart pounded painfully against her chest, and Kathy couldn’t catch her breath. She couldn’t believe she’d been so stupid. Everything she’d done in the past few days came back to her. Darrin was right. She’d left herself in a supremely shitty situation. Everybody had told her so. But she wouldn’t listen, so convinced that this would work.

She’d just assumed this time was like every other time that her desires seemed to go against everyone else’s ideals. Sure, most of the other times had been a mistake, but they hadn’t seemed so dire… Following Dan to Dallas for the docent job at the Art Museum had been a mistake, but not one she couldn’t recover from. In fact, she’d recovered marvelously. And Clown school had ended up not being what she thought it was, but she’d still come out of it knowing how to juggle. Or the time she’d agreed to take care of a friend’s dog who’d gone on vacation but never come back. Opening up all those joint accounts with Aaron, only to have him run up a huge credit card debt and then take off.

She was so fucking stupid.

Kathy stood there, her hands wrapped around herself, trying to get her bearings. She was several blocks away from her hotel, so slipping off her shoes, Kathy pointed herself where she thought she should go, and went.

Her walk went by slowly. Kathy tried to keep her head down, but she had to look up every now and then to get her bearings. Every time she did, she regretted it. Once she thought a man was coming out of the shadows at her, but it was a presumably homeless man lurching to his feet to plod in the opposite direction. Another time, she was sure she saw an exchange of drugs and money.

Even when she didn’t look up, she couldn’t go by completely unnoticed. A couple of times, she scurried past men who called out to her, panhandlers or worse. She wasn’t sure, she didn’t stop to talk to them.

After walking for an hour, she realized she had no idea how near her hotel she actually was, so Kathy found an all-night convenience store to go inside and ask directions. After looking her up and down, the clerk pointed down the street. “Six blocks. You sure that’s your hotel?”

Kathy nodded, put her chin back down and continued her walk, willing her feet to move faster.

“Hey, lady!”

She didn’t stop moving, but looked up as a teenaged boy ran up next to her.

“You got money for me to buy my sister milk?”

“No. I just need to get back to my hotel.”

“Come on, lady. It’s just a dollar or two.” The child’s voice turned petulant, and Kathy wheeled on him.

“I’ve already been robbed tonight. I got nothin’ for you, kid. Why do you think I’m walking? Think I’m stupid or something?” Dropping her head, “Never mind. Don’t answer that.”

The kid turned the other way, grumbling something about tourists under his breath.

Five more blocks to go…

L
uke had been pounding on Kathy’s door all night, intermittently. He’d at first decided she’d gone out, probably to pick up a man, or she was out with one of her “applicants.” The thought had torn him to shreds, so he’d refused to believe it. And he’d pounded again. Then he’d decided she was sleeping really deeply, so he pounded louder. Then he’d wait, thinking she’d be back soon. He’d get tired of waiting and pound again. Eventually, a man opened the door next to hers and asked him to stop, so Luke just sank to the ground and waited.

He was losing his mind, feeling impotent, not being able to do anything. Who knew what had happened to her? It was four o’clock in the morning, and while people were still out on the streets, he knew Kathy wasn’t one for staying out until the wee hours of the morning unless she was with somebody or something had happened to her.

Neither of those options appealed to Luke.

It had been two days since he’d slept, but he wasn’t about to fall asleep on this carpet. It looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in years, and Luke again sent a mental plea to Kathy to please come back to him. He needed her out of this place. He needed her with him.

Luke hadn’t brought clothes with him, he’d been in such a hurry to leave Serendipity and get to the airport in Dallas. Instead, he’d bought clothing in the gift shop at his hotel, showered and come straight over to Kathy’s room. So he sat here, wearing a discount tee shirt proclaiming, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” with sweat pants with Las Vegas in large print up the side of one leg. It didn’t matter. They were clean, and sort of matched. At least they were before he’d sat on the floor.

Each time the elevator dinged, Luke looked to see who came out of the doors, his heart in his throat. Each time, as Kathy didn’t emerge, he swallowed it back to its rightful place.

He’d texted Amy that he was at her hotel, but didn’t tell her Kathy wasn’t here. He didn’t want to worry her sister needlessly. However, Amy wouldn’t take his vagueness for what it was, an attempt to alleviate her stress. She had relentlessly texted him until he finally told her he couldn’t find her, and since then, she’d texted him every ten minutes asking for updates. Finally, he’d turned his phone off. Kathy hadn’t responded to his texts or phone calls in weeks. In fact, he suspected she’d changed her number when she went on this expedition of hers.

Again, he hoped to God she was okay. At this point, he would rather she’d found another man to spend the night with. The alternatives racing through his mind were so much worse.

Luke rubbed his gritty eyes, and leaned his head against the wall behind him, fighting sleep. If he fell asleep here, no telling what would happen to him. And that thought got his mind going again to all the calamities that could befall Kathy in this city. Scenes from CSI-Las Vegas ran through his head. She could be lying in a gutter somewhere, raped and crying alone. She could have been shot trying to make change with a pan-handler. She could have become a victim of a rogue magician on the strip. She could have decided to try her hand at cabaret and fallen on the wrong side of a love triangle with the stage manager. Or worse, she could have tried dealing cards and gotten blind-sided by a shark.

A pair of scratched, bare feet came into his line of sight.

“Luke?”

His eyes tracked up a pair of beautifully familiar legs, the frayed hem of a much too short skirt, and memorable pleasure pods to the most stunning face he’d ever seen. Puffy red eyes, rimmed with streaks of mascara, peered at him from under long lashes, framed by her strawberry blond hair, which stuck out in all directions.

Finding a hidden well of energy, he leapt up and gathered her in his arms. “Kathy.” He breathed her name, as she sank into his arms.

“I’m so glad you’re here. I’m so sorry. This was all a terrible mistake. I’m so stupid. Oh God…” Her words disintegrated into sobs and Luke held her, making ineffective shooshing noises.

“You’re alright, now. I’ve got you. Let’s get your things.” He pushed her to her door, not letting go of her. He finally had her, and he’d be damned if he was letting go. But he had to get her out of this place.

“I can’t-hic- go anywhere…He –hic- stole my –hic- ID…my money…” He barely understood her through the sobs, but he thought he got the gist of what she was saying. And he saw red. Knowing there was a “he” involved cut down the scenarios a bit, but not much.

“Are you hurt? Did he hurt you? Do you need a hospital?” He let out a gust of pent up air when she shook her head no. His other question, the main one, did you have sex with him, went unasked. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

“I’ve got a room in a different hotel. That’s where we’re going.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward her hotel room to get her things.

It was as if being with Luke had been something of a catalyst. She went limp with fatigue, he hoped.

“Are you tired, or did somebody give you something?” He was trying to be calm, but all of the scenarios of what-ifs were still crashing through his mind, even though he had her now.

“Exhausted…although he could have…but that was hours ago…I’ve been walking forever…”

In her room, Luke threw everything in her suitcase, trying not to think about where all the stains came from. He was a guy. It took a lot to disgust him. Right now, he was totally grossed out.

“Where are your money and things?” He found her purse, but it was nearly empty. His question however, brought a fresh round of sobs, so he chose to not pursue the line of questioning. There would be plenty of time to get answers once he got her out of here. He grabbed her hand and her suitcase and left the room, slamming the door behind him.

He paid for her room with his credit card, surprised that she’d spent as much on drinks in the restaurant as she had on the room itself. Hailing a cab, he bundled her into it and told the cabbie to take them to the Bellagio, where he’d gotten them a real room. She seemed content to snuggle next to Luke, sniffling the entire drive. He noticed her eyes were closed, but Luke didn’t think she was sleeping. When the driver dropped them off, Kathy opened her eyes, looked around, and groaned.

“What?”

“I’ve been here already…”

Images of what could have taken place at this hotel crashed through his head at a dizzying rate. His fists clenched and he gritted his teeth together, in an effort to not punch something. “I really don’t want to know about it right now, but I suppose you can tell me later, if you must.” He pulled her nearly limp body against him and led her towards the elevators and up to his room.

She seemed to regain a little strength when the door closed behind them. “Is this real, Luke? Did he dose me? Am I hallucinating?” She was taking in her surroundings with a look akin to awe, and Luke felt a pang in his chest. She’d done some stupid shit this week, but she was okay. And she was all his. And he loved her for her, stupid shit and all.

He took her in his arms. “Kathy, I don’t know what you’ve been through, but I’m here now. I’ve got you, and I refuse…” He pulled back to look into her blue eyes. “I absolutely refuse to let go of you this time. So whatever scheme you’ve got planned next, you’d better count me in. Because I’m not going any-fucking-where without you.”

“I need a bath.”

Not exactly what he had in mind, but okay. “Gotcha. Sit here, and I’ll go draw one.”

He left her on the bed, and went into the bathroom to run a bath. The tub was enormous, just like she liked it. He filled it with some complementary bath bubbles and set the temperature to hot. When he turned to go back into the bedroom, he ran into Kathy.

“I was remembering our bathtub escapades earlier today…. Or was it yesterday?” Her voice was soft. Far-away.

“Kathy, honey. I’m a little worried about you. Let’s get in the tub and we’ll go to bed. We can talk after we’ve rested.” Now that he knew she was safe, his own fatigue was settling in. He wiped at his eyelids, resisting the urge to yawn.

“I’m so sorry, Luke.” Her bottom lip trembled, and he was afraid she would start crying again. He swiped at her lip, smoothing it, before he leaned in and kissed her gently.

Suddenly surrounded by the familiar sensations of Kathy, her feel, her taste, her sounds, Luke forgot he was trying to be a gentleman, and pulled her closer to him. He nibbled at her lips, he hadn’t tasted them in months, and suckled at her tongue, before swooping in and claiming her mouth with a kiss that grew from tinder to a flame in a matter of seconds. Hot desire surged through him as he surrounded himself with the sensations of Kathy.

Kathy moaned into his mouth, and pressed up against him, her hands snaking up his shoulder and into his hair, pulling him closer. The exquisite sting of hair-pulling lent itself to his pulling her flush against his now raging hard-on.

Breathless, he broke the kiss. “Kathy…I didn’t intend this tonight. Let’s get you into the bath. Come on. I’ll wash you.” Slowly, he slipped her dress over her head and looked her over for bruises. He saw a small cut on the back of her waist, but it wasn’t much, so he decided to ask about it later. His fingers unclasped her bra, and he resisted the supreme need to squeeze her stunning tits. Slipping off her panties, he managed to stop at a small whiff, while his face was close. All in all, he was proud of his restraint.

He led her to the tub by the hand. “Come on, honey. Let’s get you in the bath.” He was still worried about her. She seemed so spacey, which was unlike Kathy. Sure, she wasn’t always “with-it,” but she normally gave off this effervescent energy, and he couldn’t find that right now.

She slipped into the tub, easing into the hot water, and Luke watched as she submerged her skin inch by delicious inch. Her eyes rose to his, and she sleepily asked, “Get in with me?”

She didn’t have to ask him twice. He told himself it would be easier to wash her well, as he shrugged out of his gift-shop tee shirt and sweat pants, but the erection springing free gave him away. Kathy didn’t seem to notice though, and that worried him, causing his little buddy to shrivel slightly.

As soon as he slipped in behind her, Kathy exhaled a deep breath and turned to snuggle into the crook of his arm. Her eyes shut, and she fell asleep almost immediately. Luke was smacked with the sudden realization that she needed the security of him. That’s when it dawned on him. She felt safe with him. Whatever had happened in the last forty-eight hours was over, and she was with him. Safe. It was humbling, and he felt a certain sense of pride swell inside him.

Being careful not to waken her, Luke washed Kathy the best he could. He rested her head on his thighs and he washed and rinsed her hair, then conditioned it. She was a rag doll that he maneuvered around in the water, as he washed every inch of her body, taking liberties that only brought a small sense of guilt as she was sleeping so soundly.

She woke briefly, when he got her out and dried her off, but was asleep minutes after he put her in the soft king-sized bed and pulled her body in to his. Only after making sure she was warm, clean and comfortable did he allow himself to succumb to sleep.