had an uncanny knack for putting her at ease. It seemed as if he absorbed her tension into his own body, and after only a few moments, his slow, steady breathing calmed her.
“Don’t be embarrassed,” he said at last. “If the roles were reversed, I’d have done the same thing.” His deep voice embraced her as much as his arms did. “’Cause I never forgot you, Mariah.”
Dumbfounded, she finally lifted her head to look at him. He knew about her secret vice, and judging from the tender expression on his face, he seemed touched by it. Like a warm comforter, a sense of wellbeing surrounded her and she felt surprisingly, marvelously free.
“Now, how about we go get that steak?” he said softly. “I think my number one fan deserves some dinner.”
Chapter Nine
Mariah really liked Tony and Rhonda. They were so friendly and so in love that their good cheer was contagious. She found it easy to fall into playful banter with them, as if they’d all been friends for years.
Unfortunately, because they hadn’t made a reservation, the four of them couldn’t get a table with a view of the fountains, so after dinner they trekked out to the Strip to watch from the railing. Plenty of others gathered there, many with video cameras and some with their cell phones open, ready to record.
While they waited for the fountain show to begin, Tony shared a story from his and Tucker’s college dorm days. Once upon a time, Tucker had blacked out Tony’s windshields and Tony, of course, had retaliated.
“Going with the paint theme,” Tony said, “I carefully pulled up the covers and did his toes while he was sleeping.”
“Oh my God.” Rhonda’s eyes twinkled with merriment. “What color?”
Tony grinned. “Hot pink.”
“And you didn’t notice the next morning?” Mariah asked Tucker.
Tucker chuckled. “At that time I had a job where I had to get up before dawn, and I got dressed in the dark so I wouldn’t bother Tony. Little did I know that he was wide awake and silently laughing at me.”
Tony held up a finger. “Wait, you haven’t heard the best part! He had a date that night. And the girl freaked out when she saw his toes. Tell them what she said,” Tony prompted.
“Oh, and spoil all your fun?” Tucker said with a raised brow.
Rhonda shook Tony’s arm. “Come on! What did she say?”
Chuckling, Tony leaned an elbow on the stone railing. “She said she’d never seen anything so sexy. And then she asked if she could suck on his toes.”
“No way!”
“Eww!”
Tucker dragged a hand down his face and turned toward the water.
“Did you let her?” Mariah asked, disgusted but curious.
Tony answered before Tucker could. “He never said one way or the other. Tucker’s kind of closemouthed about stuff like that.”
But Tucker gave a quick shake of his head to Mariah.
Rhonda linked her arm with Tony’s. “Well, it sure sounds like you guys had some good times together.”
“Those were the days, all right,” Tucker said, resting both elbows on the railing. “Sharing a bathroom with ten other people…”
“Tuesday Night Trivia Wars…”
“And most importantly, staying upwind—” Tucker said.
“Of Richter,” Tony finished, and they both laughed.
“Richter was always low on cash, and most of the time all he could afford to eat were bean burritos,” Tucker explained. “Strange how living in the dorm can be shitty in so many ways but still be the best time of your life, huh, Tone?”
Tony nodded. “Yeah. But now,” he said, turning to Rhonda, “the best times of my life are ahead of me.”
As corny as Tony’s line was, the sentiment behind it couldn’t be denied. Struck by a pang of longing, Mariah watched as he and Rhonda shared a kiss just as Frank Sinatra’s rendition of “Fly Me to the Moon” began to play. A collective hush fell over the crowd. Jets of water shot into the air in a flowing dance, perfectly timed with the jazzy music.
Although she’d come to watch
“Don’t be embarrassed,” he said at last. “If the roles were reversed, I’d have done the same thing.” His deep voice embraced her as much as his arms did. “’Cause I never forgot you, Mariah.”
Dumbfounded, she finally lifted her head to look at him. He knew about her secret vice, and judging from the tender expression on his face, he seemed touched by it. Like a warm comforter, a sense of wellbeing surrounded her and she felt surprisingly, marvelously free.
“Now, how about we go get that steak?” he said softly. “I think my number one fan deserves some dinner.”
Chapter Nine
Mariah really liked Tony and Rhonda. They were so friendly and so in love that their good cheer was contagious. She found it easy to fall into playful banter with them, as if they’d all been friends for years.
Unfortunately, because they hadn’t made a reservation, the four of them couldn’t get a table with a view of the fountains, so after dinner they trekked out to the Strip to watch from the railing. Plenty of others gathered there, many with video cameras and some with their cell phones open, ready to record.
While they waited for the fountain show to begin, Tony shared a story from his and Tucker’s college dorm days. Once upon a time, Tucker had blacked out Tony’s windshields and Tony, of course, had retaliated.
“Going with the paint theme,” Tony said, “I carefully pulled up the covers and did his toes while he was sleeping.”
“Oh my God.” Rhonda’s eyes twinkled with merriment. “What color?”
Tony grinned. “Hot pink.”
“And you didn’t notice the next morning?” Mariah asked Tucker.
Tucker chuckled. “At that time I had a job where I had to get up before dawn, and I got dressed in the dark so I wouldn’t bother Tony. Little did I know that he was wide awake and silently laughing at me.”
Tony held up a finger. “Wait, you haven’t heard the best part! He had a date that night. And the girl freaked out when she saw his toes. Tell them what she said,” Tony prompted.
“Oh, and spoil all your fun?” Tucker said with a raised brow.
Rhonda shook Tony’s arm. “Come on! What did she say?”
Chuckling, Tony leaned an elbow on the stone railing. “She said she’d never seen anything so sexy. And then she asked if she could suck on his toes.”
“No way!”
“Eww!”
Tucker dragged a hand down his face and turned toward the water.
“Did you let her?” Mariah asked, disgusted but curious.
Tony answered before Tucker could. “He never said one way or the other. Tucker’s kind of closemouthed about stuff like that.”
But Tucker gave a quick shake of his head to Mariah.
Rhonda linked her arm with Tony’s. “Well, it sure sounds like you guys had some good times together.”
“Those were the days, all right,” Tucker said, resting both elbows on the railing. “Sharing a bathroom with ten other people…”
“Tuesday Night Trivia Wars…”
“And most importantly, staying upwind—” Tucker said.
“Of Richter,” Tony finished, and they both laughed.
“Richter was always low on cash, and most of the time all he could afford to eat were bean burritos,” Tucker explained. “Strange how living in the dorm can be shitty in so many ways but still be the best time of your life, huh, Tone?”
Tony nodded. “Yeah. But now,” he said, turning to Rhonda, “the best times of my life are ahead of me.”
As corny as Tony’s line was, the sentiment behind it couldn’t be denied. Struck by a pang of longing, Mariah watched as he and Rhonda shared a kiss just as Frank Sinatra’s rendition of “Fly Me to the Moon” began to play. A collective hush fell over the crowd. Jets of water shot into the air in a flowing dance, perfectly timed with the jazzy music.
Although she’d come to watch
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