asking her out. To prove to himself and Lucy that she didn’t need to push him away—because he was moving the fuck on.
In the end, he didn’t do it.
Because no matter how angry Lucy had made him last night, he got it.
She still wanted him. And that terrified her. That was the reason she’d done what she did.
And the fact remained, he still wanted her.
He just didn’t know what he was going to do about it.
One thing was for sure—she didn’t want commitment. Maybe it was time he finally let that possibility go. If he did, would she let him in her bed? Would he be okay with taking her there, knowing that’s all it would ever be between them—sex?
For once, his body won the silent battle with his mind.
If she wanted him, why not let her have him?
And let him have her , even if it was just temporary.
It would be better than never having her. Never getting to kiss or touch her again. And maybe, just maybe, by finally having her, he’d be able to get her out of his system and move on for real.
An hour later, Jamie met Gabe, Eric, and Cole for lunch back at the hotel. Ryan and Luke had gone to take a helicopter ride over Hoover Dam and Rhys and Max were getting ready for their big opening night.
The guys were already at the restaurant when he got there. Jamie couldn’t help but smile a little at the miserable shape Gabe and Eric both seemed to be in. Reminded him of their college days.
“Hey, it’s the show-stopper,” Gabe called out. “Gonna tell us what you did with the stripper? You’ve been avoiding my texts.”
“Story for another time,” Jamie said, jutting out his jaw in a signal that he didn’t want to talk about what had happened the night before. “What did you do, go back to our suite and clean out the mini-bar?” he asked, changing the subject and deflecting the attention off him and his insane antics last night.
Gabe raised his eyebrows at him, but didn’t push it. “More like we hit the blackjack tables and availed ourselves of free shots all night long,” Gabe told him. “Just thinking about it is making my stomach churn.”
“I think I won though,” Eric said. “Now I can pay for my honeymoon,” he joked. Money was not an issue for him or his family, who was almost as rich as Jamie’s.
Jamie ordered an iced tea and then said, “You’ve met my sister, right? I really don’t think two dollars is going to cover it.”
Eric groaned. “Don’t remind me. She’s already got one whole day during our honeymoon planned for us to shop.”
When they finished eating, Gabe and Eric went off to “win another two dollars” at the tables. When they were gone Cole turned serious. “Are you doing okay?”
“Sure, why?” Jamie asked.
Cole looked like he wasn’t sure if he should say anything or not. Finally, he said, “It’s not every day you carry some woman off the stage, especially mid-strip tease. Or maybe I’m wrong. Hell, maybe you’ve gotten in touch with your kinky side and—”
“You’re not wrong,” Jamie said quietly. “The woman I carried off stage? It was Lucy.”
Cole whistled. “Are you shitting me?”
“Nope.”
“The fiery professor you were so into before she dumped your ass?”
“That’s the one.”
“Fuck, no wonder you went bat shit crazy.”
“Yeah, well…” Jamie cleared this throat.
“If you weren’t such a good guy, I’d make you squirm, but you should know--she didn’t come back once you left.”
* * *
As she got ready to attend the magic theater grand opening, Lucy agonized for over an hour over what to wear. When she realized she was worried about wearing something too revealing and how Jamie might react to that, she let out a little growl and picked the skimpiest outfit she’d brought with her. Then she spent another hour on her hair and re-did her make-up twice before her cell phone rang.
It was Grace.
“Max and Rhys decided to meet us at the theater. Opening night jitters. Want us to come pick you
Peter James
Mary Hughes
Timothy Zahn
Russell Banks
Ruth Madison
Charles Butler
Mandy M. Roth, Michelle M. Pillow
Lurlene McDaniel
Eve Jameson
James R. Benn