“Now that I see what’s really behind that bitchy façade—a woman who was hurt badly yet still willing to put herself out there because deep down she’s a romantic—attraction doesn’t come close to what I feel when I look at you. You really want to know what I feel when I look at you now?”

Somehow, I managed to nod my head.

“Attraction is way too tame for what happens when I look at you. I want to fucking conquer you. Watch your beautiful face as I sink deep inside of you so hard it borders on pain. I want to bury myself so far that you won’t be able to walk for days. The only thing that could possibly be more beautiful than your face when you smile at me, is your face with me inside of you.”

He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against mine. “So yeah, you’re right. I’m not attracted to you. It’s more like I’m captivated by you.”

I was pretty sure he had to feel my heart thundering in my chest, even though our chests weren’t touching. “I don’t understand then.”

Chance lifted one hand to my face and cupped my cheek. He caressed my face tenderly before his hand slid down to my throat. A long moment silently ticked by. My heartbeat was under his thumb when he finally spoke. “I wish things were different.”

The next few hours of the drive, my emotions were in turmoil. We were both quiet, although there was no longer an angry tension in the air. I was confused, to say the least. When we started to see the signs for Las Vegas, the only thing that was clear in my jumbled head was that I wasn’t ready for this trip to be over.

“If the offer is still open, I’d like to take the detour.” My voice was quiet, almost hesitant.

Chance glanced over at me, a solemn look on his face at first, then a slow grin spread wide. “You want to sin with me, Princess?”

Did I ever.

I couldn’t believe we’d found an animal boarding facility to take a goat. The woman at the front desk didn’t even bat an eyelash when we’d asked if she could keep our passenger for a night or two. Something told me they’d seen a heck of a lot stranger stuff in Vegas.

We parked at the end of the strip and decided to walk along Las Vegas Boulevard until we found a hotel that jumped out at us. The sun was scorching hot as we walked along the pathway that traveled from one end of the infamous strip to the other. I pulled off my white t-shirt, leaving only a very tight nude colored tank top. I didn’t usually walk around that exposed, but the sweat was already beading down my back. Laughing, I draped the t-shirt around my neck and walked ahead of Chance, glancing at him backward over my shoulder.

“Remind you of anything?” I teased, posing exactly how he was positioned in the poster I’d found for sale all over the internet.

“Cute.” He shook his head and chuckled. My mood was growing better as we walked. A street mime surprised me as we passed and took my hand. He pulled a flower out from up his sleeve and presented it to me, holding my hand up to his mouth for a kiss. Chance grabbed my hand and tugged me away before his lips could reach my skin.

“Hey. What did you do that for?”

“We’re in Vegas, not Kansas. You don’t let strange guys put their lips on you.” My initial reaction was to be annoyed. Then I realized Chance hadn’t let go of my hand after grabbing it. We were walking hand in hand, so I figured why argue if you like the end result.

At the Mirage, we visited the white tigers, at the Bellagio, we watched the water show set to music. We walked for what felt like miles in the hot sun before we stumbled upon the Monte Carlo. A huge sign for the The Pub at Monte Carlo hung from the side of the towering hotel.

Arrogant Bastard.

It was a beer, and we were hot and thirsty. What other sign did we really need to know we’d found where we should stay?

The cold air conditioning inside The Pub hit my sweaty skin causing a chill that shook its way through my body, leaving a small tremor behind. Goosebumps broke out on my arms and legs, and I didn’t have to look down to know they weren’t the only thing protruding from my skin.

Chance’s eyes lingered on my pebbled nipples for a moment but then rose to meet mine. I arched an eyebrow but said nothing.

“Can you put those things away?” He shook his head and forced his eyes down to the bar menu.

“I can’t help it. They have a mind of their own. They stand at attention whenever they want.”

“I know the feeling,” he grumbled while shifting in his seat.

“What can I get you two?” the scantily clad waitress asked. Chance didn’t look up but responded quickly.

“Two arrogant bastards, please.”

I liked that he didn’t even notice the waitress. “So. What do you want to do tonight?”

“The usual. Blackjack, boobs and booze.”

“Pardon?”

“When you come to Vegas, you come for three things: playing cards, half-naked women and partying like a rockstar.”

A busboy brought us utensils and smiled at me. Chance noticed.

“We already got the half-naked woman covered,” he grumbled.

“So, let me get this straight. You like half-naked women. Just not when one of them is me?”

The waitress brought our beer, and Chance chugged half of the oversized mug in one long gulp. God, what is it with me and that Adam’s Apple? Watching it, I felt it bobbing in the pit of my stomach.

“I like you half-naked. Just…in the car or a closed tent. Not prancing around town for everyone else to see.”

“Were you dating Piper when that poster of you hit the stores?”

He squinted. “That’s different.”

“Oh yeah? How?”

“My being naked from the waist up, doesn’t have the same effect as you walking around with that little flesh-colored tank top with your massive tits bouncing up and down.”

I sipped my beer. “Wanna bet?”

Chance’s eyebrows shot up. “Princess. Are you being brazen again?”

“Do you like brazen?” I asked with a sinister smile.

He chuckled and shook his head. “You’re trying to kill me. I knew it.”

We both ate ridiculously large hamburgers and washed them down with our even larger mugs of beer. I was going to need a month long cleanse after this trip.

“So what do you want to do tonight?” Chance asked as we headed to the lobby to book rooms.

“Whatever you want.”

He stopped short. “That’s a dangerous offer, Princess. You might want to amend your answer before I take you up on it.”

Between his admission earlier today and the beer leaving me feeling a little tipsy, I was feeling bold. I walked into Chance’s personal space and smirked. “Whatever you want. I’m yours to do with what you please tonight.”

He groaned, and I pretended I didn’t notice him adjusting his shorts a few times as we checked in to the hotel.

I took less time to get ready for the senior prom than I did getting ready to go out that night. Normally, I tried to tame my naturally wavy hair, but instead I encouraged it to be wild. Smokey eyes and glossed lips matched the sexiness of my open toe high-heeled shoes, and the simple black dress showed off my figure in all the right places. Finally, toting around everything I owned had a perk.

My look wasn’t really me, and it definitely wasn’t how I’d normally go out at night. But when Chance knocked and I opened the door, any apprehension I’d felt went out the window.