Author: Olivia Cunning

He grabbed her hand and dragged her through the bus. They passed Eric sitting on the couch with Trey’s head resting on his thigh. Eric pressed a finger to his lips. Trey was fast asleep.

“We’ll be back sometime tomorrow,” Sed whispered.

Eric winked at them as they hurried past. Jessica stumbled down the steep bus steps, but Sed caught her before she fell flat on her face.

“Slow down,” she complained. “I can’t keep up with you in these heels.”

“I’ll carry you.” He scooped her into his arms and smiled down at her. “Where to first?”

“I’ve already seen all the casinos. You pick.”

Still carrying her, he cut across the parking lot, headed toward the wide sidewalk along the Vegas strip. His long strides covered ground quickly.

“Wanna go see the fountain at the Bellagio?” he asked.

She’d hoped he’d make that request. She loved the giant fountain. With its water jets choreographed to music, it was a moving work of art. Romantic. She knew from experience that it was lonesome to watch it alone. But tonight, she wasn’t alone.

“I’d like that. Can you put me down, please?”

He paused and lowered his head to kiss her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him in return. When they drew apart, he set her on her feet and took her hand.

“Let me know if you get tired,” he said, as they started up the sidewalk. At the far southern end of the strip, the crowds were relatively thin. They’d make good time for the first few blocks.

“It’s only about a mile and a half to the fountain.” She loved to walk along the strip, look at the extravagant casinos, and watch the menagerie of ever changing people. “

“A mile and a half is a long way in those shoes.”

“If you weren’t so tall, I wouldn’t have to wear them.”

He wrapped an arm around her back, his fingers pressing into her waist. “It’s times like these I wish I was shorter like Jace. We’d be more height compatible then.”

Height compatibility did have distinct advantages, but so did the strength of a big man. She admired the wide cut of his shoulders for a long moment before the name Jace sank into her addled thoughts.

“Damn. Speaking of Jace, I’m supposed to give him a message from a friend of mine. I keep forgetting.”

Sed fished a cell phone out of his pocket. “Do you want to call him?”

Jessica shook her head. “I’ll tell him tomorrow. I don’t think Aggie is working tonight anyway.”

“Aggie?”

“She’s a dancer at the club I used to work for.”

“Dominatrix chick with long black hair?” Sed pointed to his head. He also had black hair, though he kept it very short—like a military recruit.

“How’d you know?”

He laughed. “Lucky guess. A thousand bucks says Jace already picked up your message in person.”

Jessica grinned. “Don’t expect him to be able to move for a couple of days then. When’s your next show?”

“Not until Tuesday. We’re heading to Phoenix.”

“We’ll have to go sightseeing together there, as well.”

His hand flattened over her belly as he drew her closer to his side. “We’ll go sightseeing in any city you want. Let’s catch a cab. I don’t want you to wear yourself out with all this walking.”

Was he thinking of her comfort or her sexual stamina? It didn’t matter to her either way. She smiled. “Okay.”

Inside the cab, he took her hand. When had he gotten so affectionate? Tender kissing. Holding hands. He’d never been like this when they’d been engaged.

“So how’s school going?” he asked, a little too nonchalantly.

Her heart skipped a beat. Why did he want to know? He’d never wanted her to go in the first place.

“It’s all right. I do have this one professor who hates my guts and won’t give me a break.”

“Why would anyone hate your guts?”

Jessica shrugged. “She just doesn’t like me. She failed…” Jessica cringed. “She failed me on my final paper. Totally has it in for me. That’s what Beth thinks.”

“She’s probably jealous of your gorgeous legs.” He slid her skirt up to reveal her thigh. A little further to expose her mound. His fingers brushed over the curls he found there.

Jessica tugged her skirt down and rolled her eyes at him. “Give me a break.”

“And who’s Beth?”

Jessica smiled. She hoped Beth was having a nice summer. “My roommate.”

“You have a roommate?”

She couldn’t figure out why he looked so astonished. “Why wouldn’t I?”

He shrugged. “Too proud to split the rent.”

She scowled at him.

He scratched behind his ear. “Forget I said that.”

“I’m not too proud to split the rent. Splitting the rent is fine.”

“You’re yelling.”

Of course she was yelling. Why wouldn’t she be? “No, I don’t want someone to take care of me like I’m incompetent and boss me around and tell me how to live my life, but—”

He covered her mouth with one hand. “You’re still yelling.”

She slapped his hand away. “Let me finish.”

“Don’t be mad.”

“Don’t tell me how to feel.”

He pulled her onto his lap and sank a hand into her hair to tilt her head back. His mouth claimed hers. She stiffened and tried to twist away, but his free arm tightened around her body and pinned her against his chest. He kissed her until she was clinging to his shoulders like a drowning kitten.

He drew away and looked down at her with a self-satisfied grin. “That’s better.”

God, she hated him sometimes. She gulped several deep, calming breaths. She needed to get a grip and quickly. He was turning her game against her and playing by his own rules. She had to regain control of this situation before she lost herself to him.

“You’re so sexy when you’re pissed,” he whispered into her ear. “I couldn’t help myself. I had to kiss you.”

She slapped his chest. “You’re such a jerk.”

“I know.” He cupped her jaw and brushed his thumb over her cheek. “Forgive me?”

No, but she could pretend. Her hands slid down his hard chest. “Kiss me again.”

He hesitated, looking leery of her intentions.

“Sed, please,” she whispered breathlessly. “I want you.” That wasn’t a lie. She did want him. She also wanted to beat the crap out of him.

He leaned forward in the seat and claimed her mouth, his tongue brushing her lip tentatively. Her hands moved around his body beneath his coat. She slid her fingers up under his shirt, stroking the smooth skin of his back.

He shuddered and tore his mouth from hers. “If you keep that up, I’m going to offend our cab driver by fucking you right here.”

“Do you want me?”

His tugged her closer. “Always.”

She squirmed in his lap, his cock growing hard against her hip. Yeah, that’s the condition she wanted to keep him in. His hand moved under her skirt and up the inside of her thigh. She opened her legs for him. He hesitated, but when she spread her legs further, he took her cue and plunged two thick fingers into her swollen pussy. She shuddered and rocked against his hand, driving his fingers deeper.

“You wanna come right here, baby?” he murmured. “I’ll take you there.”

His thumb brushed against her throbbing clit and she sucked in a deep breath. Damn, she’d forgotten how sexy it was to do this kind of thing in public.

Unexpectedly, his fingers withdrew and he removed his hand from beneath her skirt. Confused, Jessica followed Sed’s glare to the front seat. Their driver had lifted his butt out of the seat so he could see what they were doing through the rearview mirror. He wasn’t watching the road at all. When he noticed they were staring at him, he cleared his throat and settled back down in his seat. “The Bellagio, right?”

Sed nodded curtly.

The cab driver did a U-turn near the end of the Vegas strip so he could drop them off in front of The Bellagio. The final sounds of the song accompanying the fountains faded as they stepped out of the car.

“I think we missed it,” Sed commented.

“It starts over every fifteen minutes at night. What time is it?”

“Almost midnight, I think.”

“I hope we didn’t miss the last show.” She took his hand and led him through the crowds. She rounded the edge of the semi-circular man-made lake that housed the fountain and headed toward the hotel.

He laughed. “Where are you going? I thought we were going to watch the fountain before we found a room.”

“If we go around to this side we can see the Eiffel Tower at the Paris Hotel across the street. It’s beautiful when it’s all lit up at night.”

Sed glanced over his shoulder. “Oh, wow. You’re right. Spectacular.” He hesitated. “So do you come here often?”

“Yeah. I love this fountain. Especially at night.”

“With another guy?”

She paused and glared up at him. “Is that any of your business? You can’t tell me you haven’t been banging every girl who will spread her legs for you.”

He bit his lip. “You’re right. It’s none of my business. I’m just glad I’m here with you now.”

He drew her against his body and lowered his head to kiss her again. It was as if he were starved for her mouth. He never used to kiss her this much. Not that she minded. Just… why?

She clung to the hard muscles of his chest beneath his soft cotton T-shirt. Thinking about what was soon to come made her thighs quake. He broke the kiss and gazed down at her in the low light. They kept the area around the fountain dim so the streetlights didn’t compete with the fountain lights. That was good, because they’d need the cover of darkness.

He bent his head and whispered in her ear, “Are you ready for me?”

“Yeah. Hot, swollen, and dripping wet.” As if he hadn’t felt it for himself in the back of the cab.

He growled. Her nipples tightened.

He led her to a sparsely populated expanse of the thick concrete fence surrounding the fountain. She stepped onto the short ledge and found it difficult to gain the leverage required to stand on her own. Sed moved directly behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist to assist her. His long coat enveloped the sides of her body, cocooning her in his warmth. His scent, mixed with the heady aroma of leather, engulfed her. The sound of his pants unzipping made her belly quiver in anticipation.

“Lift your skirt for me, baby,” he whispered. “You won’t believe how hard I am until you feel this inside you.”

“Show me.” She carefully lifted her skirt in the back, but not the front, so anyone who happened to notice them wouldn’t see what was going on under Sed’s black leather duster. They’d look like any couple cuddled against each other watching the fountain.

He leaned forward, his rock hard cock seeking entrance into her body. When his gentle probing found her eager opening, she bit her lip and pressed back against him. He filled her slowly, his growl of torment making her nipples tighten. Jessica stepped off the ledge, taking him deep. They gasped in unison. He stepped forward, pinning her against the smooth stone railing, and drove himself deeper still. Ah, God.

The lights in the fountain flashed on as water spewed into the air and the gentle music swelled in the background. The water swayed in perfect synchrony to the song, the beat maintained by lights flashing beneath the surface of the water.

Jessica rose onto her toes and then rocked back on her heels again. Sed couldn’t thrust into her, like she wanted. Only her limited movements allowed any stimulation between their joined bodies.