right. There were things Adam didn’t know, facts hidden beneath a carefully crafted facade of perfectly placed secrets. Even without her dysfunctional history, a man like Adam was clearly out of her league. For a while, though, she’d forgotten, had allowed herself to believe that she could have the fairy-tale life of her childhood dreams. Happily-ever-after came only in books, something Ryan would do well to remember.
Adam strolled out of the hotel’s private entrance, eased into the roomy back seat of the car that awaited and clipped the hanger holding his suit jacket over the bar. He hoped Ryan wouldn’t consider his transportation choice bougie, although that was a fairly apt description for an executive limousine. Any other woman and he wouldn’t have given it a second thought, knew that picking up most dates in the company’s brand-new four-seater SUV limo would impress them right out of their undies. Not that he was thinking about Ryan’s lingerie. He’d be lying to say that since meeting her such thoughts hadn’t crossed his mind from time to time.
Ryan lived in Summerlin, just over ten miles from the Strip. Adam thought of a few things he could do in the twenty-five or so minutes it would take to reach her, longer if traffic didn’t cooperate. There were emails to answer, phone calls to return. But instead of returning calls or checking texts or browsing emails he dropped his head, closed his eyes and thought about how Ryan had tried to get out of attending the show with him tonight. He couldn’t remember ever having a woman try to break a date. Why had Ryan? And for a man who could go out with just about anyone he wanted, especially when only interested in a casual good time, maybe a bedroom rodeo, why had her canceling their date not been an option?
“Something came up,” she’d said. He’d told her she couldn’t cancel. When asked why he’d calmly replied, “This is a major event with huge implications for the continued success of this particular hotel venue. Every RSVP has already been tabulated into the report for our board. I can’t show up alone and there is no time to call in a replacement. You’ve given your word. I’ll be there in an hour.” Five minutes later, he’d walked to the car.
What Ryan didn’t know was that what Breedloves wanted, Breedloves got. Period, point-blank, end of story.
They pulled into one of Summerlin’s planned communities and onto a street ending in a cul-de-sac framed by townhome-styled condos. One had a red door with earthen pots on each side, brimming with flowers and greenery.
“A hundred bucks that’s Ryan’s home,” he said to the driver, who checked the address and nodded at Adam.
“Good thing I didn’t take you up on that bet.”
Adam got out of the car and strolled up to the door. A burst of excitement spread from his core to his groin. With a smorgasbord of women to choose from any given night of the week, he’d grown jaded to the art of wining and dining. It felt good to be excited. He rang the bell.
“Un momento,” she sang out. Gringo Spanish. He thought about Miguel and smiled.
In less than a minute, she opened the door. Adam turned, but wasn’t ready for the woman he saw. Not this Ryan—part innocent femininity, part femme fatale. The dress, long and flowing, following her curves like water followed the falls. The color almost matched her tawny skin, making him imagine her nude. At the restaurant her curls had been tamed by a band on top of her head but tonight they bounced wild and free, framing her face and brushing her shoulders. They teased his senses; he wanted to touch. He liked that she wore little makeup yet still looked flawless. Her lips kissed with a color of gloss that reminded him of a fine wine. He wanted a taste. How was it that with most of her body covered she managed to look so sexy?
“Hello” was all he said at first because it was all he could manage.
“Hi.”
“I’m sorry for earlier, and sounding so forceful. It’s just that I couldn’t take no for an answer.”
“It’s okay. Everything...worked out.” Ryan turned and locked the door. Adam offered his arm. Her touch was light, yet a thunderbolt of desire shot through his heart, ricocheted off a vein and zoomed into his groin.
He helped her enter the vehicle, then got in on the other side.
“You look...stunning.”
The smile that she gave him could have cured a disease. “I hoped it would be appropriate. I wasn’t sure.”
“It’s perfect.”
“Thank you.”
Adam’s brow furrowed. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“It’s just that... Yes. Really, I’m fine.”
The SUV pulled away from the curb. Ryan took in the roomy interior. “This is nice.”
She sat perched on the seat, taking in the swank decor. “I’ve never been in something like this before. From the outside it looked like an SUV but in here...”
He watched as she ran her hand across the lambskin seat. Her eyes, initially reticent, now sparkled while examining the console, with its built-in bottle chiller, various openers and glass rack. She stopped suddenly, as if becoming aware of her innocent wonder. She may have thought he’d find it amusing. He thought it endearing, and with a trail of showgirls, sycophants and rich chicks in his wake, a breath of fresh air.
“So this is a limo?”
He nodded. “It’s called an executive SUV.”
“I like it.”
A brow raised. “You don’t mind that it has leather seats?”
“I’m not a member of the PETA police, Adam, you can relax.”
He made a big show of taking a breath, which made her laugh as he’d intended.
“While I don’t own a gun or a hunting license, my choice to be vegetarian is for nutritional reasons, mostly. I am cognizant of the earth’s precarious state and do what I can to try to protect the planet. I believe our bodies are our temples so I make an effort to be kind to mine. But I try not to be a holistic zealot trying to win everyone over to my point of view.
“That said...” She paused dramatically. “There are faux materials that work just as well or even better than cowhide, and mushroom dishes that would make you throw away your steak.”
“Baby,” Adam drawled, “unless that mushroom had hooves and could moo, trust me, there’d be no competition.”
She was funny and natural and easy to talk to, yet emanated a vulnerability that brought out his chivalrous side. He wanted to protect her. From what, he had no idea. By the time they’d rounded back to the hotel, the stress of Adam’s day had faded, the questions he’d had about her demeanor forgotten for now.
They entered the hotel through the private entrance and once inside the elevator, Adam accessed the panel to bypass all floors and take them straight to Zest, CANN Casino Hotel and Spa’s premier restaurant, located on the building’s one hundredth floor. As the elevator zoomed to the top, Ryan stepped closer to Adam and gripped his arm.
“Afraid of heights?”
