“You don’t have to do that,” I say. I’m about to tell him my brother is rich and he’s paying for my drinks, but I stop myself.
“I want to,” he says.
“Why?” I ask.
He shrugs. “I don’t know. I’m not usually the guy who buys random women drinks at nightclubs. I’m not even the guy who goes to nightclubs.”
“And yet you’re here,” I point out. “And, for the record, I’m not the girl who accepts drinks from strangers. I’m not even from Vegas.”
He laughs. “So what are you doing here?”
“You know, my entire life has turned upside down in the last few days, and I guess I’m turning over a new leaf.”
Hot Luke lifts his glass to mine. “I’m working on some new leaves, too. Let’s get drunk and see where the night takes us.”
I clink my glass against his, and I spot a hint of sexy danger in his eyes. “Getting drunk with you probably isn’t my smartest move.”
I turn and look at Jen, who shrugs. “He’s hot, Ellie. Go for it.”
I laugh. “You’re a big help.”
She holds up both hands. “Hey, my mission is complete. Now it’s up to you.”
“What was her mission?” Hot Luke asks.
“I’ll tell you, but only after we dance and drink and then find a quiet place to talk that isn’t a hotel room so you can prove you’re not a bad guy.”
“Whoa,” he says. “That’s a lot of pressure. But I think I’m up to the task.”
I laugh. “We’ll see, Hot Luke.”
“Hot Luke?” he asks.
I smile a little sheepishly. “Sorry. That’s what I heard in my head when you said your name, and clearly that’s how I will reference you when I talk about this night from now until the end of time.”
He laughs, and his genuine smile makes him even hotter. “Okay, then, Sexy Ellie. Let’s dance.”
I glance at Jen, who gives me the go on, shoo signal, and I head with Hot Luke to the dance floor.
We start out a little awkwardly, but it only takes about the length of one song before we get comfortable with one another.
He moves in a little closer.
I fling an arm around his neck.
His fingers dig into my hip.
I grind on his leg.
We dance, and we talk, and we laugh, and we dance some more. We throw inhibitions out the window thanks to our drinks.
He’s got moves.
“I read once that the way a person dances is the way they bone,” he says after we get drink refills and we’re heading back to dance some more.
“Bone?” I tease.
He laughs. “Yeah. What do you call it?”
“Bang.”
“Okay, so the way a person dances is the way they bang. I’ll forever use that word now instead of bone.”
I giggle at the lasting impact I’ll clearly have on Hot Luke. “Deal. And where are you going with this fun fact?”
“I took dance lessons.”
I laugh. “Did you take sex lessons, too?”
He shakes his head and shoots me maybe the slyest smile anyone has ever shot anybody before. “Don’t need lessons for that when you start out at expert level.”
I’m getting closer and closer to the point where I’m ready to find out if that’s true.
I’m hot, and I’m thirsty, and, above all else, I’m freaking horny for this guy. I know I met him literally a half hour ago, but let’s call a spade a spade. I want a one-night stand, and it’s not like those are all about finding some deep connection with another person.
It’s about attraction, lust, and animal instincts, and all three are on-fucking-point for me at the moment.
We dance a few more songs when he nods toward the door. “Let’s get out of here and find somewhere to get to know each other,” he suggests, and I nod even though I don’t know if he means get to know each other or get to know each other. Like, literally? Or, you know, in the carnal sense?
I follow him out of the club and through the hotel, and we end up near one of the hotel’s three pools. One of the other pools here turns into a nightclub on the weekends, and that’s the one Josh and Nicki reserved to hold their wedding the night after tomorrow.
He settles onto a lounge chair, stretching his long legs out in front of him, and I take a beat to really look at him. He’s glowing blue from the pool lights, but he’s still definitely the hottest guy I’ve ever seen in my life.
Why is he talking to me? He could have any girl in that place.
And then a dart of reality hits me. Right. My friend screamed about how she wanted to find a guy I could have sex with, and Hot Luke was the one who overheard. He thinks I’m a sure bet, and even though I’m still pretty tipsy, that thought leaves me a little hollow.
I haven’t had a one-night stand before because sex means something important to me.
But just for tonight...maybe I need to let that go.
When else am I ever going to have the chance to sleep with someone who looks like Hot Luke?
The answer is never.
I force myself to get out of my own head and enjoy this time. I slide onto the chair next to Luke’s and lean back.
Jeez, this chair is comfortable. It’s padded and sturdy and I could freaking sleep out here.
It’s quiet down here near the main pool, but Vegas is never really quiet. The bass from some speakers not too far away pounds, and I feel the beat in my chest. There aren’t any people here, though, where the club was pulsing with the constant hum of bodies. Out here, it’s just the two of us, and between the shadows moving with the water and the relative quiet, the setting provides an almost romantic tranquility.
“God, I hate nightclubs,” he mutters as he rubs his temples, and I laugh.
“Why were you at one, then?”
He flashes me a grin, and butterflies start battering around in my stomach. “Because of fate.” When I roll my eyes with a laugh, he admits, “I went for a buddy.”
“I don’t like them, either,” I say, thanking God for the tipsiness that allows me to talk to someone who has a smile like that. “I’m more of a grab a few drinks at a bar with friends kind of girl. I guess I liked them more when I was younger.”
“So why were you there?”
“I went for my best friend.” I leave it at that instead of getting into the whole bachelorette party thing, which will get into the reason why I’m here, which will lead to the wedding and the fact that my brother plays professionally and it’s all just details I don’t want to share.
I want this stranger all to myself.
“Ah, something in common,” he says, nodding sagely. “That’s surely the way to prove I’m not a bad guy.”
I laugh. “We’re getting there. Are you single?” I ask it because I feel like you should know these details about your one-night conquest.
He spits out the fewest possible details. “I broke up with a long-term girlfriend a few months ago.”
“Why?” I ask.
He sighs. “We were together a little over a year when she moved in. And then I realized there was no future for us.”
My brows dip down. “Why?”
“She would put sugar in her coffee, stir the coffee, and then leave the used, wet spoon in the jar of sugar.”