“But—”
She pulled him aside and waited until the guy passed them, giving Libby a slight backward glance before rounding a corner. Noah jerked against her hold, but her fingers dug into his sleeve. “Noah, I think it’s sweet how you’ve taken on this protective role, but beating the shit out of someone in my defense isn’t going to help a thing.” She gave him a dazzling smile. “Now come on. You promised to spot me a few games of blackjack.”
Sweet? Protective role? He forced himself to calm down, surprised at how outraged he was on her behalf. How many times had he himself checked out a woman? It had to be equivalent to the number of breaths he’d taken since his birth. But this was his Libby—she was a person with feelings, not some mannequin to be ogled.
Dammit, taking a good look at himself in the mirror sucked donkey ass.
She reached up and kissed his cheek and then rubbed the spot with her thumb. “Don’t let this ruin our night.”
“You said you hate to gamble.”
She stared into his eyes for several seconds. “It depends on what I’m gambling on.”
Before he could respond, she grabbed his hand and pulled him along. Could she be talking about him? Them? Was she thinking about a quick fling or something more? Maybe she was talking about moving to Seattle. Or even choosing a new deodorant. The possibilities were endless.
He barely registered where they were going. The truth was, he hated Caesar’s Palace, but Scott Abrahams was staying there, and as massive as Vegas was, it made sense to stay in the same place. He hadn’t heard from Tiffany, and that had him more than a little worried. He still hadn’t let her know he only wanted information from her, but he’d deal with that when the time came.
Libby headed for one of the blackjack areas, but Noah pulled her back. “We should eat first. You have to be starving.”
She shook her head. “No. I’m not hungry.”
“We have to eat sometime tonight and we’re all dressed up. How about I make a reservation somewhere? We can play for an hour or two and then have a late dinner.”
She pondered it a moment. “That’s a great idea. Maybe Gram can join us.”
Gram. He’d almost forgotten about her. So much for a romantic dinner, not that it was going to be one. His current plan was to woo her until they got to Seattle, then tell her how he felt. Her one-year celibacy plan was an issue, but he was pretty sure it was only a protective measure. If she insisted on following through with it, he’d respect her wishes and wait.
He pulled out his phone and looked up a contact. “How about if I make reservations at Blue Willow for four at eleven? If Nana Ruby decides not to come, it’ll be no big deal to go from four to three.” When she seemed to hesitate, he added, “I ate there last time I was in Vegas, and it’s pretty nice.”
“But is it expensive? With the hotels and the food . . . I know we’re splitting the cost, but I spent a lot of money on the . . .”
Her voice trailed off and he knew she was talking about the wedding. She’d mentioned that she’d paid for most of it herself, without her mother’s financial or emotional support. She’d barely let Mitch pay for anything, which seemed odd considering she had given him everything he wanted. But she hardly had any money in the first place, so she had to be broke now.
“Don’t worry about the cost. Tomorrow’s your birthday. You only turn thirty once. Consider it my birthday gift to you.”
The mention of her birthday sent a dark shadow over her face and she turned toward the gaming area again. “I need a drink.”
“What do you want? I’ll get you one.”
“I can get my own drink,” she said defensively. “You take care of getting chips.”
The memory of the asshole in the elevator was still fresh in his mind. “I think we should stick together.”
She laughed, but the sound was devoid of any humor. “I know how to handle men, Noah. Just like you know how to handle women. It’s what we do best.”
His mouth gaped open. It was the truth, but it was hard to hear it put so bluntly.
She shoved his arm. “Go on. I’m going to flag down that waitress. What do you want?”
Beer wasn’t going to cut it tonight. “Gin and tonic.”
She lifted her eyebrows, but something was still off. “Going for the big guns tonight, huh?”
She cut off his response by flagging down a departing waitress. When she noticed he was still standing there watching her, she mouthed go with an exasperated look.
After he made the reservation for the restaurant and bought a hundred dollars’ worth of chips, he found her sitting at a blackjack table. She had the rapt attention of the two men who sat to her right. They looked to be in their thirties and both were fairly good-looking and obviously interested in her. Libby was playing with a small stack of chips in front of her, picking them up and letting them drop into a stack with a rhythmic clink.
“Mississippi, you say?” she asked, her voice sultry. “I’ve never been to Mississippi. Is it as hot as they say it is?”
She was flirting with them.
He stuffed down his anger and jealousy. As far as she was concerned, they were nothing more than friends. Still, he’d never tried to pick up women when they were together. He’d told himself it was out of respect for her, but now he knew it was because he’d loved her all along. Apparently she didn’t feel the same limitation now that she wasn’t with Mitch.
Noah stood back and watched her, surprised she didn’t realize he was there. It was obvious the two guys hadn’t put it together that they knew each other. She leaned forward, batting her lashes, and put her hand on the hand of the man closest to her.
He’d never seen her this way. She’d always been real with him, even that first weekend before Josh and Megan’s wedding. Still, he’d always suspected she was an accomplished flirt. Her current performance confirmed it. This wasn’t the woman he knew, and dammit, it was hard to see her this way.
“Libby,” he said, trying to keep the tightness out of his voice. “Where’d you get the chips?” He already knew, but dammit, he wanted her to admit it.
She turned and flashed him a brilliant smile, but there was something dark in her eyes. “Craig here was kind enough to loan me a few. Wasn’t that sweet?”
The two men were now giving their full attention to Noah. He glared at the man on the end, whose reddening face identified him as Craig.
Craig slid off his stool. “We didn’t know she had a boyfriend, man. She told us she was waiting for her friend. We thought her friend was a she.”
Both men grabbed their chips and Noah said, “Hey, don’t forget this.” He tossed a twenty-five-dollar chip across the table toward them.
They scurried away and Libby looked up at him with a lazy grin that didn’t reach her eyes. She pushed a glass toward him. “Here’s your drink.”
He reacted before he had time to think it through. “What the hell was that?”
“What?” she asked innocently. “Are you going to play or not?”
The dealer’s eyes narrowed, waiting to see how this played out.
This wasn’t how he’d hoped things would go at all. “I thought you’d sworn off men for a year.”