Lust (Vegas Nights 2)

He slid those eyes to me. “Sorry, do you mind?”

“Mind what?” I blinked.

His lips curved into a smirk, and he scratched at his jaw. His white shirt was rolled up to the elbow, hugging sizable biceps and revealing dark ink on his forearm.

“I kinda jumped in here when he was telling you the wrong price, even though you looked like you had it handled.”

He was hot, inked, and was asking if I minded that he’d saved me from throwing my drink at the bartender.

Have mercy.

Not that I would have thrown my drink at him.

Well, maybe. I’d learned a thing or ten from watching Real Housewives.

“No. Actually, thank you. I hadn’t looked at the menu for the pricing, I just assumed from experience that a drink minus tequila would be cheaper,” I said.

“And it is.” Hot Guy handed the bartender money to pay for the drinks with a, “I’ll have the change back,” and a nod.

Well.

He received his change and made a show of counting it in front of the guy before pocketing it. “With an attitude like that, who can trust him?”

“Good point.” I smiled. “Again, thank you. I appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome. I watched you for a moment and thought your husband might come and rescue you.”

I stared at him. “My husband? Oh—I’m not married.” I awkwardly waved my left hand at him to prove it. “Single, actually.”

“Single?” His eyebrows shot up, and amusement curled his lips. “Huh. I never would have pegged you for a single person. So, my next question is: are you here alone, or with friends?”

“Alone. Yourself?”

“Couple friends somewhere around here. My best friend is getting married, so we’re here for his bachelor party this weekend. I’m not really a gambler,” he added. “How come you’re here alone?”

Questions. I liked questions. This meant he probably knew exactly what I was and was talking to me for one reason and one reason only.

And, hey—saving a lady from a rude ass bartender trying to overcharge her was a good way to start a conversation.

“My daughter is at a friend’s house, and there’s only so much silence one person can take on a Saturday night.”

“Do you gamble?”

I tilted my head to the side. “You ask a lot of questions.”

“I’m an inquisitive person.” He grinned, leaning against the bar. “And a beautiful, single woman in the middle of a casino in Las Vegas drinking a virgin cocktail invites a lot of questions.”

It did?

“It’s more common than you’d think,” I said cryptically. “To answer all your questions, I’m single because I haven’t found the right man yet—”

“Ooh, cliché.”

“But true.” I sipped my drink. “I like the atmosphere in casinos because I don’t go out often, and I’m drinking a virgin cocktail because I’m not a big drinker. My daughter will come home tomorrow morning and the last thing I want with a hyperactive seven-year-old and her encyclopaedia of questions is a hangover.”

He laughed. And god, it was a nice laugh. Just as low and husky as his voice was. “That makes a lot of sense. I don’t understand it, but hey.” He swigged from his beer. “So, do you just stand here all night?”

“I people-watch.”

“What do you watch them for?”

“My own amusement.”

He laughed again. “What are you, a body language expert?”

I perched on the bar stool behind me and clasped my drink. “No, I’m just one of those weird people who can sit alone for hours and watch other people have fun.”

“That sounds dreadful.”

“Clearly, you don’t have children. Otherwise, you’d know that’s what I do every second of my life.”

He reached behind him for a stool and pulled it under him to sit down. His dark jeans stretched across thick thighs that had to be just as muscular as his upper body was.

He didn’t look like a guy who skipped leg-day.

“Actually, I do have children. Well, a child. My son is eight,” he answered awkwardly.

“Ahh, so are you married?”

“As far from married as one person can get. He’s with his mom for the weekend.”

Hmm. “For the weekend? So, you have custody?”

He nodded. “So, I understand where you’re coming from about having a break.” His smile was wry. “I love him, but there’s only so much baseball even a grown ass man with a love for the sport can take.”

I laughed and set my drink on the bar. “I feel the same way about Moana.”

“Thankfully, princesses aren’t an issue in my house. Marvel, however…”

“Don’t start dissing Marvel. They brought me Chris Hemsworth as Thor.”

He sighed. “Always with Thor. My sister and mom are the same.”

I shrugged, leaning over to sip my drink. “Then, they have good taste.”

“Debateable.” He swigged from his bottle again. “So, people-watcher. What can you tell me about the people in this bar? Who are the people to avoid?”

“To avoid?” I laughed. “Well, anyone with a bulge in their pocket and a cigar in their mouth.”