“Starting the party a little early?” she asked with a smile.
Fuck me, that smile was gorgeous, with pouty lips that stretched across white teeth. Her cheeks reddened every time she smiled, and her dimples were deep and devilish. She always looked like she was up to something.
“Might as well have a bit of fun,” I said with a wink.
She grabbed her things, and we hopped into my car. Of course, my brothers would be inconsiderate of her time and money. It was why I didn’t think any of them deserved her. Samantha deserved someone who would take her feelings into account. Someone who would look out for her while helping her to achieve her dreams. A man who would support her and catch her whenever she fell, but a man who would also help her back onto her feet instead of keeping her helpless in his arms. She deserved a man who would stand behind her and support her every word before pinning her down and making her his pillow princess. A man whose tongue was sharp at her defense before being sharp between her legs. A man who stood his ground at her side before standing his ground with her pinned against the wall.
Samantha deserved a man like that.
A man like me.
I parked the car in long-term parking, then the two of us hopped out. It took us much longer than we figured to get through security, and by the time we got to the bar inside the airport, it was time to board. Samantha sighed, and I could tell she was disappointed, so when we sat together on the plane the first thing I ordered us were two drinks.
“You know they’re going to be expensive on the plane, right?” she asked.
“Don’t worry. It’s not like you’re picking up the tab. All of this is going on my card,” I said.
“Liam, you don’t have to do that.”
But I ignored her as I reached for our drinks the attendant brought us.
“To a great weekend in Vegas,” I said as I held up my glass. “Here’s to a trip we’ll never forget.”
CHAPTER 3
LUKE
“You paid for the tickets to Vegas out of the company account?” Logan asked. “Liam’s gonna kill you for that, Luke.”
“Hey. I’m the one in charge of the finances. One of our biggest clients is based out of Vegas. I give him a call, meet up for drinks to talk a bit of business before we get the party started, and boom. Weekend trip to Vegas covered,” I said.
“Sounds like a ‘gray area’ for our taxes,” Logan said.
“Then why don’t you stick to dealing with the management of construction sites and leave the numbers to me?”
None of my brothers had been on board with me at first when I suggested we all get an earlier flight out to Vegas. But I wanted to make sure everything was set up before Sam and Lauren flew in. I wasn’t just the numbers guy for the construction company, I was also the guy who set up business trips. I didn’t like that we were all flying down without someone coming ahead to make sure things were set up properly.
So, I took it upon myself to do it.
When my brothers and I had landed three hours ago, we went to check out the rooms. I had already figured out where would be the best place to position myself when it came to Sam. I wanted to be close to her as much as I could be while we were in Vegas. Sam had been gone for almost a month, and I’d missed her. So when we checked out the hotel rooms and I had an opportunity to room next to Sam, I took it.
The thing was, some of us had to double-up, so Logan was rooming with me.
Still, I was excited about being so close to her. The rooms were joined with a shared door in the living room, which meant I’d have easy-as-pie access to her. I liked that. I had plans for my weekend, and they had nothing to do with getting drunk or treating Lauren’s fiancé to anything. Sure, my brothers and I would give him the Bachelor party of a lifetime, then, I would turn my sights to Sam.
This weekend would be the weekend I told her how I felt about her.
For years, I’d had the hots for her. Fantasized about her and yearned for her and craved her. Any time I could get with her in between her insane work hours, I took it. She was the perfect woman, with curves that could kill and blue eyes that sucked me in. Sam was anything but innocent, and that was her allure. That soft exterior encased a strong, independent, self-made woman who stopped at nothing to get what she wanted out of life. She had a vibrant passion for things and always the best attitude.
She could make me smile even when I didn’t want to.
I wanted to make my deepest fantasies come true. I wanted to feel Sam’s naked skin against mine before I professed to her how much I cared for her. But unless I was arguing with one of my brothers, I was quiet. In the corner. Off in my own world. I’d always been that way. It’s why numbers suited me. Numbers never lied, never stole, and never talked unless they had to. I helped our construction company by sitting in an office all day, away from everyone else and running figures to make sure we were on track to profit every quarter.
I enjoyed my job, but my personality also matched my chosen career.
I didn’t like that Liam got to ride on the plane with her all the way to Vegas alone. I didn’t like that he’d already had so much alone time with her. I was happy no one snagged Sam up in Paris, but that didn’t mean I didn’t want to see it with my own two eyes. See her walking off the plane by herself with a massive smile geared towards me. Watching her with Liam, however, brought the reality of my feelings for her down full-force.
I had missed Sam.