I shifted toward her across the table, extending my arm so I could rub my thumb over the corner of her mouth. “Missed a dab of cake, princess,” I said deliberately, drawing my thumb back to suck it into my own mouth.
She watched the movement avidly, her breath rushing out between her parted lips.
“It’s okay if you don’t like Celine. Maybe you could gamble while I’m at the show?” she asked breathlessly.
I had to smile. She was giving me an out, but she w
asn’t missing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity even if I wasn’t interested. She was so much stronger than she gave herself credit for.
So much more alluring.
“I will admit she’s not my favorite, but she’s extremely talented. If you’d like to go, we’re going.”
“We are?”
The glow on her face was worth enduring anything. Even a warbler with an annoying accent. “Absolutely.” I inclined my chin toward her plate. “If you finish your cake.”
She dug into it eagerly, and just watching her eat was a pleasure unto itself. She was so lusty in everything she did—at least when she stopped letting fear rule her.
I couldn’t wait to see her blossom even more.
Once she’d finished her cake and I’d paid the bill—after a scuffle, since she wanted to use her dining allowance from the radio station—we went outside to catch a ride to The Colosseum.
“No, never mind riding. It’s such a beautiful night. I want to walk.” Sage clasped my hand, lacing her fingers with mine as she gazed up at me. “Okay?”
Saying no to her was going to become a problem, I could already tell.
In lieu of an answer, I squeezed her hand and waved off the waiting car.
The weather was balmy and perfect. At first, she didn’t get too close as we walked, though she never broke the link of our fingers. But then she cuddled in, resting her head against my arm now and again as she noted the sights and I offered my own insight. I wasn’t a Vegas connoisseur, but I’d visited a few times.
None of those trips had been like this.
I’d always traveled alone, and I lived my life mostly by rote. Seeing things without truly experiencing them.
Sage made that impossible.
“God, I love palm trees. They’re so majestic. I wish we had them in New York.”
It felt good to laugh. “Not thinking that will happen. The climate isn’t quite hospitable for them.”
“But they’re so pretty. Look at all the stars.” She tipped her head back against my arm.
“How can you even see them?” The dazzling lights of the strip nearly rendered it impossible for me to make them out.
“I have excellent eyesight. Besides, when else will I have a chance to see real Vegas stars? I’ll fill in the damn dots if I have to. Dang,” she corrected as I chuckled.
“We could rent a car tomorrow, take a ride out to the desert. You could see them so much clearer out there.”
She smiled up at me, subtly tightening her hold on my arm. It was as if some kind of barrier had broken between us as soon as she’d grabbed me in fright during the plane ride.
I didn’t want that barrier to return. Ever.
“I’d like that. Assuming we don’t spend all day in bed.” She grinned. “Which we cannot, because hello, we’re in Vegas.”
I swallowed and my tongue ended up near my knees.
Holy fuck, how could one barely dirty comment make me harder than the sidewalk we were walking on?