Staying in Vegas (Vegas Morellis 1)

I don’t make her finish explaining herself. Instead, I nod my understanding. “I know you don’t. You’re fine.” She still looks so uncomfortable, I can’t stand it. Instead of letting her sit there feeling like an asshole because she tried to bring my grumpy fucking enforcer a candy bar, I reach over and grab her around the waist, dragging her against my side. She leans her head on my shoulder like it belongs there, and I brush my lips across the crown of her head. “It was a nice thought,” I assure her.

7

Laurel

Half a dozen showgirls dance in the center of the floor, tables arranged in a U around them. Buff waiters in white suits hustle through the crowded room, carrying trays of food and colorful drinks.

The dance concludes, each woman hitting her final pose and holding a big grin. The crowd claps politely. Rafe’s hand settles at the small of my back and he gently nudges me ahead. I realize I stopped walking to watch the show, so I take a step forward. I look up at him as he moves closer, guiding me into his chest in an almost unconsciously protective gesture that makes me feel warm all over. I look up at him, at his handsome face basked in the glow of the flashy lights. He catches me looking, of course, and gives me a little smile. His smile probably shouldn’t make my tummy flutter, but it does anyway. God, he’s handsome. Even in my memories of him, I’d somehow forgotten how handsome.

“Kinda flashy, huh?” he remarks.

“Well, it’s Vegas,” I offer back. “I expect some flash.”

“Some?” Sin mutters, his arm brushing mine as he moves close to avoid colliding with a server. “This place is all flash. At least the food’s not bad.”

I can’t help smiling faintly, hanging back while Sin walks ahead. Pushing up on my tip toes, I lean in to whisper to Rafe, “He’s a real pleasure to be around, isn’t he?”

Rafe smiles. “Sorry about him. If I had known you were coming in tonight, I would have brought you out without him.”

“My fault for showing up unannounced.”

His eyes twinkle and he squeezes my side. “A welcome surprise.”

Sin walks ahead of us, clearing a path through the crowd with little more than his intimidating aura. The crowd shifts naturally, like he’s Moses parting the Red Sea. Sin doesn’t require divine intervention; I get the impression—and so does everyone else—that he’ll dole out his own if they stand in his way.

I figured a Twix was good because who doesn’t like Twix? Maybe I should’ve bought the man a Snickers instead.

The booth we end up in is U-shaped, similar to the one we sat in at Rafe’s restaurant when Carly and Vince were with us. Sin slides in first, then Rafe gestures for me to slide in between them. I’m tentative about sitting beside the man who nearly ripped my arm off for handing him a candy bar—what if I need to cut my steak and he thinks I’m gonna stab him? Not wanting to offend anyone, I push down my objections and slide in anyway. I’ll just make sure I order food I don’t have to cut up.

“Do those poor girls have to dance all night?” I ask Rafe, nodding toward the dance floor. The women are reassembling, like they’re about to launch into another routine.

“They work in shifts, but yeah.”

“Their poor feet,” I remark.

Before long, a waitress comes over to hand us our menus and ask for our drink order. Rafe automatically orders me an alcoholic beverage like he did last time we were out.

“Oh, uh, no alcohol for me,” I say, shaking my head. “Water is fine, thank you.”

Rafe frowns. “You don’t want a drink?”

“I’m not old enough to be served.” It’s a stupid excuse. I wasn’t old enough last time either, and given who Rafe is, people probably bend rules for him all the time. If the girl he brings in wants a drink, it’s unlikely to matter whether or not she’s 21.

His frown lingers and my stomach flips over. There’s one obvious reason for women to refuse alcoholic drinks, and this is not how I want him to find out. His probing brown eyes remain on mine, and it probably doesn’t help that I cast mine down guiltily.

Luckily, our third interrupts the awkward quiet, saying, “Bottled water, cap on, seal unbroken. If the seal is broken, I send it back.”

The waitress nods like this isn’t a strange request. I think it’s a strange request, but I’ve managed to get on his nerves so much tonight, I’m tentative as I turn toward him and cock a questioning eyebrow.

Sin meets my gaze briefly, but doesn’t explain himself.

When the waitress comes back, Rafe places an appetizer order and we all order some food. It’s somewhat awkward how quiet Sin is, but Rafe doesn’t seem to mind. He asks about Carly and Vince again, and I subtly assure him they have nothing to do with my visit here.

I don’t know if it’s real or imagined, but since I turned down the drink, he seems a little less friendly. Rafe has an easy charisma, so the shift is subtle, but I feel it nonetheless. It could just be a guilty conscience, I guess. It makes me uncomfortable that I’ve spent a good part of this evening with him, that I’m planning to stay at his house tonight, and I still haven’t told him why I came. I planned to tell him straight away—it’s the sole purpose of this trip, after all—but I didn’t think we would have company from the moment I arrived.

I try to imagine how it will go. He was happier to see me than I expected him to be, less suspicious than I was prepared for, but I struggle with reminding myself over and over again that Rafe and I are not alike. He’s the king of casual, and I’ve never even had sex outside a relationship before him. I find it weird that a girl would fly across the country to spend a night with him, but then again, he flew halfway across the country and came early to Easter just so he could bang me for Mateo.

I’m not complaining, it’s just everything is topsy turvy in this family, so it’s hard to be sure of anything.