Vegas Virgin (Nevada Bad Boys 1)

Chapter 1: Peoria

“O kay darling, make a wish.” My father put his hand on my shoulder.

“But you can’t tell anyone—otherwise it won’t come true.” My mother stood next to my birthday cake with her hands folded together.

“Wish for a pony—just like I did!” My niece, Annie, who had recently turned five, swirled in a circle as she told the world what her last birthday wish was for the tenth time in the last hour.

“That’s why you’re not getting a pony, little miss.” My aunt said with a shake of her finger. “You can’t stop telling people your wish!”

“If Peoria gets a pony, I can ride it!” Annie stared at her mother’s finger, which was normally used to scold her, but was more in jest than anything else.

My lips came together, and I blew as hard as I could, aiming at the candles in front of me. There were twenty-one of them and they each signified another year of my sheltered life. I watched as the flickering flames danced before disappearing from each one of them and then there was nothing but a puff of smoke rising up from my birthday cake. A cheer erupted in the room as my family and friends moved closer to the table. My mother started cutting the cake and I leaned back with a smile on my face because I had managed to take care of all of them in one breath.

My mother cut a corner piece for me, which had a swirl of icing in the shape of a purple rose—I liked icing a lot more than cake. My fork plunged into the rose and I lifted it to my lips, immediately nodding in approval when the icing started to melt on my tongue. It was so sweet that I wouldn’t have even considered another bite most days, but since it was my birthday, I jammed my fork back into the cake and scooped a layer of icing off that almost toppled off the prongs before it hit my lips. The cake started to disappear as my mother passed out pieces to everyone in attendance and I watched their faces erupt in the same joy of deliciousness that was present on mine.

“This is so good, Mrs. Dawson.” My best friend, Fiona, sank down into a chair and chewed with a look of ultimate bliss on her face.

“Thank you, Fiona.” My mother picked up a slender piece of cake and carved off a tiny sliver before lifting the fork to her mouth.

“What did you wish for, Peoria? Did you wish for a pony?” Annie started trying to climb my leg.

“Annie, stop it. Eat your cake.” My aunt pulled Annie off me and quelled her excitement with a large piece of cake—it was nothing more than a stalemate because the cake was going to send her spiraling into a sugar high.

“I wished for the same thing I wish for every year.” I smiled and pushed another scoop of icing into my mouth.

Freedom.

Despite loving every member of my family, what I truly desired was freedom. It wasn’t that my family was bad—they actually treated me like a princess. The problem was that they treated me too much like a princess.

I didn’t have a typical childhood. While all the kids in my neighborhood ran to the bus stop to go to school, I sat down at the tiny desk my father carved with his own hands so my mother could homeschool me. I didn’t have many friends. Fiona had lived next door to us my whole life and my parents weren’t fond of her, but when they suggested that she wasn’t a good influence, it was the one time I stood up to them.

She had the kind of freedom I craved. Her stories painted a picture of the life I was missing out on. She had fallen in love, had her heart broken, and fallen in love again. I had never even experienced my first kiss, much less anything that went further than a man’s lips on mine. That was about to change, because as soon as I finished opening my birthday gifts, I was hopping on a plane that would carry me far away from the tiny town in Georgia where I grew up.

“How excited are you right now?” Fiona pulled me away from my family. “I need to borrow Peoria for a few minutes!”

“I don’t even know how to describe it.” I practically started giggling. “We’re going to Las Vegas!”

“Remember when we used to talk about this? Did you ever believe we would actually be doing it?” Fiona was so excited she was trembling. “We leave tonight!”

“I never thought my parents would let me go!” I followed her towards my room and when we walked through the door, I put my empty plate on my dresser.

“They can’t stop you anymore. You’re an adult now—you get to make all kinds of mistakes on your own.” She sat down on my bed and grinned.

“They might not be able to stop me, but they aren’t happy about it.” I shrugged and sighed. “I need this though.”

“It’s going to be okay. You’re their daughter, not their prisoner.” She shrugged and leaned over to look in my suitcase. “Did you pack a toothbrush?”

“Yes.” I nodded and folded my arms. “I didn’t forget anything. I even made a list.”

“Makeup?” She nudged a pair of shoes with her finger, peering further into the abyss of my luggage.

“Shit!” I ran across the hall to the bathroom and started throwing some essentials in a small Vera Bradley bag.