Endless Nights (Vegas Nights 2)

Luke already knew this, though, so no surprise.

He stood by as she took a bunch of photos and went to her when she waved him over. “Let’s take a selfie,” she said, and he moved to stand beside her, slipping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her in close, bending at the knee so their heads were level. She counted down, and he smiled at the moment she took the photo, both of them standing with their heads bowed over the screen as they checked it out.

“Turned out good,” she said, reaching out to dab at his face with her index finger. “We’re cute.”

“We make a good couple,” he said, his voice low, his mouth dry. He probably shouldn’t have said that, but fuck it. This was about being real, he promised himself that. So he wasn’t going to hold back. She should know how he felt.

“You think so?” She sounded breathless and she wouldn’t look at him, kept her gaze fixed on her phone. He touched her chin, forced her to glance up at him, and he smiled at her.

“I know so,” he murmured, dropping a quick kiss on her nose. “Want to take another photo? You need to text me these.”

“Yes. Let’s do it.” They started to pose, but a woman asked if they wanted her to take their photo and so she did, snapping a bunch of them before she handed the phone back.

“Do you think it’s cheesy that I want to save this photo as my background?” she asked, showing him the photo in particular.

“No.” He was happy she said it. Made him think she was just as into him as he was her. Hopefully she was as serious too. “I think I’ll do the same when you send me the photos.”

“I’ll send them right now,” she said, her fingers flying over her keyboard.

They left the Space Needle soon after, stopping to eat lunch at one of his favorite Thai restaurants before they headed back to his building. She was quiet on the drive home, her eyes at half-mast as she slouched in her seat. He let her doze, remaining quiet, the radio turned down low as he drove.

He worked it over in his mind how he could approach her about wanting to turn this into something real. A relationship. He just wanted to blurt it out and be done with it. Hinting around was for sissies, and he wasn’t in the mood to play games. Being open and honest would kick start their relationship in the right direction.

Exactly what he wanted.

It had been months since he and Raquel had split, but he hardly counted that as a real relationship. He didn’t feel a tenth for Raquel what he was experiencing with Andrea. She was starting to become…everything to him. And instead of scaring the crap out of him, he wanted to embrace it.

So he planned on telling her what he wanted tonight. Maybe even when they first got home. He wasn’t letting her leave without telling her. No way, no how.

Luke drove his truck into the parking lot and pulled into a slot, shutting off the engine. Andrea startled awake, glancing over at him with a sleepy smile as she stretched, thrusting her chest out. His gaze dropped to her breasts and his hands itched to touch her there.

“I fell asleep,” she said as she bent to grab her purse.

“We can take a nap if you want,” he suggested.

“Naked naptime? That sounds fun,” she teased.

His cock twitched in anticipation. “Hell yeah it does.”

He took her hand as they headed toward the entrance to his building, the sun breaking through the clouds, shining warm beams of light upon them. He tilted his head up, spotting the bright blue sky overhead, and he smiled. This day was just getting better and better.

“Luke fucking Nelson, you dog. Where the hell have you been?” screeched a pissed-off female voice.

A familiar female’s voice.

Dread slithered down Luke’s spine, and he stopped when he saw Raquel standing in front of the double doors of his condo building. He gripped Andrea’s hand hard and she stared up at him, a questioning look on her face.

Raquel. His ex-girlfriend. They saw each other for a few months, started up during the playoffs and a month or two after that, but then he got bored. She didn’t do it for him. Her jealous streak was wide as the Puget Sound and he didn’t want to deal.

“Raquel.” He cleared his throat, trying for friendly and easygoing when he was feeling anything but. He didn’t want to piss her off any more than she already was. She looked furious enough already. “What are you doing here?”

“Looking for you. I was feeling lonely. Thought I’d stop by.” She flicked her chin in Andrea’s direction. “Looks like someone beat me to you.”

Andrea tried to withdraw her hand from his, but he wouldn’t let her. Hell no. “You should’ve called first.” Yeah, especially since he hadn’t heard from her in months. So why would she stop by now, today of all days? Talk about shitty timing.

“I can see that. But a surprise is always fun, right?” Raquel shifted her focus to Andrea, a calculating smile curving her lips. She was an attractive woman. Short and curvy, with the blondest hair he’d ever seen. But they weren’t what he’d call compatible. She was too much trouble most of the time.

Proving so at this very moment.