Spotilicious (Jaguartow)

“I really would like you to go,” she repeated.

Why was she so stubborn? There were so many things to discuss between them. The words came tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop them. “Kelly, I need to tell you that we are meant to be together. You are my mate, and you are pregnant with my cub.”

She looked puzzled at first, and then her eyes widened with fear. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Marc took a step toward her, and he was so focused on her face that he missed the appearance of the shovel that she must have been hiding behind her back. Before he could say another word, Kelly whacked it across the side of his head.

The world went dark.

CHAPTER TWO

Four Days Earlier…

Kelly was keyed up after the casual Vegas wedding she had attended that afternoon. She was so happy for her cousin, but every time she went to someone else???s wedding, it dredged up the same old feelings reminding her that she was no longer married herself. Even though it had been four years since Adam walked off from their marriage, it still stung more than she cared to admit.

The rumor mill had recently spouted out the news that his secretary, the woman who Kelly had walked in on him screwing, was pregnant. The two were planning a fall wedding. It wasn’t that she wanted to be with Adam; it was more that she just didn’t like being alone anymore. Seeing the happy couple in front of the minister that day made her melancholy.

Her friends, Becca and Allie, had insisted that she needed a night on the town to put all thoughts of Adam to bed once and for all. And what better place to do that than Las Vegas? The Sin City where anything could happen? Maybe Lady Luck would send her a little blessing…

“You just need a curl-your-toes, fucking-hot hook-up your last night in Vegas,” Becca assured her.

“Right. I’m not pretty enough for that,” Kelly said. She was incredibly self-conscious about the fact that she had gained a few pounds the last couple years. She didn’t get to exercise as much as she wanted to, and even though her friends told her that she looked far better now than after her divorce-diet’s twenty-pound weight loss when she and Adam separated, she didn’t believe them.

Still, her friends talked her into going to what was supposed to be the trendiest casino on the Strip. They had started with drinks at the roulette table. A few more drinks had led them to the craps tables. It was there that she first saw him.

She was on a crazy hot streak throwing the dice.

Even though she had no idea what she was doing, it seemed as if every time her fingers touched the dice, everyone at the table won. She had been throwing for more than thirty minutes. People were buying her drinks and shots right and left. Kelly felt herself starting to let loose in a way that she hadn’t in what seemed like forever.

The man at the other end of the table—Mr. Tall, Tanned, and Incredibly Hot was putting down bets that made her eyes widen. And as her streak continued, the stack of chips in front of him got bigger and bigger, kind of like the guy’s biceps. She didn’t think he was there with any specific woman, despite the fact that several at the table kept vying for his attention. But his eyes seemed to be glued on Kelly.

It made her slightly uncomfortable, but at the same time, several mixed drinks and one hot winning streak was giving her a huge boost of confidence. When the inevitable seven finally came, the table cheered for her even though she’d lost. She did a small curtsy and tossed her own small stack of chips into her purse.

She looked around her. Becca and Allie had disappeared somewhere in the fray. She found that she was thirsty, and she didn’t want to stand in her heels anymore. She spotted a bar just across the way and decided to go put her feet up for a couple minutes. Regretfully, she left the man and the rest of the crowd at the table.

As she settled onto the bar stool, she ordered a drink and checked her phone. It seemed that Becca and Allie had found a couple of hot guys to occupy their time and were potentially out of commission for the rest of the evening. She sighed, but it didn’t bother her. She was still feeling the high from the craps table. Adrenalin worked in a mysterious way.

Her drink arrived, and when she took our her money to pay, the bartender told her that it had already been taken care of. She raised an eyebrow. When the man from the craps table slid into the seat next to her, her jaw almost dropped to the floor.

“I think I might have to call you my Lady Luck,” he said. “I haven’t won that much at a table in a long time.”

“You’re welcome,” she said in a noncommittal voice. She was amazed she could speak at all. The man was even better looking up close. Short, brown hair curled over his wide, green eyes. With his chiseled cheekbones, wide shoulders, and trim waist, he looked like a Greek Adonis incarnated in the flesh. He was wearing a suit, which seemed a little formal for a night out at the casino, but he filled it out in a way that was absolutely mouthwatering.

“My name is Marc,” he said holding up his own drink in the gesture of a toast.

“Kelly,” she said, feeling a little breathless.

“Kelly, I’m not the kind of man that beats around the bush. You are hands-down the most beautiful woman in this casino, and I’d love it if you would consider joining me in my suite for a nightcap. Would you be open to that, or am I being too forward?”

Normally, Kelly would have dismissed the guy immediately. But this was her last night in Vegas, and she’d been feeling so low about herself earlier that day. And now she was being propositioned by the sexiest man she had ever laid eyes on, and on top of that she was horny as hell, so what could go wrong? What happened in Vegas stayed in Vegas, right? Right? Yeah, baby. She was all in for a night of wild sex. Her vibrator could take the night off.

“You aren’t being too forward,” she said with a small grin.

“Well, then.” Marc stood up and offered her his arm. “Shall we?”

As she wound her arm on his, she couldn’t help but notice the waves of heat that seemed to emanate off him. His green eyes flashed in an unspoken triumph. They held hers in a kind of trance as she walked through the busy casino floor with him. She felt as if she was gliding through a cloud. Her heart beat faster. Blood rushed to her head. Giddy. Dreamy. Was it really happening?

When Marc put a hand on the small of her back, it was as if she could feel every single finger burning through the fabric of her dress. Intense heat rippled up her spine.