She heads over to the other room, motioning for us to follow. On a table are these huge gift bags lined up with our names on them. We look at each other and smile as she passes them out to each of us. The bags are chock full of awesome things; signed hardbacks and photos, custom necklaces and bracelets that her characters wore, t-shirts, gift cards, mugs, dinner vouchers, and finally, an iPad Mini for each of us. We are speechless.
I finally say, “This is too much. Way too much.”
“It’s not nearly enough. You girls have done so much for me that I don’t think I can ever repay you. Therefore no more talk of this. Let’s simply have some fun.”
So that’s what we do. We eat and drink, entirely more than we should, and then after all the other guests leave, she asks if we want to go dancing.
“Hell, yeah,” we all say.
A short time later, we all head over to Rock the Night Away in a limo. Once there, more drinks are ordered and we start in on the shooters. I lose track and spend most of the time on the dance floor. I’m already in love with Vegas. And what’s not to love? Yeah, it’s a desert here, but the damn place is raining with men. Men offer to buy me drinks and hit me up for dances constantly.
As the night progresses, I should be surprised to see Ryland there, but I’m not, when I look to see him next to me on the dance floor.
“Are you stalking me?”
He laughs. “I was going to ask the same of you.”
We dance some more until a slow song comes on and I start to leave the floor.
“Where are you going?”
I turn and stare as he pulls me roughly against him. My body heats as flames fan across my skin.
“How’s your burn?” His voice is next to my ear and I can feel his breath on my neck. Goosebumps prick my skin everywhere, a contradiction to the heat that continues to burn me. His arm has me hooked around the waist and I’m held snugly against him. His jeans rub against my thighs, making me heat up in places I’m not used to being heated in.
“M-my burn?” I’m confused at first; my mind is focused on another part of my body right now.
“The coffee today. You burned yourself.”
“Oh, yeah. It’s fine. Still stings a bit. Thanks for asking.”
He nods while his fingers are laced with mine and his thumb is rubbing a circle on my first knuckle.
“You look lovely tonight, Fallon.”
“Thanks. So do you.”
He brings my hand to his mouth and leaves a kiss on it, right as the song ends. He doesn’t release me as a quick-paced song with a driving beat comes on and we become surrounded by dozens of dancers.
Those eyes of his are so green that, even in the dark of the club, I can see gold streaks in them. They’re compelling eyes. And they’re staring right into mine. I don’t dare blink. I don’t want to miss a second of them. We’re swaying to the hard beat with his arm defining our rhythm while his mouth is moving incrementally closer to mine. I can feel his breath on my lips. I want to feel his lips on my tongue. I want to know his taste. Our noses are touching, and finally, when our lips are about to meet, he releases me and steps back.
He raises my hand to his mouth, presses a kiss to it and says, “Thank you, Fallon, for the lovely dance.” Then he backs off the floor, leaving me gaping at the empty space like a fool, feeling the distinct loss of his warm body against mine.
I’m in the crush of the crowd, so no one seems to notice except for my scorched body. I inhale, trying to puzzle this whole thing out and lower my heart rate at the same time. I decide I must have bad breath and make a mental note of changing my toothpaste and picking up some mouthwash as well as gum the next day. Why else would he leave so abruptly? Unless he realized, that up close, he wasn’t attracted to me after all. Numbly, I push my way off the dance floor in search of another drink.
When I reach the bar, I spy my girls laughing and hanging out with R.T. They finally notice my crestfallen face.
“What’s up with you?”
“Just tired.” Now all I can think of is going home. “Would you all mind if I took off?”
“As in go home?” Mandy eyes me suspiciously.
“Yeah.”
“You okay?” Amanda asks.
“Uh-huh.”
R.T. is staring at me. She appears to be assessing me. In her cute British accent, she says, “Come on, Fallon. I’ll get you home now.”
“No, I don’t want to spoil your evening.”
“Well, darling, I won’t have you leaving by yourself.” She turns to the girls and hands them a wad of bills. “This should cover your cab ride home.” Then her arm comes around me and out we go. The limo pulls up and she ushers me inside.