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I was too drained to smile at her irritable acquiesce.
A few minutes later, the elevator door opened and sleepy Atlee appeared in sweats and an oversized hoodie. Her hair was piled on top of her head in a haphazard bun, face clear of the minimal makeup she wore, and she had sneakers on her feet.
“I’m here,” she groused. “Now will you tell me why you are?”
“Do you have your keys?”
Her brows snapped together.
Fuck, she was cute when she was grumpy.
“Yes.”
I snatched her hand and tugged her to my side. When I had her where I wanted, I led her out into the brisk desert morning.
“Is that yours?” she asked when the Maybach came into view.
“It is for now.”
I opened the passenger door. She eyed the interior and carefully got in.
She waited until we’d passed the Grand before she tried again with a different question, “Where are we going?”
“My hotel.”
“Why?”
“Because we need to talk and I need a shower.”
Thankfully, traffic was light at five in the morning. Any other time of day Las Vegas Boulevard was brutal. In another hour the neon lights of the strip would be traded for the bright sun of the day and some of the magic of the strip would fade. There wasn’t much I liked about Vegas but the flash of colorful lights was nothing short of spectacular.
The Jewel Sky was desolate when I pulled in front. A valet came to the door, this one less impressed with the Maybach.
“Good morning, Mr. Barker. Would you like a detail this morning?”
“No, thank you, Edward.”
I handed him his tip and took Atlee’s hand.
Smartly, she didn’t ask until we were in the elevator on our way to the forty-fifth floor. “Mr. Barker?” she whispered.
I shrugged.
The elevator opened.
And unlike Martin’s villa my suite didn’t have a private lobby though the window-walled hallway only had three doors. I stopped in front of mine, pressed my key card to the lock, and pushed open the overly heavy door.
When Atlee didn’t move I glanced over at her.
“This feels like déjà vu,” she mumbled. “Are you going to invite me in?”
“You have no idea.”
“I seem to remember you saying something similar our first night.”
Thankfully she stepped into the room, ending the banter before it went any further and Jack got an eyeful.
Atlee stumbled to a halt and my hands went to her hips to steady her. When she looked back at me her eyes were full of hurt.
