AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She nods. “Yeah, I think that should work.”
“It’s a date.”
“A date? Like on your calendar, or a real one?”
I laugh. “How about a real one?”
“But we have to hide, and everyone in this town knows who you are.” She twists in my arms so she’s facing me, and I lean down and press another kiss to her mouth.
“Then I guess I better get planning.” I have no idea exactly what to do, but I’m a creative guy. I’ll come up with something.
She heads out, much to my disappointment, and I call down to the front desk to request a shirt from the gift shop. They send one up, and I head home myself. No sense in spending the night here when every place I turn just reminds me of her.
On my ride home, I look up some shit to do on Wednesday. We could go to a movie. We should probably avoid concerts and shows on the Strip since she’s right, I could be recognized. There’s a restaurant that’s entirely dark inside, so that’s a possibility. I could rent a space somewhere or do something after hours. We could drive out to the desert and stargaze.
All possibilities, and I’ll make some decisions when my body isn’t quite so depleted and I’m not so exhausted.
When I walk in the front door at one thirty, I’m expecting a quiet house. That’s not what I get.
My dad is at the kitchen table with three other men around his age, and they’re playing poker.
My dad isn’t the friendliest, and I have no idea who these three men are. They’re not former football players, at least not ones I recognize.
I sigh. I was kind of hoping I’d be able to quietly slip in and head to bed, but my dad’s eyes lift to me when I pad by the table.
“Hey, here’s our fifth!” he says. He stands and claps me on the shoulder like we’re much closer than we are these days. “You want in?”
I shake my head, and it almost feels like he’s the dude in his twenties and I’m the responsible adult. “Long night. I’m turning in.”
“Ah, that’s not the man I raised.” He’s taunting me.
“In fact, it is,” I say dryly. I wave at the other men. “Hi. I’m Asher, his roommate.”
“My youngest son,” he says. “Tight end for the Aces.” He says the words proudly, and I think it’s less to do with my accomplishments and more to do with the fact that I’m following in his footsteps as a pro football player. “And these are my new poker buddies, Phil, Tom, and Herman.”
Sounds like a lively bunch.
I nod at the three guests. “Nice meeting you.” I can’t help but wonder where he met them, but I don’t care enough to find out tonight. “Have a good night.”
It’s a little after eleven the next morning when my dad walks into the kitchen and starts a coffee pod for himself. I’m considering heading into the gym near the Complex for a run and a swim when he says, “Where were you last night?”
I huff out a chuckle. “Noneya.” As if I’d say a word to my dad about being with Desiree.
As if he can read my mind, he says, “Did you hear about Bill Dixon’s wife?”
My brows dip as my chest races. Did something happen to Des’s mom? “What about her?”
“She’s a billionaire.”
I heave out a breath, but my reaction to the mere thought that Desiree might be hurting over something going on in her family is startling, to say the least.
His words don’t register for a second.
“She’s a…what?”
He nods. “She owns Berkshire hotels. I guess her daughter’s getting it down the road.” He whistles through his teeth as my fucking claws come all the way out. “Can you imagine the fortune there? See what you can do.” He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively, and I feel sick.
He has literally no idea that I spent most of the night with her. He has no idea that I find myself falling in deep with her as we start to get to know one another. He has no idea that I’m already addicted to her—to her eyes, her laugh, her scent, her cunt.
