Gabe felt like a trespasser as he pulled up to Bex’s curb in the light of day instead of the shadow of the night. A low spring breeze wrapped around his shoulders as he traipsed the steps to her front door, and in the distance a hawk wheeled in circles, riding a thermal.

He rang the doorbell and stuffed his hands into his pockets. What if Bex decided she didn’t want to do this? What if she called this whole thing off?

Bex pulled open the door and stood there, a vision in a sundress, looking way more innocent than he knew she was. Gabe smiled in relief as she stepped outside.

She hadn’t changed her mind after all.

“Since this trip is a mystery, you need to tell me if what I’m wearing is okay.” Bex twirled on the front step, and his throat ran dry. Maybe this was a stupid idea. Maybe he should walk her back through the door and fuck her in her pristine dress. Wedge sandals and everything.

But no. He needed to do this right.

“You look more than okay, Bex.”

Gabe owed Emma a major thank you. There was a sixty-forty chance he would have shown up at Trivia Night anyway—probably—but Emma had called him from X Enterprises on Tuesday morning and threatened to smack him with whatever object she was holding if he didn’t show up.

“Want to guess what’s in my hand right now?” she’d said.

Gabe had taken the tour. He didn’t want to guess, but that didn’t mean his mind didn’t fill in the blanks.

“We’re good.”

The call had been a confirmation that Bex still cared, and then Emma had the good sense to leave the two of them alone at Trivia Night. And getting Bex alone so she’d agree to this Saturday excursion? It was everything.

Bex smoothed a hand along the skirt of her dress and offered him a pleased smile. “Good.”

She followed Gabe to his car, and he eased onto the 95, edging south away from Downtown.

Bex read the street signs as they passed. “We’re not headed to The Strip, are we?”

“Maybe.” He turned his eyes toward her just enough to see the face she made. He grinned. “I thought this was my outing to plan,” he said. “I promise there is serious inspiration to be had.”

Bex sat back against the seat and lifted a dubious shoulder. “If you say so.”

Bex had lived in Las Vegas her whole life, so she’d probably taken to avoiding The Strip like all the other locals. To be fair, the only reason to chance the sprawling chaos was to entertain visitors from out of town. People came to explore the glamour and the glitz. To swig free booze at the casinos. But it was a giant hassle.

Anyway, in the middle of the afternoon, it wasn’t his goal to take advantage of the lurid nighttime offerings. But if his destination made Bex think about sex? Well, that was entirely the point.

“The Renegade?” Bex stared at the entrance to the luxurious hotel, her face skeptical. “Did you bring me back here to party?”

“Not quite.”

Gabe reached for her hand, pleased at the way she molded it into his. He tugged her gently, steering them through the hotel lobby and past the entrance to the pool. The area smelled like chlorine and sunscreen. Like oranges. Like Bex. The whole thing felt like summer, but an East Coast summer, not the Las Vegas kind of summer where everyone stayed indoors because you’d melt the second you stepped foot outside. Gabe stopped in front of a second set of double doors with a smile.

“Oh,” Bex breathed. A delighted smile played across her features. “The Trailblazer Gallery.”

It was a popular attraction—hotel guests got discounted tickets, and the gallery held a rotating selection from artists around the world. Bex read the marquee out front as a crowd of women wearing six-inch heels sailed past. “The Chihuly glass exhibit is here?”

“Let’s go find out.”

He held the doors open for Bex and followed her into a museum festooned with glass on every surface. Heavy glass flowers hung from the ceiling and sprouted next to the museum’s walkways. Still more flowers were mounted on the walls. The entire space exploded with whimsy and color.

Bex’s face transformed with delight. “Wow, Gabe, this is magical.” She looked like she was right at home here, with the light refracting onto her face. She’d always been color and motion to him, like a Ferris Wheel spinning by. “Look at these colors.” She sucked in a deep breath and covered her mouth with her hands. “Just wow.”

“Glad it makes you so happy. Look at that cluster up there.” He pointed at the ceiling, and she brought her cheek close to his to see his point of view. High above them, whorls of red and gold and orange glass were folded like paper fans around a central disk of deep color. Gabe admired the elegant workmanship of the display, his eyes caught by the tendrils of green that wove through the petals. How was it even possible to make glass bend this way? “Look what happens when you look up through the layers,” he said. “See how everything fractures together?”

“It’s gorgeous.” Bex’s face so was close to his, and he wanted to crush her against him and never let go. “This is…” Her voice trailed off.

“I know.”

Bex squeezed his hand and tilted her face to his, and he breathed her in. Her eyes caught his, sparkling and beautiful. Gabe dropped her fingers so he could bring his hand to the back of her head and hold her steady as he leaned forward. Because he was doing this—god, was he doing this?—and her eyes fluttered shut as she met him halfway.

Bex moaned into him, her lips so soft as they parted for him. So sweet. He teased his tongue inside her mouth and explored her with slow, careful strokes. This kiss was a test. Are we okay? Are you with me?

Yes and yes.

Bex wound her fingers through Gabe’s hair, and his body sparked. She pulled back just far enough to say, “Thank you.” Her voice was a breathy little moan, and his chest warmed with the knowledge that he could drive her this crazy with only a single touch. He didn’t know what had changed between them, or why she’d stopped running. All he knew is he didn’t want to let her go.

“For the kiss?”

“For this day.”

He smiled against her mouth. “We’ve barely even started.”

Gabe let her lead the way around the museum, and together they threaded their way through the room. The gallery’s regular installations still hung on the walls—everything from photographs to paintings—and he felt like he was walking through a magical field of flowers to get across the room.

As they neared the far wall, Bex stopped short in front of a small sculpture with a smirk on her face.

“What’s that look about?” Gabe asked.

She smiled wider like a kid with a secret. “You really want to know?”

Was she teasing him? “Yeah, I really do.”

She pointed at the sculpture, a phallic twist of glass cast in deep blue and purple. “Some of these remind me of glass dildos.”

Gabe tsked. “Such a dirty mind.”

“You like it.”

“Never said I didn’t.” He grinned at her. “So tell me about dildos.”

Bex fucking lit up. Man, he would keep on surprising her if he could keep that look on her face. When she talked about the things she loved, she practically glowed.

“Well, glass is a super body-safe material because it’s non-porous. So there are lots of artisans who make glass dildos. And they really are works of art.”

“Beauty and function?”

“Exactly.”

He stopped short and pulled her close, lowering his mouth to her ear. “You realize you can’t talk about dildos without me picturing you using them.” He knew what she looked like as she hovered on that edge—her eyes slitted, her mouth open. How was he going to get her there again?

Gabe leaned back in time to catch Bex blush, and he felt a sting of pride. This woman worked in the sex toy industry, and yet he was getting to her. Hell, she had kissed him. He was going to win her over.

“Speaking of pictures,” he said. Bex cocked her head to the side, waiting for him to banter back. “I’ve got a gallery showing coming up in a few weeks.” Or, at least, he hoped he did. Kevin could still say no if Gabe didn’t deliver better images.

“That’s awesome.”

“It would be if I had pictures ready to show,” he admitted. “But I’m trying to do something different. Something in between landscapes and headshot photography.”

“And?”

“Any chance you’d model for me?” She’d been in his mind ever since that first night, and Kevin had even said he wanted something like Bex. Why not give him photos of the woman herself?

Bex narrowed her eyes with an amused look on her face. “This isn’t one of those scams where you promise me a fancy modeling career in exchange for getting naked, is it?”

He lifted an eyebrow. “I mean, do you want a modeling career?”

And how soon can I get you naked?

Bex swatted his arm and bit her lip. Those lips that he’d kissed again, he thought with a smile. Those lips that tasted like honey, like hope. “Is this really going to help you?” she asked.

“You’re beautiful Bex. The camera loves you. And maybe we can help each other out. Figure out a shoot theme that would help your business, too.”

“Oh god. Okay, fine. Yes.” She rested a hand on his arm, and his pulse thundered in his ears. “What did you have in mind?”