Bex was a consenting, grown-up woman, but walking into the living room where her brother nursed a now-empty can of soda made Gabe feel like a teenager getting caught by her parents with his dick in his hands. Bex breezed in a moment behind him with her skin still beautifully flushed and her hair a mess, and it was obvious what had just happened between them.

Luckily, Sam couldn’t meet their eyes either.

Bex settled onto the sofa next to her brother, and Gabe caught her gaze across the room. Something in her smile made his chest feel light. She looked happy and—other than the Sam situation—relaxed. More at ease with this whole situation than she’d ever been before.

He was so damn lucky to be here with her.

“So, Sam,” Gabe said, trying to break the tension. He slanted himself in the doorway between the living room and kitchen. “Bex tells me that you’ve got a kid coming soon.”

Sam gave Bex a searching look.

“Was I not supposed to say that?” Gabe asked. “Sorry, man.”

Sam worked the tab of the soda can back and forth with his thumb. “No, it’s okay. It’s just not finalized yet.”

Gabe nodded. “I hear you. Well, when everything comes together, I’d be happy to do baby pictures for you.”

Bex’s brother lifted his eyebrows. “Really?”

Bex brightened beside him.

“Sure,” Gabe said. “Gotta capture those important moments. It’s always good when family grows.”

Sam smiled at him. “Well, I’m going to take you up on that offer. Aderyn will be thrilled. You got any family out here, Gabe?”

“Not yet. But my brother Vinny is thinking about moving out.”

“Vinny?” Bex’s head perked up.

“You know him?” Sam asked.

Bex caught Gabe’s eye and flashed a private smile. “Sort of. Not exactly. We saw each other briefly at the Euphoria Lounge.”

“Okay then.” Sam twisted the soda tab all the way off. “Actually, that’s why I stopped by.” He dropped the tab inside the soda can, then set the can on Bex’s coffee table. “I need your help, Bex. This is all happening way too fast, and we have so many things to pick up before the baby comes.”

“Does that mean I get an excuse to shop?”

Sam nodded.

As if the orgasm hadn’t been enough, Bex’s smile stretched even wider. “Of course I’ll help,” she said.

Sam pulled a piece of paper from his pocket, and he and Bex bowed their heads together as they reviewed the items on the list. They murmured in the background, but Gabe’s mind was spinning in a different direction. Now that he had mentioned Vinny, his mind trailed back to the Euphoria Lounge, and to his date with Bex at the art gallery on the first floor of the Renegade Hotel. A smile curled across his face. He might know how to fix all the problems he’d caused for himself.

Gabe had an ulterior motive for taking Bex to the Euphoria to dance, but he had to admit that having her dressed up and spinning in his arms was perhaps an even better result than he’d originally intended. The dance floor of the Euphoria Lounge overlooked The Strip, and in the distance, he could make out the famous Bellagio fountains, with the water lit up in golden sprays. Down the street, tourists stumbled in and out of the huge hotels and milled around the miniature Eiffel Tower. The scenery provided a high-energy backdrop to the club’s sensual, luxe aura.

Bex grabbed Gabe’s hand while the DJ at the edge of the floor whipped the crowd into a frothing, dancing mix. She wore a tight, white dress that highlighted her slim curves, and she ground her body against his cock as she danced.

Fuck. Fuck. Why had he thought it would be a good idea to bring her here? They should have been alone tonight. They didn’t need the alcohol or the music or the ambiance to set the mood. They were already electric, just by being together.

Bex looped her arms around his neck, and her eager hips swirled under his grip. Her eyes sparkled as she leaned forward to breathe into his ear, and her mouth curved into a smile. “If I had known you could dance as well as you fuck, I would have insisted you bring me back here a long time ago.”

He couldn’t stop his laughter. “Is that so?”

“Totally. In fact, if you had danced with me that first night, I probably wouldn’t have waited until we got back to your place to sleep with you.”

“I would have gotten lucky at the Euphoria Lounge?”

“In the back room, if not on the dance floor itself.”

Gabe grinned. “Glad the dance lessons my mom made me take paid off.”

“You took dance lessons?”

“I was ten. And very popular, if you must know.” At least Vinny had had to suffer through the humiliation as well, although at six years old he was way less conscious of his social standing than Gabe had been.

Bex snorted out a laugh, and he stroked his hands lower, spinning her back to his front. He guided her hip with his palm while she surged against him. As much as he thought the nightlife scene in this town was a lot to handle, seeing Bex like this made his heart pound. Dance lights strobed over her body in red and blue, timed to the pulsing beat mixed by the DJ.

The song spun into the next, and Gabe dropped his cheek next to Bex’s. “I love seeing you like this, honey. All lit up.”

“Mmm,” she murmured.

“Bex?”

They both turned at the sound of the stranger’s voice, and Bex stiffened in Gabe’s arms. The man approaching them wore a gallon of cologne, and he had the broad chest of a guy who spent too much time in the gym. The whole effect was of someone trying too hard—just too much, overall.

Bex pulled away from Gabe and lifted a feeble hand. “Hey,” she said. “You.”

If the man was offended by the fact that Bex didn’t seem to remember his name, he didn’t show it. He just held out a hand to Gabe. “Spencer,” he said.

Gabe shook his hand and dropped it. “Gabe.”

“Bex, you look fantastic.” Spencer had the nerve to step forward and press a kiss to Bex’s cheek. Gabe almost lost it right there, his hands curling into involuntary fists. Clearly, Spencer and Bex had some sort of past together—maybe even one where they’d been intimate.

His stomach roiled. He knew that Bex hadn’t seriously dated anyone before he met her, but this was a fucking gut punch—her past coming back to remind him that she’d been with other men. That she’d given them parts of her that he wanted to keep to himself.

Bex recovered from her momentary shock. “Spencer, Gabe is my friend.”

Friend? That’s not at all what they were. His jaw tightened. “Nice to meet you,” he ground out. “I’m going to go grab a drink.”

Bex’s face dropped, and when Gabe started toward the bar, she followed him for a few steps. She caught him by the elbow. “Don’t leave because of Spencer.”

He needed a minute to clear his head, and even though he sounded like an ass right now, he couldn’t make himself care. “First of all, I’m not leaving. I’m coming right back. And second, if I were leaving, it wouldn’t be because of him.” It would be because his heart was a black hole.

Bex pushed her shoulders back and blinked up at him, her lower lip wobbling. “If you say so.”

He left her and walked to the bar. Luckily, the guy he’d been looking for still stood behind the dark, polished countertop.

“Jack and Coke, please,” Gabe said, and when the bartender returned with his drink, Gabe leaned on the bar. “You’re Bex’s friend, right?”

The bartender nodded. “Derrick.”

Gabe made sure Derrick could see the generous tip he set on the bar. “Out of curiosity, do you happen to have contact information for the curator at the Trailblazer Gallery? I’m working on a pitch for them.”

Derrick shrugged. “You do realize there are hundreds of people who work at this hotel? I don’t necessarily have this magic connection you seem to think I do.”

Dude, he didn’t need to be an ass about it. “Yeah, but I’m sure you can figure it out.” Derrick started to turn away, and Gabe tried once again. “Please. It’s for Bex.” Derrick looked skeptical. “It’s a photography exhibit,” Gabe explained. “Bex is in the pictures.”

Derrick sighed and reached for the cash on the bar. “I’ll do what I can, man. Leave your phone number with me.”

Gabe handed over his business card and took a sip of his drink. The soda fizzed in his nose, but the alcohol went down smooth. “Thank you.”

“Sure.” Derrick looked over Gabe’s shoulder and frowned. “I know you said you’re Bex’s friend. So why the hell is she leaving without you?”