Chapter Nine

 

 

After Ryan changed, they took a cab to the police station. On the way, Annie called and canceled her credit cards. She had no money. She didn’t even have an ID. Her naughty weekend in Vegas had turned into a disaster.

She almost started crying again, but she tamped her emotions down. She wasn’t going to wallow in them and let some slimeball ruin her trip.

After she finished canceling the last card, she called her sister. “Hey, Janie!”

“Hey, Sis, what’s up? I thought you’d be in Vegas by now.”

“I am,” she told her. Then she told Janie what had happened. “Don’t tell Dad. He’ll just worry.”

“Oh man, Annie, I’m so sorry. You’re okay, though?”

“Yeah. But I need a favor.”

“Sure, anything.”

“I need you to dip into that joint savings account we have and wire me some money.”

Janie and Annie’s grandmother had left them some money that the girls had put into a savings account that either of them could access. They called it “rainy day money.” This day certainly qualified.

“Sure, no problem. Where should I send it?”

Annie told her sister how much she wanted and the name of the hotel to wire it to. “Send it to Ryan Hennessey so he can use his ID to pick it up.”

“Uh, wait a minute. Ryan went with you?” Her sister knew exactly how Annie felt about her best friend. She constantly urged her to tell Ryan before it was too late and he got serious with someone else. Annie knew exactly what Janie was thinking by her tone of voice.

“He sort of invited himself along.”

Ryan smiled.

“That’s a good sign,” Janie said.

“We’ll talk later,” she told her sister, unsure if Ryan could hear Janie or not.

“Right. Talk about Ryan later. As usual.”

“Bye, Janie. I love you. Thank you.”

“I love you, too. You’re welcome. Be safe.”

“I will. Kiss Dad for me.”

After she hung up, Ryan said, “I would have lent you some money.”

Annie put her hand on his. “I know you would have, but you’ve done enough. You jumped in a freaking fountain, crazy guy,” she said, laughing.

An hour later, after giving her statement, Annie and Ryan headed back to the hotel. Luckily, the money her sister sent had arrived, so they stopped to pick it up. As they turned away from the counter, Annie ran smack into a wide chest. It felt like hitting a wall.

“Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry,” she said. The man she’d run into was extremely handsome, with blondish-brown hair and light green eyes. He had an elegant build that was still plenty sexy. And his smile was pure bad boy.

“It was my fault. I wasn’t looking where I was going.” The man turned to look at Ryan and smiled. “Ryan?”

“Max! Great to see you. Annie, this is Max Dalton. He and his brother, Rhys, are friends of Jamie Whitcomb’s. And now we’re friends, too. We met at Eric’s bachelor party.”

“Ah.” Annie thought about the bachelor party. About how wild it must have been. About how handsome Max was. Not as handsome as Ryan, but given all the hot men at that bachelor party—including Jamie, Cole, Luke, Gabe and Eric, all friends of Ryan’s—the women must have been dropping around them like flies. “Nice to meet you, Max.”

“A pleasure to meet you, as well. I’m sorry for being so clumsy. I had my mind on work, and it’s been a busy day.”

“Max has the coolest job ever. He’s a professional magician, and he just opened a theater. Jamie told us all about it. Said it was amazing and is booked solid for the next few weeks.”

“That’s incredible,” Annie said. “Congratulations! I’ve heard about your magic theatre. The rumor is it’s not to be missed.”

“Thank you. So what are you two doing here? Sneaking off to The Little White Wedding Chapel, perhaps?”

Ryan and Annie both laughed nervously.

“We’re just on a weekend getaway,” Ryan told him.

Max reached into his coat and pulled out two tickets. He handed them to Annie and said, “As an apology for my clumsiness. I hope you don’t already have plans.”

Annie looked at the tickets. They were VIP passes to his magic show that evening. Annie squealed with delight and said, “If I did, I’d cancel them. Thank you so much!”

Ryan grinned. “She was just saying how she wanted to see a magic show earlier. You just made her day.”

“Great,” Max said. “Will you be able to make it, Ryan?”

“Wouldn’t miss it.”

“Then I’ll see the two of you tonight. My fiancée, Grace, won’t be able to make it, but you’ll be sitting with Rhys and Melina, and I’ll see you after the show.”

“I can’t wait,” Annie told him excitedly.

After he walked away, Annie said, “It’s funny how one thing leads to another.”

“What do you mean?” Ryan asked her.

“Well, if I hadn’t gotten mugged, we probably wouldn’t have been here to bump into your friend Max and we wouldn’t have VIP tickets to a fabulous sold-out show. So I guess that’s proof that there’s always a reason to be optimistic.”

Ryan glanced at his watch. “The show doesn’t start for a few hours, but why don’t we get ready? We can do a few things beforehand.”

They went to their separate rooms to change clothes. Annie unwrapped her leg, smoothed the remaining scrapes with lotion, then chose another new dress that she’d bought specifically for Vegas. This one was a form-fitting jade-green mini that covered her breasts completely in front but left her back open to the waist. She wore a pair of sandals with a small heel. She curled her hair along the bottom and let it hang loose around her shoulders. She applied her makeup carefully, adding a touch of purple eye shadow that made her eyes look slightly golden.

She’d just finished getting ready when she heard a knock on her door.

Ryan’s eyes widened when he saw her. “Wow. You look amazing, Annie.”

She smiled and said, “Thank you. So do you.” Ryan was wearing a nice pair of black slacks and a dark blue long-sleeved shirt that looked so soft Annie wanted to touch it. But the truth was, she always wanted to touch Ryan.

“You want to hit the slots or something?”

“We could do that,” he said. “Or we could take a gondola ride at The Venetian. I’ve always wanted to do that.”

“Really? Isn’t that supposed to be, like, for couples or something?”

“It’s a ride, that’s all. Come on, it’ll be fun.”

“Okay, then maybe we can hit some slots,” she said. “Since we ran into Max, I’m feeling like maybe my luck has changed.”

Ryan grinned. “You get to spend the weekend in Vegas with me. How much luckier can you get?”

Oh, there were so many ways. If only he felt something for her besides friendship.

They walked down to The Venetian. It was quite a walk, but it put them at the halfway point on the way to their show, and it was a really nice day. They walked through the casino and took the escalators to the second floor. The ceilings were painted, and the lighting was soft. It was like being on a romantic street in Venice, strolling along beneath a summer sky dotted with big, white puffy clouds.

Annie sighed.

“What’s wrong?”

“Wrong? Nothing’s wrong,” she said with a smile. “This is amazing. I’ve always dreamed of having my honeymoon in Venice.”

“With anyone in particular?”

“Just Mr. Perfect,” she laughed.

“So me, then?”

She looked away, fearing her heart would be in her eyes, when he suddenly hooked his arm through hers. “Come along, Mrs. Hennessey. We’ve got a honeymoon to enjoy.”

They headed toward the ticket booth in the main part of the shopping center. Ryan turned to her and said, “Would you prefer the indoor or the outdoor ride?”

Annie shrugged. “I’ve never been on either, so I don’t know.”

Ryan asked the girl in the booth which one was better.

“They’re both great,” she said. “The indoor one is a tiny bit longer, about five minutes, I think.”

“Okay. I’ll take two for that one,” he told her.

“Private boat or shared?” the girl asked.

“Private,” he said with a grin.

The girl gave him the tickets, and Ryan took Annie’s hand, leading her down another escalator, where they got in line for the gondola rides. A boat floated by with an older couple who looked pretty bored. The next one that went by had a younger couple in it. They were locked in a passionate kiss.

Annie unwittingly imagined her and Ryan on their real honeymoon. They’d have locked themselves in their honeymoon suite, only coming out long enough to eat, take romantic walks, and then take their gondola ride and listen to the sweet serenade of their boatman. She pictured them sitting in the gondola, her between his legs, leaning her head back against his chest. She imagined his strong arms around her and the brush of his lips against her neck. Once they were back in their room, they would lock in a passionate embrace and—

“Hey, Earth to Annie…”

“Oh shoot, I’m sorry.”

“What were you thinking about?” Ryan asked her.

“Just daydreaming,” she said, feeling her cheeks heat. “Look, it’s our turn. Let’s get this honeymoon started.”

Ryan held her hand as they stepped into the white gondola, carved and lined in gold with intricate detail. They sat closely side by side. The gondolier introduced himself as Marco. He didn’t look Italian, but as they started down the canal, he belted out an Italian opera that was so beautiful it almost brought her to tears.

As he sang he rowed them through St. Mark’s Square, past the lovely shops and cafés and under walking bridges where fascinated tourists would stop and listen. Marco’s voice was beautiful as he sang in Italian, and Annie’s romantic and curious mind couldn’t help but wonder what he sang about.

She turned toward Ryan, and their thighs brushed. Annie felt a surge of heat ripple through her body.

“What do you think he’s saying?”

“I know exactly what he’s saying.”

“Really? So you have a secret ability to understand Italian that you’ve been hiding from me?”

“Nope. I just know what he’s singing about.”

“So tell me.”

“He’s singing about a girl with long pretty hair with highlights that shine like gold in the moonlight.”

Annie grinned and leaned her head against his shoulder. “Go on.”

“He says that the reflection of the moon on the water is hardly noticeable because her eyes shine brighter, like precious stones.”

Annie closed her eyes, relaxing against him and still smiling. “What else?”

Ryan put his lips close to her ear, sending chills running down her spine and arms. “He’s saying she should come lie down with him.”

“Why?” Annie breathed out in a whisper of her own. He shifted his position slightly, his arm brushing against one of her cold, hard nipples. The tingle that had settled between her thighs turned into a rush of moisture, and she automatically pressed her legs together.

“She’s beautiful, and he wants them to be alone together. He wants to have her all to himself. He wants to make her forget the rest of the world exists.”

Annie took a deep breath. “What would he do…if he had her alone?”

Lowering his voice even more and speaking even closer so that she could hear him over Marco’s sweet crooning, he said, “He would make such passionate love to her that time would stand still and the world would stop turning.”

Slowly, still keeping her eyes closed, Annie turned her face back toward Ryan and pressed her lips to his. Immediately, his hot tongue snaked into her mouth, and his fingers brushed her breast. Her body was on fire, and Ryan was the only one who could put out the flames.

The kiss lasted for several minutes before Annie pulled back. Ryan looked out of breath, his cheeks flushed. He stared at her, desire and obvious confusion in his eyes. God, of course he was confused. She’d gotten too caught up in the fantasy of being his wife, and that’s what she told him, adding on an apology.

“Are you sure that’s all it was?” he said in response. “Getting caught up in a fantasy?”

Annie, embarrassed and appalled that she’d let herself lose control, said, “Of course. What else could it be? You were saying those romantic things, and Marco was singing in his beautiful voice and… Like I said, I’m sorry.”

Ryan cupped her chin in his hand and tilted her face up toward his. He pressed a sweet, close-mouthed kiss on her lips. “Don’t be.” He grinned. “Too bad, though. That had to be in the top five of the best kisses I’ve ever had.”

Annie knew it was silly, but she was disappointed. The top five wasn’t where she wanted to be. She wanted to be the best he’d ever had. Because that’s what the kiss had been for her.

She cleared her throat and pulled away. Her dress had ridden up her thighs, and she wiggled a little to smooth it back down with shaking, sweaty palms.

Ryan watched her, staring at her thighs. She could feel the color rushing to her face, and they experienced the rest of the ride in silence. When it was over and they were back on solid ground, she scrambled for something to say. “So now that the honeymoon’s over, do you want to gamble next?”

“Sure,” Ryan said. “Unless you want to hit Madame Tussaud’s first while we’re right here.”

Annie looked over and saw that the wax museum was nearby. “Okay, that might be fun,” she said.

Ryan paid their way again, refusing to take Annie’s money. They walked through the Viva Las Vegas room first. They were suddenly amongst the greats who’d shaped the history of Las Vegas—Elvis, the Rat Pack, Liberace.

Annie took a picture with the Blue Man Group, and Ryan posed with Celine Dion. Annie was about ready to snap the photo when Ryan slid his hand down and cupped one of Celine’s breasts.

“Ryan Hennessey!” she scolded.

“What? When will I get another chance to grope a superstar? Besides, you got me worked up with that kiss. What do you expect?”

“Right,” she said, and snapped the photo, trying not to take his teasing to heart. The photo would go in the album in which she kept most of her photos of her friends and family. She stored it next to her bed, so that if there was ever a fire she could easily grab it before she ran out of the apartment.

They went into the Sports Zone next.

“You take Muhammad, and I’ll step in with Chuck,” Ryan told her.

“Why? Do you think I can’t handle Chuck Liddell?”

“I’m sure you could handle him,” Ryan told her with a grin. “But Ali was the greatest fighter that ever lived!” he said in a soft, scratchy voice, imitating Ali.

Annie grinned back before donning a pair of red gloves the attendant gave her and stepping into the ring with Muhammad Ali. He looked so real, right down to his mouth guard. Annie put her glove to the side of his face, and Ryan snapped a photo of her knocking out The Greatest.

Ryan got into the octagon with Chuck Liddell, and Annie snapped photos, but Annie’s favorite part of the sports room was watching Ryan try to go “head to chest” with Shaquille O’Neal. Ryan tried three shots, but Shaq stuffed all three.

“It’s rigged,” Ryan told her.

“Yeah, okay.”

“I could’ve had a career in basketball.”

“If only you had grown a few feet taller?” she said with a grin.

They moved into the next room. It was full of superheroes. Annie loved superheroes. Ryan teased her about it but never failed to go see the newest Marvel Comics movie with her.

She made him take pictures of her with almost every character. Spider-Man was her favorite, so she had Ryan take two of her with him. Ryan asked a lady behind them if she would take a photo of them both with the Hulk. They got on either side of the massive green beast and did their “superhero” poses, while the lady snapped the picture.

When she handed the phone back to Ryan, the woman said, “You’re such a cute couple.”

Annie waited for Ryan to tell her that they weren’t a couple, but he didn’t. Instead, he thanked her, and they moved on to the 4D experience part of the show.

They got to watch a really cool 4D superhero show, and before they left, Annie sang for Simon Cowell, who told her she was “abominable,” and Ryan groped Katy Perry. It was a great time.

“I think we took too long in there,” Annie told Ryan when they came out. “It’s almost seven. We better head over to the show now. Maybe we can do some gambling later?”

Ryan agreed, and they took a cab to the magic show. The theater was all posh dark wood and red and black décor. When Ryan and Annie took their seats, Max and a beautiful brunette sat in the seats beside them. Only Max didn’t seem to recognize her.

“Annie,” Ryan said, “this is Rhys, Max’s twin brother. And his wife, Melina. They live here in Vegas. Well, the outskirts.”

They both stood.

“So glad you could make it. I was about to get Melina a drink. Would you like one, Annie?”

“Um, sure.”

“I’ll go with you, Rhys.” Ryan leaned down and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Be right back.”

“So what are you two doing in town?” Melina asked.

“Just a little vacation,” Annie told her. “Do you like living here in Vegas?”

“I really do, actually. We don’t live near any of this,” she said, gesturing around the theater. “The neighborhood we’re in is slow-paced and kid-friendly. But it’s fun to be so close to all of the action. Besides, this is where Rhys needs to be, and I need to be with Rhys. If I had to, I’d make the North Pole work.”

Annie could see the love in the other woman’s eyes when she talked about her husband.

“So Ryan and you…?”

“He’s my best friend.”

Melina nodded. “Rhys and I were great friends before we became lovers and then husband and wife. He’s still my best friend. I really believe it’s where everyone should start.”

Annie glanced around to make sure that Ryan wasn’t nearby. “How do you do that, though? Go from friends to lovers? Weren’t you afraid of messing up the friendship?”

“Yes,” Melina said. “And I’ll confess…neither one of us was brave enough to take that risk at first. Someone who loved us knew how we felt and pushed things a little. But once we opened ourselves to the idea…things progressed quite quickly.”

“And you suddenly knew everything would be okay?”

“No. There was no guarantee. But what started out sexual… Well, I knew the risk was worth it. I knew Rhys was worth it. And here he is now.”

Annie looked up in time to see Rhys approach them, drinks in hand. “Ryan’s right behind me,” he said. “Excuse me for popping in and out, but since Max gets to do the magic, I need to make sure everything is running smoothly behind the scenes.”

“Don’t let him fool you,” Melina told Annie. “He’s a pretty magical guy himself.”

Rhys kissed his wife on the lips and said, “That’s where I get my magic from. That and the Super Twins. I’ll see you lovely ladies in a bit.” He left to attend to his business, and Annie didn’t miss the look of pure adoration in Melina’s eyes when she watched him go.

“You have twins?” Annie asked.

“Yes, a boy and a girl.”

“Aw, that’s so cool,” Annie said. “I’d love to have babies someday.”

“The joy is indescribable,” Melina told her.

“The joy of what?” Ryan asked as he walked up.

“Having babies with your best friend,” Melina said with a wink in Annie’s direction.

She blushed and looked at Ryan, who watched her intently.

The magic show was as wonderful as she suspected it would be. Afterward, they had a drink with Max, Rhys, and Melina. At one point, Max’s fiancée, Grace, stopped by, surprising him. She had a beautiful engagement ring on her finger. They all chatted and laughed, and at one point Annie realized that anyone watching them would think they were three couples enjoying a night out on the town.

She, however, wasn’t part of a couple.

She was a big, fat fraud, was what she was.

Dread filled her lungs, making it difficult to breathe.

She had come to Vegas with a specific agenda. Part of that agenda had been to get Ryan out of her system. Yet, since the moment he’d stepped on the plane in San Francisco—no, since the night he’d kissed her then had phone sex with her—she hadn’t been able to concentrate on anything else.

As the evening came to an end, Annie thanked Max again for the invitation. “I had an amazing time.”

Before she left, Melina put a hand on her arm and said, “Don’t forget, sweetheart, some risks are worth it. Very, very worth it.”

She and Ryan got a cab back to the hotel. Ryan was talkative, going on about what a great job Max had done and even mentioning how awesome it was that Max got to spend his days surrounded by beautiful women.

Annie wanted to scream at him, I got it! We’re just friends! But, of course, she didn’t.

“Are we going to hit the slots now?” Ryan asked as they arrived back at the hotel.

“I think I’d like to take a little nap. Maybe we could gamble a little later, after dinner?”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. It’s just been a long day,” she told him. “I’ll see you in an hour or so.”