Chapter Eight

 

 

Annie and Ryan settled on a nice steakhouse at the Mirage for lunch. The hostess was a petite blonde dressed in a skirt that left way too little to the imagination, in Annie’s opinion. The girl gushed over Ryan as she showed them to their table and handed him a menu. She laid Annie’s down on the table in front of her.

At least it was within her reach.

“Where are y’all from?” she asked. Although she’d said “y’all,” she hadn’t even glanced in Annie’s direction.

“San Francisco,” Ryan told her.

“Oh! I’ve always wanted to go there. I’ve come this far from Tennessee, but I haven’t made it to California yet. Maybe if I knew somebody to visit, someone who could show me around, I might get motivated about heading out west.”

Annie almost laughed out loud. What a ridiculous line.

Ryan obviously didn’t think so. He smiled one of his I want to screw you smiles. “I’m a firefighter at Station 54 in San Francisco. If you ever make it out, look me up. Ryan Hennessey. I’ll show you all the hot spots. Nobody knows hot better than a firefighter.”

The girl giggled, and Annie, who was looking at Ryan behind the girl’s back, made a gag face. She could tell that Ryan was trying not to laugh.

“Well then, I’ll have to plan a trip,” she said.

Then, as if suddenly noticing Annie was there, she looked at her and said, “What can I get you to drink, hon?”

“Iced tea,” Annie said.

The hostess turned back to Ryan and smiled, this time wide enough to show her dimple. “And for you, sweetie?”

“I’ll have whatever IPA you’ve got on tap,” he said with an answering smile.

Annie could taste the bile at the back of her throat. When the hostess had walked away and Ryan finally tore his eyes from her ass, Annie said, “How does she know we’re not a couple?”

“This is Vegas. Maybe she was hitting on us both.”

“Right. She didn’t even know I was here for the first five minutes.”

Ryan chuckled, but left it at that.

A few minutes later, a male waiter brought them their drinks and took their orders. The hostess had gone back to her post, but every time she sashayed by, she made goo-goo eyes at Ryan. She wasn’t the only one, either. There were two college-age girls sitting across from them who couldn’t take their eyes off of him. Every time he glanced in their direction, they would put their heads together and giggle.

“So what’s the plan for this afternoon?” he asked her. Annie supposed with all the attention he was getting, she should be glad he remembered she was there.

“I want to look around the hotels. Check out the clubs before they get packed and figure out which one I want to go to. Oh! I definitely want to catch a show before going out dancing. Maybe a magic show.”

“You want to see a magic show before hooking up with a stranger and having hot, sweaty, anonymous sex?” he asked her.

She glared at him, then forced a smile. “That’s right. Magic before my night of magic.”

Ryan and Annie hadn’t noticed the server standing next to their table with the food. The young guy cleared his throat to get their attention. He set Ryan’s plate down but couldn’t seem to take his eyes off her. Then he smiled broadly as he gently placed Annie’s plate down in front of her.

“Is there anything else you need?” he asked her.

Before she could even respond, Ryan said, “I could use some ketchup.”

The waiter turned toward him and said, “Yeah, sure, I’ll get that for you.” Then he turned back to Annie and said, “How about you, miss? Can I get you anything else?”

Annie smiled. “No, thank you. I’m fine.”

“You certainly are,” he said with a wink. He left, then returned a few seconds later with a ketchup bottle.

When he was finally gone, Ryan said, “Do you see what I’ve been talking about?”

“What?”

“That creep heard us talking about your wild night, and all of a sudden he was slobbering out both sides of his mouth. It was disgusting.”

“I thought he was kind of cute,” she said.

Ryan scowled. “He can’t be over twenty-two years old. He’s probably a virgin, for crying out loud.”

Annie giggled. “Hmm, that could be fun. I could do a whole Mrs. Robinson thing.”

Ryan rolled his eyes. But during the rest of the meal, every time the waiter came near their table, Ryan barked out, “We’re fine, thanks.”

Annie couldn’t help wondering if he was jealous. But then she told herself he was probably just being protective again. At least now he was getting a taste of how she felt when women constantly threw themselves at him.

“You want dessert?” he asked after they finished eating.

“No, thanks,” she said. “I already ate too much. I’m going to have to work out in the morning.”

“You barely ate anything, Annie. I think you’re taking this diet thing too far.”

“I thought you were going to stop bothering me about my weight.”

“I just want to make sure you know that nothing is good in excess.”

“I do know that. I’m a nurse, remember? They teach us those sorts of things in school.”

“Excuse me. Ryan?” a female voice interrupted.

They turned to see their hostess hovering close by. “You invited me to come see you in San Francisco, so I just want to confirm…” She looked at Annie. “That is…” She turned back to Ryan. “Um, you are single?”

He stared at her for a few seconds, then glanced at Annie, his expression uncomfortable.

She stood abruptly. “He sure is. But that never lasts for long, so you’re smart to move now.” She forced herself to smile brightly at the blonde. “Ryan, I’m going to wait outside. I’m a little cold. Can you pay the bill and I’ll pay you back?”

“Annie…” he began.

She turned back. “Yes?”

He hesitated. Looked torn. “Lunch is on me, remember? I’ll just pay the bill and meet you out there in a sec. Don’t get into any trouble without me.”

With a sigh, Annie exited the restaurant. It was nice and warm outside. She had stepped out the side door of the casino and was facing the far side of the hotel. There wasn’t much foot traffic on this side, and it was nice to just have a moment to herself to breathe.

She looked out toward the Strip and watched all the people walking by. Everyone looked excited. Happy. She didn’t know why Ryan thought she couldn’t handle this place on her own. It was like a grown-up Disneyland.

To distract herself from Ryan taking his time hitting on the hostess, Annie walked over to take a picture of one of the bronze statues that surrounded the Mirage. She had her phone out and was about to snap the picture when she suddenly felt a hard tug on her shoulder bag.

Startled, she tightened her grip on it, but then felt the strap snap with a force that had her stumbling back into some bushes. The ground was wet and muddy, causing her to slip and fall back onto her butt, hard.

An enormous bald man, who now had her handbag, leaned in and grabbed the necklace Ryan had just given her. He snapped it off her neck and took off running.

It all happened so fast that Annie barely had time to process it.

“Annie! Oh my God, what happened? Are you okay?” Ryan said anxiously as he bolted out of the casino and saw Annie sprawled in the bushes.

“He took my necklace,” was all she could think to say. Tears welled in her eyes. She wasn’t worried about the purse. Everything in the purse could be replaced. But the necklace…

Ryan had given it to her, right before he’d kissed her.

“Who did? What did he look like?” He scanned the crowd for someone to go after. There were people milling around, staring at her.

“He was bald. Wearing a big sweatshirt. He had a scar on his left cheek. Oh God, I’m a mess. Everyone is staring at me. I’m pathetic.”

“Here.” Ryan leaned down and slid his arms underneath hers. He pulled her into a bear hug and picked her up. When she was on her feet, he stepped back just a tad without letting her go. “Oh, baby, are you okay? I want to kill that motherfucker!”

“I’m okay,” she said. “Just sad my necklace is gone. And embarrassed…”

“Annie, that creep attacked you. You could’ve been hurt. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Here,” he said, taking out his phone. “I’m calling the police.”

Ryan used his phone to look up the number for the Las Vegas PD, and as he dialed, Annie realized she still gripped her own phone in her hand. While Ryan was on the phone, Annie tried to brush herself off. It was no use. The more she brushed at it, the deeper the mud was embedded in her clothes and on her skin. Her new shoes were smeared with mud, and when she’d fallen back, she’d hit her knee on the small wrought iron fence that surrounded the statue. It was bleeding a little and throbbing. Some of the people milling around were kind enough to ask her if she needed help. She politely declined.

I seriously can’t believe my luck. Everyone else comes to Vegas, dresses up sexy and has a fabulous time. I come to Vegas and I get knocked in the mud and robbed. Go figure.

Ryan disconnected the call. “They want us to come into the station so you can give them a formal statement. Are you up for that? If you’re not, I’ll tell them to meet us at the hotel.”

“Can I change clothes and clean up first?” She was trying so hard not to cry, but the sting of embarrassment burned in her chest. The tears took on a mind of their own and streamed down her face.

Ryan looked horrified. He took her in his arms, saying, “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have left you alone!”

His words made her cry even harder. Eventually, she pulled her head off his shoulder and said, “It’s not your fault. I’m an adult. I shouldn’t need a babysitter. I’m just so mortified. Look at me.”

“You’re beautiful,” he said. “And as soon as we get home, I’ll buy you another necklace, the exact same one.”

She wanted to cry again, but she fought the tears back. “You don’t have to do that. Can I please go change?” She couldn’t shake the feeling that everyone who walked by was still staring at her. Thinking of her as the kind of woman who obviously couldn’t handle Vegas alone.

“Yes, of course,” he said. “Then we’ll get a cab to the police station.”

They started walking back toward their hotel. He kept an arm around her, and he winced in sympathy with every limping step she took. He really was a good friend, and she was so lucky to have him. When they got back out to the main strip, Ryan didn’t act like he even noticed all of the people looking at them.

“I’m sorry that you have to be seen with a big disheveled mess. Everyone else looks amazing, dressed for Vegas. And I look ridiculous.”

“You’re not big,” he said, obviously joking. His forehead wrinkled. He looked like he was at a loss for a minute before saying, “Hold on to this fence for a second. Don’t let go. I don’t want you to fall.”

Annie took hold of the little fence that separated the walking public from the marble fountain, wondering what Ryan was up to. He glanced around like he was making sure no one was watching, and then he vaulted the fence.

Annie’s mouth dropped open. “What are you doing?”

Ryan grinned, bent his knees, then jumped into the spouting fountain. Holding his arms out, he stood under the spray and let it soak him as Annie watched in shock. Then he vaulted back over the fence, and picked up a handful of mud from under the bush. He smeared it across his chest. “Who’s the bigger mess now, baby?”

A small crowd gathered, and there was a smattering of applause. Ryan smiled at them and bowed at the waist.

Annie shook her head and laughed. “You’re crazy. I can’t believe you did that.”

“I’d do anything for you, Annie. I hope you’re not too embarrassed to be seen with me.”

“Of course not, you goof.”

“My point exactly.” He put his arm back around her. Wet, soggy, and smiling ear to ear, they headed back to their hotel.

They stopped at the front desk on their way in and told them that Annie’s purse had been stolen with her room key in it. The girl at the desk apologized profusely, like it was her fault, made Annie a new key and then comped her fifty dollars in chips and a bottle of champagne that she said would be delivered to her room later that day.

Ryan helped her into the elevator, and when they got to her room, he slid in the key and opened the door. When Annie realized he was following her in, she said, “Oh, I’m okay. Thank you, Ryan.”

“You’re welcome, but I’m not leaving just yet. You go take a shower, and when you get out, I’m going to clean that cut and wrap that knee for you.”

“But you need to get out of your wet clothes, too.”

Ryan closed the door behind him and moved toward the window. “I’ll dry in the sun,” he told her with a grin.

“You are so stubborn,” Annie said.

“Yep,” was his only reply.

Annie shook her head again and went into the bathroom. Before she closed the door, he said, “That knee looks pretty bad. Are you sure you don’t need me to hold you up in the shower?”

“I—I’m sure.” Slowly, Annie shut the door, then leaned against it, willing her heart to stop slamming against the inside of her chest.

She would have taken him up on that offer in a heartbeat if she had thought he was serious.

 

* * *

 

When Annie closed the door, Ryan let out the breath he’d been holding since he’d found her lying in that mud. If anything had happened to her…

He couldn’t bear to imagine it. Her being scared and humiliated was enough to make him want to tear some son of a bitch apart. It was his fault for letting her out of his sight. That wasn’t going to happen again while they were here.

Ryan picked up the room phone and called the front desk. “Can I get a first-aid kit sent up, please? I’ll also need an Ace wrap and an ice pack, if you have them.”

“Of course, sir. We’ll bring those right up.”

Before Annie got out of the shower, the first-aid supplies and the free bottle of champagne had been delivered. She came out in a light cotton robe with wet hair, smelling like a rose garden. Her gaze went to the first-aid kit and champagne.

“Awesome. I could use a glass of that.”

“Of course.” Ryan picked up the big magnum of champagne, and as Annie covered her ears, he popped the top. The cork hit the ceiling, and the bubbles rushed out of the top of the bottle and down over Ryan’s hand. He poured the bubbly liquid into the two glass flutes they’d brought up with the champagne and handed one to Annie.

She took it with a shaky hand, and he mentally cursed. She was obviously still upset from having her purse stolen. God, if he could get his hands on the bastard who’d—

Annie raised her glass. “I’d like to toast to my best friend.”

Ryan hesitated. He knew he was her best friend. He loved being her best friend. But damn it, every time he heard those words lately they made him think about what else they could be to each other. “To us,” he finally said.

They clinked their glasses together then drank. He watched her throat work as she swallowed and barely contained the urge to take the glass from her and taste the champagne directly from her mouth.

Whatever was happening with him wasn’t good. Instead of fantasizing about kissing Annie, he should be tending to her wounds. With determination, Ryan put down his glass, rubbed his palms together and said, “You do know how lucky you are, right?”

“Lucky?”

“Sure, you have a certified firefighter slash paramedic at your disposal. I’m going to fix you up so well you’ll never want to go to the doctor again. You’ll come straight to me.”

“I’ll save a lot of money that way,” she said with a laugh. “Unless you’ll expect compensation?”

“Since I’d never take money from you, I suppose I’ll have to think of some other way you can pay me back.” Her cheeks heated as she stared at him, and he wanted to kiss his own ass. She’d responded to his sexual innuendo as one would expect, only he shouldn’t have made it in the first place.

“Scoot up there against the headboard.”

Annie did as she was told, and Ryan sat down next to her with the first-aid box and ice pack. He used the hand sanitizer then put the ice pack beneath her knee and said, “Rest your leg on that.”

Annie let her leg down on the bed on top of the ice pack. Ryan moved his hand, relishing the way her soft skin felt against his fingers.

He opened the first-aid kit next and found a packet of Neosporin. He opened it and then spread the ointment on a clean, white two-by-two piece of gauze. He pressed it to the cut on her leg, and she sucked in a breath.

“Did I hurt you?” he said, worried.

“No, it just stung a little. It feels fine now.”

Ryan put a piece of medical tape across the gauze and then took out the Ace wrap. “I’m going to start near your thigh because I don’t want to wrap it too tight on your knee and cut off your circulation, okay?”

Annie nodded.

Ryan took the rolled-up Ace wrap and slipped it beneath the lower part of her thigh. His hand trembled when he touched her, and he hoped Annie didn’t notice. He felt like a high school kid touching his first girl. He brought the wrap over the top of her leg, tucked it under the other side, then repeated the motions. Each time he lifted her thigh, touching her warm skin, his jeans got tighter. Annie watched his hands, riveted. Goose flesh scattered across her skin.

He wasn’t in denial anymore. He knew his touch did something to her, just like touching her did something to him. It wouldn’t be smart to do anything about it, yet it took every ounce of willpower he had to resist. Ryan looked up at her, just barely letting his gaze rest on her hardened nipples, visible even through the robe. “Are you cold?”

Annie sucked in a breath. “No, I’m—I’m fine.”

Ryan kept treating her leg, moving the ice pack when he reached her knee, then wrapping until he got to the top of her muscular calf. He was sad to see the end of the roll. Annie had gorgeous legs. Lightly toned and smooth. He wanted to explore the patch of skin behind her knee, and nibble on her cute little toes; the nails were currently painted a deep purple and reminded him of ripe berries. He settled for securing the wrap with another piece of tape, then slowly sliding his hands down her leg, thigh to calf, as if smoothing down the bandage.

“Good as new,” he told her.

She stared at him. Her breath was coming quicker now, and her cheeks were flushed a pretty pink. His gaze returned to her chest, currently concealed by her robe. He wondered how far down her body she blushed. What color her nipples were. That night on the phone—she’d said they were pink and brown, but there were so many lovely possibilities. He wondered if she waxed or kept a tidy patch of hair at the top of her mound.

God, her thighs would be so pale. So creamy. And he bet she’d taste amazing. He bet—

“Thank you,” she said, causing his gaze to jerk back up to her face. She drank down the rest of her champagne. “You’re a good friend.”

Her hand trembled slightly.

“Would you like more?”

She smoothed down her hair. “No, I better not stumble into the police station drunk,” she said with a smile. “Let me fix myself up, and I’ll be ready to go. Are you going to change?”

He grinned. “Why? Embarrassed to be seen with me now that I’m the only messy one?”

“Never,” she said. “Besides, the women always did like you wet. Remember how many girls you picked up at the pool the summer before college? I thought you were going to set some kind of world record.”

He frowned as he watched her walk to the bathroom. “Right.” Had she deliberately brought up other women because she’d caught him staring at her? “If I recall, plenty of girls flirted with me, but they never stuck around for long once they knew they couldn’t compete with my best girl.”

She paused at the bathroom door then looked over her shoulder at him. “That’s sweet, but you forget the day you ditched me for Angie Florentine the last day the pool was open.”

“What? I never ditched you.”

She smiled almost sadly. “Yeah. You did. But it’s okay. I’ve always known how much I mean to you. I’m your best friend, right?”

“Right,” he said softly.

But she’d already walked into the bathroom and shut the door.