It took exactly one drink with Lizzy and her very enthusiastic friends for Ian to realize that the only thing he wanted to do in Vegas was get Lizzy alone. He waited until the other two women were chatting amongst themselves, and then he bent close to Lizzy’s ear.

"Would you like to go somewhere…quieter?" he murmured.

Her eyes met his, bright and wide and just as beautiful as he remembered. She nodded and then turned to her friends.

"I’ll catch up with you guys later, okay? Ian and I are going to get some food."

Neither of the women was gauche enough to point out that there was plenty of food at the party, but the laughter dancing just under the surface of their faces contradicted their polite replies.

"There’s a restaurant," Lizzy said as they left the event room. "It should be quiet this time of night."

Ian knew where the restaurant was, but he let Lizzy lead the way. She looked so different, and yet exactly the same. The dress was beautiful, as was her makeup and styled hair, but it was still her beneath it all. The woman he’d fantasized about for years. Even now, he wondered if her skin could be as soft as it looked. If she tasted as good as he knew she had to.

He shook his head. No. This was his best friend’s little sister. He needed to remember that. They were catching up. Old friends. That was all.

Lizzy paused in front of the host, an older man with a shiny head and tired eyes. Boredom laced his expression, but he perked up at the sight of Lizzy, and then quickly showed them to a table.

As he’d expected, the restaurant was almost empty.

"So where is Jacob?" Lizzy asked. She glanced behind him as if her brother would suddenly appear.

"He had to call in for work."

"So you’re meeting up later?"

"That’s the plan," he said. An emotion flashed across her face, gone before he could identify it for sure. But it looked a lot like disappointment. Why would she be disappointed? Was it possible she wanted to be alone with him as much as he did with her?

Blood rushed to his ears at the thought, and just the idea made him harden. And why not? They were both adults. She didn’t have to know he’d held a torch for her all these years. They could have a night of fun, if she was interested too. Why the hell not?

"Sorry, what?" Idiot. He’d missed what she’d said.

"I asked if you wanted a glass of wine." She smiled, obviously cheerful at his lack of cool.

"Sure."

Neither of them ordered food. Instead they sipped wine and chatted about the old days. She was just starting in on the beastliness of his first car when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He jumped a little, and tugged it out.

"Sorry," he muttered.

"No problem."

He blinked at the text message from Jacob. It was too perfect. Running into her here. And now this. He had to go for it.

"Looks like Jacob won’t be joining us," he said, although he’d never actually informed his friend of Lizzy’s presence. And he’d be damned if he was going to do so now.

"Oh?" Her tone was just a little too perfect. A little too disinterested. He might be reading her wrong, but he didn’t think so. To hell with it. Never take a chance, never get anywhere.

He leaned forward, holding her gaze with his own. That little worried glint she always carried in her eyes was there, but something else overrode it. And he was ready to bet that it was the same passion that ran through him.

"Want to come up for a nightcap?"

* * *

Ian pressed down the number for the penthouse, and Lizzy shifted her weight from foot to foot. Was she really doing this? Were they even doing anything? Maybe he just wanted to talk. Oh God, what if he only wanted to talk?

As numbers crawled up on the elevator, her heart thumped more quickly in her chest. Her mind reeled, and she took a deep breath to calm herself. She could get through this. She’d made it this far, hadn’t she?

"Are you all right?" Ian took her hand in his. "You don’t have to come up. I just—"

"I’m fine," she lied, knowing that she didn’t sound totally convincing.

He raised an eyebrow.

"Really, I am. It’s just…"

"Yes?" He touched her shoulder softly with the back of his fingers. Hand loosely fisted, he slid it across her skin in way that was no doubt meant to be comforting, but it only made her heart race faster. But not because of her nerves.

She shivered. This was her chance. A fantasy night wearing a fantasy dress. Why shouldn’t she enjoy it with her fantasy man?

Because it’ll kill you to say goodbye in the morning.

She shoved the thought into the back of her mind. No. She was stronger than that. She could do this.

"Lizzy?" His brows were drawn together and his mouth formed a tight line of worry. She’d been silent too long.

"I just don’t usually do this," she said, finally, unable to think of a better excuse. His eyes widened. "I mean…just go up to hotel rooms with strange men. No matter how handsome." She couldn’t tell him the truth. That she’d dreamed of him kissing her, touching her, making her his since high school. That would only scare him away.

He ran his thumb across the top of her hand. "I’m hardly a stranger."

"Touché." She said, and his answering smile dropped her tension a notch.

She followed him out of the elevator to his room, which was far nicer than the simple suite she stayed in.

"Nice room."

He glanced around it as if he hadn’t noticed. "It’s all right."

All right? The differences between them couldn’t be more pronounced than that simple statement revealed them to be. To him, this opulent room was the status quo. Sudden certainty hit her like a kick to the stomach.

She didn’t belong here.

Oh, she might have fooled some of the strangers milling around the party that night, maybe even fooled herself a little. But Ian knew who she was, where she'd come from. He knew that she was a simple librarian who had just barely finished her graduate degree. She couldn't fool him.

"Look, this has been nice—catching up, I mean. But I should really be going. It’s getting late, and I’m sure the girls will be worried about me." That was a blatant lie. Crystal knew who Ian was. Lizzy had confessed her crush for her brother’s best friend to her long ago. But it was the best excuse she could come up with. Because no matter how much she wanted him, she didn’t belong in his world.

* * *

"You could call them," he said.

Ian could hardly believe his eyes when he'd realized that Lizzy stood in front of him at the party. And even now, his heart hammered in his chest, so loud that he could barely understand what she was saying. But the panic in her gaze made him realize something wasn't right, and when she turned to leave, the shock faded enough for him to act. This was his chance. His chance to finally be with the woman he'd teased since childhood. His chance to make her see him as more than a friend of her brother's. His chance to see if she was the woman he'd always thought her to be. The woman he could be happy with.

"I should go."

He gripped her shoulder and said, "Don't go."

She turned and blinked at him. "You want me to stay?"

He nodded his head, unable to speak for a moment; the emotion in her eyes was so raw.

"But you could have any woman up here, Ian. And I…I don’t belong here." She looked down at the carpet, and he slid his hand under her chin and nudged her face back up.

"Lizzy I—" He swallowed. How could he say he'd been half in love with her for years? Yearned for her even while he married another? There didn't seem to be a way to say those words without sounding like a spineless ass for not pursuing her sooner. Or worse, a liar hoping to get laid. "I don’t want anyone else. Not tonight."

She licked her lips, a quick slide of her tongue, and he forgot what he was trying to say.

"Me either," she murmured, her eyes finally locking with his.

He hardened painfully at her words, at the sight of her tongue. He could figure out how to tell her how he felt later. For now, he needed to show her.