"Oh my God." She covered her mouth with her hand as her eyes swept the magnificent suite. "Are you serious?"

"Very serious, darlin’."

"Oh my God" she repeated, stepping inside.

Plush white carpeting covered the floor, and a large sitting room with overstuffed black leather chairs stood off to the right. A separate kitchenette with a gleaming white granite island and black and white stools stood at the back of the suite.

A pool table, foosball table, and a seventy-inch television waited in a living room surrounded with floor to ceiling windows. A black leather couch hugged all three walls. Sliding glass doors in the back of the living room led out to a private pool.

In the center of the suite, a curved iron staircase led upstairs.

"I don't even know what to say." She turned around to face him. "West, this is…"

"Perfect?" he finished.

"It's incredible. I've never been anywhere this elegant." She put her hands on her hips. "How much did this cost?"

He started laughing. "Oh, no. No way, baby doll. That information is top secret. Let's just say it's completely worth it and leave it at that."

"You didn't have to do this." She stared around in awe. "I'd be happy anywhere with you. This wasn't necessary."

He slipped the "do not disturb" sign on the outside of the door. "You didn’t have an actual vacation, Penn. I know it's only one night, but I wanted to do something for you. You deserve something special."

Her heart overflowed with gratitude and warmth for the man standing in front of her. She couldn't even form the proper words to express it.

"Take me upstairs." Words might not be the proper way to express it, anyway.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Yeah?"

She nodded.

West reached down and hauled her into his arms, tossing her over his shoulder.

"Hey!" she squealed, laughing. "This isn't exactly what I meant, Keller." She whacked him on the butt as he started climbing the spiral staircase.

His hand slipped down over the skirt of her dress and onto her ass. "You should have made yourself clear, then. You could have said, 'West, lead me upstairs.' I would have understood that."

She grabbed him around the waist. "Please don’t drop me." She was getting dizzy as he climbed the circular staircase.

"I’ve had to carry Eli up a few flights of stairs when he’s been drunk off his ass. I think I’ll manage."

He set her down and tipped his head toward the bedroom. "What do you think, Pixie? Will this do?"

Her mouth dropped open. "This is even better than downstairs!"

Floor to ceiling windows ran along the front wall, while a king-sized, round bed stood prominently in the middle of the room. Gauzy silver and white curtains surrounded it.

An ornate chandelier hung from the ceiling, sparkling with tiny white and pink lights. A decorative stand next to the bed held baskets of fruit, cheese, bread, wine, and drinking glasses.

"West." She put a hand on her chest. "I can’t believe this."

"Don't worry. No one can see in the windows. It's got some kind of special tinting for privacy."

Penn stepped forward and took it all in, staring around at the suite in wonder, flooded with simultaneous emotions of elation and sadness.

She turned around to face West, who leaned against the room’s archway. His bowtie hung undone around his neck, and he’d shoved his hands into the pockets of his tuxedo pants. He studied her, his gray eyes dark with emotion.

I love this man. I'm in love with him.

The force of that knowledge hit her so hard, her knees almost buckled. She couldn't look away from his face. She couldn't even move.

How on earth would she ever be able to leave him?

"So, we're alone." She smoothed her hands down the front of her dress. It was silly to be nervous, but she worried he could tell how she felt about him. Like she was suddenly walking around with a big neon "I love West Keller sign" pinned to her chest.

"Finally." He pushed away from the wall.

Her gaze shifted to the clock next to the bed that read three a.m..

"Don't," he warned. "You don't have a specific time to leave by tomorrow, right?"

"No, but I have to check out of the hotel in the morning. I can't afford to pay for another day."

"I took care of that for you. There's no rush."

"Why would you do that?" she asked, aggravated. "I can pay my own way, West. I don't want you taking care of me. You’ve already done too much."

He ran a finger down one of her blonde curls, giving it a gentle tug. "I only wanted to help you out, Penn. I know you had to pay for your car, and that was expensive. I just thought it would be one less burden for you. You already have enough to deal with."

"It's all too much." She sat on the bed. "I don't want you to think I expect this kind of treatment. I’m fine paying my own way."

"I know that, but I wanted to help." He yanked the clock’s cord from the wall, then dumped the backup batteries onto the nightstand.

"No more clocks," he told her. "This is our time, and that's the only time you need to think about. We're done when we’re done, understand?"

"Hmm. But I don't think you have enough money to stay here forever." She sank back against the mattress. "Because that’s about how long I’d like to stay here."

He stretched out next to her. "I have an unlimited credit card. We could put a really big dent in it. It would be worth every penny," he whispered. "Spend days in this bed wrapped up in each other, ordering room service, and then out to swim in the pool. Eat dinner in front of that big television."

She tipped her head back as he placed kisses along the curve of her shoulder. "Mmm, sounds heavenly. Maybe a massage or two, and a few long soaks in the tub. Oh, how I wish."

"Wish granted," he murmured. "Stay here another week with me. We can do all of that. I can make it happen."

She ran a hand through his hair. "I'd need another few wishes to happen before that could come true, and unfortunately, I don't think you can grant those for me, sexy genie." She tried to keep her tone light. The temptation to stay was too overwhelming.

He propped himself up on his elbow. "I mean it, Penn. We can do it. I’m not joking. All you have to do is stay."

Penn pushed him away and stood. "Stop. Just stop, okay? You know I can’t!"

She spun on her heel and headed out onto the darkened balcony. She gripped the railing and looked out into the night. They were on the top floor of the hotel, high above the Vegas skyline.

The glass door slid open, and strong arms wrapped around her from behind. "I'm sorry, Penn. I shouldn't have pushed. I'm being really selfish."

"No. I'm sorry. You're only saying what we both feel. What we both want." He ran his hands down to her hips, pressing himself against her body.

"I can't help wanting it."

"Me either, but wishing for it won’t change the outcome."

Penn ran a hand over her face and sighed. "Damn. I just realized I have no clothes here. No underwear, no shirt to sleep in, nothing."

She pulled him back into the bedroom. "I'd love a shower, and having something to slip on afterward would be nice. Do they have robes here?"

West walked over to a dresser. "Of course they do, but you're in luck." He pulled a brand-new pair of underwear and a tank top from the drawer, and boxers and a t-shirt for him. "Had them sent over yesterday. I snatched a pair of shorts and a t-shirt out of your suitcase for tomorrow. Your sandals, too. I figured your feet would be hurting after all that time in those shoes." He nodded at her high heels.

"Oh, thank you!" She grabbed him around the waist and smacked a kiss on his lips. "So smart and thoughtful. Only one of the many reasons I love you."

Penn froze.

Oh my God.

She’d really just told him she loved him.

And there wasn’t any way she could take it back.