My entire body was vibrating. I was free-falling. The stupid smile wouldn’t leave my face. It was frozen in place. Every now and then, I shivered. It wasn't cold. I was still in the desert after all in the middle of the fairly dry summer. It was the giddiness. I was like a little kid who found a stash of lollipops underneath my pillow instead of quarters from the tooth fairy. Only the tooth fairy just professed his love to me.

He thinks he's fallen in love with me.

I squeaked, and it garnered another knowing glance from Zach. He raised my hand again to kiss my palm. He hadn't let it go since we left Red Canyon. The best part of it was that he didn't even ask me how I felt, yet. I liked that he wasn't rushing me into this.

When June told me he loved me, he got angry that I never said it back. I loved him even before he said it but I was afraid to say anything, not knowing how relationships actually worked. I was thirteen then. My mom had started casually dating one of my teachers, and I felt weird about it. Most of my mom's relationships never made sense to me. How could she easily find a connection with different guys in such short times? She never gave her heart a break. On top of that, Nica had been away at college, and I didn't have anyone else to talk to about boys. Delaney was already on her way to losing her virginity, or at least, that was what she told me, and it was all she could talk about.

The fact that Zach said it without any sort of expectations from me made it even more special. But it rendered me mute. I didn't know what to say. I wanted him to hear it from me, not because he thought I was only saying it since he admitted it first. It would come out when I knew he needed to hear it the most. But until then, all I could do was shiver.

He and I had an emotional day with his mom. I could never forget the image of him sobbing on his mother's lap. Tears of happiness. He thought I'd brought happiness in his life, but it had always been there. When I arrived at the nursing home, Lisa was already in a great mood. I still had to introduce myself, thinking that she didn't recognize me from the night before. She didn't, but she did know who I was, remembering the little girl next door. We chatted about my mom and sister, and I informed her of Nica's little girl. She talked a lot more about Zach too and how much she worried about him and his fighting. I didn't know what to tell her about that as I, too, fought with the idea.

When Zach came, Lisa was much like her old self, and I was glad to be there to witness the two of them bond once again. Zach deserved it. They both needed to be a family again. I tried so many times to excuse myself to give them time together, but neither one would let me leave. By the end of it, I was grinning from ear-to-ear. I was soaring in happiness.

Zach taking me to the Red Canyon was a plus. The only time that had my spirits down a little was when I found the text from June. But I swore to myself I wouldn't let him, or a short text from him, affect me. He had been a part of my life; I could never erase that. I would never erase that, but he chose a different path. He chose Delaney. And now I had to find mine. Seemingly, my search led me right into Zach's arms.

* * *

Zach parked in his spot, and he reached behind to grab his cooler. "Travis and Bailey are here now. I see her car." He nodded at the blue Elantra five cars down. "But it looks like they're getting busy."

"What?" I did a double take at the parked car. Sure enough, it started rocking. My mouth gaped, and of course, Zach found it hilarious.

"Give them a few minutes. Let's head up so we can get ready." He opened the door on his side.

My hand was ready to push open the passenger door, but I paused, suddenly taking in his comment. "Get ready for what?"

Zach had his left leg out of the truck, but the rest of his gorgeous body was still inside the cab of the truck. "Didn't Bailey tell you? Oh, she said she was going to call you. I guess I forgot to tell you too." I raised a brow. "We're going partying tonight."

"Partying? You never told me..."

He rubbed his hand over his entire face. Exhaustion was present all over his entire body. His shoulders hunched forward. He suppressed a yawn several times while he was driving. His movements were a little slower. Dark circles had formed around his eyes. Yet, he managed to stay looking delicious.

"It'll be fun." Even his smile looked tired, yet, still endearing.

I reached up to cup one side of his cheeks. "We can just stay in tonight and get more sleep?" I hoped.

"No way. It's your birthday, and I promised you Vegas-slash-Zach-style."

I tilted my head to one side. "Zach, you need rest. You've got an early day tomorrow, and I'm pretty sure it's going to be another grueling training."

He waved his hand in the air. "Nah. I'm good. I'm used to it."

"We can go some other night, please?" I pleaded, since I would just get a C-minus in the art of seduction.

Zach held the back of my head in one hand and leaned in for a kiss. "I'm fine. I want to give you the best birthday, Maggie." His kiss weakened me. I conceded, nodding my head. "Good. Now, let's head up. I'm going to take a quick shower."

I hopped out of the truck and ran around his side. He draped an arm over my shoulders and tugged me closer to his hard body. "Hmmm. Maybe I'll join you."

His mouth was pressed on my ear. "You're really trying to get away from this party, aren't you?"

"I don't know what you mean." He laughed, but truly, I was not trying anymore.

* * *

Bailey tugged at a chunk of my hair a few more times, twisted it and pinned it to one side. She did that a couple of times, and I ended up with one side of my hair swept up and the other a frizzy mess. Instead of straightening it like I would have normally done if I were to go somewhere special, she took a brush and teased it, making my already poufy hair even bigger. I felt lop-sided, and tried to glance at the mirror to check on what I looked like, but Bailey would tap me with the brush.

"Keep still. I'll apply a bit more mascara and you are set. Look this way," she ordered, tapping her left shoulder before swiping the mascara wand on my lashes.

I squirmed in my seat, the sequinned dress bunching up over my thighs. I pulled on the hem and Bailey swatted my hands. "Ow!"

"Stop pulling. You have the legs for it."

"Why can't I just wear jeans?"

"It's not a jeans and t-shirt place, Maggie. This is Las Vegas, home of lost inhibitions." She grinned and laughed at her own joke. "You're going to have a lot of fun, I promise. You'll feel out of place if you show up in your jeans and a graphic shirt. You're lucky I'm letting you wear your flats."

"I didn't think I'd need anything fancy."

"Pfft." She stood straight and propped a hand on her hip. Nodding in approval at her own work, she moved my head from side-to-side. "Oh yeah, I'm good. You look so fucking hot. Zach is going to have a hard time getting other guys off you."

"Ha. Yeah, Okay." I fiddled with the hem of the dress.

"You'll see."

I moved to get up, and she eyed me curiously. "What?"

She opened her mouth as though she was going to say something, but closed it again, and shook her head. She grabbed my hand just as another knock came at the door.

"Come on, girls! We're wasting precious partying time!" Travis said on the other side of the bathroom door.

"We're coming! Geez. Men. C'mon, Maggie, let's show you off."

When her back was turned to yank open the door, I tried to pull the hem of my dress down. She'd given it to me, claiming it was never her size but she bought it because it was cute. It still had the tag on when she handed it to me. Bailey fought me on wearing a bra with it, and she won, my bra now hanging behind the bathroom door. She tried to get me to remove my underwear, but I told her it was a line I'd never cross.

From the hallway, I could hear a lot more voices coming from the living room. Since the time Bailey had imprisoned me in the bathroom with her for the makeover she was so eager to do, a few more people had arrived. Bailey stepped in first, and she greeted everyone with exuberance. The absence of my bra, instead of giving me that feeling of freedom, caused the opposite. There was something constricting my chest. I couldn't breathe. I peeked from beside the hallway wall and saw guys piled on the couch and on chairs and one on the floor. They all had their eyes glued to the TV on the wall. I spotted Ed and Travis was immediately mauled by Bailey. There wasn't any sign of Zach though. As soon as I could find him, I'd beg one more time to let us stay at home.

The back of my neck prickled. Before I could turn around, I knew Zach was behind me. I could feel the heat of his body, and smelled his clean scent. Slowly, I turned around, with my chin close to my chest and looking at him through longer and thicker lashes. His mouth was gaping as he took me in. I thought he was absolutely delicious in his black button-down shirt that fitted him so well and, even though I thought it was impossible, brought more definition to his chest muscles. The sleeves were folded halfway up, showing off tanned, powerful forearms. The front of his dark jeans was straining from the impressive bulge he sported. His hair was brushed neatly, and his chin was clean-shaven.

He licked his lips.

We took in each other for a long time until he made the first move. Before I knew it, we were inside his bedroom, and he had me pinned against the closed door. His breathing was shallow. His eyes brooding. His tongue kept darting in and out of his lips like he was deciding what part of me to devour first.

After all that, he went for my lips. I gave in to his lust-filled kiss. He palmed my breasts, slipping one large hand underneath the dress, and when he found that I had nothing underneath it, he growled in my mouth. His hungry kisses continued on my throat. He sucked on a sensitive part of my collarbone then all the way down, exposing one breast as he went. When he covered the tip with his mouth, I arched my back away from the door and offered more of me to Zach. His other hand traced the sides of my left thigh—outside first, then inside, then up—where he found me wet and wanting. Sliding my panties to one side, he slipped two fingers up along my wetness, hitting a sensitive spot that had me moaning and gripping his hair. He continued to play with me, but refrained from sliding his fingers in, no matter how much I tried to tell him it was what my body wanted.

Zach stood, straightened, then leaned in. "I'm going for a little dessert, Maggie, okay?" I gulped, words stuck deep in my throat, then I nodded. My gaze focused on his lips. "You can't scream. All my friends are outside. Got it?" Yes, hurry up! I nodded again.

He kissed me once more, hungrily on the lips, and he turned me around with my face pressed on the door. His hand stroked my back, only half covered by the slip of a dress, then raised the hem to expose my backside. With my palms flat on the door and my eyes closed, I waited for Zach to get rid of my panties and enter me. But he didn't do that. What he did instead made me roll my eyes to the back of my head, and whimper with my own hand covering my mouth.

Every pass of his tongue sent me flying off the floor. I struggled to breathe and not to scream his name. Zach didn't do anything else but taste me. He didn't add fingers, and he didn't pull down his pants, but he gave me an intense orgasm.

My knees buckled, and luckily, he was quick enough to catch me, carrying me to the bed. I welcomed the coolness of the sheets under my back. I panted. A thin film of sweat covered my face. Wiping it off with the back of my hand, I didn’t even think that Bailey might be upset if I ruined the makeup she'd done on me.

Zach lay beside me, stretching his form along my body. His fingers stroked the inside of my thighs. I turned my head sideways, our faces meeting. The scent of my arousal was fresh on his lips. With a stroke of my hand on his cheek, I pulled him toward me and kissed him.

"Why can't we just stay home?" I squeaked out, even though I knew the answer. From the sound of hollering in the living room, more people arrived.

Zach returned the kiss I offered and said, "They're all here now. I can't tell them to go. Well, I can. I would very much love to..." His hand wandered over my exposed breast. "I wasn't thinking. I should have listened to you. But..."

"But?"

Zach grinned. He drew a line down my nose with his finger. "But it's your first time in Vegas. It's your birthday. And I love you." Those were his excuses. What else could I say? That last part was more than enough. Zach leaned back on the bed and patted his pockets. "There it is." I was about to ask him what he was looking for when he pulled out a simple heart pendant with the letter M inside on a chain.

It was simply beautiful. My hand flew to my mouth. He'd already given me so much today—the dinner, cake, the beautiful earth tones view of the Red Canyon, an insane orgasm, and his love.

Zach adjusted his body and reached behind my neck to clasp the necklace. He straightened it on the top of my chest, and leaned down to kiss the heart, cool on my skin, then traced kisses up until he reached my lips. Whatever lipstick or gloss Bailey had applied on me was gone. I circled my hands behind his neck and gave into his kiss.

"Thank you," I said once we pulled apart. "It's lovely." Zach spoiled me the whole day, and I had a feeling he wasn't done yet.

"We better go. Those guys can't stay in here for too long without destroying shit." He stood first, and extended his hand to help me up. He also helped me straighten my dress, cupping my breasts one more time and placing a quick peck on my lips before he led me to the living room.

There were mostly guys, a few I recognized, like Travis, Stone, Ed, and Rick. Bailey stood with two other girls who I remembered meeting briefly in San Francisco. They seemed a lot friendlier this time. When quick introductions were made—and I tried to remember all of their names—they worked on driving arrangements. Then off we went.

* * *

I brought my small purse with me to carry a few things. It didn't totally clash with my outfit, so Bailey didn't complain. I had ID with me, but I worried that I wouldn't be let in since I was underage.

When we reached a modern building with neon lights surrounding it and loud dance music blasting from inside, I slipped a hand in my purse, ready to take out my ID. But no one stopped us. Some of the guys, Zach included, shook hands with the bouncers. His other hand stayed on the small of my back the entire time.

He let me enter the club first with his hand flat on my back. I halted as soon as I was able to see the inside of it. I'd never seen anything like it. The place was packed at ten o'clock. We'd passed a long line outside on the sidewalk. I doubted they could fit more people in. It would be too easy to get swallowed by the massive crowd. Zach must have felt my hesitation as he gripped my waist and brought me much closer to his side.

While we continued to walk in, I tilted my head up to see people hanging, dancing, moving gracefully upside down on rings and long pieces of red fabric. Our group headed straight to the right side of the club, and occupied empty white leather seats. A waitress came and brought bottles of champagne, shots and colorful drinks in funky stemless martini glasses. I'd already told Zach I wasn't going to drink and had volunteered to be the designated driver. He didn't argue with me since he was in training too and he couldn't drink much. But he did take two flutes of champagne from Rick and handed me one.

"Just take a little sip," he said to me, and I took his offer.

The champagne was cool and crisp. It would be easy for me to drink the entire thing, but tonight wasn't about getting drunk. It was about having a great time with Zach and his friends.

Zach, of course, had to drag me to the dance floor right away. All I did was sway while he literally danced circles around me. Each time he stepped closer, he would wrap his hands around me and move his hips to the music. His eyes bore into me. I got lost in him.

After a few more songs, I excused myself and told Zach I had to go to the bathroom. He pointed me in the right direction and asked if I wanted him to come with me. I looked around hoping to see Bailey or any of the other girls we had come with around, but they were nowhere to be found. I declined his offer and told him I wouldn't be long.

I slid between bodies on my way to the bathroom. Several guys tried to get me to stop and dance with them, but I easily pulled away. At those moments, I was grateful I didn't have much champagne to muddy my thoughts. When I got to the ladies' room, I had to wait in line. Once I was done using the facilities, I reapplied the gloss Bailey gave me and patted my hair, which thankfully had deflated a bit from the warmth inside the club.

Getting back to the dance floor, I spotted Zach right away. He was surrounded by girls, of course, but he wasn't dancing with any of them, and some of his boys were around him too, scoping out the girls Zach had attracted. I smiled proudly, thinking I had nothing to worry about. Zach was with me. He didn't pay attention to other girls, and at the end of the night, he was coming back home with me.

Somehow, even with the loud music, I heard my name called. Looking around, I checked to see where it had come from. To the right, two girls were staring at me. One of them was Bailey's friend. She wasn't smiling, so I didn't smile back, I assumed she was the one who’d called me. I couldn't place who the other girl was, but she was gorgeous, even under the pulsating lights of the club. Her blonde hair was perfect, big curls falling over her shoulders. Her tight dress, which displayed a more ample cleavage than mine, was even shorter than the one I was wearing, and it showed off long legs. Unlike me, she didn't have on flat sandals. Instead, she had silver high heels that made her legs even longer. All that was easy to ignore because of the angry scowl on her face, directed right at me. Bailey's friend whispered something to her ear, and her scowl turned to a menacing grin. It was off-putting, but not unexpected. In a place where a lot of people could be superficial, I stood out, even with Bailey's hard work. I was an outsider. I didn't belong.

My attention was interrupted when a large man got between the two girls and me. So, I ignored the uncomfortable feeling of intimidation and joined Zach back on the floor.

I didn't see the girl again for the rest of the night, but I couldn't shake the feeling I was being watched the entire time. Because of this, I drank a little bit more champagne than I should, but stopped when Zach handed me water instead. If I had seen the girl again, I could have asked Zach if he knew her, but she was never around. Bailey would have known too, but she was too busy making out with Travis everywhere, and her friend also hadn't returned to our group.

At some point during the night, I couldn't stand upright anymore. I lounged on the leather seat, flanked by Rick and Zach. Everyone seemed to be having a great time.

"I think it's time to take you home," Zach yelled in my ear. I was too exhausted to answer, so I let him pull me up.

Several of his friends followed us out, including Rick, Ed with a girl he hooked up inside, Travis and a drunk Bailey who wouldn't stop telling me she loved me. Zach had my hand tightly in his, and it was too late for me to cover my face when bright lights flashed before us.

Just like the night Zach and I met again in San Francisco, reporters circled the group, but this time, I was right smack in front of them. I shuddered to think how I would look on the tabloids after a whole night of partying. My ears were ringing from the blast of music inside the club that I couldn't hear what they were saying at first. Zach, ever the gallant man, tried his best to shield me from the cameras. Rick and Ed walked at my sides until the reporters gave up.

When we made it to Zach's truck, he threw the keys to Rick and helped me sit in the backseat beside Bailey. Travis sat on the passenger seat, but he kept checking on Bailey. They were such a cute couple. Thankfully, Bai didn't throw up until she was in front of her apartment building. Rick drove Zach and me back to the apartment, and before he drove away in his own car, he hugged me tightly and wished me a happy birthday.

As soon as we got out of the elevator, Zach picked me up and carried me inside his place, straight to the bedroom where he continued what he began before we left for the club.

It was the best birthday anyone could ever hope for, until I received a call first thing in the morning.