Chapter One

Macy

I slicked on the red lipstick. It was bold and a lot more than I wore on an average day. But this was not an average day. It was my twenty-first birthday.

“What do you think about these heels?” I asked my best friend, Trisha. “Too much?”

“You already look like you’re ready to get on a stage and shake your moneymaker,” she teased.

I wasn’t offended. I was flattered. The little black dress I had chosen for my first night out in Las Vegas was definitely on the little side. My bits were covered but not much else.

I felt good. I looked good. Tonight, I was breaking free. I was going to party my ass off. A girl only turned twenty-one once and I was doing it in style with a weekend trip to Sin City.

“I hope I can still walk by the end of the night,” I commented while adding a little more product to my hair. My long brunette locks were in thick curls down my back. My makeup was the product of at least a hundred makeup tutorials posted on YouTube. It was perfect.

“If you can’t, it means the night was a success,” Trisha said, smiling.

“Remember, ladies,” I said to my other three friends getting ready in the hotel room. “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Tonight, Macy Stiles is partying her ass off. I’m not the boring Macy from San Francisco.”

“Remember, girls, be safe,” Trisha said.

“Safe is boring,” I pouted.

“Safe means we catch our plane and go home tomorrow in our seats and not in a body bag.”

We all stared at her. “Way to be a party pooper,” I complained.

“I just want you all to be safe,” she said in her best mommy voice. “Now, with that said, let’s party!”

She opened the bottle of tequila we had picked up for a little pre-night-out courage. While she poured us a shot in the plastic cups in the hotel room, I spritzed on my favorite perfume. The bottle of Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet was a gift from my mother. I had come across the perfume with her while we were shopping. I fell in love with the scent. It was expensive, but it was worth it.

“Are we ready?” I asked.

“Let’s do this!”

We left the hotel room Trisha and I were sharing. All five of us walked down the hall toward the elevators. In my mind, I imagined us walking in slow motion with our hair blowing back. We were taking on Vegas.

The club we had picked out when we were planning the trip was within walking distance of the hotel. That had been a strategic move as well. The sidewalk was packed with people. Some looked like us, ready for a night on the town. Others looked like the typical tourists. Then there were those trying to sell us everything from knock-off watches and purses to free drinks at a titty bar.

“There it is!” Trisha pointed to the nightclub up ahead.

The moment we entered the club, I was scanning the massive space. I had already made up my mind I was going to have a really, really good time tonight. Back home, I had to be a little more buttoned up. Here, I could be anyone and anything.

Trisha was in front of me and Bailey pressed against my back as we made our way through the packed club. The smell of cologne and perfume mingled with the powerful fruity scents of overpriced cocktails.

My eyes were drawn to the back of a man’s head. Something about him stood out. Maybe it was his height or his broad shoulders, but I couldn’t look away.

He turned just as we were walking past him and some of his friends, who were clearly part of a bachelor party. Stunning blue eyes locked on mine. Thick black lashes that would make any girl jealous framed those beautiful eyes. Thick black brows and even thicker black hair, long on the top and perfectly styled and shaved on the sides, had me drooling. He wore a black dress shirt with several of the buttons undone to expose a tanned chest. He was clean shaven, exposing a perfect square jaw and very kissable lips.

He was the one.

I flashed him a cocky smile and looked away. The game was on. I just hoped he wasn’t the bachelor. I was willing to push some boundaries but taking another woman’s man home for the night was not a line I would cross.

“Jell-o shots!” Trisha shouted. “We are getting fucked up tonight!”

Before we were even finished with those shots, another round showed up at our little table. We were crowded around it with our hips and shoulders moving with the music. The drinks went down a little too easily. I was having a blast and enjoying hanging with my girls, but there was an itch that wouldn’t be satisfied until I got my ass out on the dance floor.

I shouted to be heard. “I’m going out!”

“I’ll come with you,” Trisha said and took my hand.

We squeezed into a spot on the packed dance floor. It felt like everyone was dancing with everyone. It was a lot of bumping, grinding, and rubbing of bodies. Like I had been doing since I first spotted him, I tracked the man I was trying to work up the courage to flirt with. He was watching me. I ran my hands over my body while watching him. It was my attempt to seduce him from afar. I was going to make a move.

“I’m thirsty,” Trisha said.

We walked back to our table and were about to order another round when we were joined by my mystery man. “Hello,” he said in a voice as smooth as butter.

“Hi,” I said, smiling.

“I’m Jon,” he said. “Jon Handcock.”

I was pretty sure it was a bullshit name. I didn’t care. “Macy Stiles,” I said.

“Are you ready for another drink?” he asked.

“Absolutely.”

Trisha and the girls were talking to Jon’s friends. There were people all around us, but I only had eyes and ears for him. He reached for his drink, flashing what appeared to be a very nice, very expensive watch. It was the perfect excuse to touch him.

“Nice watch,” I said and lifted his wrist to inspect it.

“It’s mine,” he said.

“Well, yeah, I hoped you weren’t wearing a stolen watch.”

He grinned, flashing a perfect set of pearly whites. “I mean I own the watch company. It’s mine.”

I was sure I was supposed to be impressed, but I really didn’t care what he did for a living. “Cool.”

He was staring at me with what I hoped was hunger. “Dance with me,” he said. It wasn’t a question. It was a demand.

“Lead the way.”

He touched the glittery pink button attached to my dress just above my breast. “Birthday girl?”

“I am.”

“How old?” he asked with our bodies rubbing together.

“Twenty-one.”

The dancing transformed at some point to more of a seductive mating dance. He dropped his hands to my hips and stared into my eyes. “Want to get out of here?”

Boy, did I.

“Answer one question,” I replied.

“I’ve got condoms.”

“Are you the bachelor?” I asked. “You’re at a bachelor party. Are you the bachelor?”

His eyes flashed with amusement. “Nope.”

“Let’s go,” I answered.

We both waved to our friends before practically running out of the club. “My hotel is across the street,” he said.

I should have probably put up more of a fight, but I had walked into the club with the intention of finding a man. We stepped into the elevator, and to my surprise, we ended up at the penthouse level. I didn’t get much of a chance to check out the opulent room. He had my face in his hands and his lips against mine before the door even closed behind us.

I did what I had been dying to do since I first laid eyes on him—I ran my fingers through his hair. His tongue pushed into my mouth while his hand slid up my dress. The man was wasting no time getting to the good stuff. I grabbed his belt and quickly undid it. He jerked my panties down, bent forward, and planted his lips between my cleavage while pushing the thong down to my ankles. I had just gotten his pants open when he batted my hands away.

“I don’t know who you are or where you came from, but I have never wanted a woman as badly as I want you right now,” he whispered. He pulled a condom from his pocket and quickly rolled it on. He didn’t even take his shoes off before lifting me up and pushing inside me with one fell swoop. My head slammed back against the wall as the air whooshed from my lungs.

“Oh my God!”

I couldn’t think straight. My eyes rolled back in my head and my body burned with need. It took several seconds for me to come to my senses.

“Shit,” he groaned. “Where did you come from?”

I dropped my face to his and kissed him. He bounced me up the wall, plunging deep inside me over and over. “Don’t stop,” I moaned. “Do not stop.”

“Not a chance in hell,” he growled.

He brought me to climax without breaking a sweat. I collapsed against the man with my head on his shoulder. He lowered me to the floor and kicked off his shoes. He had barely stepped out of his pants when he reached for me once again. He lifted me like I weighed nothing. I couldn’t stop smiling.

“You’re strong,” I said.

“Thanks.”

He carried me through the beautiful penthouse and into the bedroom. Once again, he put me on my feet. “Take that dress off,” he ordered.

“You’re very bossy,” I said and turned to give him my back. “Unzip me.”

The dress hit the floor. He spun me around again. “Did you cast some weird voodoo spell on me?”

“What?” I reached up and ran my fingertip over one thick brow. He truly was handsome. Gorgeous. My finger trailed down his cheek and traced the hard jaw.

“I don’t know you, but I’m crazy about you. I’ve never met a woman that I knew I wanted at first sight. This is it. This is love at first sight.”

I smiled and gave him a dainty kiss. “I’m in your room—correction, your penthouse. You’ve already had me. You don’t have to lie.”

He undid the buttons on his shirt and shrugged it off. I bit my lower lip at the sight of the man’s perfect chest. I had orgasmed less than five minutes ago, and I was already craving a second.

“I’m not lying,” he whispered. He grabbed my face and looked me straight in the eyes. Our faces were so close our noses brushed against one another. “I saw you, and I knew. Don’t pretend you didn’t feel it. The earth moved. You were dancing for me. Don’t tell me you weren’t wet. I felt you. I didn’t have to get you ready. You were ready for me.”

I licked my lips and moved to sit on the bed. “I’m ready for you now,” I breathed.

“That’s what I mean,” he said and climbed over the top of me. “Our bodies were made for each other.”

He slipped inside me once again. Our bodies really did feel like they were perfectly crafted for each other.

After another beautiful climax, he lay next to me. I snuggled close against his warm, naked body.

“I’m serious,” he said.

“About?” I murmured. I was still in a daze. Between the ecstasy and the liquor, I was in a state of bliss.

“You. Us. I think I’m in love with you.”

“You don’t even know me,” I said, sighing.

“I do. My soul does. I’m about to pass out, but in the morning, we should get married.”

I laughed and patted his chest. “Goodnight, lover.”

“Say it,” he said.

“Say what?”

“Don’t try and say you don’t feel it,” he said. “I know you do.”

I did feel a connection, but this was a drunken night in Vegas. “I do,” I said.

“I know,” he mumbled and held me a little closer.

I waited until he fell asleep before I extracted myself from his firm grip. I took a moment to drink in the sight of the most handsome man I had ever laid eyes on. “Goodbye,” I whispered.

I picked up my dress and tiptoed out to quickly get dressed. His flowery words were certainly tempting, but I knew it was the alcohol talking. It was my Cinderella moment. It was time to get back to my room before I turned into a pumpkin.

I felt a little guilty for not leaving a note. I hoped I didn’t regret it.