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She shook her head self-consciously. “I’ve always wanted to, though.”

“So now you’ll be able to.”

She nodded, wondering if Eve would be able to get away for the two of them to travel

together. Otherwise, while seeing the world would be a wonderful adventure, doing it alone

would be slightly less fun.

His mouth turned downward in a sudden frown. “I don’t want to belabor this point, but you

really should consider getting a tax attorney and a financial planner to help you sort through this lottery business.”

She took another drink from her glass, uncomfortable with mixing business and pleasure.

“The people at the lottery office gave us the same advice. I will if I think it’s necessary.”

He pursed his mouth. “How well do you know the coworkers who won with you?”

She smiled. “Well enough to know that there won’t be any trouble where they’re

concerned.”

“This kind of money changes people,” he warned.

She lifted her glass again for her own toast. “In my case, I certainly hope so.”

Perry angled his head, but whatever he’d been about to say was lost when the waiter

returned with the first round of tapas dishes they’d ordered. Plate after plate of sizzling, aromatic, and decorative foods were set on the table between them, and once again her pulse spiked at the intimacy of sharing food with Perry…a man she’d met only days ago but who seemed to have

insinuated himself into her life out of guilt.

As she surveyed the slices of duck served over plantains, lump crab cakes with mango

salsa, chorizo with figs, and almond-stuffed dates wrapped with prosciutto, her appetite suddenly kicked in with a vengeance. It was the sheer decadence and variety of the food that set her senses on tilt…along with the knowledge that from this point on, life was a feast. She felt giddy as she lifted bite-size portions onto her plate. When she forked a sliver of duck into her mouth, she moaned with pleasure, a noise that captured Perry’s attention.

“You like?” he asked with an amused expression.

A flush climbed her face, but she nodded, savoring each new flavor that bathed her tongue,

reveling in how the rich foods were complemented by the wine. Perry refilled her glass, seeming to enjoy watching her eat. She dabbed at her mouth with her napkin self-consciously.

“Try the dates,” he said, picking one up with his fingers and offering it near her lips.

Her gaze locked with his and a plastic bubble seemed to descend over them, separating

them from the rest of the diners. She hesitated, then opened her mouth and allowed him to place the morsel on her tongue. When she closed her mouth, her lips brushed the end of his finger,

sending shockwaves of sexual awareness through her system. As she held the savory food on her tongue, Perry slowly pulled his hand back and licked his finger.

Her breasts grew heavy as she chewed the rich, salty date. When the sensory overload of

Perry and their surroundings started to make her feel light-headed, she tore her gaze from his.

Her heart pounded in her chest. If the man could make her feel this wanton over a meal, by the end of the weekend, she’d be a puddle of ooze.

Warning bells sounded in her head. The goal for the weekend was to have fun, not to fall

head over heels in love with a playboy. Still, she had to admit that the idea of spending the weekend with Perry was a thousand times more appealing than hooking up with a stranger.

As the meal progressed and more food and wine was delivered to their table, Jane found

herself warming toward Perry—in more places than her heart. Besides being so wonderful to

look at with his dark hair and dark eyes and dark skin, he had a gift for conversation and for making her feel as if he were interested in her opinion. They talked about movies and politics, music and art. And she was surprised to learn that the playboy was well-read. It shouldn’t have surprised her—he had, after all, passed the bar exam. But it was hard to reconcile the smooth, polished man sitting across from her with the man who’d answered his door shirtless and with

his jeans half-unzipped.

Apparently, Nasty Boy had another side.

“Does your girlfriend know you’re here?” she asked.

Perry blinked. “Girlfriend?”

“The woman I met and, um, heard.”

“Oh, right. She’s not my girlfriend, just a…friend.”

“Ah.” Friends with benefits.

He took another drink of wine and contemplated her as he swallowed. “So, Jane…have

you been able to give my proposition some thought?”

She nodded and, liking the swimmy feeling it gave her, kept nodding. “Although I think

it’s only fair that you know what you’re getting into, Perry.”

From the way his Adam’s apple bobbed, she could tell she’d caught him off guard with her

candor. “What am I getting into?”

Another large mouthful of wine warmed her throat as it went down, sending tendrils of

alcohol curling through her limbs, further loosening her inhibitions, and her tongue. She felt reckless, and wanted to know what it felt like to do something…bad. “You should know that I

came to Vegas to…unleash my inner wild child.”

His eyebrows climbed. “Unleash your inner wild child?”

“In other words, to have a very…torrid…fling.”

His mouth closed, then opened, and closed again, his eyes wide.

She smiled at his reaction, and strangely, it gave her courage. “Having second thoughts?”

“No,” he said quickly. “No second thoughts.”

But Jane knew what would put the bona fide ladies’ man at ease. “As long as we both

agree to no strings. When we get back to Atlanta, we’ll go back to being…neighbors. Agreed?”

After a few seconds of charged silence, Perry lifted his wine glass to hers and she was

gratified to see that the mischievous light had returned to his dark eyes. “Agreed.”

As Perry drank from his wine glass, he stared at the new and improved Jane Kurtz sitting

across from him and conceded that he couldn’t remember when he’d been more intrigued by a

woman. Nor could he remember when he’d looked forward to the foreplay and the chase as

much as the sex itself. One thing was sure—he intended to show Jane the time of her life…to

safely guide her through the pleasures that Vegas had to offer, as well as the joys of the flesh that he had to offer.

And suddenly, he wanted to touch her.

“Let’s dance,” he said, nodding to the empty dance floor.

“I don’t know how,” she protested.

“I’ll teach you.” He stood and extended his hand to pull her to her feet. “I thought you

wanted to have fun,” he challenged her.

She bit into her lip, then smiled and allowed him to lead her to the dance floor. He slid his arm to the curve of her waist and held her hand in his next to his shoulder.

“Stay on your toes and relax,” he murmured in her ear. “Don’t try to anticipate my

movements, just follow my lead.”

Still, she was stiff and awkward in his arms, glancing around self-consciously or staring at

the floor. The woman had no idea what a swan she’d turned into, he realized. He was silent,

taking simple, repetitive steps to the slow tempo, lightly caressing her back until she loosened and grew comfortable with his rhythm.

“You’re a good dancer,” she offered.

“My mother taught me. And my two sisters made me practice with them in the kitchen.”

“You have sisters?”

“And two brothers.”

“You’re lucky,” she said wistfully.

He nodded. “Do you have family near Atlanta?” he asked, already knowing the answer and

hating to make her say it.

“No. I don’t have any family.” She gave him a little smile. “I was a change-of-life baby,

my parents were older. They’ve both been gone for a while now.”

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“Me, too. I keep thinking how happy they would be to know about me winning the lottery.

How many things I could’ve given them.”

He felt a tug on his heart. “You’ll have it to spend on your own children, though.”

The expression on her face was one of confusion. “I…guess so.”

So she wasn’t one of those women whose biological clock was ticking, he surmised. Did

the thought of having children frighten her, or was she simply waiting for the right guy?

None of your business, Brewer, he told himself. Don’t go there.

Gradually, he closed the space between them until their pelvises were pressed together.

Then he moved his hips in time to the increased tempo and soon, she was mimicking his

movements. He guessed she was an athlete—maybe a runner—with instinctive rhythm.

“You’re a natural,” he said with a happy grin.

The compliment buoyed her to smile and to put some extra movement in her steps.

Perry swept her around the floor, his pulse throbbing higher. Being in sync on the dance

floor was usually a good indication of chemistry in bed.

Plain Jane Kurtz was full of surprises.

Their intimate movements aligned all their erogenous zones. Perry gritted his teeth to keep

his erection at bay, but under the influence of her beauty and her soft curves, nature would not be subdued. He knew the minute she became aware of his arousal from the startled look in her

incredible blue eyes. But he wouldn’t allow her to look away, pinning her down with his gaze.

The woman came here to have a fling—she needed to know what she was getting herself into.

But she didn’t shrink from his gaze, or from the intimate contact. If anything, she moved

closer, sliding against his arousal ever so slightly as she moved to the music. Her response sent desire surging through his body. If he had his way, they’d go back to her room right now, hang a Do Not Disturb sign on the door, and not come up for air until Sunday around noon.

But he owed it to Jane to give her an experience different from what she would’ve had if

she’d hooked up with some horny guy at the bar. Wasn’t that why he’d followed her out here, to protect her?

So when the song ended, he held her close for a heartbeat, then slowly unwound her body

from his and led her back to the table. His heart was thumping, but more from the proximity to Jane than from the exertion. Her happy smile lit her entire face, putting a sparkle in her eyes that he’d never seen, not even when he’d congratulated her on winning the lottery.

A pang struck his chest—apparently Jane Kurtz hadn’t experienced very many truly happy

moments, moments when she forgot herself and laughed with abandon. And knowing that he’d

put that smile on her face did something to his stomach. He suddenly had the feeling that he was playing with fire. But when he helped her into her chair and got an inadvertent glimpse down her bright pink blouse at her lacy black bra, he decided that he wouldn’t mind going down in flames.

They finished the wine in their glasses and he signaled for the check, hesitating only a

second before signing his room number to the slightly enormous bill. He was pushing the limits on his credit cards, but if everything turned out with the Kendall case, he’d be okay.

“Shall we go lose some money to the house?” he asked with a grin.

She nodded eagerly, and they left the restaurant, with her leaning into him more readily

than only a few hours ago. Good—she was growing more comfortable around him. A blip of

panic darted through his chest at the possibility that Jane might fall for him, but he chastised himself for the egotistical thought. After all, Jane was the one who’d insisted on the no-strings condition.

“What’s your pleasure?” he asked as they entered the grand casino, abuzz with people and

lights and the ringing of bells from the slots area. Jane looked around, her face alight with curiosity. To his irritation, as she contemplated their surroundings, he saw lots of men’s heads turn in her direction to contemplate her.

“I want to try everything,” she said, clasping his arm. “Will you teach me, Perry?”

One look into those animated big blue eyes and he was utterly lost. “That’s why I’m here.”

Besides, he was hoping to win enough at the craps table to actually pay for some of this trip.

She grinned. “Slots first?”

“Sure, that’s easy. Let’s get some coins.”

Jane reached into her purse and pulled out rolls of quarters and dollars. “I have some.”

Well, that answered the quarters or condoms question, he realized steering her in the

direction of a slot machine on the end of a row.

“The machines near foot traffic tend to have a higher payout,” he said. “If customers see

people winning, they’re more likely to play themselves.”

Jane settled on the stool, oblivious to the fact that her mini-skirt had hiked up on her toned thighs, giving him an inadvertent flash of pink panties. His cock twitched and he wondered how he was going to get through the evening with this woman who had no idea how hot she was.

Averting his gaze, he maneuvered to stand behind her and explained how to select the buttons to play the various games.

“Then you just feed it coins and pull the lever. The machine will tell you if you’ve won.”

She began cramming in coins and pulling the lever as fast as she could, her face flushed

with excitement.

“Whoa,” he said with a laugh. “You might want to slow down. You need to pace

yourself…”

She gave him a withering look. “Perry, I just won the lottery, remember?”

“Oh. Right.”

Good thing, too, considering she ran through all of her rolls of coins in record time. But

she loved every minute of it, he conceded as she slid down from the stool in a way that

confirmed her pink panties were edged in black lace.

He bit the inside of his cheek and led her to a beginner blackjack table, where she promptly

lost more money with more enthusiasm than anyone he’d ever seen.

For the next hour and a half, they went from the roulette wheel to the poker tables, to the