What Happens in Vegas (2 page)

over her shoulder, he was staring at her with

those dark eyes, stark possession shining in

their depths. With her chin held high, she

turned away again and waited, trying her best

to ignore him.

It was total bullshit, of course. She was

more aware of him than she had been of

anyone in her entire life. Had been since the

day she met him. As she turned to punch her

floor number, she caught his gaze again. He

hadn’t moved an inch, and he still kept his eyes

trained on her. A faint smile touched his

sensual mouth, and he actually threw her a

small salute as the doors closed. He was

practically laughing at her!

That was it. Li Zhu was going to have to

die.

***

“That was quite possibly not the smartest

thing you’ve ever done, Li.” Connor Jackson

chuckled as he extended his hand in greeting.

Li took it with a warm smile. He’d been friends

What Happens in Vegas…

17

with the Jackson brothers since he’d moved

from China over two decades earlier. They’d

attended the same college and had finished

med school and residency together. The bond

there was strong.

“I’d have to agree with you, but it will be

worth it later.”

Connor shook his head. “Wow. I always

knew you had it bad for the prickly vixen, but I

had no idea you were into sadism. She’s liable

to shred you to pieces.”

“Believe it or not, I
have
thought of that.”

Li chuckled. “Don’t worry about me. I know

what I’m doing.”

“I do too,” Connor shot back. “Going into

the lion’s den.”

“Just hide and watch, buddy. She’s mine.

Might not be easy, but the best things never

are.”

Li glanced back at the elevator. It had

long since closed, but he could still smell the

light scent of her perfume. He knew he had it

bad, but he didn’t care. The fierce need deep

inside him only added to his resolve to win

Nikki’s heart.

Finishing up the last of his charting, Li

headed out for the weekend. He’d overheard

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plans Nikki had made while she talked with a

couple of her friends. She was on her way to

Vegas to relax and unwind with no one to bug

her. She’d planned a blissful weekend alone full

of sunbathing and spa visits during the day and

casinos and heart-stopping shows at night.

Well, Li was going to crash her party of one.

Getting a plane ticket on such short notice took

some doing, but he knew it would be worth it.

Besides, it wasn’t as if he had a choice. There

was no way he was passing up an opportunity

to see the prickly Dr. Taylor let her hair down.

With a little luck, after tonight, Nikki would

know exactly whom she belonged with.

Just the thought made him smile. She

would fight, and that made him hotter than just

about anything. There had to be harmony

between them, sort of, but he was looking

forward to the challenge. Even though he knew

in his heart they were meant to be together, he

also knew she’d provoke him every chance she

got just so the sparks would fly. When they

finally came together, the sex would be mind-

blowing.

Whipping his car into the airport

extended-stay parking lot, Li retrieved his bag

from the trunk and jogged to the gate with

What Happens in Vegas…

19

boarding pass in hand. There was no way he

could suppress the smile tugging at his lips as

he checked his bag and boarded the plane. He’d

seen Nikki boarding just before he had and

knew this would be one explosive weekend.

Although he’d seen her in casual dress

before, he’d never seen her in hip-hugging

jeans and a too-cute tee that barely skimmed

the top of her pants. Enticing glimpses of bare,

chocolate skin teased him with every move of

her body as she walked down the entryway. Not

to mention the gentle sway of her hips. The

woman was a walking wet dream!

He’d stayed well away from her, not

wanting to alarm her until it was too late for

her to do anything. She’d taken a seat at the

back of first class and promptly engrossed

herself in a book she pulled from her carry-on.

Li’s seat was two rows ahead of Nikki by design.

The flight would be a little over three hours,

and he was hoping to escape her notice until

they were well on their way. Then all bets were

off.

Throughout his entire career, Li always

had to be calm under fire. Daily, he found

himself standing in between life and death for

his patients. It was a huge responsibility and

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one he took very seriously, but never had he

been this nervous. Never had anything seemed

quite so important as the events he was hoping

to bring about. It wasn’t about sex, though he

planned on making sweet love to Nikki as often

and thoroughly as possible. This was a life-

altering event. He planned on changing both

his and Nikki’s lives and forging a new one. One

they would share together.

Chapter Two

White, fluffy clouds floated along

underneath the plane. Nikki tried to relax, but

she had an ache between her shoulder blades.

Something wasn’t right. It was like a sixth sense

she had when she was on call. She just knew

when there would be trouble. Considering this

was her only weekend off for the next five

weeks, it wasn’t a welcomed sensation.

Her weekend in Las Vegas was a gift to

herself for working so hard the past couple of

years. The hospital had a surgeon resign, and

she’d picked up extra call to cover the gap

because she hated having a gap in the schedule.

Dr. Zhu picked up almost as much as she did,

and between the two of them, they’d managed

to cover it all. But it had been exhausting. She

was more than ready for a break.

Closing her eyes, she could almost feel a

nice massage from the hotel spa. She didn’t

bother to open them when someone sat beside

her—she was perfectly content to ignore any

and everyone around her for the duration of the

flight. Until she felt warm breath fan her face.

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“Wha—
You
!” Li Zhu was so close, all

she had to do was pucker her lips and she’d

brush his with them. Immediately, her heart

started pounding, and she trembled. This could

not
be happening!

“Surprised?” Lord, that voice of his

should be illegal. It made her want to do all

kinds of naughty things, but when she thought

about it, his face was all she could conjure up.

The man was seriously getting under her skin,

and she wasn’t sure how she felt about it.

“What the hell are you doing here? I’m

trying to get away from everything and here

you are, all up in my personal space.” Nikki

tried to sound mad, thought she might have

even pulled it off, but she was so excited she

wasn’t sure. This was both a dream and her

worst nightmare. Li Zhu in the rock-hard flesh.

Next to her. On a flight to Vegas.

“I was hoping we might test a hypothesis

of mine. Will you help me?”

“I’m almost afraid to ask, but what kind

of hypothesis?” Did her voice sound husky?

God, she hoped she didn’t sound as affected by

him as she felt. The last thing she needed to do

was show weakness in front of this man. If he

What Happens in Vegas…

23

smelled blood in the water, he’d move in for the

kill, and she wasn’t sure her heart could take it.

“The theory is, what happens in Vegas,

stays in Vegas, but I’m wondering if that is

entirely true.” He nuzzled her cheek with his

nose, much like a cat rubbing against her. He

didn’t seem to notice how her body stiffened.

Lazily, his fingers stroked her arm in a caress

that was more intimate than the touch of any

other man in her life. It was so personal, she

felt heat suffuse her face.

She swallowed. “That’s what I’ve heard.

Your point?”

“I’m just wondering if you could spend

the night with me and walk away like nothing

happened when it’s over.”

Just like that, Nikki’s stomach gave a

lurch and her pussy contracted. Chill bumps

erupted over her body, and she almost moaned

aloud. “Fuck!” The expletive escaped under her

breath, and she tried to put some distance

between herself and Li, but he slid his arm

around her shoulders and pulled her back

against his body. Li was taller than most men

she knew and certainly more muscular, though

he was more lean than bulky. Still, she swore

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she could feel every muscle in his chest and

arm as he held her to him.

“That’s a dangerous proposition, Li.”

“For whom?” He countered her response.

She was so in over her head. Taking a breath,

she clenched her fists and tried to calm her

racing heart.

“For you, of course. I’m an excellent

lover, and I wouldn’t want you pining after me

once the night's over. It could make things

awkward at work.” Pure bravado on her part,

but it was all she had at the moment.

His soft chuckle sent another round of

shivers through her body, and her lower body

seemed to come alive at the sound. “Care to

make a wager?”

“I’m not liking the sound of this,” she

muttered. “I have to warn you, I’m insanely

competitive. Any bet you make with me, you’re

gonna lose.”

“I make you come five times in one night

and you agree to be my submissive for a

month.”

Nikki blinked, not really sure if he was

serious or not. “Just what do you mean by

‘submissive’? I’m not really in to that kind of

thing.”

What Happens in Vegas…

25

His eyes lit with something Nikki couldn’t

name. It was somewhere between humor, lust,

and exasperation. “Nikki, we’ve worked

together for years. We’ve worked on the same

cases as a team. In all that time, do you

honestly think I didn’t pick up on your

personality traits? You’re a strong-willed

woman, but you’re practically begging for a

Dominant in bed. You need it to counter the

control you practice in your everyday work.” He

gave her a little smirk Nikki found entirely too

sexy for her own good. “You have a yearning, a

need to be taken care of when you’re not taking

care of everyone else. You can go ahead and

admit it, baby. I promise to take very good care

of you. I can give you what you need, what you

crave.”

Now, that was surprising. Nikki was

always very careful to keep her secret cravings

just that. Secret. She certainly didn’t indulge in

those cravings with anyone she might happen

across at work. In fact, she’d only experimented

once, and it wasn’t what she’d thought it would

be. The experience hadn’t been enjoyable so

much as painful. Though she was sure she

wanted what Li was hinting at, she didn’t know

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how to explain to him—or anyone else for

that matter—exactly what she needed.

All she could do was stare at him. How

the hell could he have known?

“Don’t look so shell-shocked, sweetheart.

I’m very good at what I do. No one else knows

your little secret, and I swear to you, it’s safe

with me.” Again, he put his lips next to her ear,

whispering erotically. “Take the bet. If I can’t

give you everything you’ve ever wanted, I’ll

walk away and we’ll continue to work together

as if nothing ever happened. I’ll never mention

this weekend again in public or private. What

happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.”

Nikki wanted to deny it outright, wanted

to deny him. It was like he’d peered into the

deepest recesses of her heart and laid her

darkest desires bare. She wanted to, but she