Vegas Baby! (Luck in Love Book 1) Read online

  With my sunglasses and small beach bag of goodies, I was more than ready to cool down at the pool. Leslie called, and I chatted to her for a little bit, mentioning that I met Hendrix but nothing more. She was more excited than I was, glad that I found someone to rid the idea of being alone.

  Continuing to meet the standards of the grand sized hotel, the pool had several places to explore and rest. Sand brought a beach like feel to one area, cabanas surrounded the outer lying sections, and orange lounge chairs lined the rest of the space. You didn’t have to sit outside of the pool to relax. Turquoise lounge chairs occupied a part of the shallow aqua waters. Thirty foot tall palm trees were scattered throughout the area, and smaller versions included themselves on the islands that defined the middle of the winding pool design.

  Not to be outdone by the pool, some of the islands were water too, providing heat and jet like massages to sunbathers. To round out the outside area, a giant circular swim up bar was located in the corner. It was easy to imagine the place being packed with people, which would be fun, but I was delighted to share it with only a little more than a few handfuls of visitors.

  I took a breath, figuring I should at least get some fake sand in on my vacation and hurry up because the sun was pounding down on my skin. When I found a perfect place, I was given a beach towel to sit on by one of the attendants. That was a pleasant surprise. Normally, I didn’t think they offered towels. An extra perk to being one of the few there.

  Seated, I popped open my bag. Third to my floppy hat and sunglasses, the sunscreen sailed out and onto my skin. Instead of struggling to cover my back or asking, I opted to leave my cover up on but open. Then I slid to the end of my towel to swirl my legs in the pool.

  A while later, after bouncing the idea back and forth, I narrowed my eyes, setting my sights on the pool chairs. They weren’t that deep in the water. My hair wouldn’t get wet unless someone splashed through the pool, which wasn’t likely to happen due the several other entry points and a lack of kids at the moment.

  And the man, whose abs commanded attention and who made his way into my line of vision from time to time, had invited himself in again, claiming the seat on the end. Claiming the chair I envisioned myself relaxing in.

  Man, I should have dumped Xavier a long time ago. Two fine men in one day. I have a new slate engrained with new luck. But should I sit next to him or a seat away? Or stay here and enjoy the sunshine.

  Stay here. What about last night?

  It’s not like I’m cheating on Hendrix. I’ve known him for one day. We’re not together.

  But what if there’s something growing between us? Men like Hendrix don’t tend to stick around after that kind of night is over then invite you to breakfast and ask to stay for dinner. He may have used the temporary idea lingo for the time being line to get close to you before he pulls you in. Deep. Into the deep water.

  You may be right… Is that the sun or are my cheeks heating up due to blushing sensations?

  I am right and stop smiling. Stop waving your legs slowly back and forth in the water. New guy will take it the wrong way.

  The new guy, who had been sitting on my chair with his legs straddling the edges, rolled his head in my direction before lounging back. Hands clasped, he lifted his arms above his head and kept them there a little while. Finally, allowing them to rest, he dropped his arms at his sides. His head faced the sky as he inhaled and exhaled, breathing sighs of peace. I didn’t know if he knew but his little display had me hooked.

  Don’t go over there.

  I know… Whatever, I’m doing it. Just because I sit next to the guy doesn’t mean I’m going to sleep with him. And this whole trip is supposed to be fun right?

  I swayed my feet to my left and something caught it. I tensed up and turned to see that Hendrix was in the pool, holding my foot.

  “See something else you like?” he said.

  “I uh,” I said.

  He laughed. “I don’t mind dealing with competition. In fact I expect that.” Hendrix’s fingers put in work while he spoke, applying pressure to my foot, almost making me throw my head back and close my eyes.

  Competition? He cares that much.

  “Now, if you’ll allow me to take you out tonight and today,” he continued, “we can have some more fun. You haven’t completed my relaxation program.”

  “Your program? It escalated from being exercises?”

  He nodded. “Yes, and it wouldn’t be right if you didn’t get a massage.”

  “I see. So that’s what I’m getting now? A preview.”

  “They’re a lot more skilled inside in the spa. But first, why don’t you slide on in?” He ducked his head in the water then swam up in between my legs.

  “Wait!” I held up my hand. “You’re kidding. You can’t be talking about this spa. I’ve been dreaming of the day I got to see the inside of that place.”

  “I’m not.”

  Wrapping his arms around my hips, he secured me and began to inch me towards the pool.

  “Hendrix!” I said.

  “I’ll hold you high above the water,” he said. “It’s much cooler once your whole body is submersed. They do this in the spa too. Cold baths. Hot baths. Come explore the great waters of the north pool with me.”

  I chuckled. “What about my bag and keys.”

  “Right.” He let go of me to push himself out of the pool. In one motion, his muscles tensed and he hopped up into the sand. Offering his hand, he helped me stand, and we put my things in a cabana that he rented and returned my towel.

  “Are you going to swim with that cover up on?” Hendrix asked. “It is sexy, but I don’t think the water will agree.”

  I bit my lip as air filled my lungs. “I… no. I couldn’t reach my back, and I didn’t want anyone to lather it with sunscreen for me.”

  “Allow me then.”

  Sitting in the shade of the straw hut cabana, I gazed out onto the water as Hendrix massaged sunscreen onto my back. He didn’t stop there. He reminded me that every two hours I needed a fresh coat, so I earned a mini spa experience.

  “What about you?” I asked.

  He handed me the sunscreen, and I returned the favor in a more platonic type of way. I had to fight myself from reacting as my fingers curved his abs, biceps, pecs, and shoulders. It was too much of a direct path to become attached to this man. He was too nice, fine, and caring. For a few moments I wished he was a little meaner. It would make never seeing him again much easier to swallow.

  “You’re so shy during the day,” he said and took my hand, sliding it straight down.

  “Hey!” I said and retrieved my hand, laughing.

  Hendrix peeked back at me. “Trying to get you to loosen back up that’s all.”

  I began massaging lotion onto him again. “I think that will do it,” I said, a few minutes later, seeing that the last bit of lotion had disappeared into his back.

  “Now we wait for what about thirty minutes in the shade.” Hendrix lay back onto my chest.

  “If you’re following rules, you should have had the sunscreen on before you came outside.”

  “I did.”

  I chuckled and shook my head. “So this was part of the relaxation regimen?”

  “Exactly. I have to admit it was designed for my benefit, but I think you got something out of it too.”

  I playfully hit him on the shoulder. He laughed deeper, from his belly, then slapped my thigh. “Unless you want to wait to avoid sunburn on you back, let’s go. We can stick to the shaded areas for the time being.”

  “Let’s,” I said.

  We gathered my things and put them in a secured cubby then I glided down into the water, following Hendrix.

  “See, it’s not deep,” he said once I made my way to him.

  Visiting each section of the pool, we hung out in the areas for some time. It was getting a little late, and due to Hendrix’s surprise plan, we could either stay for drinks or get that massage. He said this while being obvious
that he was teasing.

  Chapter 6

  Londyn

  In the calm, serene spa, with the sounds of waves crashing and receding into the ocean, Hendrix and I waited for a few minutes until the masseuses were ready. We were led down sea green halls into a couples room with two tables facing the window.

  One of the women asked if we wanted the blinds opened or closed. Opened gave us the pleasure of seeing a rock garden with waterfalls through a two way mirror. We could see out, but no one in the room or the other rooms, where they were also receiving massages, could see in.

  “What do you think?” Hendrix said.

  I shrugged and said that closed would be fine. I’d feel strange being naked and looking out upon random rocks. In fact, I thought it was funny that I was in a couples room with Hendrix. After the masseuses left to allow us to change out of our clothes and get into position under the towels, I spoke up.

  “Hendrix, you’re funny,” I said. “I didn’t think we’d be in here together as a couple already.”

  “It’s part of the boyfriend experience. And in addition to that this was all they had left when I called this morning.”

  “Right,” I said. “I see you.”

  Hendrix smiled. “I can leave if you want.”

  “No, no. Don’t do that. This is very sweet of you. Thank you again.” I curved around the side of my table and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. He pulled me in tighter and squeezed.

  “You brainstormed the idea this morning?” I said. “You made lesson plans for your program?”

  “Last night you let me know how much you’d appreciate me if I did this for you.”

  “I didn’t.”

  “You did.”

  I frowned. “What else did I say?”

  “They’re going to be back here any second,” Hendrix said and kissed my cheek slowly a couple of times. I got a few pecs on the lips too before we decided to get undressed.

  “You forgot to give me an answer,” I said.

  “I’m not going to tell you in the way you want the info,” Hendrix said. “You’ll know in time.”

  “What? All ten more hours of it?”

  Hendrix didn’t say anything else. He desired to stare at me as he undressed instead. When we were ready, Hendrix called the masseuses back in. My eyes voluntary closed at the beginning of the massage. It was as though they just started five minutes before when my eyes reopened at the end.

  “Did you enjoy your massage?” Hendrix asked after the masseuses left again.

  “It was divine.”

  “I thought you’d like it.” He reached his arm out towards mine and ran his finger along my arm. I fought sleep, fluttering my eyes. It took Hendrix pulling me up off of the table to wake me up again.

  “Ready for the next part of the plan?” Hendrix said.

  “Of course.”

  After a few kisses on my shoulder, we got ready to go. On the way out of the spa, Hendrix heard a familiar sound. He gently tugged me, and we temporarily hung out behind a pillar.

  “What’s going on?” I said.

  “Shhh.”

  We waited for a few minutes while I heard chatter from a group who passed by. I bent down my eyebrows. “Is that your family?”

  “Yeah,” he said. “Let’s get out of here.”

  We got out of there but too fast.

  “Steve?” it sounded like the woman said. “Is that you?”

  “Shoot!” Hendrix said. “We have to turn around. Follow my lead.”

  “Honey, it is you!” the woman said, hugging him. “I didn’t know you weren’t busy working. And who is… this?” She waved her fingers at me dismissively.

  “Mom!” Hendrix said. “This is my friend. She—”

  “No need to tell me her name. I don’t care to meet another one of your… friends. I have better options in mind. More permanent options. For when you’re done with your friends.”

  Really. No wonder.

  “Gina!” the man with her said.

  The other woman raised her eyebrows while Hendrix huffed. “Mom—”

  “Gina, let’s get on to the spa,” the man said. “Son, I’m sorry about that. I’m sorry miss. Nice to meet you.”

  I nodded. The man pulled Gina, her friend, and I assume the friend’s husband toward the spa.

  We retreated to our rooms and got ready to go out. The plan for the night was dinner and a show. A little different than the night before, it sounded interesting. Hendrix had some fine dining restaurant in mind. I freshened up, put on a nice long dress, and met Hendrix at his room. He opened the door, and his eyes flickered.

  “Wow,” Hendrix said. “You look amazing!”

  “Thanks!”

  “Come on in; I’m almost done.”

  Hendrix ran back to his room and finished getting ready.

  “What are you doing in there?” I said. “You take longer than me to get ready.”

  “I had some stuff I had to do. Had to make sure a fiasco, like what happened at the spa, didn’t happen again.”

  “Just as long as they’re not going where we are going, everything will be fine.”

  “Now you see why I was trying to protect you.”

  “I do.”

  Dinner was an interesting experience. It wasn’t that different from what I had before. The meal was delicious though. Next up was a show of performers with various acrobatic skills. They swung high from apparatus in the ceiling and flipped from bar to bar in the air. A few performed dances and displayed great strength with the silk that dropped from the roof. The vibrant colors with the various forms of music made the show spectacular.

  “So what did you think?” Hendrix said as we exited the venue. “Am I doing well so far?”

  “Absolutely,” I said.

  “I hope you’re forgetting what happened this afternoon in the process.”

  “It’s nothing.”

  “No, she shouldn’t have treated you with disrespect. That’s my mom though. Ridiculous all the time.”

  “Do you feel pressure to appease your family?”

  “Definitely not,” he said. “I do what I want when I want. I don’t answer to them. I think that’s what helped me achieve what I have done so far. I ran from home as soon as I could. And I made sure I was successful, so I wouldn’t have to look back ever.”

  “So you had a hard time growing up?”

  “No, my mom could spit fire on anyone but she protected her babies.”

  “Sounds like your future fiancé has a challenge on her hands.”

  “I know. How are you going to handle that? I feel bad for you already.”

  I laughed.

  We strolled down the sidewalk and up the stairs to get in position to watch the water works. There was a giant fountain that danced to music at various times during the night. We propped ourselves up in a corner and looked out below.

  As the water waved, I couldn’t help but to think how the past two days had been perfect. I didn’t want the hours to pass, the clock to strike twelve, and the sun to rise only to send me away from him. Hendrix snuggled against my cheek. It seemed like he felt it too, but he could be a great player of the game. At least that was what his mother basically said.

  That night I ended up in Hendrix’s suite again. His kisses were just as passionate as the night before, and he was just as smooth at slivering his hands underneath my clothes to remove them. He kept eye contact with me as he laid me on the bed and when he undressed. His thickness remained impressive, attentive, and made me even wetter with the thought of having him inside of me.

  Hendrix clicked the mood light to red then stroked my hips before pulling me to him. He climbed onto the bed and raised my legs so they were parallel to and resting on his body. Then he spread his hands across my bottom to raise it to him and enter. He patiently filled and withdrew from me before quickening and picking up a rhythm.

  My hands remained flat on the sheets as the intensity began to build. Our eyes, which had been trained o
n each other, began to flutter. Hendrix slid out.

  “Come back,” I said.

  He raised me up to him again and rapidly guided me to flip over. I gasped, surprised by his maneuver.

  “On your knees,” he commanded.

  I did as he pleased. Hendrix positioned himself behind me and rested his hands on the sides of my hips.

  “No touching,” he said in a low voice.

  He travelled slowly, kiss by kiss across my neck, from one backside side to the other. Then he took a chunk of my hair and pulled my head back, exposing more of my neck for him to feast on. When he was done, he guided my head down to the sheets and told me to rest on my arms, which I did.

  I got hotter as Hendrix wrapped his hands around my inner thighs and tugged a little, spreading my legs wider. His fingers brushed up my thighs and to my flesh that hooded my core. Then he eased his hardness into me. His fingers swirled in a sensational pattern and his thirst grew faster and harder.

  I breathed heavily, arched my back, and clamped down onto him, almost ready to soar again as he changed his mind and stopped, mid plunge.

  “Hendrix,” I panted.

  “Head down. I want to fill you,” he whispered. Then he plunged into me, deep relaxed me, and made me quiver with desire.

  Chapter 7

  Londyn

  The next day I woke up to find Hendrix still in bed. He smiled as I turned towards him.

  “Last hour,” he said.

  “I know.”

  I’m going to miss you.

  He ran his finger across my lips. “You get an ‘A’ for reaching your full relaxation potential. There’s no way you’re going to be any type of tense this week.”

  “Well, that depends on how well my group gets along, but it should be fine. We’re only partying, not going to my friend’s wedding. No worrying about fitting into dresses or if the cake or groom will arrive.”

  “That will be my job,” Hendrix said. “I know I won’t have to worry. My friend adores his fiancée. Your wedding sounds more entertaining. Will the groom arrive?”