Broken Dreams (Broken Series) (13 page)

My curiosity won out, though. I flipped the price tag over and sucked in a breath.
Three hundred forty-nine dollars
. It was insane to pay that much for a dress, but if I knew Aunt Britt, she would want me to take it anyway. Like she said, she didn’t wear cocktail dresses much anymore. Her VP status at her job meant she didn’t schmooze the clients; she paid people to do that. So I went to the very back of her enormous closet and found a black garment bag to hide the dress in. I gently put the dress inside after removing the tag and carried the bag over my shoulder as I walked into the living room.

Baker stood there waiting for me by the front door and I noticed my duffel and
makeup
bags were already gone.

“I put your stuff in the car. And we’re all set with a hotel
.
”
H
e grinned at me, gesturing to take the garment bag.

I gave him a stern look as I handed it over. “No peeking,” I warned.

“Oh, something good, then. Maybe just a little glance?” He playfully moved his hand toward the zipper.

“No!” I slapped his hand away from the zipper and took the bag back. “I’ll just carry it. Are we ready?”

“Yeah. Do you need to leave a note for your aunt or something?”

“I called her. So we are all set,” I confirmed.

Baker led me out of the house and waited patiently while I locked the front door behind us. I turned to look at his car for the first time and had to laugh.

“A sports car, really?” I exaggerated a sigh.

“What? It’s fast. We’ll get to Vegas in no time,” he promised with a glance at his watch. “I say we make it in less than three hours.”

“Three hours? Do you have a fever?” I reached up and put the back of my hand against his forehead. “Even in zero traffic, it’s a four
-
hour trip.”

“How would you know? You’ve never been,” he taunted.

“Touché.”

“Just get in the car and let me drive. Three hours,” he predicted again. I laughed, turning back to the car.

It was a bright red Challenger, brand new. The leather seats were cozy and surprisingly cool. Baker must have started it while I was inside. He opened up the trunk to put my garment bag in the back.

“I’ll put it in the back seat,” I told him.

He nodded and pushed the trunk lid closed. I tucked the bag behind my seat and let it rest on the hook near the roof of the
car. I sat on the cool leather and adjusted my shorts
before turning back to
Baker just as he climbed into the driver’s seat.

It was like watching a clown try to fit himself into a clown car. At six-three, Baker was hardly a little guy. Add to that his bulging muscles, and watching him get in was comical. I covered my mouth to stifle a laugh.

“Something funny?”
h
e asked once he was inside.

His eyes met mine and I felt the heat rise between us. “Not a thing,” I whispered.

He slammed his door closed and then leaned over to me. “I have to tell you something,” he said in a serious tone. Baker was usually so playful and full of jokes, I was actually scared when he stared intently into my eyes.

“Yes?” I answered with baited breath.

“You are so fucking hot,” he said, snagging his hand behind my head and bringing me close to him so he could kiss me.

It was a hot, searing kiss and I knew I was much too close to the flames. By the end of this, I was going to get burned. But I couldn’t find the will to pull away. Instead, I put both my hands on his chest, in an effort to bring him closer or push him away, I don’t know. His tongue sought entrance into my mouth and I opened for him, eating up every hot touch. His hand on my neck rubbed encouragingly and I moaned into his kiss.

He ended it long before I wanted him to, and we were both out of breath. “Hot damn,” he whispered against my lips.

I laughed, this time actually pushing him away. “Let’s get going,” I suggested.

He seemed to be in a hurry as he pulled away. He strapped his seatbelt on while I put mine on and then turned the key. A loud, grinding noise emitted from the car and I had to hold back my laughter as I realized the car was already running.

“Damn thing,” he mumbled and then shifted into gear. He looked at me. “Not one word
.
”

Then he gunned it and we were off to Vegas.

Chapter Fourteen

Baker

I thought for sure we would make it to Vegas by noon, but traffic was much worse than I anticipated.
The trip took almost five hours and Rainey was driving me crazy. She didn’t do or say anything upsetting, but those short shorts were distracting as hell, and it was more than once that I had to grip the steering wheel with both hands to get focused on the road.

But we did get to Vegas. Eventually. Even with her long legs calling to me. We hit the strip and she lit up. It was early afternoon, so it wasn’t as dramatic as coming in at night, but Rainey was still animated as she eyed all the casinos and show places. Her smile was wide and I knew this was a great idea. She deserved to feel some happiness before she started to deteriorate.

When she turned that amazing smile to me, my gut clenched. “This is amazing, Baker
.
”

“Yeah, amazing,” I agreed, but I stared directly at her, letting her know I thought
she
was amazing. I didn’t care about Vegas, but seeing her, all smiles and truly enjoying herself
,
made me happy. I was so in love with her. There was no mountain I wouldn’t move to make her smile.

She blushed and turned away, getting my meaning. She looked out at our surroundings and when I pulled into Caesar’s Palace, she turned her wide eyes back to me.

“
This
is where we’re staying?” she asked, incredulous.

I grinned and pulled up the valet. “Yes, ma’am.”

I popped the trunk, got out, and tossed the keys to the young guy waiting nearby. I slipped him a ten
-
dollar bill and then walked around the car. A bellhop opened the door for Rainey and she sat there, still amazed. I directed the bellhop to our bags, including the garment bag behind Rainey’s seat
, then
walked over to where she was still rooted in the passenger seat and tugged on her hand.

“Come on
.
” I helped her up. “Lots more to see.”

She walked forward with me, still in shock. We entered the lobby and the architecture was stunning. I’d never been to Vegas, either, but I figured we should go in style. I wanted this to be the best time of her life. I led her over to the check-in desk.

“Welcome to the Palace. Checking in?” the young woman at the counter asked us.

“Yes, we have a reservation under Christopher Baker,” I explained.

The woman’s eyes lit up. “Yes, Mr. Baker. Your suite is ready for you. Here is your key, and if you need anything at all, please just dial zero and we’ll be happy to help you with anything at all.” She handed me a set of keys. “You will need to go all the way to
the end of that hallway
.
”
S
he pointed toward the far end of the lobby. “There’s an elevator and you’ll have to use your key to get to your floor.”

I thanked her and led Rainey down the narrow corridor.

She looked nervous as we walked, hand-in-hand. I stuck one of the keys into the slot at the elevator and the doors opened for us.

“This is surreal,” she finally said when the elevator doors closed behind us. I smiled down at her.

“It’s pretty cool, if you ask me. Although,” I said, looking down at my belt
,
“I’m not getting a sig on my beeper.”

She burst into laughter. Quoting one of the movies we watched together in our early days of sleeping together was a perfect icebreaker.

“Promise me I won’t have to come find you on the roof tomorrow, okay?”

“Nope. I can’t make that kind of promise. But I’ll tell you what – if I end up on the roof, you will be right there with me and we will get crispy in the sun together
.
” I grinned.

She shook her head and the elevator stopped, the doors opening into a small foyer with a single door. We stepped off and walked to the door.

I held up the key to our room. “Ready?”

She nodded.

I slipped the key into the slot and pushed open the door. I let Rainey go in first, knowing she would be shocked.

Aside from several columns in the space, the suite was wide and open, with floor-to-ceiling windows that gave a great view of the city, even in the daytime. There was a circular couch in the center of the room that faced the window, as well as an extra-large flat
-
screen television on the far wall. The flooring was granite, as were the countertops in the kitchen. A stocked full bar graced the kitchen, along with a complete set of dishes and cookware, not that we would be doing any cooking.

My plan was to keep Rainey busy in the casinos until late at night so that when we got back to the room, she was exhausted. As much as I wanted her, I didn’t want to take the chance of hurting her again. The memory of bruises along her body tormented me. I didn’t want to be the one causing them. And aside from my slip that morning in her aunt’s kitchen, I had been able to keep my hands off her. Mostly.

That kiss in the car before we left was pretty hot. I felt myself get hard just thinking about all the things I wanted to do to her. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I needed to gain some control. When I opened my eyes again, Rainey was standing in front of me, just staring at me.

“Hey
,
stud
.
”
S
he licked her lips provocatively
, running
h
er fingers across my shoulders, causing the skin under my
T
-shirt to ripple. I wanted her so damn much.

“Hey
,
yourself,” I said as casually as I could.

“This is a great suite,” she said. “Should we check out the bedroom?”

Rainey grabbed my hand and
led me to the corner of the suite, opened up an extra-large door, and we both stopped, stunned by the room. Aside from its enormous size, the best part of the room was the monster of a bed that sat in the center. It was a four-post, kin
g-
size bed decorated all in white. It was a symbol of purity, to be sure. But more than that, the white down comforter was covered in fresh rose petals.

“What the hell…” Rainey turned to accuse me.

I shrugged. “It’s the honeymoon suite.”

“
Honeymoon?
”
s
he squeaked

“Oh, relax. I knew it would be a nice room, and I wanted you to have a good time
.
” I grinned at her.

“Well, I
do
plan to have a good time,” she whispered, pressing herself against me.

I groaned in satisfaction, the feel of her breasts against my chest driving me crazy. The woman was an enigma.

***

Hours later, the bed was a mess and we were both hot and sweaty. Not that it wasn’t awesome. Rainey was insatiable. With every touch, every tender kiss, she demanded more. It was hard to keep my control with her. I tried not to hurt her, but I had a feeling I would be kicking myself later when I saw the new bruises. And they would appear; there was no doubt in my mind.

I lay on my back, staring up at the mirrored ceiling, something we hadn’t noticed until we got into the bed. It made
for some interesting positions, that was for sure. A fit of giggles beside caused me to turn to Rainey. I turned on my side and propped up my arm on the pillow, resting my cheek against my fist.

“What’s so funny?” I demanded.

“Look at yourself,” she suggested.

I glanced down and realized I was covered in red and white rose petals. Each delicate piece was stuck to the sweat that still clung to my body. There were three on my torso and several hanging precariously off the only part of my body that extended.

Surprisingly, knowing she was looking at that part of me caused me to want her again. I wasn’t sure how much more I could take, but I wanted her.

“Baker…?” She lifted her beautiful green eyes to mine and raised a brow.

“Ready for round four?” I asked.

“No! No more,” she squealed and tried to get out of the bed. I flung an arm around her waist and dragged her back to the plush mattress, hefting myself above her.