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  “They’d be getting warm with option B,” she murmured, then leaned forward to place her bets. She’d added another thirty dollars to the table, but when she withdrew her hand, she couldn’t recall where she’d set her chips. The feel of Cade at her back shredded her focus.

  “But they don’t know that I can still taste you,” he said.

  “Cade—”

  “Those guys over there just got one helluva view when you leaned forward,” he continued. His hand went to her waist and glided up her torso. “Lean back.”

  She rested her head against his shoulder, offering him a peek beneath her cover-up. “I like to look, too,” he said. His fingers teased the neckline of her cover-up. “But I want more. I want to take you back to your room, ask you to close your eyes and pretend all of these people are watching while I pour champagne over your tits and lick them clean.”

  She tried to focus on the game. If she didn’t, she might be tempted to strip off her clothes and beg him to take her here.

  “After I get you wet…” he continued, “I want to cross number one off my list. I want to slide between your breasts until I come.” He drew a path to the center of her chest.

  “Yes,” she said, struggling to maintain a calm expression.

  “Awfully stoic for someone who just won,” the dealer said.

  “Won?” She looked at the table as the dealer added the piles of chips she’d bet. “Oh my God, Cade, I didn’t lose your money. I more than doubled it.”

  She did a celebratory dance, shifting her hips from side to side as she leaned forward to gather her winnings. Behind her, Cade groaned, and his hands glided down her sides until he had a firm hold on her hips.

  “Gather your chips,” he ordered, and the heels of his hands pressed against her ass. “It’s time to move on to the next stop on your tour.”

  “And this time the clothes come off?” she asked, standing up, her hands filled with chips.

  “Yes.” His gaze lingered on her chest. “But not in the way you’re thinking.”

  Chapter Twelve

  The cab inched down the Vegas Strip toward their hotel. Out the window to her right, the Eiffel Tower—miniature version though it was—glimmered under the afternoon sun.

  “Are you going to give me a hint about what’s waiting for us back at the hotel?” Lucia asked.

  He sat with his arms crossed, his hands hidden behind his military-issued biceps. While she appreciated the view, he hadn’t touched her since they’d left the casino. After he’d spelled out his down and dirty desires by the craps table, he’d kept his hands to himself.

  “The anticipation is killing me,” she added.

  Of where he’ll touch me next… How his hands will move over my skin… What he’ll ask of me…

  “Do you like surprises?” he asked.

  “Sometimes,” she said. “But not when they pile up like this.”

  He cocked his head and furrowed his brow. “Pile up?”

  “I don’t know where we’re going.” She angled her body to face him and placed her hand on his thigh. “For all I know, you might ask for number one right here in the cab.”

  His jaw tightened as his gaze dropped to her chest. “I can’t. It would ruin my plan for the rest of the day.”

  “Which is?” she prompted, running her hand up his thigh. “You told the driver to take us back to the hotel. Is it number four in the shower? Or do you want a repeat of number three?”

  “If I touch you now, it’ll be number two in the back of a cab,” he growled, the muscles in his thigh contracting beneath her touch. “Hell, I’m tempted to rent a limo with a divider and tinted windows just to get you on your hands and knees while we drive around Vegas.”

  “We could use my winnings.” She brushed her hand against the part of his body she was dying to free from his board shorts.

  “I have plans for your money.”

  “Tell me,” she insisted.

  “I want pleasure to dictate your life until you step foot on that plane tomorrow, not fear of what others think,” he said. “You deserve to feel worshipped. From head to toe.” He caught her hand and lifted her fingers to his lips. As he brushed a soft kiss over her knuckles, the cab pulled up in front of their hotel.

  “Worshipped?” It felt like a big word for a Vegas fling. And one she couldn’t connect to the hundreds of dollars she’d won at the craps table today.

  “I’m taking you to the spa.” He lowered their joined hands. “I called in a favor from one of my mom’s friends. Her name’s Anna. She was able to secure a massage appointment for you, followed by a visit to the salon she oversees here.”

  “Cade,” she said as she followed him out of the cab, “I didn’t win that much.”

  “Anna threw in the salon visit on the house.” He took her hand and led her through the resort’s buzzing lobby toward the elevators.

  Once inside the hotel, he turned to her. “I can cancel if you don’t want the massage, or if you hate the idea of a stranger messing with your hair.”

  “I’ve only been to a spa once. But I have nothing against massages or fancy salons,” she said, still reeling from this surprise gesture. He’d offered sex at every turn, but this act took fantasy to a different level.

  “Good.” He led the way out of the elevator and down a hallway lined with golden Buddhas and jewel-toned drapes. Every detail screamed the Zen starts here! as they approached the reception area.

  He smiled at the young woman behind the desk. She was armed with a computer and a grin so charming Lucia couldn’t tell if it was fake.

  “Checking in for one massage and a hair appointment,” he said.

  “Name?”

  “Booked under the name Cade Daniels. Anna from the salon made the arrangements.”

  The receptionist confirmed the details in the computer, then asked for Lucia’s shoe size. She disappeared behind a curtain, then returned moments later holding a robe and a pair of slippers.

  “Right this way, ma’am.” The receptionist opened the door leading to the massage rooms and held out the robe. A second girl was waiting inside. The receptionist said, “If you’ll follow her, she’ll show you where your masseuse will pick you up for your treatment.”

  “Thank you.” Lucia rose up to her tiptoes and brushed a quick kiss across Cade’s lips. Then she turned to follow the receptionist into the ladies’ waiting area. When she reached the door, she glanced back at him. “I’ll see you after?”

  Part of her wondered if he’d vanish while she was inside. A movie-star look-alike who wanted to pamper her seemingly tipped the scale from fantasy to delusion.

  “Of course. I’m meeting up with my dad. He’s watching the game at one of the bars nearby. But I’ll be back before you’re done here. And I’m taking you to dinner once Anna finishes with you,” he said, his voice so firm that it nearly erased her doubts. “I’ll meet you at the room. This isn’t over, gorgeous. I promise.”

  She shook her head. “It just feels too good to be true. I can’t believe that out of all the people in Vegas, I found you.”

  His eyes narrowed, and his smile faltered. For a split second, dread washed over her. It was too close to a dream. Too good to be true. She was missing a piece of the puzzle…

  “It’s not a dream,” he said, as though he could read her mind. “You should have all this and more. Now go enjoy the spa.”

  Cade watched the door close behind her.

  I’m a liar.

  He should tell her the truth. She hadn’t found him. He’d been sent to keep her out of trouble. But he knew what would happen. She’d mentally page through the past twenty-four hours, questioning every word and every touch. And he refused to let his reasons for searching her out strip away why he’d chosen to stay.

  His cell rang and drew a pointed stare from the woman behind the desk. Understanding the warning—don’t mess with the serene spa experience—he headed down the Buddha-lined hall, the phone pressed to his ear.

  “
Jack, what’s up?” he greeted his teammate.

  “You need to get back here,” Jack said in his easygoing Southern drawl.

  “I miss you, too, sweetheart,” Cade said, allowing sarcasm to infiltrate his words. “But I’m a little busy here.”

  “Cute,” Jack said. “But I’m not calling because I miss your face, sunshine. Dante’s drunk and disorderly. He’s talking about pictures of some plumber’s junk on his wife’s phone to anyone who will listen. Your girl Natalie has already threatened to kick his ass out of the bar if he doesn’t get his shit together.”

  “Ah, hell.” Cade paced back and forth in front of the elevator bank. After their last mission, Dante had returned home and learned his wife was having an affair with the man his teammate had hired to fix the kitchen sink. And the news had sent Dante into a downward spiral.

  Jack could talk Dante off a cliff. Shit, Jack had literally helped his teammate scramble down a jagged mountain in Afghanistan three years ago. But with Natalie involved? His teammate and his best friend were like oil and water on a good day. The fact that Cade had slept with Natalie’s little sister wouldn’t tip the scales in Jack’s favor today.

  “Ask Natalie to cut him off,” he said.

  Jack snorted. “She did. An hour ago.”

  “Then get him out of there,” he ordered. “Do whatever you have to do. But get him away from the bar. And then just listen to whatever he needs to say. His marriage is over and he’s trying to deal with the heartbreak.”

  “What the hell do I know about broken hearts?” Jack protested. “Get your ass back here and listen to him.”

  “I’ve been single as long as you have,” Cade said as the elevator opened and a pair of twenty-something twins walked out, eyeing him as if he’d said the magic word—single.

  He focused on the wall straight in front of him. While that label still applied—and would for as long as he served in the Navy—this weekend he was attached to the woman he’d met last night. But he had a feeling “midfantasy fling” wasn’t a tried-and-true relationship term.

  “But you’ve managed your dad’s broken heart for years,” Jack pointed out.

  “Yeah, I’m a freaking expert on how military life wrecks marriages,” Cade said with disgust. “And speaking of my dad, I’m late to meet him.”

  “Taking a break from Natalie’s sister?” his teammate teased.

  “She’s at the spa.” Letting some stranger rub oil over her naked body.

  With that mental image flashing in his mind, he glanced at the hall, tempted to march up to the desk and demand to know if a man or woman had been assigned to Lucia. The thought of another man running his hands over her…

  He stepped away from the elevators. He shouldn’t care. After tomorrow, she could play the fantasy sex game with anyone she wanted.

  Fuck me, I’m going to spend the next month, possibly longer, wondering who’s touching her.

  His grip tightened on the phone. It was too late to avoid that particular hell.

  “Natalie told me that if I talked to you, I should tell you to behave yourself,” Jack said. “So I have to ask, as your friend and one of the people responsible for saving your ass most of the time, are you getting into trouble?”

  “I’m going to spend the next hour or so listening to my dad bitch about his failed marriage. If you ask me, I could use a little trouble.”

  Just wait until I get to the Post-it note part of the evening.

  “And a beer,” his teammate added.

  “Well, I’m meeting my father at a bar, so I’ll take your advice. Go back inside, Jack. Get Dante out of there before he does something stupid.”

  “I think that ship has sailed,” Jack said with a sigh.

  Yeah, and I’m on it right beside Dante. Hell, if I follow those diagrams I drew for her on the beach, I deserve to be the captain of the damn vessel.

  “I’m looking through the window,” Jack continued. “And I think our man just handed his phone to Natalie. And we both know he’s not showing her pictures from our latest mission.”

  Cade closed his eyes, part of him glad he wasn’t in Coronado right now. “Get in there. Confiscate his phone if you have to.”

  “I’m going,” Jack said. “You know the worst part of this mess? Natalie will blame me. She always does.”

  Get in line.

  Cade ended the call and got on the elevator. Jack was right. Cade had a window into Dante’s situation. As far as Cade knew, his mother had never had an affair. But he’d watched loneliness eat at her day after day. In the end, his mother had decided she couldn’t be married to a man who put his job first. And his father had refused to retire while he still had the strength and willpower to serve. The divorce papers labeled it “irreconcilable differences,” but Cade knew those differences could be summed up in one word—Navy.

  At the end of the day, Cade admired the hell out of both his parents for being true to themselves. He just wished he hadn’t been caught in the crosshairs. First, living with his mother’s pain. And later, listening to his father mourn the relationship he’d given all he had to give to—even though it wasn’t enough.

  And now his teammate had learned the same lesson. Their commitment to the teams didn’t leave enough space for anyone else.

  The elevator door opened, and Cade headed for the bar by the casino floor. Set back behind velvet ropes, the place wasn’t exactly quiet. But it served decent beer on tap and would suit his father a helluva lot more than the hotel’s fancy wine bar. And it showed baseball on multiple flat-screen TVs.

  He spotted his father, Calvin Daniels, perched on a leather bar stool. After twenty-two years in the Navy, fifteen spent with the SEALs, his father’s face had a weathered look. But he was otherwise in good shape. He kept his gray hair military-short and stayed fit by running and lifting weights. Cade figured his dad could probably bench almost as much as he could. Almost.

  “Hey, Dad, thanks for driving over to the Strip to meet me.” He slapped his dad on the back as he claimed the stool beside him.

  His father’s go-to serious expression broke into a megawatt smile. “I’m glad you could find some time for your old man.”

  “After tomorrow, I’m all yours for a few days,” Cade said. “But I need to head back to Coronado by Thursday. I’m saving the rest of my leave for the holidays.”

  “Heading out to see your mom this year?”

  “For Thanksgiving if I can,” Cade confirmed, signaling the bartender. The petite, bright-eyed redhead behind the bar appeared to be about his age. The name tag affixed to her hotel uniform read Maxine. “I’ll take a pale ale, whatever you have on draft.”

  As Maxine moved to the taps, her ringlets bouncing, Cade glanced at his dad.

  The retired SEAL looked away from the game and turned to him. “Have you talked to your mom recently?”

  “I spoke with her when I got back to Coronado,” he said, accepting the beer with a nod. “She’s good. Happy.”

  “With Rhett.” His dad spit out Cade’s stepfather’s name. “I can’t understand why she didn’t wait. I was so close to retirement. Being a SEAL is a young man’s game, you know that.”

  “Yeah, but I think Mom worried that even if you retired after serving your twenty years, you’d sit around and sulk, missing the Navy.”

  And that’s exactly what happened, except I’m the one who has to listen to you.

  “If she’d moved closer to Coronado, become part of that tight-knit community, she’d have been okay,” his dad said. “She needed people around her who understood.”

  “Maybe.” But maybe she just needed you.

  His dad took a long drink from his beer. “It’s a hard thing, son. Telling the woman you love that there’s something more important in your life. And that you’re standing by your duty to serve your country until your body gives out. Hell, I would have stayed past the twenty-two-year mark if my knees hadn’t quit on me.”

  “I know.”

  His dad went on as i
f Cade hadn’t said a word. “If your mom had been around other families, women she could turn to with her fears, I think things would have been different. For all of us.”

  It was an old argument. Cade could still picture his parents fighting over the dining room table on the rare days his dad was home. His mother would counter with the fact that she’d rather spend the months he was deployed surrounded by family and friends, not other struggling military wives.

  “That doesn’t always make it better,” Cade said, thinking of Dante drunk in a bar sharing his wife’s sexting exploits with anyone who would listen. Dante had made sure his wife had every opportunity to interact with the other wives and girlfriends. And his teammate was still likely heading for the big D.

  “Most of the guys on my teams had wives waiting for them back home,” his dad added.

  “And how many are still married?” Cade challenged.

  “About half,” his father admitted, then drained his beer. He signaled the bartender for a refill. “Enough about me.”

  Thank God.

  “Tell me what you’re doing on the Strip, anyway.”

  “A friend got me into a restaurant opening,” he said. His dad didn’t need to know why Natalie had sent him, but he couldn’t just leave it at that. “I met this woman there. She’s gorgeous. And we’re in the same boat, looking for a break from the everyday. Nothing more.”

  “You just spent, what, six months overseas?”

  Cade nodded. “And this time, the things we saw…it wasn’t pretty.”

  “It never is.” His dad slapped him on the back. “You need a little fun before you go back to your team. Blow off a little steam. She sounds perfect. So where’s this gorgeous girl now?”

  “I dropped her at the spa, called in a favor from Mom’s friend Anna. Remember her?”

  His dad’s brow furrowed. “Yeah, she never liked me.”

  “Well, she hooked me up with an afternoon of pampering. Lucia’s life back home isn’t sunshine and roses,” Cade said. “I want her to feel special for a couple of days.”