Falling Free: What happens in Vegas... (The Fall Series) Read Free Page A

and I followed
her inside. The place smelled of him, masculine and fresh like leather and
invigorating citrus, maybe bergamot. It was a smell I remembered from his car
and his clothes and his skin, and it was already having its way with me as my
thoughts became flooded with memories of our night on the beach. We passed
through a small foyer and before I realized it we were face-to-face.
    “Mr. Blackwell, this is Lauren.
Lauren, Mr. Parker Blackwell.”
    There he stood wearing only a
pair of loose fitting plaid pajama pants. His broad shoulders were squared to
us, his smooth chest chiseled and shirtless. I noticed his hair was slightly
tussled and still wet from the shower as the smell of him swirled around me when
he grabbed my hand. Mesmerized by the small drops of water still sliding down
his chest, I couldn’t look up.
    “My pleasure.” His deep voice
poured over me thick as honey as he studied me with a knowing smile. I couldn’t
speak as I stood there taking him all in. From his piercing emerald eyes to those
deep dimples, everything about him seemed to draw me closer. Then I felt his
gaze tingle down my body as though he wasn’t at all concerned about checking
out the merchandise while Alex was still in our presence, but the mischievous
way his lips curled at the corners seemed to say that it was our little secret.
That’s when I felt something else. Something unexpected. Maybe this was going
to be easier than I thought, but I wouldn’t give in just yet. I was still mad
as hell.
    His eyes stayed locked on mine as
he dismissed Alex, “Thank you, Alex.”
    “I’ll show myself out,” she
replied.
    Seconds passed, and I felt a
twinge of panic when I heard the door close behind her. We were alone. My
thoughts were running wild. Why does this gorgeous man hire escorts? His the
smell of him is driving me crazy. What will he expect from me? What should I
say? His voice startled me, bringing me back to the moment.
    “Would you like a drink?” He
walked toward the bar without waiting for my answer. I remained frozen,
watching him move with confident strides across the room. He looked just as
good from behind. His back was broad, each muscle defined. He slowly poured two
drinks. His movements seemed deliberate and measured as though he knew I was
watching, and the atmosphere became tense. I swallowed nervously and reminded
myself how angry I was with him, but instead of fighting to control my temper I
found myself fending off the pheromones that seemed to radiate from every inch
of him.
    I admired his chiseled form as he
walked toward me holding a glass in each hand. Panicking, I dragged my eyes
from his body and glanced around the room quickly for something, some kind of
distraction. For the first time I noticed the lights. It was almost dark
outside, and the lights seemed to go on for miles. They were all different
colors and shapes, some jutting up into the sky and others like blankets of
stars covering the landscape. Eager to escape the mounting intensity between us,
I was drawn to the window like a magnet. From the top floor, the view was
unlike anything I’d ever seen, and without thinking I said the first thing that
came to mind, “It’s amazing.”
    “Yes, it is.” His words danced across
the bare skin on the back of my neck sending a chill down my spine. He stood
directly behind me and curled his arm around me to hand me my drink. I sensed
that only inches separated his body from mine as his intoxicating smell surrounded
me once again. The strapless dress I was wearing plunged to my waistline in back,
and the sensation of his body heat radiating against my skin sent tiny electric
pulses over my body causing my sex to clench with need. I wanted to be angry. I
wanted him to know that I was furious about his indecent proposal, but feeling
him so close changed everything. My stomach fluttered with fear and excitement
as my body begged to be touched by this man whose very presence had me longing
for