Lucky Streak Read Free Page A

without question.
    Before they took off for the next hotel, they loaded up on drinks. Someone handed Amber a Bloody Mary, which she discreetly switched for her own choice, Grey Goose Orange, club soda and a slice of orange. If she was going to indulge, at least she’d enjoy it.
    Mike took her hand and they made their way out of the casino and into the muggy Vegas streets. Her Vegas, the place she’d grown up knowing and loving. The glittering lights, the excitement, the constant exhilaration. A rush of adrenaline flowed through her as she walked the streets of her city with a man who excited her just as much.
    She wasn’t involved with anyone and hadn’t been for a long time. She felt as though she’d been waiting. For him. And she found herself wishing their time together never had to end.
    She wasn’t going to let anything kill her sudden sense of joy.
    Not even her gut instinct that Marshall and his pal J.R. weren’t far behind.
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    A S THE DAY WORE ON , the drinks flowed as freely as Amber’s laughter and her easy touch—her hand on Mike’s arm, his back, it didn’t matter. She obviously felt comfortable being demonstrative, and during the long, playful day he spent with her, she kept him in a constant state of arousal. She seemed happy to remain with him and he was having too much fun to question why or ask what she’d normally be doing.
    His friends didn’t have a set agenda, they only wanted to party and Amber was happy to be their tour guide. They visited the premier hotels, viewing them from the unique perspective of someone who’d grown up there. Along the way, they stopped in each of the bars and casinos along the Strip, including one owned by Amber’s friend Paul, where Amber said she worked part-time.
    Mike lost count of the amount of beer he’d consumed, but he had a healthy buzz going on, while Amber had kept up with the women, drinking her orange vodka. They spent hours touring Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum in the Venetian Resort Hotel and documented the trip with photographs on someone’s digital camera. They ate dinner at Grande Lux Cafe where they gorged on cheesecake andreturned to the casino afterward where everyone split up, agreeing to touch base the next morning.
    â€œLooks like we’re alone,” Amber said.
    He nodded. “Does that bother you?”
    â€œActually, I’m relieved. How else can I get to know you better?” she asked, slipping her arm around his waist. Warm and feminine, she wrapped him in seductive heat. “Come.”
    â€œWhere are we going?” Not that he cared. Anywhere she wanted to take him was fine by him.
    Her eyes glittered as she walked him through the entryway leading to the shops. “We’re going on a gondola ride.” Laughing, she nudged him forward until they ended up at the back of a short line.
    He glanced over a railing to see a canal running through the hotel, complete with bridges that led to other upscale stores. “I heard Vegas was incredible,” he said in awe.
    Growing up in a small town on the Massachusetts coast hadn’t prepared Mike for the glamour and excitement here, beginning with this woman.
    â€œHere comes one now.” She leaned over and pointed in the distance. “An authentic Venetian gondola complete with singing gondolier.” The long, graceful boat glided beneath a bridge, through the water and toward them.
    Five minutes later, they were seated in their own private gondola, taking a scenic tour of cobblestone streets filled with cafés, balconies and shops.
    The boat glided through the water and Mike leaned back, wrapping his arm around Amber and pulling her close. She snuggled into him, her soft curves fitting against his hard chest and thighs. Her hair smelled fragrant and fresh, tickling his neck as she settled in.
    â€œYour friends, the ones that got married. They look so happy.”
    â€œThey are. They even