But he did and here they were, enjoying what was left of the evening without awkwardness and without the need to run off to bed in order to make the night tolerable. Not that he didn’t want to get Sierra in bed because he definitely did.
He fought to keep the blood flowing through his veins, rather than pooling in his groin. That was difficult when just the sound of her voice, the easy way she laughed, and the way the soft skin on her arm rubbed easily against his made him hotter than hell.
Sierra cleared her throat and smiled before turning her attention back to the dealer who was waiting for her to make her play. Cole shifted his gaze down to her hands, noticing the slight tremor in her fingers. He couldn’t suppress the smile that broke free. This night only continued to get better and better.
He just wondered how it would turn out after Luke showed up.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Luke returned to the hotel nearly an hour later than he anticipated, and instead of calling Cole to find out where they were, he opted to take a walk through the casino to see for himself.
He spotted them quickly at a blackjack table, another couple sitting beside them while they ribbed the dealer, laughing and joking and obviously enjoying each other’s company.
He paused to take in the scene, noticing how Sierra sat close to Cole, their arms brushing one another, the heated way that she looked over at him.
He couldn’t pinpoint what he was feeling, but the sight triggered that possessive instinct he harbored. When it came to the couple sitting at the table, their gazes locked on one another, Luke was overwhelmed with a need to keep them close, but there wasn’t an ounce of jealousy when it came to the relationship they were building.
Forcing his feet to move forward, he closed the gap and came up behind Cole, lightly brushing his arm against the man, then placing one hand on the back of Sierra’s slender neck.
“Hey.” Sierra smiled brightly, and something caught inside Luke’s chest. The way she reacted to him settled something deep; something that he hadn’t realized was insecure.
“Are you winning?” He asked, glancing down at the mountain of chips growing up from the green felt.
“I’m on a good streak, let’s put it that way. Though Cole hasn’t fared nearly as well. I think I’ve won the same amount that he’s lost.”
Cole didn’t seem to mind, if the grin on his face was anything to go by. As much as Luke hated to put an end to their good luck at the tables, he had other activities in mind. Naked activities. After nearly nine hours of business, his mind having been on Sierra most of the day, Luke was ready to get her to his room. He gave Cole a knowing look and the other man caught on quickly.
Offering up his chips to the dealer, Cole stood from his chair. “I say we call it a night. Cash me in?”
“Me too.” Sierra said, obviously unwilling to be left behind.
Luke’s body hardened, his dick twitched, and a slow burning heat started deep in his gut as he watched her. She seemed to anticipate what was coming next, and unless he missed his mark, she was eager.
Sierra tipped the dealer before they walked away, and Cole took her chips to cash them in with his. Luke continued toward the elevators with painstakingly slow movements giving Cole time to catch up. The man had better get a move on, or Luke would be getting on without him.
While they waited, Sierra slipped a twenty dollar bill into one of the dollar slots and stood beside it and played. After two tries, the machine lit up and started making noises.
“Oh my goodness! Did I…” Sierra stared at the machine like she wasn’t sure what happened.
Luke watched her expressions, the beautiful way her face lit up with happiness. For the first time in his life, Luke wanted to be the reason her face lit up like that, not the flashing numbers across the screen that announced she had won.
“Lucky today, are you?” Luke asked, lowering his voice so only she could hear when Sierra threw her arms around him, right there in the middle of everyone. Instinctively he wrapped his arm around her, holding her close and kissing her forehead, breathing in that sweet, sexy scent of her perfume.
“I’m hoping to get luckier.” She whispered in his ear, her fingers lacing in the hair at the nape of his neck, softly brushing against his skin.
Luke was afraid he just might lose his control when it came to Sierra. He could feel the need to take her building from the inside, the need to dominate her, to show her exactly the man he was.
Sierra pulled away when the casino attendant came up to pay her winnings.
“Shit, she’s on fire.” Cole added as he walked over.
“She is that.” Luke agreed, but he wasn’t referring to her lucky streak.