Part 3 (1/2)

I give him the bird, and he swipes my finger in his big hand and kisses it. d.a.m.n him. My resolve can only hold out so long.

Trying to ignore his sweet face and lingering stares, I tap at the screen determined to get a royal flush. It happens, right?

Three drinks later, I'm a little buzzed and holding a ticket worth twenty-five cents.

”How about one of the tables?” Ty suggests. ”Blackjack?”

”h.e.l.l no!” I shout. ”I'll end up getting in a fight if some dumb a.s.s gets p.i.s.sed because I hit on the wrong card or stayed when I wasn't supposed to.”

”Show?”

”How about food?” My body takes that as a cue to groan like I've pa.s.sed gas inside my stomach. Embarra.s.sing much.

Ty laughs. ”Yeah, let's get some food in that belly of yours before it starts eating your insides.”

We find a spot at a small fast food counter and Ty orders for both of us. Chili cheeseburgers and fries. Chocolate shakes too. I love this man. He knows the key, or keys, to my heart are fries and chocolate. And wine.

”I think we should crash a wedding while we're here.” Ty winks as he chomps down on a fry.

”Okay. Sure.” Sarcasm laces my words.

”No, seriously. Let's just head by the chapel and see if we can peek in. Maybe some crazy groom will be wearing an Elvis costume.” His goofy grin reminds me of his boyish looks. When we were kids, he always had the most ridiculous ideas. One time, he convinced Shel and me to smoke cigarettes. We were only ten at the time but he figured that if we did it, we couldn't tell his parents on him and his friends. As if I would've ever done anything to get him into trouble. Another time, he suckered me into cras.h.i.+ng a dance cla.s.s at the Y. The two of us waltzed like an old couple and shared cookies with the senior citizens when the lesson was finished. The ladies loved him, of course. And the old dudes thought he was hysterical with his dirty jokes. I must have been about fifteen at the time, but even then, I knew Ty was special. A heart of gold and a smile that could get you to do anything.

”Stop that,” I tell him, lowering my eyes before his grin has a chance to hypnotize me.

”What?” What, my a.s.s. He knows exactly what he's doing. If I don't get my a.s.s in that elevator and go to the top of this sucker right now, my panties are going to melt. I can almost feel the crackling of burning material right now as his s.e.xy stare brands me with heat.

I let out one long sigh. ”You're killing me, you know that.”

He dabs a fry into a glob of ketchup and then holds it to my lips. ”I'm just eating, Mel.”

I bite into the delicious carb h.o.a.rding vegetable and watch Ty as his eyes narrow on my mouth when I lick my lips. c.r.a.p. How can he take a fried food, smothered in ketchup, and turn it into something s.e.xy. If I wouldn't scare the children trekking by with their parents, I'd push him down on this little table and have my way with him.

”Let's go,” I tell him, as I stomp off through the casino.

”Where are we going?” He has the nerve to smirk.

”Let's get this over with. My legs are twitching and my panties are on fire, so unless you're gonna strip me right here and relieve me of the stress you've created, I need another way to release some energy.” He smiles again, and I have to squeeze my thighs together when my lady love throbs.

He bends down and presses his lips to my temple. ”You're going to love this. I know it.”

”G.o.d, I hate you.” Stepping out of an elevator after traveling almost 900 feet above the safety of the first floor, I feel like I'm ready to pa.s.s out.

Ty glances at the couple who took the ride with us. ”Excuse me while I calm my woman.” With a quick grasp of my waist, he twirls me so I'm facing him, presses his lips to mine, and kisses me senseless.

The touch of his soft lips molds to mine with a force that makes me want to wrap my legs around his hard body and cry uncle. I can hardly remember my name much less where we are. How does he do this to me? His tongue sweeps into my mouth, and my knees buckle. Ty's strong arms flex around me, pulling me closer to his body till I can feel the length of his pa.s.sion digging into my belly. Are there rooms up here? Because I feel an intense need to take care of business right here and right now.

Breathless, I close out our kiss with a few pecks to Ty's throat. He buries his face into my neck, ”Feel better now?”

”h.e.l.l, no. I'm h.o.r.n.y as h.e.l.l in a public place.”

”But you're not scared anymore?” His warm breath on my skin sends tingles down to my toes.

My eyes meet his. ”No. Not scared.”

He kisses me again, lowering his hands down my shoulders, the length of my arms until his fingers thread through mine. ”Then, let's go take a look.” He stays focused on me out of the corner of his eyes as he leads us to the indoor observation deck.

I suck in a gulp of air before we reach the gla.s.s.

”Breathe, baby.”

I exhale, not even realizing I had forgotten to.

With one hand in his, I scoot closer to him and hold his arm with my other hand. I feel like a little kid hiding, and peeking out from behind a door or wall. I glance down at my grasp on Ty and smirk at the white knuckles on my hand. I loosen my hold a bit.

”Thank you,” he says. ”I was starting to lose feeling in my arm.”

”Shut up. You got me up here so if you have to have your arm or fingers amputated because I'm cutting off your blood circulation, it's your own d.a.m.n fault.”

He chuckles.

”Don't laugh at me, you jacka.s.s. This is f.u.c.king scary. I feel like I'm going to fall a hundred floors to my death.”

He touches the gla.s.s. ”You're not going anywhere, Melly. You're completely safe.”

”Bite me.”

”Later.” He smiles, his eyes softening. ”Now, I can't distract you with kisses forever. Let's enjoy the view.”

”Kisses sound better.” I take another deep breath trying to calm myself since apparently Ty's not going to stick his tongue down my throat again until I take a look.

”You can do it, babe. Have a look. It's beautiful.” He reaches behind me, placing his hand on the small of my back, and pushes me forward. ”Now, open your eyes.”

My eyes are closed? Yeah, I guess they are. With another swoosh of air, my eyelids pry open and I'm breathless again.

But not because I'm hot and bothered, or because I fear for my life, but because of the view.

He was right. Like always.