Betting on the Wrong Brother (What Happens in Vegas) by Cathryn Fox Page B

around at the vast park.
    “Come on.” He captured her hand and led her to the duck pond, to where people were fishing, reading, or sleeping on blankets. Off in the distance they could hear shouts coming from basketball and tennis courts. “If we hurry we can watch the sunset.”
    They ducked into one of the trails and walked for some time. “This place is huge,” she said. “I’ m glad I wore my flats. ”
    He led her along the worn walkway until he found a private picnic area off the beaten path. In the distance, the sun had begun it s descent over Vegas. “How about right here?”
    She looked around, her eyes wide as she took in the view. “It’s a great spot.”
    He laid the blanket out and dropped his backpack. He patted the ground and Andi sat next to him. She leaned back on her hands, and stared at the streaks of color in the sky.
    “It’s so beautiful. I never thought you’d be able to see a sunset here with all the lights on the Strip.” Her stomach took that moment to grumble, and the horrified look that crossed her face was so adorable he had to kiss her. He leaned in, and pressed his lips to hers. At first her mouth stiffened, but he continued to kiss her anyway, softly, gently, coaxing her to return it. He touched her face, a light brush of his thumb over her cheek, and she finally opened for him. Damn, she tasted good.
    When he pulled back, she gave him a quizzical look. “What was that for?”
    “You’re just so irresistible.” It was true, she was. “I couldn’t help myself.”
    She arched a brow, her lips quirking. “Does that line always work?”
    “You think I’m feeding you a line?”
    “You were kind of known for those things.”
    “So, we’re not pretending anymore?” he asked as she brought up the past.
    “No, we are,” she said quickly. “I just forgot.”
    Damn . He wanted to come clean and tell her who he was. “Okay, and just for the record, the only thing I’m trying to feed you is a sandwich and juice.” He pulled a wrapped sandwich and juice box from his bag and handed it to her.
    A huge smile lit her face and her hair fell around her shoulders as she gave a slow shake of her head.
    “What?” he asked. He peeled open the waxed paper. “You don’t like peanut butter? I thought everyone liked peanut butter. Wait. You’re not allergic, are you?”
    “No, I’m not and I do like peanut butter. I just don’t normally eat…” She sat crossed legged, placed the sandwich on her lap and removed it from the wrapper. “ I just hadn ’t expected this. You’re full of surprises.”
    He bit into his sandwich, chewed, then said, “I mean I’m no romance hero, but I do know how to make a mean sandwich and show a girl a good time.”
    She laughed around a mouthful of bread. “You made these?”
    He laughed with her. “No, the kitchen did it for me.”
    She jabbed her straw into the juice box and took a drink. “Fruit punch. That was always your favorite back in the day.” She put her hand over her mouth. “Oops, no talking of the past.”
    A bird flew overhead, and he nodded as he watched it until it disappeared. “How did you get in to writing?” He laid down on his side of the blanket and propped himself up on one elbow.
    “ I don ’t know. I wasn’t even very good in English class, but I was always a dreamer, and I just had these stories in my head I needed to get down on paper.”
    He could relate. Thanks to his dyslexia, he sucked in English class, but he loved paranormal and supernatural movies and books and thought why not try his hand at writing one? Of course, he couldn’t tell her that, she thought he was a pilot and she wanted a fantasy. He finished his sandwich, crinkled the paper into a ball, and tossed it into his bag.
    “Plus, well, I read a lot,” she continued. “When other kids were out at parties, I was at the library pouring over books.”
    He wanted to ask why she too wasn’t at the parties, but from what his brother said, he