face. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Thanks." I cleared my throat and headed out of the room, squeezing past Zane without meeting his eyes. I stopped in the bathroom, leaving the door cracked as I worked on finishing my makeup. I could hear Kas and Zane's voices coming from down the hall but I couldn't make out their words.
After a few minutes, a soft knock sounded on the bathroom door and it pushed open as Conner poked his head in. "You look pretty, LeeLee," he said with a huge smile. I couldn't help but smile.
"Thank you, Boog." I leaned down to give him a hug as Zane stepped into the doorway.
He watched us for a moment and I avoided his eyes, turning back to the mirror as Conner darted out the door. "He's wrong, you know." I met Zane's eyes in the mirror, pausing with my eye shadow brush halfway to my face. "You look beautiful." He looked away, clearing his throat as he reached for the door handle. "Have a good evening."
He pulled the door shut behind him, leaving before I could find my voice.
I let Jordan open the door as he led me out of the casino and toward the cab line after dinner. It was a little over the top for me, having dinner at such a fancy restaurant, but , honestly, the conversation flowed easily between us.
"So, can I take you out for a drink?" Jordan asked, holding open the door of the cab. I smiled, nodding once as I climbed in and scooted across the seat to make room for him. "Shadows," he said to the driver as he slid beside me, stretching his arm to wrap around my shoulders. I stiffened momentarily before forcing myself to relax.
"Why Shadows?" I asked curiously, letting myself lean into his body.
He looked over at me before reaching across with his other hand, tracing his fingers lightly over mine where they rested in my lap. "It seemed appropriate. It's where we first met, after all."
I laughed. "Even though I barely remember it."
He chuckled, leaning his face close to my ear as he spoke. "I could never forget it."
I cleared my throat, letting him take my fingers between his as he held my hand, both of us quiet for the remainder of the ride.
As soon as he paid the driver, he led me into the bar and to a table near the back corner of the room. The same table I vaguely remembered him sitting at the night of Zane's birthday when I came here to escape.
As the drinks started coming, I noticed the same thing that always made me feel comfortable at Shadows. The crowd. It was, as always, full of people I knew or at the very least, the type of people I felt suited me best.
I spotted Amber prowling near the tiny dance floor and I considered asking Jordan to take me somewhere else. Amber and I had a history that included a few shared experiences where she was told, flat out , they would rather have a repeat with me than her any day. To say she held a grudge would be admitting that I gave a shit what she thought and I didn't.
But , Jordan wasn't the normal type of guy I'd be with at Shadows and if I wasn't careful, Amber would be the girl that could run him off. I didn't want him to leave. Did I?
"Should we expect any of your buddies tonight?" I asked Jordan, attempting to distract myself from that line of thinking.
Jordan shook his head, tipping back his drink before answering. "Nope. They were going to some girly show."
"Is that so? And you didn't want to join them?" I laughed. Going to the topless shows was such a typical guy thing to do.
"Not at all. Honestly, that's part of the reason I didn't want to come to Vegas on our leave."
His answer sparked my curiosity. "Then why come with them? Why not go home and see your family or something?"
Jordan's eyes locked on mine for a moment, a darker shade of blue than I remembered them being. He spoke evenly. "My dad was murdered when I was in high school and my mom killed herself the day I graduated."
I swallowed against the bile rising in my throat, my mind racing to find words. I knew I should say something , but what was I supposed to say? This was
After a few minutes, a soft knock sounded on the bathroom door and it pushed open as Conner poked his head in. "You look pretty, LeeLee," he said with a huge smile. I couldn't help but smile.
"Thank you, Boog." I leaned down to give him a hug as Zane stepped into the doorway.
He watched us for a moment and I avoided his eyes, turning back to the mirror as Conner darted out the door. "He's wrong, you know." I met Zane's eyes in the mirror, pausing with my eye shadow brush halfway to my face. "You look beautiful." He looked away, clearing his throat as he reached for the door handle. "Have a good evening."
He pulled the door shut behind him, leaving before I could find my voice.
I let Jordan open the door as he led me out of the casino and toward the cab line after dinner. It was a little over the top for me, having dinner at such a fancy restaurant, but , honestly, the conversation flowed easily between us.
"So, can I take you out for a drink?" Jordan asked, holding open the door of the cab. I smiled, nodding once as I climbed in and scooted across the seat to make room for him. "Shadows," he said to the driver as he slid beside me, stretching his arm to wrap around my shoulders. I stiffened momentarily before forcing myself to relax.
"Why Shadows?" I asked curiously, letting myself lean into his body.
He looked over at me before reaching across with his other hand, tracing his fingers lightly over mine where they rested in my lap. "It seemed appropriate. It's where we first met, after all."
I laughed. "Even though I barely remember it."
He chuckled, leaning his face close to my ear as he spoke. "I could never forget it."
I cleared my throat, letting him take my fingers between his as he held my hand, both of us quiet for the remainder of the ride.
As soon as he paid the driver, he led me into the bar and to a table near the back corner of the room. The same table I vaguely remembered him sitting at the night of Zane's birthday when I came here to escape.
As the drinks started coming, I noticed the same thing that always made me feel comfortable at Shadows. The crowd. It was, as always, full of people I knew or at the very least, the type of people I felt suited me best.
I spotted Amber prowling near the tiny dance floor and I considered asking Jordan to take me somewhere else. Amber and I had a history that included a few shared experiences where she was told, flat out , they would rather have a repeat with me than her any day. To say she held a grudge would be admitting that I gave a shit what she thought and I didn't.
But , Jordan wasn't the normal type of guy I'd be with at Shadows and if I wasn't careful, Amber would be the girl that could run him off. I didn't want him to leave. Did I?
"Should we expect any of your buddies tonight?" I asked Jordan, attempting to distract myself from that line of thinking.
Jordan shook his head, tipping back his drink before answering. "Nope. They were going to some girly show."
"Is that so? And you didn't want to join them?" I laughed. Going to the topless shows was such a typical guy thing to do.
"Not at all. Honestly, that's part of the reason I didn't want to come to Vegas on our leave."
His answer sparked my curiosity. "Then why come with them? Why not go home and see your family or something?"
Jordan's eyes locked on mine for a moment, a darker shade of blue than I remembered them being. He spoke evenly. "My dad was murdered when I was in high school and my mom killed herself the day I graduated."
I swallowed against the bile rising in my throat, my mind racing to find words. I knew I should say something , but what was I supposed to say? This was
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