Chapter One
“Heads up, baby doll. Sexy boyfriend has got his eyes on you and I think he’s headed straight for us.”
It took a moment for James’s words to sink into Andrea’s head. Her newfound friend was quick with the one-liners, and since she’d already slammed a glass of champagne in a matter of minutes on an empty stomach, she was feeling a little woozy.
“Who?” She glanced around, squinting into the dimly lit room. There were a lot of people there. Beautiful people. Expensive-looking people, dressed in designer clothes, their bored expressions telling. Like they’d done and seen it all.
Andrea felt like she hadn’t seen or done anything beyond studying for nursing school, graduating, getting a job and then working her butt off. This girls’ weekend in Las Vegas was her chance to let off some steam and have fun.
James inclined his head. “Mr. Tall, Broad and Handsome over there. He’s checking you out, gorgeous. Not that I can blame him.”
“I have no idea who you’re talking about,” she murmured, feeling self-conscious. It was the dress. Had to be. Black and skimpy, it barely covered her butt. Her friends Reagan and Natalie had reassured her that she looked amazing in it. Andrea wasn’t so sure. She’d never worn anything this short in her life, beyond a swimsuit.
The skimpy panties she wore underneath weren’t helping either. She felt completely exposed, especially when James kept insisting someone was checking her out. She tugged at her skirt and James reached out to slap her hand away.
“Ow!” She shook her hand, taking a step away from him. “Why did you hit me?”
“Because you’re ruining the lines of that dress by constantly pulling on it,” he said irritably. “The skirt is not going to magically grow, honey, no matter how much you want it to.”
“My ass is hanging out,” she reminded him, turning so her back was to James and not the crowd—or her mystery man. “And I don’t see anyone checking me out.”
“They are all checking you out because you’re so disgustingly beautiful, but only one has set his sights on you.” James grinned and batted his eyelashes, making Andrea giggle. “Ah, here he comes. Oh my, you couldn’t do much better than this one. I think he’s perfect for you. So big and strong and those hands…it is a damn shame he plays for the other team.”
Andrea rolled her eyes at James’s dramatics. Funny how at ease she felt with him, though they’d only met a few hours ago at the shops in Caesars Forum. One minute she and her friends were passing the time looking around while waiting for their luggage to show up at their room, and the next, they were being encouraged by the very man standing next to her to buy the most expensive dresses ever so they could attend a very private, very exclusive party.
She’d already lost sight of her friend Reagan, who had taken off with the host of the party, actor Declan Carter. Natalie—Andrea checked the room yet again, looking for her friend. Nope, she’d disappeared too.
“My, my, aren’t you looking particularly manly tonight?” James practically cooed.
Andrea turned around and stopped short at the giant man standing in front of them. She was no shrimp. In fact, she hated how tall she was because a good, tall man was hard to find for whatever reason, but this guy…he was huge.
“Jimmy,” the man said, his voice deep and rumbly and sending a scattering of goose bumps all over her skin.
James huffed out a breath. “You know I hate it when you call me that.”
“I do.” The man smiled. Oh dear, and what a smile it was. Andrea swore her knees gave out a little. “Don’t be rude. Introduce me to your friend.” He flicked his chin in her direction.
“This is Andrea. She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” James gushed, pressing his hand against the center of her back and giving her a little shove toward the man. “And Andrea, this is Luke Nelson.”
“Um, hi.” She gazed up at him, caught by his magnetic eyes. They were so dark, his close-cropped hair a light golden brown, his face hard chiseled planes off set by the softest looking lips she’d ever seen.