“And I thought it was beautifulsober,” she says with awe in her voice.
Rossi laughs beside her. “Everything’s better in Vegas like this...”
Leo squeezes my hand, his eyes glittering. “Isn’t it?”
Isimply nod.
Please don’t notice my melting makeup. Please don’t notice...
We continue past the Bellagio. Suddenly, Rossi pulls Tatiana aside, pressing her against the cool exterior wall of the Cosmopolitan. Before she can react, his mouth is on hers in a deep, possessive kiss.
Leo sees them, and a slow grin spreads across his face. He glances at me, then deliberately mimics Rossi’s move, pulling me flush against the wall.
“When in Rome…” he murmurs, just before his lips capture mine again.
This kiss is different from the first one in the cabana. It’s even slower and deeper if that’s possible, a thorough exploration that makes my knees weak.
My hands find their way to his hair, tangling in the soft waves as I kiss him back, momentarily forgetting everything, especially the fact that we’re making out against a casino wall.
He groans softly, pulling my body impossibly closer. Just as things are escalating, I hear Sam’s voice cut through the haze.
“Get a room,” Sam shouts, laughing.
Leo pulls back, and both of us breath heavily. He glances over at Rossi and Tatiana, who’ve similarly broken their kiss.
When Leo looks at me again, he grins expectantly.
Say something witty. Say something cool.
But my brain is short-circuiting.
“We’re a different kind of spectacle, aren’t we?” I finally manage, my voice husky.
He just continues grinning.
The group starts walking again. I glance at Leo, but he’s staring at Rossi and Tatiana. He has that mischievous glint in his eyes again.
You know, the one that portends trouble.
Suddenly Leo lets go of my hand and dashes forward. He throws his arms around the shoulders Tatiana and Rossi.
“You guys should just get married,” Leo announces loudly. “You’re clearly made for each other.”
He did NOT just say that.
Oh but he did.
And the words simply hang there, shimmering in the furnace-like air.
I look at Tatiana. Her eyes are wide, fixed on Rossi. He looks back at her, a strange, unreadable expression on his face.
It’s a joke.
A stupid, drug-addled joke...
Come on, Tatiana.
I wait for the laughter, for someone to break the sudden, bizarre tension.