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She curls into me, a satisfied smile on her lips. “I just knew I was your type.”

I wrap my arm around her, holding her as we lie in complete silence, the sound of our trembling breath the only thing filling my hotel room.

***

The faint blue hue of dawn spills through the hotel room, a soft glow stretching across the bed as my eyes flicker open. The sun is starting to rise. That quiet moment before the world wakes up.

Cassy, or whoever the hell she is, is still fast asleep beside me, tangled in the sheets, her bare shoulder peeking out from beneath the mess of fabric.

I just lie for a second, watching her. A slow smile pulls at my lips, then I glance toward the bedside table, squinting at the clock. 6:28 AM.

Shit.

Drills this morning. I still feel exhausted, but my body’s trained for this, late nights, lots of sex, early mornings. Pushing through. No excuses.

Moving quietly, I slide out of bed and grab my clothes from the floor. Pants first. Shirt. I pull a jacket from the closet and sling it over my shoulder.

She stirs slightly, shifting deeper into the mattress, but doesn’t wake.

Good.

I make my way to the door.

Maybe hit the casino for an hour before heading home. A quick game. A strong coffee. Then back to reality.

I glance back at the bed one last time.

Cassy. Great night. Bet won. End of story.

Chapter two

Cassy

My eyes crack open just in time to catch the door closing.

Wait. Was that…?

I blink a few times, my brain still rebooting. Hotel room. Sheets that smell like sex. Thighs aching in a good way. And a fresh memory of last night inSin City, and that ridiculously hot, muscular, grumpy bastard, doing things to me that should be illegal in at least fifteen states.

Oh. Last night.

A slow smile curves my lips as the heat rushes right back to my cheeks, and other, lower regions. That man and his body… damn near weaponized. The kind of body that should come with a warning label and a ten-second delay before touching.

But then, click. That door shuts.

“Uh?” Gone. Just like that. My smile drops so fast that I nearly give myself whiplash.

Are you kidding me?

No note. No goodbye. No, ‘You were and are fucking amazing Cassy’? Just poof. Houdini hung like a horse, a cocky smile, and off.

I lie in stunned silence for half a second before the rage starts bubbling.

Who the actual hell does he think he is? Nobody, and I mean nobody, treats ME like that.

I roll over with a dramatic grunt, the sheets tangling around my legs as the early morning light begins to creep through the gap in the curtains.

Okay. Breathe. Think. Focus. It’s a new day. A big one.