Page 66 of Meet Me in the Valley
“Are you sure you don’t want to go to Verve? We might run into her there. That’s why we’re here, isn’t it?”
“I’m not prepared to see her tonight. I mean, reunite with her since technically I’ve already seen her. Besides, I’m having fun and the plan is to go to her place tomorrow.” She pulls the lever again, eyes wide with giddiness.
I know Tia is deflecting, but I don’t push her. Not yet. Tia has always been a head-first type person in everything she does. It’s something that’s drawn me to her from the start. Her unapologetic nature and the tenacity she carries, alongside a killer smile and personality.
Since learning about her mother’s diagnosis, there’s been a layer of hesitancy clinging to Tia, and I know it’s thrown her off her axis. It’s not only unfamiliar to her, but to me, too. There’s a lot of murky water we have to wade through, but I’m confident I can lead her to something safe.
If she wants to mentally check out tonight and face her sister tomorrow, fine by me.
“I swear these are rigged,” I huff, pulling my lever for yet another loss. I roll my eyes, inserting more nickels from the souvenir Vermillion Sands hotel plastic cup. Tia just laughs without a care, happy to waste away money with me.
“Of course they’re rigged, but it’s so addicting I can’t stop!”
“As long as it makes you happy, T,” I laugh, spinning in my stool to face her completely.
Everything about her tonight has me damned near holding my breath. She’s almost too beautiful to look at.
I allow myself to really take her in; she’s draped over her stool, legs crossed at the ankles, her silk black dress that’s sin personified rising a little higher on her thigh. Her skin is perfectly bronzed from our summer in California. Onyx hair cascades down the open back of her dress, the ends barely skimming the small of her back. And her breasts—my god. My mouth waters as my gaze caresses her every curve. How I’ve never noticed her in this way for so many years is beyond me, but I’m glad I’m finally coming to my damn senses.
This woman had me on my goddamn knees, spilling out words I didn’t even know I could form, confessing my heart’s deepest desires like it was the easiest thing in the world.
Well, because it is.
It’s easy being with T. It always has been. But that kiss. Fuck, that kiss changed my life. No kiss can compare to the way Tia’s lips formed perfectly against mine. Her lips were made for me, and her taste is equally addicting.
But there’s still that niggling of doubt that lingers over me.
“No games. Promise me, Lo.”
My night with Krista is a blade of guilt, still lodged deep beneath my skin. I haven’t pulled it out yet—maybe because I’m scared of what’ll come bleeding out if I do.
The last twenty-four hours have been a whirlwind. Tia’s mine. I finally stopped being such a coward about it, and that changes everything. But the thing is, we’ve never had secrets between us. And now I’m carrying one that could ruin everything we just started.
If I’m going to do this boyfriend thing the right way, I have to tell her about last night.
Abandoning my machine, I come up behind her and lift her out of her stool. She protests for a minute until I take her placeand settle her on my lap. She hums with approval, leaning back against me. Her citrus scent floods my senses, and I take a deep inhale into the crook of her neck, kissing the skin there. I’m growing hard beneath her, and the minx knows it, wiggling her ass over my groin and feigning innocence when I grip her smooth thighs.
“Mmm, you know what? This isn’t fun anymore. I want you to finish what you started earlier,” Tia murmurs. Her ass presses deeper into me as my hands creep their way up her dress as if they have a mind of their own.
“I can absolutely do that.” I nip her earlobe, then suck. “But first, we need to talk about something,” I whisper low in her ear as she pulls the lever again. Once the slots turn and she loses—again—she angles her body toward me, wrapping her arms around my neck, making herself at home on my lap.
I need to reel it in before I get arrested for public indecency. As much as I’d love to rail my woman against a slot machine, there are more important conversations to be had.
“What is it?” she purrs.
I wrap my arms tight around her waist as if I can get any closer. Her fingers play with the hair at my nape, all the while she looks at me like I’m the best thing in her life. The knots in my stomach tighten, but I need to muster the courage to tell her about Krista.
It’s the right thing to do.
“Last night, I?—”
Tia’s whole body stiffens. I can feel her breathing stop. Her eyes are no longer on mine, but blown wide and peering out into the distance. The color in her cheeks pales in an instant, the pink in her lips gone. She’s trembling in my arms even though I’ve got my body pressed against hers.
“T?” I’m met with silence.
Looking over my shoulder to follow her gaze, I scan the casino in a frenzy until my eyes lock on what’s got my girl in a tailspin.
“Oh, shit.”
