Page 19 of Final Temptation
“Anyway,” I patted her knee, plastering a smile on my face, “let’s talk about the wedding party. I was thinking Vegas, baby!” I clapped my hands together enthusiastically.
“Vegas, huh?” Paige lifted an eyebrow.
“Look, I know you didn’t want a crazy bachelorette party, but we could still have a wild, fun couple of nights in Vegas. No strippers, nothing crazy since it would just be us, Declan, and Myles. It’s also an excuse for all of us to leavethe mountains, be in a different environment.” I bit down on my lip, silently pleading for her to agree.
“I did mention Vegas a while back, didn’t I?” A smile formed on Paige’s face but slowly faded. “My only concern is Myles. He’s only six months sober. Do we really think Vegas is the right place to take him?”
“I did give that some thought, and I figured I could talk to him about it before we made any plans set in stone. But maybe weallstay sober?”
“You know, sober isn’t usually the norm in Las Vegas, but just being there with something to celebrate will be fun as hell, especially with Declan by my side.” If you thoughtpregnancy glowwas real, let’s talk about theengagement glow. My best friend hasn’t stopped smiling since she met her man, and I could tell she was looking forward to this trip no matter what it entailed—as long as we were all together.
“Exactly!”
“So, if Myles is down, I don’t see why there would be any other issue. What did you have in mind as far as things we’d do there?”
“So glad you asked.” The list of ideas went on for days. My lips lifted into a mischievous grin before I listed off all the research that had been playing in a loop in my head. “Drag brunch, maybe a sexy show or two like…like a burlesque show! We could feast at the best restaurants. Maybe go toHell’s Kitchen—have a run-in with Gordon Ramsey himself. The wax museum or the massive Ferris Wheel that looks over the strip. Or we could even take a helicopter ride at night that flies over all of Las Vegas so you can see all the beautiful lights. Or?—"
“Okay, okay,” Paige cut in before I could ramble off any more ideas. “I can tell you have really thought about this, sofirst of all, thank you, and second, I had no idea you were so passionate about party planning.” She giggled.
“Well, I’ve been thinking about something. Promise not to judge?” I pursed my lips before I spoke.
“What’s up, Soph? You know I never judge.”
“All this party planning has me thinking—I’ve really enjoyed everything about it. The planning. The research. The feeling I get that I’m taking this task off your plate. And I think I know what I want to do with my life—or at leasttryto do with my life,” I shyly admitted, spinning a strand of hair around my finger.
“Sophie! That’s great, tell me everything!” Paige’s eyes went wide in excitement. My heart warmed at the feeling of having someone’s support, especially someone I loved as much as her.
“I’d love to help other people who are getting married. Wedding planning or party planning—all of it. I think I’d like to get into the wedding industry, even though I have no idea where to start. But I think taking these business classes is as good a place as any. If my dad could buy a bar with no business experience all those years ago, then why not me? I could start a business from the ground up, one I’m truly passionate about.” I puffed my chest with confidence, excited for what was to come.
“To be fair, I don’t think anyone else could be more perfect for a job like that.” Paige reached over and gave me a tight squeeze. “Look, I have to head out and get to work, but I’m so fucking proud of you. I can’t wait to see what you have planned for Vegas. Let me know what Myles ends up saying, and we can go from there.”
“You got it, babe.” I stood up, setting my glass of wine on the end table, wrapping her in a hug before walking her to the door.
I reached for the doorknob, stumbling backward.
At the same time I was opening the door, so was Myles from the other side. He bulldozed his way in like he was on a mission to escape a winter storm in the middle of summer. His chest ran straight into my face, his arms reaching out to grab mine, stabilizing us both. His six-foot frame towered over me, and my gaze lifted, checking out his features one by one. Straight from the gym, he wore his usual athleisure wear, slightly wet from the sweat that peeked through. It seemed like each time we saw each other, his hair grew just a little bit longer, his scruffy facial hair not far behind. The light brown strands were tousled, perfectly messy from his workout.
Completely forgetting I was in the middle of walking Paige out, she helped herself to my front door, but not before shifting my attention away from the tall, sweaty brute in front of me. “Well, I’ll just head out and leave you two to whatever this is.” She gestured between me and Myles, winking, before she took off.
I shook my head, breaking eye contact with Myles. “I should, uh, close the door.” His hands disconnected from my arms as I moved around him, shutting the door behind him.
I still wanted to ask Myles to hang out tonight, but why did I have this feeling there would be an overwhelming amount of sexual tension in the air?
Because it never left.
Because, apparently, this is just how it will always be when we are in the same room together.
“What was Paige doing here?” The deep timber in his voice cut into my thoughts.
“She stopped by to talk about the wedding party. I was actually going to talk with you about it when you had amoment.” I moved back to the couch, sitting down and grabbing a much-needed sip of my wine.
“Yeah, sure. Mind if I shower really quick, then we can talk?” I nodded my head in agreement before he could make his way down the hall to the bathroom.
Do I mind if you shower really quick?
How about, do you mind if I join you in the shower really quick?
When I heard the restroom door click shut, my head flung back, hitting the soft cushion. I took a deep breath and hoped to release every ounce of sexual tension that pooled between my legs—hopefully before he made his way back out here.
