Page 14 of The No Try Zone
The moment our lips meet, all of these things ring true. The feel of his lips against mine, firm and sure, is so earth-shattering that I think I might have died and gone to kissing heaven.
He releases my mouth, then claims it again, a palm coming up to my cheek as his thumb tugs my chin down, opening my lips to allow his tongue to stroke into me. His beard is rough on my skin, his hair silky as my fingers push into it. Everything about this moment, thisman, is erotic. Sensual. Powerful. And it tells me he knows exactly how to use his body. Every part of it.
I don’t know how long the kiss goes on, but when he finally releases me, resting his forehead onto mine and grinning like a Cheshire Cat, the only thing I can think is how it’s a shame that I’ll never have a kiss that good again in my life.
He wipes a thumb over my bottom lip. “So. Swoon-worthy?”
I shrug. He is perfectly aware of how life-altering it was. “I’ve had better.”
He grins. “Come on. Let me buy you another drink.”
Time bends and blurs, and Matthew ends up with his watch again but I determine the necklace should stay with him a little longer. Back in the bright part of the Strip – or maybe it’s all bright, who’s to say – we see an entire gaggle of Elvis impersonators standing outside a tent.
I point. “What’s with all the Elvi?”
Matthew laughs. “Elvi?”
“Plural of Elvis. Let’s see what’s going on.”
He threads our fingers together and guides us closer, his touch firm and sure. Finally, it all comes together, and I laugh. “It’s a pop-up marriage event. Get your license and be married by Elvis, all in under ten minutes.”
Matthew’s eyes twinkle. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“That we get married by Elvis?”
He snaps his fingers and points at me. “Bingo.”
“Do I get more kisses?”
“Youabsolutelyget more kisses.”
“Then we should do it. If the coin says so, of course.”
Matthew produces the coin with a flourish. “Of course.”
“Three flips, in a row, and they all have to land on heads.”
He makes a dismissive sound. “Make it harder, Sam – this is marriage we’re talking about.”
“Ten flips in a row. All heads.”
“Better, but let’s go for fifteen.”
I grin. There’s no way it’ll happen, but we’ll have fun while we’re at it. “Done.”
He flips. “Heads.”
“Fourteen to go.”
Another flip. Another landing on heads.
His eyes twinkle in the lights. “Thirteen more. There’s still time to back out.”
“No way!” I turn to the small crowd around us. “We’re in Vegas. You never withdraw from a bet, right?”
“Right,” the crowd agrees.
A woman in a cowboy hat pushes forward and takes the hat off. “Here you go,” she says. “It’s my lucky hat.”
