Page 5 of Bought By Torch

What on earth is a girl like her doing with someone like him in the first place? She’s a million times out of his league.

“I don’t want you gambling all your money away, Caleb. These places are rigged. The house always wins.”

And she’s smart too. Another unexpected trait.

“Don’t worry, babe. We’re going to be gambling your dad’s money, not mine.”

My entire body stiffens, wanting to walk over and punch the loser in the face. Who the fuck says shit like that? It’s obvious he’s after her money. And it’s obvious by the look on her face and the way her body has tensed, that she’s not comfortable with his remark either.

Change of plan. This weekend, I’m no longer just on babysitting duty. I’m on a mission to convince this girl to get rid of the loser. She deserves way better than a tool like him. Looks alone, he shouldn’t even be a contender.

She ignores his comment and turns, and I swear the earth’s poles collide as our eyes meet. Head-on…full-impact…heart-pounding collision. Her lips part and she sucks in a breath of air, almost a gasp, nearly a moan, and my lungs constrict. Those green eyes travel slowly, taking in every inch of my frame, her cheeks blushing brighter with every passing second. My system is in overdrive, the adrenaline pumping through my veins, blood pumping through my shaft. My heart rate is growing erratic as her teeth sink down into her pink lip.

I step forward, holding out my sweaty palm. Never having had a full body reaction to a girl in my life. Even my throat is struggling to clear.

“Evian Hemsworth?” I get the words past my lips, trying to hold my deep voice steady.

“It’s… um…” Her eyes blink up at me as her cheeks blush even brighter. “It’s just Evie. Evian sounds so snooty.”

I fight the urge not to tug her right into my arms and kiss the hell out of those pretty lips. She’s an anomaly indeed.

“Name’s Torch,” I state, causing a shiver to rock through her shoulders, making me want to wrap my arms around her and chase away the chill.

“Who the fuck are you?”

She’s suddenly yanked away from me, her hand slipping out of my hold as the meathead pulls her to his side. I look over, pinning him under the anger that’s surging in my veins.

“I’m Torch. The one who’s going to be showing you around this weekend.”

“We don’t need a fucking tour guide,” he grits. “You can run along now.”

The thought of me slamming him in the nose, then pummeling down on his smug face comes to mind, but I can’t fuck up this deal with Hemsworth. If he gets wind that I beat the shit out of his daughter’s boyfriend, he might walk away now.

“Don’t be rude, Caleb.” The pretty girl elbows him in the side. “Did my father hire you?” She moves in closer to me, still unblinking as she looks into my eyes. My nerves settle under her stare, and I start to breathe steady. The need to kill the loser starts to recede, and I’m able to rein in the madness.

“No, doll. I’m one of the owners of this place.” I point the fucker with a look, one that promises he’s going to pay for his disrespect. Much to his detriment, he doesn’t back down. The kid is dense. But he’s not the one I’m concerned about. He won’t be sticking around for long. By the time these three days are up, he’ll be out of the picture.

I return my attention back to the princess. “We want to make sure you enjoy your stay and that you get to experience the best of Vegas. So, I’ve planned a few things for the weekend. Now, shall we take you in and get you settled in your room?”

“Um…” She swallows hard. “Yes, thank you.”

That voice floats over me, and I almost can’t find my footing as I turn, signaling to the bellhop to grab their bags. Surprisingly, they only have two. I would’ve expected a bag for her shoes, another for her purses, one for her swim attire, and one for everything else. But she only brought one and it’s the sizeof a carryon. The girl isn’t fitting the stereotype at all. Her sweet politeness isn’t at all what I expected.

But the boyfriend… you’d think he was the one in line for Hemsworth’s throne. He’s acting like an arrogant prick, telling Baron not to lose his bag or else he’ll lose his job. What kind of establishment does he think we’re running here? And who does he think he is speaking to my employees like that?

I give Baron a look, knowing that I’ll be tipping him double for the rude remark he just endured. Evie turns and gives him an apologetic look too, and I swear the old man falls in love with her on the spot. Makes two of us.

4

Evie

Torch turns around to guide us into the building, and I have to force my feet to move. I’ve never been in the presence of a man so good looking before. My stomach did a somersault when I first laid eyes on him. I couldn’t get past his dark eyes, or that face. Or the way his black T-shirt hugged his muscles. The way his jeans hugged his thighs. I didn’t even have this kind of reaction when I first met Caleb. Not even close to the glimmer of the rampant storm of fluttering butterflies, which have just taken flight inside my stomach.

“You’re a Steel Sinner?” Caleb’s near shout has my attention pulling from Torch’s backside. I can’t believe I was just staring at his butt.

“I am,” the gorgeous man simply states, glancing back. “You’ll be safe in this city as long as you’re by my side.”

I’m not quite sure what a Steel Sinner is, but it’s written on the back of his leather jacket, so I’m guessing it’s the name of his motorcycle club.