Page 94 of Ruthless Dream

“Vegas for New Year’s.”

“Okay, later.” Her hand smacks my face. I assume she meant to cover my mouth, but she gets my nose instead.

I move her hand aside. “Would you be okay with that? Me going to Vegas?”

She frowns in her sleep. “Are you asking if I trust you?”

“Well. . . There’d be a lot of women there, wouldn’t there?”

She smiles with her eyes closed. “They can have you. I wish them well.”

Shouldn’t she be a little bit bothered by the idea of me around skimpily clothed women?

“What about Christmas?” she mumbles.

I’m not holding my breath for an invitation from Gia. They invited the wee Irish guy to show him an American holiday. Boris will have a ten point plan on how to stop his wife from inviting me to another family gathering.

“I’ll spend it with my family.”

“Back home?”

“No, with Cormac and the boys.”

She nestles into my chest. “No. Here.”

“Ads. . .”

“Adeline Marie.”

I laugh quietly. “Yeah, okay, princess.”

In her sleepy state she places me in a death grip, our bodies impossibly close, and I welcome it.

“Come to Vegas with me.”

The question is so quiet I’m not sure she can hear. I’m not sure I want her to hear. I’m asking her to travel to the other side of the country to meet with a man she hates. There’d be a lot of explaining, and I’m not sure I could properly enlighten her on why I’d want her to come along anyway. Why I want her by my side constantly.

“No,” she moans.

A sharp pinch of disappointment hits me. “You don’t want to?”

“I’m going to do nothing on my break. I’m going to read and watch Sailor Moon and bake cookies with Lennie.”

People assume Adeline is a partier, but they’re wrong. She’s worked hard, and her roommate situation has stressed her out. She deserves her break.

“Okay.” I rub her back softly.

“You go and have fun.” She presses a sleepy kiss to my chest. “I’ll be here.”

CHAPTER 23

Adeline

“Let me get this straight?” Nat asks over the phone. “Your extremely good looking boyfriend with a cute Irish accent is going to Vegas for New Year’s?”

“Careful.” It’s a video call, so she gets a front row seat of me struggling to wrap Christmas presents. “Or people might start thinking you like men.”

“You’re completely fine with this?”