“Yeah, I think Shakespeare said it best in Hamlet—the lady doth protest too much, me thinks,” Ariel agreed.
“Oh, for crying out loud,” I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose between my forefinger and thumb while taking a deep breath.
I dropped my hand and turned to stare at Will when he jumped back into the conversation. “It sounds to me like you and your sisters have a long-standing verbal contract in regard to double dog dares. As a lawyer, I have to advise you to come to dinner with me so you don’t violate the terms of the agreement.”
“I…You…” I sputtered. I couldn’t seem to get a full sentence out, and I blamed Will for it. He’d just amped up his sexiness factor even more with how smoothly he’d taken advantage of the door my sisters had opened for him. Smart, witty, and hot were a lethal combination.
“Look at her; she’s speechless,” Belle whispered to Ariel.
“Yeah, if I hadn’t already double dog dared her to go out with him, I would now.”
“Right? It’s so rare for anyone to get the better of Aurora,” Belle laughed. “I’m liking this guy more and more for her.”
I swiveled my head and narrowed my eyes at my sisters. They grinned at me, not even the tiniest bit bothered by my irritation. “Alright, you two. I think you’ve ‘helped’ enough.” My glare turned a little evil when I added, “Don’t think I’ll forget this. I will get even with you two.”
“I guess that’s our cue to leave.” Belle tugged on Ariel’s arm when it looked like she wanted to stay put and watch the fireworks between Will and me.
“Fine, I guess we’ll go,” she grumbled.
When the door closed behind them, Will started to say something. Striding over to the door, I interrupted him. “Hold on a second.” I yanked the door open. Ariel almost fell into my arms, and Belle crashed into her back.
I pushed them back a few steps and hissed, “I thought you said you were leaving?”
“Aww, c’mon,” Ariel cried. “You can’t blame us for wanting to eavesdrop on you guys.”
“Maybe not,” I agreed. “But I can make it harder for you to get away with it.”
“Okay. Okay.” Belle held her hands up in a gesture of surrender. “We’re really going this time.”
I watched them walk down the hall and around the corner. I waited another minute to make sure they didn’t just turn around and come back, and then I shut the door again. Turning toward Will, I said, “I’m not sure how you did it, but you somehow got my sisters on your side. Which means I’ll never hear the end of it if I don’t have dinner with you.”
“I’ll take a yes from you any way I can get it.” He flashed me a panty-melting grin and ran his hand through his blond hair. The action brought my attention to his arms, and I finally noticed the bunched-up sleeves of his dress shirt and the black ink they’d been hiding. Between those and the muscle tone he was rocking, I was getting a bad boy vibe under the good guy exterior. If he kept getting exponentially hotter every time I saw him, I was going to be screwed—most likely, literally and figuratively.
Going over to my desk, I pulled open the bottom drawer and grabbed my purse. A quick glance at the desktop confirmed that everything was in order so I could dive straight into my to-do list tomorrow morning. After powering down my computer, I turned to Will and said, “Let’s go.”
Will took my hand to lead me outside and down the street to the small restaurant inside the hotel and casino that Becket Parker, who I knew from when he worked as a dealer for shits and giggles at the Lennox, owned with his brother. The hostess balked at the idea of seating us since they were usually booked months in advance until I said, “You should have my name down on the list for the owner’s table. Lia added me to it a while back in case I ever wanted to come over for dinner. Look for Aurora Dawson.”
“And Will Scott should be on there, too.” He flashed the girl a grin that made her blush before she ducked her head and tapped on the screen of the tablet she used to check reservations. Then he turned to me and explained, “Becket told me that I’d earned a spot on the list since I lasted the longest in a round of poker against his wife about two weeks ago.”
Holding your own with Lia was quite an accomplishment since she was one of the best professional poker players in the country. The hostess must’ve agreed that his hotness factor was off the charts because she was looking at him with goo-goo eyes when she said, “Your name is on the list, Mr. Scott. Sorry about the mix-up. Please follow me to your table.”
“How much do you want to bet she didn’t even bother to look for my name?” I mumbled as Will placed his palm against my lower back to guide me through the restaurant.
Will chuckled, not bothering to answer since he knew I was right. The hostess left us after a long, lingering glance at Will, and I asked, “How do you know Becket?”
“Drew Lennox and I went to college together, and he introduced me to Becket shortly after I moved to Vegas.”
“Huh.” I smiled at the waiter as he set a couple of glasses of ice water on the table. Will and I gave him our drink orders, and I finished the thought after he walked away. “I’m surprised we haven’t met since you’re friends with Drew and Becket. Our circle is kind of
