I was irritated. It wasn’t the kind of emotion that took one to a club, but I couldn’t say I was entirely there because I wanted to be there. Even worse, my older brother, Trent was me the designated driver to teach me a lesson. I got into an argument with him as a result of it, and he was looking at me with that look. It was this irritating, exasperating look that made me wonder if my Trent was seeing an adult or a teenager? I’d be the first to admit that I wasn’t quite the smartest person in that period of my life. I did all the things good boys weren’t supposed to go, I joined the wrong crowds, had my first drink when I was sixteen and never looked back, I’d skip school and sneak out of the house often.
My brother was nothing like me. He was the straight kid that always did his homework, always did what our parents wanted, he made everyone proud.
I hated the way he’d treated me when he found out, looking at me like I was a kid that didn’t deserve to decide because no matter what, it was the wrong decision.
Still, I never did drugs; I didn’t drive around drunk. I lost my virginity early, but I was careful, and I didn’t just sleep around, either. Still, I cleaned up my act to some extent; it just wasn’t enough for my parents and my brother. Even though I was twenty-four and living on my own, he still treated me like that reckless teenager that just needed to buckle down and listen to Dad, and it was so fucking annoying.
“Jake,” he said, after a long moment of the two of us standing there staring stonily at each other. “Why don’t you grow up, huh? I think it’s time now, isn’t it?”
I curled my lip.
“You can think whatever you want, brother,” I snarled. “You guys can look after yourselves, can't you?”
I snorted as I turned away, darkly amused that I was the only one even remotely sober in the whole group. The other guys called out to me as I turned to walk away. They seemed to have paused in their fun to clue into our little argument. I was annoyed with my brother, not them, but I only spared them a wave as I walked away without seeing where I was going. Besides, while they were all good guys from the little I’d seen of them in the short time since I met them, I still barely knew them.
Shit. I should have known better than to come here.
I didn’t hate my brother. A lot of the time, he got on my nerves, but I figured siblings were just like that. But I didn’t want to come to Vegas to begin with, even though I supported him. I wanted to even less when Dad insisted I tag along, but I went anyway, and I was regretting it now.
I should have known there would be more to this.
As far as I knew, my brother and his friends were out here to have fun, but then he’d started talking about things I didn’t want to hear, and when I wouldn’t listen, gave me that damn look.
There is no reason it has to be me!
I wasn’t paying attention, so I didn’t see the woman that was about to fall until she fell right into me. Then somehow, I ended up taking her with me back to my room to take care of her. I could have just left her alone, but even in a bad mood, I wasn’t that much of a dick. She looked way too innocent to be in a club, drunk, dressed the way she was. She didn’t have anyone with her, and there were several predators around that no doubt had an eye on her already.
She looked really cute, after all. Also sexy, which was a combination I’d never seen before.
I wasn’t taking her back with me for that, though. It was purely because I wanted to help.
“I have a room in the hotel,” I explained. “If you’d like, you can take a photo of me and text the room number and the name of the hotel to someone you trust, in case you’re worried.”
Her hand was still held in mine, and I felt her fingers twitch like she wanted to. I wouldn’t mind, it wasn’t like I had something to hide. I glanced at her, but her expression just looked dazed. With my free hand, I reached into my pocket and pulled out my keycard that held the room number on it, and handed it over to her.
She took it with her other hand then stared at it for the longest time. She didn’t even seem to realize we’d stopped walking until she stood up.
“Are you done looking at it?” I asked, amused.
She pouted again, her already pink cheeks darkening as she handed the card back to me.
“No, thanks,” she said primly, inching her chin up. “I’m not worried, this is a secure hotel, I wouldn’t have picked it otherwise.”
I smiled at her. She looked so proud of herself for it that I couldn’t bring myself to tell her that it didn’t mean anything that the hotel was secure. They had ample security, and I was sure there were cameras all over the place, though perhaps not in the rooms. Still, if someone wanted to commit a crime and get away with it, there were ways to make it happen. Not to mention, with enough money, some people would be bribed.
“Are we still going?” she asked.
That had me moving again, pulling her behind me as I headed for the elevator. Once inside, I still didn’t let her go. I noticed her shifting on her feet, and looked down at the tall heels she wore. The way she was acting, she’d either been on her feet too long or wasn’t used to wearing heels that high.
The elevator was fast, though, and we got off on my floor in a matter of seconds.
“Is there anything you’d like to eat?” I offered. “I could order room service for you?”
She’d need to drink a lot of water, at least. She might be tipsy more than drunk, but she’d still be waking up with a headache tomorrow.
“I’m not hungry,” she muttered.
We stopped in front of the suite, and I finally let go of her hand. I opened the door and stepped aside to let her go inside first. If she had second thoughts, she wouldn’t go in. She didn’t hesitate, though, and I arched an eyebrow at her back.
Damn, but this girl is innocent. Or very defenseless. She didn’t know me, besides my name and room number, but she’d willingly followed me out of the club and into my room. Did she not realize that I could do anything to her behind closed doors and be gone tomorrow morning, and she couldn’t do a thing about it later? I didn’t think she was doing it deliberately.
I followed her inside and closed the door. She was looking around the room with a dazed expression.
“Please, sit down,” I offered. “I’ll bring some more water for you.”
She nodded absently as she walked over to the couch. She sat down and kicked off her heels. As I walked into the bedroom, I saw out the corner of my eye as she leaned down to rub her feet.
I closed the bedroom door behind me and leaned against it with a sigh.
What am I doing?
I wasn’t a bad guy, but this wasn’t a lot like me, either. I wouldn’t usually go out of my way to help someone I didn’t know, and now I’d brought a woman to my hotel room, and not for anything fun, but so I could take care of her.
And Dad and Trent think I need to grow up. Somehow, I did end up a babysitter in this trip, huh?
Well, whatever. At least, I was no longer in a bad mood.
Pushing off the door, I shrugged off my coat and folded it, then set it down on a stool. Then I headed for the bathroom. I undid my cufflinks and put them in my pocket, then folded my sleeves back. Moving to the sink, I turned on the water to warm, and washed my face. The club had been packed, and hot, and it was our last stop after a long day of following my brother and his friends, so I was sweating.
Afterward, I patted my face dry and decided to change out of my shirt, at least. I tugged it off, along with the thin t-shirt I had on underneath, and after wiping myself down, I pulled on a thicker, long-sleeved t-shirt.
Finally, I went back to the front room with a glass of water poured from the bathroom, only to pause when I realized Klara had fallen asleep on the sofa.
“Great,” I muttered.
I set the glass on the small coffee table and looked at the girl. She was curled up on the tiny seat, and she looked uncomfortable. With a sigh, I leaned down to pick her up so I could take her to the bed.
“You better be grateful for this, Klara,” I murmured, looking at her face.
She mumbled a little and shifted, so her face was pressed against my chest. I stared at her for a few seconds longer, then headed for the bedroom. It was a bit of a struggle. She wasn’t so heavy that I couldn’t carry her, but she wasn’t that light, either. I breathed in relief as I set her down on the bed until I realized I’d have to move the covers out from under her. I grumbled to myself about it, but I still handled her carefully. Even after I managed to move the covers, though, there was one more problem.
Her clothes looked so tight; I wondered how she could breathe in them. I pondered for a moment, before deciding to strip her. It would be wrong to see her or touch her uninvited, but I wasn’t doing this for thrills, after all.
I tried to be as gentlemanly as possible as I stripped her down. I left her in her underwear, though. Then I covered her up. I left her purse on the nightstand, and turned off the light, then left the bedroom.
“Damn,” I cursed, shaking out my t-shirt because I’d just made myself sweat again.
I found the water and drank it down, then hunted for some alcohol I knew was in the room. After finding it in the fridge, I poured some for myself and went to sit on the couch.
“Welcome to fucking Vegas,” I said to no one, lifting the glass up.
Then, I tipped my head back and drank down the entire glass’s contents.
When I woke up the next morning, I regretted everything. Fuck! My head hurt like hell before I was even fully awake. The pain was likely what woke me up, and it felt even worse when I moved to roll over. “Ugh.” It wasn’t just the headache, either. The inside of my mouth tasted like shit. I’d been waking up like this the past week, and every time I got over the hangover, I forgot just how bad it was. I had never been hung-over before in my life, at least before this trip. If I drank alcohol, it was single glass champagne that was never full, at family parties, and I didn’t get to have that until I was nineteen. Now that I knew how bad hangovers were, not to mention the bitter taste of beer, I wondered why people loved the stuff so much. Since I was going back home soon, I was done with it shortly. Wait. I’m forgetting something, aren’t I? How did I get back to my room last night? I opened my eyes, only to wince and squint. There was light coming in from a set of open curtains,
I looked up when the door to the bedroom opened. Klara stepped out, fully dressed, with her purse in hand, and her hair was looking a little wet.“So, you finally decided to join me, huh?”Immediately, she frowned. I wondered if she knew, but every time she did that, her lower lip looked like it was sticking out in a pout, making me think she was cute again.“I used your shower,” she muttered. “It took a few minutes. Sorry I didn’t ask first.”I waved the apology away. “No need to say sorry for that. Say sorry for making me wait until the food went cold.”Last night, while she took my bed, I slept on the couch. It was damn uncomfortable, and I woke up early with a crick in my neck. I felt like I didn’t get enough sleep, actually, but it was better than bothering her.Still, I had to wonder when I started turning into a saint.The tray had been set on the coffee table, and I lifted the covers off the dishes. I’d ordered all the stuff that was good for hangovers. Some eggs, toast, slice
He let me go change, but he made me wait for him to finish his breakfast, then as I dumped the plates outside the room for room service, then he followed me back to my room. It was a smaller suite, but it at least had two rooms and a bathroom, and I had him wait in the front room as I changed. I didn’t have time to wash my underwear, so I just folded it and put it far away in my suitcase. I’d have to remember it later. Then, we headed out. “How are we getting there?” I asked. “Do you have a car?” I’d wasted money to get a flight, thinking I’d have to make my way back by bus, since I didn’t think the cash I had would be enough for much, and in the end didn’t last nearly as long as I’d hoped, anyway. It was just about everything I’d been saving up since I got my first job when I was sixteen, but until I finished high school, I used up more than I saved, so while it wasn’t little, it wasn’t a lot, either. When I realized there was not much point in continuing to save it, since I h
Klara was trembling. I’d only kissed her, and I thought she would shake apart in my arms.Damn.What happened to all those innocent intentions I had earlier? I was starting to wonder if I’d had any from the moment she fell into me at the club. Sure, I didn’t try coming onto her before, but that would’ve been in poor taste.She was, however, a beautiful woman that I was spending the day with, and it was obvious the attraction wasn’t just on my part.The first time, she didn’t seem to have any reaction, but that could have been because she was nervous for her first time on a helicopter. Every time after that, though, she’d kept blushing and fidgeting. More than once, I’d caught her staring at me when she thought I wasn’t looking.Honestly, I wasn’t going to try anything. It wasn’t the reason I asked her to go out with me to the Grand Canyon. I did want to see it, and it meant time away from my brother, which was a good thing. But seeing her sweet reactions, I couldn’t help touching her
Lucky for me, the drive was a long one because I could barely feel my legs. We rearranged ourselves after some time, though I somehow ended up sitting in Jake’s lap. He’d explained the instruction given to the driver, but I didn’t much care for the sights.Damn.By the time we made it to the hotel, my body was still singing. My thighs and hips ached, too, and I had to hold onto Jake as he got out of the car and led the way inside. It was all I could do not to walk funny because people would surely notice.Then, the other problem came.Crap.We hadn't used protection, and Jake came inside me, and I could feel it trickle down as I walked. This part of sex, was the part I didn’t like. It could be so messy when you weren’t prepared, and right then, I could only feel disgusted. Jake saw my tight expression. We were in the elevator already, and we were alone, so I was leaning against him and he had his arms tight around me.“Is there anything wrong?” he asked, frowning. “I didn’t hurt you
Something warm was pressed to my chest, and my arm was feeling numb. Those were the thoughts in my mind as I slowly woke up. I remembered yesterday, and when I opened my eyes, Klara’s face was a few centimeters from now. She was still asleep, and I drowsily stared at her for a long moment.Pretty.I pulled my arm from around her to tuck a few stray strands of her hair away from her face so I could stare at her properly.Unfortunately, I couldn’t just keep laying there, because I really needed to go to the bathroom. Klara was laying on my bicep, which was why my arm felt so numb. It was a bit of work, getting her off my arm without waking her, but I managed it and slid off the bed, rubbing my arm with a wince. It was pretty rare that I slept with the women I had sex with, and I wasn’t one for cuddling, either. Still, when I saw her frown and squirm until she was mostly lying in the place I’d just left, clutching the pillow to her face and curling up under the cover, I was tempted to ge
I was slow to wake up. I felt so warm and comfortable that I didn’t want to move. Even when my mind became conscious, I only sighed and hugged tightly at the soft thing in my arms. Then, I remembered last night and frowned.My eyes blinked open, to be met with the hotel’s pristine white pillow. Only, when I moved, there was a suspicious stain on it. I pulled back and rubbed at my chin, sighing when I realized I’d drooled.Well, that is embarrassing.“Jake?” I called out.I realized I couldn’t see him, and rolled around, but he wasn’t behind me on the bed.Could he be in the shower?I listened but couldn’t hear him there. So he was probably in the other room.With another sigh, I slipped out of bed. I was a little disappointed not to wake up with him beside him, but by the light coming into the room, it was likely no longer early in the morning. I headed for the bathroom, unconscious of my naked body. I felt an ache in my hips and between my thighs. When I looked down, I could see some
Though I’d thought of taking a bus ride home, in the end, I decided it was impossible. It would be a long trip, and while I wouldn’t mind the scenic route, I was now impatient to go back. I wanted to see my parents, have a good talk, a good cry, and go to sleep.Lucky for me, I had enough funds to purchase an airline ticket, and more money to pay back. I didn’t like taking loans. I didn’t have a formal job, though I did do some small stuff online that got me pocket money each month so I’d bother my parents less, I was hopeless with loans.I’d have to bother Mom and Dad to pay it back for me, I thought sadly.I wanted to try at least and sleep through the flight, but my emotions weren’t quite stable. I was excited, nervous, anxious, with apprehension growing in the background. I would have to face everything I’d been running from, after all. It wouldn’t be easy, and I did miss my family and friends.Did I make a mistake?I didn’t know how much time I had left. Maybe, instead of wasting