Hell on Heels (Hotel Rodeo #1)(43)

“Yes, actually. I got a text from him earlier. He’s in Vegas.”

“Your ex is here?”

“Yes. Said he wants to see me.”

“He’s not some crazed stalker type, is he?”

“No, not a stalker,” she replied. “Just a bullying bastard.”

“You aren’t going to see him, are you?”

“I don’t know yet,” she replied, her gaze narrowing. “Why should you care?”

He shrugged. “It’s your life. You can see whoever you want. I just know exes can be a royal pain in the ass.”

“And how would you know that, Mr. I–Don’t-Do-Relationships?”

He reached for his door. “Perhaps you’ve heard the expression ‘Once bitten. twice shy,’ Ms. Brandt? Try getting bitten by a rattler. That’ll make you real damn shy.”



Ty’s bitterness rendered her speechless. He didn’t seem inclined to elaborate any further, and she didn’t press, but whatever it was in his past was obviously the reason he balked at anything even hinting at emotional intimacy.

He opened her door and handed her down from his truck, following with a light, guiding hand on the small of her back. It was the first time he’d touched her since last night, and her body responded with warm tingles that she wished she could ignore.

In addition to their undeniable physical chemistry, Ty really was a truly entertaining companion and too damned likable for Monica’s good. There was an easiness about him that allowed him to sneak effortlessly through her best defenses. He made her laugh despite her best attempts not to. She told herself there was no harm in enjoying dinner with him as long as they kept the tone light and friendly.

The Top of the World was much better than Monica had expected. Ty had made several recommendations, starting with the Tower Trio appetizer, a combination of foie gras with berry gastrique and roasted pears, the jumbo lump crab cake with green papaya salad, and seared sea scallops with southwestern spices, all surprisingly good. He’d also ordered a decent bottle of wine, all proving that her cowboy was far more cultured than his appearance let on.

“You aren’t having any wine?” she asked.

“Already had a couple of beers today. Two drinks is my limit.”

“Limit?” she looked her question. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that alcohol and I don’t always mix real well. A beer or two is fine or a couple of glasses of wine on occasion, but other than that I try to keep a tight rein on drinking.”

“Are you saying you’re an alcoholic, Ty?”

“Didn’t say that at all.” His jaw visibly tightened. “Just said booze and me don’t mix. How’s your soup?”

“Excellent, actually. I love lobster bisque. Want to try it?” She paused with her spoon halfway to her lips to offer it up to his instead.

“Sharing your spoon with me, Ms. Brandt?” He cocked a brow with a smirk.

She grinned back at him. “I figure we already swapped enough germs. A few more can’t hurt anything.”

“You know what it means if I accept this?”

“No, what?”

“It means you’ll have to let me feed you something.”

“Really? And what would that be?” Even as the words spilled from her mouth, Monica wished she could take them back.

Their gazes connected as the innuendo rose, electrifying the air. Monica licked her lips and dropped her spoon.

“Full already?” he asked softly. “Or maybe you have an appetite for something else?”

“Stop it, Ty,” she hissed.

“Once more, I’m not the one who started it. You do that a lot, Monica.”

“What do you mean? I do what a lot?”

“Make a challenge and then panic when things get too hot for you to handle.”

“I do not!”

“Yes, you do. How about last night? You were a brazen seductress one minute and then got cold feet the next. And the day I was going to resign. You were all bluff then, too. When I called, you instantly folded. Don’t ever play poker, Sugar. You’d really suck at it.”

They sat in a sexually charged silence as the waiter brought the next course. Ty had told her when they were seated that the restaurant revolved every eighty minutes, offering a full three-hundred-sixty-degree vista of the entire Las Vegas Valley. At this rate, she didn’t think she’d last long enough to see it all. Grappling for safety, she changed the subject. “You never told me what brought you out here to Vegas, Ty.”

He took a sip of water, his lips hinting at a smile. “You never asked me.”

“I’m asking now.”

He slumped back in his chair. “It’s a long story that I don’t particularly like to tell.”

“Then how about just the short version?” she softly suggested. “I’d like to know you better, Ty. We really don’t know much about each other at all.”

“All right.” He considered her as if trying to decide how much to share. “The short version is that I was pretty f*cked up for a while. My life had strayed way off track. I needed a change, and Tom needed someone he could trust. It seemed worth the gamble for both of us.”

“I heard about your predecessor,” she said.