Bad Things (Tristan & Danika #1)(10)

He put his hands in the air to signal that he would stop.

Even agitated, I couldn’t help but study those big, sexy hands.

“Sorry,” he said, sounding sincere. “Sorry. I will drop it. To make up for being so rude, I’ll pick up your tab for the night.”

I gave him a level stare. “You know the bartender. It was already going to be free, wasn’t it?”

Those damned dimples came back in force. Even in the darkness of the car, I could see the twinkle in his golden eyes. “Have I mentioned that I like sassy women? Yes, the tab was going to be covered either way. How about I help you with your chores while I stay at the house? Will that make up for me being so nosy?”

I studied him, knowing that, friends or not, being in close proximity to him for a prolonged period of time would not be good for my peace of mind. Still, I just couldn’t seem to resist. I enjoyed being around him, Trouble or no.

“It will. You’re my chore bitch for the week,” I told him. A happy smile overtook my face as he threw his head back and laughed.

“She owns your ass,” Kenny said, laughing.

Tristan gave me a sideways smile that could only be described as mischievous. “I can think of worse things.”

CHAPTER FOUR

It was mid-summer, and the air felt like a hair dryer as Tristan handed me out of the car.

“You’re kind of a gentleman…for a man-whore,” I told him so only he could hear.

That startled a laugh out of him. “I try,” he told me, not sounding at all offended.

Kenny had valet parked, so we were inside of the Cavendish Casino in a few short steps. Cool air blasted me as we stepped inside, a stark contrast that had my ni**les hard as rocks in a heartbeat.

“Brrr,” I said.

That made Tristan steal a glance at my ni**les.

I heard the perverted bastard mutter, “Fuck,” as he looked quickly away.

“Pervert,” I said softly.

Of course that made him smile.

He grabbed my hand, pulling me with him as he started to walk at a fast clip across the marble of the grand foyer that led into the casino.

“Slow down,” I snapped at him. “Have a little sympathy for a girl wearing four inch heels.”

He glanced down at my feet, shaking his head. “I’m sorry. On behalf of men everywhere, thank you for wearing sexy f**king shoes. I’ll try to remember not to walk too fast.”

“Thank you for not minding that I can be a pain in the ass,” I told him, thinking how sweet it was that he was so accommodating.

“On the contrary, I love that you tell me what’s on your mind. I’m not good at guessing games, and I find it refreshing that you just tell me what you’re thinking. I hate sulking, Danika, and you’re no sulker. Give me shit, hell, yell and scream at me, just as long as you let me know where we stand.”

I blinked at him, thrown for a loop. “I can do that. I’m actually very good at that.”

“Yes, you are. I love that about you.”

“And I love that you love that about me,” I told him, meaning it. And boy did I. I loved a man that could take a little honesty. My ex had been a whiny bitch who was always protecting his fragile little ego, so my brand of honesty had never been the order of the day. Tristan was a nice change of pace, to say the least.

I took in our fancy surroundings as we strode slowly through the casino portion of the Cavendish property. “Where did Kenny go?” I asked as I noticed that the other man had disappeared.

“Not sure,” he said, looking around. “He’ll meet us at the club, though. It’s not far.”

Decadence, the club, was intimidating. There was a long line to the entrance as we approached. My first thought when I saw a line like that was to head in the other direction.

I slowed, but Tristan just pulled lightly on my hand, heading straight for the front of the line.

The huge, stern-looking bouncer didn’t even check our IDs, just nodded us through the door, no expression on his face.

“You know him?” I asked Tristan.

He nodded, pulling me along.

I found myself quickly distracted. The club was breathtaking. Long couches flanked numerous indoor pools that formed one huge circle, a huge waterfall the center of it all. Nearly every pool had its own bar. It was by far the most impressive club I’d ever seen, but one huge shortcoming stood out to me right away.

“Where’s the dance floor?” I asked him.

He waved at the pools. “This is the lounge, though you can sure as hell dance here if you want.” He pointed at a large arch that led into a darkened room. “That’s the dance floor. And as you can see, there are bars everywhere. We just need to find the one our friend, Cory is working at to get hooked up with free drinks.”

A few bikini clad women frolicked in one of the nearby pools. They were giggling loudly enough to draw attention.

“I didn’t bring a swimsuit,” I told him.

He glanced at the pools, looking surprised at the idea. “I didn’t think of it. If you want to swim, I’ll find us some suits. It’s up to you. Let’s get a drink, dance, and then decide.”

“How are you ever going to find a random hookup, if you spend all your time with me?”

He just smiled. “You let me worry about that.”