One Night in Vegas (Entangled Lovestruck) (Gambling Hearts) Read Online Free

sending the rich brown ringlets framing her face bouncing. “No, it will be. I do have some boots for tromping around the desert. I’ll get a bag for those and a change of clothes.”
    When she had her things together, he held out a hand to take her bag. She gave it to him with a grateful smile.
    “So Jackson never told me where we were going tonight. Where did he get reservations?”
    “The Golden Steer.” He got the front door for her as well and held it open to let her walk through first. “Since you’ve never been there.”
    Her pale green eyes widened. “Jackson actually remembered that?”
    He couldn’t help but grin. “No, I did. He said you hadn’t been back since the move, and I knew you’d never been to the Steer before that.”
    “Oh.” She didn’t look as excited about this news as he’d expected. Instead, once the surprise on her face cleared, it was replaced with confusion. “That should be fun.”
    “It should be.” I hope . They walked through the parking lot to where his truck was parked. “I’ve always had a good time when I’ve gone. It’s where we went for my sixteenth birthday.”
    “I remember.”
    At the time, she’d just been his friend’s little sister, and he hadn’t invited her because he’d wanted to have a very grown-up party. Or at least as grown-up as a sixteen-year-old being taken out to dinner by his father and his father’s most recent barely legal girlfriend could be. It hadn’t been long after that when he started to see Eliza as more than Jackson’s little sister, but he’d kicked himself for excluding her before.
    He held the truck door open so she could climb in. Her murmured “thank you” made his heart kick up a beat, and he cursed himself. Opening his own door, he asked, “You still like steak, right?”
    “I do.” She gave him a quick smile, and the tension ebbed from his shoulders. “It’s been a while since I went anywhere more exciting than a fast food place, though.”
    “Oh come on. Jackson’s taken you better places than that, hasn’t he?”
    Out of the corner of his eye he saw her purse her lips. “We haven’t spent much time together since he picked me up from the airport.”
    “Damn. That’s harsh. I know it’s been a tough year for him at the hospital.” Even if Eliza hadn’t been back to Vegas in years, he knew she and Jackson had remained close. Jackson was a little alienated from his parents—further proof of the damage done by distance—but he always had a couple of stories to share about his sister with pride. Things had to be busy to keep him from visiting with her.
    He started the truck. “I don’t imagine it’ll stay like this the whole two weeks.”
    “I hope not. It’s been lonely.” She said the last bit so quietly he wasn’t sure if it was intended for his ears or not.
    He took his eyes off the road for a moment to meet hers. “It doesn’t have to be lonely. I’m here.”
    “Aren’t you busy with your own career?”
    He shrugged. “It’s demanding, but not in the same way as being a trauma surgeon. I’ve got downtime, and it’s unusual to have so many emergencies come up that they eat into my social life.”
    “That mean you’ve got more of a social life than me and Jackson combined?” she asked wryly.
    When was the last time he’d gone out for fun? Too long ago for him to easily remember, and the realization made him chuckle. “Okay, probably not. I could if I wanted, though.”
    “So why don’t you?”
    “I don’t know. Why don’t you call up all your old friends?”
    Instead of answering right away she smoothed out a miniscule wrinkle on her skirt, fiddling with the hem for a few seconds. “Fear, I guess. What if things are all different now? What if we hate each other after so long?”
    “Did you worry about that with me?”
    She wrinkled up her nose. “Not exactly.”
    Now she had him intrigued. Should he tell her that Jackson actually suggested he take Eliza out for New Year’s