Tempted by Mr. Write (What Happens in Vegas) Read Online Free Page A

by some of the comments Deidre had made earlier, she’d expected him to be spending the whole evening with them. The previous few years, a group of them had always hung out together on the Friday night. That didn’t mean it was written in stone, though.
    “Where are we going?” Sheridan cut into his thoughts.
    He turned and smiled. “There’s an Italian restaurant not far from here, Juliana’s at the Saxon. We could try there if you like. Hopefully, they’ll have a table.”
    “You said you’d already booked?” She stopped in her tracks and wagged her finger, her eyes twinkling.
    “Not exactly. I just said that to get away from the others. No harm done.” He grinned.
    “Were they annoying you?” she asked.
    “No, nothing like that. They’re good company. But I wanted it to be just the two of us.”
    “For the interview?”
    “The what?”
    “The interview you promised. Remember?” she asked with a bemused smile.
    “Oh yes. Well, that wasn’t my only reason. I wanted to spend some time with you.”
    “Why?”
    She had to be kidding. A woman like her would hardly be short of men asking for a date. He took a second look at her and saw the teasing expression in her eyes. “Do I need a reason?”
    “Yes.”
    He hitched in a breath. “Because I want to get to know you better. To find out what goes on behind that cross-me-if-you-dare exterior.”
    “As you paint such a delightful picture of me, how could I possibly resist?” She shook her head.
    He scanned her face. Had he offended her?
    “I was joking,” he said.
    “I know.” She giggled
    It was the sexiest giggle he’d ever heard and sent his heartbeat racing.
    “So what do you say? Italian?” He changed the subject before he lost total control.
    “Mmm. It’s my favorite.” She ran her tongue over her top lip. He didn’t know whether it was deliberate or purely unconscious, but it sent arrows of desire shooting through him.
    “Mine, too.”
    They walked through the foyer of the hotel and out into the street. He waited for her to link her arm through his, like she’d done earlier, except she didn’t. They walked in silence down the Strip, Sheridan’s head shooting from side to side staring at everything they passed.
    Suddenly, she pointed across the street. “Look at those people taking photos. Do you think they’ll go home and tell people they’ve seen the Eiffel Tower?”
    “Yep. Vegas is like no other place on the planet. You can see the most famous monuments from all over the world on the same street.”
    “That’s assuming that people actually want to see them away from their natural setting.”
    Mac didn’t disagree with her, but he also didn’t want the evening to turn into a hate-Vegas-fest, which it easily could.
    “There is that.” Mac nodded. “But you have to admit it’s quite a feat to have access to the Egyptian pyramids, at the same time as the canals of Venice, the Statue of Liberty, and the aforementioned Eiffel Tower. And all without needing a passport.”
    “Feat, it might be. But if you ask me, it’s ridiculous and disconcerting.” She waved her arm in the direction of the Eiffel Tower.
    “Just give it a chance. Suspend your intellect and let the atmosphere take you with it.” He gestured with his arm to the outlandish opulence surrounding them.
    “You mean think of it more as a hybrid-cultural experience?” Sheridan chewed on her bottom lip, mesmerizing him.
    “If that helps, then by all means do so,” Mac said, forcing his thoughts back to their conversation and away from how kissable Sheridan’s plump lips were. “But if I were you, I’d just stop overthinking it.”
    “Yes, that can be a problem for me.” A wry smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “My first grade teacher got annoyed with me for wondering why we always said A for Apple. Why not A for Antelope. Or Animal. Or…whatever.”
    “I guess that’s why you became a journalist. I’m the same with books. But sometimes you