Last Name - Dr. Rebecca Sharp Page 0,3

asked in disbelief.

“Well, I told them to get started,” I confessed. “We’re doing this Around-The-World scavenger hunt challenge, so we have a whole list of things we need to accomplish before morning.”

“Interesting…” he drawled, amusement dancing along each syllable. “Bachelorette party?”

“No, just a girls’ weekend.” I laughed and shook my head, feeling the beads on my headpiece dance in my hair. “I’ll just walk over there and meet them.” I shoved my phone back in my small, matching silver purse, the scavenger hunt list falling out in the process.

I reached but not as quickly as James to grab the paper before it blew down the sidewalk, watching as he unfolded the slip and began reading the items.

“Strike a pose with a hot guy in front of the Bellagio Fountains,” he read off the first item. The one I missed.

“Yeah, I’ll just skip that one. It’s fine.” I waved him off with a nervous laugh.

“You know the fountains will start up again in another minute.” One measured eyebrow rose. “We can still get the photo,” he declared, holding up the list like it was now his challenge, too.

I bit my lip and arched an eyebrow at him. “Is this your way of getting me to admit that you’re hot?”

Was that a tease?

His eyes widened before he flashed me a cheeky grin.

Was I flirting?

My cheeks heated.

Oh my God, Carrie. You’re flirting.

His eyes sparkled and my whole body burned. “This is my way of spending a few more minutes with a gorgeous woman.”

My mouth parted, on track to refute his statement because even though I looked pretty good in this dress, gorgeous was an overstatement. Especially when he looked like he did.

But before I could say anything, the familiar fluted introduction to Celine Dion’s classic, ‘My Heart Will Go On,’ came on through the speakers, accompanied a second later by shifting lights and stilling waters.

“Oh my God. It’s happening.” I beamed at him, eyes wide with excitement.

This moment was special for me because it was for me, and the fact that he stood here with me, after saving me, meant he was a part of it. And somehow, that knowledge wormed its way through all the nerves firing in my brain and made him a part of me.

For tonight.

One night of freedom.

A simple, fun fling.

“Alright, grab your camera. Let’s get your photo,” he encouraged, handing me back the list.

“You really don’t have to do this…” I trailed off as my breath caught as I exchanged it in his grasp for my phone, lost in the smile spread over his face.

I didn’t know what it was about that smile. It was kind and safe and so devastatingly desirable that it paralyzed me.

A paralysis quickly remedied with a small yelp as I found myself tugged into his strong embrace and dipped back, my arms shooting up out of instinct to latch around his neck, closing in on the collar of his sport coat and gripping tight.

His jacket hid well the strength and hardness of the muscles beneath it. Like the rest of him, they were unassuming until called upon when it became clear just how powerful they were. I felt my weight shift back, distributed between his one arm and my one foot that remained planted on the ground, the other lifted up like I was well-practiced at being dipped.

I dragged in a breath, drugged on the scent of him—a rich musk spiced with risk and sweetened with reward.

James’ gaze pierced mine, containing a depth of caramelized emotion not consistent with the brevity for which we’d known each other.

I’d only had one drink for the night—the butterflies in my stomach weren’t coming from the alcohol.

“Oh, I definitely do,” he rasped, appearing to be just as lost in the sparks between us as I was while Celine’s heavenly voice mingled with the crashing water behind us. “Smile, Carrie.”

Turning, I abided his command, trying to see if my smile looked as intoxicated as I felt by his proximity.

As I stared at the screen, I heard the melodic strain of the song suddenly louder than it had been before, and the lyric about love being able to touch us for one moment—and last for a lifetime—enveloped us.

The fountains moved in a waterfall effect and James snapped the photo, capturing that moment for forever.

There was a slight paused before I was hoisted upright and my phone returned.

“Now, we can head over to the Paris.”

“So, you’ve never been to Vegas before then?”

I looked over my shoulder as we made our