Last Name - Dr. Rebecca Sharp Page 0,6

the group separated.

“I need to get to New York!” I turned and blurted out to James like he was responsible for getting me there.

And he was—a little bit.

I had no idea where the New York-New York Casino was.

His eyes narrowed. “Show me the list.”

Biting my lip, I grinned and handed him the checklist.

“Alright, we got the fountains, the Frenchman, the gondola, and we’re halfway through the one-hundred porn cards.” He patted his pocket where he’d been collecting the small cards covered with naked women during our treks between casinos. “We need a photo out of a sunroof and in front of the Pyramid before New York.” His eyes rose to mine. “Or do you want to skip them?”

My breath caught.

Skipping meant I just wanted to get back with my friends. Taking them meant I wanted more of this… whatever this was.

I shivered.

I liked this. I liked laughing and seeing the sights. I liked touring the world and trying new things. And I liked him. I liked the man who rescued me from a casino creeper, who made sure I stopped to watch the fountains, and who posed as a Frenchman and then a gondolier to make sure I got points on my scavenger hunt—and who made it his mission to make me smile.

My tongue darted out, wetting my lips. I’d already made my choice.

I liked the man who’d made it his only goal to give me the best time in Vegas in spite of how my friends had ditched me.

And I wanted more time with him.

“No,” I said firmly. “I don’t want to miss anything.”

His eyes glinted. “Me neither.”

“Paris. Italy. Egypt…” I flicked through all the photos on my phone. They blurred a little, but not enough to fade the happiness on my face in all of them. You’d never know I’d been ditched by my friends by the look on my face. “And now New York.”

“I can show you the world,” James began singing the Aladdin classic (not for the first time) with a dramatic flair that told me the drinks we’d shared were hitting him more than a little bit, too.

Covering my mouth, I chuckled and swayed against him, his arm draped around my shoulder as we strolled toward the New York Hotel and Casino.

Thankfully, this task didn’t require another drink.

Only a kiss…

“Alright, show me the list.” He stuck out his hand.

“We just need a photo in front of the hotel,” I told him.

I knew what the hunt required when I’d decided to stick with him, but now that we were here, I was afraid it was too much. Sure, it was a simple task on the list—kiss a hot guy in front of New York-New York.

But James was no longer just a hot guy.

He’d rescued me. He’d chivalrously tried to bring me back to my group of friends. And when that hadn’t quite worked out, he’d made it his mission to transform my single night in Vegas—one that could’ve taken a turn for the worst—into something fun and exciting and memorable.

And I wasn’t sure that I could kiss him without wanting more—and we only had one night.

Not to mention… what if he didn’t want to kiss me? What if it ruined everything?

“That’s it?” he asked, skeptically. “I thought there was something else.”

I clutched the list, working my hand behind my back.

“There is something else,” he accused with a grin, and I couldn’t stop the bubbling laughter as I tried to keep the paper out of reach. Which caused a small battle to ensue.

Arms advanced and dodged, bodies collided, and effusive laughter faded as I found myself in his arms, my body wedged against his, melting into the burning desire that pulsed between us.

“What’s on the list, Carrie?” he rasped, and the texture of his voice was just as dangerous to my panties as his smile was, tossing all my inhibitions to the inferno that melted them into pure, molten desire.

I gulped. “A kiss.” His eyes blazed. “With a hot guy.”

“You want those points?” His voice dropped to something low and hoarse and equally as desperate.

I sucked in a breath and lost all inhibition. “I want to kiss you.”

My blatant admission—and answer to the real question he was asking—shocked him. But it also set him free.

Slowly, as though time fought to preserve this moment, his head dipped.

“Good.” I barely heard the word before his lips sealed hotly against mine, locking into place before sending me flying.

The world tipped and turned, finally flipping over on its axis under the