“I can’t bring your parents back, Sav, but you should know that Max and I aren’t going anywhere, and Mr. Davenport is sticking around too. You don’t have anything to fear when it comes to us.” I kissed her forehead softly and she slowly nodded. Her head dropped to my chest and her body wrapped tightly around mine.
The extent of her grief from her parents’ death was something she dealt with daily, something she tried desperately to hide behind the tough exterior she wore. The thought that Mr. Davenport’s accident had brought up painful memories hadn’t sunk in until right now. What I didn’t know was how I could provide her with the security she needed? All I could do was be there for her, be her support, listen when she needed to talk, and distract her when I knew her mind would be going crazy just as I knew it was now.
“Did you buy a dress today?” I asked softly, my fingertips still running through her long hair.
“Yep I did. I can’t wait to wear it tomorrow night.” Her voice was barely a whisper.
“Are you going to be getting every guy’s attention in the bar?”
“There’s only one guy’s attention I want.”
“Colby’s?” I asked, the grin I was sporting able to be heard in my words.
“Yeah, definitely Colby’s. I might run off on tour with him so don’t wait up for me tomorrow night.”
“That’s not one bit funny, Savannah.”
“You brought it up. I think it was the bikini. It seems to do things to guys. You know what I mean, right?”
“Touché.”
Her muffled giggle was the last thing I heard before she fell into a deep sleep tucked up tight in my arms, and she didn’t leave the confines of my body all night.
Savannah
“SAV, ARE you ready?” Tate’s voice boomed through the hotel room. I gave myself a once-over and nodded at my reflection. It was now or never.
My heels clicked on the polished floorboards as I moved towards the living area of our room. My hands nervously skimmed down the front of my white bandeaux dress as I waited with bated breath for Tate to see me. The theme for the evening was black, white, and red, and I was in my white dress with my red heels, my black clutch, and my blond hair swept to one side in a cascade of curls over my shoulder.
“Sav, we really—”
Tate turned in my direction and his face stilled as his eyes raked over my body. As he shifted his gaze from my red heels, up my legs, and over my hips, hesitating at my boobs and then finally landing on my face, I felt my cheeks burn under his gaze. I seriously needed to get my blushing under control.
“Fuck,” Tate hissed between clenched teeth as his possessive eyes undertook their second assault of my body.
I was getting the reaction I’d craved and the lioness began to purr within me. I strutted towards him, the sound of my heels clicking against the floorboards matched the increasing beat of my heart perfectly. My lust-filled eyes landed on his bottom lip, which he was gnawing on with his teeth, and I suddenly felt alive.
“Like what you see, Mr. Connors?” I twirled in front of him, making sure I was just outside of arm’s reach.
“In a dress like that, Miss Rae, you are the spawn of Satan.” He took a step towards me and I was suddenly lost under the scent only he possessed. “And for once I’m not afraid of visiting Hell to get what I want.”
“Well we can’t visit Hell because we have a bar opening to go to.” I spun on my heel and took off through the room, loving the feeling that sassy Savannah was out to play.
MY EYES felt heavy as the first signs that intoxication had begun taking over every part of my body. Las Vegas was destroying me one tequila shot at a time. This was the first time in over three years that I had really gone out, and now, as I knocked back yet another shot of tequila that Jack had thrust in my hand, it rushed through my body like hot springs.
The moment Tate and I had walked into Red Velvet, he had been pushed into the limelight and I’d made my way to Tanzi and Jack. I loved seeing him in his element, and right now, Tate Connors was on show. My eyes hadn’t left him all night and his hadn’t left mine.
The more the night went on, the more my body ached for him. Something had definitely shifted between us after last night. I still didn’t understand what he’d meant when he’d said that he’d figured it out. I was still lost about that statement, but I knew that my nightmare had opened up my thoughts about Tate and me. And to be honest, I was now more than ready to go on the ride of my life.
“Well here comes Mr. Hot Shot,” Jack taunted as Tate collapsed in a vacant chair at what was now our table at Red Velvet Las Vegas and flipped him off.
“This living in the limelight is exhausting.” He laughed.
“You are such a dick.”
“Suck it, Jack.” Tate patted his crouch and shifted his eyes to me.
“So when are you two going to fuck?” Jack asked loudly over the music pumping from the stage.
Tate’s eyes narrowed at Jack “What the fuck?”
“What? I know for a fact that you are right this second fucking her in your head, and I know Sav wants you between her thighs, so it’s a justifiable question. Sav and I do talk about you two, you know.”
Tate glanced questioningly at me, and all I could do was offer a shrug and a slight nod. “He is my ‘talk about fucking Tate’ buddy. I can’t do it with my female bestie so I do it with my male bestie.” And just like that, honest Sav had come out alive and kicking. Thank you, Mr. Tequila.
“And I can’t talk to you about fucking Tanzi, so I speak to my sister from another mister.”
Tate and Tanzi looked at each other as disturbance flashed over their perfectly matched faces.
“Aren’t they just deliciously gorgeous?” I murmured, my eyes jumping between Tate and Tanzi. “How would you two feel about a foursome? No boundaries? No regrets?”
“Oh you know I’m keen, Sav. The thought of that kind of makes me think of those stories you’ve told me,” Jack growled in response. I had to bite the inside of my mouth to stop a fit of laughter from escaping. Tate’s and Tanzi’s eyes shot wide and only ignited the fire of confidence roaring in my body.
“How about that time I told you about Tate fucking me against the window in New York City? Fuck, that was hot. My arse up against the cold window for the entire world below to see was such a turn-on. It was definitely one of our best times.”
I closed my eyes and slowly ran my tongue along my bottom lip as my memories floated back to New York City. The way Tate’s body had ground against mine, the way his voice had growled as he’d come inside me, and the words he’d breathed into my ear as I’d come around him.
“How about when I told you about the time I fucked Tanzi in the back seat of the car because we couldn’t wait to get to the apartment.”
“And Tate! God, he goes deep, like right up in there. I’ve never had it that deep before. It’s like he is going to screw the last breath out of me.”
“Yeah, Tanzi rides me like I am a champion stallion. Jesus Christ, it’s hot.”
“WILL YOU TWO SHUT THE FUCK UP?” Tanzi and Tate yelled simultaneously.
The looks on Tanzi’s and Tate’s faces were priceless. They looked like they had just stumbled in on their grandparents having sex or something just as disturbing.
“God, I love you Savannah! You are the one person who can get under Tate’s skin, so I am keeping you around,” Jack boomed from beside me.
He grabbed my hand and we took off through the bar towards the back laughing at the torment we had just put on Tate and Tanzi. As we waited to be served at the packed bar, I rested against the bar and leaned back on my elbows, taking in everything in front of me.
Red Velvet Las Vegas was stunning. The deep burgundy on the wall, the chrome fixtures, and black and white furniture made it look classy yet chic. The roof was covered with thousands of tiny fairy lights, and the draping of material from the high ceilings made it feel like a fairytale.
I closed my eyes at the soun
d of Blake’s voice filling the room. I was so happy knowing that Tate and Blake now had a relationship. They both had been so damaged by their arsehole father, and they’d found a common goal of proving that they could move past their insecurities over him. Humming along to one of their songs, I smiled, knowing that this was such a big deal for Tate to allow him to play at Red Velvet as part of a tour kick-off show.
“Do you like what you see?” Tate’s voice flooded my ears and the warmth of his breath made a shiver run down my spine. My eyes shot open as he took a step away and stood directly in front of me, and I couldn’t help but admire the hotness of Tate Connors dressed head to toe in black—black suit, black shirt, black tie. His hair looked like he had been perfectly fucked and the stubble grazing his chin was what I loved, but it was his eyes that made me fall under his spell. His perfect blue eyes were crystal clear tonight, looking like they were shining with life and contentment.
“Are you talking about the bar or what’s in front of me?”
“I was talking about the bar, but I’d take anything you are willing to give. Any access to what’s going through that pretty head of yours would be good.”
He leaned beside me and I looked at him out of the corner of my eye. He was in his absolute element. A smile played on his lips as he took in his surroundings.
“That was a mischievous display you and Jack put on out there.” He turned to me, shaking his head slowly, and I swear to god his cheeks flushed.
“Are you blushing?” I squealed.
“No, it just got suddenly warm in here.” He turned away and looked towards the bar. “Can I have two ice waters please?” I heard him say.
“Pfft! Why are you ordering water?”
“Savannah, I need you standing by the end of the night.”
“And why is that, Tate?” I purred with intention.
“Don’t flirt with me, woman. I am still working and I think it’s a little early to christen my office the first night we open.”
“You need to live a little, Tate.” I pushed his shoulder gently, dropping my head to the side and looking him over. I was blatantly flirting with him.
“I have plans for us tonight, Sav, and I really need to make sure you are one hundred percent coherent when it happens.”
Swallowing hard, I heard the promise in his words and instinctively licked my lips, dragging my bottom lip between my teeth. His eyes scanned my face and his eyes burned deep within me. My body ignited under his heated gaze, and I knew my breathing had increased. What the hell was it about us and bars?”
“What are you thinking right this second?”
“Honestly?” I whispered.
“Always honestly.”
“You make me want to come right here at the bar.”
“Fuck!” he muttered. Running his hands over his face, he looked around the bar and frowned. “Why did you have to say that?”
“You wanted honesty.” I smirked.
“Yes, but now my cock is straining against my pants and I am about ready to push those damn panties to the side and fuck you ‘til everyone in this damn bar knows my name.”
As I was about to respond, a middle-aged man approached us with his sights locked on Tate. “Hi, Mr. Connors. I just wanted to congratulate you on a very successful launch. I look forward to meeting you regarding expansion internationally and further discussions regarding the New York and Vegas bars.”
“Thank you, Craig. I look forward to discussing this in detail. I will be taking a month off once this launch is complete to spend time with my family, so let’s organize a meeting then.”
“I heard you had a little one. I hope your boy knows what a great job his dad has done with this place. It’s the talk of Vegas.”
“Max or his brother or sister will be running this place one day, so I have to set the groundwork for them.” Tate’s eyes flickered to mine as I stood in total shock.
Sister? Brother? Since when did Max have a sibling? Was I pregnant and didn’t know? Was it some kind of Immaculate Conception because I am pretty certain I’d know if Tate had been anywhere near me.
“Okay, I’ll be in contact in a month or so to organize that meeting. Congratulations again.”
“So I am thinking we should have three kids,” Tate stated and leaned back against the bar beside me after he finished his conversation with who I now knew as Craig. For once in my life, I was totally speechless, and all I could do was look at him with wide eyes. “I’m thinking our daughter will want this bar and Max will run the New York bar.”
“You said three kids?” I whispered.
“Yep. Two kids and a puppy.”
He winked at me before stepping away and walking through the bar, leaving me with a billion butterflies bashing around in my stomach and a weakness in my knees that only he could bring on.
“You are getting so lucky tonight,” Jack laughed beside me as he grabbed the drinks. When had he reappeared and what had he heard?
“Did you just hear that?”
“I have been hearing about his big old plans for the past three months, Sav. Seriously. For someone who calls himself Mr. Spontaneity, he has his dream life already planned, and it includes no one except you and Max.”
Tate
THE LAUNCH was going off with a bang. Every inch of the club was jam-packed with people, the music was loud, and the drinks were flowing. Sav continued to torment me in that white dress. It was like another layer of skin, sitting in perfect sync with the curves of her body that I wanted so desperately to be kissing, biting, licking, and fucking. I couldn’t look away. Utter fucking perfection.
When I wasn’t thinking of being balls-deep in Sav, I had spent the night in business-owner mode, mingling with guests, and smiling for the camera when needed, but my attention was always drawn back to Jack, Tanzi, and Sav, who had been dancing the night away.
“You’ve done good with this place,” Blake stated as he moved up beside me when The Fallen went on a well-deserved break. I couldn’t help but be highly amused by the small group of girls that were following Blake everywhere he went and were now giggling and deciding which one of them would approach him.
“You guys are getting a good reception up there.” I nodded towards the group of girls now staring at Blake. “They are about to pounce.”
He shifted his sight to the hyenas and winked in their direction, the pitch of the squeals almost causing my eardrums to erupt. “Yeah, Vegas is always good to us.”
Shaking my head, I knew exactly what he meant. Las Vegas had seen its fair share of man-whore Tate in his prime.
“What the fuck is Colby doing?” I growled as Sav once again took hold of my attention.
Colby and Sav were dancing in the middle of the jam-packed dance floor, her blond hair illuminated by the lights above and her cheeks flushed from the heat in the air. Colby spun Sav around until she couldn’t stand and slammed into his chest as laughter bellowed from her body. His arms wrapped around her waist and then they proceeded to waltz to a Beyoncé song the DJ was spinning.
“He is harmless.” Blake laughed. “He knows she’s yours.”
“She isn’t mine. That’s the problem.”
“Well, change that.”
“I am planning to. I just told her that I pretty much have our lives planned out and she didn’t run off screaming, so that’s a positive.” I laughed at the stupidity of this whole situation. Blake and I were players from way back, but here we were, talking about the future, me about my grand plans of living in the suburbs with my girl and kids and Blake looking like a lovesick puppy as he stared at a pretty brunette sitting by the bar. Seriously, what the fuck had happened to us?
“Who is she?” I nodded towards the bar. Blake’s eyes followed mine and I heard him sigh loudly.
“Band manager of the band we are touring with.”
“I didn’t ask her profession, Blake. Who is she?”
Blake scrunched his face up and groaned loudly. “She is my perfect distraction.”
“It’s always the way.”
Blake shook his head and glanced one last time at the brunette before taking off towards the stage, clipping Colby around the ear as he walked past. It was their final song before the opening night of Red Velvet Las Vegas was officially done. I had no idea what time it was. Tanzi and Jack had disappeared about an hour ago, and now it was just Sav and me.
When the first strum of Blake’s guitar shattered the air, Savannah moved to the front of the stage. As her body swayed along with the sounds of The Fallen, flashbacks flooded through my mind of that very first night at Red Velvet Los Angeles. I had stood watching this stranger I’d only known as Tanzi’s new Aussie best friend move her body so seductively, so mesmerizingly. I’d wanted her in every sense of the word that night, and now, almost four years later, absolutely nothing had changed. If anything, I needed her more now than I ever had.
Throwing caution to the wind, I did something I should have done four years ago. Weaving my way through the crowd and making my way to the front of the stage, I moved behind her and slid my arms around her waist, pulling her tight against my chest. Her head turned to look at me and a smile covered her face. Our bodies meshed together in perfect sync as we swayed with the rhythm of the music. Her head fell back against my chest and her hands covered mine. We moved to the music, completely lost in the low pulse of the bass and the feeling of our bodies locked together.
Sav twisted in my arms to face me, her arms snaking around my neck and her nails running through the back of my hair. “I need to kiss you, Tate.” Her tongue swiped her lips as the look in her eyes intensified and ran over my face. Her lips caught the corner of my mouth in the most sensual way, making me forget that we were in the middle of the dance floor.