Hannah huffed androlled her eyes. “Oh, my god, Toby. Knock it off. If I wanted the whole big-brother shtick I would’ve called my own brother. Learn some manners, for Christ’s sake. Toby, this is Luc. He’s not from here, so lay off, okay?”
I tried to ignore Toby’s posturing behavior. Knowing that I had at least twenty centimeters of height on him and the same difference in reach helped some. I could take the punkin a fight. I knew it. He knew it. And judging by the way Hannah laughed it off, she knew, too. And honestly, it was nice to know she had people looking after her.
Instead I turned to Hannah and raised an eyebrow like I didn’t give a shit about his threat. “You have a brother?”
“Seriously, Banana? He doesn’t even know your family and you’re pulling strings to get him in here tonight? Do youknow what I had to do to get you guys in here after hours? And for a freaking stranger? What the hell are you thinking?”
Hannah ducked under Toby’s arm and spun around so she was next to me and facing Toby. “Are you letting us in or what? Because I don’t have time for this shit.”
“Yes, you’re in. I just…I worry about you. You know that.” Toby fisted his hands like he was trying like hell tokeep from touching Hannah.
I knew they were just friends—but still the sight pissed me off. I could feel an energy between them, and for some reason the urge to mark my territory consumed me. My arm slid around Hannah’s waist and I pulled her closer to me until I felt her body heat against me. I gave Toby a smug grin. “Merci,mon ami. We really appreciate it.”
“He’s French, Banana? How longhave you two known each other?” Toby’s eyes lingered on my hand as I played with the fabric of her dress that had bunched at her waist.
“Thank you, Toby. How long do we have?” Hannah asked, completely bypassing his probing question. The longer Toby stared at us, the more rigid she got in my arms.
“An hour. And if you’re not back at your car by one, I will come looking for you.”
“Yes,Dad. Ipromise we’ll be back in time for curfew. Can we go now?”
Toby gave a sigh that sounded like every aggravated father ever. “Fine. The path starts opposite your vehicle and winds around. The staff should be mostly inside clearing out from the wedding. But I’m not kidding, Banana. One. Hour.”
“Yes, sir.” She patted his cheek as she pulled me past him and in the direction he’d indicated. “TellAlyssa I said hi. We’ll catch up soon!”
Toby’s reply was lost as we wound past a modern building with a curving roof.
“He seemed nice.”
Hannah snorted as she pulled me toward the path Toby had indicated. “If you think that was bad, you should meet my family.”
I laughed weakly at her joke but felt a bit of a pang at the knowledge that I wouldn’t meet them. It sounded like she had an amazing,supporting group around her—both friends and family—and what did I have? Pseudo-friends who were really my bodyguards and half a family who really didn’t give a shit about me?
Somehow, with all the drama going on, I’d missed taking in our surroundings. The air hissed and popped around us. And after a few steps we were surrounded by all the relics of Vegas’s historical neon signs. They lit upthe night sky and cast strange colored halos as far as I could see.
“Wow,” I murmured as I stared at the piles and piles of letters and signs, some plugged in, others illuminated by spotlights. It was easily one of the strangest yet hypnotic places I’d ever been. The lights were captivating—charming in that tacky old school Vegas kinda way.
“This is just one of those odd places that makes mefeel alive. Something about the sound of neon and the crazy lights here…I don’t know. It’s one of my favorite places.”
“No, I get it.” I stared at a three-meter-tall glowing camel. “It’s a bit like those old-fashioned carnivals with the big top and clowns. Something about it makes me feel like nothing else matters.”
“Exactly. Like a weird carnival only for adults or something. Come on, we’vegot the whole place to ourselves.”
I tugged on Hannah’s hand and pulled her toward me. She fell against my chest, and the electric sound of the neon had nothing on the zing that raced through my body. Ever since the encounter with Toby, I had felt a primal need to claim her and mark her as mine. So I gave in and covered her lips with mine. I kissed her until I forgot where we were standing. Ikissed her until we were both moaning. My hands skimmed up her tight body until I found the plump, straining mounds of her breasts. As I continued to kiss her, I cupped one breast in my hand and teased the tip with my thumb. Her nipple hardened to a throbbing tip and she gasped.
“This wasn’t exactly what I had in mind when I brought you here.” She panted.
“Do you want me to stop?” I murmuredback.
“I didn’t say that…” Hannah’s head fell back as she arched her breasts toward me. “I do think we need to find a more comfortable location if you’re going to keep that up, though.”
I ducked my head and teasingly nipped at her still-covered nipple. “How private is it here?”
“Oh, my god.” Hannah closed her eyes with a groan. “No one is gonna trip over us, if that’s what you mean. The museumwas closed tonight for a private party that ended a bit ago. Now the crew is just here to clean up. When Toby said we only have an hour, he meant it.”
“I’d rather have more time, but I guess I can make that work.” I took a step back and grabbed her hand again. Half a step later, I tugged her hand when she didn’t budge. “Hannah?”
She shook her head slightly and my excitement deflated. I’d pushedher too hard. I tried not to let my disappointment show on my face. If she needed more time, that was fine. By now I was getting used to walking around with an erection when I was with her.
