Free Gambling on Love (Stories of Serendipity #6) by Anne Conley

She was still naked from her bath last night, as Luke had just transferred her dried body to the bed from the bathroom. And he certainly hadn’t bought a pair of pajamas in the gift shop to wear for decency’s sake. As realization of their state of undress dawned on her, Luke felt her respond in his arms, as she began wiggling against him.
    He broke off the kiss before it could go any further, and rested his forehead on hers. He could feel her heart pounding against his chest, and her breathing was ragged, just like his.
    “What do you say, Kathy? I realize I’m not the best at proposals, but please?”
    She finally spoke, and her words held an air of helplessness. “I feel so stupid, Luke.”
    Ignoring the fact that she still hadn’t answered him, he kissed the tip of her nose. “You shouldn’t feel stupid. You were desperate. And it’s my own fault. I was trying to surprise you, but I went about it all wrong. You threw down the gauntlet, and instead of agreeing to your terms, I got pissed that you’d messed up my surprise. I acted like a child.”
    “I’m sorry…”
    “I’m sorry, too. We both made some mistakes, but we’ll get through them together, right?” She still hadn’t said yes, and it was making him more than a little nervous.
    “About last night…I’ve done some stuff here that—”
    “I don’t care about what you did last night.” He was lying; he cared a lot if someone else had touched her. “We’ll talk about that later. I’ll do whatever you need me to make everything right.” It was killing him that she hadn’t answered him. “Say yes, Kathy. Please? I’m dying here.”
    She smiled at him, and he saw her eyes were glassy with tears. “Okay.”
    “It’s not the earth shattering squeal of pleasure that I’d hoped for, but it will do.”
    Kathy was acting sort of shy, which was new to Luke. Her cheeks were flushed, and he wasn’t sure if it was from pleasure or what, but he kissed her to quell any thoughts of taking back her tepid agreement to his proposal. Her response reassured him that she wanted to be his as badly as he needed her. Before long, her limbs were entwined with his, her hot sex pressed against his thigh and her hands were toying with his ever-present morning erection. He couldn’t stop kissing her though, so he spoke to her with his mouth against hers.
    “Settle down a little, sugar. The next time we make love, I’d like for you to be my wife.” Reluctantly, he pulled away, trying to still her hands. “Get dressed, and I’ll take you shopping. You need a new dress.”
    He winked at the eager smile she flashed him, feeling better about the situation, before dressing in his gift shop clothes. When she raised an eyebrow at him, he shrugged. “We’ve both got some explaining to do, but we’ll have story time after we’re married. We’ll get room service and make an evening of it.” He dropped a quick kiss on her cheek and steered her toward her luggage, ignoring the way her eyes glazed with guilt when he spoke. He was dying to know what she’d gotten up to in Vegas, but honestly wasn’t sure he could handle it.
    The Bellagio had an assortment of clothing boutiques, so he dropped Kathy off at one, telling the associate he would come back and pay for whatever she picked out. He went to a men’s wear store and picked out a pair of jeans, a tee shirt, and a black dress shirt with slacks, trying not to think about how long it would take to pay off this particular credit card. It could definitely be considered living expenses. He couldn’t live without Kathy.
    Picking her up at her store, Luke paid, not even batting an eye at the price tag, before dropping her off at the spa and pre-paying for her to have a deluxe package: massage, hair, nails and makeup. He left her there with the promise of picking her up for the wedding and left on his mission to find the perfect ring for her. They had four hours until the wedding.

    Kathy was overwhelmed. Luke had