Free Hot on His Heels (What Happens in Vegas) by Margo Bond Collins Page A

Watching him over the tartlet, Sadie nibbled at the glazed kiwi on her dessert.
    Jake blinked slowly, his gaze on her mouth. Shaking his head a little, he focused on Sadie’s question. “It wouldn’t be good for Ian’s career.”
    “So? Don’t get me wrong—I disagree with most of your brother’s politics. But having a sibling whose life contradicts a political stance hasn’t hurt other politicians.” Sadie took the last bite of the tart and sighed in appreciation.
    “It’s hard to explain.” Picking up the tiny chocolate mousse cake Sadie had considered earlier, Jake held it across the table. “Let’s share.”
    Head tilted to one side, Sadie considered the morsel, then looked back up at Jake. “You can’t distract me. I’ll share if you at least try to explain.”
    When he nodded, she leaned forward and allowed him to feed her. Jake watched her for a long moment, then placed the second half into his mouth. Sadie had to fight an urge to lick the remaining chocolate off his fingers.
    After he swallowed, he pushed the plate of leftover desserts away. “I guess it comes down to this,” he said. “Ian has always been ambitious. He always knew he wanted to go into politics. He’s the focused one.”
    As he gathered his next words, he absently picked up a tiny pecan pie and ate it. “I drifted from job to job until I landed a modeling gig with Intertwined. Kamille went to college with me and Ian, so she called to see if I would work with her. Ian tried to talk me out of it.”
    “You modeled for Intertwined? Not some other publisher?” Sadie frowned. “I don’t remember seeing you on any of their covers.”
    “ The Beach Bargain , The Castilian Connection , Call Me Tomorrow .” He rattled off the titles to several of Intertwined’s early novels.
    “Seriously?” Pulling her phone out of her purse, Sadie flipped over to the reading app and began searching. “None of the covers show your face.”
    But they showed a lot of skin—a muscular torso and abs that made her fingers itch to touch them.
    “‘Twice or thrice had I loved thee, / Before I knew thy face or name.’” With a start, she realized that she had not only spoken aloud, but that she had been sliding her forefinger across the image in front of her.
    How much champagne had she had? Somewhere along the way, she had lost count of the times the waiters had stopped to fill their glasses, but it was certainly more than she had intended to drink. She could feel the dreaded dull flush climbing up her chest and into her cheeks.
    Eyes wide, she glanced up at Jake, half expecting to find ridicule or censure in his expression. Instead, she realized that his attention was riveted to her hands. When he dragged his gaze up to meet hers, the heat in his eyes was scorching.
    Slowly, he pushed his chair away from the table and stood, moving to stand beside her without ever breaking eye contact. He held out his hand. “Let’s get out of here.”
    Maybe it was the champagne, but suddenly Sadie didn’t care. She was in Vegas, on a date with a man who made her heart race every time he looked at her. For once, she would do what she wanted rather than playing it safe.
    And right now, she wanted to go with Jake Blaine—no matter where he wanted to take her.

Chapter Ten
    They didn’t speak, but twice on the way back to their hotel, Jake stopped to kiss Sadie, leaving her breathless, her head spinning with desire. As soon as the elevator doors shut behind them, Jake swept Sadie into his arms again, pulling her against him and running his lips down the side of her neck, the slight scratch of his jaw contrasting with the full softness of his lips. As the elevator began to rise, Sadie’s stomach dropped away, and she wasn’t sure if the sensation was from Jake’s kisses or the motion.
    He skimmed one hand down her arm and to her waist, then caressed the curve of her hip and snugged her even tighter against him. The tip of his erection pressed hard against