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Claudia blushed but also made no mention of correction; she could pretend to be the misses for however long he wanted. They strolled to the hot air balloon and Jaden helped her inside. The guide didn’t do much talking as the heat shot out of the mechanical device causing the balloon to take flight, but he did make some small comments.
“You’re just in time for this miraculous sunset,” the guide said. “In about five minutes you’ll get the best view of Las Vegas yet.”
Claudia leaned into Jaden, snuggling under his warmth. His male scent did erotic dances across her nose, and she exhaled. Being with him was exhilarating, and Claudia never wanted this time with him to end. Rubbing an affectionate hand over her back, Jaden bent his head and kissed her temples then slowly turned her to face the view. Claudia gasped.
“Wow, this is extraordinary.”
“It is,” Jaden responded. He held her tighter against his wide chest, and Claudia’s head fell against him. A swirl of wind flew around them and this moment was heaven for them both.
Claudia hadn’t been with a man like Jaden; respectful, charismatic, thoughtful, wealthy, caring. Hell, she hadn’t been with a man long enough to grow anything real. Her relationships had been more like scattered thunderstorms. The mountains surrounding the Las Vegas Strip were large and rose by every moment of their ascent.
“Here it comes,” the guide said.
The skyline ignited as an array of orange stretched across the clouds. Claudia gasped again pulling slightly away from Jaden.
“My God,” she whispered softly. If only she could take this moment and bottle it up to re-live later. The sunset cast a glow over the Las Vegas scenery, and Claudia turned to look at Jaden only to find him gazing intently at her.
“Are you seeing this, you’re going to miss this view.”
“On the contrary, chérie, I have the best view in my sights already.”
His arm slid back around her waist, drawing her into him. A kiss that sparked like a soft flame, smooth and warm, became predatory and detrimental within seconds. Claudia became unhinged. In her sights all she saw was him. His honey brown eyes and sculpted features in front of an orange display of the heavens. Claudia skimmed her hands up his chest and pulled slightly away.
“You have to stop doing this.”
Jaden cleared his throat. “What if I can’t?”
They stared at each other. Claudia was trying to decipher what he was getting at and Jaden awaited her response. Finally, Claudia turned away from him placing her hands on the basket’s edge. With the sun finally setting, their balloon flight began to descend. What did he want from her? Why was he so primitive one second and pulling away from her the next? One thing was for sure, Claudia had played enough games with men to last a lifetime, and she could no longer deny that she’d fallen in love with Jaden.
She inhaled a deep breath and pushed it out just as hard. Trying to get him out of her system once they’d made it back to Chicago was going to be dreadful. When their ride cruised back to the ground, Claudia was the first out. She could hear Jaden saying something to the guide before he sprung into a jog to catch up to her.
“Hey,” he grabbed her arm turning her to face him. “Did I do something wrong?”
The concern on his face didn’t make her unstable emotions calm. “I’m fine,” she said.
But he knew better. “You’re keeping something from me, Claudia. Tell me what it is.”
“I told you I’m fine, okay? Can we just go back to the hotel? I need some water.”
He watched her walk away then went after her again. At the car, they climbed in and Jaden turned the engine. Claudia was avoiding his gaze. She bit down on the inside of her jaw and twiddled her thumbs that sat in her lap.
“Seat belt,” he said.
Unsteady, Claudia fumbled with the seatbelt, but it was stuck. The tug and pull on the leather strap did her no good since it wouldn’t budge. Jaden reached over placing a warm hand over hers to steady her motions.
“Let me help you,” his deep voice thrummed through her. The rise and fall of her chest practically rocked her as his closeness played a game with her nerves. Jaden needed to know what had set her off. Pulling the strap, it stretched with ease as he buckled it around her. But Jaden didn’t move back. He hovered at her side watching her.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“What is there to talk about?” Claudia kept her eyes straight out the window as she spoke.
“Chérie…”
“Don’t,” she said.
He continued to read her. “Will you at least tell me what I did wrong, so that I won’t do it again?”
Claudia’s pulse kicked up a notch.