Page 12 of Final Temptation (Alpine Peak #2)

When Sophie and I were back at the coffee shop, before we made this whole plan official, I forgot to mention one major ground rule.

We failed to talk about the appropriate clothing to wear around the apartment.

So far, Sophie had unintentionally given me a hard-on with each and every one of her little outfits.

When it wasn’t a sundress, it was her incredibly short shorts or a tiny little crop top that was two seconds away from a nip slip.

I didn’t want to be a controlling asshole who told her what to wear around her own apartment, but apparently, I was naive in thinking she wore long johns in the middle of summer.

Two could play that game.

When I got out of the shower, I threw on a pair of joggers and kept my shirt off. If she was going to walk around here in next to nothing, I would too.

“So, what was it you wanted to talk to me about in regard to the wedding party?” I called out nonchalantly, entering the living room and finding a spot on the couch not too far from where she sat.

“Oh. Um, well, I was helping plan the party. And I had some ideas I wanted to bounce off you.” She did a double- take, her eyes connecting with my chest and failing miserably at hiding her pink-tinted cheeks.

“I’m listening.” I dragged one leg onto the couch, angling it so I could turn my body toward her to give her my full attention.

“I was thinking next month, we could take a weekend trip to uh…Vegas.” Her leg bounced up and down, and her finger twirled around a loose strand of hair.

“Vegas, huh?” If this conversation had taken place last year, before the accident, it would have been so easy to jump on the opportunity.

Old Myles never would have turned down a weekend in Sin City.

Even if I’ve never visited before, I knew exactly what went down in a place like Las Vegas.

Night clubs, endless parties, women, lots of women … and a clock that didn’t exist.

“Well, Paige and I were talking, although she briefly mentioned going to Vegas a while back. This plan was more my idea. We just didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable, so I told her I would talk to you.

” Her leg continued to shake, her nerves only becoming more wound up.

I stayed silent, waiting for her to continue.

“Ugh, but now that I’m saying all this out loud, I feel like I’m the last person who should be having this conversation with you.

” Her fingers interlocked behind her neck and her head tipped back.

It was obvious she was growing flustered.

“And why don’t you feel like you should be the one having this conversation with me?”

“I’m just your roommate, Myles. Paige and Declan are so much closer to you and your situation. I’m just the best friend trying to plan the party.”

My eyebrow perked up. “My situation ?”

“Fuck, Myles, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I don’t know why but I’m feeling rattled, and my words aren’t coming out right.” Her gaze dropped to her lap.

I knew Sophie didn’t mean anything by what she said, and I hated to see her down.

My finger reached for her chin, tilting it up so her eyes were back on me.

It was a small gesture, my fingertip grazing her jawline, but it only took a few seconds of looking into her eyes to know she had a million and one thoughts running through her mind.

She carried the same look in her eyes that I did on the days I couldn’t shut it all off.

I cleared my throat, dropping my hand. “Soph, don’t worry so much. Let’s just talk about it, put it all out there on the table.” I nodded, encouraging her. “So, Vegas?”

She took a deep breath. “It’s just the first place that came to mind when I thought about bachelor and bachelorette parties. I figured it could be a nice change of scenery if we all stayed sober and just had fun celebrating my best friend and your brother.”

The last thing I wanted to do was admit how hard it might be to be around a party scene such as Vegas.

Being the complicated one—the one everyone had to worry about—was the least ideal title I wanted slapped across me.

Paige and Declan were getting married, and it was important to fulfill my best man duties, go with the flow, and have fun—for them. Even if that meant going to Las Vegas.

It's always easier to hide behind my mask and pretend I’m fine.

“Yeah, a change of scenery sounds amazing.” I forced a smile.

“You really think so?” Her lips ticked up into a smile, and I didn’t have it in me to crush her excitement.

“Yeah, tell me what you had in mind.”

“Well, for starters, I came across the most beautiful hotel. There seems to be a lot less going on since it’s one of the few on the Strip without a casino, but it’s absolutely perfect! Spa vibes, great location, and the beds look like marshmallows.”

“Mmm, tell me more about these marshmallow beds.” I wiggled my eyebrows.

“Shut up.” She playfully slapped my arm. “I’m just saying they look comfortable and expensive.”

“Speaking of expensive, what if we booked one room—two beds, of course. That way, you can save money and stick by my side while Paige and Declan do their thing.” This upcoming vacation felt like a test. One that would challenge me in more ways than I may be ready for.

Essentially, I was just skirting around my fears, covering them up with a small request to have her by my side.

“Financially, that would make sense. Plus, we already room together now, might as well take it on the road.” She winked.

Fucking winked.

Sophie, sleeping only an arm’s reach away from me in a hotel room in the sexiest city in the States, would be an entirely different temptation for me.

“It’s settled then. What did you have planned for us to do there? And don’t pretend you don’t have an entire list created.”

She narrowed her eyes, proving me right as she grabbed her phone for reference. “Well, I went over a ton of ideas with Paige, but she cut me off before I could finish telling her all my epic plans, so thank you for asking.” She cleared her throat. “Are you ready for this?”

“Never been more ready in my life,” I answered sarcastically, but couldn’t help the chuckle that climbed up my throat.

“Alright, so hear me out…there is this hotel that looks just like the Space Needle and stands twelve hundred feet high. They have rides, Myles. Rides. ” She said rides like I should be picking up what she’s putting down, but I’ve never been more lost in my life.

“So, like an amusement park or something?”

“But so much better. They are an adrenaline junkies wet dream. There is a rollercoaster that rides along the edge of the tower—the tall as fuck tower. There’s a free-fall ride that would probably make you throw up, but just imagine being up so high that you could see the entire city.

Oh! And then there is this crazy ride called Insanity .

They wouldn’t name a ride Insanity if it wasn’t completely insane. ”

To be frank, it all sounded like a blast. Outrageous roller coasters and a girl who would most likely chicken out? She’d be so scared she would need my big, burly chest to bury her head in, my arms wrapped tightly around her to keep her from having a meltdown.

I was so fucking down for that.

A few thrilling rides with a hot blonde by my side only brought me back to her original comment— an adrenaline junkies wet dream.

“Is that your idea of a wet dream then?” I shot her a flirty look up and down her body.

“I mean, I wouldn’t consider myself a real adrenaline junkie, but it sounds quite exhilarating.” Her teeth sank into her bottom lip.

“Hmm, well, count me in. Just make sure I’m in that next dream of yours when your mind is reeling from the adrenaline rush.” I winked, standing up and heading for the kitchen to make a protein shake.

I had to admit, after having this conversation with Sophie, it didn’t sound all too bad.

Would Vegas be tempting? Hell yeah. But the more she rambled about the trip and all the activities we’d be doing, the more I considered that she may be the bigger temptation in this situation.

A couple nights sharing the same hotel room with her made staying sober in Sin City sound like a piece of cake.

At least that’s what I’ll try to convince myself of anyway.

“Hey… Um, what are you doing tonight?” Her voice floated behind me.

I turned around, facing her. “I was just planning to kick back here, relax.”

“Well, what do you say we do a little bit of roommate bonding? I feel like I haven’t seen you all week, and it would be fun to, you know, get to know each other…as roommates, of course.”

Roommates, of course.

We’d see how long that would last. “What do you have in mind?” I asked.

“Have you ever played the game, Two Truths and a Lie ?”

Oh, fuck. This game had the ability to cause some seriously sexy trouble.

“We each say aloud, three facts about ourselves. The only catch is that one of them is a lie, and we both will have to guess which of the three things isn’t true.

” She explained the rules while I played dumb, pretending I’d never played before.

Truthfully, I’d only ever played this game while drinking.

I’d never given it a go with a clear mind, so this would be new territory for me.

“So, is there a winner or loser of the game?” I asked.

“Well, not really. The point of the game is just to get to know one another.” Sophie shrugged.

“Why don’t we make it interesting? If I guess the correct lie, then I get something. Same for you, if you guess properly about my lie, you’ll get something.” My competitive nature came out in any type of game. Even if we were just spewing truths and lies.

“What do you mean, get something ? Like, we get to dare one another to do something?” Her cheeks turned an adorable shade of pink.

“That’s not a bad idea, but I was thinking more along the lines of strip poker. If I guess correctly, you take an article of clothing off. And I’ll do the same for you.” My eyes wandered over her tight body.

“I have some fan-fucking-tastic lies up my sleeve. I don’t think you know what you’re in for. Not to mention, you only have two articles of clothing…” Damn, her competitive side was cute.

I didn’t care how this unfolded; either way, it was about to get hot in here, and this was one wild way to break the ice with your new roommate.