Page 21 of Final Temptation (Alpine Peak #2)

It was quiet around the apartment tonight, like it usually was, until Myles got home. I kept myself busy, finalizing the details for our Vegas trip. Rooms had officially been booked at one of the classiest hotels on the strip—one without a casino, as we had discussed.

With it being my first time in Sin City, I was fully ready to live my best life. There didn’t seem to be a better hotel to fit our needs, so the plan to stay at Vdara , directly in the center of Las Vegas Boulevard, was a no-brainer.

I booked Paige and Declan one of the fanciest rooms they had.

Declan told me to reserve the best, it didn’t matter the price, he wanted to impress his soon-to-be wife.

When I saw the photos online of the insane strip view, the massive king-sized bed that sat upstairs in a loft, and the gigantic soaking tub looking right out to the city night lights, it was a done deal.

My best friend deserved to have the sexiest night in Vegas before she was officially off the market.

On the other hand, I booked Myles and me the standard two-queen room.

Even with it being standard , it was going to be the nicest place I’d ever stayed.

Who knows, maybe when I checked us in, I could show some cleavage and bat my eyelashes for an upgrade—assuming whoever checked us in enjoyed a nice pair of tits.

I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. Something about planning this party, and how happy it would make the almost newlyweds, had me eager to plan a future for myself.

This wasn’t just any vacation. It was an opportunity to prove to myself and my dad that I could be something greater than the owner of a small-town bar.

I can’t remember a time when I’ve been so motivated to do something for myself.

Almost like my dad could read my mind, my phone buzzed with his name flashing on the screen. Normally he’d opt for a text message.

The vibrations from the incoming call rattled against the end table, and a pit in my stomach formed. I contemplated answering, but I couldn’t ignore a phone call.

What if it’s something serious?

These days, he didn’t just call to call.

“Hey, Dad.” I picked up the phone, setting my computer aside.

“Hey, Soph. I just wanted to check in on you.”

“At nine o’clock?”

“Well, you know how it is at the bar. I got stuck late finishing up some payroll, and I was just headed out. Figured I’d give you a call and see how you’re doing.” The mention of the bar slightly irritated me. Mostly, because he was bringing it up, and I knew he wouldn’t let it go.

“I guess you could say I understand, seeing as how I grew up in that place. But I don’t know if you remember or not…that you fired me,” I scoffed, feeling petty.

“Soph, you know I was just trying to teach you a lesson. You can always come back to work any time, but not until you’re ready to admit that you need this bar as much as it needs you.”

My eyes rolled so far into the back of my head I was scared they’d get stuck.

“Dad,” I scolded him. “I don’t need that place. I don’t want to work at Peaks for the rest of my life. I have dreams outside of the family business. Why is that so hard for you to understand?”

“And what dreams would those be? You mentioned going back to school, but that’s it. You didn’t have any plans outside of that the last time we talked.”

Yeah, because I didn’t want to tell you. If you can’t be proud of me for taking the leap to go to school, why will you consider being happy for me when I reveal that I want to start a special events and party planning business?

“Just so you know, since you didn’t ask, school is going great. It’s opened my mind to what I want to do, and I’m making steps in the right direction. I also have a roommate to help me with the bills while I focus on my studies.”

How hard was it for him to just call me and speak to me like any other father would to their daughter? How are you doing, Honey? How’s school? What have you been up to?

Instead, he spoke down to me like my ideas of going to school were silly, and I was stupid to have any aspirations outside of taking over the bar for him one day.

“I just don’t understand why you would waste your money going to school, when I have a perfectly successful bar in town to hand over to you one day.”

I heard the sound of Myles lock his car, the high-pitched beep giving me the perfect excuse to get off the phone.

“I gotta go, Dad. My roommate just got home.” I tossed my phone to the side, not bothering to say goodbye.

I didn’t want to seem rattled when Myles walked through the front door, so I grabbed my laptop, placing it back on my lap, and plastered a giant smile on my face.

Hopefully, it didn’t look too fake.

“Hey, Rebel,” I greeted him excitedly, putting the conversation with my father behind me.

Would you be bothered if I did a quick at-home workout? Myles’ question came back to me.

Bothered? More like hot and bothered. By all means, please. The floor is yours, and I’m sitting front row.

Myles ran to his room to change into athletic shorts, waltzing back into the living room without a shirt on, his chiseled chest on display.

Did he have any idea how hard it was going to be to continue staring at my computer screen when he was moving his body in ways I only saw while watching Magic Mike ?

“What is that?” I gazed over my computer, noticing a weird, bar-looking contraption in his hands.

“It’s a pull-up bar. I can wedge it between the doorways.” He angled it just right, so it was sitting on the top of the door frame. “See?” he said, as he began testing out a couple pull-ups. I was having a hard time keeping my jaw off the floor each time he lifted his body up on that bar.

“So, um, y-you’re just going to keep doing that same thing? Right here?” If this was what he did for all his at-home workouts, then by all means, fuck me sideways. Cancel the gym membership and workout from home, permanently, please and thank you.

“I was planning to do a mix of pull-ups, push-ups, and sit-ups. If I were at the gym, my workout would be a bit more complex. But I’m working with what I have here.” I stared at him blankly, my eyes blinking open and shut. “Is that okay with you?” he asked.

“Mhmm.” I answered with tight lips, nodding my head.

“Okay, because you’re acting kind of weird. I don’t want to get in the way of what you’re doing.” He placed his hands on his hips, just above the waistband of his shorts that laid low enough to show off the deep V traveling all the way down to the part of him I couldn’t get off my mind.

I cleared my throat. “I had no idea that when you mentioned working out at home, it was going to look like this.” I gestured my hand toward him, waving it up and down his torso.

His eyes traveled down to his stomach—flexing even harder knowing I was eating him up. With a wicked grin, he dragged one hand up his body and said, “Oh, is this going to be a problem for you?”

“Nope!” I answered in a high-pitched voice, looking back down at my computer, forcing myself not to look up at what he was doing. Sure, we were friends with benefits, but I didn’t want to show all my cards. I refused to display the side of me that was obsessed with Myles Cooper.

“If you say so.” It took every bit of restraint I had to keep my eyes down and off him as he started his workout. Since I could see him out of the corner of my eye, I noticed he was starting with push-ups. His eyes were faced away from me, toward the ground.

I can sneak a peek, and he’ll never know.

The position he was in made every single muscle in his body pop. His legs were straight out; each limb flexed in order to hold himself up. And his ass… Jesus, this man had an amazing ass.

Does that make me an ass girl?

My eyes went on a journey of their own, traveling all the way up his body, researching every indent and smooth surface.

His back was tight in all the right places, and my fingers begged to run over every defined edge of him.

His palms were planted to the floor, each finger splayed out, holding himself up.

I could get lost for hours watching the way he moved his body.

Completely avoiding what I was doing on my computer, I was now in a trance—one he seemed to have me in often.

“You like what you see?” The deep rumble of his voice shook me right out of my daydream. He got up from the floor effortlessly and moved over to the pull-up bar. I was caught red-handed, my face more than likely turning a bright shade of pink.

He began pulling himself up, one rep after another, never breaking eye contact with me. I closed my laptop, setting it aside. It was dumb of me to pretend I wasn’t completely distracted.

He’d already caught me stealing glimpses of him anyway.

I stood up and walked toward him, placing my body right in front of his.

“Tell me, why did you need to get a workout in tonight? It’s kind of late for that, don’t you think?” I cocked my head to the side, turning on the charm.

He finished his pull-ups, landing his feet right in front of me. “I needed to let off some steam. It was a long day.” He tilted his head in the opposite direction.

“And you’re telling me a late-night workout was the best way to let off that steam?” I asked, drifting my eyes down to his chest.

“Are you suggesting something else, Princess?” Truthfully, I had no intention of it, but my mind wandered the more he put himself on display for me.

“Yeah, I think I am.” I tugged on my lip with my teeth, feeling the rush of heat run through me.

“What do you suggest is the best way to blow off all this pent-up energy?” We stood inches away, yet we weren’t touching.

“Me,” I let out in a low whisper, flicking my eyes back up to his.

“What about you, Soph? I need you to be clear with me since you’re the one in control here.

If it were up to me, I’d bend you over the kitchen table and eat you from behind for dinner.

” His finger raised to my chest, tracing the tops of my breasts that were seconds away from spilling out of my tank top.