Page 35

B oyd

I’ve opened Pandora’s Box and left the lid cracked.

I’m letting her unpack me. Everything is spilling out.

Normally, that’s a terrifying thing, but it doesn’t seem to scare Sarah away.

A lot of it will go to the grave, but that’s just part of doing my job well.

The important thing is that I can trust her.

It’s been a long time since I’ve felt comfortable trusting someone.

“Can I ask you something, Boyd?” Sarah leans against me, looking up while we walk.

“Sure, fire away.”

“Have you ever been in love? Like, really in love?” Her question has a hint of apprehension behind it. “Lea said there was a girl at the Broken Lily… she said you proposed to her.”

I take a drag of my cigarette and exhale sharply. That’s deep inside the box. Under some shit I never move around. Not many people know about her, but I guess Massimo doesn’t keep anything from his wife, even the stuff I’d rather leave in the past. Fuck it.

“Yeah. Her name was Beth,” I sigh. “I mentioned her. Told you there was someone I used to care about. But I was the one who got too close. Thought there was more to it than she did. She was just having fun. Didn’t see herself having a life with someone like me. I was in love. She wasn’t.”

“I’m sure that was difficult,” she says, blowing strawberries and cream into the wind. “Is that why you haven’t found anyone since then?”

“Part of it,” I admit. “Kind of a wake-up call, honestly. If I was going to continue down the road I was already paving, I had to accept it was going to be a lonely one. I made peace with it. Especially after Massimo’s first wife got killed. I’m not sure I could handle that.”

Sarah sighs and leans against me again. “If you don’t break my heart, I won’t break yours.”

“That a promise?” I ask. “You keep unpacking me and you might find something you don’t like. Something that actually scares you away.”

“I don’t scare that easily,” she laughs. “Otherwise, I would already be gone.”

“Perhaps,” I say, turning and pulling her close. “But you’ve done something to me, Sarah. Woken something up inside me that doesn’t want to go back to sleep. When I say you’re mine, I mean it. If there’s even a part of you that isn’t sure, now is the time to tell me.”

Sarah looks down and she’s quiet for a moment. Long enough to ignite a twinge of worry. She finally lifts her head, her eyes giving me the answer before she says a word.

“I’m not going anywhere,” she says. “I feel the same things you do. Or I hope it’s the same.

I don’t want you to get down on one knee or anything, but I like spending time with you.

When we’re together, it seems like every day is an adventure.

And while I value my freedom, I can’t deny that I like being yours. ”

“Good.” I smile and squeeze her hands. “Then let’s go have another one.”

We continue our walk, and Sarah stays closer to me than ever. I love having her by my side. Love everything about this gorgeous woman, even if neither of us is ready for those three words. Still, it feels like we’re on the cusp of something incredible.

“Wait, are those hot air balloons?” Sarah’s eyes get wide. “How did you know? Wait, did Lea tell you how much I’ve wanted to do one of the balloon tours?”

“Nah, she told Massimo,” I chuckle. “After I asked him to get some ideas from her.”

“Impressive, Big Boyd,” she says, turning to me. “I bet we’ll be able to see the entire city.”

“It’s a clear night, so we should be able to see everything,” I say, letting go of her hand. “Wait right here while I get everything sorted. Hopefully, I still remember how to pilot one of these things.”

“You’ve been in one before?” she asks.

“Been a while. Emilio had an idea about using them for surveillance, so several of us had to take lessons.” I shake my head. “Wasn’t his best idea.”

I already called ahead, so the arrangements are made.

I meet with the guy who does the tours, pay for everything, and get a refresher on piloting the hot air balloon.

It all comes back fairly quickly once I listen to him go over it, so I return to Sarah confident I won’t crash the balloon in the middle of Las Vegas and kill us both.

“You’re sure about this, Boyd?” she asks apprehensively as I lead her over to the hot air balloon.

“I might risk my life on a whim, but I wouldn’t risk yours,” I say, slapping her ass. “Get in.”

It takes me a moment to get the hang of things, but then the hot air balloon begins the ascent. I handle the controls, and Sarah looks over the side, her eyes getting wider with excitement the higher up we get. She’s definitely not afraid of heights. I guess we have that in common.

“Oh, wow, you can see everything from up here!” she says excitedly, taking a quick puff of her vape. “There’s Salvalagio!”

“Yep, we’re going to go right over it,” I say, glancing toward The Gutter where I grew up. “We’ll follow the strip, like most tours, and then circle back. Unless there’s something else that you’d like to see from three thousand feet?”

“No, I’ve got the best view in Las Vegas,” she says, and I notice she’s looking at me, instead of the sights below us.

The wind is a light breeze, and it’s blowing in the right direction, so once I get us to the correct altitude, I let the balloon coast. We might get off course a little, but it’ll be easy enough to correct before there are any issues.

Sarah has turned her attention back to the sights, so I walk behind her and put my hand on her lower back.

“Is it everything you expected?” I ask, leaning over and looking at the city below us.

“Way better,” Sarah beams, leaning against me. “Especially with you here.”

We take in the sights. Kiss. Come dangerously close to going further than that, before the balloon tilts and I have to make some adjustments to the burner.

We stay in the air for several hours, the world below us completely forgotten as we enjoy our date.

My phone buzzes once and my gut clenches, because I’m afraid I’ll have to cut things short, but it’s just an update. Or rather, a lack of one.

“Alright,” I sigh, pulling away from my gorgeous date and walking back to the controls. “Can’t stay up here forever, as much as I’d like to.”

“Too bad,” Sarah says. “It’s so peaceful up here.”

She’s right about that. Peace isn’t something I’m used to.

There was rarely any trouble when I was Erica’s bodyguard, but it was still rather chaotic at times.

Always something to do, prepare for, or a reason to stay on high alert, just to be safe.

It’s not like that here. It’s just the two of us, and I really like that.

Too much. But I’m not going to fight it. Not anymore. Sarah is mine .

“Hopefully the landing won’t be too rough,” I grunt as I begin the descent. “I’ve always had some trouble with that part.”

“Oh, now you tell me!” she says nervously.

“Just hold on to something,” I advise, then shake my head when she walks closer. “Not me, little girl. Grab the railing.”

“Nah.” Sarah latches onto my arm. “I trust you to keep me safe.”

My heart thumps a little harder in my chest. She trusts me. She really does. With things she doesn’t tell many people. With her body, when she gives herself to me. With the pieces of her heart that she’s slowly letting me have.

Trust is sacred.

I’ll never do anything that makes her regret trusting me.

After the hot air balloon ride, we walk back to the waiting limousine. I can’t help pulling her off the road, behind a wall, and kissing the girl I’m getting more obsessed with by the minute.

“So, what’s next, Big Boyd?” she asks, looking up at me with a breathless gasp on her freshly kissed lips.

“I think it’s about time I got you home,” I murmur, my hand moving along her hips. “And out of this beautiful dress.”

“I like the sound of that,” she whispers, biting her bottom lip. “Maybe I am the kind of girl you can take advantage of on the first date.”

“I knew you would be,” I chuckle, teasing her nipple through her dress before taking her hand.

“Back to Salvalagio, then?” she asks, leaning against me as we walk.

“Nah, my place tonight,” I say. “You want to spend tomorrow with me, right? See what a normal day is like? Easier if you wake up in the same bed I do.”

“Then I need to stop by the casino so I can get a chance of clothes,” she says hesitantly. “I’m not letting you drag me around Las Vegas all day tomorrow in this dress… or these heels.”

“That’s fine.” I shrug. “We’ll stop on the way.”

An hour later, we’ve stopped by Salvalagio, Sarah has what she needs, and we’re on the way to my place.

I can’t resist kissing her lips, touching her curves, and keeping her close to me the entire time.

We spill out of the limousine and make it as far as the elevators before our lips are seared together again.

I resist the urge to stop the elevator, no matter how badly I want her.

I finally pull my lips away when the elevator stops. I pull out my keycard, swipe it, and open the door to my condo. Sarah steps inside and I remove my tie, draping it across her eyes before she realizes what I have in mind.

“Ah, wait!” she protests, but I swat her hand away when she scrabbles at the fabric. “What are you doing?”

I kiss her neck and trace my way to ear before responding. “I’m going to tie you to the bed tonight, little girl. I’m going to spank you, torment you, get you so wet that you won’t be able to see straight, even if you weren’t blindfolded. Then I’m going to fuck you. Hard.”

“That’s a lot for the first date, Boyd,” she murmurs, but she leans back and rubs my cock through my pants.

“I hope not, because I picked up a few toys I want to try out on you.” I kiss her neck again. “Now hold still like a good girl and let me take off your dress. And you better be wearing something I bought you underneath it, or you really are going to get spanked.”

“I am,” she whispers.

“Good choice,” I rumble, slowly sliding the zipper down her back.

I have all night to savor what is mine.