promise.”
Jackson felt an abrupt pang of regret. He found that he liked having her complete attention on him. His cock stirred. This was so not the time to have a raging hard-on. He was furious about the current set of unplanned events unfolding around him. He didn’t want to be married to a stranger, even if she was gorgeous. And yet, deep down, he knew she was just as shocked and upset about this situation as he was.
She’d woken in bed with not one but two men after being drugged. He mentally took a deep breath and calmed down. Maybe even more so since Derek had complicated things even further by having sex with her before he realized the situation.
He didn’t blame his best friend. Of course Derek would fuck whatever woman Jackson was in bed with. They always shared women. Always. He’d been tasked to find someone for the weekend. Apparently, he had. And then he’d married her under the influence of spiked girly drinks. He took a step closer.
He was being a complete and utter ass. Shame coursed through his veins from his unsettled chest to his limbs. She suddenly looked so forlorn.
Jackson took another step closer. “I’m sorry. I’m the one who approached you at the bar.”
She smiled. “And drank half my drink. I think you probably saved me from something really horrible. I should say thank you.”
He pushed out a long sigh. “Could we maybe start over?” Jackson asked in a low tone. Her puzzled gaze prompted him further. “First of all, I apologize. I’m not myself right now. I hope you can understand.”
She focused her baby blues back on his face again. A strong ripple of awareness ran down his body at her intense regard. Fuck . He wanted her so much he couldn’t think of anything else. His body seemed to remember her even if his mind was slow to catch up.
She nodded slowly. “Of course, I understand. I’m sorry, too. And I didn’t mean to crash your party the other night.”
“You didn’t crash the party.” Jackson waved a hand in the air dismissively. “I’m an idiot. I shouldn’t have even brought that up. I was sorry to see you go. I now recall, the reason I approached you in the bar last night was because of the purple streaks in your hair. I remembered seeing them while you watched our show.”
Her hand went up and brushed the colored locks. “And here I put them there to look different from my norm. To blend in during my stay in Vegas better.”
“Really? Because it makes you totally noticeable to me.”
“I see. Good to know for the next time I’m hiding out. Note to self, nix the colored strands of hair.”
Jackson shook his head. “But then we might not have met.”
She shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not.”
“How could I have consumed half your drugged drink?”
“Based on your bold approach, I believe you would have found a way.” A timid smile soon surfaced on her lips. “The last thing I remember after the drinks is stumbling out of the bar clinging onto your arm.”
He snorted. “I don’t even remember getting off the barstool. I asked you something, but it’s foggy.” Fuck . Had he asked her to marry him? The phrase “Want to get married? It’s Vegas...” taunted him with echoes of his own voice repeating it over and over.
She turned her head to one side as if struggling to remember something vital. “Yes. You asked me if I wanted to get married because what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.”
“I wish I remembered that part of our evening a little better. However, the phrase ‘want to get married’ keeps echoing in my head. So I probably said it.”
Derek had a huge grin on his face. “Given the way you always get what you want, I’d say you kept asking her until she was tired of hearing your repeated requests and finally said yes to get you to shut it.” He pulled his cell phone out of his pants pocket and dialed.
“Who are you calling now?” Jackson asked.
Derek shook his head and his grin widened. “Clay? I have a special project