Drop Everything Now by Alessandra Thomas Read Free Book Online Page B

he answered. “No, I’m just taking her back to my place.” He laughed. “I know, I know. No, don’t worry about that. Okay. See you in a few.”
    To his place? I managed to sputter, “Your place? You said…”
    “Oh, no, no, no,” he said, chancing a look at me. “No. It’s not my place. Well, it is, but…you’ll see.”
    With that, he motioned to the parking lot of an extended-stay inn and suites. It was all white stucco with rusting zigzag staircases and awnings that were just about as worn as the ones on the Shooting Starr.
    “This is actually where I live. It was only supposed to be temporary. I work as the handyman here on the side, and they let me stay at half price. Anyway, the owner really loves me.”
    “Like Mina loves you?”
    He grinned. “Yes, like Mina loves me. And she’s been having trouble getting business here—shitty economy means fewer business people are staying in town long term—and I convinced her to let you stay for the same rate as me.”
    “Which is?”
    “One-fifty a week. And you can make twice that on the casino floor at least. And it’s week-by-week, so whenever you need to leave, you’ll be able to.”
    I ran a hand through my hair, doing quick calculations. If I ate beans, rice, peanut butter, and pasta, I should be able to make it work, even with my apartment back in Philly.
    “Thank you,” I said. “That’s actually perfect.”
    “And it’s furnished,” he said, grabbing the handles of my duffel and popping his door open. “Here, I’ll show you.”
    Ryder dashed around to my side of the cab and helped me down, and we headed toward the rooms. “Okay,” he said, leading me up three flights of rickety wooden stairs. “Mina said that 48 B was available, so this should be good for you.” He popped open the door to reveal a room half the size of the one at the hotel, with the same cheap art and bedspread—but it had a bed and a bedspread and even a TV.
    “The bathroom’s here,” he said, reaching across me and pushing open the door. Even if the whole place did reek of stale smoke, it looked clean enough.
    And it was only $150 a week.
    My nose must have been wrinkling because Ryder kept talking. “I know the smell’s not the best. I can tell you what I did to get rid of it for the most part. And the good thing is that I can take you into work every day, so you won’t have to worry about cabs. We can try to match our schedules up.”
    My God, this guy was adorable when he was worried or embarrassed or whatever this mumbling, eyebrows-pulled-together thing was. I put a hand on his arm, and his whole face relaxed as he looked at me.
    “This is perfect,” I said, and damn it all to hell if my breath didn’t sound like a breathy starlet talking to her crush—again.
    There was something weird about this moment though. Even though we were standing in one of the least classy rooms in extended-stay hotel history, and the circumstances were less than ideal and my brain was going crazy with worry and stress and, apparently, arousal—just touching him, just looking into his eyes, made me feel so incredibly grounded. Like there could be a hurricane swirling around me, but it wouldn’t matter. It would all be okay because he was there.
    Whoa.
    “Really?” he said, tugging at the collar of his shirt to reveal those sinewy muscles around his collarbones again.
    Do not lick him, Andi. I mean, holy shit. I actually had to talk myself down from licking a guy. I barely knew him.
    But I had seen him with his shirt off.
    Still, I had not planned on coming to Vegas so I could accost hot, shirtless hotel hosts in my room. Making out with random guys had never been part of my life plan.
    If there was anything the last few days had shown me, though, it was that doing things according to plan only took you so far. So instead of letting my hand fall from his arm, I tightened my grip, stepped into him. He didn’t flinch, didn’t back away, didn’t move a muscle.
    My breaths