Last Name - Dr. Rebecca Sharp Page 0,2

touch that also fueled the fire inside me—the flame I swore I’d never let anyone extinguish again.

“Thank you.” I flashed him a quirked, conspiratorial smile before turning and dumping the chilled contents all down the groper’s back and shoulder.

The mass of man let out a garbled cry, trying to move and shift but far too large to do anything but wiggle a few inches in his seat in cold discomfort

When I looked back, amusement and admiration carved creases in my savior’s face, bringing more life to the features so proportioned I wondered if they were set in stone.

“We should… get you some air,” he clipped, glancing around us before holding an arm in the direction of the exit.

Air.

Yeah, that would probably be a good thing, I admitted, realizing how my body felt hot and clogged with adrenaline… and something more.

Air. Perspective. Friends.

I tried to focus on my next steps, but the thought of just a few more moments under his warm gaze and mega-watt smile held me completely hostage.

“You okay?” he asked as we stepped out of the doors of the Bellagio and into the cool Nevada night.

I nodded. “Yes. Thank you… for helping me. I can’t believe that.”

He handed me another water he must’ve picked up on our walk out, giving it to me to drink this time. “Unfortunately, this city is known for providing the kinds of experiences that are as hard to believe as they are real.”

I gulped down the refreshment, dragging my gaze from my escort over to the fountains in front of the casino, bubbling with a steady and unassuming rhythm though at any moment, I knew the music would start and the jets would blast water to heights and displays I’d been eager to see.

“Well, I appreciate your help.”

“It looked like you could’ve handled him,” he assured me with a confident shrug. “I just thought rescuing a beautiful woman seemed far more productive than sitting at the bar.”

“Or losing to the house?” I said, biting into the corner of my lip to quell the smile his compliment invited.

He grinned. “I never lose to the house,” he replied. “Winning is easy when you respect the game…but play it better than the rest.”

I shivered, wondering if we were still talking about gambling or something more.

“I’m Carrie,” I introduced, realizing he’d helped me and I hadn’t even told him my name.

He looked down at my extended hand, as though it was a bet I was asking him to take, before engulfing my fingers with his, giving it a firm shake. “James.”

The agreement went unspoken that last names weren’t on the table tonight.

And that was okay with me.

I wasn’t looking for his last name or anything lasting. I was just looking for a good time. Something to make me forget my fiancé’s betrayal and the tailspin it sent my life into.

“Nice to meet you,” I murmured, my fingers lingering in his before I finally pulled them back. “And thank you again. I was just looking for my friends and all of a sudden that jerk grabbed me.”

“My pleasure.” His chin dipped. “Now, let’s get you back inside and find your friends.”

“I don’t think they’re in there.” I sighed. Pulling out my phone again, I saw I had an unread text from Bunny—the message lost in the shuffle of my momentary situation.

You missed the fountains! Meet us on top of Paris for a drink!

My brow scrunched.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah.” I shook my head. “I was going to meet my friends out here for the fountains, but I guess I just missed it.” I couldn’t hide the dismay in my voice. I’d been so excited to watch the iconic fountains at the Bellagio. “They asked me to meet them in… Paris?”

“You mean The Paris Hotel?” He nodded across the boulevard to where the giant Eiffel Tower was lit next to the sparking hot air balloon emblazoned with the name.

“That makes more sense.” I chuckled, unable to stop my eyes from glancing over at the sedate fountains once more.

I could argue that moving across the country was in some sense, letting loose. But between the move and securing my new job, making a new life and finding new routines, I hadn’t really had the chance to relax… to really have fun… in over a year.

Yes, the move had been for me. But it hadn’t been for fun. It was a necessity for moving on.

And now, I was already missing out on what felt like my first night of freedom.

“They just left you?” he