Surrender by June Gray Page B

stood up and started the shower, trying to figure out how to tell Neal that I was ready to end our time together.
    â€”
    When I opened the bathroom door several minutes later, I found Neal lying in bed, his arms folded behind his head as he glared holes at the ceiling. I watched him quietly for a few moments, riveted by the torment in his face, wondering what the hell had put it there.
    When he noticed me, his entire demeanor changed: the lines between his eyebrows eased and his lips curled up into a smile. “Morning,” he said in a sleep-roughened voice. “You’re up early.”
    I dropped the towel and slid under the covers beside him. “So are you.”
    His warm palm found my breast under the sheets. “In more ways than one.”
    â€œWhat were you thinking about just now?” I thought I had finally figured him out, but after the conversation on the balcony the night before, he was once again a mystery to me.
    He dipped his head and nipped at the underside of my jaw, tickling my neck with his stubble. “I was thinking about you,” he murmured. “Of all the things I still want to do with you.”
    Even though I remained unconvinced, I laughed and tried to squirm out of his grasp. His hand slid down my stomach and found my heat, his fingers quickly slipping through my folds, further distracting me.
    By the time he slid into me, I’d already forgotten about his worries and my determination to leave, my brain emptied of all thoughts save for one: that I wasn’t ready to say good-bye.
    â€”
    After eating brunch at the hotel buffet, we went out into the bright Nevada sunshine.
    â€œWhere are we going?” I asked, looking down at my gray tank top and white maxi skirt, which billowed in the wind. “Why did you have me dress like this?”
    â€œSecret,” he said with a wink as he led me toward a waiting taxi.
    I settled into the seat. “You should know that I hate surprises.”
    He slid in beside me until our shoulders and thighs touched. “It’s a good surprise,” he said, squeezing my leg.
    â€œWhere to?” the taxi driver asked, casting me a long look in the rearview mirror.
    â€œTo the Bunny Ranch,” Neal said. He burst out laughing at my shocked expression and quickly said, “I’m kidding. To the MGM Grand, please.”
    â€œIsn’t that right down the road?” I asked.
    He grinned. “Yes.”
    â€œYou baller,” I teased.
    â€œWhat kind of gentleman would I be if I made my lady walk in this heat?” he said. “You’re going to need your energy for where we’re going.”
    It didn’t take long before we were exiting the taxi and he was leading me through the hotel, past the golden lion, under the golden dome, by the live lion habitat, and finally coming to a stop in front of the Hollywood Theatre sign.
    â€œAre we going to see a show?”
    â€œNo, we’re not,” he said, approaching a lean, good-looking man in a blue button-down shirt, vest, and black slacks. “Hey, man. Good to see you again,” Neal said, shaking his hand. “Carlos, this is Julie.”
    I shook his hand, still bewildered.
    â€œNice to meet you.” He turned to the main theater entrance and unlocked the set of doors on the right. “You have an hour before the crew starts setting up for the show,” he said to Neal as he led the way inside.
    We walked down the aisle through the overwhelmingly red theater, past the empty seats toward the stage.
    â€œThank you,” Neal said, shaking Carlos’s hand again.
    â€œNo problem. Happy to return the favor,” Carlos replied, heading back toward the entrance. “I’ll lock the doors behind me. Just call me on my cell phone if you need out.”
    When he was gone, Neal turned to me with a pleased smile on his face. “A few years ago he needed to fly to Idaho for a family emergency, so I helped him out,”