One Night in Vegas (18+)|✔️

Chapter 19

As the eight ball sank into the side pocket, I looked up to Jonah with a smirk.

He sighed, "Dammit."

Setting the pool cue on the table, I dipped into a sardonic curtsy.

"Alright – rematch?"

"Haven't had enough yet?" I taunted.

His eyes narrowed as he glared playfully, "Not by a long shot."

"Okay," I walked over to the tall pub table that held our drinks, "you rack."

Perched on a chair, I watched as Jonah bent over the table, setting up our next game. My smug satisfaction disappeared as I admired the breathtaking curvature of his buttocks.

"You okay back there?"

Shit-

Clearing my suddenly dry throat, I sputtered, "Y-yeah. Just thinking about how I'm going to hand you your ass this time."

Taking away the triangular guide, Jonah set it aside and came to face me.

"Baby, that's not what you were thinking about my ass."

I burned, white-hot under the intensity of his stare.

Incandescent, I turned to pick up my pint, sipping at my beer in a desperate attempt to stall.

His eyes held a wicked glint as he waited for my response. "Lilly?"

He wasn't going to let me get away with this one.

Crap.

Rolling my eyes, I asked, "Okay, can't I enjoy my mate's ass?"

Jonah leaned in, grinning, "Go ahead," then, next to my ear, he whispered, "it's yours to enjoy."

I almost combusted on the spot.

Speechless, I took another drink.

"Good beer?"

I swallowed, coughing, "Yeah, great."

I mean, it actually was. Somehow, they had managed to take an ale and make it taste like a damn Creamsicle.

But that was beside the point.

The point was that the more time I spent this with man, the less self-control I seemed to have.

And that was a problem.

Wasn't it?

I was having a hard time remembering why I needed self-control around him, but I was reasonably sure that I did.

It might have been because if I didn't get a grip on myself, and soon I was going to be falling into bed with him before the night was over.

And I wanted to know him better before that happened.

...maybe.

I came out of my daze when Jonah held out my pool cue.

He smiled, seeming to know the gist of my thoughts. "Ladies first."

I shook my head, "You know what? I won the last round, so I'll be magnanimous and let you go first."

Setting my cue aside, he took his and situated himself in front of the cue ball, focusing his attention on making a good break.

In my periphery, I noticed a couple coming up the stairs, led by a waitress.

The bright blonde hair looked familiar, and then she turned-

Anna?

And the man beside her...

I literally couldn't believe my eyes.

That man gives talks at statistical conferences?!

No.

No way.

That man takes gym selfies and has a favorite protein powder...

That man has his workout routine down to a science.

That man's biceps are bigger than my head.

...and he was looking at Anna like she was the center of his personal universe.

Holy shit - that's her mate.

That man gives talks at statistical conferences.

Shaking my head, I chuckled. Gotta respect a nuanced fella...

Then, Anna stopped, looking around as though she had heard me.

Turning, her eyes met mine, and I gave a discreet wave.

Her gaze drifted toward the man leaning over the pool table, and then back to me, curiosity written all over her face.

I smiled and mouthed the word, "mate", pointing at Jonah.

Her eyes widened as her jaw dropped.

I could only shrug.

"What is it?"

Jonah came up beside me and looked across the room.

"Oh, Winston and Anna."

"Winston?" I asked.

"Yeah?" He answered, puzzled. "We're gym buddies."

"Gym buddies?"

"Yep. He's a really interesting guy."

"Huh. Good for Anna."

"Did you two meet at the interview?"

"Oh, yeah – she's a sweetheart."

He brought his lips to my face, whispering, "She's also your new colleague."

"Really?!"

Jonah nodded. "And it looks like they're coming over..."

Anna reached us first, grinning ear to ear, "I hear congratulations are in order?"

"So," I glanced between her and Jonah, "you heard about the job?"

"Oh," Anna scoffed, "I knew you were going to get that, I'm talking about him," she gestured to Jonah.

"Ah. Yes – I'd introduce you, but I'm pretty sure you already know each other?"

"Indeed," She nodded a hello to him before lowering her voice to a mock whisper, "For what it's worth, Winnie vouches for him."

I snorted, "Winnie?"

She giggled, "I'm the only one who gets to call him that."

Glancing over her shoulder at her massive, intimidating mate, I made a mental note to only ever call him 'Winston'.

As he walked over to Jonah, I looked back to the petite woman before me, ready to chat-

-and then, I froze.

Winston, standing next to my mate, greeted him with a nod, "Alpha."

The word hung in the air for a moment while I tried and failed to wrap my brain around how it applied to my mate...

Anna's eyebrows raised, catching my distress.

"Hun?" She turned to Winston, "we should probably get back to our table – we don't want to interrupt their bonding time." Taking his hand, she rushed a goodbye, making as graceful an exit as it was possible, in these circumstances, to make.

Pausing for a moment to compose myself, I turned to Jonah.

"Alpha?"