"Seriously, who stole my luck?" Malik snaps after another failure on the poker machine.

We're all inside the casino after a decent dinner we've had. Laughing, I make my way toward Liam. Each time I tried playing with these monstrous machines, I failed miserably. Well, except for my first trial that came as smooth as a cheesecake.

"I bet you had none to begin with," replies Roshni with a chuckle, talking to Malik. They are all seated in a row, as though they are working in the office computers.

Liam is seated cross-legged on the sofa, farther from the rest. He's the chaperone here—I smile.

"Ugh! I'm so done!" Sam grunts irritably. "I feel like these slots are cheating big time. I mean, none of us won a big thing up to now?" She shares a nod of agreement with Malik.

"Why don't you give it a try, Liam?" Roshni suggests quietly, watching Liam on the other side. "Only you haven't tried this."

"No, thank you." Liam smiles kindly, stretching his arms as I join him. "But try changing the slot, and go randomly. Also, check out for bonuses." he tells them.

"Oh?" Sam utters wistfully. "Does that work?"

"I'm not sure." Liam shrugs. "But it wouldn't hurt to try, would it?" He's back onto his mobile.

"I swear if I don't win this time I'm going to sue them," Malik snaps and I laugh loudly. "This is not okay at all." He's still rumbling nonstop.

"Who will you sue? The hotel?" I muse, and this precious laughter we all share is enough of success for my night.

Taking a seat next to Liam, I see him frowning at the call on his cellphone. He doesn't pick it, however, which makes my eyebrows knit together in confusion.

"Is it from work again?" I ask him when the call ends.

"No," he answers vaguely. I glare at him. "It's from—" He pauses upon the text that has just arrived.

"From who?" I insist urgently. I feel like I'm not going to like the answer.

Why am I being suspicious, though? I can't help but reprimand myself. And at the back of mind I remember the same reaction back in Los Angeles when some caller kept bugging him.

But it was from work at that time. Is it the same this time? No, he clearly said it's not from the office—so then who's calling him? And why is he mad instead of picking up? Am I petty?

Liam shoves his phone aside. "She's no one important," he answers at last.

"A she?" I think out loud, my voice unrestrained. "It's a woman?" I clarify my question.

"Kira." Liam laughs wittingly, pulling my now stiff body to his side. I yield reluctantly. "Yes, it's a she . . . but not the kind of she you are satirically imagining." He looks amused but I'm not.

"What do you mean?" I frown.

"I mean, she's not related to me."

"Why is she calling you then? And even texting you." My tone rises, exasperated.

Oh, I think I'm getting out of hand and it's the image I don't want to show on the first night with him in this beautiful city.

Liam sighs heavily. "Well—"

"Who is she, Liam?" I pull myself out of his grip, facing him intently.

"Oh God. Must you know, Kira?" he asks, his eyes mocking.

"You must be kidding me, Liam Darcy! Yes," I answer sternly, and somehow our friends catch our voices. I tone down. "Now more than ever because you're being very suspicious right now. I trust you, baby, but don't make me distrust you even a little bit. Who is that woman, Liam?" I ask calmly.

Taciturn, Liam takes his mobile and opens the last text he's received recently. Displaying it openly on the screen, he hands the iPhone to me. I grab it hesitantly, my eyes on his.

*I know you're not picking my call on purpose but tell Malik to answer my calls before midnight, or else he won't love to see what's coming.

After reading I lift my eyes up at Liam, and he smiles wickedly at me. How embarrassing.

"Who is she?" I ask softly.

"She's a troublemaker that I don't understand why Malik keeps." Liam takes his cell phone back, sounding uninterested with this lady. "Shall we go to our room? I'm really not in the mood to be here." He yawns, and he's tired for real today.

"Are you ever, though?" I tease, trying hard to ignore my curiosity over the message sender. "You don't know how to have fun, Liam." I lay my head on his shoulder, my best pillow.

"I do, come on!" He snorts.

I smile indulgently and gaze up at him. "Really? How?"

"When I'm with you," he replies, "behind closed doors. Just the two of us. It's the best idea of fun for me."

I flush. "I'm very flattered, Mr. Darcy, but we have to expand your horizon, darling. Oh well, mine as well. Not that I'm too outgoing, as much as I'm a bit more spontaneous than you are." I smile at him, a blush on my cheeks.

"I'll be glad to explore the word 'fun' with you, Ms. Jones . . . but not today. I really want to be in bed," Liam insists, toying with my hair smoothly using his fingers.

"In bed? Just that?" I lift a playful eyebrow, biting my bottom lip.

"You know the answer, Kira, do not play with my emotions," Liam hisses and I burst into laughter. "So, shall we go? And proceed where we stopped earlier?"

"Well," I utter gently, pretending to be thinking critically. "Only if you promise that there won't be any interruption, Mr. Darcy. Or else I'm going to get myself another room until further notice."

Liam laughs hard that I see fireworks in the sky at the sight. God, he's gorgeous in every form: laughing, serious, neutral . . . just not when he's mad. I don't want to make Liam angry again.

"Okay, I'm turning my phone off . . . right now." He does as much and I smile from ear to ear. "Anything else, my Lady?" His gallantness makes me blush profusely.

"Nothing," I reply softly. "For now," I add and our lips mingle into a little kiss that reminds me of how much I love, rather than desiring him.

We both get up and march towards the gamblers who have finally managed to get their first big win, thanks to Sam's last minute luck. We bid them good night and leave them to their victory. They look as happy as we are.

"I swear they'll never realize how much they've spent until the morning comes," says Liam as we walk away.

I guess. I'm not a gambler anyway.

"Have you ever done . . . this gambling thing?" I ask Liam, lifting my eyes up at him.

"Yes," he says. "Too many times, I might add."

"Really?" I'm surprised.

"Yes, Kira. Back in my teenage years." He grins at the face I'm making.

He's kidding, right? I blink at him.

"Why do I get the bad boy vibes coming from the younger you, Mr. Darcy? Are you some kind of a troublemaker?" I blurt my thoughts and Liam looks entertained.

"Will you believe me if I say that I nearly went to Juvenile?"

"Shut up!" I gasp loudly, and he laughs heartily.

We halt in front of the elevator, waiting for the doors to open. Liam keeps staring at me, amused, and I keep widening my eyes at him, flabbergasted.

"Juvenile? Why?" I inquire.

Liam sighs heavily, but his smile persists. "Well, it's a long story, Kira."

"We've got the whole night, Liam Darcy, so don't give me that." My curiosity is highly aroused and I'll never settle for less.

"I thought the night was for something else, though," Liam argues gently, holding my hand as the elevator doors fling ajar. "Don't we have a lifetime to discuss my dark teenage years?" He leads me in.

"Dark teenage?" I'm still nonplussed.

"Yes, Kira, I wasn't a saint."

"Oh my."

"But don't worry, I wasn't a killer nor a rapist." Liam grins boyishly, looking serene.

"Liam!" I nudge him laughingly.

He laughs along briefly. "It'll tell you some other time. Right now I just want to do this." He pulls me near after the doors are shut, and smiles lustfully at the sight of my smiley face.

Oh my! I inhale sharply.

"Are we starting right here, Mr. Darcy? Someone may come in," I whisper softly, welcoming the heat of his arms tightening my waist with his domineering grip.

"I highly doubt anyone may come here at this hour," Liam replies. "Besides, what's wrong with me kissing my woman? I don't care if anyone walks in." His breath burns my neck, his lips gently grazing my skin. Damn.

"Oh," I breathe.

Chuckling, Liam remarks, "I'm not going to fuck you inside the elevator, Kira, no matter how nuts I am for you. Definitely not this elevator."

"Really now? That's very disappointing." I gaze up at him, zero distance between us. "I was thinking of doing something vulgar with you right here, so what do I do now?" Pursing my lips seductively, I drop my hand down and reach for the fly of his jeans.

"Kira," Liam breathes, his voice husky at the sudden touch of my indecent hand. I love it!

"What? You don't like it when I do this?" I gently rub his pulsating erection over the jeans, my lips nearing his closer. He's hard already, my sex goddess cheers. "And this?" I start kissing him gently, and he doesn't stop me.

"Mmm." He groans between my lips and I know we want each other.

The elevator keeps ascending higher as Liam holds me tighter and spins me around so my back stays against the wall. Wow! I'm pinned by him. I feel his erection poking my thigh, hard and inviting, and my body heat rises.

"What are you doing to me, Kira?" Liam grunts, catching his breath, eyes darker with unrestrained desire.

"Exactly what you're doing to me, Liam," I reply and my hungry mouth crushes back into his. To our luck no one intervenes until we make an exit, highly turned on.

Liam slams the door to our suite unceremoniously. Lifting me up, my legs curl around his waist. We kiss each other with pure, unrestrained passion and as he takes me toward the bed, our tongues swirling coherently at the sweet sensation surging in our bodies.

"Which one do you want, baby? To make love, or to get fucked?" Liam asks as he drops me down on the bed. Oh my! That's hot. "Tell me?" He pulls his T-shirt over his head, his blue eyes as wild as the sea.

"Fuck me," I utter with heavy anticipation, my chest rising and falling with deep desire. "Rough with the right amount." I giggle softly, watching my fiance's glorious chest filled with sinew lines of muscles leaning toward me.

Fuck, he's my Adonis.

Liam grins. "Rough it is." He leans over toward my face, as though he's doing a push-up, partially weighing my body. His eyes settle on mine for a long while, gleaming fondly.

"What?" I breathe, binding my legs together at the twitching lascivious urge inside me.

Liam smiles down at me. "I love you, Kira," he says, his voice amorous.

"I love you, too, Mr. Darcy," I reply and in millisecond we are back into kissing each other, the libidinous fire slowly awakened.

Our clothes drop on the floor swiftly, the room filled with moans and grunts shared by both of us. Damn, this is my beautiful bliss I wouldn't want to ever leave. Liam's lips all over my body, his wet tongue gliding inside my womanhood, holy fuck! I moan.

I hold his head with eyes shut, and his mouth doesn't yield even when I wriggle my ass to feel the depth of his tongue swirling inside my sex, licking and sucking the most sensitive part of my female anatomy. He holds me still, his arms strong around my thighs.

"Liam . . ." I can't hold this, and when I'm ready to let go he immediately stops and rises up. I'm panting heavily and his lips are back on mine, kissing me ferociously so I taste my arousal.

Oh fuck, this is weirdly sweet.

"You want me to fuck you?" He jerks up and does away with his boxers.

"Yeah. Hurry," I breathe faster, and he smirks at me.

"Your wish is my command, baby." His length springs out and holy hell it's enough to make me go gaga by just looking at it. "Now," I demand, and he laughs lightly.

When he enters me my world ceases to exist. I see and feel only him, and it's an indescribable pleasure. He flexes his hips and sinks deeply, and stoutly he pulls back. He takes me slowly at first, but changes his pace the minute I moan his name. And rough he goes.