plan was to smooth the way for her to become an in-name-only partner, then he needed to be a hell of a lot more amiable than he’d managed to be so far. It shouldn’t have been difficult at all, but his attraction to her was throwing him off balance. Not something Cooper enjoyed. “Jacob wasn’t in Vegas often over the last couple of years, so I didn’t see much of him. And I would have, since I live here in the hotel.”
Her gaze snapped to his. “You do?”
He’d surprised her and he supposed he could understand it. In her world, people probably lived in neat little houses with backyards and dogs and kids. People visited hotels; they didn’t live there.
“I practically grew up here,” he told her. “Always figured to move out eventually. Get a place away from the Strip, but I realized I like the Strip. And living here is easy. My office is right downstairs. Twenty-four-hour room service, and housekeeping.”
“Sure. Of course. Well, housekeeping I really understand. That would be handy.” She laughed a little and he heard the nerves in it. “Sorry.” She held up one hand and shook her head, smiling wryly. “This is hard to take in. Last week I juggled bills so I could pay to have my car fixed and now...”
“Now you can buy any car you want.”
She blew out a breath. “That hasn’t really settled in yet.”
“Get used to it,” Cooper advised quietly.
This was good. He wanted her to realize that the money she’d inherited could change her life. He wanted her to go out and play, explore the world. Hell, do anything but stay in Vegas and try to help him run his company.
“Your old world is over.” When the elevator doors opened with a whoosh, he added, “Welcome to your new one.”
A wide hallway where the sun shone through several skylights plugged into the ceiling stretched out on either side of the elevator. Pale blue carpet covered the floor, and the soft gray walls held framed photos of different hotels in the Hayes chain. Cooper watched her take it all in and felt a flush of pride. He was so used to his surroundings, he rarely noticed any of it. But her reaction to the place made him pause briefly to enjoy what he’d built.
“So many different hotels,” she murmured, walking up to the closest painting. It was the villa in Tuscany that boasted views from every room and a world-class spa.
“We’re in hundreds of countries,” he said, not without a touch of pride.
She turned her head to look up at him. “I hate to keep using the word amazing, but it’s the only one that seems to fit.” Then she looked up and down the sunlit hall. “Well, this is different. I’m used to narrow, dark hotel hallways.”
“None of our hotels have dark hallways,” he said and saw a flash in her eyes at his use of the word our. “Not good for business. Makes guests nervous.”
“But no StarFire skies up here? The illusions, I mean?”
“The illusions are for the tourists. Our guests. I prefer reality.” He glanced at the skylights and the sunlight pouring through. “I wanted real light up here. Feels less closed in this way.”
Pushing her hair back from her face, she asked, “Do you always speak in short sentences?”
“What?”
She smirked and he ground his teeth together. Fine. He did tend to speak with as few words as possible. Saved time. But no one had ever called him on it before. “Are you always so blunt?”
“Usually,” she said, turning to look up and down the hallway. “It’s easier to just be up front and honest. Lies tend to get all tangled and twisted.”
Now it was his turn to smirk. “Honesty may be best in Utah, but it’s not really popular in Vegas. Not exactly the way most business deals are made.”
“That’s too bad,” she said, then tipped her head to one side, her long, blond hair sliding off her shoulders to shine in the sun pouring through the skylight above. “Don’t you think?”
“Never thought about it.”
“Maybe you should.” She squared her shoulders again. She was still preparing for battle. “So, which way?”
He pointed down the hall behind her. “Your suite’s to the left of the elevator.”
She inhaled sharply and he took a moment to enjoy the lift of her breasts. Damn, he really was spending way too much time thinking about her body and wanting to see more of it. Preferably naked, spread across his bed with moonlight streaming through the windows. But he got a grip on the daydreams and deliberately pushed them aside. Yes, she was gorgeous, but he wasn’t going to get involved with the woman he was trying to get rid of. That would only complicate things further.
When Cooper had heard Jacob’s daughter was from Utah, Cooper had made the stupid assumption that she’d be some unsophisticated farm girl or something. And for that, he wanted to kick himself. He should have known better than to make assumptions. Maybe he should get out of Vegas once in a while.
As she walked down the hall in front of him, Cooper enjoyed the view. Her long legs made him wish they were wrapped around his hips, and her butt was a work of art. Her hair swung from side to side with every step she took, and her hips swayed in a silent invitation he was more than ready to accept. She flipped him a look over her shoulder and he saw how the dark blue dress she wore reflected in her eyes, making them a startling, crystal blue. Then she smiled and he felt the jolt of it slam home.
She was fascinating. More so than he’d thought she’d be.
More than he could afford to acknowledge.
Whatever he wanted to do to her, with her, he had to remember, she didn’t belong here and if he had his way, she wouldn’t be staying.
He thought of what little information Dave had found on her—only child, father deceased. Well, they shared that, anyway. She’d graduated from Weber State College with a degree in archaeology—as if that would come in handy in the hotel business. She lived alone in a condo she made regular payments on and worked at a bank as a teller and new accounts executive.
That was it. No dirt. No gossip. No angry ex-lover who made threats. No arrests, not even for jaywalking. She was so good it was almost eerie.
This kind of woman was not made for Vegas.
Which meant she wasn’t for him, either.
At the suite door, she took one of her midnight blue key cards from the folder and pushed it into the slot. Cooper stayed back, wanting to watch her reaction as she stepped into the luxurious owner’s suite.
He wasn’t disappointed.
She gave an audible sigh at her first sight of the place and stopped so suddenly to take it all in that he almost ran into her. “This is...”
“Amazing?”
She turned and gave him a quick grin. “Yes. Absolutely.”
Cooper walked around her and left her pink—of course it was pink—suitcase against the wall. He edged his suit jacket back and tucked both hands into his pockets.
Still watching her expression, he said, “It’s a three-bedroom, three-bath suite. There’s no kitchen, but there is a coffee bar that’s restocked every evening and a bar fridge with soft drinks, water and wine. The wet bar is across the room and if there’s a type of liquor you prefer and can’t find it, call downstairs and they’ll bring it to you.”
“Of course they will.”
He wasn’t sure what she meant by that, but ignored it and moved on. “There are snacks in the fridge, too, but room service will bring you anything you want any time of day.”
“Right.” She nodded, letting her gaze slide around the room.
He did the