Winning Streak by Katie Kenyhercz

purse and jogged out the apartment door, nearly coming nose to chest with Madden. “You’re early.”
    He checked his watch. “It’s seven thirty on the dot.”
    “You’re a guy. You’re supposed to be fifteen minutes late. Didn’t you read the manual?”
    He started to smile, but it wavered when she kept a straight face. “I’m … sorry? Always was a skimmer. Guess I need to study. I’ll do better next time.”
    Why did he have to be so cute? Tonight’s ensemble was typical Madden. Dark and faded but expensive jeans, a fitted, black
Vegas Is for Lovers
T-shirt, and some Doc Marten boots. Okay, those were a little unusual. “We’re not going for a hike in the desert, are we?”
    “Not exactly.”
    “What is ‘not exactly’? I’m not a pee-behind-a-tree kind of girl.”
    “Oh, you’re not? I couldn’t tell.”
    Hands on hips, she engaged him in a staring contest. Only he was all too happy to participate according to the twinkle in his eyes. Finally, he cracked. “Look, I promise we’ll be surrounded by electricity. And not just what’s between us.”
    All right, that was pretty impressive. She smiled and swatted at his flat stomach, then sidestepped him and headed for his car. She climbed into the passenger side of his Escalade, and when he got behind the wheel, she studied him from the corner of her eye. “Nice ride.”
    He watched her for a minute. “Wow. No comment on overcompensating for something. You must like me.”
    “I didn’t say it. That doesn’t mean I wasn’t thinking it.”
    Madden put the car in gear and pulled out of the parking lot. “Ooo, ouch. And here I thought Reese warned us away to protect
you
.”
    Hold on. “Reese warned you away from me? When? Who else?”
    “Uh, everyone in the organization with man parts. He spread the word when you first started.”
    Fire flared in her face, and she could feel her heartbeat all over her body.
I’ll kill him
. So it wasn’t just a strange dry spell or even her own effort to put out the back-off vibe. For the past year, not one single man in the building had so much as asked for her number. Because her big brother warned them away.
    “Can you blink or something? Just a sign that you’re not stroking out?”
    She blinked—hard—then worked at unclenching her fists. “He hasn’t done that since I was fifteen.”
    Madden glanced at her and reached over like he might hold her hand, but apparently thought better of it and let his arm drop to his side. “It is kind of caveman but he’s just looking out for you.”
    “No. You were right the first time. He was afraid I’d date around, crush some egos, and make a mess at work.” She wanted to be mad, but the worst part was, she couldn’t blame him. The old Saralynn would have done that. But when Jacey hired her full-time, it was like the whole world shifted. Or at least her perception of it.
    “Hey. You okay?” It was his soft tone more than the words that brought her back.
    “Yeah.” She tried a smile.
    “It would be more convincing without the clenched jaw.”
    “I’m okay, really. Reese’s threat didn’t entirely work anyway. You asked me out.”
    “What can I say? I’m a risk-taker.” He winked at her, and the past crumbled away. It didn’t matter right now. Tonight, she was the new and improved Saralynn taking a real chance on a guy. They passed a glowing sign that said “The Neon Boneyard Park” before Madden pulled into a lot just around the corner. He cut the engine and looked at her tiny purse. “So you brought a camera?”
    Embarrassment crept in before she even had a chance to show it to him. “Yeah.”
    “You’ll need to take it out now.”
    “I … what is this place? What’s going on?”
    Excitement transformed his face to a five-year-old’s. “This is where Vegas signs go to die. Normally, they only do guided tours, but they make an exception for photographers, and even that’s usually a two-week waiting list, but they had a cancellation. I