Wow, he breathed, and she shot him a worried look.
But he was grinning. Just messin with you.
Youre a jerk. You know that?
Yeah, he chuckled.
She lost again.
I dont like this game. It didnt matter that it wasnt her money. She was stressing out over losing it anyway.
Youre doing fine, he said.
Can we do something else?
One more time.
She gave a hard sigh. Fine.
Following the lead of the man sitting next to her, she placed a smaller stack of chips on the cross between four numbers. Then she took a bracing swallow of her cosmo.
The ball clattered around the wheel, settling on twelve, one of Kristys numbers.
The dealer added a couple of chips to her stack.
Low risk, low payoff, said Jack. He grabbed two stacks of chips and set them on number twenty-two. Incidentally, thats also the way things work in real life.
I know, said Kristy, watching in morbid fascination as the wheel spun around again.
Do you? he asked.
Why do you think Im going to L.A.?
Astonishingly, with that much money riding, Jack turned away from the wheel to stare at her instead. Is it?
She nodded, not taking her gaze off the ball. For the chance at a big payoff. I left my sister, my holiday shopping and my baking behind.
He kept his gaze glued to her profile. Well, if this works out, youll be able to do all the shopping you want.
I suppose thats true. Then her eyes widened and her stomach clenched with the thrill. You won!
Jack stared at her a split second longer. Then he glanced at the roulette wheel. I guess I did.
Do it again, she urged. Clearly he understood the game better than she did.
His shoulders relaxed. Its your turn.
Youre better.
He split his bet between number eighteen and the red zone. Then he pushed a stack of chips onto the line between eight and nine.
Wow, said Kristy.
What?
You must have a secret system.
He shook his head. You pick numbers. Its completely random. Help me out here.
Scooting forward in her chair, Kristy gamely pushed a couple more stacks onto the board.
Now were talking, said Jack.
Thats a pretty rich bet, said the man next to her.
She felt Jack still.
Then the man glanced past her to Jack. His expression sobered, and he turned his attention to the table.
The ball hit the wheel.
Kristy doubled her money on two, and her bet also paid out on black. Several spins later, with her Cosmo glass empty and a new player at her elbow, they were up several thousand dollars. A man in a navy suit and a red tie approached them.
He introduced himself as the casino manager and asked if theyd care for another drink.
Kristy was pretty much done with alcohol. Besides, it was getting late. She hoped shed won enough to pay for a hotel room because, now that she was tired, an airport waiting area didnt sound all that appealing.
To her surprise, the manager held out a key card to Jack. Please accept the Ruby Suite with our compliments.
Jack gave Kristy a sparkling-eyed look. Interested in a suite?
Two bedrooms? she asked. It occurred to her that this could be a setup. Jack had been a perfect gentleman so farmaybe too much of a gentleman to be trusted.
He raised an eyebrow in the managers direction.
Without missing a beat, the man pocketed the key and retrieved his cell phone.
This is Raymond Jones. Can you bring me a key for the Diamond Suite? He paused. The roulette tables. Thank you.
He flipped the phone shut. Two bedrooms, he said.
And my dog? Kristy asked.
Not a problem, said Raymond.
Then, thank you, she said with a nod and a smile. A free suite definitely solved her accommodation problem.
Anything else we can do to be of service? asked Raymond.
Jack glanced at Kristy. I cant think of anything? Can you?
Kristy shook her head.
Another man appeared at Raymonds elbow and provided a new room key.
Jack accepted it with a thank you, while Raymond gestured to the expanse of the casino. Please. Enjoy the rest of the evening.
We will, said Jack. Thank you very much.
As Raymond and the other man walked away, Kristy turned to Jack. So, did you pay him to do that?
Nope.
Come on.
I didnt have to pay him. The rooms free.
I dont get it.
Thats what happens when you bet big.
They give you a free room?
Jack placed his hand in the small of her back, gently steering her toward the cage.
There was something about that hand
If youre losing, he said. They want you to stick around and keep doing it. And if youre winning, they want you to stick around long enough to lose it back to them.
Is that what were going to do?
Nope. Not unless you want to.
I dont want to lose.
Then I vote we cash out and enjoy our free room.
A free room with Jack.
Correction, a free suite with Jack. Two rooms, really.
She glanced up at his handsome face, and her stomach fluttered at the thought of such an intimate setting with such a sexy man.
Two bedrooms, she reminded herself.
Still. It was a hotel suite. And they were in Vegas. And shed be a bald-faced liar if she didnt admit her mind was jumping to the possibilities.
Three
Kristy Mahoney was quite possibly the most perplexing person Jack had ever met. She admitted she was marrying his grandfather for money, yet he practically had to twist her arm to get her to gamble. Theyd walked past designer fashions, fur coats and numerous jewelry displays in the hotel lobby, and she hadnt so much as sent a covetous look at the merchandise, never mind suggesting she needed a few things to tide her over until morning.
Any gold digger worth her salt should be demanding Cleveland send a new private jet by now or dressing herself to the nines on Jacks credit card. Instead, she was gazing around the luxury hotel suite in what appeared to be awe.
Its huge, she muttered, her heels echoing on the marble floor of the foyer, Dee Dees claws ticked along at her side as they stepped into the living room.
Jack shut the suite door behind them. You were the one who insisted on two bedrooms.
She turned. Did I foil your plans?
He tensed for a split second before realizing she was referring to any plans he might have had to sleep with her. I have no plans. At least not to make love with her. At least not tonight.
Though, if shed agreed to one bedroom and hopped into a king-sized bed, he would have eagerly followed.
Let me guess, she purred. Other women generally fall for your come on up to my free hotel suite. Oh she dramatically raised her hand to her lips, mimicking his voice look, theres only one great big bed.
He couldnt help but grin at her exaggeration. Yet, somehow her opinion pricked his pride. It seemed she felt he had no honor, and had to resort to trickery to attract women.
He found himself crossing the foyer to gaze down at her. Kristy, he began in his own defense. Im a thirty-two-year-old man who works out five mornings a week and is in control of a billion-dollar conglomerate. What have I done to make you think I cant get women?
She didnt miss a beat. Youre only thirty-two?
God, she was spunky. Ouch.
And I thought it was Cleveland who was in charge of Osland International.
Ahhh. This one definitely had a better brain than the last two gold diggers.
Hes the major shareholder, said Jack. Im the CEO.
She shrugged. I dont even know the difference.
Like heck she didnt.
But, whatever, she continued. Im still not sleeping with you.
Kristy, Kristy, Kristy. He didnt want her to sleep with him.
Okay, yeah, he did. Obviously. Since she was stunningly sexy, and he did have a pulse. But what he really wanted was for her to fall for him.
Which meant he should probably stop yanking her chain.
But it was so much fun to tease her. And the woman could definitely give as good as she got.
Im sure you get women all the time, she conceded.
Now you make me sound like a player.
Are you?
No. He wasnt. He dated women occasionally. And he slept with women occasionally. But he was very discriminating. And he never led them on.
She moved to the middle of the living room, checking out the rest of the suite. Got a girlfriend?
Not at the moment.
Her perfume left a trace in the air. It was nice. More than nice, actually. It wasnt fruity, yet it wasnt floral
Did she break up with you, or did you break up with her?
Jack blinked. Who?
Your last girlfriend.
It wasnt a serious relationship.
Kristy turned back and nodded. Ahhh.
Whats with the ahhhs?
Was she accusing him of something?
I know your type. Love em and leave em.
There was something in her eyes, not hurt exactly, but something. Had somebody left her? Was that why she was willing to settle for money instead of love?
Now he was curious, but he didnt want to bring up the subject of her love life. Because that would invariably lead to his grandfather, and Jack wanted her to forget all about Cleveland for tonight.
I can hardly love you and leave you in forty-eight hours, can I? he said instead.
Forty-eight?
Oops. Twenty-four, Jack corrected himself. I meant twenty-four.
You scared me there for a minute.
He gave her his most congenial smile. Wouldnt want to do that. Then he nodded to the glass balcony door and the view beyond. How about a swim?
She turned to follow his gaze.
He crossed the room to open the doors, implicitly bidding her to follow him onto the wide veranda. Take a look down there.
She joined him to lean on the rail, between a pair of twin loungers at one end of the veranda and an umbrella table set up for four at the other.
He heard her suck in a breath as she gazed at the Mediterranean-style courtyard. The lighted pool was embraced by pillared fountains, terra-cotta tiles, tropical trees and sculpted shrubbery. It was peaceful and deserted this time of night, and the patterned pool bottom wavered through the mist rising from the heated water.
Its almost midnight, Kristy whispered. Are we allowed?
He shrugged. Were high-rollers in a complimentary suite. You think theyll stop us from taking a swim?
My swimsuits still in the plane.
Had the woman never heard of shopping? Had she never heard of butler service? As if a tiny thing like a swimsuit would stop them. There was a phone on the table between the two loungers, so Jack picked it up and pressed zero.
The voice on the other end was prompt. Yes, Mr. Osland?
Any chance we can get a couple of swimsuits up here?
Of course. Ill have the butler bring up a selection right away. The sizes?
Jack covered the mouthpiece. Size? he asked Kristy.
Her eyes went a little wide. Uh, four.
He nodded. Womens four and mens thirty-two.
Thank you, sir. Someone will be right up.
Jack replaced the receiver.
Kristy glanced at the phone. Just like that?
Just like that, said Jack. Then he couldnt resist giving her an impish grin. Im hoping you get a bikini.
She eyed him up and down, a frown on her face that made him self-conscious. I guess its not quite the same for women.
What do you mean? Was it an insult?
She gave him an exaggerated shudder. I mean, the thought of any man in Spandex.
He took a couple of steps toward her. Did I mention I work out?
Im sure youre perfectly gorgeous under that suit. Then she stilled as her own words obviously registered.
He was torn between making a joke and making a move. Deep down, he knew he shouldnt do either.
Still, he was suddenly aware of the way her eyes sparkled in the moonlight and her hair framed her face in gentle waves. That elusive perfume wafted through his senses once more. And everything inside him screamed at him to kiss her. Under normal circumstances, hed definitely take the expression on her face as an invitation.
But these were not normal circumstances. He was on a mission. And he didnt dare scare her off.
He settled for brushing a wisp of her hair from her face. Her cheek was soft under his fingertips. Her lashes fluttered at the contact, and it was more than he could do to ignore the signal.
He subconsciously leaned forward, and she tipped her head to one side.
The knock on the door saved him.
Jack forced himself to pull away, his voice husky with burgeoning desire. Our suits are here, he stated unnecessarily.
Kristy drew in a breath, and gave her head a quick shake. Right.
He squeezed her hand gently, in silent acknowledgment of what they both knew had almost happened. Then he stepped into the suite and answered the door.
The butler handed him three womens and three mens suits on silk padded hangers. Jack tipped the man and sent him on his way.
Then he turned to find Kristy back inside the suite.
Pick a bedroom, he invited, refusing to let himself look too deeply into her eyes as he handed her the womens suits.
She motioned to the closest door, the smaller of the two rooms. Again, Jack was surprised when her actions didnt fit his expectations. Either their almost-kiss had truly rattled her, or she didnt care about sleeping in the plush, four-poster bed in the main bedroom.
Either case was intriguing.
In the cool evening air, the pool water was chilly against Kristys legs. A sultry breeze blew over her aqua, one-piece suit as she gradually made her way down the sloping stairs.
Jack on the other hand, executed a neat dive into the deep end, his shimmering form moving swiftly underwater toward her. He broke the surface, coming to his feet and raking back his dark hair with spread fingers.
Feels good, he announced, looking slick and sexy in the diffuse garden lights.
Feels cold, she responded, especially in comparison to the heat building inside her at she stared at his broad, bare chest.