“I look forward to seeing how a wolf gambles. Or do you just plan
on compelling someone to hand over his winning chips?”
His wolf snarled. Only compel humans in an emergency. Never steal!
I know, but in this case, we can’t make a clean escape from danger without it. “I’m not a thief.”
She blew on the still hot coffee and smiled. “Just a gambler with an advantage.”
At least she didn’t say cheater. “Precisely.”
Gaby bought the perfect little cocktail dress and high heels at the casino boutique. Kane used his winnings to buy a dark suit. After they checked into their suite, he returned to gamble in the gentlemen’s area. She stayed to shower and then dressed. Ready, she stepped out. He had better know when to quit.
Gaby straightened and walked into the casino. What was she doing wearing a black open backed cocktail dress and stilettos? Maybe I should go back and wear something less sexy. Too late.
Before she could turn, Kane dropped the cigar out of his mouth and stared at her with amber wolf eyes. He laid his cards down. “Wow. You look damn hot.”
His gaze raked every inch of her. “You like?”
He stood. “I love.” Men stared at her and Kane immediately scowled at the onlookers, causing them to divert their gaze. He pressed her close, one hand on her lower back possessively. “I’ll meet you for a bite in two hours.”
“A bite of food,” she corrected.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Thus far, Kane had won over ten thousand dollars playing black jack. He’d taken a break and turned in his chips to buy a nice suit. He looked hot naked and ruggedly handsome wearing blue jeans, but in a suit, he appeared devastatingly gorgeous. The quintessential alpha male on the cover of one of those billionaire romance novels. Every female gawked at him as if he was the only male they’d seen in years. She kept him on a tight leash by holding his arm in a vise grip. Mine. Or rather borrowed until he remembered his identity and his true mate.
He looked at his watch and winked. “Go on and make reservations at a ritzy restaurant.”
“Will do.”
Gaby made her way to the hotel to arrange dinner. Earlier while shopping at the mall, she bought a small laptop to keep tabs on the news and get more general information about werewolves. Back in their room, she opened the laptop and found a posh restaurant then caught up on news and scanned websites on werewolf legends. When she finished, she decided to go down to the gambling floor to fetch him so they could enjoy their winnings.
When she caught sight of him, he continued gambling. This time poker. He’d taken off his suit jacket and red tie and unbuttoned the collar of his white shirt. Holy hot. A crowd had gathered around him. Three attractive women flirted for his attention. Gaby worried the casino manager would have him thrown out as a suspected card counter. Then he would have to compel him and who knows how many people he could compel at once? Instead of telling him to quit, the manager encouraged him to continue playing. The security men, probably called to throw him out, kept the crowd back. Yep, Kane had to have compelled everyone. She wondered if charismatic leaders were werewolves.
He smiled at Gaby. “Here’s my beautiful lucky charm.”
Everyone, especially the women hoping to be his companion, stared at her as she stood at his shoulder. She bit her lower lip. Mortified. Never had other women viewed her as competition for a man’s affections. Finally, she uttered, “That’s not awkward.”
Kane chuckled. “Sorry.” He gazed at the crowd. “Mind your own business.” They did just that. A few left, but most stared at the floor as if told they were bad. “Come on, sweetie, sit by me.”
Gaby rolled her eyes. “Don’t call me, sweetie.”
He winked. “Sure thing, Gabriela.”
She’d always been called Gaby, but the long version coming from his deep voice sent a shiver down her spine. She leaned in and whispered, “Reservations for dinner at seven.” They had an hour.
Kane nodded and called over the manager. “Cash in my chips and put my winnings in your safe. I’ll pick them up in the morning.”
“Yes, sir. Anything else?”
“No. That’ll do it, for now.” Kane extended his elbow to Gaby and she complied. “Let’s freshen up before dinner.”
They stepped into the elevator. Finally, privacy. “How much did you win?” Gaby asked.
“Two million.”
“Wait, what?” She shook her head. “Unbelievable.”