A Player for A Princess

I can only guess the man to my right is another of Wade Paxton’s thugs—or worse. Law enforcement. Perhaps Reggie made good on his promise to expose Ava and me to every casino boss this side of the Atlantic.

“No more bets!” The dealer’s hand passes over the table, and the ball shoots around the spinning wheel.

I sense Seth’s body tense. It’s time for me to do my part. Logan Thomas is probably waiting for this exact moment to arrest me. Five years and a felony conviction.

My breath is coming in short pants. Perhaps I should let it happen. Would I be safer in prison? Seth clears his throat, and I swallow my terror. The slightest twitch of my ankle, the slightest point. The ball stutters and drops…

Twenty-nine black.

“WOO HOO!!!!! Well, I’ll be Johnny Mack Brown!!!” Seth explodes with excitement. “I WON! And on a corner bet to boot!”

He grasps the table edge and does a little jig. I can’t breathe waiting to see what our ominous table mate will do. Will he whip out a badge? Detain us? At least with the device in my shoe they won’t find anything in a pat down.

“Congratulations,” Logan says. “That’s two and oh for me, so I’ll be saying goodnight, Miss Lampert.” He does a little nod in my direction, still with that knowing smile.

I don’t make eye contact, and Seth is busy distracting the dealer. I haven’t touched my chips on black, yet again they’ve doubled in number. One more turn is all I can stay.

“Now this is the hard part,” Seth says loudly, pinching his top lip between two fingers. “Should I leave them there or move them?”

He glances down at me again, a twinkle in his eyes. “What do you suggest, Miss Lampert?”

Shaking my head, I again feign ignorance. “I don’t know. I only play by color.”

He nods looking again at the table. “You know what they say. If everything’s headed your way, you might need to change lanes.”

I move my pile of chips to the red field just as the dealer starts the wheel. Final bets are going around, and Seth stares at the green felt, appearing to be deep in thought. At the very last minute, he reaches out and moves his chips to opposite ends of the grid.

“No more bets!” The dealer snaps just as Seth’s hands leave the area.

He s

traightens, still doing his very best acting job. His lip is again pinched between his fingers, and now he’s bouncing on the balls of his feet.

“I tell you, Miss Lampert, I’m as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rockers.”

My jaw tightens. That makes two of us… I can’t shake this tension, even with Logan Thomas out of sight. For all I know he’s waiting outside the door.

The ball starts to slow, and I shift on my stool, pointing my toe as I do so. In that instant, the silver ball drops quickly into the tray.

Red five.

“HOLEE SHIT!!!! I can’t believe it!” Seth shouts, slapping the rubber table-guard. “I can’t believe it, I WON AGAIN!” He turns to me, and I glance up, giving him a little smile. “And look at there! So did you, Miss Lampert!”

“I should probably quit while I’m ahead,” I say, rising from my chair.

Warmth at my back, and a familiar voice clenches my insides. “You shouldn’t break a winning streak.”

Jumping away as if I were electrocuted, I turn to face the owner of that sexy voice. Our eyes lock, and standing here, right at this table, a knowing smile curling his lips, is MacCallum Lockwood Tate, my playboy prince. The one I left behind when I ran.

If I couldn’t breathe before, now I’m about to faint.

“Cal!” It’s a startled whisper, my fingers tightening.

His smoky hazel eyes won’t release me, and all the desire I feel is reflected back at me. At the same time, something new is in his—an edge I’ve never seen before.

“I’m sorry…” His voice is slow, measured. “Have we met? You seem familiar…”

Glancing down, I relax my grip on the chair. I focus on calm, stay in character. I straighten the enormous ring on my hand. It’s costume jewelry—fake yellow topaz set in fake yellow gold. How fitting, considering everything about me is fake.