The Billionaire's Gamble
I barely even knew what I was doing before I was over there, ready to rip his arms off. The last time I let myself get that carried away was…never. But I’ll be damned if I let someone touch a woman like that, especially when she’s saying no. If she’s saying yes on the other hand…
An image flashes in my head of Dani spread out underneath me, writhing, her eyes glassy with passion and the word ‘yes’ on her lips. I clear my throat, shifting in my seat to disguise my growing erection. She’s staring at me, and the way she’s looking at me—a combination of lust and awe—doesn’t make my situation any better.
I know I shouldn’t be here. I know there’s a boardroom of people waiting for my presence and there’s probably steam coming out of their ears by now. But I can’t do it. There’s something about Dani that intrigues me, and I know that I can’t walk away until I know what it is. The way she responds to me is refreshing—raw and open without any sense of a hidden agenda. It’s so unlike my day to day life that I almost forgot that that kind of relationship could exist. Fuck. But she still hasn’t answered my question.
“Well?” I ask.
“What?” she asks, like she just came out of a daze.
I chuckle. “I asked if you gamble.”
She nods. “Right. I don’t usually, but when in Rome.” She gestures around the casino.
Her tone is a little bitter, and I sense something there. “I’m guessing that it didn’t go that well?” Her frown deepens, and she sets her glass on the table between us. Her hands are fidgeting. “I was trying my hand at blackjack last night when I met Gerard,” she says. “So no, I could guess you say it didn’t go well.”
I fight against the red tinting my vision. Gerard. I’ll file that name away for later in case I ever run into that ass-wipe again. He won’t get off as easy. “Well,” I say, trying to keep my voice light, “I can promise you that gambling with me will be a much different experience.”
“I can imagine,” she breathes.
Fuck. Her voice does things to me. I have to get control of myself. The last thing she probably wants tonight is another man coming on to her. But our eyes lock and I swear I see the same interest there. We’re both finished with our whiskey, and I raise my hand to the waitress for another round. The waitress brings our glasses and this time it’s Dani who lifts her glass for a toast. I raise my eyebrow, asking what we’re toasting to this time.
“To great timing, good drinks, and better gambling.” She clinks her glass against mine.
“Hear, hear,” I say softly as I drink.
She makes a sound of pleasure as she drinks her whiskey, and it makes me wonder what other sounds she makes when she’s getting more pleasure than a simple drink can offer her. She flicks her hair over her shoulder and I get a wave of perfume, cinnamon and spice. Damn.
“So,” I say, “other than the poor round of blackjack, how has the trip been?”
She shrugs, the movement simple and sexy. “Fine, I guess. I like Vegas, but it wouldn’t have been my first choice. I always think of Vegas as somewhere you go for a little while, not where you go when you want to relax.”
“What would have been your first choice?” I ask, taking a sip of my whiskey.
Her mouth pulls up into a half-smile. “Somewhere with a beach. Preferably where I can pay people to bring me drinks.”
I smile. She’d look good on a beach. I find my gaze traveling down her neckline, using the barest glimpse of cleavage to imagine what she’d look like in a bikini. Conclusion: She’d look damn good. “Why didn’t you go there instead?”
“Like I said, this trip was a gift. I know my sister worked hard for it. The least I can do is try to enjoy myself while I’m here.”
“That’s a good goal,” I say, “and I’d like to help, starting with giving you a proper gambling experience.”
“Oh yeah?” A smile cracks across her face, and it’s like the sun coming out on a cloudy day—blinding and inexplicably beautiful.
“Yeah.” I raise my glass. “Finish that drink, and then I’ll show you the ropes. Las Vegas won’t ever see you coming.”
She laughs, and I have to adjust myself in my pants again. Damn it, even her laugh manages to get me going. What have I gotten myself into?
3
Dani
I down the rest of my whiskey, eager to follow Nolan and have him show me the ropes. Whatever kind of ropes he has in mind. The fire in my blood is also in my belly, and the longer I’m near Nolan, the more it shifts in between my thighs. I’m literally rocking in place just from the scent of him—crisp and clean and male. God, I wish I could drink in that smell forever.