“I’ve been thinking,” she said as he poured his coffee, then walked over to sit down at the head of the table.
He wasn’t sure he wanted to know, but taking a sip from the mug in his hand, he asked, “About?”
“Your suggestion that we play cards for the Lucky Ace,” she answered.
She caught her lower lip between her teeth as if she was still trying to make up her mind. It was all Lane could do to keep from groaning. He’d like nothing more than to do a little nibbling of his own on her perfect coral lips.
The thought caused his heart to stall. Where had all this desire to kiss a woman been when the brunette at the Broken Spoke had flirted with him? With sudden clarity, he knew exactly what the problem had been. The woman at the Broken Spoke hadn’t been a redhead with the greenest eyes he’d ever seen.
He came dangerously close to repeating the word he’d muttered when he parked his truck and prepared to enter the house.
“If I agree to your terms, I would definitely want an impartial observer to witness the game and verify the outcome,” she said, oblivious to his turmoil.
“Absolutely,” he said, thankful that she had distracted him from his sudden realization. “With the stakes this high, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Where would the game be held?” she asked. “Here or somewhere neutral?”
“Since gambling is illegal in the state of Texas, we’d have to go over into Louisiana,” he said, shaking his head. When he won, he wanted to make sure that everything was aboveboard and there was no question about the validity of the game.
“Why not go to Las Vegas?” she asked, looking a bit suspicious.
He shrugged. “It’s fine with me if that’s where you want to go. I just figured it might be easier to go to Shreveport, since it’s just a few hours away and won’t involve extensive travel arrangements.”
She frowned. “I hadn’t thought about it being so much closer. That probably would make it the obvious choice.”
“I have a friend who owns one of the finest casinos over there.” Confident now that she was going to agree to his plan, he smiled. “I could talk to him about setting up a private room for us, with our own dealer, of course.”
“Is that where you played my grandfather when you won part of the ranch?” she asked suddenly.
He didn’t like her tone or the suspicion in her green gaze. “Yes.”
“Then I’d rather not play there,” she said, shaking her head.
“Why not?” he demanded. He had a good idea what she was driving at and he didn’t like it one damned bit.
“Nothing against the man, but I’m sure you can understand that I’d feel more comfortable with someone who wasn’t one of your friends taking care of the arrangements,” she said determinedly as she got up to get herself more coffee.
Lane set his mug on the table with a thump and rose to face her. “Let me set you straight on something right now, babe. Cole Sullivan is one of the most honest men I’ve ever known. He’s not only a trusted friend of mine, he was a good friend of your grandfather’s, as well.” When she took a step back, he took a step forward. “In fact, Ben knew Cole for years before I met him.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize...I, uh, just want to make sure the game isn’t compromised...” Her voice trailed off as she once again began to worry her lower lip.
“In other words, you want to make sure that I don’t cheat,” he said, advancing on her.
“I didn’t...say that,” she stammered, backing up until her retreat was stopped by the kitchen cabinets.
Bracing his hands on the countertop on either side of her, he leaned forward to make his point, effectively trapping her. “I know it’s hard for you to believe, but I didn’t cheat your grandfather and I have no intention of cheating you.” As he stared down at her, the anger in his gut evolved into heat of another kind. Lowering his tone to a more intimate level, he reached up to trace her jawline lightly with his index finger. “Believe me, Taylor, if it isn’t going to be a clean, honest game, I won’t play.”
He noticed the same anticipation in her eyes that had been there the evening before. This time, Lane couldn’t have stopped himself if his life depended on it.
“I’m going to do what I should have done last night.” Holding her gaze with his, he slowly began to lower his head.
“W-what...is that?” she asked, sounding delightfully breathless.
“I’m going to kiss you,” he said, covering her mouth with his.
Four