“Great. She’s with Rio today filming the track. In a couple of weeks, we are going to be ready to sign up our first kids for the motocross camp. When you’re done with the championship, I need to run something by you both,” Dare said.
“I’m done,” Casey said. “I’ll send an email or text if anything changes.”
“Good. So, we are talking about offering the camp to anyone in Vegas, not just our guests, right?” Darien asked.
“Is there a problem with that?” Nicholas asked.
“Well, we can only accommodate at best ten kids per session, if they have no experience. Rio has suggested we alternate each session between lessons and experienced free-ride sessions,” Darien said.
“I like that idea. So, should we hold so many spaces for Jokers Wild guests and then have the rest filled from those outside the hotel?” Casey asked. “Why can’t we do free ride and lessons at the same time?”
“I like the idea of allocating spaces for our guests,” Nick said.
“Me too,” Dare said. “We only have one track, Case, that’s why we have to alternate. Once we see how popular the sessions are, we have plans to build another one. Antoine from finance is talking about using the profits from the single track to fund other ones, so that we don’t dip into the casino’s and hotel’s profits.”
“What about excess revenue from your ticket sales?” Casey asked. “I’m not an expert in finance, but if the show costs are fixed at a certain point, we are going to have recouped what we’ve spent and that will be pure profit.”
“I’ll bring that up with Antoine, too,” Dare said.
The meeting broke up a short while later and Casey went back to his office with that same feeling that had been dogging him at the start of the meeting. What was he going to do about Talia? He had to do something, because he knew if he didn’t show her what she meant to him, she’d be gone.
And he wasn’t ready to lose her. Marriage was his first thought but he knew he wasn’t ready for that, at least not yet. He had no knowledge or skills and there was a good chance he’d fuck it up.
So what did that leave?
…
Talia felt nervous as she walked out of the dressing room in protective body gear and full body leathers for her first motocross ride. She had caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and thought maybe her exercise routine should consist of more than just sessions with the Silver Sneakers crew. Rio was waiting for her with his older brother, Darien. Talia wasn’t sure why but she felt nervous around Darien.
She’d only talked to him at Nicholas’s illusion reveal but she sensed he didn’t approve of her. She wasn’t sure why.
“I think I’m ready to try this,” Talia said. “There is a lot of equipment required to keep you safe.”
“Yeah, we don’t take chances with anyone here,” Darien said.
“That’s good. I don’t like anything risky,” she said.
“Are you sure about that?” he asked.
“Dare, give over. She’s here to ride,” Rio said. “Come over here, Talia, I’ll help you with your helmet.”
She walked over to Rio and Darien left. She let out a sigh of relief.
“Sorry about that,” Rio said. “Darien is in a mood this morning.”
She had to smile. It wasn’t like Darien Mitchell was a teenager having a fit about something. He was a big, scary, muscly man who she didn’t want to cross.
“Do you know why?” Talia asked.
Rio shrugged. “How’s that feel? Too tight?”
“No. It feels secure,” she said, shaking her head, happy that the helmet stayed where it should.
“Good,” Rio said.
But Talia was aware of the fact that Rio hadn’t answered her. “Did I do something to offend your brother? I don’t think he likes me much.”
“Not at all. He just doesn’t trust women much. He’s concerned that Casey is spending too much time with you,” Rio said. “But you didn’t hear that from me.”
“Sure,” she said. What did that mean? Too much time? Did Darien worry about the inappropriateness of the relationship? Talia hadn’t considered how Nicholas and Darien would react. She’d thought that the deal she’d struck with Casey would be fine, but now she wondered.
Darien would probably want her gone if things didn’t work out with Casey.
For the first time in recent weeks, she realized she wasn’t quite as secure as she’d thought she was. She reached up to touch the olive branch pendant that Casey had given her but it was beneath layers of protective gear and leather.
She knew that it was there, pressed against her skin, but she couldn’t help feeling that there were barriers between her and Casey that neither of them had anticipated.
“Does he think Casey and I shouldn’t be dating?” Talia asked.
“I do,” Rio said. “But Casey told me it was none of my damned business.”
“Casey and I have an understanding. We’re keeping our personal and private lives separate,” she said.
“If only that was as easy to do as it is to agree to,” Darien said, walking back over to them. Obviously, he’d heard some of their conversation. “Listen, I have nothing against you. You are doing a great job here. But I can tell that you are distracting Casey and he needs to be focused if he’s going to win the world poker championship when he plays in two weeks.”
She didn’t know that Casey was playing. He’d told her he was a businessman now. Why hadn’t he mentioned the game?
“I’m not distracting him,” Talia said.
“You are and you don’t even know it. Or do you know it? Women like to play games,” Darien said.
“That’s enough, Dare,” Rio said. “She doesn’t deserve that. Take another walk and cool off.”
Darien looked like he was going to argue but Rio stepped in front of her. “You too?”
Rio didn’t say a word, just pointed toward the exit, and Darien turned on his heel and walked away.
“Sorry about that. My brother is dealing with some shit—stuff from the past. And he’s obviously not handling it as well as he should be.”
“That’s okay,” she said. But she didn’t want to come between Casey and his partners. And Darien had been right on the money when he said that people liked to play games. Everyone was taking a risk when they got involved. She’d never felt more vulnerable than she did at this moment. She’d thought that loving Casey would be enough.
Rio was talking to her about the bike and she knew she had to pay attention. This wasn’t something she could afford to make a mistake on. In the back of her mind was the whisper that she couldn’t make one with Casey, either.
She’d let her Gran get to know him, too, for her to start to care for Casey like Talia did. What if she’d made a huge mistake? Had she misjudged him?
“Are you ready to go?” Rio asked.
“No. I’m sorry, Rio, I wasn’t paying attention. Tell me again,” she said. “I know you are a good teacher, so I don’t want to mess anything up for you.”
“It’s okay,” Rio said, patiently explaining how to ride again.
Then he helped her on the bike. She sat there for a moment with the engine of the motocross bike vibrating under her body. She looked at the mogul course. She’d watched Rio run it earlier and saw the air he got. She had wanted to experience the thrill of feeling weightless and a little bit out of control.
But now she knew she didn’t need to ride a motocross bike to experience that. She only had to think of Casey and her time with him…which was beginning to look as tricky as the moguls in front of her.
She didn’t want to come between him and Dare, she knew that. But she also wasn’t sure she wanted to date a man who was still playing poker. She’d been fooling herself, pretending that Casey was just a CEO, and one of the co-owners of the Jokers Wild Casino. But she was only fooling herself.
…
Casey walked into the apartment that night and realized that Talia wasn’t there. After pretty much
living together for the last few weeks, he was surprised to find the place empty. He called down to her assistant to see if she was still in her office. He had managed to get tickets to the opening of a new show on the outskirts of Vegas and thought it would be a nice night out for them.
“She went home at five, sir,” Talia’s assistant said. “Do you want to leave a message?”
“No,” he said. “Thank you.”
He hung up and texted Talia.
Casey: Hey. Where are you?
Talia: I decided to go back to Gran’s tonight. I haven’t been home in a while and she is hosting bridge.
Which made no sense, since Talia didn’t play bridge. He started to text her back but knew he needed to hear her voice to understand what was really going on here.
He dialed her number and she answered on the second ring.
“Hey,” she said. “I can’t really talk for long. I’m picking up snacks at the store and there is only one person ahead of me in line.”
“What’s going on? I thought you were going to be staying here tonight. I have tickets for an opening of the traveling Dali exhibit.” He’d gone out of his way to get the tickets because she’d mentioned that Dali’s The Persistence of Memory was a favorite of hers. Personally, he didn’t really get surrealism. Nicholas assured him that was because he was too much of a realist.
“Oh, I didn’t know that. I’m sorry but I’ve already told Gran—”
“Stop, Talia. What did I do?”
“Nothing,” she said. “You didn’t do anything. You’ve been great, and I have really enjoyed—”
“Are you breaking up with me over the phone?”
“Can I call you back when I’m out of the store?” she asked.
“Sure,” he said.
She disconnected the call and he immediately took off downstairs. He texted the valet stand to have his Veyron brought to the front. She didn’t call back immediately which he knew was telling.
What had happened?
Why was she trying to end things now? Things had been going so well between them. Or had that been a lie?
He knew he didn’t have a long track record in the relationships department but he’d done everything he could to show her what she meant to him.
He drove out of the city toward Henderson when Talia called him back.
“It’s me.”
“I know,” he said. “Listen, I’m on my way to your Gran’s retirement community. Can we talk in person?”
“Casey, I don’t know if I’ll have the strength to say what I know I have to if you are standing next to me.”
“That should be a big warning that breaking it off with me isn’t what you want,” he said.
“Even if we both know it’s the smartest thing to do?” she asked.
“It’s not the smartest thing to do,” he said. “Where are you?”
“I’m still in the grocery store parking lot,” she said.
He saw the strip mall up ahead where the grocery store was where they first met. He steered into the parking lot and saw her car sitting at the end. Pulling in next to her, he hung up the phone and got out of his car. She did the same.
He leaned back against the driver’s side door and he knew…knew he had to say whatever she needed to hear, whatever it took to make her stay. He had to make her understand that she meant more to him than anything else.
Damn. He still felt that desperate need to win. That thing that he’d always avoided during his career as a gambler. But he’d never played a game with stakes this high and he wondered if her hold over him was going to make him resent her at some point. But at this moment, he was like any addict who needed a hit. He needed to win—win her agreement to stay by his side.
“Talia,” he said, just her name.
She leaned back against her car and wrapped her arms around her middle. “This isn’t easy for me, either. I really like you, but from the beginning, we both knew that this was dangerous. That working together and dating wasn’t an ideal situation.”
Casey wondered what had happened today. She’d been fine at breakfast, and he’d been thinking about them having a life together. Not this.
“But we are making it work,” Casey said. “Or, at least, I thought we were. You have to tell me what changed.”
She stood up straighter. “Darien just said some things that made me realize that whatever happens between us won’t just involve you and me. I know we said that you’d leave, and I could keep my job, but your partners didn’t agree to that. And maybe if we end things now, we can still be friends…”
“First of all, Darien is an ass and I’m going to make sure he apologizes to you for whatever shit he said. He’s got a chip on his shoulder where women are concerned. I’ve been giving him some room but that’s about to end,” Casey said. Damn Darien. Just because his own track record with women sucked, that didn’t mean he had to crap all over Casey’s relationship with Talia. He liked…hell, he was pretty sure he loved her. Love. It was the one emotion that had always eluded him.
“I’m just not sure,” she said.
There was more to this than what Dare had said. “What else?”
“I… Are you playing in the championship we are hosting in two weeks?” she asked.
“Of course. I’m the reason they are coming here,” he said.
She nodded.
“It’s a job to me, Brown Eyes,” he said. “I’m not going to go all in and lose everything.”
She nodded again, but he saw the doubt in her eyes. He didn’t know how to fix this. What she wanted—him to never play again—wasn’t something he could agree to.
But he needed her. And it had nothing to do with lust, and everything to do with wanting her by his side, day and night. He wasn’t sure if that was love or not, but it felt like it to him.
Chapter Thirteen
Talia stood there in the parking lot of the store where she’d first met him, and realized that much like that day, she was still intrigued by him. Saying goodbye was harder than she thought it would be.
But at this point, she had to ask herself if staying with him was going to bring anything other than pain in its wake.
“Darien isn’t an ass,” she said at last.
“He is. And he doesn’t trust women, in general,” Casey said. “But he doesn’t know you.”
She wasn’t sure what the difference was between her and whomever had hurt Darien. Still, she wasn’t intending to do anything bad to Casey. Love had a way of not affecting people in different ways.
Casey was with her, in her thoughts, all day—when she woke in the morning, throughout her day and before she fell asleep. She hoped that he felt the same way about her but there was no guarantee of that, no way she could ensure that they were both caught in the same snare.
That was love.
But he was a poker player. No matter what else he played, Casey was a gambler at heart. Could she walk away from him?
Talia had always prided herself on being the one who stayed. But today, when Darien was talking about the fallout of a love gone wrong, she realized that she’d been naive. It was easy to stay in a situation when nothing had been lost. When she hadn’t gambled her heart and soul on a man. Of course, she could stay in Vegas for Gran, but after Casey…would she be able to?
She always talked about going somewhere else, but deep down, she knew the truth. She wasn’t leaving. She wouldn’t go anywhere without her grandmother, and frankly, Vegas was a big part of who she was.
But if things didn’t work out with Casey, how would she stay?
She was only just realizing the cost of what she’d gambled. She’d see him everywhere.
“Darien is in a bad place and he had no right to take it out on you,” Casey said.
“But he’s right, in a way. No matter what we agreed when things end—”
“If. If things end. I don’t see this ending anytime soon,” he said.
She hadn’t, either, at least not until today. Before toda
y, she hadn’t been able to see outside of the two of them. It was only after Darien’s comments that she’d realized that other people were going to be affected by their relationship.
Not just Gran and the Silver Sneakers, but Nicholas, Darien, and Rio. And her staff and the other people she’d reached out to on behalf of Jokers Wild. She should never have started an affair with a gambler.
It was beyond stupid.
Yet her heart had no regret. And honestly, neither did her mind.
“Casey, what are we doing together?” she asked at last. How could two people who were so broken make anything work?
“We were drawn together by chance. We can play it that it was attraction or something else, but at the end of the day it was serendipity that had me in that aisle when you powered down it. And chance that put you at the club,” he said. “And I’ve never had anyone I wanted to keep like I want to keep you. I’m used to throwing out good hands to make room for something better to come along…but I don’t think I’m going to find anyone better than you, Talia. I want you in my life. I don’t know what else to do to convince you of that,” he said.
His words were the most genuine thing she’d ever heard. She wanted to believe in him and in them. But he’d used the word chance…
She was still mulling it over when he stepped between their two cars and pulled her into his arms. He wrapped his arms around her torso and drew her close, putting his chin on top of her head as he held her. She ached to hold him back, knew that she wasn’t strong enough to push him away when he was here, holding her like he’d never let her go.
He wanted her like no one else ever had before.
And she wanted him.
This battered broken piece fit her like no other man ever had.
“I want you in my life, too. I just don’t want to be a losing streak you couldn’t shake off. I don’t want to be your bad luck charm.”
“How could you be?” he asked.
But her father had called her that once and she knew, deep down, that she feared it might be true. Gran had almost lost her house, her father had died from drinking too much after losing too much, and her mother had left to start a better family. Her life was bad luck personified. And that was when she was being careful. She’d never taken a risk like the one she was taking by being with Casey. He was everything she feared—and yet everything she wanted.
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