by Vivian Arend
“Deal.” Damon thrust out a hand. “First thing when we get back from the road trip, I’ll buy you one with all the bells and whistles.”
Jim gave in and gave up, shaking his friend’s hand. It wasn’t that bad an idea—spending a couple days hanging out with the bastard. “We haven’t done this for a long time.”
“Maybe you haven’t, but I’m fully up to speed with all my moves, and ready for the next round.” Damon eased back his chair, tilting his head toward the women, making it obvious what kind of action was on his mind.
Hell, yeah. Jim made eye contact with the ladies who sized him up as if he were a tasty piece of cake. One of them licked her lips, and a hit of sexual heat rolled through his gut. If Damon insisted he had to stay and play?
Playing could be fun.
He slapped a pile of bills on the counter, motioning for the bartender. “Tell the ladies their drinks are on me.”
Jim planted a hand between Damon’s shoulders and forcibly directed him around the corner of the elevated bar. The women watched, rosy-cheeked and obviously pleased at their approach.
“Who says you’re out of practice?” Damon elbowed him in the ribs. “You’re such a dog.”
“Look who’s talking, wolfboy.”
His friend didn’t argue. In fact, he slipped between the women easily, hands landing on their shoulders as he kicked into flirtation mode.
With devoted attention to his task, Damon didn’t notice Jim jerk to a complete stop, captured by the most mesmerizing sight on the casino floor.
Sensual curves topped by absolute concentration, the woman’s gaze was fixed on a poker table. Her face was unconventionally beautiful, with high cheekbones and a crooked mouth, the corners of which were curled into a smile that screamed mischief.
Jim unlocked his feet from where they’d frozen to the ground, drifting forward slowly so he could get a closer look at his wonderful discovery.
Her hair was incredible. Long strands of spun reddish-gold, fresh from Rumpelstiltskin’s wheel, the shimmering mass brushed past her shoulders. The tiny diamond in her earlobe flashed in the lights as she stroked a loose strand behind her ear.
He wanted to see if her locks were as crushably soft yet silkily strong as the strands of copper they reminded him of. The copper he had, in his early years of construction, painstakingly handled, coiling old wire into bundles to be resold.
He’d made part of his millions touching copper, and right now all he wanted was to touch copper again.
A pleasant anticipation shot through his limbs, and his bear rumbled awake.
She was short, petite even. The size of woman he could scoop up with one arm and not even notice her weight, especially if she wrapped her arms around his neck.
Of course, that would lead to her putting her legs around his hips, and suddenly the images flashing into his brain were far more intriguing than the idea of hanging with Damon, even with the lovely ladies at the bar.
His mysterious woman licked her lips, and his groin tightened further. He stared at the moisture left behind on the plump surface as driving lust hit. He needed to taste her. Her lips, the curve of her neck. The sweet swell of her breasts.
His cock pressed rock hard against the front of his dress pants, and he damn well planned to do something about that. Very soon.
A brief, blinding concern struck—everything about her wide-eyed innocence called to the protective side of him. He didn’t want to simply fuck her a few times. He wanted to wrap his arms around her, bending low to protect her from the sight of everyone else as he took the first taste of her rose-tinted pout. But no way would another woman come between him and winning this challenge.
Which led to a conversation between his lust and his ambition. Jim never understood why other people talked about having angels and devils on their shoulders to work out moral dilemmas.
All he had was one raunchy bastard and one filthy fucker, and it was scary how fast they got to the point.
It’s only Monday. You have until Friday.
This is just about getting her into bed.
Of course. And in the shower. And up against the wall.
Go get her…
He took another top-to-bottom perusal, his amusement rising after spotting the neon-green shoes on her feet. Pale grey pants clung to her legs, rounding over the flair of her hips. Her top was white with what looked like teeny polka dots scattered on the material, a hoodie in the back. The cut of the front was modest, but he’d easily fix that by slipping a couple buttons loose to better appreciate her full breasts. For someone who would barely come up to his chin, she was built just how he liked.
Now all he had to do was convince her to time with him.
Damon insisted he relax? He knew exactly how, and with whom, he planned to relax with.
CHAPTER TWO
In the thirty minutes since she’d slipped into the casino, Lillie had been rubbernecking like crazy, unable to decide where to look first. She’d seen pictures of Vegas online, and watched the live-camera panoramas, but the reality was far more exciting than a flat-screen image, even a multi-screen HD setup like she’d done her research on.
It had taken some wrangling to get to this point, but now that she was finally here, she was going to enjoy herself to the fullest.
Hopefully without freaking out in the process.
Buzzzzz.
She pulled her phone from her pocket, peeking at the incoming text message. Addie. Bloodhound in training—she should have known her best friend wasn’t about to let her off the hook that easy.
You still alive? Been captured by pirates?
Lillie laughed softly as she entered her response. This isn’t Disney, it’s Vegas
Disney has giant mice. You hate mice
Which is why Vegas now has another bear. For a few days, at least. I’m fine—nothing has changed since I texted you from the airport
Lillie tucked herself against the side of a slot machine, glancing around at the increasing number of people in the area. She was getting hungry, and perhaps it was time to take a break from the floor before her inner bear woke and got scared.
Text me if you need anything, hon. Anything. You’re crazy, but you’re my crazy
And that? Was what made Addie so special. Loyal and trustworthy to the end. Awww, thanks. I promise to keep in touch
With her stomach’s growing need in mind, Lillie shoved her phone back in her pocket and lifted her chin, scenting the air for the best direction to head. She’d grab some supper…maybe even take in a show.
Finding someone to have a final fling with was also on her bucket list, but low. Really low. The concept sounded like fun, but she wasn’t very good at flings, at least not in real life.
In her imagination? That was a different story. In her fantasy life, she was the queen of dirty interludes.
She glanced around the casino floor, taking in the flashing lights and loud noises as she mentally scrolled through some of the amazing romps she’d conjured up without a lick of trouble. Her perfect man flashed to mind. Dark and mysterious, sexy enough to set her heart pounding, but kind and understanding…
Actually in the fling-planning department, she’d focus on the sexy and he knows what to do with it instead of the bit about remembering birthdays and bringing her flowers. She wanted someone to sweep her off her feet and rock her world all night long.
Like that was ever going to happen.
Her gaze stuttered to a stop at the approach of one of the finest masculine specimens she’d seen in her life, as if her fantasy man had come to life. Maybe this was like Disneyland, where all her dreams could come true.
When you wish upon a star…
Dream or not, watching the dark-haired man stalk down the casino aisle was an exercise in sheer pleasure.
He didn’t simply walk, or stroll lazily from side to side like any of the other gamblers. It was as if each stride he took was deliberate. Not an inch to the left or right he didn’t intend. And at eve
ry step, his tailored suit shifted casually on his broad shoulders, the crisp white shirt underneath open at the collar.
Hmm, that was extra nice. If he’d worn a tie, he would have looked more businesslike. Solemn and stately. Hunky as ever, in the sharply cut suit, but…
Something about the missing tie turned the yummy eye candy up to eleven. As if he’d unknotted the black silk, pulling it off slowly. Drawing it through his hand in a sensual tease before wrapping the still warm from his body fabric around his willing partner’s wrists, then calmly tying her to the headboard of his bed.
Or maybe he’d begun undressing in anticipation of ravishing someone, which changed the rest of his outfit into a dress code be damned attitude.
The predator visible in every inch of his body was attempting to camouflage itself, hiding until the moment when the polished veneer would slide away, and he’d explode into a furious, hungry animal, possessiveness in his grasp…
Whoa, nelly.
Lillie blinked hard, hand pressed to her chest as she fought to slow her breathing. It had gotten a touch out of control as she’d slipped into her fantasy world. Damn, she needed to take up writing fanfic or something, she was making herself sweat.
Still, with the scruff on his chin, his aristocratic nose, his firm lips pressed together determinedly—she wasn’t imagining the kind of deliciousness he would be in starring in one of her daydreams. Not to mention the intense gaze in his dark eyes as he stared at her as if she were his prey and—
That’s when she finally clued in that all those deliberate steps were bringing Mr. Dark and Dangerous straight toward her.
The thump of her guilty heart was hard enough to rock her entire body. Phooey, had she been discovered already?
There was no reason to assume the little slip-away she’d pulled from her scheduled agenda would continue to be successful, but this was far too soon to give up the adventure. It had taken an incredible amount of luck to get to Vegas in the first place.
Only, as the drool-worthy dark-eyed man narrowed the distance between them, it grew clearer he wasn’t some security guard who’d figured out she wasn’t where she was supposed to be.
And the closer he got, the more she realized whether or not he was a security guard, coming face-to-face with that intense of a man was not on her current wish list.
Lillie twirled on the spot and made a rapid retreat, damn near jogging down the open center of the aisle before darting sideways between rows of penny slots. She took five paces forward and cut to the left, five more then to the right, moving as rapidly as possible, zigzagging her way through the casino.
Thank goodness she had on runners instead of high heels. It didn’t matter that she must look totally undignified, as long as she didn’t get caught.
Slipping between crowds of people, ducking around machines. Whatever it took to get her away from the man who had eyed her as if she were the only thing on his agenda for the next twenty-four hours.
The only thing on the menu.
She slammed to a stop, digging into her pocket for some change as she turned her back to the room. Maybe she could hide in plain sight.
Lillie slipped a coin into the machine and pushed the big square button on the right, not even caring what she was playing. Not worrying about anything but keeping under the radar.
The electronic tickers on the screen rolled past in imitation of the old-fashioned one-armed bandits. Odds of making any money were low—she’d have gone with blackjack if she’d wanted to win. Black-box technology definitely put the odds in the house’s favour.
All most people would notice were the spinning colours, which she ignored, slipping another coin into the slot as she cautiously examined the machines on either side of her. Her nearest neighbours didn’t even glance her way, they were so obsessed with their games.
Lillie caught a flash of her reflection, biting back a snarky comment at her stupidity. She jerked up the hoodie on her top. If anything was going to give her away, it would be her distinctive hair colour.
She continued to feed coins into the machine, the bells and whistles seeming to grow louder every time she pressed the button, but she was too busy trying to peer around without looking as if she was frantically peering around to see if anyone was about to pounce.
Her bear grumbled uneasily. According to that side of Lillie’s psyche, this entire trip was just plain nasty.
Nap soon? her bear suggested. Somewhere quiet?
Why the human side had insisted on making a trip in February in the first place was beyond the animal’s comprehension. As a shifter, she didn’t have to do something silly like hibernate, but it took a whole lot more to convince her bear to come out during the winter.
Add in voluntarily tossing herself into a crowded room with all sorts of humans and shifters milling around? Her bear did the equivalent of wrapping its furry arms around itself, and hunkered down to pout.
Lillie didn’t have time at the moment to deal with herself. Her heart still pounded, the grumbly action in her belly now caused more from nerves than from hunger.
But it appeared she might be out of the woods, stalker-wise.
Another push on the button.
Another coin.
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, glancing over her shoulder for a last check. Could it be she was safe? She was ready to head to the safety and quiet of somewhere far, far away.
Without another peek at the game, she turned, gaze darting from side to side to ensure she was in the clear.
And then it happened. At her back, a siren began to wail.
She whirled in time to see flashing lights erupt from the top of her machine. She reached out, frantic to turn off whatever she had triggered. Desperate to stop the loud and obtrusive noises that were drawing attention from all over the casino, but there were no control keys to use—no computer override to access.
Simply the word JACKPOT flashing off and on in glowing neon colours.
Oh dear. This was terrible, this was horrible. Lillie backed away from the machine as if it were made of scorpions.
“Woohoo, good for you,” the woman on her left said, rising from her stool and patting Lillie on the shoulder.
“Holy cow. One hundred thousand dollars?” The man on her right moved in as well, clapping his hands and cheering loudly.
They weren’t the only two. It seemed everyone in the area was abandoning their machines and coming forward, closing in around her. Blocking off all of her escape routes and sucking the oxygen from the air.
She couldn’t breathe. Her bear rumbled upward, clawing at her to demand they run. Every move Lillie made bumped her into someone, helpful hands pushing her back toward the impossibly loud and frightening machine.
Maybe if she closed her eyes that would make things better. Stars hovered against the blackness of the insides of her eyelids as she tried desperately to keep a full-blown panic attack from overwhelming her.
She was no longer worried about being discovered in the wrong place. Now all she wanted was to put space between her and the people crowding far too close.
Her bear pushed to the surface as she cried in fear, and Lillie covered her face with her hands, fighting the urge to shift right then and there. That was the last thing she needed, but it was close to becoming her only choice.
Lillie trembled on the edge of disaster when a commanding voice broke through the chaos, ordering the crowds away. She found herself wrapped in strong arms, a hand holding her face to a solid wall of muscle.
“Everyone back to what you were doing. She’s fine.”
“She’s better than fine,” someone called. “She won the jackpot.”
“So she did.” Her mysterious savior’s voice rumbled up from his chest, soothing over her like a warm blanket. Lillie snuck her arms around her rescuer and clung tightly. The heat from his chest—that solid wall she’d hidden against—soothed her human panic.
Her bear, however, was agitated beyond belief. Lillie struggled
to keep her other side from taking over, but the beast wasn’t ready to give up the fight.
Another low rumble struck her like a command, and her bear froze. Strong fingers continued to cradle the back of her head, holding her motionless. “Relax, sweetheart. I’ll take care of things.”
She took a deep breath, and exactly what he was hit her. The scent that filled her head was oh-so-masculine, while the strength of his shifter side registered loud and clear. Her bear wiggled its ears for a moment, considering this new thing.
Well, not its literal ears, because that would have been very uncomfortable.
She had to answer him. Warn him she wasn’t safe yet. Even curled against him, her fingers tangled in his shirt, she was on the verge of breaking apart. If he’d wanted to abandon her at that point, he would’ve had to peel her from his body.
It took all her strength to form the word. “Scared.”
“I noticed.”
She could have sworn he pressed his lips to the top of her head, but she had her eyes squeezed shut, so she couldn’t be certain.
He gave a few more orders, snapping out the words, clear and precise. Lillie felt the fool for not standing up for herself, but there was a line, and she’d gone too close to it. Letting him deal with the others meant she’d be less likely to cause a terrible incident.
When he lifted her in the air like some old-timey maiden being rescued from a swoon, she didn’t protest. With how lightheaded she felt, it wasn’t far from the truth.
All she knew for certain was that as the voices faded, the bells and whistles slowly disappearing into the background, the urge to throw up also faded, and that was a good thing.
He had one strong arm curved around her, another under her legs. Lillie stretched up to clasp his neck, her other hand still buried under his jacket as she fisted the material at his back.
He smelt good. Like the tang of wood smoke mixed with the sharp cut of wintry air. Familiar and invigorating. Sensual and intoxicating. They were still moving forward rapidly. Her bear was no longer about to burst through her skin, but neither human nor beast were ready to relax.