Blaine, Destiny - Lying Eyes (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Lying Eyes

  Fingers snapped in front of him. “Max? Why?”

  He moved closer to her. Damn her for tempting fantasies only to interrupt them. “You want to know why? You have to ask? For starters, I’m hungry. Starving, in fact.” His growl proved a manly and hearty appetite continued to spin through his gut. It existed only for her. He didn’t really care if she translated the truer meaning. Why not show his hand to the lady?

  She looked directly at his cock. The little siren didn’t try to hide it this time, and if she didn’t watch herself, he would have her in bed until sunrise.

  Holy mercy hell. He was pretty sure his dick twitched from under his khaki pants.

  “I’d say you’ve made your point pretty clear.” She rubbed her lips together and he watched with amusement as she tried to fight what resembled a crooked smile. It formed, all the same.

  “I called the front desk. It’s interesting what I found out.” Her chin tilted outward and with arms extended, she flexed her fingers.

  Max shifted his weight. “Damn woman. Don’t you believe in keeping anything to yourself? Are you hell bent on embarrassing me or what?”

  Audra took her time answering him. “Maybe I should be hell bent on avoiding you. The host I spoke to told quite a story. You went to a lot of trouble to move everyone around so you could occupy that room.” She indicated where she meant by moving a closed fist over her shoulder with a thumb extended. “Did I emphasize a lot?”

  “Sweetheart, like I told you before, I like to keep my friends close.” He realized his face probably took on a bright tone of various reds. He felt the hot heat so the color existed in there somewhere. He more or less paid the original room occupants enough cash to extend their Las Vegas stay or their time at the tables, which was most likely the case.

  “I have a feeling it isn’t your friends you’re worried about. Instead, it’s the competition.”

  He definitely admired the woman’s spunk and the mouth she used to spit out the sassiest of words. Now, kissing is unavoidable. Max moved his hand over a stiff neck and rubbed. He sure couldn’t massage the stiffness anywhere else and he definitely had a stiff one rising fast and hard for her attention.

  “Tell you what, to prove I don’t have any ulterior motives, let me buy your dinner.” He propped his forearm against the wall and peered down at her. Maybe if she was around him enough, she’d quit glancing at his cock and just decide yeah, he walked around with a hard-on. A lot of men his age had the same problem, didn’t they? Sure they did.

  “Considering every meal in this joint is comped for me and completely free? No, I don’t think it’s dinner you’re hoping to buy.”

  “You don’t trust men too easily, do you?” He pointed out something he believed about most gamblers. They all had trust issues. Men, women, kids, dogs, cats—it didn’t matter.

  “Oh, so now you want to be trusted. Since when does a poker player ask for trust?”

  “You just don’t stop, do you?” He shook his head.

  “Not until I take it all,” she admitted.

  “You’re after the whole thing?” He casually questioned and implied several things in one, like he often found she forced him to do whenever they engaged in polite spicy conversation.

  “That depends. Which whole of which part do you think I want?” She nailed him with a seductive reply.

  Max cleared his throat. “Baby, which part do you want to play for right this minute?” The teasing continued and he allowed his eyes to drift then and of course, they stopped on her heart. His breathing picked up a notch and he bit hard, damn tight, on his lower lip.

  “That’s funny, Max. Cute.” Audra winked. “Like I said, I want to take it all. Now, if that includes a man somewhere in the mix of all this, I’ll probably take all he has to give, but before you get too excited, I’m talking about the tournament.”

  He took at least forty-five seconds with a comeback. “Audra honey, you can ante up at a table but don’t throw in with a player like me on a more personal note unless you intend to throw it all down.”

  “Throw down?” Her brow formed several wrinkles, proving she didn’t quite understand.

  “Okay, lie down. How’s that?”

  “Forward.” She started to shut the door.

  His foot moved and landed in just the right spot to stop it. “Have dinner with me.” His body never moved.

  “You’re too late. I just ordered room service.” She looked all too pleased with her revelation.

  “Cancel it.”

  “Can’t do it.” She shook her head.

  Max convinced himself he was losing his touch. Canceling room service wasn’t a big deal. Everyone in the hotel knew who she was and what she stood to gain. Major sucking up had begun. Max knew how the casino employees treated the projected winners. They kissed ass. Hers would be the pretty one to kiss tonight. Naturally, in a city full of projected winners, it could change on a day by day status, but generally, as a rule of thumb, the top five to ten players who led the pack often received the royal treatment.

  “Can’t or won’t?” He didn’t like to beat around the bush. It wasted time.

  It was her turn to catch the visual biopsy and squirm under the microscope. The examination he gave her was thorough, complete and outright suggestive. He slowly rubbed his chin as if to contemplate his next move.

  She took a slow, deep breath. It tortured him because of the rise and fall of what he imagined as Mother Nature’s best.

  Maybe he knocked the wind out of her with the undeniable appreciation. A woman he dated several years ago once told him he had the ability to fuck, literally fuck a woman, with his eyes. The woman turned out to be a nutcase but the fact remained, he experimented some and discovered sure enough, some women withered under his gaze. He hoped he still had that particular affect on women. Actually, one woman—he only wanted Audra to feel the potency of his stare.

  “You wanted a room next to mine. Why?” She seemed to trip over the words only to hurriedly add more. “And don’t tell me it’s because you want to keep friends close. We’re not friends.”

  “We should be. We can be.” He never gave up. “You know the kind, those with a lot of fringe benefits.”

  “Interesting. I want to ask you something, lover boy.” She moved closer and her hand went to his chest sending a surge through his body that was more than skin deep. “Would that be friends with pants on or off?”

  His voice dropped an octave. “I promise you, if I wanted them off then there wouldn’t be anything you could do but drop them at the door.” He deserved a slap for that one but he was glad he said it all the same.

  “Exactly the kind of answer I thought you might give, so it’s goodnight Max.” She started to close him out for the duration of the evening. His hand went up to stop her progress again.

  “Come on Audra, don’t call it a night yet. You’ve had a hell of a day. You deserve to celebrate. Let me take you out.”

  “Okay, Max. Quit dancing. Flirting is fine but I have to be honest here. I don’t have the patience for a shadow and I’m not good at dating. What do you really want from me? Seriously, what is it? You went to a lot of trouble here to have your room assignment changed and for what, to take me out to dinner?” Her eyes narrowed and amusement waltzed across her face. “That’s not it, is it? You really think I stand a chance at winning the whole tournament, don’t you?” she said, snickering. “I’m a threat to you.”

  Max felt his lips quirk. One thing about it, poker took her innocence and left her with a set of marbles. It was something he witnessed a lot in the casinos and poker rooms around the world. He didn’t know how to explain it, but it was the sorrow he felt when he first met her. His initial assumption materialized, it was safe to believe the lovely woman in front of him now didn’t cry over nearly-missed flights. She became what he feared he might one day see. The hard player underneath a woman’s soft protective covering stared back at him with all the arrogance of a multi-million dollar projected winner. Eve
n if he tried to make this personal, it was business.

  “No, darlin’ that’s not it.” He thought about leaving then but it was just too damn tempting to take her up to the edge and then dangle the truth in front of her. He wanted to watch her crumble underneath his gaze. “But, you’re absolutely right. I haven’t been upfront here.”

  He moved slowly into her and before he realized it, he was standing inside her room. An uninvited guest, an intruder invading her personal space. Damn, what I’d give to…he stopped his intimate discussion and noticed right way that she didn’t send him packing. He considered it a good thing and since he was still standing there, he found little reason to leave the door open.

  He reached over with his left arm and pushed it shut. He heard the clicking sound of the automatic lock.

  “You’re assumptive, aren’t you?” She swallowed hard.

  He witnessed it. He saw the lump in her neck and the way she turned her cheek in an effort to defy it but it didn’t matter, it only fed his excitement.

  “I’m a lot of things, Audra, and when I’m forward with a woman, it’s only because down deep, I know she wants it. Now, dinner is what I planned for tonight but I assure you, when I requested adjoining rooms, I had something else on my mind.” His eyes probably gave everything away before words confirmed more carnal intentions. She fed his ego just by allowing him to be there and he worked up one hell of a salacious craving as he watched her fight inner battles. Those she would soon lose.

  She wanted him there. Maybe she hated the idea of dating a poker player or an older man but it still didn’t change things for them. She felt the same way he did. He saw it right then and there. The connection reestablished. The one he didn’t imagine they developed in Mississippi. The one he didn’t harbor on his own while he lay dormant, waiting for the next opportunity to see her again. All of what she wanted to hide, possibly never wanted him to see, provided enough proof in her gasp for air the second he stepped inside her room. Now, everything else he needed to know he found deep inside her dark and very beautiful eyes.

  The silence shook her. “Well then, I think I deserve to know what comes after dinner.” She moved slightly away from him but he caught her around the waist.

  “Don’t. What do you think you’re doing?” she snapped.

  Max reached out and rubbed the pad of his thumb over her bottom lip, his own lower lip moistened with the thought. “Since you asked, it’s only fair I tell you.” One palm drew her closer, clutching her mid-section tighter, but his other hand continued to stay in place locked around her lower jaw as his thumb tempted her with the kiss she must’ve known he planned to deliver. “Only fair I show you.”

  His hooded eyes dropped and then came the parting of lips, the welcoming sign of not only temptation, but action and delivery. “You’ll be in my bed before the end of the week.” He made the solemn promise. “And once you get there, I’m going to keep you there for as long as I can.”

  Audra’s face lost color and pale skin resembled a soft winter snow. “You care to place a wager on that?”

  “No.” He continued to stroke her lower lip but with apparent intensity and fiery eroticism leading the way to uncontrollable desire. He had to have her. For two years, he’d thought of nothing else and now she’d become a must-have. A real keeper. Problem was, if he kissed her once, he was afraid she’d quickly become a must-do and he didn’t know if he could stop himself once he held her in his arms.

  Chapter Three

  Max spotted her five tables over from his assigned seat. She coolly stood up to watch the gavel fall—also known as the river card. The fifth and final card. The one meant to tell the tale. A quick flip of a dealer’s wrist and someone would head home a loser and the other would remain in the game simply by winning one hand. Those around the room didn’t have to wonder if it was one of ‘those’ hands or not. Too much chatter stirred as a tight circle formed.

  He felt his heart thump at the base of his throat. No, he wasn’t ready to see the young beauty depart so soon but if she had to go, he wanted to watch her final performance. He waited for the chance to ditch his cards.

  The Amazon Room was exceptionally loud but the whistles reached far above the crowds there. A few college boys stood on their tip-toes focusing on the table where another big player would meet their tournament end.

  Max collected a small pot, tossed in his next hand and moved closer too. He literally walked away from his table, and stretched his neck to see. He never left his game so he hoped like hell he didn’t have to witness her leave the tournament area after he made the effort.

  The reason he inched closer was because he wanted to watch her take out another good man. Most members of the opposite sex agreed when Audra took down one of the best, her pleasure-filled cries were like soft whispers filled with promises of divine ecstasy. A man with a sexual mentality easily found bliss with each new small victory she obtained. Right now, he all but ached to hear it.

  In the center of the felt, he saw it—two tens, a Jack, and two Aces. Her overall demeanor didn’t give away a lot and an empty stare washed across her face. She seemed unbalanced or something—not on her game at all. Then again, he didn’t know how to read her.

  The night before, he stepped into her room full of expectations. He thought he might win a simple kiss but instead, he found out how fast a woman with the right motivation turned a good man down. He tried to convince her of a date with the competition but quickly discovered she viewed him as the enemy when he heard an emphatic no.

  To make matters worse, she never changed her mind.

  After a few agonizing seconds, the wall of people divided and he saw who joined her for the showdown. It was like a punch in the gut. He wasn’t sure he wanted to watch and he wasn’t the only one. Someone in front of him announced what he didn’t have the heart to say aloud. “She’s toast. She’s going home.”

  His neck tightened but his collar was the least of his worries because just a little further south, his balls were just as blue as they were the night before. Intense pain ripped with the reminder and he hoped it wasn’t the end for her. He didn’t get a date or a kiss and while he sure didn’t want her at his table again anytime soon, he wanted her to fall asleep tonight in the room located next to his.

  Who was he trying to kid?

  Self-preservation never worked. No one else occupied his mind so it seemed like a waste of time to lie to one’s self. He wanted her in his bed and if she went home now, the chances of it happening soon greatly reduced.

  Someone moved and he saw why the notorious player from Nevada looked so damn cocky. He had the high straight. His eyes locked on her and she must’ve felt someone watching her—no, not just anyone—him. She turned around and glanced at him, only for a second and that’s when he felt his heart soar. She had the hand. Her grin told him everything.

  Since she started the day as the tournament leader, she once again sat at the featured table. Old Sambo dropped his voice and Max heard the outcome loud and clear as he announced what everyone wanted to hear. “It looks like Audra Alexander has knocked out Harry Lovehart. His high straight wasn’t good enough to win against Audra’s four Aces. Last year, Lovehart made a final table appearance. This year, he goes home early being dubbed as the one player who bluffed his way this far. Not today, Harry. The little gal right here had your number.” She also had pocket rockets with a quite beautiful board to make her hand all the sweeter.

  Max tilted his head and winked. She winked back. She really did. He saw it. Damn he loved it when her eye closed and opened real quick in just a super slick maneuver to show him some attention. Jeez, the woman had his hands tied and since he needed them to play cards, he just wanted to ante up and forget about her for the rest of the day.

  It seemed easier to think about, doing it might prove impossible.

  His dick reminded him of such a notion—especially now. She stood up and peered over a few tables so she could see him and he would pay attention to her. W
ith a soda in her hand and a plastic straw in between swollen and perfectly puckered lips, she sucked on a cold drink. Damn—he was jealous of that straw and he was instantly hard too because of the envy she all but manipulated as she playfully stirred the icy drink.

  He needed a cold shower or a trip to the Bunny Ranch or better still, Audra willing and ready by the end of the day. He might have to bet on the Bunny Ranch but make a play for Audra first. He had reason to believe there were few bunnies at any ranch who ever looked so Audra-hoppin’ good.

  * * * *

  “Are you stalking me, Mr. Reynolds?” She stepped out of the elevator and looked over at the space Max just deserted. His ride up to their shared floor arrived seconds after she did but she had to wait until a luggage cart and two elderly couples teetered off in another direction.

  “Let me ask you something, Audra.” He moved toward her with a slight rumble in his voice. “Would you rather I rapidly hunt or slowly pursue you? It’s going to be one or the other, you know.” His tone rose to an undeniable amount of sex appeal and he moved closer then. Two feet away, if she had to guess and she didn’t care to since he was already close enough. She smelled the faint alluring odor of the casino and his expensive cologne.

  Her neck moved to the left quite quickly. “Ouch!” she yelled out as her hand immediately flew to the base of her neck.

  She snickered once she saw how quickly he moved toward her. He took her arm and quickly yanked her around so he could see what had her crying out in pain.

  “Here, let me check you out.” He seemed so sincere and she regretted pulling the childish prank.

  Before she released her hand, she burst out with complete glee. “It’s nothing but that love bug you’re dying to see bite me. I just wanted you to know I can resist a charming man, even one who nips. See?” She sauntered off down the hall and made sure her hips left a womanly impression.

  “You’re funny, Alexander. Real friggin’ funny.”

  “I like to think so, Max. I like to think so.” She felt her curls move lightly across her back and she glanced up at the security cameras. I bet I’m giving the camera crew upstairs a smile or two.