by Jill Monroe
She met his gaze for the first time. She didn’t see understanding in his eyes, but maybe the expression of someone wanting to believe her. There was hope again. “Absolutely,” she told him quickly. “Listen, I’ve never spoken to anyone about this before. It’s my bad luck you turned out to be in casino security. I’ll understand if you can’t trust me.”
Moments passed. Long, agonizingly silent moments. Danni hadn’t known Eric long, but she knew he was envisioning every possible scenario in his mind. She should make it easy on him. They barely knew each other. He didn’t owe her anything.
Danni liked him enough to walk away. She dropped his fingers, ready to go.
But Eric wouldn’t let her drop his hand. “Come with me,” he said.
She was unable to make out his meaning, but he’d extended his hand to her. Another tiny flicker of hope flared. “Where?”
“It’s a surprise. Do you trust me?” he asked.
She swallowed and squeezed his hand. “I do.” It was strange trusting someone other than her father and Cassie. But she did, and she felt lighter, freer for it.
“Then come with me.”
She followed Eric, shielding her eyes against the harshness of the late-morning sun. In a few turns, she realized they were on a direct path to the casino where he worked.
“What’s going on?”
“You say you are around the temptation because you want to prove to yourself you can go straight. The fact that you ran last night tells me you still don’t completely trust yourself.” He faced her point-blank. “Since you called me today and told me everything says to me that I can trust you. It’s you who’s unsure. You don’t know whether you can trust yourself. Well, now’s your chance.”
She glanced at the doors of the casino. Greeters always smiled, but Danni knew they were the first line of any casino’s security. “They’ll stop me before I take five steps in the place. Those people at the door memorize photos.”
“Danni, I know what kind of security measures are in place. Two more days working here, and I would have memorized your photo.” He gave her hand a squeeze. “You’re with me. It will be fine. Stop stalling. Come inside and prove to yourself you can do it.”
“Why? Why are you doing this?” She couldn’t keep the wonder out of her voice. No one, no one except maybe Cassie and the judge had ever tried to help her this way.
His brown eyes grew heated. “Maybe I want to see how far I can tip the scale kissing you.”
She smiled. A tingle of excitement rushed through her. Now was the time for the coy hair flip.
He handed her a twenty-dollar bill. “Come on, prove yourself right.”
She glanced at the money, hesitated a moment before she took the bill from his hand. “Thanks for trusting me.”
Who’d have thought that having someone’s trust was such a turn-on?
They walked together into the casino—loud and filled with activity, even on a Monday. Bells dinged, lights flickered, people alternately cheered and groaned. At one time, this had been home. Not legally, since she wasn’t of age then, but of course that hadn’t mattered to her father.
“What’s your pleasure?” Eric asked. Sure enough, no one had stopped them.
“Poker,” she said. “And not Texas Hold ’Em.”
“Follow me.” He set her up in a chair at a table with quite a bit of action. All amateurs. The loud man who’d already had too much to drink. The retired ladies who were dropped off at the door by a bus. The serious engineer type who’d probably watched the “how to gamble” video up in his hotel room a dozen times.
Easy pickin’s.
But not today. In thirty minutes she was done. Sliding off the chair, she found Eric hanging back a few feet away.
“I lost all your money,” she admitted.
His eyes burned dark. “I don’t care,” he replied, staring at her lips.
Her skin burned sensitive and hot. It felt good not even having the urge to cheat. It felt better knowing Eric wanted her.
He nodded toward a hallway that looked as if it led to the administrative offices, and she fell into step beside him.
“So tell me, how would you have cheated back then?” he asked.
Danni scanned the table again. “Easy. Small conservative bets. Just enough to keep the cards flowing and my money going. When I hit a face card, I mark it with my fingernail, or bend the card ever so slightly. Enough times through, I’ll have a good idea who has what and bet accordingly. Most people think cheating at cards is all about the right card, and yes, for the most part it is. But don’t discount the importance of bet management.”
Eric chuckled deep in his throat and the sound shot a thrill to her. “Who’d have thought hearing how you could rob me would be so hot.”
“Aha. I’ve been waiting for that,” she told him with a smile. Yes. It was exactly the confirmation she needed to hear. Eric wanted her, like she wanted him.
“You have a problem with men only wanting you for prowess at theft?” he asked, his voice teasing.
“Only from the good boys.”
“I’m not so good,” he said, his eyes becoming darker.
She had to calm down. While action at the casino table was all well and good, she planned to treat her body to a little Eric action now. She suspected it was a far better rush than cheating at cards.
He unlocked his office and she followed him inside. Her body hummed and she became very aware of the brush of her clothes against her skin.
Not that she’d ever done anything remotely corporate, the room was as she expected it to be. Desk. Executive chair. Two guest chairs.
He sat behind the desk, leaned against his chair. He was a cool one, making her take up the chase. “What is it you wanted to hear?” he asked.
“Confirmation on this theory I have.” She perched herself against the polished wood. Forget the chair. Now that she didn’t have to work so hard to appear honest and refined, she could allow herself some waviness.
She rested closer to his body, feeling his heat. “My theory is about good boys. That those angelic good boys secretly want the naughty girls. So tell me, Eric, is that one of your fantasies?” she asked, her voice pitching low.
Fire leapt in his eyes as he reached for her, hauling her into his lap, his lips mere inches away from hers. “I’m not feeling particularly angelic right now.”
4
HEART-STOPPING anticipation tap-danced on her every available nerve ending. She breathed in his clean, spicy scent. Danni slid off his lap. She wasn’t going to make this too easy for him. Otherwise he’d expect everything to be his way. No, not gonna happen.
She took a step, pretending to admire the stuff on his walls, which was practically nothing. He had just moved here.
“This is a first for me,” she told him over her shoulder, glancing at a nail hole on the pristine corporate shade of light beige. “I’ve been backroomed, but never officed.”
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Why don’t you tell me what being backroomed involves. I want to make sure I’m doing it right.”
Turning to face him, she felt her breath catch in her chest. Oh, there was the sexiest glint in his eye. She cleared her throat. “Well, first you need to intimidate me. Usually with your body. Back me up against a wall. That kind of thing.”
Eric stood, suddenly seeming bigger and broader than before. He towered above her, and for a moment, a teeny tiny moment, she felt almost delicate. Yeah, a real shrinking violet she was.
Then he moved toward her. Right into her personal space.
“Like this?” he asked, his voice low and rumbly.
Danni’s eyelids grew heavy, and she ached to explore him. “More,” she told him.
Even though she was prepared for it, encouraged him, she still took a step backward when he took a step forward. He lifted an eyebrow. Was he goading her?
Damn. Damn. Damn. She didn’t yield to backroom bullying. Wait, scratch that. Apparently she did concede defeat to
back-office pressure.
But not really. She stifled a moan and lifted an eyebrow right back at him. “That all you got?”
His gaze lowered to the space between them. “It was plenty a moment ago.”
“A gentleman wouldn’t draw attention to something like that.”
His eyes never left hers as he took that final step toward her. This time she held her ground. But it wasn’t easy. Before he’d seemed all corporate and fancy coffee at the bistro, but here, alone in his office, Eric was intimidating. But the good kind. She sensed he liked her playing with him, but only to a point. She raised her chin. And winked.
Eric moved, no, he stalked determinedly and the hard wall against her shoulder blades stopped her retreating. Her muscles trembled in excitement.
Okay, it wasn’t like she’d really been trying hard to prevent him. Once again though, she didn’t want it to be too easy for him. After all, she was supposed to be explaining the proper backrooming procedure.
Eric looked even better than the night before. His intense brown eyes never dropped her gaze. The ruggedness of his chin, and the breadth of his shoulder…and yes, there it was again. That weird delicate feeling. Her nipples tightened, and her breathing grew shallow. Not her normal reactions to intimidation.
He lowered his head, and she knew in a moment he was going to kiss her. But unlike last night, the idea of kissing Eric seemed very, very scary. And more arousing than anything she’d ever experienced. He knew her secrets, everything about her. She had nothing to hide behind, only honesty and the real her. This didn’t feel right. Truth with a man just didn’t feel right.
Flip this back into a game.
Okay, sure it was a reverse step in her search for a normal life. She’d made a lot of progress with those visualization exercises counselor Cassie had suggested. But real life was very different. When she ran through those positive mental-visioning drills, nowhere did a highly attractive man she’d allowed to back her up against a wall, figure into the picture. A highly attractive man who showed all the signs that he was about to kiss her.
And yes…what was taking him so long?
Danni licked her lips, and she saw Eric’s heated gaze settle onto her tongue. Cheap move. It was an easy way to distract a man. She’d own that.
She made a tsking sound. Time to get her game on. “There’s no touching in the back room.”
Eric straightened, then flashed her a look of disbelief.
“You don’t want to violate my rights or anything,” she told him formally. Her tone sounded regretful. Not at all how she felt.
“Let me get this straight. In our pretend scenario, I’ve forcefully detained you, moved you through the casino to a remote, isolated location and now I’m supposed to be worried about your rights?” A smile appeared on his lips. “I think you’re pulling a con on me.”
Now would be a good time for the coy hair flip. But she was in an awkward position with her head leaning against the wall. Instead, she did the next best thing, a side look while saying something innocently suggestive. “Then how will you make me confess?”
Eric’s eyes narrowed.
Excellent. She hadn’t lost her touch.
Eric raised his arm, placing it above her head. And leaned forward. They stood about as close as two people could stand. Without touching.
She was nearly boxed in. Her only means of escape would be to slip to her right. Challenge lurked in the brown depths of his eyes. If she did try to make a break for it, there was no way she’d make it free. He’d be too quick. So she decided to stay where she was. She folded her arms across her chest, trying to show she was comfortable where she was. A brilliant move, because now the ball had returned to her court with a nice bounce. The power position, right? Didn’t feel like it.
Oh, what the hell.
Danni reached up, and pulled Eric’s head lower. Their lips touched. At first, he simply stood there, almost in surprise. As if he’d expected her to make some kind of smart-ass remark rather than going for his bod.
Then he joined in, and it was so good. Even though she’d kissed him the one time by the arch, all last night she’d been nervous that she’d never feel like this with Eric again.
Eric Reynolds didn’t kiss like an angel. He tasted better than the most sinful of cheesecake. She craved more. He excited her and made her feel special. She wanted to keep that alive for a long, long time.
The hand Eric had braced against the wall lowered to her waist. The warmth of him seeped through to her skin, and she wiggled closer to him. Wanting all of him. His fingers caressed her hip and arousal bloomed inside her.
“Your hands have moved from the wall,” she told him, her voice sounding breathless. “Trying to search me?”
“What if I said I had to do a strip search?”
“That’s when I’d knee you in the groin.”
Eric dropped his hands and laughed. “Aren’t you afraid of violating my rights?”
“I’m the detainee. I get to violate all I want. I’m thinking about violating your ear with my tongue right now.”
He sucked in a breath and his pupils dilated. Danni grabbed him by the lanyard holding his name badge and tugged on it to bring him to her.
Three seconds of a song emanated from his belt. “What’s that?” she asked.
Eric stepped aside and nearly ripped the phone from his waist. He groaned as he looked at the caller ID display. “It’s a meeting reminder. Some members of the gaming commission will be here in about ten.”
Gaming commission. Great. More law enforcement. The equivalent of dousing her with cold water. “You’ll understand if I don’t stick around for the introductions.”
Eric glanced at his watch, looking tense and frustrated. She couldn’t help feeling a little happy about that. She was experiencing her own tension and frustration.
He pressed a kiss to her temple, and she breathed in his scent. Even a quick, totally non-sensual kiss like that made her want him.
“I’ll call you when this meeting is over. There are a few other rooms of the casino I’d like to show you,” he said.
Now, which rooms did he mean to show her? There were probably over a thousand beds above their heads in the hotel upstairs. Was he suggesting he show her those? Maybe she had this whole nice guy thing wrong. Maybe, deep down, all guys hid a naughty side.
An image of him naked and tangled in sheets flashed through her mind.
And maybe that wasn’t so bad. This was a theory she’d enjoy exploring.
“The Chinese restaurant makes great noodles,” he suggested with a wink, as if he knew what she’d been thinking.
But her assessment was right. Very naughty—tempting a woman with carbs.
He’d donned a suit jacket before opening the door to his office. When had she ever thought a man in a suit and tie could be boring? Now she knew that particular garment hid muscles and heat. Eric walked with her to the front door of the casino. Fully corporate now.
Danni’s cell phone rang as he put her into a cab and prepaid the driver. Cassie. It wasn’t like her to call in the middle of the day when she had so many patient appointments. Cassie’s relationship and marriage counseling practice had really grown. But then they’d both come a long way since that first meeting when Danni was twenty and approaching her release date from detention. Cassie had been a volunteer counselor donating hours of her time to talk and listen. Her help eased the transition into society for the young women, like Danni, who’d spent much of their time behind bars. They’d grown into lifelong friends.
Danni flipped open her phone. “Hello?”
“You’re not in class, good, I need you to meet me in my office. I’ve canceled all my appointments for the rest of the day.”
“Canceled? You? I don’t believe this. Are you okay?” Danni’s heart rate picked up in anxiety for her friend. Professionalism and Cassie were practically the same word. She lived for her patients. Danni couldn’t even imagine a scenario where she’d stand them up.
“How many of your limbs are bleeding?”
Cassie groaned loud and clear even with Danni’s crummy cell phone reception. “If only I were bleeding. Come quick.”
Eric leaned into the car. “There a problem?” he asked after Danni hung up the phone. Concern lit his eyes.
“I don’t know. Cassie sounded pretty upset. And she’s not one to overreact to trouble.”
Now his eyes narrowed. “What kind of trouble? Maybe you shouldn’t involve yourself with this.”
For a moment Danni didn’t understand why Eric seemed so worried. Her best friend was in trouble. Of course she’d get involved. Then she realized Eric thought the trouble might be of the illegal variety. She quickly smiled. “Don’t worry. Cassie is someone I met after juvie. Believe me, she’s as straight and narrow as they come. Almost squarer than you,” she teased him.
“I’ll refute that square remark later,” he promised, and oh yeah, did that sound good. He shut the door and she just knew he’d stay on the curb until her car disappeared from sight.
She forced herself not to turn around to verify. It was her gut that told her looking back would shift the power back to him. So her fingers dug into the blue cotton of her skirt. Danni knew she must have a stupid grin on her face. The cab was now almost beyond the casino.
Maybe one look wouldn’t hurt? She twisted in her seat. Oh, yeah. Eric still waited there. She couldn’t read anything in his neutral expression or the way he’d stuffed his hands into his pockets. He gave her a curt nod and she quickly twisted around in her seat, stupid grin even wider.
ERIC WATCHED DANNI’S CAB merge into traffic. Twice in two days he’d watched her get into a cab and leave him. But this time was infinitely better.
This time she looked back.
She’d confessed to a past. He hadn’t expected that. Oh, he’d anticipated some kind of explanation for her unusual behavior last night, but the simple truth Danni offered with that hint of vulnerability got to him.
He smiled as he shook his head. People didn’t get to him. They never had. He skirted around a few tourists looking at a map outside the entrance to the casino. Nodding to the guards at the front door, he made his way to the administrative areas. He hadn’t been giving Danni the brush-off with that story of a ten a.m. meeting; his superiors were expecting a progress report. A progress report that was waiting for him in his office.