“How do you always know just what to say?”
He squeezed her hand where it wrapped around his bicep. “Ever gambled before?” he asked, changing the subject.
She shook her head. “Never in someone else’s casino at least.”
Charlie raised a brow, then grinned. “Buckle in, sweetheart. You’re about to have the night of your life.”
As they stepped into the casino, Charlie watched her carefully. Would she be able to take off her managerial hat and see a ritzy casino through the eyes of a patron?
Men and women dressed to the nines leaning over tables, throwing dice, dealers turning cards, waitresses squeezing through the crowds with trays full of drinks.
The crowd squeezed at them and Charlie repositioned himself behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and putting his mouth against her ear. “See that couple playing Black Jack? The woman in the blue dress?”
Riley nodded.
“They got kicked out of Grand Escape for counting cards a couple nights ago.”
“Why do people come to casinos to get rich? Don’t they know they’re meant for fun, not income?”
He chuckled and squeezed her tight. “So, what’s your game?”
Her teeth sunk into her kiss-swollen lower lip before she turned in his arms. She tilted her head up and looked into his eyes. “Would you believe me if I said I’ve never actually played? Not for real money.” Her gaze dropped to his mouth.
Was she thinking of what they’d done in the car? Charlie couldn’t get his mind off it, and he’d be walking around uncomfortable all night. Not that we was complaining. “Why not?”
She shrugged. “If you don’t play, you get to keep your money. If you play, there’s a good chance you’ll lose it. It was never much of a question.”
“That’s why you only play with money you intend to lose.”
“Okay.” She nodded. “I could probably spend—”
He put a finger to her lips. “Riley, don’t spoil my evening and bruise my ego in one swoop. Let me treat you.”
She bit her lip again. The gesture made him crazy, made him want to run his tongue along her swollen lip, suck it into his mouth, bite it himself. “Please,” he said, his voice coming out rough.
“Okay…” She looked around them. “What’s fun?”
He shrugged. “Depends on your personality. We have to find your game.”
He took her to the Roulette wheel first. He loved watching her big green eyes widen as the wheel spun, loved holding her from behind as she called her bet.
“This isn’t my game,” she whispered in his ear after a few rounds.
Her lips brushed his ear as she spoke, shooting fire through his veins. He nodded to the wheel. “But you won,” he said, wrapping a hand around her hip and pulling her closer.
She grinned and snuggled into him. “It’s not about the money.”
Next, they tried craps, and when that didn’t suit, he took her to a Black Jack table.
“We’re getting warmer,” she said, after a few rounds.
Charlie leaned in to tip the dealer and swept her away from the table.
“Why do you keep looking at your watch?” she asked. “Am I boring you?”
Charlie grinned. “Not a chance, but we have plans. In fact, would you mind if we left the casino for a bit?”
She looked up at him, smiling. “For limo sex?”
He groaned and closed his eyes for a few seconds. “For dancing,” he said when he recovered.
He took her hand and she followed him out of the casino and into a grand marble lobby.
“Riley Carter!” The man called her name and began flashing pictures at the same moment. “Rumor has it you’re engaged to be married to your long-time boyfriend, Chaz Spencer. What are you doing with Charlie Singleton?”
Charlie instinctively shielded Riley with his body. “Get out of here!”
She squeezed his arm. “It’s okay, Charlie.”
He turned and the camera kept flashing. “Are you sure?”
She lifted her palms. “We’re adults on a date. We’re not doing anything wrong.”
He looked down at her then—at her big green eyes, her soft smile. Something tightened in his chest. “I’m not sure what your father is going to think about you cavorting with some good-for-nothing poker player,” he said. He tried to keep the smile in his voice but failed, too much of his insecurity seeping into his words.
She slipped her hand behind his neck and into his hair. “Do you care what my father thinks?”
“No.” The word was exhaled as his attention shifted from her eyes to her lips. “Only you.”
With a smile that told him he’d given the right answer, she lifted on her toes and brought her mouth to his.
Charlie met her halfway, knowing they were making the day of the as**ole with the camera, and not caring because right now Riley was kissing him. She was kissing him even knowing that, come tomorrow morning, the whole world would be privy to this moment.
He swept his tongue into her mouth and pulled her tight.
Only after he let her go did Riley step back, her lips red, her cheeks flushed.
“Are you two an item?” the pap member asked.
“We’re—” Charlie wasn’t sure how to answer that question.
“We’re having fun,” Riley finished for him, and judging by the proud smile she flashed over her shoulder, she thought he’d approve of her answer. And he did. Riley deserved fun, and that was precisely what he’d set out to give her.
Except, he wanted more.
I love you. She’d typed those words to him last night, and he wanted to hear them again, but this time from her lips.
***
Chaz stopped dancing when he saw Riley enter the club. When Brandy continued grinding against him, he gripped her arm and dragged her to the edge of the dance floor.
“Can’t wait for me?” she asked, her words breathy to show him how turned on she was. Which was bullshit, of course. The only thing in Chaz’s pants that turned Brandy on were the large bills in his wallet.
Not that this upset him. They’d been f**king for months with the understanding that she would get pretty things and he would get pussy.
He narrowed his eyes and watched over Brandy’s shoulder as a woman in red walked up the stairs to the tables that overlooked the dance floor. “Is that—”
Brandy took a step forward and pressed her mouth to his.
He pushed at her shoulders, making her stumble backwards. “Get off my dick for a minute, would you?”
Chaz turned to follow Riley’s path through the club, ignoring the daggers Brandy was throwing with her eyes.
“I’ll be damned,” he muttered, heading to the stairs.
“Hey! Where ya going?” Brandy called to his back.
He ignored her. Seeing Riley was enough of a reminder of where sleeping with trash had gotten him.
He made his way to the stairs. Had that really been her? She’d looked…different. Riley had always had a hot bod, but she was skilled at hiding it with the most boring clothes. But tonight…tonight she wore red and a smile and walked like a woman who’d been well-fucked.
By the time he reached the top of the stairs, she was at the railing, leaning on her elbows and watching the bodies teeming on the dance floor below.
“I wondered if you’d come find me tonight,” he said, wrapping an arm around her.
Her attention jerked to him and she pulled back, eyes widening.
Chaz frowned. “That’s why you’re here, right?” He’d gone to her apartment at nine, but Lacey had told him Riley was out. That was all the bitch would tell him, and she wouldn’t even open the door.
“Why would you think that?”
Ignoring the question, he smiled and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “You look beautiful tonight.” A little too slutty for the future mother of their children, but they could talk about that after they’d ironed everything out between them.
“Chaz.” She recoiled from his touch. “I’m here with someone else.”
Chaz dropped his hand to his side and clenched it. “Who?” Not that he really had to ask. He knew. She was with the same loser she’d been pictured with in the paper. The same loser she’d been spotted with in the Grand Escape lobby after she’d stopped by Chaz’s place. The loser who was responsible for her decision not to wear his ring.
“Does that really matter?” She frowned. “We’re over, Chaz. I’m not yours anymore.”
He set his jaw. “Because of last night.”
She nodded. “In part. But truthfully I should have ended this a long time ago.” She looked over her shoulder, for that poker player no doubt. “Tell me the truth—were you really happy?”
“Of course—”
“No, think about it. Were you happy with me? And before you answer, ask yourself why you were sleeping with another woman if our relationship was really enough for you.”
Chaz cursed himself for getting sloppy. How many months had he insisted Brandy not come to his house? After awhile it had just seemed easier to have her over. Since—before last night—Riley wasn’t the type to stop by unannounced, he hadn’t seen the harm in it. But it had been a f**king careless gamble after years of strategically placing himself in Riley’s life.
“I made a mistake, Riley,” and damn did he mean it. “Don’t let my mistake ruin everything we’ve worked so hard for.” His eyes dropped down the length of her body. “I just can’t get over the way you’re dressed. Did he ask you to dress like this?”
She released a long breath and took another slight step away from him. “Charlie doesn’t tell me how to dress.”
Chaz raised a brow. “I hear he buys you lingerie. Sounds to me like he doesn’t just tell you, he makes sure it happens.”
“That’s different.” Her brow creased in a deep frown.
“I’ll leave you alone to enjoy your evening. But first—as the man who has loved you for two years—I think I deserve to know how things started between you two. I mean, you and I just broke up last night.”
“Do we have to talk that kiss to death? I shouldn’t have kissed him before you and I were over, but it happened.”
He shook his head. “Not the kiss. Before that.”
She wrapped her arms around herself and her face grew tight. “What are you trying to suggest? That I was sleeping around?”
“There’s more than one way to be unfaithful.”
Riley winced then looked at the floor. “Your numbers got mixed up in my new cell phone,” she said. “I thought I was texting you, but I was really…” She trailed off.
Chaz felt like he’d been sucker punched. Singleton had gotten her through f**king text messages. “Did he know you thought you were texting me?”
“How would he have known?”
“How do you know he’s not the one who switched the numbers?”
She dropped her arms and shook her head. “No. He has no idea. He’s not like that, Chaz. Not at all.”
Chaz gave her a soft smile and reached for her hand. “I know you like this guy, but he makes a living reading people and taking advantage when opportunity presents itself.”
“Chaz—”
He held up his hands. “I won’t say more. Just…don’t get hurt.”
She tugged her hand away. “I won’t.”
He shook his head. “You just have to forgive me for wanting to protect the heart of the woman I love.”
“You don’t have to protect my heart, Chaz. Me and Charlie…it’s not like that.”
Chaz held back his smile. If it wasn’t like that, then it wasn’t too late for Chaz. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Charlie approaching, so he took the moment to dip and brush a kiss across Riley’s mouth.
She took a step back just as his lips touched hers. “I’m not your girl anymore, Chaz.”
“Indulge me in the fantasy that I might be able to win you back.” His words were whispered. Emotions skittered across her face. He hadn’t lost her yet.
“Riley?”
Guilt masked her features as she swung around to Charlie. Another point for Team Chaz.
Chapter Eighteen
Riley looked angelic while she slept. Her dark hair was mussed from their love making, her lips still swollen, but her features were peaceful. As he watched the steady rise and fall of her chest, something unfamiliar tightened his chest.
He should get back to his room and review tapes of competitors. UltimatePokerPowerhouse.net had made an offer, but it had been a low one, unsubstantial, barely enough to cover the entry fee. If Rick couldn’t work his magic and get Charlie a better deal, Charlie’s career would depend on a tournament win. Without it, he wouldn’t be able to afford to continue.
Even knowing what lay on the line, he couldn’t tear himself away from her. When he’d seen Chaz kissing her tonight, he’d felt something.
Primitive, territorial jealousy over seeing another man kiss the woman he was sleeping with—yes, but that was to be expected. And he’d felt that in spades. But he’d also felt something more. He didn’t want any other man touching her, true, but the bigger threat had been the way they’d looked at each other, the fear that she might feel something for this man that Charlie wanted her to feel for him.
He’d taken Riley to Tango to enjoy the thing she loved most, and he’d been too damn stubborn to let Chaz change his plans. Moving together on the dance floor had been as natural as flowing water. Riley’s body had rubbed against his as they danced, and her mouth kept him wanting as it hovered millimeters from the sensitive skin on his neck. Her hands had hooked into his belt, held him close—as if he wanted to be anywhere else.
He squeezed her hand where it wrapped around his bicep. “Ever gambled before?” he asked, changing the subject.
She shook her head. “Never in someone else’s casino at least.”
Charlie raised a brow, then grinned. “Buckle in, sweetheart. You’re about to have the night of your life.”
As they stepped into the casino, Charlie watched her carefully. Would she be able to take off her managerial hat and see a ritzy casino through the eyes of a patron?
Men and women dressed to the nines leaning over tables, throwing dice, dealers turning cards, waitresses squeezing through the crowds with trays full of drinks.
The crowd squeezed at them and Charlie repositioned himself behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and putting his mouth against her ear. “See that couple playing Black Jack? The woman in the blue dress?”
Riley nodded.
“They got kicked out of Grand Escape for counting cards a couple nights ago.”
“Why do people come to casinos to get rich? Don’t they know they’re meant for fun, not income?”
He chuckled and squeezed her tight. “So, what’s your game?”
Her teeth sunk into her kiss-swollen lower lip before she turned in his arms. She tilted her head up and looked into his eyes. “Would you believe me if I said I’ve never actually played? Not for real money.” Her gaze dropped to his mouth.
Was she thinking of what they’d done in the car? Charlie couldn’t get his mind off it, and he’d be walking around uncomfortable all night. Not that we was complaining. “Why not?”
She shrugged. “If you don’t play, you get to keep your money. If you play, there’s a good chance you’ll lose it. It was never much of a question.”
“That’s why you only play with money you intend to lose.”
“Okay.” She nodded. “I could probably spend—”
He put a finger to her lips. “Riley, don’t spoil my evening and bruise my ego in one swoop. Let me treat you.”
She bit her lip again. The gesture made him crazy, made him want to run his tongue along her swollen lip, suck it into his mouth, bite it himself. “Please,” he said, his voice coming out rough.
“Okay…” She looked around them. “What’s fun?”
He shrugged. “Depends on your personality. We have to find your game.”
He took her to the Roulette wheel first. He loved watching her big green eyes widen as the wheel spun, loved holding her from behind as she called her bet.
“This isn’t my game,” she whispered in his ear after a few rounds.
Her lips brushed his ear as she spoke, shooting fire through his veins. He nodded to the wheel. “But you won,” he said, wrapping a hand around her hip and pulling her closer.
She grinned and snuggled into him. “It’s not about the money.”
Next, they tried craps, and when that didn’t suit, he took her to a Black Jack table.
“We’re getting warmer,” she said, after a few rounds.
Charlie leaned in to tip the dealer and swept her away from the table.
“Why do you keep looking at your watch?” she asked. “Am I boring you?”
Charlie grinned. “Not a chance, but we have plans. In fact, would you mind if we left the casino for a bit?”
She looked up at him, smiling. “For limo sex?”
He groaned and closed his eyes for a few seconds. “For dancing,” he said when he recovered.
He took her hand and she followed him out of the casino and into a grand marble lobby.
“Riley Carter!” The man called her name and began flashing pictures at the same moment. “Rumor has it you’re engaged to be married to your long-time boyfriend, Chaz Spencer. What are you doing with Charlie Singleton?”
Charlie instinctively shielded Riley with his body. “Get out of here!”
She squeezed his arm. “It’s okay, Charlie.”
He turned and the camera kept flashing. “Are you sure?”
She lifted her palms. “We’re adults on a date. We’re not doing anything wrong.”
He looked down at her then—at her big green eyes, her soft smile. Something tightened in his chest. “I’m not sure what your father is going to think about you cavorting with some good-for-nothing poker player,” he said. He tried to keep the smile in his voice but failed, too much of his insecurity seeping into his words.
She slipped her hand behind his neck and into his hair. “Do you care what my father thinks?”
“No.” The word was exhaled as his attention shifted from her eyes to her lips. “Only you.”
With a smile that told him he’d given the right answer, she lifted on her toes and brought her mouth to his.
Charlie met her halfway, knowing they were making the day of the as**ole with the camera, and not caring because right now Riley was kissing him. She was kissing him even knowing that, come tomorrow morning, the whole world would be privy to this moment.
He swept his tongue into her mouth and pulled her tight.
Only after he let her go did Riley step back, her lips red, her cheeks flushed.
“Are you two an item?” the pap member asked.
“We’re—” Charlie wasn’t sure how to answer that question.
“We’re having fun,” Riley finished for him, and judging by the proud smile she flashed over her shoulder, she thought he’d approve of her answer. And he did. Riley deserved fun, and that was precisely what he’d set out to give her.
Except, he wanted more.
I love you. She’d typed those words to him last night, and he wanted to hear them again, but this time from her lips.
***
Chaz stopped dancing when he saw Riley enter the club. When Brandy continued grinding against him, he gripped her arm and dragged her to the edge of the dance floor.
“Can’t wait for me?” she asked, her words breathy to show him how turned on she was. Which was bullshit, of course. The only thing in Chaz’s pants that turned Brandy on were the large bills in his wallet.
Not that this upset him. They’d been f**king for months with the understanding that she would get pretty things and he would get pussy.
He narrowed his eyes and watched over Brandy’s shoulder as a woman in red walked up the stairs to the tables that overlooked the dance floor. “Is that—”
Brandy took a step forward and pressed her mouth to his.
He pushed at her shoulders, making her stumble backwards. “Get off my dick for a minute, would you?”
Chaz turned to follow Riley’s path through the club, ignoring the daggers Brandy was throwing with her eyes.
“I’ll be damned,” he muttered, heading to the stairs.
“Hey! Where ya going?” Brandy called to his back.
He ignored her. Seeing Riley was enough of a reminder of where sleeping with trash had gotten him.
He made his way to the stairs. Had that really been her? She’d looked…different. Riley had always had a hot bod, but she was skilled at hiding it with the most boring clothes. But tonight…tonight she wore red and a smile and walked like a woman who’d been well-fucked.
By the time he reached the top of the stairs, she was at the railing, leaning on her elbows and watching the bodies teeming on the dance floor below.
“I wondered if you’d come find me tonight,” he said, wrapping an arm around her.
Her attention jerked to him and she pulled back, eyes widening.
Chaz frowned. “That’s why you’re here, right?” He’d gone to her apartment at nine, but Lacey had told him Riley was out. That was all the bitch would tell him, and she wouldn’t even open the door.
“Why would you think that?”
Ignoring the question, he smiled and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “You look beautiful tonight.” A little too slutty for the future mother of their children, but they could talk about that after they’d ironed everything out between them.
“Chaz.” She recoiled from his touch. “I’m here with someone else.”
Chaz dropped his hand to his side and clenched it. “Who?” Not that he really had to ask. He knew. She was with the same loser she’d been pictured with in the paper. The same loser she’d been spotted with in the Grand Escape lobby after she’d stopped by Chaz’s place. The loser who was responsible for her decision not to wear his ring.
“Does that really matter?” She frowned. “We’re over, Chaz. I’m not yours anymore.”
He set his jaw. “Because of last night.”
She nodded. “In part. But truthfully I should have ended this a long time ago.” She looked over her shoulder, for that poker player no doubt. “Tell me the truth—were you really happy?”
“Of course—”
“No, think about it. Were you happy with me? And before you answer, ask yourself why you were sleeping with another woman if our relationship was really enough for you.”
Chaz cursed himself for getting sloppy. How many months had he insisted Brandy not come to his house? After awhile it had just seemed easier to have her over. Since—before last night—Riley wasn’t the type to stop by unannounced, he hadn’t seen the harm in it. But it had been a f**king careless gamble after years of strategically placing himself in Riley’s life.
“I made a mistake, Riley,” and damn did he mean it. “Don’t let my mistake ruin everything we’ve worked so hard for.” His eyes dropped down the length of her body. “I just can’t get over the way you’re dressed. Did he ask you to dress like this?”
She released a long breath and took another slight step away from him. “Charlie doesn’t tell me how to dress.”
Chaz raised a brow. “I hear he buys you lingerie. Sounds to me like he doesn’t just tell you, he makes sure it happens.”
“That’s different.” Her brow creased in a deep frown.
“I’ll leave you alone to enjoy your evening. But first—as the man who has loved you for two years—I think I deserve to know how things started between you two. I mean, you and I just broke up last night.”
“Do we have to talk that kiss to death? I shouldn’t have kissed him before you and I were over, but it happened.”
He shook his head. “Not the kiss. Before that.”
She wrapped her arms around herself and her face grew tight. “What are you trying to suggest? That I was sleeping around?”
“There’s more than one way to be unfaithful.”
Riley winced then looked at the floor. “Your numbers got mixed up in my new cell phone,” she said. “I thought I was texting you, but I was really…” She trailed off.
Chaz felt like he’d been sucker punched. Singleton had gotten her through f**king text messages. “Did he know you thought you were texting me?”
“How would he have known?”
“How do you know he’s not the one who switched the numbers?”
She dropped her arms and shook her head. “No. He has no idea. He’s not like that, Chaz. Not at all.”
Chaz gave her a soft smile and reached for her hand. “I know you like this guy, but he makes a living reading people and taking advantage when opportunity presents itself.”
“Chaz—”
He held up his hands. “I won’t say more. Just…don’t get hurt.”
She tugged her hand away. “I won’t.”
He shook his head. “You just have to forgive me for wanting to protect the heart of the woman I love.”
“You don’t have to protect my heart, Chaz. Me and Charlie…it’s not like that.”
Chaz held back his smile. If it wasn’t like that, then it wasn’t too late for Chaz. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Charlie approaching, so he took the moment to dip and brush a kiss across Riley’s mouth.
She took a step back just as his lips touched hers. “I’m not your girl anymore, Chaz.”
“Indulge me in the fantasy that I might be able to win you back.” His words were whispered. Emotions skittered across her face. He hadn’t lost her yet.
“Riley?”
Guilt masked her features as she swung around to Charlie. Another point for Team Chaz.
Chapter Eighteen
Riley looked angelic while she slept. Her dark hair was mussed from their love making, her lips still swollen, but her features were peaceful. As he watched the steady rise and fall of her chest, something unfamiliar tightened his chest.
He should get back to his room and review tapes of competitors. UltimatePokerPowerhouse.net had made an offer, but it had been a low one, unsubstantial, barely enough to cover the entry fee. If Rick couldn’t work his magic and get Charlie a better deal, Charlie’s career would depend on a tournament win. Without it, he wouldn’t be able to afford to continue.
Even knowing what lay on the line, he couldn’t tear himself away from her. When he’d seen Chaz kissing her tonight, he’d felt something.
Primitive, territorial jealousy over seeing another man kiss the woman he was sleeping with—yes, but that was to be expected. And he’d felt that in spades. But he’d also felt something more. He didn’t want any other man touching her, true, but the bigger threat had been the way they’d looked at each other, the fear that she might feel something for this man that Charlie wanted her to feel for him.
He’d taken Riley to Tango to enjoy the thing she loved most, and he’d been too damn stubborn to let Chaz change his plans. Moving together on the dance floor had been as natural as flowing water. Riley’s body had rubbed against his as they danced, and her mouth kept him wanting as it hovered millimeters from the sensitive skin on his neck. Her hands had hooked into his belt, held him close—as if he wanted to be anywhere else.
