Royal Caravan Casino wasn’t the most stunning building on the strip, but it was still prime real estate. Giovanni knew that if Riley were new in town, she likely would have seen nothing like it. With a type-A personality like hers, fun was likely an afterthought.

Any casino along the strip was nothing but fun. Riley was a fish out of water, and he loved it.

Hand on her arm, he guided her through the connecting passage between the hotel and the casino. Giovanni walked her past security who gave them a brisk nod. It was time to introduce Riley to what Vegas was all about.

They’d come to inspect the conference room after hours at Thorn Tattoo, so it was late. The slot machines that occupied the ground floors were crowded, spaces opening up only to be filled by eager tourists. Coin machines were a waste of time, and left everything up to chance. Giovanni had heard a few success stories, but there was much more money to be made for men and women who possessed the right skills. Bright and colorful as the coin machines were, and as cheerful as their sounds were, there was no way they were stopping there. Giovanni guided Riley onward, letting her look, but never letting her linger.

Her eyes were wide with wonder, and it made him want to show her every inch of his world.

“This is… wow,” she muttered as they moved. “It’s huge. How can there be this many machines, and yet such a crowd?”

“This isn’t even the most popular casino on the strip,” Giovanni said with a smirk. “Wait until we go check out some of the bigger names. You’ll shit yourself over how full they are. People come to Vegas for a reason, you know.”

“It’s just…” Riley trailed off, letting her head turn this way and that as she took in all the sights and sounds. Giovanni remembered his first time, long ago, and how overstimulating it had been to his senses. Even now, when the casinos were hopping and everyone was having a good time, he could taste their enthusiasm. He pushed her forward, heading for the grand central staircase.

The Royal Caravan Casino was set apart from the other casinos on the strip by its grand staircase that led up to the second, third, and fourth floors before connecting on higher levels by walkways that led to a boardwalk big enough to host open table games and allow foot traffic to pass. On the outside of those boardwalks were private rooms. Depending on the level, the stakes grew higher. The fourth floor was reserved for elite clients and big money spenders. The second floor was for low buy-in games and accessible to the general public. The third met both worlds in the middle, the buy-in steeper, but not elite. Middle class men could lose their savings easily on the third floor. Giovanni had seen it happen with his own eyes.

It was the third floor he took Riley to, exchanging a cool five hundred for chips at an exchange booth along the way.

“Are you crazy?” Riley asked in a hushed whisper. “Five hundred dollars?”

“It’s not shop money,” Giovanni told her sternly. “Besides, just because I have it doesn’t mean I have to spend it. It’s good to have some liquid funds on hand. Trust me.”

Riley looked like she didn’t trust him at all, and Giovanni snorted and shook his head. They arrived on the third floor and joined the general traffic on the boardwalk. There were plenty of game tables set up, dealers ready to cut the deck and play.

A game of poker was stalling; the white board in front of it in need of one last initial before the cards could be dealt. Giovanni eyed the limit, eyed the seated players, and filled his initials in the blank space. The dealer brought him and Riley to the table, Riley obviously nervous. Her gaze flitted back and forth, taking everything in.

“Gio, are you sure this is a good idea?” she whispered so that only he could hear.

He stacked his chips on the table, his highest denomination chip in front of his stack. Table etiquette was important. “Yeah, I’m sure. Now go sit down so the dealer can start.”

Riley’s nervous energy filled the air around him, but he didn’t let it get to his head. It wasn’t Giovanni’s first time at a poker table, and he intended to walk away victorious.

The cards were dealt. He shielded his hand and peeked at his cards, and by the time the play was finished, Giovanni was raking the pool of chips across the table into his own stack. Flipping a twenty-dollar chip across the table to the dealer, who pocketed it, a new hand was dealt.

In the corner of his eye, he could see Riley clutching at the seat of her chair, watching. Giovanni didn’t look back at her, but he could imagine her craning her thin neck, watching him make each play with anticipation. He was certain she had no idea how to play at all, and that the strategies he was using were going over her head. None of that mattered so much when he heard her gasp whenever he flipped his cards over and claimed the pot.

Luckiness came easily to him at card tables, and soon, their table was attracting attention.

Champagne flowed freely. Someone pressed a glass into his hand, and he heard Riley accept one. The games went on. Giovanni drank. His vision sharpened, and his cheeks started to burn, but he didn’t lose his edge.

“This is it,” someone at the table declared. “I’m all in.”

Giovanni peeked at his cards, and then pushed the maximum bid to join his competitor’s once the action was on him. “Let’s do it.”

The game ended. Those gathered around the table held their breaths for the reveal. Giovanni grit his teeth and glanced sideways at the man who’d just maxed his bet. The bastard was bluffing, he knew it, and he was counting on it.

It was a ballsy move, especially with a full five thousand on the line, but Giovanni’s luck had held for the last forty-five minutes. The cards were revealed. Giovanni held his breath.

The one man he was betting against cursed, and a cheer ripped through the gathered crowd loud enough to disturb the tables next to them.

Giovanni had won.

Arms locked around him from behind and squeezed him tight. Giovanni stiffened and was about to react when he recognized the thin silver bracelet dangling from one of the wrists. It was Riley.

“That was amazing!” she whispered in his ear, more excited than he’d ever heard her before. “Oh, my god, Gio! You were on fire!”

“And now we’re walking away,” Giovanni said with a grin. The way she held him left him feeling powerful, like he’d accomplished something far greater than winning a card game. He checked out of the game and slid his winnings off the table, leaving a generous tip for the dealer. “The most important part of gambling is knowing when to quit, and we’re done for now.”

The crowd around them parted. He rose from the table and guided Riley back along the boardwalk, but before they could get far, an intimidating man in a suit stopped them. The hairs on the back of Giovanni’s neck stood on end, but before he jumped to a rash decision, he waited to hear what the man had to say.

“We were watching your poker game,” the man said. His voice was low and gravelly, and Riley pressed tightly against Giovanni’s arm as though expecting an attack. He would keep her safe no matter what. “George Dyrman, owner of Royal Caravan Casino, wants to congratulate you on your stellar win. Please, accept a free VIP room, courtesy of the casino.” The man produced a stiff paper pamphlet, which Giovanni accepted with a nod.

“Thank you.”

“Enjoy your stay.”

The man disappeared back into the crowd, melding with the visitors like he was a ghost. At his side, Riley released his arm and took an uncertain step backward. Giovanni glanced her way to find her eyes were drawn to the pamphlet, looking it over curiously.

His eyes were drawn to her.

Cheeks pink, dark hair shining in the bright casino lights, she was ethereal. The way her dress hugged her curves and showed off her cleavage behind the subtle netting of lace made his heart race. Memories of the times they’d kissed flashed through Giovanni’s mind. Riley, with her eyes lidded and gaze lost in lust, had burned an impression onto his soul that wouldn’t fade. Riley, her hair splayed behind her like a fan as she lay on his bed, amongst his pillows. Riley and her pale, untouched skin revealed to him. From the peaks of her breasts to the curve of her hips, she was perfect.

She had to be perfect.

High off his win, gifted with an opportunity to keep the night going, Giovanni took it as a sign. The moment they shared was meant to be. Tonight, she could be his.

“A free room?” Riley asked unevenly, gaze wavering from its position on the pamphlet to look up at Giovanni.

“It’s customary to offer high rollers free goods in exchange for their patronage. It encourages them to keep playing and spending money. They probably hope my luck will change tomorrow, so they’re encouraging me to stay here until that happens.” Giovanni shrugged. “You’ve never seen a VIP room before, have you?”

“No.” Riley stepped closer, closing the distance she’d put between them. Like magnets, they came back to each other time and time again. All night, Riley had been near, and since the win, she’d always kept a hand on him. Piece by piece, the professional Riley was giving way to the wild woman who’d returned the passion of his kiss on the shop floor, not bothered by who saw. Giovanni wanted her in the worst way.

“Why don’t you come see it?” he asked, flashing the pamphlet at her. Inside he felt a set of key cards. “If you think the casino is impressive, wait until you see one of the master suites above it. Every time I visit one, I’m blown away and I’ve lived in this city all my life.”

Riley furrowed her brow and looked him over cautiously. “You’ve been in VIP suites often enough to be routinely blown away?”

Giovanni snorted. “Do you think you get that good at poker overnight? When I was younger and more reckless, I used to play often. From time to time, I was given passes like these… although usually a little more discreetly. They’d wait until I was cashing in my chips before slipping me the key cards.” He shrugged. “I guess times are different now.”

“It’s just…” Riley shook her head. “This world is so different from where I come from. Everything looks the same, but it feels like there are all new rules to learn.”

The childish wonder and uncertainty in her voice appealed to the protector inside of him, and he tucked Riley beneath his arm and guided her along as they made their way back to the central staircase. She clung to his chest, and heat bloomed inside of him like a flower opening its petals to the sun. She was his sunshine, and as much as he hated what she represented at Thorn Tattoo, there was no way he could keep himself from being with her. Touching her. Claiming her.

Hatred bled so easily into lust, and Giovanni knew that he was well over the line. By the way Riley kissed him, he knew she was in a similar place.

“Life is about experiences,” Giovanni said as they made their way down the marble stairs. Riley was still pressed to his side, and her every touch made him feel more alive. For the first time in what felt like decades, Giovanni felt as though he was living instead of simply surviving. Art had been his sole focus for so long that he’d forgotten what the world was like beyond his microcosm. Riley painted a new world for him by simply existing.

He wondered what color would taste like on her skin.

“Sometimes, cutting loose is the only thing that’ll give us the chance to learn, so why not cut loose for the night? I have a VIP room and I walked away from the table with more than ten times what I started with. We’ve got a great conference room booked, people actually seem to be fucking stoked to attend our workshops, and Thorn Tattoo’s future is looking bright. Live life a little, Riley. You don’t need to be co-manager all the time. There’s a stunning, intelligent, witty woman in there who’s not shackled to her job. Will you let her come out to play?”

Riley looked up at him, her pretty, dark eyes sparkling beneath the bright casino lights, and he saw her expression waver, then lighten. The full cupid’s bow of her lips quirked, the gloss she wore shimmering. The flush of her cheeks stole his breath away.

There was only a moment where something untamed and passionate danced through her eyes, but the moment was enough for Giovanni to know that she took what he said to heart. The last of the tethers to her professional facade snapped free, and the Riley he craved more than anything was his.

Before she said anything at all, he knew what her answer was going to be.

“Yes.”