CHAPTER 7
Kristin gnawed on her bottom lip as she looked at her cards, then at the black chip in the circle in front of her.
A hundred-dollar chip! What in the hell am I doing?
By now, it had to be five or six in the morning, but since there were no clocks in the casino, she wasn’t sure. All she knew was that she was really starting to like White Russians because they went down smooth, and Julian was enjoying one of the several whiskeys he’d slammed down since he’d started to teach her how to play blackjack in the casino, when they’d returned from their marvelous ride in the sky.
Her fairy tale was almost over, but she was going to enjoy every last minute of her time with Julian.
“You have fourteen. Take a hit, Scarlet,” Julian drawled patiently.
“But what if he has something small under his face card? Why don’t we know what he has?” The game would be a hell of a lot easier to play if she knew the total of the dealer’s card.
There was a queen up for the dealer, and she was stuck with fourteen.
“The house likes to keep their advantage,” Julian answered with amusement. “Whatever he has showing, you assume that he has a ten underneath, with only a few exceptions. I told you that already.”
Julian had told her what the rules were and how to play consistently with the odds, but what if he was wrong? “He could have a five,” she retorted, wondering vaguely why she was making hundred-dollar bets at a blackjack table. Probably because that was the minimum. Julian had sought out a higher-limit table where there was nobody else playing, and they were still the two lone players at this particular game.
If the stone-faced older dealer had recognized Julian, he hadn’t mentioned it.
“There’s no guessing what to do at blackjack. Just take a hit. You know you have to.”
She’d argued when Julian had brought her to the table, insisting she play with him when she’d told him she’d just watch and learn. He’d had none of that, splitting the chips he’d bought between them and urging her up into the chair next to him.
Making the signal to take a card, she closed her eyes, feeling her heart pounding at the thought of losing a hundred bucks. Not that it was her money, but she didn’t want to lose Julian’s money, either.
If she weren’t more than a little drunk, she probably wouldn’t be playing at all. But her inhibitions were flying out the window with every creamy sip she took of her drinks.
“Open your eyes, sweetheart. It’s a seven,” Julian told her teasingly. “You’re damned lucky tonight. You need to stack those chips up and bet higher.”
Her stack was already much higher than it had been when she started. “I don’t want to lose a bet. It’s not my money,” she admonished him.
He leaned over as the dealer paid them both and the waitress brought more drinks. “I’ve got news for you, baby. You could lose every chip on this table and I wouldn’t give a damn.”
His baritone flowed over her senses, making her entire body tremble as the heat of his breath wafted over her sensitive earlobe. He wouldn’t care? She’d care, wouldn’t she? Or maybe she’d regret it later. Right now she was too high on Julian’s presence to be in her right mind.
Or was it those tasty little White Russians she was drinking?
“Do it. Go wild,” Julian demanded before he leaned back into his seat and tipped the waitress and the dealer.
Her head spinning with his insistent encouragement, she put a huge pile of chips into the circle, wanting to do whatever he wanted right now. He’d given her so much tonight that she’d let him have his way this time.
She tossed back the rest of her drink and reached for the one the waitress had just brought, taking a healthy swig of that one, too, while the dealer gave them their cards.
“Blackjack,” Julian informed her, because she had closed her eyes for the deal.
In front of her, there was the jack and the ace. A quick glance at the dealer’s eight told her she had won.
Julian held his hand up and Kristin gave him a high five as the dealer revealed his solid eighteen and they both won their hands.
“Ready to quit while you’re ahead?” Julian asked with a grin.
Squinting at the chips, she tried to count, but was unsuccessful. About all she could comprehend at the moment was that she’d started with one pile, and now she had several. “Yes.” She nodded so hard that her hair fell into her face.
Julian laughed so loud that he drew some attention, a few of the players at other tables looking over to see what was happening. “Trouble,” he grumbled as he quickly cashed out and got larger-denomination chips from the dealer so he didn’t have to carry stacks. As he scooped up the chips, he grabbed her hand. “Let’s go.”
“Julian! Julian Sinclair!”
The excited shouts came from another table, but he ignored them, tugging Kristin behind him as he strode quickly toward the elevator.
“They’re calling you,” Kristin mumbled as she trotted to keep up with him.
“I know. I’m not answering.”
“Julian! Wait!” another female voice hollered as he passed the roulette table.
Suddenly, they were running, a screaming horde of fans behind them.
Kristin stumbled along in her high-heeled shoes, her head spinning as they sprinted for the elevator. The excitement in the air was electric when it began to feel like every gambler in the casino had realized that Julian Sinclair was in the building.
Darting into an available elevator with an open door, he wrapped a strong arm around her waist and literally lifted her into the small space with him, before shoving his key card into the slot that allowed him to get up to the penthouse suite. He pushed the button over and over, the crowd moving as they pursued him.
Kristin was caught up in the chase, but she didn’t like the feeling of being followed by a probably drunk, possibly rowdy group of people. Even if they didn’t mean them any harm, there were so many of them that she was afraid he’d end up trampled by the masses.
Finally, the door whooshed closed just seconds before anybody reached them.
She swallowed hard and turned to look at Julian as she felt the elevator start to climb. “That was . . . close.” She leaned back against the wall and started to laugh, the effects of the alcohol making the whole situation seem unreal. “But the fox got away from the hounds to live another day.”
Julian’s body visibly relaxed as he swung her into his arms. “Smartass,” he accused. “Somebody can get hurt when that happens.” His admonishment sounded serious, but his expression was amused as he watched her continue to chortle.
“It’s awful. I understand why you think so,” she answered, still trying to stop herself from laughing. Honestly, it was highly unpleasant to run away from a crowd. “I just think it’s amusing that I had to run with you. They weren’t after me.”
“I wasn’t going to throw you under the bus, Scarlet. The questioning might get brutal. People can get crazy, and we know damn well most of those people are under the influence.”
Both of them still had a drink in their hand. Kristin’s had sloshed as she’d moved awkwardly with him, but her glass was still half-full. “To the escape,” she proclaimed, holding her glass up high.
Julian barked out a low laugh as he clinked his glass with hers. “Sweetheart, I think you’re totally trashed.”
“I’m not trashed. I’m just feeling . . . really good. I’ve never been drunk before.”
“Trashed,” Julian repeated, a smile still on his face. “Another first?”
She frowned at him. “I thought you wanted me to cut loose.” Hadn’t he told her to get wild? Well, she was feeling pretty untamable right now.
As they reached the top floor, the door opened and he took her hand. “I did. I do. I just don’t want you to feel like shit when you wake up.”
“I’m not tired,” she argued, swilling the rest of her drink as Julian guided her down the hall to their suite.
“I don’t know if we can go back out,” he said regretfully.
“I think I’m okay with that. This has been a super fantastic night,” she answered enthusiastically as he pushed her gently into the suite. “It was magical. My Cinderella night.”
“So what happens now?” Julian questioned. “Do I turn into a pumpkin?”
“No,” she said sadly. “It just ends. The dress comes off, I put on a nightgown, and when I wake up I’ll put on my old clothes again.”
It was the last thing she wanted. Being with Julian had been exhilarating, intoxicating. She didn’t want to see it end.
What she really craved was to strip off his clothes and make him give her satisfaction. He’d been teasing her all night with his too-handsome looks in a tux, his scent, his irresistible sense of humor, and his careful planning to make sure she got an experience she’d never forget.
“I need an orgasm,” she told him boldly. “Not some little, teensy-weensy thing I get with my vibrator. I need a real live man.” The more she thought about it, the more she needed Julian right now. He was real, and he was the only man she’d wanted in a very long time.
Julian slugged down the last of his drink and took her empty glass from her hand. “Not this way, Kristin. Not when neither of us completely have our brains intact.”
She watched him as he set the tumblers on the table, his expression grave. Not liking his unhappy expression, she stepped up and put her arms around his neck. “Please. Just this once. Give me something to really remember.”
“I’m not just some guy and a one-night stand,” he said in a graveled voice, grabbing her ass and pulling her flush against him.
“Mmm . . . I know that. God, you feel good. You smell good.” She buried her face into the exposed skin that had been revealed earlier when he’d taken off his tie and opened a few of the buttons on his shirt.
Inhaling deeply, she fell just a little more under Julian’s spell. Oh, hell, who was she kidding? She’d always been hot for him. White-flame hot. She’d just never been uninhibited enough to tell him exactly what she wanted. Right now, she didn’t care.
“Who am I?” he demanded, tilting her face up to look into her eyes.
“Julian,” she whispered immediately. “The only guy who has ever made me feel this crazy, this desperate.”
“Dammit! I don’t think this should happen this way, but God help me, I don’t think I can walk away,” he rasped, his stormy eyes devouring her.
“Don’t. Please. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted anything as much as I want you right now, Julian. I need you.” Her voice had a whimper of longing she’d never heard come out of her mouth before.
“Fuck!” The curse flew out of him as he leaned down, his heated breath flowing over her mouth, making her tremble with need.
Do it. Please, just do it now.
“Kiss me,” she pleaded, his mouth just an inch or two from hers.
“I don’t want you to hate me later,” he confessed, sounding anguished.
“I won’t. Show me what I’ve been missing, Julian. Show me what it’s like to be with a man who really wants me.”
“You mean you don’t know?”
“Not really. Sex was never amazing for me. I’ve only been with two men my entire life, and both of them walked away because they couldn’t handle my lifestyle. Neither one of them cared enough to stay. To be honest, I don’t think I wanted either one of them. I just wanted to be normal, to be with somebody who cared.” Suddenly, she felt like confessing everything to him, and if it was because of the alcohol, she didn’t give a rip.
“I won’t walk away from you. I literally can’t,” he said in a husky whisper as he finally swooped in to kiss her, his mouth instantly ravishing and volatile.
His words made her heart beat faster and spirit soar. Maybe all of this wasn’t real, but she could pretend just for now that Julian found her irresistible. Her body and soul were aching to be touched by Julian, and now would be all she ever had.
Just one stolen night of pleasure.
Without breaking his possessive embrace, he lifted her into his arms and took her into his bedroom. It was past dawn, the early-morning light flooding the room with a romantic glow.
He lowered her carefully to her feet and broke off the breathtaking kiss. “There is no going back after this, Kristin. Understand that?”
They never would be able to undo what was done here this morning, but she didn’t care. All she wanted was both of them naked, feeling his heated skin against hers.
“I know,” she acknowledged, reason flying out of her head as she watched him slowly unbutton his shirt with a carnal, feral expression on his face that she’d never seen before.
Kicking off her annoying heels, she stepped forward to put her fingers on every part of him that he was slowly revealing. His chest was broad and strong, the warmth of his skin so enticing that it made Kristin crazy with her need to run her hands over his entire hard body, to explore all of the places she’d longed to touch since the very first day she’d met him.
When the white garment was completely unbuttoned, she nearly tore the shirt from his body to get to his flesh. “I need to touch you,” she shared, not caring how desperate or pathetic she sounded.
She’d wanted to be like this with Julian for a long time, and the feeling was so delicious that she wanted to savor every moment.
“Easy, sweetheart,” he warned. “I don’t have much patience right now.”
“Then go wild,” she told him earnestly, repeating his earlier words. “Let’s live out this fantasy together.”
“I have every intention of doing that. But I don’t want it to be over before it even begins.”
For Kristin, time didn’t matter. Nothing mattered except for the desires of her heart, mind, and flesh right now.
Dropping the discarded shirt to the floor, she said, “I can’t wait to have you inside me.”
“Christ! If you keep saying those things, I’m not going to live through this, Scarlet.”
Kristin wasn’t about to stop fighting for exactly what she wanted. “What’s so wrong about wanting this so much?” she reasoned, frowning at him.
He looked at her for a moment, their eyes locked in a clash of green and blue. “Not a damn thing,” he admitted gruffly. “I want you to want me.”
She speared her hands into his hair and closed her eyes, practically melting into a puddle as his big hands stroked over her back, then made their way to the zipper on the back of her dress. He had it sliding to the floor seconds later.
The rampant desire showed on his face as he stepped back to look at her, his eyes starting at her breasts, lingering there for a moment before he moved and adored her completely with a lustful gaze. “Holy shit! I’m dead! I have to be.”
There wasn’t an ounce of shyness in her body as Kristin shivered from the intensity in his eyes. “I think Mara bought the stockings and the underwear,” she confessed.
“I hope you aren’t entirely attached to them yet.”
“Why?” she asked curiously.
He reached for the panties and pulled them from her body in one powerful jerk.
Cool air wafted over her pussy, making her desire that much more urgent.
“See me, Julian. Please see me.” It took her a moment to notice she’d said the words aloud.
“I do see you,” he answered as he lowered himself down to his knees. “And in a few seconds, you’re going to feel me.”
It took only a moment for her to scream aloud, unable to help herself as nothing but pleasure assailed her and threatened to break her entire body apart.