Page 23 of Worth the Risk

Gideon took hold of my arm but instead of heading to the stunning balcony a few dozen feet away, he steered me to another blackjack table.

‘I thought we were going to talk.’

‘We were, but I don’t think it’s a great idea for us to be alone right now.’

My pulse tripped wildly. ‘Why not?’

‘For one thing, your little flirtation disrupted my lucky streak. I fancy one more roll of the dice before we get down to business.’

Exhaling was a shaky, rushed mess. He nudged me into an empty spot at the table where an indecently high pile of neatly stacked chips stood and fenced me in, his hands braced on either side of me.

When it became clear he wasn’t going to continue, I glanced over my shoulder. ‘And for another?’

He paused, stormy grey eyes weighing me. ‘I believe in brutal honesty, Leonora.’

‘That works for me, too.’

‘Good. Then you won’t be surprised to hear I’m attracted to you. Insanely so.’

Heat licked my skin, inside and out. ‘Gideon—’

‘So watching some tosser kiss your skin doesn’t exactly put me in a good mood.’

‘That would explain your rudeness, then.’

‘I wanted him out of the way,’ he breathed into my ear.

The heavy thudding in my chest went against every instinct to remain objective. As did the sudden craving to lean back against the heated column of hard body. ‘But that wasn’t just simple jealousy,’ I said. I’d seen something more in his eyes.

Again, he hesitated for an uncomfortable stretch. ‘No, it wasn’t. Someone I trusted took what belonged to me. More than one someone, actually. Between them they destroyed something precious. And I’ve discovered that a double betrayal has wrecked my ability to be rational in certain situations.’

The raw admission in the middle of the crowded casino staggered me. Enough for me to drop my guard, to let in a kinship I’d never felt before. ‘I know what that feels like,’ I found myself replying.

His expression shifted, a little of that edge dissipating to leave that sizzling sex appeal threatening to drown me.

‘Then you’ll forgive any future transgressions.’

God, how was it that even that wry self-condemnation was beyond sexy?

‘I don’t belong to you, Gideon,’ I stressed, perhaps more for me than for him.

He shifted to stand beside me, a wicked smile curving his sensuous lips as his gaze swept over me. He stared at my mouth for an interminable age, prompting a yearning to slick my tongue over my tingling flesh. ‘Point taken.’ His voice was thicker, deeper, his eyelashes sweeping low and seductive. ‘But don’t forget the warning, all the same.’

‘Place your bets, please.’

The croupier’s accented request shattered our strange little cocoon. I yanked my gaze from Gideon’s but he continued to stare at me.

‘What?’ I asked after charged seconds.

‘Let’s make a wager.’

I shook my head. ‘I’m all gambled out for the night.’

‘Scared?’

I shrugged. ‘I’m not a huge fan of sharks but I swim in the ocean. And I also know when to get out.’

‘Take a last dip with me,’ he coaxed. ‘One small bet.’ Contrary to his words, the pile of chips he pushed towards the croupier amounted to tens of thousands of euros.

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