“I’m not doing it. This was not part of the agreement.”
Nate held his hands up. “Let’s just talk about this for a second, please. Annie, I know you don’t like the idea of it, but wearing a wire may actually be a good idea. For reasons
other,
” he emphasized, “than the ones Gabe suggested. It would take the pressure off you to remember everything people tell you. Someone on the listening end could be taking notes and doing investigations on players while you’re still sitting at the table. Gabe could start pulling security tapes and adding plainclothes guards to keep watch.”
“Some of these people could be dangerous. Suspecting me of spying is one thing, but catching me with a wire? You don’t know what they’re capable of.”
“You would be surrounded by security at all times. There’s no way you could be any safer. The audio recordings are the evidence we need to convict someone. With security cameras the way they are, it’s very hard to capture someone cheating when they’re a professional. The tapes could make all the difference.” He urged her to consider it. He didn’t want to start bullying her around and force her to do it by holding the divorce over her head again. She’d completely shut down and that wouldn’t get them anywhere.
“I can guarantee your safety. I wouldn’t let anyone hurt you, Annie. I promise you that.”
Annie looked up, her concerned gaze meeting his serious one. He meant every word. Nate might want to punish his wife for what she’d done, but if anyone else touched a hair on her head, they’d regret it.
It seemed to calm her. After a moment she nodded softly and looked away. “Fine,” she said, clearly defeated and unhappy about it. “But—” she pointed sharply at Gabe “—he doesn’t get to tape it under my blouse.”
“Fair enough,” Nate said. “Gabe, why don’t you go get the equipment and we’ll do a test run this afternoon before the tournament starts. I want all the bugs worked out so it doesn’t interfere with her game.”
Gabe nodded and left the room.
“I’m surprised you’re so interested in not impacting my card playing. You never seemed to care much for my career before.”
Nate knew he hadn’t been supportive enough of Annie. For some reason, he hadn’t seen playing cards as a career. It was a game, not a job. Time had given him perspective on his mistake, but their disagreement on that point had likely been a deal breaker for her. He didn’t push all the blame for their ruined marriage on Annie—just the fact that she’d run instead of talking through their issues like adults.
“I know it’s important to you,” he said. “But it’s also important to us. We need you to play in the tournament as long as possible. If you get eliminated on the first day, we’ve lost our insider.”
Annie glanced down at the table with a sigh. “I should’ve known you had an angle.”
* * *
“You’re kidding me, right?” Tessa Baracas glared at Annie across the bright turquoise table of the Desert Sapphire’s Mexican cantina, Rosa’s.
Annie didn’t look at her. Instead, she focused her gaze on her uneaten dinner and the platinum wedding band searing her finger. She hadn’t been looking forward to having this conversation, especially with a wire taping their every word. “No, I’m serious.”
“Did you not learn your lesson the last time?” Tessa looked horrified. Her skin, so pale compared to Annie’s olive tone, was even lighter with shock, if that was possible. Her red-gold hair was pulled back into a tight, sleek ponytail, her jewel-blue eyes wide with surprise and confusion.
The eyes were the sole feature Annie and Tessa seemed to share. The sparkling-blue color was the most noticeable trait they’d inherited from their mother. Sure, they had similar builds, with ample curves and heart-shaped faces, but that’s where the similarities ended.
They had different fathers, ones that their mother had apparently hand selected for the sole purpose of creating beautiful babies. Tessa’s father was a ghostly pale Irishman with hair like fire. Annie’s father was Italian with jet-black hair, warm brown skin and a full sensual mouth—at least, that was what she’d been told. She’d never met him. Their mother had never stayed in one place long. Never kept a man longer than he was of use to her. Which was why Tessa looked as if Annie had just slapped her across the face when she mentioned reconciling with her husband.
Tessa shook her head and slumped back into her seat. “You need to be focused on the game. Not on men. You of all people should know that. It was the first thing you taught me when I started playing.”
“Do you think I planned this? Because I didn’t.”
Tessa anxiously moved food across her plate with her fork. “You shouldn’t have come back here. I just knew you weren’t strong enough to resist Nate’s magic penis.”
A nervous laugh burst from Annie’s lips before she could stop it. Her sister’s irritated expression immediately silenced it. Tessa was being totally serious. “Did you really just say that?”
“Yes. And it’s true.”
“Well, first,” Annie began, hoping Gabe wasn’t listening in yet, “thank you for thinking so little of me that I could be easily manipulated by good sex. Second, a magic pe—
Hell,
I can’t even say that, it’s so ridiculous. There’s no such thing, not even on Nate, as gifted as he might be.”
“I just don’t trust him. I don’t like him.”
Annie felt the unfamiliar urge to defend her husband. “You’ve never even met him,” she argued, realizing as she spoke that she’d thought of Nate as her husband for the first time. “You’re letting Mom’s paranoia cloud your judgment.”
“And you’re letting the magic penis cloud yours.”
Annie sighed. “Please stop calling it that.”
“Then is it about the money? I mean, you eloped, so there wasn’t a prenup, right?”
Annie’s mouth fell open in silent shock for a moment before she could gather the words to respond. Money had never even been a consideration in their relationship. She made great money at poker. She didn’t need Nate’s fortune, or anyone else’s, for that matter. “This doesn’t have a thing to do with money, Tessa. How could you even ask me something like that?”
“Okay, if you say so.”
Annie tried not to frown at her sister and diverted her angry gaze back at her food. Tessa was so bad at reading people. She was passable at hiding her own emotions but clueless when it came to figuring out her opponents. Until she had that down, she wouldn’t go very far in poker.
“Are you finished eating?”
Annie looked down, completely disinterested in her food. “Yeah.”
Tessa glanced at the expensive-looking new watch on her wrist. “It’s still pretty early. I don’t have any plans between now and the cocktail thing tonight. What do you say we hit the tables and play a few hands? I think that would be fun. I haven’t gotten to actually play with you in almost forever.”
Annie reached for her purse, nodding absently into it. She’d forgotten about the cocktail party, worrying about everything else. Tonight would prove interesting, she had no doubt. Every eye in the room would be on her and her royal-blue dress.
Including Nate’s.
Five
“H
er sister sucks.”
Nate winced at Gabe’s sudden observation as they watched Annie and Tessa play from the security room. He’d noticed that, too. He didn’t know much about Tessa, but he’d thought the Barracuda’s younger sister would be a better player. Had Annie taught her anything about poker, or was she just throwing away her tournament registration fees? Maybe she was having an off night. A very off night. She hadn’t won a single hand yet. Another round and she’d be out of chips.
“On a good day, I think Annie could make the Captain look like a novice.” Nate spoke the words with a touch of pride. He could appreciate the skill it took for Annie to get this far in her career. Few women did in a field dominated by men like the Captain.
He was famous around the poker circuit for his faded white officer’s cap and tacky Hawaiian shirts. He wanted everyone to believe he was some retired Navy officer, but he’d once secretly admitted to Nate’s grandfather that he’d bought the hat in a thrift store in 1979.
The Captain was eccentric and annoying as hell to play against, but very, very good. Over the past thirty years, he’d won four championship bracelets, almost always making it to the final table in the main events. He was known for talking his opponents to death. He rambled on with old tales about his so-called Navy days, making crude comments about where he docked his ship in a storm and pestering people with inane nautical trivia.
His plan worked like a charm. His fellow players’ concentration crumbled when they went up against the Captain. It was just like when men found themselves face-to-face with
the Barracuda,
although for very different reasons. With Annie, a man’s pulse quickened, his groin stirred and he came close to forgetting how to play poker at all.
Nate could understand that. She was a hard woman to resist. Honestly, he wasn’t sure how he’d managed to go this long with nothing more than a kiss. This week might be torture for them both.
He swallowed the lump in his throat and shifted in his seat to disguise the uncomfortable development the mere thought of her had brought on. He wasn’t sure how much more he could take of looking but not touching. His ability to feign indifference to Annie’s allure was eroding away.
He wanted her. Badly. He didn’t want to stay married to her or play house with her. He didn’t want to have feelings for her. He just needed to touch her and soothe the raging beast inside of him. Perhaps a little indulgence wasn’t as dangerous as Gabe seemed to think. It was just sex. The last time they were together the sex was incredible, tainted only by their marriage. Why couldn’t they have that physical connection again before they went their separate ways? Certainly he could have sex with Annie and not completely lose his perspective.
Tonight was the tournament kickoff, with a cocktail reception for the competitors. Nate wanted the Sapphire to put a little old-school Vegas class into it, the way his grandfather would’ve done it. Tonight there would be flowing drinks, low lighting and sultry music to set the tone for the week.
Of course, having Annie on his arm made it that much more interesting. The thought of her in some slinky dress that clung to each voluptuous curve...the music of her laughter as she sipped a drink... Maybe he would be able to slip an arm around her waist and take her for a spin around the dance floor. Then he could press himself against her stomach and dip down to leave a searing kiss on the soft curve of her neck.
Nate swallowed a groan, shifting in his chair and returning his attention to the monitors. That line of thought really wasn’t helping at all.
He narrowed his eyes and shook his head. Tessa really was a horrible player. Her instincts were all off. He could tell that Annie knew it, too. She wasn’t going in for the kill. Wasn’t trying to lure her sister to bet more when she should.
“Annie looks really uncomfortable,” he noted. She always seemed so at ease in her skin, but not tonight. The changes were subtle—she was a blank canvas while she played—but Nate could tell the difference. She fidgeted on her stool; her shoulders were curved over her cards, her muscles tensed. Her gaze darted back and forth around the table, watching the other players.
“Maybe she’s nervous about spying for us. It might be too much pressure for her. What if—” A loud hiss of static interrupted Gabe. He frowned, looking down at the control panel and hitting a few buttons without improvement.
“What’s wrong?”
“Something’s wrong with the wire. We’ve lost the feed. It must have gotten disconnected.”
Nate was glad they were doing this today and not in the middle of tournament play. “I’ll go pull her aside and adjust it.”
By the time he reached the poker table, Tessa was out. She hovered beside Annie, watching her play with intense study.
Nate had watched them on the black-and-white monitors but hadn’t fully appreciated the differences between the sisters until he saw them in person.
They were like night and day. Annie was dark and exotic, Tessa, pale and delicate. They had the same lush curves and straight, shiny hair, but they obviously had different fathers.
Annie had never mentioned a stepfather. Come to think of it, she hadn’t mentioned a father at all. Or any family aside from her sister and mother. Of course, this morning she’d practically had to drag information about his family out of him. He normally didn’t talk about his mother. Some details of life were better left out of the conversation.
He took a few steps until he was almost touching Annie. Tessa turned briefly, looking him over with the same deep blue gaze as her sister, but didn’t acknowledge him aside from the quick, appraising glance. Her disgust was poorly hidden as she turned back, disinterested, to watch Annie play.
It was unnerving to see such animosity coming from eyes so like Annie’s. Nate hadn’t really anticipated that kind of hostility from her family. What could she have told Tessa about him? He didn’t bother to ask; instead, he leaned in to press his chest against the back of Annie’s stool.
She stiffened at his touch for a moment before realizing who was behind her and why. “I was wondering where you’d gotten off to. Working, no doubt?” She didn’t turn but leaned back ever so slightly against him.
The scent of her shampoo and spicy perfume mingled to tickle his nose. The heat of her body penetrated his suit and almost made him forget why he’d come down here. “Apparently, I’m the only thing around here that works,” he hinted. “When you finish this hand, we need a private moment.” He leaned in close to her ear so Tessa couldn’t hear. “For adjustments.”
Annie nodded softly and waited for her turn, tossing a few chips into the pot and causing an older gentleman across from her to shift nervously in his seat. He folded. Another man beside Annie groaned as the river card was laid out. He obviously hadn’t mastered his bluff. Annie didn’t react at all.
Tessa stood silently, watching, attempting to somehow absorb her sister’s skill through sheer concentration. She still didn’t look at Nate but for the occasional sideways glance.
He leaned in, pressing his warm lips to the sensitive hollow under Annie’s ear. He left a soft kiss that sent a shudder through her body before whispering, “Are you going to introduce me to your sister?”
At that, he could feel Annie’s muscles tense under his hands. She hesitated, trying to focus on the game for a few seconds more. The other player folded at last, allowing her to claim the pot and shift her attention. She turned on her stool to face them.
“Nate, this is my baby sister, Tessa. Tessa, this is...” She paused, struggling to form the words on her lips. “My husband, Nate.”
He extended a hand and Tessa warily accepted it. “A pleasure to finally meet some of Annie’s family.”
Tessa nodded, her expression smug for some reason. “Well, don’t hold your breath to meet Mom anytime soon. I may be the only family you ever get to see before
this
is done.”
“Well,” Annie interjected, sliding from her bar stool, “I’ll see you at the party, Tessa. Nate and I have to tend to something.”
“Okay. I’d better get upstairs and get ready for tonight.”
Annie waved off her sister without a second glance. “Sorry,” she muttered once Tessa was gone. She gathered up her winnings slip to take to the cage. “She thought I lost my mind the first time. The idea of us getting back together now is pure insanity to her.”
“I’m not worried about what she thinks. But let’s go somewhere private.”
“Back to the room?”
“No, I need to do a couple things down here before I go upstairs and shower.” Nate took her hand and pulled her into an empty corridor that connected the pool area to an older section of the casino. This part of the hotel didn’t get as much foot traffic, especially when it was filled with poker players who were generally disinterested in the hotel amenities.
He backed Annie against the wall and stood close to block her from view. His hand went to her back, checking the battery pack. The red light was on, the cord connected. “It must be the microphone,” he said.
Annie’s eyes widened slightly. “That’s, um...between my breasts.”
“Maybe the underwire in your bra has pinched it.” He slipped his hand beneath her sweater, gliding his fingertips over her stomach and up the length of the wire to where it met with the rough lace of her bra. “I’m not sure what this thing is supposed to—”
Nate caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Someone was coming down the hallway. Without hesitating, he leaned in and kissed Annie. He moved his hand from the wire to the round curve of her breast beside it.
Annie gasped at the sudden change but followed along. She wrapped her arms around his neck and tugged him to her. It might be a kiss to cover their tracks, but this was nothing like their kiss outside of Carolina’s. She’d caught him off guard last night, but he could still sense her holding back. Now there was only their very public location to restrain them.
Whoever was in the hallway was long gone, but it didn’t matter. The kiss grew harder and more desperate the longer it went on. Her teeth nibbled at his bottom lip. His tongue thrust inside her mouth, tasting her. Annie’s body molded against his.
Nate groaned. If he wasn’t careful, he’d end up taking her on a nearby blackjack table. He forced himself back, breaking the electric connection that held them together.
“Sweet lord,” he whispered against her mouth.
“Yeah,” Annie agreed. “Do you think we’re good now? With the reception?”
The radio at Nate’s hip squawked out Gabe’s reply. “We’re good,” he responded. “Not as good as you two are, though.”
Annie pulled away, smoothing her green satin top and brushing at the edges of her smeared lipstick with her fingertips. “Since we’re done, I’m going to go,” she said, walking unsteadily toward the cashier.
Nate took a deep breath and turned to keep from watching her leave. He didn’t think he could take the sight of her sauntering away from him in that tight skirt. He might sweep her over his shoulder and carry her through the casino again.
This time to ravish her.
* * *
The suite was silent as Annie stepped off the elevator. She’d expected Nate to be there getting ready, but there was no sign of him. It was just as well. She needed to dress, and the fewer...distractions...the better. She’d already killed too much time lingering downstairs.
She’d been afraid to come up too soon. Afraid to walk in on Nate, wet and naked from another shower. Their kiss in the casino had been to cover their activity in the hall, but once he touched her, the world around them could have vanished. It was unerringly clear—their resistance to one another was wearing away quickly. Their magnetic pull was stronger than her fears or his sense of injustice. None of that mattered when he touched her.
He would have her soon. And she would give herself freely. And enthusiastically. But she would draw the line there. She would indulge no thoughts about a future or a real reconciliation. That’s where she went wrong the last time.
Annie stepped quickly down the hall to the bedroom. Nate’s suit was thrown across a chair in the corner. The bathroom mirror was still foggy. He had been there. Just briefly.
She kicked off her heels and started absentmindedly undressing, pulling together the pieces of her outfit for the evening.
The heels that matched her royal-blue dress rubbed miserably if she didn’t wear stockings. She selected a pair of lace-topped thigh highs from the drawer along with panties. She couldn’t wear a bra with her dress, so the wire was out tonight. She peeled away the tape and switched off the battery pack before leaving it on the nightstand. From there, she slipped into the low-riding black lace boy shorts that wouldn’t show panty lines. She followed them with the silky, sheer stockings.
Annie stood to retrieve her dress from the closet but stopped when she heard a soft groan from behind her.
“Damn.”
She spun in her stocking feet to find Nate in the doorway. Annie was topless but didn’t even bother covering herself. She wasn’t the most modest person in the world. She had as many body issues as any woman, but she didn’t waste the energy worrying about them. Besides, he’d already seen it all and touched a lot of it less than an hour ago.
Letting Nate see what she was wearing—or not wearing in this case—under the dress would make him just that much more miserable tonight.
Probably about as miserable as she would be. Nate looked fabulous. He’d upgraded his suit for a tuxedo. Instead of a tie, he wore a collarless ivory shirt with a shiny black button at his throat. He had a matching ivory handkerchief in his lapel pocket. The suit was custom, of that she was certain. He was not average by any means, and the fit was like a glove.
She wanted to press her bare breasts against the cotton of his shirt and knot her fingers into the curls at his neck. Her nipples tightened at the mere thought of scratching against his suit coat. That, however, would sidetrack the entire evening. Nate had to be at the party. He was throwing it.
Feigning disinterest to disguise her growing desire, she turned and walked into the closet. “Ever hear of knocking?” she asked.