Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 145803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
“Thanks, Zale, but really, I’m a big girl. I’ve been looking after myself a long time. You don’t need to stay.” She did her best to look him in the eye. That wasn’t as successful as she hoped. She managed to look at the bridge of his nose.
Immediately, the sensual lines in his face went blank, totally unreadable, and he regarded her with his dark, scary eyes. “You told me you don’t like to play in tournaments in person. This one had to be a huge buy-in. What made you change your mind? Your photograph is everywhere.”
She swept her hair back from her face. “I know. It’s like a giant me hanging off the side of the building. You’re right. Normally I wouldn’t play in person like this, but I received an invitation and the buy-in was waived. That doesn’t happen unless you’re a celebrity with a massive following or you win a tournament that has a buy-in as part of the prize. It sounded too good to be true, so at first I ignored the invitation, but then I was contacted by the hotel and found out it was real. Apparently, my career as luckypersiancat has been followed, and the hotel thought it would be good advertisement for the tournament to have me in the mix. There are millions at stake, and Stella wanted to see Red Rock and kayak the river, so why not? I just didn’t expect my photograph to be ten feet tall.”
“Why aren’t you asking me how I got in here? You should be.”
She shrugged, trying to look nonchalant. “Does it matter? I doubt too many others could manage. Maybe Rainier.”
“Why would you bring up Rainier?” There was a bite to his normally calm tone.
“I imagine he was trained the same way you and Sam were.”
“Let’s leave him out of this. Let’s leave everyone else out but the two of us. We have enough problems without bringing anyone else into our world.”
Deliberately she took another long drink of water. “We have problems? I wasn’t aware, Zale. What kinds of problems do we have? I certainly would never undermine your undercover work. I hope you know that. I can stay in my suite until the final tournament, if that would help.” She did her best to sound accommodating.
“I interrogate prisoners, Vienna. Stop trying to pull off bullshit. I know you would never out me when I’m undercover. That’s not what I’m referring to and you damn well know it. I’m talking about us.”
“Us?” She raised her eyebrow. “There is no us, Zale. If you’re worried I’m going to be clingy or expect something from you at Sam and Stella’s wedding, seriously, there won’t be a problem. It’s been months since we had our little fling. Six weeks together isn’t a relationship. It doesn’t make us a couple. I have no expectations of you. You’re off the proverbial hook.”
He continued to search her face with those dark eyes of his. Eyes filled with temptation and sin. He could easily make her heart skip a beat and her sex dampen with need. Her breasts ached and felt heavy. That was his gift. He could make women want him when he hadn’t said or done anything to warrant it.
“It was six and a half weeks, and I don’t want to be off the hook.” He made the statement quite clearly.
Her heart accelerated. Her pulse leapt and pounded frantically in her neck. It was all she could do to hold herself still, fingers curled around the bottle of water. “One round with you was about all my heart could take, Zale.” She didn’t care what she was admitting to him. “It was beautiful and fun and I’ll cherish those memories. But not again. You’ll have to find someone else for your downtime recreation fun.”
“Is that what you think you were to me?”
She lifted her chin and swallowed more water, letting the cool liquid slide down her throat. “Does it matter what I think, Zale? Quite a bit of time has passed. I’ve got my life and I’m just fine. We were careful. There aren’t any secret babies you have to worry about. I’m not crying every night and begging Sam to find you for me.”
She hadn’t asked Sam once about Zale. She hadn’t even told Sam they’d been together. She was proud of herself for that because it hadn’t been easy. She had cried at night. Not every single night, but she’d cried a lot of nights.
“Would it shock you to know that I asked Sam for updates on you?”
She froze with the water bottle halfway to her mouth. That couldn’t be true. Why would he do that when he’d just packed up and left without saying much of anything? He hadn’t said he’d come back. He hadn’t asked her to wait for him. He’d given her nothing to hold on to. He’d kissed her and walked out of her life. Why would he ask Sam about her?