LITMIR.BIZ

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the time Blake’s driver delivered them to the entrance of the Belle of Fortune Hotel and Casino that evening, Sasha wondered what on earth she’d been thinking when she’d agreed to help him. Spending the day with him had played havoc with her equilibrium and only confirmed what she suspected after she’d talked to him earlier in the week. She was still attracted to him and, although it wasn’t the same as when she’d had a crush on him in high school, the fascination was still there just the same. Trying to deny it would be utterly futile.

      Unfortunately, he hadn’t helped her predicament. From the moment she stepped off his private jet, it seemed as if he’d seized every available opportunity to touch her. Then, there was the matter of his leaning close whenever he spoke to her. It wasn’t what he said that caused her to have a perpetual case of goose bumps shimmering over her arms, it was the way he said it. Listening to his smooth baritone as he explained his plans for building a gambling empire, his voice seemed to wrap around her like a warm cocoon. She wasn’t sure how he did it, but Blake had managed to make the most mundane detail sound incredibly intimate.

      As they walked across the lobby of the authentically decorated hotel, she wondered what had gotten into her. She wasn’t that same starry-eyed teenager with a huge crush on the best-looking boy in school. She was a grown woman with a much broader perspective of what to look for in a man besides a handsome face.

      It was true that Blake had grown into a devastatingly handsome man who could turn the head of any female possessing a pulse. With his dark-blond hair, blue eyes and sensual good looks, he could just as easily have been a movie star as a businessman.

      But it wasn’t just the way he looked that caught Sasha’s attention. It was his commanding presence that demanded respect and the undivided attention of whomever he was addressing that made him seem larger than life. And if he was smart, he’d use that to his advantage in his promotional campaign.

      “Blake, what kind of advertising budget are you planning for the opening of Fortune’s Gold?” she asked thoughtfully as they waited for the elevator.

      “I haven’t set a limit,” he said, stepping back for her to enter the car ahead of him. “I’ll spend whatever it takes to kick this off the right way. Why?”

      “Do you think that’s wise, not setting a budget?” she asked.

      Pushing the button for the top floor, he shrugged his wide shoulders and shook his head. “Money isn’t an issue.”

      She chided herself for asking such a stupid question. Of course money wasn’t an object. Blake was a Fortune, and besides his family owning the largest corporation in the western part of South Dakota—maybe the entire state—he was quite a successful businessman and multimillionaire in his own right.

      “I was thinking—”

      He suddenly placed his finger to her lips, stopping her. “It’s past five, Sasha. The business day is over and it’s time for pleasure.”

      “But—”

      She intended to tell him that business was the only reason she’d come to Deadwood. But when he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him, the words stuck in her suddenly dry throat and all thoughts of a promotional campaign flew right out of her head.

      “You know what they say about all work and no play, Sasha.”

      “Th-they make a person dull?” Her mind told her to push him away, but her body refused to cooperate.

      As if in slow motion, she watched him nod his head, then smiling, lower his forehead to hers. “Remember, you’re not only here on business. You’re here to get away for a weekend. And I’m personally going to see to it that you relax and have a little fun while you’re in town.”

      His smoldering blue gaze held hers until she felt as if she might melt into a puddle at his feet. Then, just when she thought he was going to kiss her, the doors swished open. Releasing her, he stepped back for her to exit the elevator ahead of him.

      The tendons in her knees felt loose and rubbery as she walked out into the hall, and she found it extremely difficult to draw air into her lungs. Dear heavens, he hadn’t even kissed her and she was about to lose it.

      Taking first one breath, then another, she wondered if her luggage had been delivered to her room. Earlier in the day, Blake had sent his driver to take her small bag to the Belle while he’d shown her around the Lucky Fortune. Hopefully, it would be waiting for her. And if she had any sense, she’d pick it up and call for someone to take her to the airfield. Or if there weren’t any outgoing flights this evening, she could find a car to rent and drive back to Sioux Falls without waiting to see what he’d do next.

      “Which room is supposed to be mine?” she asked, desperately hoping she didn’t sound as breathless as she felt.

      “This way,” Blake said, moving to her side to open a door with Riverboat Queen engraved on an ornate wood-and-brass plaque.

      When she walked into the suite, Sasha marveled at the beautiful antique decor. The living area had been decorated like a nineteenth-century parlor and it appeared no detail had been overlooked. From the floral-print rug on the hardwood floor to the flocked wallpaper and wainscoting on the walls, it was meant to make the occupant feel as if they’d taken a step back in time and had boarded a real riverboat.

      “Are all the rooms decorated like this?” she asked, letting curiosity get the better of her.

      “No. Only the suites.” He opened the door to the bedroom. “Standard accommodations are pretty much like any other hotel room.”

      When she walked into the bedroom, her breath caught at the sight of the huge poster bed with a lace canopy and matching crocheted bedspread. “This is absolutely gorgeous, Blake.”

      A half smile curved the corners of his mouth and she could tell her comment pleased him. “When I bought the Belle some people thought I was crazy to insist the decorator use real antiques for the high–end suites. But it’s been a big hit with those looking for the old West experience.”

      “I can understand why your guests like it,” she said, spying her small suitcase. Walking over to it, she picked it up and started back across the room toward the door. “It goes along with the casino’s riverboat theme and is quite charming.”

      His expression turned to a deep frown as he pointed to her overnight bag. “Is something wrong? Would you rather have a different suite?”

      “No, this is very nice,” she said, shaking her head. “But I think … That is, I …”

      Her voice trailed off as she tried to think of something to say that wouldn’t reveal the real reason behind her early departure. There was no way she was going to admit that the chemistry between them was about to send her into sensual shock. Opting for silence, she simply continued to stare at him.

      A confident expression slowly replaced his dark scowl. “I make you nervous, don’t I, Sasha?”

      “D-don’t be ridiculous,” she stammered, wondering what had happened to the articulate, intelligent woman she’d always prided herself in being.

      As he moved closer, she had to force herself not to take a step back. It would have only proven his theory right and that was something she was determined not to do.

      “You want to know what I think, honey?” he asked, moving even closer.

      “Not really.” She did take a step back when he continued to slowly, deliberately close the distance between them.

      “I think you’re feeling it, the same as I am.” He smiled knowingly. “And I think you want to run from it, from me.”

      “I don’t have a clue what you’re referring to, Blake.”

      His confident grin sent a knot to the pit of her stomach. “Liar.”

      She set her case down and took a step back, then another. “I don’t know what you think I’m supposed to be feeling,

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