LITMIR.BIZ

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campaign for his casinos, he was interested in getting to know her on a more personal level.

      “The man you’ve dreamed about half of your life has finally discovered that you exist and you’re having second thoughts about becoming involved with him?” she asked herself as she twisted her unruly hair into a tight knot at the back of her head. “Are you insane?”

      But as she put on her mascara, gathered her jacket and prepared to join Blake in the suite’s living room, she decided that her mind wasn’t what worried her. If she let herself go and gave in to his charismatic charm, it was her heart that could very well be in danger of being lost.

      “Blake, this is ridiculous,” Sasha laughed when he motioned for her to push a stack of poker chips into the middle of a circle on the green felted table.

      After touring the town’s museums chronicling Deadwood’s colorful history and having a scrumptious lunch at Blake’s other hotel and casino, the Lucky Fortune, they had returned to the Belle of Fortune for her to try her hand at a few games of chance. Blake had a man he’d called the pit boss set up a private table for him to teach her the various card games and she was finding that although they were fun, she’d starve to death if she had to make a living in the world of professional gambling.

      Blake leaned close when the dealer shuffled, then dealt the cards. “The dealer is showing a six and has to stay on seventeen,” Blake whispered closely to her ear. “You have twelve and the odds are in your favor to win the hand. Take another card.”

      The feel of his warm breath on her overly sensitive skin distracted her from the game. Taking a deep breath, she used every ounce of willpower she had to react normally. “Are you sure? What if the card the dealer has facing down is an ace? Then he’d have eighteen and there’s the possibility I’d lose.”

      Blake nodded. “That’s true. But that’s why it’s called gambling. You have to take the chance in order to come out ahead.”

      “But—”

      He softly touched her chin with his index finger and turned her head until their gazes met. “Sweetheart, life is full of risks. Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. But keep in mind, there’s a fifty-fifty chance that the risks you don’t take could have been missed opportunities.”

      Her heart skipped several beats as she gazed into his amazing blue eyes. There was a challenge there and she knew beyond a shadow doubt, he was talking about her taking a chance on a whole lot more than just a hand of cards.

      “I don’t know,” she said uncertainly.

      She wasn’t sure she had the courage to risk becoming involved with Blake. She could very well end up with a broken heart, as well as having her pride completely shattered.

      “Take a break,” he said to the dealer, standing patiently awaiting her decision on the hand of cards. As the man silently nodded and walked away, Blake turned her to face him. “Give me a chance, Sasha. Give us a chance.”

      She shook her head. “There is no us.”

      “Not yet.” His smile sent a wave of heat from the top of her head all the way to her toes. “But I intend for there to be.”

      Her heart stopped completely at the determination in his voice and the promise in his eyes. He’d abandoned his earlier excuse of wanting to get to know her better and moved straight to them becoming romantically involved.

      The thrill of anticipation skipped up her spine as his gaze held her captive and he slowly lowered his head to brush his lips against hers. But when he settled his mouth over hers in a kiss so tender it robbed her of all rational thought, she forgot all the reasons that taking a chance on caring for Blake could prove her undoing—or that they were sitting in the middle of a crowded casino. Nothing seemed to matter but the sudden heat coursing through her and the need to lean into his embrace. Without a second thought, she raised her arms to circle his neck and tangle her fingers in the silky hair at his nape.

      When she pressed herself to his chest, his arms closed around her and he slipped his tongue inside to deepen the kiss. Colorful lights immediately began to flash behind Sasha’s closed eyes and it felt as if the world had been reduced to just the two of them when he slowly stroked her inner recesses and coaxed her into responding in kind. But when he effortlessly lifted her from her chair to sit her on his lap, a delicious tingling sensation began to flow throughout her body and a tiny moan escaped her parted lips at the feel of his rapidly hardening body through the layers of their clothing.

      “Way to go, man.” The sudden sound of a laughing male voice made Sasha’s heart stop.

      When she tried to jerk from his arms, Blake held her firmly against him as he eased his lips from hers and slowly turned his head to glare at a young man standing a few feet from their table. Blake didn’t say a word. He didn’t have to. His menacing look was enough to wipe the leering expression from the man’s face and had him disappearing into the crowd without so much as a moment’s hesitation.

      Sasha’s cheeks felt as if they were on fire and she couldn’t have found her voice if her life depended on it. What on earth had gotten into her? She’d never in her entire life been the type to get so caught up in a kiss that she forgot where she was. Nor had she ever been one for public displays of affection.

      Dear heavens, what would have happened if the kiss had been more passionate or lasted longer? Mortified, she buried her face against Blake’s broad shoulder. There was no doubt in her mind that she would have made an even bigger fool of herself than she already had.

      As if sensing that she would rather be anywhere else than in the middle of a crowded casino, Blake set her on her feet and stood up beside her. “That’s enough of the blackjack lessons for one day. It’s dinnertime anyway and I’m sure our table is ready.”

      Before she could find her voice and tell him that what she really needed was to be alone, he took her by the hand and walked toward the Golden Belle. Once they were seated at a small table in a cozy little corner at the back of the restaurant, he reached up to stroke her cheek with his index finger.

      “Sasha, I’m not going to mince words.” His promising smile sent a wave of excitement coursing through her. “I want you and I’m not going to stop until I make you mine.”

      Four

      Thanking the powers that be for a few moments to herself, Sasha sat in the Golden Belle and thoughtfully sipped her coffee as she waited for Blake to return. He’d been called away on casino business right after they’d finished dinner and it was the first opportunity she’d had to contemplate his bold statement about making her his.

      What on earth was she going to do? Did she have the courage to become involved with him?

      All of her adult life she’d used extreme caution when it came to relationships. She’d witnessed some of her friends and coworkers suffer through the misery of failure and she’d been determined not to find herself in the same position.

      Unfortunately, she wasn’t entirely certain she had a choice where Blake was concerned. From the moment she’d laid eyes on him in high school, she’d been attracted to him. And although she’d convinced herself she’d gotten over her schoolgirl crush years ago, she was finding him even more irresistible now than she had eleven years ago.

      She sighed heavily as the object of her affection walked into the restaurant, spoke to the hostess, then walked toward her. If Creed was right about Blake, she could very well end up emotionally shattered. But how in the world could she make herself immune to his charms?

      “I’m sorry about a being called away,” he said, smiling apologetically as he pulled out the chair across from her and sat down. “There was a minor altercation at one of the craps tables and they needed me in the security office to smooth over the situation with one of our whales.”

      “I hope it wasn’t serious.”

      He shook his head. “The man had a little too much to drink and accused another

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