Just for Kicks by Tracy Solheim

Four

* * *

NIGHTFALL HAD COOLEDoff the city, but Andi was still perspiring. This time with anxiety. On the cab ride back to the Bellagio, she tried to talk Dex out of whatever point he was trying to prove.

“This is ridiculous. You shouldn’t be wasting your night playing poker. Not when you need to find a way out of your immigration mess,” she pleaded.

He pinned her with a side-eye glare but remained mute.

Guilt flared deep inside her. He had a way out of his immigration mess.

Her.

“I’m serious,” she tried again. “What makes you think your luck will be any better than Kenny’s? Granted, you have more disposable income to waste, but kicking field goals isn’t exactly the same as playing five-card stud.”

This time there was an inarticulate growl accompanying his glare.

She gave up with a huff. “Fine. Go try to prove you can outsmart a bunch of gamblers. What do I care? After this weekend, our paths will never cross again.”

Turning to stare out the window, she tried to ignore the disappointment swirling in her stomach. There was no reason for her to feel sad she’d never see Declan Fletcher again.

Never again experience the sensation of his low voice murmuring in her ear.

Never again feel his strong arms wrapped around her.

Never again hear his heart beating against her cheek.

Gah!

What in the living hell was she thinking? They weren’t lovers, for crying out loud. Heck, they weren’t even friends. Where in the world was her mind going with this? Her cheeks grew warm at her silliness. The only thing she had a right to be disappointed about was the two days of pay she was missing out on by traveling here to seek out Kenny.

“Coming, lass?”

She was so busy fantasizing about her make-believe relationship with Dex, she didn’t realize they’d already arrived at the Bellagio. The bellman held the car door open for her while the object of her fantasy stood on the pavement wearing an irritated scowl. His attitude irked her. She was tired and hungry. And the swimming pool-sized bathtub back in the suite was calling to her. She didn’t want to spend the evening watching a crazy kilt-loving jock throw his not-so-hard-earned money away playing a game of chance.

Something in her expression must have given her away because, in a flash, he was leaning into the car and gently wrapping his fingers around her wrist.

“I won’t force you to live up to your end of our bargain, but the least you could do is carry on with the charade while we are here.”

There was that guilt again, churning up the acid in her empty stomach. A corner of his mouth kicked up at the loud growl coming from her midsection.

“Do this for me and you can order whatever you want from the menu. Please, Andi.”

It was the first time he’d uttered her name and the sultry sound of it rolling off his lips sent shock waves throughout her body. Somehow, it was more intimate than the preponderance of “lasses” he’d been bandying about since they met. But it was the “please” he’d accompanied it with that had her acquiescing. This wasn’t a man who begged, she was sure of that. Whatever he intended to do this evening was important to him for some reason. Just as important as her presence obviously was. She’d come this far. With a nod, she accepted his help from the car.

He released her wrist, but only to move his hand to her lower back so he could steer her possessively through the throng of guests strolling about the lobby. His touch had her nerve endings simmering.

“Fletcher!”

A man dressed in a loud Hawaiian shirt emerged from the crowd. The shirt was obviously a costume of some sort because his pasty white skin and sunken eyes marked him as someone who didn’t see the light of day often, much less a sandy beach.

“Hal.” Dex extended his free hand to the man. “Thanks for accommodating me.”

“Are you kidding? I’ve been trying to get you to sit in on one of these games for years. I’m just glad you finally took me up on my offer.”

Dex glanced over at her. “Well, there are some extenuating circumstances tonight.”

A sly grin tugged at the corners of Hal’s mouth as he scrutinized Andi. “The things we do for women. Although, you’re the last guy I figured to follow the whim of the fairer sex.” The man shrugged. “But if it gets you to a poker table, I’m not gonna complain.”

Andi’s cheeks flamed at the other man’s false assumption. “It’s not—”

Dex pressed his hand more firmly against her back, presumably to silence her.

“Andi, allow me to introduce Dr. Hal Levin. Hal is a math professor at UNLV. Hal, this is Andi Larsen. She’s only here for the food.”

His friend laughed. “I’ve heard that a time or two.”

Before she could object any further, Hal was leading them back through the casino toward the poker room.

“I don’t suppose you’d let one of my grad students shadow you?” Hal steered them through the maze of slot machines.

Dex shook his head. “I don’t want to call any additional attention to myself. Besides, tonight is not about research. It’s about winning.”

Hal looked as astounded as Andi felt.

“Research?” she asked.

“Winning?” Hal said at the same time. “You haven’t played to win since we needed beer money in grad school. In fact, I remember a vow never to play for money ever again.”

“I told you,” Dex replied crisply. “The circumstances are different tonight.”

She wanted to stop right where they were, in the center of the casino, and demand answers. What exactly were the circumstances? Did he think he could play the white knight and somehow teach Kenny a lesson? Her breath hitched at the idea of someone actually caring about her. But as much as she would enjoy that scenario, she felt another tinge of guilt for involving Dex in her screwed-up life. She needed to stop this. Except his hand was still firm against her back, its warmth now permeating the fabric of her blouse. Like a love-struck puppy, she continued to allow him to guide her forward.

Clearly, Hal was a regular in the poker room because Walter’s friend waved them in without a second glance—until his eyes landed on Andi. Her step faltered slightly when the teddy bear security guard strode toward them. Dex slid his hand to her shoulder, drawing her in closer to his body. He leveled a look at the security guard that had him backing off. She quickly surveyed the room looking for Kenny, relief and disappointment warring within her when she didn’t see him among the other players.

Hal stopped at a table tucked into the back corner of the room. When he leaned down to speak quietly to one of the players, the man’s head snapped up and he shot a surprised gaze in their direction.

“Ladies and gentlemen.” The man gathered up his chips and stood. “I hope you don’t mind if I relinquish my seat. I’m sure you’ll enjoy playing with a real-life celebrity. Let’s see if he can earn the title of leading scorer at the poker table tonight.”

The arm draped over her shoulders stiffened briefly at the introduction, but the haughty look on Dex’s face never wavered. Whatever he was up to, he wasn’t planning on enjoying it. The knowledge caught her off guard.

“The ante is twenty-five thousand,” the man continued. “But I’m sure that’s chump change for you.”

“Holy hell,” she murmured, her heart pounding. The amount was nearly equal to a semester’s tuition. Chump change or not, she wasn’t comfortable sitting around watching him waste that kind of money. Just the thought made her nauseous.

She turned within the circle of his arm. “Dex—”

But, once again, he seemed able to read her thoughts. “Give me a kiss for luck, lass,” he commanded, effectively cutting off her protest with both his words and his lips.

She didn’t have time to react. Not that she could if she wanted to. She was too stunned. Or too . . . something.

The moment his mouth met hers, a storm of sensations threatened to overwhelm her. The velvety firmness of his lips. The tangy whiskey on his breath. The sparks of awareness created by the brush of his fingers against her skin.

It was all too much.

And yet, not nearly enough.

Her body moved of its own accord, edging close enough that she couldn’t tell if it was her heart hammering against her chest or his. She failed to contain the sigh emanating from the back of her throat when his lips coaxed hers apart and his tongue delved into her mouth. The fingers at her nape tightened ever so slightly at the sound before he abruptly released her.

It took a long moment for awareness of her surroundings to return. The ping of the slot machines and the crackle of shuffling cards was followed by the hum of hundreds of conversations taking place within the casino. When she finally regained focus, Dex was still inhabiting the space in front of her, heat and something else unidentifiable radiating off him.

“Well done, lass,” he murmured.

Andi’s gaze snapped up to meet his. Her stomach sank at his amused expression. Damn it. He was playing a role. This whole evening was some sort of play for him. One where she didn’t know the lines. She was a fool to think it was anything more.

Taking a step back, she forced her lips up into a smile she didn’t feel. Declan Fletcher may be a better gamer than she was, but Andi was nothing if not a quick learner. She’d had to be. So she decided to play along.

Placing both hands on his chest, she stretched up on her toes and pressed her lips to the corner of his. “Try not to lose it all in one sitting,” she said loud enough for their audience to overhear.

With a pat to his magnificent pectoral muscles, she left him standing there mute, while she went in search of food. And a large glass of wine.

* * *

NORMALLY,DEX LOVED math. He thrived on it, actually. Calculating probability quickly and accurately was a greater skill than kicking a bloody fourteen-ounce leather ball through the uprights. In the past, exercising his agile mind outsmarting his opponents in a card game was an excellent diversion from whatever else was troubling him. He’d thought the same would be true tonight. But not so. He blamed his pink-haired fake fiancé.

If touching her had been a bad idea, kissing her was the mother of all bad ideas. Too bad he was having trouble convincing his body of that. Parts of him were screaming to take her back to their hotel suite and finish what he’d started. She was right; after this weekend, they’d likely never see one another again. Based on her reaction to his kiss, she was more than willing to take things further.

Or was she?

Why did he have the feeling she might be playing him? Probably because she’d scammed both him and Kurt by agreeing to a marriage of convenience in order to secure a free trip to Las Vegas. Hell, her crazy story about a shady ex could be a farce. And he’d fallen for it, using the excuse that he wanted to make things right for her as a reason to while away the night playing poker.

He picked up the cards the dealer doled out, not even bothering to look at them. Instead, his gaze was locked on the little vixen who was currently using her wiles on Hal. His friend already looked smitten, fetching her a plate of food and a glass of champagne. Dex refrained from grinding his teeth. Hal was married with three kids, dammit. Besides, the guy was supposed to be working.

In addition to being a math professor, Hal served as a consultant on the casino’s security team. He coordinated a group of graduate students who surveyed the games to look for any individual who might be cheating. Technically, using your own brainpower couldn’t be construed as dishonest, but casinos tended to frown on players whose intellect gave them an unfair advantage. Given that Dex held the same PhD from MIT as his friend Hal, he fit squarely into that group. Normally, he avoided gambling as a rule. But tonight, he was making an exception. He just hoped he wasn’t making a grave mistake, as well.

“You in?”

At the question posed by the dealer, Dex reined in his ambling thoughts, finally giving his hand of cards the attention they deserved. He flipped several chips into the pile at the center of the table. “I’m in.”

It took a few hands, but he eventually settled into a rhythm, focusing on the cards and the play around him. That comfort he sought settled over him, blotting out everything but the game. If the other players believed him to be an egomaniac jock when he sat down, he’d quickly convinced them otherwise.

Six hours in, the game was down to two players. He had already won Andi’s money back and then some. But no way was he walking away until he’d won the final hand. He did a quick probability calculation in his head, leading him to conclude the best hand his opponent could have was a straight and even the probability of that was extremely low. Glancing down at his own cards, he decided to end the game here.

He shoved a pile of chips into the center of the table, reserving just enough to cover Andi’s debt, and arched an eyebrow at the man across the table. His opponent scrutinized the bet for a tense moment.

“I’ll see your bet,” he finally said, tossing the matching amount of chips on the pile.

The other players seemed to be holding their collective bets. Dex nodded to his opponent to lay down his cards. Damn if the guy didn’t have a bloody straight of spades, ace high. He leaned back in his chair and grinned at Dex in challenge.

Taking his time, Dex laid out his own cards one-by-one. Five cards, each bearing a heart. A flush trumped a straight, making him the winner. The assembled crowd broke out in a smattering of applause and wild cheers.

Hal clapped him on the back. “You haven’t lost a step, Professor MacMath. Well played.”

Dex rolled his shoulders. “I take it you’ll be discussing my strategy in class this week?”

“You know it. I’ll have my students dissecting every hand.” Hal laughed. “On the other side of campus, some poor kicker will be doing the same with game film. You’re quite the enigma, Fletcher.”

Dex chuckled at the irony. “Yeah, well, I think this is a one and done, so your students will have to be satisfied with tonight’s performance.”

“You’re definitely a ‘one and done’ in my hotel.” Hal scooped the pile of chips into a deep plastic bowl, then handed it to Dex. “I only allowed you to sit in so that big brain of yours could offer perspective on the other players in the game. You keep winning everyone’s money and you’re going to have to move to tournament play.”

A line of people had begun to form, all of them with phones in their hands in hopes of a selfie. Despite being exhausted and ravenous, he obliged for nearly ten minutes until Hal cut them off. His friend gestured to a row of chairs against the back wall. “You might want to get her out of here.”

Jaysus.He’d gotten his wish and become so absorbed in the game that he’d forgotten all about Andi. Not that she’d notice. She was sprawled along the chairs, earbuds in, eyes closed, mouth open. A strand of her hair wafting through the air with each puff from her lips.

“How long has she been out?”

Hal grinned indulgently. “She barely lasted an hour.”

A twinge of something pierced his chest. He’d been an asshat. He should have left her in the bloody suite. But his ego insisted she come along. If he was going to save her pretty little ass, she could at least look on adoringly. Except nothing with this woman went as expected.

He crouched down in front of her. Relaxed in sleep, the worry lines gone, she looked so much younger. So much more vulnerable. Not at all like a woman who was playing him. Just a lass who’d had to fight for whatever she wanted out of life. His gut hadn’t let him down. He’d done the right thing.

Reaching out a finger, he captured the stray lock of hair. Pink blurred with a sunny blond color on the soft strand. He gently tucked it behind her ear, tracing the curve of her jaw with his finger as he did so. Her lids fluttered opened. Soft blue eyes considered him for a long moment, so earnest and trusting, before recognition dawned. She shot upright, her cheeks pink with embarrassment.

Chuckling, Dex took the seat beside her. “Sorry the entertainment was lacking, lass.”

“It—it wasn’t. I just . . .” Her voice trailed off.

“Can’t handle champagne. I figured as much.”

Her head snapped around to argue, but something in his expression made her face soften.

“How much did you lose?” she asked instead.

He arched an eyebrow. “Lass, I never lose.”

His words had the desired effect because he detected a slight shiver before she suppressed it. Her eyes darted everywhere but his face, finally settling on the bowl of chips.

“Are those all yours?”

When he didn’t answer, she was forced to meet his gaze. He searched her face for any sign of duplicity, but her expression remained dumbfounded. Dex placed the bowl of chips in her lap.

“No, lass. They’re yours.”