The Wedding Pact Box Set - Denise Grover Swank Page 0,314

turned and flashed him a brilliant smile, but there was something dark in her eyes. “Craig here was kind enough to loan me a few. Wasn’t that sweet?”

The two men were now giving their full attention to Noah. He glared at the man on the end, whose reddening face identified him as Craig.

Craig slid off his stool. “We didn’t know she had a boyfriend, man. She told us she was waiting for her friend. We thought her friend was a she.”

Both men grabbed their chips and Noah said, “Hey, don’t forget this.” He tossed a twenty-five-dollar chip across the table toward them.

They scurried away and Libby looked up at him with a lazy grin that didn’t reach her eyes. She pushed a glass toward him. “Here’s your drink.”

He reacted before he had time to think it through. “What the hell was that?”

“What?” she asked innocently. “Are you going to play or not?”

The dealer’s eyes narrowed, waiting to see how this played out.

This wasn’t how he’d hoped things would go at all. “I thought you’d sworn off men for a year.”

A sheepish look covered her face.

What had made her go from welcoming his touch minutes ago to practically blowing him off for two strangers? Then it hit him.

She was terrified.

She was scared to admit she wanted something more with him. So her instinct was to prove she didn’t need him by finding some guy for a meaningless one-night stand.

He was still upset, but he forced himself to see this as progress. He smiled even if he didn’t feel like it, then reached for her chips and slid them away. “These are luckier,” he said, replacing them with part of his stack.

There was worry in her eyes when she met his gaze, but it vanished in an instant, replaced with another performance. “And what do you have for luck?”

His smile turned more genuine. “You.” Then he added, “Gram said your dress was lucky, remember?”

She nodded and turned her attention to the table.

They put some chips down and the dealer dealt them their hands. After fifteen minutes, Libby was twenty dollars richer and Noah was ahead by fifty. “I told you it was our lucky night,” Noah told her with a wink.

A waitress passed their table and Libby got her attention. “Another mojito, please.”

Libby shot Noah a questioning glance and he shook his head. “I’m good.”

They spent the next thirty minutes at the table, both of them winning some and losing some, then Libby finished her drink and stood. “Let’s go do something else.”

They scooped up their chips and moved away from the table. Libby wobbled slightly, so Noah took her arm. “Why don’t we get something to eat?”

“What time is it? I thought you made dinner reservations for eleven.”

“It’s around nine-thirty, but we haven’t eaten since this afternoon. I’m hungry. Let’s get a snack.”

“I thought you wanted to gamble.”

“Let’s sit at the slot machines. We can grab something to eat while we play.”

“Okay. But first I have to go to the restroom.”

“Of course you do,” he chuckled. “I’ll go get something to eat and meet you at these slots right here, okay?”

She studied him for a moment. “Afraid I’ll ditch you?”

His breath caught. “Should I be?”

A small smile lifted the corners of her mouth. “No, you’re safe for now.”

Chapter Sixteen

Libby went into the restroom and took care of her business, then washed her shaking hands and looked at her reflection.

Why had she flirted with those guys? It wasn’t like she was interested, but if she was going to act on this impulse to sleep with someone, it would be better to do it with a stranger she’d never have to see again than to sleep with Noah and lose him forever.

But it made her feel slimy and unworthy of Noah’s friendship.

She wasn’t sure why his reaction to those guys had surprised her. She couldn’t ignore what was right in front of her face. Noah wanted to sleep with her. There was no misinterpreting that. She wasn’t sure she could be strong enough for the both of them.

He was waiting at a slot machine with a bowl of nachos and a couple of bottles of water.

She sat down next to him, grinning. “You realize how ridiculous this is, right? I’m wearing this dress and you’re in a tux, but we’re sitting here eating chips covered in processed cheese in front of dollar slot machines.”

He grabbed a chip and took a bite. “It’s kind of more us, don’t you think?” He held up the