Then, for reasons unknown to me, my hands lifted and I unscrewed one earring and set it by his wrist on the table. Then the other. Then I fiddled with the clasp on my bracelet, managed by a small miracle to get it unhooked all on my own and I placed it by the earrings. Then I bent low, leaned in and kissed the hinge of his jaw. Then I straightened, squeezed his shoulder, looked over his head at secret agent guy and aimed a smile at him.
Then I turned and walked back to the couch, ignoring Blondie smiling slyly and superiorly at me.
Five minutes later, Ty won that huge pot. Fifteen minutes later, he won the next one. The one after, he lost. He won the next three.
The night wore on, I ordered another martini and sipped it because dinner was long past and I didn’t want it to go to my head and I watched Ty win big.
When it was clear things were breaking up, Ty’s pile had to be about five times bigger than when the game started. Men moved, Blondie pushed herself up and shuffled forward, I uncrossed my legs then recrossed them on the other side.
Ty jerked his chin at the dealer while the Texan stood and said in a loud mutter, “Not sure you’ll be welcome to sit another game, Walker.”
“Don’t ‘spect so,” Ty replied, sounding like he couldn’t care less and standing, his side to the table, his neck twisted until his eyes were on me.
I was to go to him.
I went to him.
Goodnight type words were exchanged and I did a scan of the occupants of the room as I walked to Ty. The swarthy man looked mildly annoyed. The Texan looked pissed, then again, his piles had dwindled the most when Ty started winning. The rest simply looked like they were tired and ready to call it a night.
I stopped close to Ty and the minute I did, he took hold of and then lifted my wrist, tagged the bracelet off the table and latched it on. Then he put a hand to my hip, put pressure on and my body moved until my back was to him. The pendant dangled in front of me then disappeared downward.
Then I heard him murmur, “Lift up your hair.”
I did as I was told.
He clasped my necklace on, tingles sliding up my scalp and down my spine when his fingers brushed against my skin.
The hand came back to my hip turning me to face him, he again lifted my wrist, twisted it and deposited my earrings in my palm.
“Don’t bother puttin’ ‘em in. We get back to the room, we’re goin’ straight to bed.”
I felt my body go electric again, I licked my lips and nodded.
His eyes cut through the room, he did a few jerks of his chin, I aimed a tired smile around, his hand went to the small of my back and he led me to and out the double doors.
Chapter Five
Breakfast
The next day, I sat baking in the sun on a lounge chair by the pool, sweat mingling with my suntan oil, my eyes directed to the Kindle in my hand but my mind was not on my Kindle.
It was on Ty.
Last night he won four hundred and fifty thousand dollars playing poker.
Four hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
This boggled the mind. I didn’t know what to do with this. It was so huge, it was impossible to process.
But that knowledge wouldn’t be the only thing that boggled my mind last night.
Playing it cool, I hadn’t asked him until we got to the room how much he won but I did it the minute the latch clicked on the door. He answered as he strode into the room, shrugging off his jacket.
I stood in the little hall, stunned motionless.
Then I’d walked into the bedroom to see him draping his jacket on the chair by the window.
“Four hundred and fifty thousand dollars?” I asked.