Biker (3 page)

Surprised, Noelle looked up and found herself face to face with the bluest eyes she had ever seen. Slowly, she took in the man who was now seated next to her, and she felt a warm sensation surge through her body.

Desire like she'd never experienced before.

The man next to her looked to be no older than thirty, and she thought he was the sexiest man she had ever laid eyes on. Aside from his gorgeous baby blue eyes, he had thick, dark, cropped hair and full lips. There was an undeniable air of mystery about him, and as she continued to check him out, she was impressed by his impeccable—and undoubtedly expensive—dark suit. That suit alone looked like it probably cost more than Noelle’s mortgage payment.

As Noelle unabashedly ogled the stranger, she realized he was doing the same thing to her. Her mouth went dry and she reached for her drink, quenching her thirst as her eyes peered over the edge of her glass at the mysterious man.

The man laughed a soft throaty laugh as his eyes met Noelle's. Coming to her senses and completely mortified by her rude gaping, Noelle quickly put her drink down and averted her eyes.

“It’s too late,” he whispered huskily, “I already saw you checking me out.”

Noelle’s eyes widened with shock at his forward comment, and then her face flushed bright crimson.

“Now, don’t be embarrassed,” he said kindly, “though you’re even sexier when you blush.”

“Oh my god,” Noelle whispered, mostly to herself. Liz and Quinn were so engrossed in the game that they were oblivious to what was unfolding right next to them.

“Too forward?” he teased, and Noelle looked up at him to see he was smiling with just a hint of cockiness. Normally, Noelle never went for the guys who knew they were smooth and good looking, but something about this man was too appealing to ignore.

“I’m Blaze,” he said in his deep voice, holding her gaze.

What kind of name is Blaze?
She thought. It took her a moment to regain her composure, but she finally spoke up.

“Noelle.”

“That’s a beautiful name.”

“Thank you. And your name is very—unique.”

Blaze laughed at himself. “That’s a polite way to say it. My parents had a thing for dangerous names,” he explained, as a flash of something dark quickly moved across his face, then faded.

“So it's a family name?” Noelle joked boldly, surprised at herself. The alcohol was clearly having its effect.

“Well, not exactly. My dad's name was Bob.”

“Well I think Blaze suits you well.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“You should.”

“Now tell me, Noelle. How often do you play blackjack?”

Noelle let out a small giggle, and then took a sip of her drink before meeting his gaze. “Honestly? This is my first time. I have no idea what I’m doing.”

Blaze looked at her pile of chips. “It certainly doesn’t seem that way.”

“Well, it must be beginner’s luck because I promise you, I have no clue.”

Blaze looked at her again, as if he were seeing her in a whole new light. “Have you been to Vegas before?”

Noelle took another sip of her drink, and shook her head. “This is my first trip. Actually, this is my first night!”

“Really?” Blaze’s eyes seemed to burn into her, and she had to look away finally, unable to hold his gaze.

Noelle shifted in her seat, bringing her focus back to the game, although she could still feel Blaze’s eyes on her. And even though she wasn’t looking at him, she felt exposed in a way that she’d never felt before.

Her time with Todd had thrown off her ability to talk to other men or pick up on flirty cues. She couldn’t tell if Blaze had been flirting with her, or just making small talk. Of course, the alcohol wasn’t helping either.

“Hot damn! Who’s that sitting next to you?” Liz suddenly whispered in her ear.

Noelle turned to look at her friend, raising her eyebrows. But before she could respond, Blaze leaned over, dazzling them all with his smile.

“Hello ladies. We haven’t met yet. I’m Blaze. Noelle here was just telling me that she has never played blackjack before, which I find hard to believe.”

Quinn, the consummate flirt, batted her eyelashes at Blaze and smiled. “Oh, it’s true. This is Noelle’s first trip to Vegas, and her first night in a casino. In fact,” she said, a devilish smile spreading across her face, “This is actually Noelle’s first night out as a single woman in three years.”

“Quinn!” Noelle cried, but Blaze seemed to perk up at this revelation.

“Really? Then maybe we need to make this night memorable.” He raised his hand and a cocktail waitress was at his side instantly. He whispered something to her, and she nodded before quickly scampering away. “She’s going to bring us something better,” he explained.

The game continued, and a few minutes later the waitress returned with four clear drinks.

“Try it,” Blaze said, passing glasses around, “I promise you’ll like it.”

“Will there be anything else, sir?” the waitress asked breathlessly.

“No, that’s all for now, thank you.”

The waitress looked wistfully at the three women and then walked away.

Noelle sipped at the drink, and found it surprisingly delicious. It was both sweet and strong, and it had a hint of something tropical.

“What is it?” Noelle asked curiously.

Blaze grinned. “If I told you, I’d have to kill you.”

The game began to pick up from there, and Noelle quickly realized that Blaze was a high roller. He was dropping two and three hundred dollars a hand as if it were nothing, and when he broke his bankroll, he simply smiled and pulled out more cash from his bottomless pocket.

“Well, you certainly came prepared tonight,” Noelle commented, the alcohol making her feel more loose and relaxed than she’d felt in a long time.

Blaze shrugged. “I like to go big or go home.”

“I can see that.”

“So, why don't you tell me how this came to be your first single night out in three years?”

A look of sadness crossed Noelle’s face momentarily, and then it was gone. She rolled her eyes. “It’s not really a fun story.”

“Fun is boring.” He winked at her.

“Here’s the abridged version...my live-in ex-boyfriend and I were planning on spending a week in Aruba starting today. And I foolishly thought he was going to propose on the trip. However, last night he told me that he was moving out, that he was seeing someone else, and by the way, he was taking the other woman to Aruba in my place.”

Blaze’s eyes widened, and he sat back in his chair and let out a low whistle.

“Well, fuck. You need another drink.” He raised his hand to signal the cocktail waitress, and she nodded before hurrying off.

Noelle gave him a small smile. “Thanks.”

“What a douche bag. I hate to say this, but it sounds like you’re better off.”

“So I'm realizing. I’m just stressing out now because our condo is in my name only, and I don’t know how I’m going to pay the mortgage by myself every month.” She groaned. “Not to mention my ridiculous student loans.”

Blaze laughed. “Something will work out, you seem like a smart girl.”

Noelle shook her head bitterly. “That’s something that people who have never had to struggle say.”

Blaze gave her a piercing look. “I’ve had to struggle plenty, but I can tell you're not a quitter.”

The way he said it was so dark, that Noelle was taken back at first. Blaze with his pocketful of cash, and expensive suit certainly didn’t strike her as someone whose life had been a struggle, but she shrugged.

“So tell me then,” Blaze said, leaning towards her, and Noelle felt pulled in by his deep gaze. “Tell me about your struggles.”

Noelle laughed again. “There isn’t enough alcohol in Vegas for that.”

“Of course there is,” Blaze teased, raising his hand to signal the waitress, but Noelle reached out and yanked his hand down.

“I’ve had enough for now,” she giggled. “No one wants to hear my sob story. I shouldn’t have mentioned my money problems either. That was silly of me.”

“Don’t you have any family who can help you out?”

Noelle shook her head. “No. No family. Well, I do have a sister,” she corrected, “but she doesn’t have the money to help me out, and even if she did, I couldn’t take a dime from her.”

“Why not?”

Noelle stared at Blaze, unsure as to why this rich, sexy stranger seemed so interested in her boring life, and wondering why she was so willingly sharing her past with him—She rarely spoke about her past to anyone, and here she was opening up to this stranger.

And maybe that was just it.

It was easy talking to a stranger. Who cared if he judged her? She was never going to see him again, and truthfully, she probably wouldn’t remember half the things she said once she woke up in the morning.

“My sister practically raised me. She saved up for years so that she could get us out of my parents’ house. When I was twelve years old, my sister and I moved into an apartment a couple hours away from my parents. My sister worked, went to college at night, and took care of me. She made sure that I did well in school so I could earn scholarships and get into college.”

Blaze nodded, taking this information in, while they still continued to play blackjack. “She sounds pretty selfless.”

“She is. That’s why I can’t ask her for anything else. She gave up so much to help me, and I can’t ever repay her.”

Blaze leaned over and took her hand. “So what was the problem with your parents?”

Noelle pulled her hand away and took a sip of her drink to delay answering the question.

“If I answer that, it will certainly ruin the night,” she said lightly, trying to make a joke. There was only so much she was willing to share. No way was she about to tell Blaze that her father ran a sex trafficking ring and that her mother lived on a steady diet of prescription pills and vodka.

Blaze seemed to sense Noelle’s discomfort and he let the subject drop. Self-conscious, Noelle ran her hand through her hair, flipping it gently as it fell across her shoulders. She could feel Blaze’s eyes on her, and she wasn’t sure if she was teasing him or not.

“Alright,” Blaze said in a seductive tone, leaning in toward all three women. “Let’s get this started. I’m going to help you girls make some serious cash.”

“What?” Liz turned to stare at him, and Quinn froze with her glass halfway to her mouth. Suddenly, Blaze swept his enormous pile of chips off the table and left his seat to stand behind the three women.

As the dealer started a new hand, Blaze began to give the girls tips. He was turning out to be an excellent blackjack player, and with his advice on when to hit, split, stand, and double-down, Noelle, Liz and Quinn were suddenly doing phenomenally well, each of them amassing a steadily growing pile of chips.

“Oh my god,” Noelle murmured, “I think I have over six hundred dollars here.”

“I think I have nearly five hundred,” Liz squealed, while Quinn just shook her head with wonder.

“Now listen up,” Blaze whispered, leaning towards Noelle, his mouth mere inches from her ear. Noelle felt a delicious shiver go up her spine. She could smell his aftershave, and she knew if she turned her head just slightly, her lips would be close enough to press against his mouth.

Taking a deep breath to steady her thoughts, she tried to focus on what Blaze was about to say.

“I want you to stand after this next one.”

Noelle obeyed and sure enough she came out ahead once again.

“Yes!” she cried excitedly and she looked over to see Blaze smiling, his sexy mouth turned up at the corners.

“Very good,” he whispered. He continued to help Liz and Quinn, but he seemed to pay special attention to Noelle.

The drinks continue to come, and Noelle realized that the drinks Blaze had ordered were much stronger than the vodka and cranberries she had been drinking. Quinn and Liz seemed to be having a blast, and though the women occasionally lost a hand, they were making far more than they were losing.

Everything seemed slightly blurry around the edges due to the alcohol, and Noelle felt like she was in some sort of movie. This kind of thing didn’t happen to her. She was the sensible girl who lived a quiet life with her boyfriend, not the girl who ran off to Vegas at the last minute, and played blackjack with sexy strangers while risking large sums of money.

“You girls are doing fantastic!” Blaze complimented, his arm gently resting on Noelle’s shoulder. Noelle didn’t miss the slight touching. Could it be that this charismatic and wildly attractive man was interested in her?

Blaze was entirely out of her league, and even though Noelle hadn’t played the dating game in years, she still had a firm grasp on the kind of man she could attract and the kind of man who was just a dream.

And Blaze was just a dream.

Someone as handsome, sexy and mysterious as him would never be interested in Noelle.

Noelle pictured herself in her scrubs, her face makeup-free, and her hair pulled back in a ponytail. That was how she was used to seeing herself.

But tonight was different.

Tonight, Noelle didn’t look like the girl she was accustomed to seeing in the mirror; her hair was down and styled, and she
was
wearing makeup. And not only that, but she was wearing a sexy dress and killer high-heels. Maybe Vegas-Noelle
was
someone Blaze would be interested in, she suddenly felt bolder and more confident in herself.

This was Vegas after all! How great would it be if she could go home knowing that she had a sexy one-night-stand with a man like Blaze? It would make for a great story and it was so out of character for Noelle that it felt liberating.

Of course, she knew that she was at risk for making impulsive, foolish choices, but she didn’t think this choice was part of her illness.

Illness...

Noelle pushed the word out of her mind.

She wasn’t going to think about her illness. She had been doing so well lately, that she practically felt cured.

Blaze smiled at the women. “I think we’re ready for bigger and better things, ladies. What do you say we cash in our chips and head to the high roller room now? Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.”