Let It Ride (5 page)

He already knew what he was going to use Mac’s money for. One of those indoor playgrounds. The kind of place kids could explore for hours and still not discover everything.

“What was it like growing up in Vegas?” Kylie asked him. “We were stationed in Nellis one time, but I was only eight, so I couldn’t come into the city.”

“The same as anywhere else,” he said. The last thing he wanted to talk about with Kylie was his past. Or himself. In fact, the less she knew about the real Deacon Prescott, the better it would be for all concerned.

“What was the same?”

He took her hand and brought it to his lips, brushing a kiss against her knuckles. “School and stuff.”

“Deacon—”

“Tell me about yourself. Other than Nellis, where did you live as a child?” he asked, placing her hand back on his thigh and resting his hand on top of hers.

“Oh, San Diego, Germany, Florida. We lived everywhere. My older sister, Ramona—she’s the smart one—calculated the miles in her head and she knows exactly how many we’ve traveled since birth.”

“Do you have any other siblings?”

“Yes, there’s Jessica. She’s the pretty one. She always had tons of guys following her around. She made them build us an outrigger when we were in Hawaii.”

“Hmm…so Ramona’s the smart one and Jessica’s the pretty one. What does that make you?”

“The ordinary one.”

He realized that Kylie didn’t realize that her own uniqueness was what made her special. “You are many things, Kylie, but ordinary isn’t one of them.”

“I…thanks, I guess.”

“Is this that blarney thing again?”

“It’s just hard to believe what you’re saying when I know the opposite is true.”

He vowed that even if the marriage thing didn’t work out between them, he’d show Kylie Smith exactly how sexy and sweet she was. And he doubted that the smart and pretty sisters could hold a candle to her. Kylie changed the subject by telling him how Jessica’s boys had spent five days building an outrigger.

He pulled into the valet line at the Golden Dream and motioned for the valet to wait until Kylie finished her story. Then Deacon turned off the car and they entered the hotel. He liked the way she talked about her family.

He had a strong feeling that her family was a close-knit one. And for a moment he felt a pang. But in the end it was another point in the wife column. She would know how to create the kind of family he craved.

He glanced at the lobby clock: ten minutes until midnight. He saw Angelo Mandetti talking to one of his dealers, who was on a break. He nodded to the older man to let him know he’d be with him in a few minutes.

“Just like Cinderella, I’m back before midnight,” she said.

“I hope you’ll leave me with more than a shoe.” He pulled her out of the crowded lobby into a small alcove. There was a brocade love seat and a large tree that provided them some privacy.

“What do you want?” she asked.

He wanted a lot. More than he was prepared to ask for on their first date. He’d settle for a token. “Another one of those kisses of yours.”

“Just one kiss,” she said, tilting her head to the side. Her eyes were bright with excitement.

“For now.” He leaned closer and took her mouth in a searing kiss, leaving a respectable space between them and letting his mouth show her all the things he wanted to do with her later.

She tasted of the wine they’d shared. Her hands came up and clung to his shoulders. He opened his eyes and saw that hers were closed. She held him tightly and stood on tiptoe to give him greater access to her mouth. He cupped the back of her head and angled his mouth over hers.

He thrust deeper into her mouth tasting the essence that was Kylie. God, it was addictive. He didn’t want to stop. Hell, there was a sofa of sorts right here. He could settle her slight weight over his lap and let things move to their natural conclusion.

In fact, he would have if she’d been any other woman. If she hadn’t been the woman he wanted for his wife, he would have taken her upstairs to his suite, instead of to this alcove.

He lifted his head.

“Oh, Deacon.”

Oh, what? he wondered. But she said nothing else, just wrapped her arms around her waist and smiled at him with such sweet sincerity that he knew he was lost.

“I’ll walk you to the elevators,” he said.

“No. I’m meeting my friends in the bar.”

“Then I’ll escort you there.”

“Thanks,” she said. He cupped her elbow and led her through the lobby. Angelo Mandetti left the dealer and walked toward them.

Deacon introduced them.

“Piacere, amico,”
Mandetti said.

“What language is that?”

“Italian. It means, ‘Nice to meet you.’”

“Same here, Angelo.”

“Kylie is meeting some friends in the bar,” Deacon said. “Want to start our tour there?”

“Sounds good to me,” Mandetti said.

They continued to the bar, Mandetti walking a few paces behind them. Kylie scanned the crowded room and then bit her lip.

“What’s wrong?” Deacon asked.

“They’re not here. I think I’ll head up to my room.”

“Want to come with me?” he asked.

“I don’t want to intrude.”

“I’m just observing,” Mandetti said.

“Then I’d love to,” Kylie said with a smile.

Deacon tried not to let it matter that she’d been stood up by her friends. Or that he’d made her smile after she’d looked so sad. But it did matter, and not just because of the bet.

Kylie tried to tell herself that obviously Deacon was after only one thing. But she knew it wasn’t true. As much as she didn’t want to risk her heart again. As much as she knew that Vegas was the ultimate adult playground and she shouldn’t buy into anything she saw here, as much as her mind told her otherwise, her heart was falling for the dark man with shadowed eyes.

“This is our main casino,” Deacon said. “We have two rooms in the back that are visible from this floor for high-rolling poker games. Plus a few VIP rooms we keep on hand for whales.”

“What’s a whale?” Kylie asked.

“A high roller,” Mandetti answered. “Usually someone from out of town who has more money than he can spend in one week in Vegas.”

Kylie noted many similarities between Deacon and the older man. They moved the same way. A certain lightness on their feet that spoke of an ease with their bodies, combined with a self-confidence that other men saw as almost a dare.

“Do you gamble?” Deacon asked.

“Not really. I played a few slot machines at the airport and in your lobby.”

Deacon said nothing, which she noticed was his way. He was very quiet and didn’t reveal much of his life. All she really knew about him was that he’d grown up here and his mom had been a showgirl.

“This is roulette, right?” she asked when they stopped near a green velvet table.

“Yes. Want to play?”

“I don’t know how.”

“It’s easy. I’ll show you.”

He motioned to one of the uniformed employees that Kylie had observed earlier just standing around. The man came right over. “We need some chips.”

He handed the young man five one-hundred-dollar bills and Kylie felt her reality shift again. She’d never had five hundred dollars in her pocket, and certainly never had the money to waste on a game.

“I’m not sure this is good idea. I’m really not that lucky.”

“I am,” he said.

Mandetti laughed. The employee returned, handing Deacon a tray of chips. Guiding her with a hand on her waist, he pushed her through the small crowd gathered at the table until she had a front spot.

Deacon stood behind her, intimately pressed against her back. He set the tray on the table in front of her.

“The lady’s feeling lucky, Ben.”

“Ready to give the wheel a chance?” Ben asked.

Kylie had no idea. Deacon took a stack of chips from the tray. “What’s your lucky number?”

“I don’t have one,” she said.

“Good thing I do.”

Deacon placed the stack of chips on a black square with the number seven on it.

“Now what do we do?” she asked.

“Wait for the wheel and see if we hit pay dirt.”

He stroked her arm and leaned over her shoulder, watching the wheel spin and the ball bounce and finally stop on a black square. She wasn’t wearing her glasses, so she couldn’t make out the number. But Deacon squeezed her arm and gave her a quick kiss, so she knew they’d won.

Ben placed an equal amount of chips next to the one Deacon had set out.

“Let it ride,” Deacon said.

She leaned back against him and asked, “What’s that mean?”

“Just that we’re going to let our luck keep running.”

“Does it work that way?”

“Sometimes.”

“Isn’t that risky?”

“No guts, no glory,” he said.

The wheel spun again and they won a second time. Kylie knew their luck couldn’t last, so she grabbed the chips before Deacon could let his bet ride again. “I think I understand the game now.”

“What’s the matter?”

“Nothing. I just don’t want to owe you five hundred dollars.”

“I would never take money from you.”

“I don’t want you to lose. You’re lucky in things, Deacon. I’m not.”

Deacon turned to Mandetti. “Can you give us a moment?”

“Sure. I want to watch Ben here for a few more minutes, and then I’m going to talk to the blackjack dealers.”

Deacon took Kylie’s elbow and led her across the room. There was a doorway marked Private, which he opened with a key card. The hallway was quiet and elegantly decorated. Everything around Deacon was first-class, she thought. She was uncomfortably aware that she’d carved a different kind of life for herself and wondered for a moment if Deacon would have been interested in her away from this vacationland.

“Where are we going?”

“To my office. I want to talk to you away from the crowd and the bells.”

“About what?”

“About luck.”

“What about it?”

“Only that you have to make luck, otherwise you’re liable to end up a bitter and lonely person.”

“I think that’s putting a lot of pressure on luck.”

“I don’t. Luck is what you make of it.”

“Deacon, you don’t need luck. You’ve got a sheer force of will the likes of which I’ve never encountered before.”

“I’m glad you noticed,” he said with a cocky grin.

“Why’s that?”

“Because there’s something I want and I’m not going to stop until I get it.”

Normally Kylie would have been afraid to ask him what he was talking about, but the look in his eyes told her he was talking about her. Well, she
had
decided to throw caution to the winds on this trip, hadn’t she?.

“Do you mean me?”

He flashed his key card once again and opened the door to his office. They both entered. The room was dimly lit and the lights of the pool were visible outside the window. He tugged her into his arms, tipping her head back.

“Yes,” he said, before lowering his mouth and kissing her.

“I thought we came here to talk,” Kylie said.

He’d forgotten he’d lured her away from the casino with that promise. Actually he hadn’t forgotten; he been sidetracked. He realized that a slow seduction was going to be more difficult than he’d planned. On one level, she was his future wife and he intended to treat her a certain way and to be that man he’d always wished he was. It was sobering to realize that no matter how much money he acquired, he was still that somewhat rough street kid.

“Yes, talk,” he said. “I believe the topic was luck.”

“I think we’ve explored luck enough for tonight. I want to know more about you.”

“We’ve been over that. Come over here. Look, you can see our El Dorado. I think it’s almost time for gold to cascade over the side.”

“I saw it yesterday.”

He said nothing, just remained where he was, staring out the window at the little world he’d created. He was the master here, and for all that Vegas and his life had always depended on the roll of the dice, he felt a certain sense of security and pride at the Golden Dream.

Kylie slipped her arm around his waist and leaned against him. He wanted her as his wife, but he didn’t intend she ever know the details of his life and his past. There were boundaries he let no one cross—not even the woman he’d decided to marry.

“This isn’t a good spot to really see the display. Come on. I’ll take you to a special place I know you haven’t seen.”

“Deacon?”

“Yes?”

“I’m confused. I thought you wanted something from me.”

“I do.”

“Then why the diversion?”

He took a deep breath, sensing he was on the cusp of losing her. “There are certain parts of me that I share with no one.”

“What parts?”

“My past. Please don’t ask me about it again.”

She said nothing, crossing her arms over her chest and tucking her chin down. He felt her shutting him out and didn’t blame her. It might be the end to his plans and the loss of a bet. But he didn’t want it to be.

“Should I escort you back to your room?” he asked. Defeat was foreign to him, so he wasn’t giving up. Strategy was something he’d learned as a young man, and he knew when to retreat and regroup. If knowing about his past was going to be an issue between them, he’d tell her the story he told others who asked. The one he’d made up when he first started working in casinos, because few legitimate operations were interested in hiring a guy who’d worked in that shady gray area that was almost the other side of the law.

And Kylie was too innocent. There was something about her he wanted to protect. Even—especially—from himself.

She shook her head and let her arms fall to her sides. Crossing the room to him, she took his hand in hers and smiled at him. “I thought you were going to show me the hidden El Dorado.”

He led her out of his office to a bank of elevators. They traveled quickly to the top of the building, and then he accompanied her through a glass-enclosed hallway that led to the other side of the resort. She paused and looked down on his kingdom and all of Vegas sprawled beyond.

Deacon stood next to her. This glass hallway was one of his favorite places. He could look out on the city he’d grown up in and see just how far he’d come. This was a view that the teenage Deacon had never had. And from up here the city seemed fun, exciting and clean. From the street he knew it was dirty and had an edge of excitement, but it came from wondering if you’d survive the night.