of the ruse. Everything about tonight was part of the ruse. Alex wasn’t an easygoing, philanthropic businessman. He was only playing his part.
She forced out a smile as he performed the introductions. No more fantasy. No more intimacy. No more physical reactions. From this minute on, she was remembering it was a game.
Four
No matter how hard Emma tried, she couldn’t seem to lose. A crowd had gathered around one of the craps tables, and every time she attempted to pass the dice, they’d erupt in a torrent of protest, shoving them back into her hands.
She took a deep breath.
Standing behind her, Alex rubbed her shoulders. “With a bet like that, you’re either going to save the charity or buy us a new hotel.”
She shook the dice up between her hands. “We don’t need a new hotel. This is getting embarrassing. Don’t you see Maxim glaring at me?”
“He’s not glaring at you.”
Emma glanced surreptitiously at her host and watched him run a finger under the collar of his shirt. It was bad enough that she was winning. But the entire crowd was winning along with her.
“How do I lose?” she whispered to Alex.
“Roll a seven.”
“Okay.” She blew on the dice.
Alex chuckled at her theatrics, and she dug her elbow into his ribs.
“A little support, please,” she breathed.
“Come on, seven,” he rumbled in return. “You do know you’ll lose two hundred grand.”
“It’s not my money.”
“Yeah. It’s mine.” Despite his protest, he sounded completely unconcerned.
It wasn’t his money anyway. It was the Teddybear Trust’s money. And she was going to put it back where it belonged or die trying.
She tossed the dice. They scattered along the green felt table, bouncing amongst bets that probably totaled a surgical wing, hitting the far wall of the table, then rolling to a stop. A six and a one.
Delight zipped through her.
She’d done it.
“Quit grinning,” Alex warned as the crowd groaned.
Right. The other betters were disappointed. She quickly hid her smile against Alex’s chest.
His strong arms went around her, and he made a show of stroking her back.
Okay. So much for not reacting to his latent sensuality. Every fiber of her body was revving up in reaction to his heat.
“Don’t worry,” he said, loud enough for everyone else to hear. “It’s only money. And it’s for a good cause.”
The groans and grumbles around them gradually turned to good-natured jokes. One man pointed out the tax benefits of their loss, while another suggested they’d all be on Teddybear Trust’s Christmas card list this year.
Alex didn’t seem to be in a hurry to let her go. No wonder. He had a big audience here-a big audience that would soon start asking questions about their relationship.
Hugging was the smart thing to do. So for just a second, Emma stopped fighting. She relaxed into his strength and let the tension roll out of her body. Gambling was way too stressful, even when she was trying to lose.
Alex’s palm smoothed her hair, while his lips touched the top of her head in a tender kiss. It felt way too good, and sirens went off in all corners of her brain.
She ignored them as long as she could. But finally she pulled back. Still, he kept one arm firmly around her waist. Although it went against her mental promise, she didn’t try to disentangle herself.
Some of the players moved away from the table, and the stick man called for a new shooter.
Katie and David appeared from the crowd.
“How’d you do?” asked Katie.
“She lost all my money,” said Alex with a playful squeeze.
“Well, it has gone to a good cause,” Emma pointed out.
“You lost my entire thirty-thousand-dollar stake,” said Alex.
She’d forgotten it was that much.
But one glance at his expression told her he didn’t care. Certainly he didn’t care. He wanted the whole world to know she was here on his dime.
That was the game. His
He resisted her pressure.
She tugged harder.
Alex just grinned at her.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Maxim’s voice came over the sound system. “You’re invited to take a break from the casino games and join us in the garden for a surprise, grand prize draw.”
“The gardens are lovely,” said Emma, pulling firmly out of Alex’s grip and moving to safety beside her sister. “Let’s go watch the draw.”
“Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor,” Maxim continued. “Our grand prize this year is a Mercedes-Benz convertible.”
The crowd gave an appreciative
“Check the top right corner of your admission ticket for your lucky draw number.”
Emma linked arms with Katie and they followed the flow of people moving toward the lighted greenery. She was trying to focus on the gardens, on Katie, on
“Is David okay?” she asked Katie, concentrating on how the oak trees sparkled with thousands of white lights and lines of lanterns glowed against colorful flower tubs and hanging baskets. The garden was absolutely breathtaking at night.
Katie shrugged her shoulders. “Why do you ask?”
Emma studied her sister’s expression. “He seems quiet.” David was normally joking and jovial. Kind of like how Alex was tonight.
Nope, wait. Not Alex.
“Maybe he thought I’d win,” said Katie.
“How much did you lose?”
“A couple of thousand.” Katie tossed her blond hair. “I really don’t know what his problem is.” Then she whistled low, pointing to the car. “Oh, baby. I can sure see myself cruising around the park in that.”
“Not bad,” Emma agreed, checking out the sleek lines of the silver convertible. The chrome shone, and the paint fairly glowed under the brilliance of the garden lights.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” came Maxim’s voice as he stepped up onto the dais next to the spectacular car. “I have to say, Teddybear Trust donors are the most generous people in the country!”
A cheer went up from the crowd.
He bobbed his head in acknowledgement of the gesture.
Then, as the applause died down, he reached into a crystal bowl, stirring the slips of paper around with great drama. “And…the winner of this gorgeous, brand-new Mercedes-Benz convertible is…number seven-thirty- two!”
Alex ruffled Emma’s hair from behind. “That’s mine,” he murmured in her ear. Then he leaned up and winked. “I’ll be right back.”
Emma stared at his retreating back. “He won?” she asked out loud.
