He chuckled. “Yes. They can take us to a private room where no one will disturb us.”
“Does that happen a lot?” she asked. “People constantly approaching you, asking for autographs and photos and stuff?”
“All the time,” he answered with a nod. “I’m used to it, but sometimes I don’t want to deal, you know what I mean? I just want to relax.”
“Well, you do dress the part.” When he frowned, she continued, “You look like a rock star with your hair and your eyeliner and the leather vest. Oh, and the necklace and the tattoos and the rings on your fingers.”
Noah glanced down at himself before shooting her a rueful grin. “I am pretty obvious, aren’t I?”
“Well, at least you’re aware of it,” she muttered, making him laugh. “Have you ever thought of shedding your Noah Wilde rock star persona and just act like a normal guy for once?”
“Never,” he said firmly. What a lie. “I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if I did.”
Chapter Three
There was something sort of sad about Noah’s admission. He had no idea what it was like to be a regular, every-day guy. Maybe he didn’t want to know, but Natalie had to think he was somewhat curious. She couldn’t imagine maintaining the superstar persona day in and day out. Didn’t that sort of thing get exhausting?
It had to.
He’d spoken in low tones to the concierge, nodding and pointing at her a few times, making his requests in an almost secretive way. She let him have his secrets because she was curious to see what he set up for them. Half the fun with gambling was being with the rest of the crowd in the packed casinos and hearing the machines with their constant music and the flashing, colorful lights. The ladies in the sexy costumes who offered up cocktails, and the occasional gambler shrieking, “I won!” loud enough to be heard for miles.
Yeah, she’d come to Vegas for that experience, but she was game for the experience Noah was putting together too. Would anyone even believe that she was out gambling with the Noah Wilde on a Friday night? Probably not. She wanted photos so she could remember, but she didn’t want to intrude on his privacy either.
What to do, what to do.
She knew one thing—she planned on enjoying every single minute of this. She liked the way he looked at her. Every time they made eye contact, a hot shiver moved through her, setting her blood on fire. And when he touched her? It was like electricity was in his fingertips and he sent currents of energy streaming just beneath her skin.
“You ready?” Noah’s deep voice washed over her and she turned to find him standing there, a smile on his face. A large man in a black suit stood just behind him, his expression stony.
“Where are we going?” she whispered as he took her arm and the giant man hurried ahead of them.
“The high rollers section,” Noah murmured close to her ear. So close, she wondered if his lips might touch her skin. “Not many people know about it. The machines with the highest bet limits are there, along with various tables.”
Natalie came to a halt, making Noah do the same. “I can’t play in there.”
Noah frowned. “Why not?”
“I can’t afford it. I only have three hundred dollars, remember?” She could be wiped out with one play, and where was the fun in that?
“Don’t worry about it.” Noah’s voice was easy, as was his smile. “I’ve got you covered.”
“Oh, no.” She shook her head. “No, no, no. You are not paying for this experience.”
“Nat.” His tone was gentle but firm. She could reluctantly admit she liked the way he called her Nat. They started walking again. “Let me do this. It’ll be fun.”
“Where’s the fun in playing with your money?” She couldn’t do it, couldn’t take his money from him. She barely knew him. It wouldn’t feel right.
“Trust me, it’ll be a lot of fun, because I’ve arranged for you to play with a lot of money.” He grinned, but when she continued to scowl at him, the smile faded. “Come on, don’t be stubborn. Let’s make a deal. You win, you get to keep your winnings and you pay back what you spent to win it. Whatever’s left is yours. You lose? We call it even.”
“This is a great deal for me,” she said wryly, making him chuckle.
“I know. That’s why you should just give in and say yes.” He stopped walking and so did she. Reaching out, he touched her cheek, his fingers caressing her skin and making her shiver. “Come on, Nat. Give in.”
She wanted to give in at the hypnotic sound of his voice. Desperately. Taking his money, though…it didn’t feel right. Who cared if he was rich and what she lost in gambling would be no big deal to him? It would still weigh heavy on her conscience. “I don’t know…”
“Do I need to kiss you in order to convince you? Would that work?” His dark eyes smoldered as he slid his hand into her hair and cupped the side of her head. His grip was firm, the look he sent her set everything inside of her ablaze, and she blinked up at him, searching for the right words.
Was he serious? He really wanted to kiss her in order to convince her she should gamble away his money? That was sort of crazy. Perhaps it was just an excuse to kiss her, which meant he might really want to kiss her, and if that was the case…