“Austin!” She clasped her hands together and jumped in her spot.
The older woman holding a cigarette peered over. “That’s only a thousand dollars.” Then, she turned and moved to the machine two down from ours.
“Oh my gosh! Austin.” Her eyes were wide with excitement, which had the smile I’d been already sporting widening even more. “One thousand dollars.”
That was chump change to these people in the high-rollers room.
I laughed and shifted an inch toward her. Her joy was overwhelming, over the top, and I wanted to bask in it, eat it all up, and bottle up that smile on her face. She pressed the button, cashing out, and took the little piece of paper, waving it in the air like it was a multimillion-dollar lottery ticket.
“Let’s get your money.”
“It’s your money now,” I said, my voice soft, my eyes firm on her face.
“No.” She slapped the piece of paper against my chest, and I held her hand there, against my heart, feeling the warmth of her skin against mine. “It’s yours. You put the money in the machine.”
There was that same electricity between us again, a connection I didn’t want to break.
Her smile dimmed just a tad as the heat behind her eyes heightened … until she slowly extracted her hand from mine.
My eyes perused her from head to toe—from her leather skirt slicked at her hips to her tank top that revealed the curvature of her body.
Her eyes flashed when she caught me staring, and she crossed her arms over her chest.
“But you were the one who won it,” I said.
And we were back to arguing again.
But isn’t that how it is between us?I thought with a smile.
“I’m not taking a dime.”
When she slapped the paper against my chest again, I grabbed her wrist, bringing her closer.
I took one long, savoring breath. There was something about this woman that had me fucking hooked. She wasn’t like my other girlfriends—thein your face,trying too hard to be beautifulkind. Sydney was sweeter, cuter, which had me wanting to be nearer. I craved her smile, and I wanted to be the source of it.
“If it’s my money, then win me more.”
“Austin …”
The way she’d said my name, the way it’d rolled off her tongue, the way it had fallen from her lips had me wanting her to say it over and over again. It brought me thoughts of ways to get her to scream my name.
“Sydney …” My voice lowered, and her pull was undeniable.
Her smile widened, and I just knew she wanted to play some more, though I’d have preferred a different kind of game—preferably in the bedroom.
It must’ve been the casino air because I could totally see this girl getting her dopamine hit from winning.
“I’m not even sure I can win any more.”
Liar.
By the look on her face, I knew she wanted to at least try.
I leaned in, towering over her. We were so close that I could see the speckles of brown behind her hazel eyes.
“Why is it that I have more faith in you than you have in yourself?”
“I’m just being realistic,” she said. “This is gambling, and nothing is guaranteed.”