Love in the Cards (Whole Lotta Love #1) (8 page)

No. Bad mind.

She swallowed and closed her eyes for a moment, breathing deeply and struggling to let go of the sensual images dancing behind her eyelids. She simply had to put them away for a while now. She needed every ounce of focus she had—these were big-time players. This wasn’t going to be a walk in the park with the boys downtown. It wasn’t going to be a case of a few quick hands and then stroll away with the pot in her pocket.

Nope. She was gonna have to work for each and every chip, each and every advantage and each and every strategy that would get her where she needed to be. She needed a clear head and one hundred percent of her attention on the cards.

Not
Deuce.

~~~~~

Across the table, Deuce fought the very same battle.

He didn’t dare meet her eyes. Not yet. Not while the scent of her still tickled his nostrils and his cock was all too ready to repeat last night’s pleasures.
Down, Simba. Later. It’s poker time now. I know you’d like to poke her again but it’ll have to wait.

He mentally slapped himself upside the ear and ordered his mind to get a grip. He could
win
this thing. He had the skills and knew how to use them. She might have control in bed at times but this was
his
domain, his home. He had the experience and the desire.

Desire? Yeah, he had enough of that. More than enough.

No, no. Don’t go there. Thinking with the wrong head again.

A round of applause made him jump, jerking him away from his thoughts. He risked a glance across the table and saw her staring at her hands. She looked calm, but he knew better.

She was every bit as tense as he was and probably for the same reasons.

Shit.
He probably shouldn’t have indulged in a round of fucking the likes of which had not only managed to shake him but also turn him inside out. It was supposed to be a fun, casual sort of thing, not something that lingered like the soft sounds of a song he couldn’t get out of his head.

This was sooo not the time for sex. For thinking about sex, remembering sex or wondering when he could next
have
sex.

With Maggie.

Screw it.

Deuce bit down on a pang of lust and breathed in slowly, exhaling just as slowly while releasing the part of his mind that knew every single thing there was to know about poker.

That’s what today was about. The game. The bets. The cards fate would deal him and the experience he had in using those cards to make the right decisions.

His thoughts cleared and the table came into sharp focus, the chips bright splashes of color next to each player. He caught the scent of nervousness from the guy next to him and the slight shift on the seat from the one other player at the table. He listened as the announcer introduced the dealer, Donnie Cartwright, owner of the Last Resort.

A tall man with a noticeable dose of the military in his bearing, Donnie nodded at the table. “Welcome, folks. This is the fun part of being the owner—I get to indulge my own passion for poker by dealing this round to some of the finest players in the state.”

There was a muted round of applause.

“As you know, today’s pot is half a million dollars, going to the lucky winner. Who will also feature in the latest brochure from our friends at the Internal Revenue Service, a couple of whom are enjoying a meal next door as we speak.”

There was a ripple of laughter at Donnie’s words. He smiled too. “Don’t worry. I made ‘em pay for it. Yeah, some things really are inevitable.” He glanced at each player in turn. “But that’s for later. Right now we’ve got a game to play.”

The air tensed around the table—the four were all keyed up and ready to go.

Deuce felt the adrenaline hit his system and let it roll through him. He knew it was going to be his day. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind because he felt the sign he always felt before he was going to score big. He was hungry.

I wonder if I could get an order of chili-cheese nachos before we start.
Deuce licked his lips. But Donnie was already shuffling the cards and getting ready to deal.

“Five card stud, folks. Ante up.”

Let’s do this.

The crowd waited in eager anticipation. They whispered to their neighbors as each player sat silently, eyes swiveling between their own cards and their opponent’s body language. The slightest of emotions or a smile could be the difference in a bluff.

It took less than an hour of solid, conservative play to reduce the table by one.

Maggie, Deuce and an older guy named Vince were the final three, after the flamboyant Lucky Bangera had lost to Maggie’s flush. Deuce and Vince had folded earlier, obviously both sharing a hunch that Maggie had a good hand. They were right.

Several hands later, Vince’s chip pile had dwindled down to almost nothing. His trademark cowboy hat rested at the back of his balding head and his forehead was damp with sweat.

As Donnie threw out the last card it became apparent to everyone that Vince didn’t stand a chance. The nine of hearts wasn’t the suit or the card he needed to fill his straight. He had bet it all in a last ditch effort to stay in.

“Well, I’m done. Good luck you two.” Gracious in defeat, Vince tipped his hat to Maggie and shook Deuce’s hand.

Donnie cracked open a new deck of cards and flared them across the table, then flipped them, showing off a few tricks of the trade with smooth professionalism. “Sir, it’s your cut.” He held the cards out to Deuce.

“If you don’t mind, I’d prefer the lady to cut the deck for me.”

Maggie tapped the top card. It was a nice gesture but she’d be damned if she’d take any advantage. Not now. Not when things were so far along in the game.

Deuce wasn’t going to let this go. The game was his big enchilada, the big burrito, the—whatever. He realized how tense he was, since he usually thought of food—or pussy—to relax.

He didn’t know if he could stand the idea of another hour or so of pretty equal competition against Maggie. It was down to the two of them. There was nothing more to prove. They were well matched, the best of those who’d come to the Last Resort to compete.

He took a breath. This could be the biggest gamble of his life.

Before Donnie could begin the deal, Deuce rapped his knuckles on the table and silence fell. “Listen, we’re about even here. I say let’s not drag this out any more than we have to.”

Both Donnie and Maggie stared at him as he continued. “We’re gamblers. Let’s gamble. All in.
One hand
, all or nothing.” His balls tightened at the thought of half a million dollars on one hand of cards. He was either brilliant or out of his fucking mind.

“Ballsy call.” Maggie’s voice was cool. “But what the hell! I’m up for it.” She looked straight at Deuce with no expression in her eyes at all. No sign of what she was thinking, what she was feeling or any fear whatsoever. It was one hell of a poker face.

Holy shit, I’m in trouble now.

Donnie straightened and looked around. “Since this is my casino, I get to make this call. I’m in favor of it. We’ve got ourselves two superb players here and I know you’re as excited about that as I am. Anybody got any objections?”

The hushed silence was answer enough and was followed by a rustle of expectancy, as everyone leaned forward in their seats or moved to get a better look, anxious not to miss a single thing.

For Deuce, time slipped into slow motion as Donnie flipped the cards onto the table in front of them.

A quick peek showed him the King and a Jack in the hole. He swallowed. A damn good hand.

He didn’t bother to even look down as Donnie moved. This was Deuce’s tournament. Even his desire for Maggie wouldn’t change that. Finding her had been a miracle by anyone’s standards, but not even a miracle could stop him now.

Winning would set him up for the next few years. Hell, he could buy any woman he wanted. But he knew he couldn’t buy her. She was—priceless. She was worth the trip to the Last Resort, worth the soaked shirt—worth every single minute of their time together. Maybe even worth losing to. It was a thought that stunned him even as it ran through his mind. Yes, she was the only one he’d ever not mind losing to. The only woman he’d met who’d rocked his world like that.

And she looked up at him right at that moment.

For Maggie, this was more then just a poker tournament. She’d never been to this level of play among this level of players. Most women didn’t survive the first few rounds, let alone make it to the finals. Only six women had entered this particular championship. She had played with the best and beaten them at their own game. It was
her
time at last. And she was sharing it with the only man who’d ever made it past her personal barriers and into her heart.

She couldn’t read his eyes—she hadn’t expected to. He was too good for that. But somehow she sensed he was at a turning point as well. Maybe he was thinking about her, not the last card. And in that instant, Maggie knew that if she lost the hand it wouldn’t matter as much as losing him. But not by one flicker of expression did she let him see that, remaining still as their gazes locked.

Deuce broke the stare first, flashing a quick look at the cards lying neatly in front of Donnie.

A jack and a ten. Both hearts.

Maggie didn’t even need to look at her cards. She knew what she had. The nine and seven of hearts.

Once more their gazes clashed, drawn to each other like iron filings to a magnet. What was next? What would happen after the tournament? Were the men from the IRS finished with their meal and now waiting patiently in the crowd? How much would they take, anyway?

As Maggie tried to ignore all the wild questions running through her mind, Deuce slowly crossed his eyes and grinned at her.

That cute smile creased his face and she smiled back. Whatever happened, she’d met someone who’d changed her life. Someone who had made her smile and scream, and both at the exact same moment. How the hell could she ever put a price on that? What was winning a stupid card game next to that incredible experience?

But the hand had to be played. She swallowed and lowered her eyes to the cards.

This was it. The outcome of the tournament was riding on what happened next. Half a million dollars and who would end up with it was now in the hands of fate.

The crowd sucked in a breath of anticipation as Donnie smoothly slid the next card from the deck.

The
final
card.

He flipped it face up on the table.

Epilogue

A muted rainbow of neon washed through the darkness of the room, dusting the bodies on the bed with its hues. Muscles moved, rippling in the red end of the spectrum, while soft curves bathed in light that varied from blue to purple.

Deuce smiled as Maggie lay limply against his shoulder, a position that seemed so natural for them both. They were curled around each other, lost in the sated exhaustion of passion spent and bodies fulfilled in that unique way that only exists between lovers.

“Four’s my limit.” She nuzzled him. “Thanks.”

“My pleasure. And I mean that.” He settled himself, his hand running idly up and down her arm.

“You know something?” Maggie rested her hand on Deuce’s chest and brushed the smattering of hairs with her finger.

“What?”

“We’ve never even
talked
about the game or the money.”

Deuce shrugged and pulled her closer into his arms. “Well, we were kinda busy. Sex, cards, more sex…even better sex…” He smiled at her tired laugh. “It was never about the money or the game, Maggie. It stopped being about any of that for me the first moment I kissed you, although it took me a while to realize it.”

“Really?”

“
Women
.” Deuce rolled his eyes. “Yes,
really
. Believe me, I wouldn’t have said that if I didn’t mean it.” He paused. “And before you even ask, I’ve never said anything along those lines to another woman in my entire life.”

“Oh Deuce.” She dropped a kiss on the nearest bit of him she could find. “Me too.” Since the nearest bit of Deuce happened to be his nipple, she followed it with a soft lick of her tongue. “I didn’t realize it until today, though. Until we were alone at the table. Sorry. I guess I needed a bit more time to catch up.”

He stirred, shifting slightly. “Hmm. Do that again.”

“What, this?” She nibbled him, sucking on the flat disc and teasing the little nub. “Why?”

“Because I like it. And because if you keep it up and let me catch my breath, maybe we can go for a world-record
five
.”

“Wow. You really
are
a god.” Maggie blinked.

“Told ya.”

~~~~~

If you enjoyed this contemporary bit of fun in the exciting world of casinos—and you don’t want to take out a hit on Scott and Sahara for leaving the ending hanging over a cliff by its fingernails—then you might enjoy the two upcoming novels that are releasing very soon, if not already out there.

The next in the Whole Lotta Love series is appropriately titled “Love on the Road”. No, it’s not about a hundred different positions to try on a four-lane highway, it’s about a couple who are taking road trips for different reasons. Lissa is running to her freedom, and Steve is running from a dismal relationship failure.

You can’t begin to imagine what happens when fate brings them together in a tiny diner when the weather turns bad…

EXCERPT

LOVE ON THE ROAD

–

S.L. Carpenter and Sahara Kelly

Steve contemplated a second cup of the flavored battery acid that passed for coffee in the small diner. He figured a trucker could probably go coast-to-coast without sleeping after four cups of this stuff, but what the fuck. It was hot, the burger had satisfied his hunger and he’d emptied his bladder.