When falling for a conman, it pays to be relentless…
Sky Anderson is tired of men and their games. A wealthy heiress with pennies to her name, she hopes to save her failing business by winning big at the Avalon Casino. But the perfect plan goes terribly wrong when a handsome card dealer steals her money. Proving herself to her friends and family means catching this creepy con artist in the act. But the more time she spends with Alex Turner the harder Sky falls. Can she bring the bad guys to justice? Or will the man with the dreamiest eyes she’s seen in forever screw her and break her heart?
Alex Turner can’t catch a break. A recent college graduate stuck working in a job he hates, he blackmails a couple of cheating croupiers and finds himself an unwilling member of the devil’s chain gang. Cheating a beautiful blackjack novice out of her money sticks a knife into his gut. But Alex’s string puller offers him an out—make Sky Anderson one of his regular players and he’ll forgive his debt one hundred percent. The stakes are high, the temptations are powerful. Will Alex fold or will he take the ultimate gamble?
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Read An Excerpt
A smooth, deep voice said, “You seem kind of lost.”
“No, I’m not lost. I was just…”
Sky looked up, almost dropping her satchel as she locked with a pair of electric green eyes. Their owner, one of the card dealers, was tall, fit and toned with dark blonde hair and broad, muscled shoulders. His hands moved quickly, demonstrating that he had excellent dexterity, making her wonder what it would feel like to be on the receiving end of his talented touch. Ocean water and sandalwood lit a bonfire in her sinuses. She rubbed her arms, struggling to contain her smile. “I’m not lost. Just nervous. To be honest, I could use a drink.”
“I think that can be arranged. Ethan,” he called out to one of the waiters, “bring this young lady whatever her heart desires.”
Sky’s face warmed. It wasn’t surprising that a dealer would be nice to her—that was his job. But he seemed to be going out of his way to turn on the charm. He’d called her young lady. She imagined he wasn’t much older than she was, assuming he was older at all.
Sky almost forgot the waiter was standing beside her. “Oh right, sorry. Can I get a strawberry daiquiri, please?”
It was refreshing not being asked to see her ID. She was almost twenty-three, but people always asked.
On second thought, maybe alcohol wasn’t the wisest thing to be having right now. She had no idea what she was doing. She was going to need her wits about her if she intended to pull off a miracle.
“Would you like to play a game?” the handsome card-dealer asked.
“Um, yes”—Sky brushed her hair back and settled into a seat—“deal me in.”
The dealer shuffled the cards as the waiter handed her, her drink. The slushy liquid relaxed her as she swallowed a bit of it down.
“Have you played blackjack before?”
Sky tried to sound convincing. “Of course, I have. But it’s been a while. Maybe you can refresh my memory?”
“Sure thing. Well, the object is to beat me, the dealer, by getting as close to twenty-one as you can without going over.”
“Oh. I mean, right. I remember.”
“Two through ten are worth their point value. Jack, Queen and King are each worth ten points, and Ace is unique. You can use it as a one or an eleven depending on what’s best for your hand.”
“That’s convenient. I mean, yeah”—Sky nodded as he pointed at the cards—“that makes sense. Of course.”
The dealer’s mouth thinned. “How much would you like to wager?”
Sky searched the table for a sign. “Is there like a minimum?”
“Ten dollars.”
That didn’t sound so bad. “I’ll bet twenty.” She reached inside her bag.
The dealer accepted her money, handed her a few chips and dealt the cards, placing two in front of her and taking two for himself, one face up, the other face down.
She was about to ask him why he’d done that.
Before she could, he called out, “Blackjack.”
“Oh”—Sky looked from his cards to hers—“is that good?”
“You won.”
“I did?” She blinked twice. “Just like that?”
“As long as the dealer doesn’t have a blackjack”—he flipped his overturned card—“the player who does automatically wins.”
“Oh!” Sky sipped her daiquiri. “Cool.”
“Another round?”
“Yes, please.”
His hand brushed hers as he dealt, igniting a sliver of heat along her neck and shoulders.
Get a grip on yourself, Sky. Certainly don’t need a replay of the summer.
“Nineteen.” He peered downward as he read her cards.
Sky bit her clammy lip. “I’ll stay.”
The dealer nodded, flipping his overturned card. He helped himself to another. “I’m over twenty-one. You win again.”
“Oh my gosh!” Sky clapped her hands. “Again, again, definitely another round.”
His thick tan eyebrows furrowed. “Are you sure?”
“Of course! I definitely don’t want to stop now!”
He dealt another hand, narrowing his stare as he met her glassy eyes. “Seventeen.”
“Stay.”
The dealer revealed his second card. “Blackjack.”
“Damn! Sorry…” Sky squared her shoulders. “Another round, please.”
The dealer wiped his forehead and dealt again. “Ten.”
“Hit me.”
“Nineteen.”
“I’ll stay.” Sky squeezed her glass and held her shaky breath.
The dealer flipped over his second card. “Blackjack.”
“Agh!”
What were the odds? She was back to square-one, at least, it appeared that way. She didn’t entirely understand the whole chips thing and her drink was going to her head.
Foresty eyes shimmered as their owner frowned. “Call it a night?”
“What? No…” Sky sat straight against the back of her chair. “Deal me in, fifty dollars this time.”
He dealt the cards. “Blackjack.”
“Wow!” She steadied her kneecaps. “Ok, another round. One hundred dollars, please.”
The dealer gave her two cards. “Eighteen.”
Sky folded her hands. “Stay.”
Her opponent revealed his hidden card and hit. “I’m over twenty-one. You win.”
“Oh!”
Two hundred dollars! That was half a week’s salary for Riley! At least with the pathetic amount of money Sky had been pulling together to pay her.
She patted her card case. “Can I bet a thousand on the next round?”
Crinkles formed around the dealer’s eyes. “Are you sure you want to do that?”
Why the heck did he keep asking her that? “Yes!”
“Thirteen.” He looked at her, his big jaw tight.
Sky held her breath. “Hit me.”
The dealer’s complexion darkened as he slapped a Jack next to her other cards. “You’re over twenty-one. That’s an automatic loss.”
“What?” Acid simmered in her throat. Her eyes bubbled with tears.
“Another round?” The dealer’s voice was hard as he collected the cards.
“I…” Sky was desperate to play another round, but if she did, she might put herself out on the street. “No, thank you. I’d like to call it a night.”
“Better luck next time.” The dealer brushed past her, bumping her chair as he exited his table.
Sky clutched her stomach. She wished she’d eaten dinner before drinking that daiquiri. That was the least of her problems.
What was she going to do? She didn’t have the money to buy toothpaste let alone pay her manager’s salary. That was if she could keep her store at all.
Games and objects blurred, the whole room spinning as Sky hopped down from her stool. She almost stumbled but caught her balance, spotting something on the floor next to her platform sandals.
A small rectangular object glittered in the middle of the carpet. Sky crouched down, scanning the room for the dealer so she could tell him he’d dropped his phone.
She squinted at the deck of cards in her hands.
