Hunted by Beverly Long

Author:Beverly Long [Long, Beverly]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Contemporary romantic suspense, Harlequin Intrigue, Fiction
ISBN: 9781460337301
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2014-06-30T21:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

“No.” The word hadn’t exploded out of his mouth but pretty darn close. What was she thinking?

“Come on,” she said. “We’re pretty evenly matched. If we lose, we take off something. But if we win, we get to put it back on. In fact, we can bank points to offset future losses. For example, if you win three in a row and you don’t have anything to put back on, you can bank those points to cover your next three losses.”

It was the craziest game of poker he’d ever played. But her eyes were shining again and she seemed to have moved past her momentary unhappiness.

He couldn’t believe he was about to agree to this insanity.

He handed her the cards. “Your deal.”

She got off the bed, slipped on her shoes, and put on her jacket. Then she got back on the bed and picked up the cards.

“Hedging your bets,” he said.

“Oh, no. I was just chilly.” She laughed.

“Right.” He picked up his cards and had nothing. He threw down three and she dealt replacement cards. He ended up with a pair of jacks.

It wasn’t enough to beat her three fours. He took off a shoe.

The game went back and forth for forty minutes, with both of them taking off and putting back on shoes and socks and belts. They drank their wine, emptying the bottle. Chandler ate half her piece of cake; Ethan focused on the potato chips.

It was fun.

Up until the point that Chandler lost four hands in a row. She took off both shoes and both socks.

“Your feet are going to get cold,” he teased, dealing the cards.

Then his full house, sixes and twos, beat her two pairs. She took off her jacket.

On the next hand, he was dealt a flush. A hand of hearts. And he considered throwing several in, to make sure that he lost the hand. He had the tips of his fingers on the cards but he couldn’t make himself do it.

“I’ll hold with what I’ve got,” he said.

She took three cards.

“Flush,” he said, laying down his hand on the bedspread.

She chewed her bottom lip. “Pair of fives,” she said.

Their eyes met. And she slowly started to unbutton her blouse.

“Look,” he said. “You don’t have to—”

“Play by the rules? I do,” she added softly.

She got to the last button and he realized that he was holding his breath. And it came out in a rush when she took off the cotton shirt in one smooth movement.

He’d seen her bra before. But still, he wasn’t prepared for the sight of her perfectly round breasts covered by the little bit of lace and silk.

Her skin was pale, with just a slight rosy hue.

“Deal,” she said.

No, his mind silently screamed. He was playing with fire. He shuffled the cards and realized that his hands were shaking.

He dealt himself a pair of threes. When it came time to discard, he threw them in. She was going to get to put her shirt back on.

She threw in three cards and he dealt her the replacements.

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