Luck Be A Lady (Destiny Bay Romances-The Ranchers Book 5) (10 page)

“Well, well.” A booming male voice broke into her thoughts. She turned to find a tall, handsome, heavily
built man with silver at the temples standing at their
table. “What is this? Wasn’t there room in any of my
three restaurants?”

Cody’s face broke into a smile and he rose from his seat, throwing down his napkin. “It’s just like you’ve always told me, Monty,” he said. “Special ladies deserve special treatment.” He gestured toward Kelly.
“Kelly Carrington, may I present Monty Cross,
owner and manager of the Marquis Casino?”

So this was the notorious man Sadie was having so much trouble with. Kelly looked him over with interest.
 

“Nice to meet you,” she murmured. “You have a
beautiful place here.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, my dear.” He bent and kissed her hand with a touch of old-world gallantry, murmured a few more pleasantries and sauntered off.
Kelly watched him walk through his casino, then
turned to Cody.
 

“He’s your boss?”

Cody nodded. “More than my boss, really. My
mentor as well. He saw me play poker in a tournament years ago and invited me to come play in his
club. In some ways he’s been like a father to me ever
since.”

She wanted to ask about his real father, but after the
gaffe she’d made about his mother, she didn’t dare bring up the subject. “You like working here, don’t
you?” she asked instead.

He shrugged. “It’s my life.” There was a warning in
both tone and glance. Still, the smile was back in
Cody’s eyes, and for that she was grateful.

“More champagne?” he asked, holding up the bottle filled with ginger ale.

She laughed and held out her glass. Seeing him smile
made her feel warm all over. His coldness only a mo
ment before had been devastating. Kelly knew she was
getting carried away, but couldn’t help herself. She did care how he felt. She wanted him happy—as happy as he was making her
.

Unwillingly, her mind went back to how it had been
with Tim. He’d raced jet boats for a living, and he’d raced through life, too. Tim would have loved this,
sitting at the central table, catching the attention of the
entire casino at one time or another. He would have played to the crowd, smiling and tossing out jokes,
hardly remembering that she was at his side.

That was one thing she had to say for Cody. His at
tention was centered squarely on her and nowhere else.
It felt nice.

“Would you like to dance?”

She looked up at him, startled. “Dance? Here?”

“Why not? There’s music playing.”

That was true. The combo was playing slow, romantic tunes from decades past.
 

“But... Nobody’s
dancing.”

“We are.” He pulled her to her feet. “Come on.”

She rose awkwardly, embarrassed. The sound of voices, distant slot machines and clinking glasses
seemed stronger than the music. She held herself far
from Cody, her hand stuck formally in his, her eyes glued to the buttons on his shirt so that she wouldn’t
look out and see everyone watching them. Kelly was
determined to get through the next few moments without letting Cody know how uncomfortable she
felt.

But in only a matter of seconds she’d forgotten they were the only ones on the floor, that she was dressed
in a simple cotton sundress and sandals or that there was anyone watching them. Cody’s arm around her
was sure and steady and the way he held her, she just
naturally found herself pressed in against his shoul
der, her cheek brushing the fabric of his suit coat, her
hand flattened against the crispness of his shirt.
 

She
was stiff at first. But her senses soon filled with him—
the clean, soapy scent, the muscular grace of his body that was so evident when her thigh brushed his, the
thudding of his heart beneath her hand, the warmth
that made her light-headed.

“This okay?” he asked gruffly.

Something was blocking her throat and she could only nod. His breath ruffled her hair. The seductive totality of his maleness swept over her, turning her
weak and breathless, as though she’d taken a large
shot of brandy and it had gone straight to her head.

His arms held her even closer. The music was a
steady beat, keeping her moving. Closing her eyes, she
let herself melt against him. She could sail away on a sweet dream where there were no responsibilities, no rights and wrongs, only Kelly and Cody and the music and their two bodies pressed so closely—

“Kelly.” His voice was a whisper, a breeze against her ear. She had to struggle to open her eyes and look
up at him. She blinked, trying to clear her vision. They’d danced into the shadows along an unused
hallway where they could still hear the music, but the
interested spectators were gone.

“Kelly,” he repeated, his voice low, husky. She
raised her lips to his, knowing without words that was
what he wanted, what she wanted.

His kiss was slow and tender. She felt the care and caution, and it made her bolder. Reaching up, she slid
her arms around his neck, arching her body into his,
feeling herself mold her soft curves against his hard edges.
 

“Cody,” she murmured, urging him on and not even sure just what she was doing. She wasn’t thinking,
only feeling, and what she felt had caught her up in a glorious cloud of sensation such as she’d never expe
rienced.

His lips touched her cheek, her temple, her neck,
and she closed her eyes and let herself tingle until her own mouth ached to feel his again. Then she pulled
him to her, her lips parted and hungry.

He filled her with a searing heat. She wanted him to
press against her breasts, her hips. She needed to
merge with him, to have it all, and she moaned against
his lips, softly demanding, her body pulsing in temp
tation, her hands moving in rhythmic, restless ur
gency, forgetting everything but the man in her arms
and the sweet, hot need for him.

“Kelly,” he murmured again, but he was pulling away. His hands cradled her face. “Where shall we
go?” he whispered. “Where will you be most com
fortable?”

She blinked up at him, like a sleeper suddenly pro
pelled into a brightly lit room. “Home?”

That didn’t actually answer his question, but he smiled and nodded, his hand caressing her hair. “I’ll
take you home,” he agreed. “Come on.”

He led her back to the table. Her legs were wobbly. Her head cleared, but it didn’t change anything. When she looked at him, she felt a burst of excitement in her chest. Maybe it was because she’d been alone so long, or maybe it was because he was special. She wasn’t
sure. Maybe it was both. But she wanted to take him
home. And she didn’t remember ever feeling that way
about a man before, not even with Tim.

Tim. His face swam before her eyes and she winced,
pushing the memories away. She didn’t want to think
about him. Not now.

“Let me go into the powder room and comb my
hair,” she told Cody just before they reached their ta
ble.

He caught hold of her, pulling her up against him, and dropped a quick kiss on the top of her head.
 

“Just
don’t be long,” he warned her. “I feel cold when I’m
not touching you.”

Kelly laughed as though he were joking, but the
glow of his words stayed with her and she entered the ladies’ room with a smile on her face. Looking in the mirror, she hardly recognized herself. Her eyes were shining. She reached up and touched the lips that had
so recently been kissing his.

A short chuckle from behind made her whirl. She had thought she was alone, but Sugar Delfinio was
emerging from the anteroom. Her grin was wide and
sympathetic. “You watch out, honey.” She gave a
quick, hard hug. “That Cody, he knows how to treat
a lady. But he gets a lot of practice. If you get my drift.
So have your fun. But don’t look to get apples when
what you planted was passion fruit seeds. You know what I mean?” Waving gaily, she sailed out the door.

Kelly’s smile faded. She looked back into the mirror. “I know that,” she whispered reassuringly to the
image she saw there. “It doesn’t matter.”

And it didn’t matter yet, at the same time, it did.
The reservations she’d had about him all along came flooding back. He was from a world she didn’t want to have anything to do with. He had a cynical, prag
matic view of life that she abhorred.
 

But if he was poison, why was she so tempted to drink?

“It doesn’t matter,” she whispered again. But this time she couldn’t muster a smile.

Chapter Five

Cody sank into the plush red velvet chair and leaned
back, watching Kelly walk across the casino floor. Her
golden hair shone as it bounced around her shoul
ders. He liked that, but as she disappeared around the corner, his smile faded and a frown replaced it. There was something wrong in the pit of his stomach.

He should have been feeling that familiar charge of victory right now, that cocky, self-satisfied surge that
put him on top of the world. The thrill of the hunt,
followed by the triumph. He’d set out to win Kelly Carrington, and to all intents and purposes he’d done
just that. A general couldn’t have planned a more
overwhelming campaign. She’d put up a fight, but he’d torn down her defenses.

So why wasn’t he elated? Why the uneasy feeling?
He reached automatically into his pocket for a ciga
rette, then remembered he’d quit smoking over a year before. He grinned wryly. “Just a nervous habit,” he muttered to himself, then winced. Nervous? Cody
Marin?

But he was, damn it. He was nervous. He’d never
been with a woman quite like Kelly before. He looked
down, suddenly realizing he was drumming his fingers on the white tablecloth. Yeah, he was nervous all
right. Like a kid. Like the first time.

“Mr. Marin?” Pierre stood nearby, bent slightly
forward, not wanting to intrude.

Cody looked up. “Oh. Yes, we’re leaving in just a moment. You may clear everything then.”

Pierre bowed his acquiescence and left. Cody stared
into the shadows at the edge of the room, wishing he
still smoked. He needed something to do with his
hands. Looking down at them, he could still feel how soft her skin had been. Like silk under the flame of a
candle. His body ached and he shifted in his chair.
That was when he noticed someone coming across the
casino floor toward him.

The man was close to forty, tall, thin and hand
some, his black hair styled carefully against his head, his pencil-thin moustache giving him a slightly cruel air. He wore expensive clothes and moved as though
he were showing them off.

“Hello, Marin,” he said, coming to a stop a few
feet away from Cody. His eyes were glittering slits. There was a sense of calculated slyness about him.

“Jasper.” Cody nodded in recognition, but didn’t
smile. Every muscle in him had tensed at the sight of
the man and though outwardly he still looked calm
and relaxed, inside he was wary.

Jasper gestured toward the tables. “Been keeping
my eye on some high rollers,” he said smoothly, his
voice as slick as his hair. “Couldn’t help but notice
you over here.”

Cody waited.

“You look like you’ve been having a good time.”
He stepped closer, grinning. “Hey!” Reaching out, he tapped Cody on the shoulder as though they were old
buddies. “That’s one sweet-looking little lady you’ve
got here tonight, Cody, my friend,” he said with false heartiness. “Are you going to introduce me to her, or
is she a part of your private collection?”

Cody turned slowly so that he could look Jasper di
rectly in the face. His own eyes were hard, and he spoke his next words with clear, careful precision. “I’m afraid she wouldn’t have any interest in you, Jasper. She’s got brains as well as beauty.”

Jasper’s gray eyes flashed at that, but the smile lin
gered. “Does she?” He laughed, pretending it was all
a tease. “Then what’s she doing with a loser like you? You know you’ll only get her into trouble.” He started
to laugh again, but Cody was beginning to rise from his chair. Jasper’s laugh stopped abruptly as he be
gan to back away.

“Only joking, my friend,” he called, looking back
as he reached the closest poker table. “You know how I feel about you.” With one last jaunty grin, he melted
into the crowd.

Cody stood looking after the man, his hands balled
into fists at his sides. Fighting wasn’t usually his style,
but he’d had a quick, sharp urge to land a punch on Jasper’s nasty face.