Fallen William (3 page)

*
* * *

William
stared down at Abby as she lay curled up in the center of her bed. Her glorious
hair was spread over her pillows and he reached out and touched a lock softly.
She must have sensed his presence because her eyes popped open and she stared
at him in surprise. He waited for the panic and fear to surface but she studied
him calmly.

“I was
dreaming of you.” She smiled.

“Maybe
you still are. I heard you had another run in with Thompson.” He didn’t move closer.
Her light rose scent was making his cock harden and he wanted to bury himself
between her thighs.

Sighing,
she rolled over onto her back and stared at the ceiling. “Yeah. Someone sold
him my phone number.”

“I
heard about the call as well. How are you feeling about that?” William winced.
He sounded like a damn psychologist, but his conversation skills were a little
rusty. He didn’t normally engage in conversation while in a woman’s bedroom. He
devoured her with his eyes. A light cotton sheet covered her from the breasts
down, but he knew she wasn’t wearing any clothes. Her breathing had sped up
while he stared at her causing her hard nipples to push against the sheet.

“I was
a little shaky. Why do you care?”

William
wondered what she would look like in the throes of passion. Would she be quiet
or noisy? Would she eagerly participate or would he have to encourage her? “I
guess you can consider me a guardian angel of sorts.” He laughed. He never
would have thought a fallen would become a guardian.

“An angel?
Like Michael or Gabriel?” Her voice held a touch of skepticism.

“Hell
no. Not anything like them. I might have been close at one time, but since I
fell, I’m just trying to help out when I can.” William eased down to sit on the
bed.

“Fell?
As in Lucifer and all that?”

“Yes.
I’m one of those idiots who decided to rebel with Lucifer. All that got me was
banishment from Heaven and an eternity on earth.”

“Right.”

“Don’t
you believe in angels?”

“I’m
not sure I believe in God, much less angels.”

“It has
always amazed me that mortals question His existence. What you believe doesn’t
matter. He believes in you and that’s what counts.”

He
didn’t give her time to react to the phrase “mortal. “ He reached out and
rubbed his thumb over her soft lips. Her tongue snuck out and tasted him.
Leaning forward, he pressed his lips to hers and a soft gasp opened her lips
allowing his tongue entrance. He made sure not to touch her anywhere else. He
stroked her tongue again imitating the far more intimate act he longed to perform
with her. Several minutes later, he pulled away. Her eyes opened and she gazed
at him. Passion and a hint of disbelief hid in the brown pools.

“This
will all be a lovely dream for you tomorrow.” He stood up and melted into the
shadows around her bed.

CHAPTER FOUR

The
bouquet of two dozen roses arrived the next day. Abby didn’t even have to read
the card to know who sent them. When she refused them, the deliveryman looked
shocked. She was sure not many women refused that kind of overblown display.
She couldn’t risk accepting them because it would send the wrong message to
Thompson. She shut the door in the man’s face.

As she
got ready for work, she thought about the vivid dream she had the night before.
She swore her lips were still tingling from William’s kiss. It had been a long
time since any guy had turned her on that much even in a dream. Abby wasn’t
happy that the first guy she was dreaming about in years gambled. She had made
it a point to listen to the gossip the last couple of days ever since her run
in with him. Burt was right when he has said William Bradford didn’t care what
she thought. An incredible poker player, he won far more tournaments than he
lost. The Nevada Gaming Commission had investigated him but couldn’t find any
proof that he was cheating. People whispered he had the devil’s luck with
cards.

He
didn’t have a steady girlfriend even though several gorgeous women had been
seen with him. Tall, thin model types, she figured, without a brain among them.
Of course, he struck her as someone who appreciated beauty for beauty’s sake,
so maybe he didn’t need a smart date. He would never be interested in a small,
overly curvy redhead who couldn’t keep her mouth under control.

She shook her head. Get him out
of your thoughts, girl, she reprimanded herself. He’s way out of your league.
But it never hurt to dream, a small voice whispered inside her heart.

*
* * *

Abby’s
good mood disappeared as Thompson took a seat at her table. Her temper was
rising. She didn’t acknowledge him because the man didn’t need any
encouragement from her. A tap on her shoulder turned her around. One of the
casino’s couriers handed her a note. Taking a moment, she unfolded it.

“Please
join me for a drink at Burt’s bar after your shift.” It was signed William
Bradford. She felt a pair of eyes on her and she knew they weren’t Thompson’s
because she didn’t feel slimy. Looking over her shoulder, she saw William
standing across the room. Without thinking, she nodded and turned back to deal
the first hand. When she had a chance to look again, he was gone.

The
next time she checked her watch, her shift was over. “Gentlemen, have a good
day.”

Her
replacement showed up as she gathered her stuff to head for the staff locker
room. Thompson followed her and grabbed her arm before she could get to the
door. She grimaced as she swung around to face him.

“Did
you get my flowers?” Thompson inquired.

“I
refused them.”

His
face got red. “You refused them?”

“I
don’t want them. I’ve told you no. Why can’t you just leave me alone?”

He
yanked her closer. She smelled the liquor on his breath. “Listen, bitch. I will
have you. Don’t fight me on this. You’ll regret it.”

“Oh
excuse me.” A well-dressed man dumped his drink down the front of Thompson’s
suit.

Thompson
shoved her away. He swore as he brushed the man’s hands away. “Damn, man. Pay
attention to where you’re walking.”

“I
was.” The man’s accented voice was quiet, but she caught his words.

She met
the man’s blue eyes. A look of annoyance flared in the man’s eyes as a feeling
of safety flowed through her. He moved his head in a slight nod and she
realized he had run into Thompson on purpose. While Thompson continued
complaining, the man gestured to the door leading to the staff hallway.

“I
believe you have an appointment.”

“Thank
you.”

“Thank
Bradford.” The man blocked Thompson’s grab for her arm. He grinned cruelly down
at the smaller man. “Mr. Thompson, I have a proposition for you.”

She rushed to change her clothes.
Even though her arm was aching, she found herself eager to see William.

* * * *

“She’ll
be here soon.”

William
turned to see Dominic walking towards him.

“I got
her away from him. Why didn’t you do something yourself?” Dominic signaled Burt
for bourbon.

“I
can’t. The dealers are told not to get involved with the guests. Their
integrity can be in question. Also, I’m known around here.”

“Known?
In what way?”

“I have
phenomenal luck with cards. They aren’t sure how I do it, so they keep a close
eye on me. If she’s seen with me, they might think she’s helping me to cheat
them out of their money. I don’t want the gossips to talk about Abby and me.”
William sipped his whiskey. He savored the slight burning as it slid down his
throat.

“I
never knew you to worry about what people said or thought.”

“I
don’t, but the man bothering her would see any interest from me as a challenge
to him. I don’t want to give him any more reasons to bother her.”

“Your
woman’s here. If you need me again give me a call.” Dominic slapped his
shoulder. He smiled at Abby as he walked past her.

William
waved for Burt to bring a drink for her. She sat next to him with a sigh. Her
elusive scent filled his nostrils and his cock was ready to go. He ran his eyes
over her body and her lush breasts made his mouth water. How he wanted to take
them in his hands and taste her pert nipples. He forced his hands not to move.
He wouldn’t touch her. Ah hell, he thought as he reached out to place his hand
on her firm thigh. Denying his urges had never been something he was good at.
He gave her a slight squeeze and started to pull away, but she grabbed his hand
in hers. Her beautiful eyes met his.

“Thank
you, Mr. Bradford.”

He knew
what she was thanking him for. “I would have loved to have been the one to save
you, but Thompson knows me. He already sees me as a rival at the tables and I
don’t think it would be good for him to see me with you.”

She
nodded. “I understand. I wish he would just leave me alone. Why does he want
me?”

William
stared at her in surprise. “Don’t you own a mirror?”

Her
cheeks flushed. “Yes, I do. I don’t see anything special when I look in it.
Just me.”

Cupping
her chin, he lifted her face to his. His warm breath caressed her lips. “I know
a lot of men who would love to have ‘just you’ in their bed.”

He
wondered if a man could come just from feeling a woman’s breath on his face. He
felt a warm rush of heat pool in his groin. Holy cow, this woman was dangerous.
He managed to swallow a groan of disappointment when he pulled back without
kissing her.

“Someday,”
he whispered. “I won’t pull away. Will you be ready for it?”

“I’m already
dreaming of you. Why wouldn’t I be ready for it?”

“A
dream is safe. In the real world, things can get out of hand very quickly and
you don’t strike me as someone who wants to lose control.”

She
focused on the amber liquid in her glass. “I didn’t have a lot of control in
the way I was raised. We moved from town to town one step ahead of my dad’s
bookies and others who wanted a piece of him.” Her eyes held a hint of the
shame and pain she had felt while she was growing up.

“Why be
a dealer if you hate gambling and gamblers that much?”

“Why
not? It’s the one thing I’m good at. My dad made sure of that. I was dealing
for his games when I was eight. He taught me everything he knew and he knew
almost every possible way to cheat. You see, I was his ace in the hole and none
of the men playing thought an eight-year-old would cheat. So I ensured my dad
won those games. It’s too bad he didn’t stick with the games I dealt. I deal
because I can spot cheaters in seconds.” Her brown eyes caught his. “I also
know how to spot a man who will gamble everything he owns away.”

He knew
she thought he was that type of player and at one time he had been. Several
years ago when a mortal woman he loved had died, he had lost a part of himself
for a while. He had thrown money away and made stupid bets while trying to
drown himself in alcohol and drugs. Fortunately for him, they had no effect on
him except to make him sick. Finally Celeste had found him and had taken him
away to help him deal with his grief. Even though he gambled every night, he
didn’t have a driving urge any more. He knew he could walk away from the table
whenever he chose. To humor her, he asked, “How can you know? What kind of
signal does he give off?”

“There’s
a fever in his eyes and it burns brighter the closer he gets to the tables. His
smile has a hint of desperation in it and there is a restless energy in him
when he’s not at the table. He would rather hold cards in his hands than hold
his child’s hand and unless his child can play poker or blackjack, he doesn’t
know she’s around.” Abby’s eyes had unfocused and he knew she was looking into
her past.

“You’re
tarring every man with the same brush. Your father was an asshole and you work
around some of the weakest people in the world. No wonder you don’t have a high
opinion of someone who bets a little money.”

“A
little money? The people I deal for don’t bet a little money. They bet entire
fortunes. I’ve watched multi-millionaires lose their millions on one turn of
the card. I’ve watched families become destitute because of the gambling
disease.” Standing, she glared at him. “Yes, these people are weak and I
despise them for their weakness.”

He let
her move away from him. Turning to watch her leave, he asked, “Do you see me as
weak, Abby?”

“You
gamble, don’t you?” She walked out of the bar.

He paid
the bill and followed her out to her car. He stood in the shadows and watched
her climb in. His Harley was parked next to her, but he didn’t want her to know
that he knew what kind of car she drove. She pulled out and headed home, so he
strolled to his bike. As he was pulling his helmet on, he heard Dominic.

She
has us pegged, my friend.

Pegged?
How?

We
are weak.

Speak
for yourself. I have never been weak.
He flung his leg over the bike.