She finally made it back to her seat. Part of him wanted to strap her down in it, while the other part of him wanted her on his lap to help hide the proof of his desire for her.

  Gunner took a few cleansing breaths, trying to rid his head of the erotic thoughts going through his mind. But then his gaze met hers and the slowly burning flame that was simmering in his gut turned into a roaring fire when she smiled at him.

  Damn.

  “You gon’ play poker, Brooks, or are you going to keep gaping at the hottie with the perky assets over there?” Roman Jeers asked. Gunner wanted to leap over the table and wipe the smug look off his nemesis’s face. A trash talker to the ninth degree, Roman always had something to say. But in this case, he was right. Gunner needed to keep his head in the game and not on Trinity’s assets; otherwise, he could be one of the next ones to leave the table empty-handed.

  He lifted the corner of his cards, careful to keep them covered, and glanced at his hand. Four of a kind. He wanted this game to be over, and the way it looked, at least one person would be leaving after this round. The player sitting directly across from him was clearly on the brink of losing. If his short stack of chips wasn’t a clue, then the beads of sweat on his forehead, shining like a neon sign blinking busted, were a sure giveaway. Gunner placed his bet, raising the stakes, and waited.

  * * *

  Hours later, Gunner walked into the house and tossed his keys on the counter. He’d made out well at the table, but finding out about Jeff’s attack had ruined the evening. This shit is getting too close to home. In all the years of playing poker, never had there been a time when he’d had to look over his shoulder for fear of someone doing him harm. He now had no doubt that someone was picking off poker players—one by one.

  “Thanks, Max,” Gunner heard Trinity say into her cell phone. “Definitely keep me posted on anything you find out.”

  “So does it look like the cops are going to take this situation a little more seriously?”

  Trinity sighed and sat on one of the bar stools. “Right now, they don’t have much to go on. There were no witnesses. Max is going to see if they can get ahold of the videos near the restroom, and hopefully they’ll reveal something. There’s not much more—”

  “He’s the third player to be attacked in the last few weeks and it looks like he’s out for the season. Are the cops waiting until someone is killed before they take this mess seriously?” He didn’t want to hear anything about them not being able to do something because of no leads or lack of evidence. He just wanted to play poker without worrying if he was next on someone’s list.

  Gunner rolled his shoulders, took a deep breath, and then released it. Right now, he needed to take his mind off of poker, the incidents and more important, the beautiful woman standing before him—Trinity. He wanted to explore the attraction between them, but if he made a move on her now, he would ruin any chance of there ever being more between them.

  * * *

  He had to get rid of some of his pent-up stress, and there were only a couple of ways to do that. One of those was sex, but he knew that wasn’t going to happen, at least not with the woman he wanted. So he did what he’d done for the past few months. He grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and headed for his home gym.

  He moved across the room, but Trinity stopped him when she placed a hand on his arm.

  He stood motionless, staring down at her small hand, trying not to show how her touch affected him. His concentration had been shot to hell for most of the evening, thanks to her presence. Now, her touch sent a scorching heat through his body and it took everything within him not to pull her into his arms and taste her inviting lips.

  Apparently, she felt the same spark of desire. She quickly withdrew her hand.

  “Don’t worry. I’m not going to let anything happen to you,” she said.

  The thought of a woman telling him that she was going to protect him didn’t sit right with Gunner. Sure, he had wanted a female bodyguard, but that part of his idea had stemmed from wanting Trinity and him to get reacquainted.

  “Thanks,” he mumbled and walked away.

  “Before you go.” He stopped again and faced her. “I’d like to teach you a few self-defense moves, just in case you ever find yourself in a tough situation and need to protect yourself.”

  A bark of laughter erupted from him. “You’re going to show me some moves?” When she put her hands on her hips and shifted her weight to one leg, scowling, he stopped laughing. His mouth dropped open. “You’re serious?”

  “I’m dead serious.” She removed the lightweight jacket and revealed the sexy black blouse that had almost cost him a loss tonight. Tossing her jacket to one of the kitchen chairs, she moved into the family room and kicked off her killer high heels. “Gunner, this is part of my job. This is what I do.” She glanced back at him, still standing in the kitchen, dumbfounded.

  He analyzed her for a moment. The way his body ached for her, it would be best for him to head to his home gym as originally planned. But there was a stronger force pushing him toward her and he was powerless to resist.

  “So what do you say? Are you going to let me teach you some moves?”

  He set his bottle of water on the kitchen counter and went to her. “Sweetheart, I have moves that you haven’t seen or experienced before.”

  Before she could respond, his mouth covered hers with a hunger that had built up since the first day she had stepped into his dorm room all those years ago. It had taken everything within him not to seize what he wanted back then, but now he couldn’t help himself. He kissed her deeply and thoroughly, drinking in the sweetness of her lips, succumbing to the power she had over him.

  His hands scaled down the sides of her hips and pulled her curvy body close. He had no doubt that she felt the length of his desire pressing against her pelvis. The lower part of his body moved of its own accord as he ground against her. His heart pounded so loudly within his chest, he was sure she could hear it. None of his fantasies of having her in his arms matched the reality of this moment. He heard himself moan and then her body went rigid, as if she was suddenly coming to her senses.

  “Oh, my God,” she whispered and pushed him away. “What are you doing?” she said, her hand hovering near her mouth, her eyes wild and accusing.

  “If you don’t know, apparently I wasn’t doing it right.”

  “Don’t get cute! You know what I’m talking about.” She ran her hands through her shoulder-length hair and paced around the room. She stopped and glared at him. “I don’t know what possessed you to kiss me, but you had better make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

  “I’m attracted to you and, based on that kiss, I’d say the feelings are mutual. So I did what I’ve longed to do for years. And I must say, it was even more amazing than I imagined it would be.”

  “Like I said, it can’t happen again,” she huffed. “Otherwise, I’m going to have to put someone else on this assignment.”

  Now she had his attention. With two long strides, he stood before her and gently grabbed her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze.

  “We have an agreement.” He leaned in close, but stopped just before his lips touched hers. “And if I wanted someone else to guard me, I would have hired someone else. I want you. Besides, sweetheart, we signed a contract. You’re mine for two months.”

  * * *

  Days later, Trinity still felt the effects of Gunner’s kiss. She subconsciously touched her lips. He’d been correct. Their attraction was mutual, but she had no intention of acting on it. She was there to do a job and that was what she intended to do.

  Trinity grabbed her cell phone from the table near the bed and plopped down in the overstuffed chair near the window in her bedroom. It was quickly becoming her favorite spot in the house. Whenever Gunner was hanging out in his game room or catching up on sleep, she hung out in her room. She didn’t want to spend any more time in his presence than she had to.

  She dialed her mother’s number.

  “Hello.”

  “Hey, Mom, what are you up to?”

  “Hi, baby, I’m glad to hear from you,” Trinity’s mother said in greeting, pots banging in the background. “I’m fine. Were your ears burning? I was just talking about you.”

  She curled her legs underneath her and rested her head against the back of the comfortable chair.

  “Okay, Mom, who were you talking to and what were you saying about me?” Lately her mother insisted on conspiring with some of her girlfriends who had sons. She was determined to get Trinity married, claiming it was time her daughter gave her some grandbabies.

  “Actually, Gwen was telling me that her oldest son has moved back to LA for a job with the government. She’s throwing a dinner party for him once he gets settled and she invited you and me.”

  “I can’t remember the last time I saw Auntie Gwen, so I’m surprised that she invited me.” Trinity toyed with a loose thread on the chair. It was a shame her love life was so pitiful that her mother had to play matchmaker. “Are you sure this is not one of your and Auntie Gwen’s attempts at matchmaking? Because you know how I feel about that. I can find my own man.”

  “Well, why haven’t you? It’s not like you’re getting any younger. I’d like to have some grandchildren before you and your brother put me into the ground.”

  Though Trinity knew that everyone had to die at some point, she hated when her mother talked about dying. “I’m only twenty-eight. There’s plenty of time to get married and still have children.”

  “Humph, if you say so.” Trinity heard more pots clattering around and then water running. Despite the fact that she and Maxwell no longer lived at home, her mother still prepared a large Sunday dinner. She always invited some of her friends over to eat with her. “So, how is Vegas and that handsome Gunner Brooks?”

  “It’s okay and he’s fine.” Actually, he was more than fine, but no way would Trinity tell her mother that. “My only complaint is the heat.”

  “Are we talking weather heat, or the heat between you and Gunner?”

  Trinity’s mouth dropped open. “Mom!”

  “Don’t ‘Mom’ me. When you two were younger, I saw the way you looked at each other.”

  Trinity placed her feet on the floor and leaned forward, her elbows on her thighs. “I think you’ve been reading too many of those romance novels you have stashed near your bed. There is nothing between Gunner and me. Never has been, never will be.”

  Trinity ignored the little voice in the back of her head that chanted, Liar, liar, liar. Sure, she knew something was going on between her and Gunner, but she wasn’t ready to accept the strong feelings between them.

  “I know what I saw, baby. I never said anything because I figured if it was meant to be, it would be. And I’m starting to think it’s meant to be.”

  “Mom.”

  “You could do a lot worse. He’s good-looking, wealthy and a real sweetheart. Any mother would love to have him as a son-in-law.”

  Trinity rolled her eyes. “Mom, you know I can’t stand gamblers. You of all people should understand that.”

  Silence filled the phone line and Trinity wondered if she’d gone too far. They rarely talked about her father and his gambling problem.

  “I haven’t seen Gunner in months. You make sure you tell him that I said the next time he’s in LA, I want to see him.”

  “Mom, I’m sorry if I said too much, but I don’t want to go through what you went through with Dad. I don’t want my children to experience disappointment after disappointment because my husband gambled away everything we own. You might have been able to put up with that type of lifestyle, but I can’t. I will never—”

  “That’s enough, Trinity Marie Layton! I will not have you bad-mouthing your father. God rest his soul. You only remember a small part of who your father was. Apparently you don’t remember the number of times he stayed home from work to care for you when you were sick. You probably don’t remember how he used to take our next-door neighbor to the hospital every day. For two weeks straight he would come home from his third-shift job and take Lillian to see her husband who was in a coma.”

  Trinity felt like scum when she heard her mother quietly crying. She never could understand her mother’s rationale for staying in the marriage as long as she had. Clearly, there was a side of her father that Trinity never had a chance to know.

  “I loved your father with all of my heart. No, he wasn’t perfect, but neither was I. He had aspirations of being a professional poker player like Gunner, but things didn’t work out for your father the way they have for Gunner.” Her mother sniffed. “At first he made enough money gambling for us to live off of. He paid cash for the house we were living in and had even bought the car that I drove around in.”

  This revelation shocked Trinity. She had no idea her father had ever been successful gambling. Yet it still didn’t change her mind about him. He should have stopped while he was ahead, but no, he gambled away everything.

  “It took a while for your father and me to realize that his gambling had spiraled out of control and that he was losing more than he was winning. And just so that you know, I never would have left your father had he not insisted.”

  “What?” Trinity thought her mother had finally left the marriage because she couldn’t take the gambling and drinking any longer.

  “When I married your father, I married him for better or for worse. I married the man who I fell madly in love with and I had every intention of honoring my vows. Besides the gambling and drinking, your father was the sweetest, most compassionate and loving man I have ever known. He insisted I leave Vegas, taking you and your brother with me, because he was dying.”

  Trinity fell back against her chair. Another fact about her father she hadn’t known. How could her parents keep something like this from her? She wondered if Max knew. Had he kept this from her, as well?

  “When you were six, he was diagnosed with mesothelioma. He didn’t want us around to watch him die. It was hearing the news about the disease that caused him to start drinking, not the gambling.”

  Again, Trinity was stunned. Her head swam with all of this new information. Suddenly she didn’t know what to think about her father. But the things she did know and remember still were at the forefront of her mind.

  “You father lived much longer than he or the doctors had expected, but he could never get his life back on track. I fault myself because I...we should have stayed. We left him at a time when he needed family the most and he died alone. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to fully forgive myself.”

  Trinity stood and paced around the room. “You can’t blame yourself.” All that her mother had shared shocked her, but it wasn’t her mother’s fault. “Mom, please don’t blame yourself for what happened to Daddy. You were a great wife and you’re the best mom a girl could have.” Trinity fanned her eyes, trying hard not to cry. She wasn’t the most compassionate person in the world, but it was as if her mother’s emotional pain transferred through the telephone and gripped Trinity like a vice.

  “Baby, I am so sorry for dumping all of that on you. I just don’t want you to discount a man like Gunner because of who you think your father was. If the attraction I saw between you and Gunner years ago is still there, you owe it to yourself to see where it might take you.”

  “Mom...”

  “Hear me out, Trinity. I know you think I’m too old and out of touch to know how it feels to be attracted to someone, but I’m not. I suggest you get to know who Gunner the man is and don’t judge him solely on what he does for a living.”

  Trinity and her mother talked for a few minutes longer until her mother told her that she had to get off the telephone because she had an afternoon date with a guy she met at bingo.

  Trinity stood at the window in her room, replaying the conversation with her mother. Granted, she was glad to know that her father wasn’t the lowlife that she’d once thought. Yet the fact they’d been homeless for a period weighed heavily on her mind. That she couldn’t forget.

  Trinity turned from the window and glanced at her watch. It was two in the afternoon and she knew that Gunner had a tournament at five. What she didn’t know was when he needed to leave home to get there on time.

  Trinity went downstairs, still in awe of the size of his home. She couldn’t imagine living in such a large place alone. She understood why he’d purchased the mini-mansion, but it still seemed like such a waste.

  She knocked on the closed door of his game room.

  “Come in.”

  Trinity stepped in and found Gunner watching a flat-screen television mounted on the wall over the slot machines. He sat at one of the four gaming tables in the room; a poker game on the screen held his attention. During the tour of his home that he’d given her the first day she arrived, he had told her that his game room was one of his favorite rooms in the house. It looked like a mini casino. Slot machines lined the perimeter of the room and various gaming tables occupied every available floor space in the center.

  She moved farther into the room. “Most people have home offices or maybe even a craft room in their house, but you’ve given a whole new meaning to ‘game room.’ I have to ask, is all of this really necessary? I could see having a poker table, but this is a bit much.” She stretched out her arms, emphasizing all of his toys in the room. “Slot machines, gaming tables...it seems like such a waste of money.”

  Gunner said nothing. His attention was no longer on the television screen. Instead, he toyed with a few chips on the table he was sitting at. As he twirled the chips between his long, tapered fingers, Trinity stood mesmerized at the rhythm he created with the simple movement. She couldn’t tell if he was thinking or ignoring her.

 

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