Sin City Temptation (Kimani Hotties), page 9
He ignored the way she glared at him and removed her hand from the door.
“Gunner—”
“Trinity, this is not negotiable.” He snaked his arm around her tiny waist and backed her against the car. “Yes, I hired you to be my bodyguard and I appreciate how seriously you take your job, but let’s get a couple of things straight.” He leaned in closer, his thighs touching hers, his hands firmly on her hips. All it would take was for him to move forward an inch, and his lips would be against hers. And if he didn’t think she would slug him, that’s exactly what he would do.
“I’m a man who likes to take the lead, be in control. Besides that, my father would have my head if he knew that I wasn’t being a gentleman at all times. That means opening the doors for you, helping you with your chair, and most important, looking out for your well-being.”
“Gunner, why won’t you let me do my job?” she asked softly, the fresh scent of her perfume assaulting his self-control. “Why do you even need me if you’re not going to let me do what you’re paying me to do?”
This might have started as a business deal, but the more time he spent with her, the more time he wanted to spend with her. He caressed her cheek and stared into her eyes, loving how they held a sparkle that no makeup could improve.
“I didn’t survive eighteen years growing up in one of LA’s most dangerous neighborhoods to let a woman take care of me. All I need for you to do is be a second set of eyes for me. Basically, watch my back. Understand?”
She huffed and nudged him aside. “You’re spending an awful lot of money just to have someone to hang out with. Heck, you could have spent half the amount of money and rented a robo-cop from one of the malls.”
He laughed as she climbed into the passenger seat. “Nah, I wanted a professional.”
Chapter 9
Trinity glanced around the dimly lit, quaint Thai restaurant, taking in the candlelit walls and the chic decor. A sense of calmness washed over her as she watched the flow of the water and the lily pads floating around in the indoor pond they were sitting next to. The relaxed atmosphere was the perfect way to end the day.
Trinity returned her attention to Gunner. She couldn’t get over how good he looked in his dark pinstriped suit and crisp white button-down shirt. He looked more like a confident businessman than a professional poker player. Going tieless, with the top two buttons of his shirt undone, definitely added to his sex appeal. She couldn’t help but wonder about the body beneath the clothing. Was it as strong and fit as she imagined? She shook herself to free her mind of imagining him naked. All she knew was that he was a walking billboard for anything tall, dark and sexy.
“So, I’m a little surprised that you remembered the conversation regarding Thai food being my favorite.”
“Of course I remember. It was only a couple of weeks ago that you mentioned it.”
“But still, I would think that your mind would be clouded with everything poker.” Trinity sipped some of her water that the server had left when taking their order.
Gunner chuckled and leaned forward, his arms folded on top of the table. “Trust me. I think about a lot more than just poker.” He looked at her pointedly, his friendly brown eyes reflecting a bit of humor.
Fine, I’ll play along.
“Like what? What else do you think about besides poker?”
He smiled his charming smile and Trinity couldn’t help but smile, too. “Since you knew me back when I was in college, you’re probably thinking that I only think about partying and women.”
Trinity laughed. “Well, yeah. The thought had crossed my mind.”
With his gaze lowered, he toyed with the silverware that was on the table near him. “Despite what you might think—” he glanced up at her, all joking aside “—I’m not the young punk kid I used to be. Since graduating from college, I have committed my life to not only playing poker, but giving back.”
“How so?” she asked, genuinely interested in what he had to say. Just in the short amount of time she’d been working for him, she could tell he was different, not the same person she remembered.
“Well, for one, I take on numerous philanthropy projects in my old neighborhood and around the world, everything from providing the financing for a new community center to supporting several homeless shelters.”
Trinity’s heart turned somersaults in her chest. If she could find investors like Gunner to invest in her homeless shelter, she could open it that much sooner. She wanted to say something about her plans, but she didn’t want him to think that she had any intention of hitting him up for money—which she didn’t.
“Gunner, that’s cool and it’s something we have in common. I have a soft spot for the homeless population. I support several shelters in LA. But anyway, which is your favorite charity?”
“All right, here you go.” Their server seemed to come out of nowhere with their meals. “You had the volcanic chicken—” she put the steaming hot plate down in front of Trinity “—and you had the nut-crusted salmon,” she said to Gunner. “Is there anything else I can get you?”
Trinity almost laughed aloud at how hard the girl was cheesing at Gunner. And as usual, he seemed totally oblivious of the attention he often received from women.
Gunner glanced at his food and shook his head. “No, I think everything looks great. What about you? Need anything else?” Gunner asked. Trinity didn’t miss how his gaze traveled down her body every time he looked at her. She had paid a small fortune for the Vera Wang halter dress and the admiration she saw in his eyes made it all worth it.
“Nope, I think I’m good.”
They both tasted their food and Trinity closed her eyes, savoring the spicy chicken. She could eat Thai food every day; the hotter the dish, the better.
“Good, huh?” Gunner asked, grinning at her. “I love watching you eat. The way you appreciate each bite and the little moan...” He stopped and laughed when she cocked an eyebrow at him. “Anyway, what I’m trying to say, you definitely seem to enjoy your meals.”
“You mean I’m greedy.” She laughed.
He shook his head vehemently, still grinning. “No, that’s not what I meant at all. I love to eat and it’s nice to be with a woman who doesn’t pick over her food.” He wiped his mouth. “Anyway, let’s change the subject before I get myself into trouble.”
“Good idea. So, getting back to our conversation.”
“Oh, yeah, you were asking which is my favorite charity.” He twirled the soba noodles around on his fork and lifted it to his mouth, but stopped. “Wait, you said we have something in common—supporting the homeless. Are they your favorite cause because of your childhood?”
“Partly, but during my time as a cop, I worked in an area that had a high homeless population.” She sighed, thinking about her peeps, especially Lucy. She couldn’t discuss the homeless without them coming to mind. “I know there will always be people who are less fortunate than us, but it bothers me that this country still has people living on the streets.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean. When I first started making money, it took me a while to feel comfortable spending it.” He laughed when she made a face. Trinity found it hard to believe that anyone would have trouble spending millions. “I’m serious. Granted, I invest a lot of time into my career and work hard for my money, but it did take me a while to get over the...I don’t know, guilt, I guess. Here I was, making all of this money, and there were people who barely had a hot meal every day.”
Trinity nodded. She had never thought about that side of being wealthy and wondered what she would do if she suddenly came into a lot of cash. With all of the needs in the world, she would never have enough to support every organization that she would probably want to support.
“Going back to my other question, which is your favorite organization that you support?”
Gunner wiped his mouth. “I would have to say On Time Missionary Group. My mother, who is a missionary, started it years ago. They do some amazing work. In the past two years, they’ve been to four different developing nations. Most of the missionaries in the group are nurses. The organization provides medical support of all kinds. Their focus lately has been on countries that have endured things like earthquakes, tsunamis and other natural disasters.”
Again, Trinity’s mind went to Lucy. She’d heard from Jesse, who said that her peeps were fine. Unfortunately his brother, the doctor, hadn’t been able to go out there with him that day.
“I think people who have a heart to volunteer their time like that, especially in emerging countries, are amazing,” Trinity said. “Though I’ve done some volunteer work, I don’t know if I’m compassionate enough for that type of work.”
“You don’t think so?”
She shook her head and wiped her mouth with the cloth napkin. “Nah. You really have to be a people person and I’m more of a task-oriented person. What about you?”
“I’m not like my mother. When my sisters and I were growing up, she always talked about going to other countries and doing missionary work. She has always loved helping people. I’ve gone on a couple of trips with her, but it was too depressing. No matter how much money I donate, it will never be enough. It’s hard to see such devastation.” He shook his head and Trinity could feel the compassion he had for those less fortunate.
She placed her elbow on the table and rested her chin in her hand. Despite his net worth, Gunner had to be one of the most laid-back people she had ever known. No one would ever suspect he was worth millions. Though he was paying her a small fortune to watch his back, she never would have guessed him to be as generous as she’d seen him be over the last couple of weeks. With every meal, he gave huge tips, whether food was delivered or whether they were picking up their meals. The other day, he had received a large package and when she asked about it, he told her it was a thank-you gift from one of his parents’ friends. Gunner had covered their son’s medical expenses when he found out the guy’s insurance would only pay half the cost. Then there was her and her agency. For him to pay triple her fee, she was pretty sure Max had probably told him about her tax situation. Normally she would be upset that her brother shared her personal business, but these days she needed all the financial assistance she could get.
“So are you enjoying your meal?” Gunner asked, shoving a forkful of salmon into his mouth.
“Are you kidding? I see why this is one of your favorite restaurants. The food is outstanding. Thank you for bringing me, even though you didn’t have to.”
“It was the least I could do, considering the meals you’ve been preparing. Besides, you’ve been a trouper, traveling around with me and hitting these tournaments.”
She almost reminded him that he was paying her good money to go wherever he went, but thought better of it and kept her mouth shut.
“We’ll be heading to New Orleans the day after tomorrow.”
“How long will we be there?”
He had just put food into his mouth before she’d posed the question. She watched him chew, unable to take her gaze from the way his alluring lips moved.
“Four days,” he finally responded.
They ate and talked and Trinity found herself getting more and more interested in all that went into the various poker tours and the PPO.
“So, help me to understand. If you have already qualified to participate in the PPO this summer, why partake in all of these other tournaments? Shouldn’t you be getting mentally prepared, or resting up for the Main Event?”
Gunner swirled the straw around in his glass, ice knocking together noisily, while deep in thought. “I love the game,” he finally said. Trinity couldn’t help but notice the way his eyes lit up when he talked about poker. She was sorry she had ever compared Gunner to her father.
“I won’t be playing all the time at some of the tournament events. In some cases, I agreed to attend because the host casinos have invited me. For instance, we’ll be traveling to Florida, all expenses paid, for a regional event, but I won’t be participating in the tournament. I’ll just be hanging out for publicity’s sake, and maybe play a little at one of the casino tables. Either way, it’ll be the last event we’ll attend until the PPO, which begins after Memorial Day.”
Trinity shook her head. “I don’t know how you keep it all straight or even how you physically keep up. All of the traveling has to be exhausting.”
“It used to be when I first started years ago, trying to work my way up as one of the best players in the world,” he said without sounding cocky.
“Did you play poker in college? Was this something you always wanted to do?”
He chuckled and shook his head. “As a kid, my grandfather taught me how to play and we played often. And no, it wasn’t something I always wanted to do. I actually went to school for accounting.”
Trinity’s mouth dropped open. “An accountant? You wanted to be an accountant. I would have never guessed.” Somehow, she couldn’t picture him sitting in a stuffy office, with a pencil behind his ear, crunching numbers all day long. Although...if she had an accountant who looked like Gunner, she would find all types of reasons to go and see him.
“I love math,” Gunner said. “That’s probably why I do well with poker.”
They ate and continued to talk about everything from tournaments to the different variations of poker. The more time she spent with him, the more comfortable she felt.
“Maybe you can teach me how to play poker sometime,” Trinity said, finishing off her meal.
“I would love to teach you how to play. Maybe we can start tonight.”
* * *
Hours later, they sat in Gunner’s game room at one of the poker tables. Gunner had no idea he would enjoy teaching anyone the game this much. Most women he had dated couldn’t care less about the game of poker. They were more interested in his winnings and being seen on his arm. The idea of sharing something he loved with a woman that he was very much interested in was a serious turn-on.
“Wait a minute. I have two aces, a king, a queen and a jack. How did you beat my hand with twos, threes and a four?” she asked, sounding defeated. “I thought with all of these high cards, I’d win this hand.”
He shook his head. “Not in this case. I have two pairs—the two twos, and two threes. It’s considered the lowest-valued hand, but it beats yours because you only have one pair and that’s the aces. The high cards in your hand don’t help you in this case.”
Trinity tossed the cards on the table and dropped her head back, covering her eyes with her hands. “I think my brain is going to explode. How in the world do you keep all of this straight?” She sat up and dropped her hands onto the table. “I don’t think I’m ever going to learn this stuff.” She looked at him with those big brown eyes and pouty lips. Gunner didn’t know how it was possible, but she seemed to get prettier by the day.
“Sweetheart, you’ve only been doing this for a couple of hours. It has taken me years to learn the game. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Her hand covered her mouth to hide a yawn. “One thing’s for sure, I can see why you enjoy playing. I don’t even know what I’m doing, yet I’m looking forward to playing again.”
“I’m glad to hear that. You’re a fast learner and I’m going to enjoy teaching you everything I know.”
Trinity raised an arched eyebrow and looked at him suspiciously.
“What?” Gunner shrugged and feigned innocence with his comment and its double meaning. “I just want to make sure you’re well prepared for—”
She lifted her hand. “You might as well stop while you’re ahead before you say anything more and have me throwing something at you,” she joked.
Gunner laughed. They were definitely more comfortable with each other and he was looking forward to seeing where their newfound camaraderie took them. When he invited her out for dinner, he hadn’t called it a date, but in his mind, it was their first date. He had to admit that he was looking forward to spending more time with his beautiful bodyguard.
Trinity lifted her arms above her head and stretched. She had changed into a blue tank top and a pair of denim shorts that showed off just how fit she was. Since arriving in Vegas, Gunner had only known her to work out a couple of times, and most of those times she had been doing yoga. How she kept everything tight in all the right places was a mystery to him.
“All right, I think I’m going to have to call it a night.” She stood and adjusted her shirt. “Thanks for tonight. I had a really good time.”
“Me, too.” Gunner followed her out of the game room and up the stairs. He glanced at his watch; it was two in the morning. He often lost track of time when playing poker or entertaining a gorgeous woman. In this case, he was doubly distracted.
They stopped near her bedroom door.
“So when can you teach me more?”
He stepped closer to her, causing her to take a step back, but the wall kept her from retreating any farther.
“Any time you want.” He placed his hands on the wall on each side of her head, blocking her in. “You just say when.” His mouth was mere inches from her lips as he gazed into her eyes. When he leaned in more, she stiffened and it took herculean strength to not cover her mouth with his and become reacquainted with her sweet lips. Instead of doing what he really wanted to do, he placed a lingering kiss against her cheek and backed away. He had vowed that the next time he kissed her, she wouldn’t want to push him away. It was a good thing he was a patient man.
“Have a good night,” he said and turned in the direction of his bedroom. It’s going to be a long one.
Chapter 10
Gunner glanced at the clock. Five-fifteen in the morning. He had only slept for three hours and for whatever reason, he couldn’t fall back to sleep. Thoughts of Trinity and their first date infiltrated his mind. He’d had more sleepless nights since she’d been under his roof than he cared to count. Last night, or better yet this morning, had been the worst. The long, cold shower he had taken when he retired to his room did nothing to tame the fire that she had stoked within his body. Her sexy outfits, her womanly curves and everything else about her were wreaking havoc on his self-control.
