Hitting the Mark

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Cassie, along with her humming, apparently had other ideas.

“Good morning, Sunshine!” Cassie said as she plopped herself down beside Danni on the couch.

“Please, no,” Danni grumbled.

“Get up, I made you coffee. You have a busy day. You have a phone call to make.”

And that’s how Danni found herself four hours later, waiting for Eric. He’d sounded both irritated and relieved when he heard her voice on the phone. When she offered to give him an explanation in person, he reluctantly agreed to meet her.

Reno’s Riverwalk stretched across the downtown area, and wasn’t too far from where Eric worked. She could offer to buy him a hot dog from one of the sidewalk vendors. Wasn’t there a saying about softening up a man through his stomach?

The Riverwalk area was one of her favorite places in Reno. Something about the trees lining the sidewalk and the sound of the water below made her feel calm. After her years in juvie, she appreciated every chance she had to be in wide-open spaces.

Why had she decided to show up early? Every time a shadow crossed her face, she glanced up to see if it were Eric. Every time it wasn’t him, she slumped farther into the chair.

This was a dumb idea. She should have filed this experience under “lost opportunities” and forgotten all about him. Glancing at her watch, she noticed it was ten on the dot. She’d give him five more minutes. No more. No less. She had to study.

A few minutes after ten, Eric walked up to her, appearing tired around the eyes, but oh, so good. The flutters in her stomach returned, and then she remembered that feeling was why she’d sucked up her pride and called him.

Because this was one of the greatest sensations in the world. This mix of anticipation and excitement, with a touch of dread all rolled into one.

Eric appeared very corporate today. Black slacks that hugged his thighs, cotton shirt that only hinted at the muscles of his chest, and a tie. She’d never dated a man with a tie before. And if she didn’t angle her play correctly, she might not ever date this man with a tie again.

She also noticed the badge he wore on a black lanyard around his neck. He hadn’t been wearing it the first time they’d met.

“Hi,” she started. “Would you like to take a walk?” she asked, striving for cheerful.

He nodded, but looked none too permanent.

Danni gave a nervous laugh. She could manage the smooth approach. After all, she’d worked on it with her dad since she was a kid. But one glance at the rigid set of Eric’s features and she figured he wouldn’t be buying smooth. Or any other hustle for that matter.

She’d have to fall back on the truth. Always a last resort.

She led him along the river’s path. The large blooming pots of flowers always made her feel welcome in the past. Maybe bringing Eric here had been a mistake. If things didn’t work out, her memories of this place would be infected. “You’re probably wondering why I ran off like that,” she said, sliding her hands along the metal chain lining the walk.

Eric raised a brow. “Not the reaction I’d expect from a woman I’ve just kissed.”

She dropped the chain and reached for his hand. “Oh, Eric, it’s not you. You’re a great kisser. Totally off the scale. It’s me. I panicked when you suggested we go into the casino.”

She’d hoped he’d have joined more in the conversation right about then. That would have made this whole groveling scenario a lot easier. Instead, he stood there…expectant and sexy. Would now be a good time for the coy hair flip?

No. Give it to him straight. She cleared her throat. “Have you heard of a thief named Daniel Flynn?”

Eric shook his head.

“Well, he’s been out of the game for a while, so he probably hasn’t crossed your radar. He’s my father, and he scammed quite a few casinos.”

Understanding lit in his brown eyes.

“And I did it with him,” she told him slowly.

At that, Eric sat on a nearby bench. His face was still neutral, but his shoulders appeared less tense.

“I’ve gone straight,” she rushed out. “But I wouldn’t be welcome in your casino. In fact, I wouldn’t be welcome in any casino in any city.”

“You out on parole?”

He asked the question in the kind of tone a man would get when his date told him she was in the business of cheating people. Kind of a surreal incredulousness.

Danni stared out across the water. “My dad cut a deal. He did extra time, so I was classified as a youthful offender and stayed in juvie until I was twenty.”

“Why live in Reno? In Nevada? Seems like temptation would always be in your way.”

“That’s actually one of the reasons I stayed here. I wanted to prove to myself I could go straight. Also, the judge in my case took a special interest in me. She’s the one who suggested I become a court reporter. I found the proceedings of the court so interesting. If I make the grades, and stay out of trouble, she’ll help me find a job.”

The tenseness returned to his shoulders. He sat up straighter, and she spotted his pulse beating in his neck. “Have you kept out of trouble?” he asked.

She met his gaze for the first time. She didn’t see understanding in his eyes, but maybe the expression of someone wanting to believe her. There was hope again. “Absolutely,” she told him quickly. “Listen, I’ve never spoken to anyone about this before. It’s my bad luck you turned out to be in casino security. I’ll understand if you can’t trust me.”

Moments passed. Long, agonizingly silent moments. Danni hadn’t known Eric long, but she knew he was envisioning every possible scenario in his mind. She should make it easy on him. They barely knew each other. He didn’t owe her anything.

Danni liked him enough to walk away. She dropped his fingers, ready to go.

But Eric wouldn’t let her drop his hand. “Come with me,” he said.

She was unable to make out his meaning, but he’d extended his hand to her. Another tiny flicker of hope flared. “Where?”

“It’s a surprise. Do you trust me?” he asked.

She swallowed and squeezed his hand. “I do.” It was strange trusting someone other than her father and Cassie. But she did, and she felt lighter, freer for it.

“Then come with me.”

She followed Eric, shielding her eyes against the harshness of the late-morning sun. In a few turns, she realized they were on a direct path to the casino where he worked.

“What’s going on?”

“You say you are around the temptation because you want to prove to yourself you can go straight. The fact that you ran last night tells me you still don’t completely trust yourself.” He faced her point-blank. “Since you called me today and told me everything says to me that I can trust you. It’s you who’s unsure. You don’t know whether you can trust yourself. Well, now’s your chance.”

She glanced at the doors of the casino. Greeters always smiled, but Danni knew they were the first line of any casino’s security. “They’ll stop me before I take five steps in the place. Those people at the door memorize photos.”

“Danni, I know what kind of security measures are in place. Two more days working here, and I would have memorized your photo.” He gave her hand a squeeze. “You’re with me. It will be fine. Stop stalling. Come inside and prove to yourself you can do it.”

“Why? Why are you doing this?” She couldn’t keep the wonder out of her voice. No one, no one except maybe Cassie and the judge had ever tried to help her this way.

His brown eyes grew heated. “Maybe I want to see how far I can tip the scale kissing you.”

She smiled. A tingle of excitement rushed through her. Now was the time for the coy hair flip.

He handed her a twenty-dollar bill. “Come on, prove yourself right.”

She glanced at the money, hesitated a moment before she took the bill from his hand. “Thanks for trusting me.”

Who’d have thought that having someone’s trust was such a turn-on?

They walked together into the casino—loud and filled with activity, even on a Monday. Bells dinged, lights flickered, people alternately cheered and groaned. At one time, this had been home. Not legally, since she wasn’t of age then, but of course that hadn’t mattered to her father.

“What’s your pleasure?” Eric asked. Sure enough, no one had stopped them.

“Poker,” she said. “And not Texas Hold ’Em.”

“Follow me.” He set her up in a chair at a table with quite a bit of action. All amateurs. The loud man who’d already had too much to drink. The retired ladies who were dropped off at the door by a bus. The serious engineer type who’d probably watched the “how to gamble” video up in his hotel room a dozen times.

Easy pickin’s.

But not today. In thirty minutes she was done. Sliding off the chair, she found Eric hanging back a few feet away.

“I lost all your money,” she admitted.

His eyes burned dark. “I don’t care,” he replied, staring at her lips.

Her skin burned sensitive and hot. It felt good not even having the urge to cheat. It felt better knowing Eric wanted her.

He nodded toward a hallway that looked as if it led to the administrative offices, and she fell into step beside him.

“So tell me, how would you have cheated back then?” he asked.

Danni scanned the table again. “Easy. Small conservative bets. Just enough to keep the cards flowing and my money going. When I hit a face card, I mark it with my fingernail, or bend the card ever so slightly. Enough times through, I’ll have a good idea who has what and bet accordingly. Most people think cheating at cards is all about the right card, and yes, for the most part it is. But don’t discount the importance of bet management.”

Eric chuckled deep in his throat and the sound shot a thrill to her. “Who’d have thought hearing how you could rob me would be so hot.”

“Aha. I’ve been waiting for that,” she told him with a smile. Yes. It was exactly the confirmation she needed to hear. Eric wanted her, like she wanted him.

“You have a problem with men only wanting you for prowess at theft?” he asked, his voice teasing.

“Only from the good boys.”

“I’m not so good,” he said, his eyes becoming darker.