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convincehim she was interested. It was another thing to do it so well she convinced herself. He was the enemy. She needed to remember that. Get close, sure, but keep her distance.
    The dealer flipped them a new hand with quick, economical motions. Gwen checked her hole card and tapped for another. Rennie did, too, but he took it too far and busted.
    â€œBummer,” Gwen said, stacking her chips.
    â€œI thought I had enough breathing room.”
    â€œYou know what Penn and Teller say—Las Vegas is powered by the Hoover Dam and bad mathematics.”
    He studied her and took a swallow of whiskey. “That’s a pretty cynical opinion for a player.”
    â€œI look at it as a challenge.” She tipped her glass to take a drink and found to her surprise that it was nearly empty.
    â€œAnd you like challenges?”
    â€œI think they make life a little more interesting.”
    â€œYou don’t look much like the type who likes to be bored.” He pushed a short stack of chips into his betting circle.
    â€œHow about you?”
    He gave her that smile again and her pulse bumped a bit. “I’m all for excitement.” He considered. “Then again, there’s something to be said for just hanging.”
    Gwen checked her cards. “Just you and your buddies. You know, whoever you’re here with?”
    â€œNot necessarily,” he answered, tapping the table for another hit. “My buddies can fend for themselves.”
    â€œAre they around?”
    He gave her an amused look as she moved to hold. “You seem awfully interested in my friends. A guy could take it kind of personally.”
    â€œI don’t think you should do that,” she said quickly, pleased to see she’d won another round. “I was just curious.”
    â€œI’m much more interesting than my friends.”
    The look he gave her this time sent a shiver right down to her toes. The cocktail waitress set another cosmopolitan by her elbow, and Gwen fell on it as though it were salvation.
    Â 
    C HIPS SAT STACKED IN COLORED towers in front of her. She had no idea what the hour was—in a Vegas casino there were no clocks, no windows. High noon looked like midnight when you were at the tables. Time was irrelevant. The only thing that mattered was the flip of the cards, the spin of the wheel, the roll of the dice.
    She felt no fatigue—far from it. She was wired, playing on house money. Her luck had been solid so far, but it was beginning to flag. Gwen drew a queen to a hand that was already twelve and busted.
    Rennie looked at her. “We got a bad trend going here,” he observed, gesturing at his own busted hand. “I’m thinking it’s time to knock off while I’m ahead.” He pushed his chips to the dealer, asking for a consolidation.
    Panic seized Gwen. He couldn’t leave—how would she find him again? She knew almost nothing about him, aside from the fact that he had a sexy smile and a weakness for banter.
    And maybe a weakness for her.
    Nina, of course, wouldn’t be shy about putting her looks to work for her. No way would she just let the guy walk away. If Nina were trying to follow the trail of millions of dollars, she’d do whatever was necessary to persuade him to stick around. Gwen sent him a look from under her lashes as she collected her consolidated chips from the dealer. “So, how about a drink?”

4
    W AS IT HER IMAGINATION OR was there more devilry in his smile? “Sure.” He slid his handful of hundred-dollar chips into the pocket of his jeans.
    Cosmopolitans, Gwen discovered as she rose from the table, had more of a kick than white wine. Her heel caught in the carpet as she slid off the stool.
    â€œWhoa.” Rennie caught her as she stumbled. “Here, why don’t you grab my arm?”
    â€œThat’s very gallant of you.” His bicep was a solid swell under her fingers. The contact shivered through