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twenty-six?”
    “Twenty-six and a half.” She held his gaze.
    He realized with a shock how easily he could lose himself in the depths of her eyes. Something he couldn’t allow to happen. For one, he was working, and two, he didn’t know where she stood before God; and being unevenly yoked wasn’t something he’d even begin to consider. He wouldn’t ever get married, anyway. His injuries didn’t exactly make him good husband material.
    After a few seconds, she broke off. “Of course, if you’d rather I went alone…?”
    “Not an option, Tamlyn, you know that.”
    She grinned triumphantly. “Then you have to come, too.”
    He let out a long deep breath. “Just this once, but I’m setting a limit on how much you spend.”
    “Why are you setting me a limit? Who do you think you are?”
    “I don’t think. I know very well who I am. And so do you.” He pointed a finger at her, before shoving his hand into his pocket. “Is this how you want to play this? I just wasted two hours watching you, the slowest gambler in history, lose five hundred dollars. Do you want to get this Monopoly Board of yours finished or not?”
    Tamlyn smirked. “Of course, I want to finish it, but it’ll take more than just one day—there are forty casinos to visit, all over the city. But I can’t miss the show tonight.”
    “Do I want to know where we’re going?”
    “To that show with those guys who—”
    “No. Way.” Perhaps he could lock her up after all—in the nearest cell.
    Tamlyn put her hands on her hips. “Don’t you go all self-righteous on me, sergeant. I bet you’ve been around the strip clubs and watched women dance.”
    He shook his head. “Actually, I respect women far too much for that.”
    “Well, again, you don’t have to come.”
    “If you had an ounce of self-respect, you’d feel the same about men and not pay to see them exploited.” He turned on his cane and headed across the lobby. “And no, I’m not going, so neither are you.”
    Tamlyn’s footsteps hurried after him. A hand grabbed his arm. “Oy! How dare you speak to me like that?”
    He spun around and glared at her. “How dare I? Let me tell you something, Lady Bradshaw . I don’t have to let you out of the hotel room, at all. In fact, I could move you miles from here, if I felt the situation warranted it.” He pointed his finger at her, jabbing it in the air as he spoke. “You will do as I say, when I say, and how I say. Because otherwise, your highness, you’ll find yourself on the first plane back to England.”
    Her hackles rose almost visibly, and irritation flashed in her eyes. “No one has ever spoken to me like that and you’re not going to do it now.”
    That explains a lot.
    He had to draw a line and let her know not to cross it. Otherwise, things would just spiral out of his control. “If you act like a child then I’ll treat you like one.”
    Tamlyn just stood there for a long moment. Color touched her cheeks, and she lowered her head. “Martin, I’m sorry.”
    Martin waited a minute before he spoke. “So, you still want me to teach you how to play roulette?”
    She didn’t look up, whispering in response. “Only if you want to.”
    “Sure, let’s go, but no more than a hundred dollars, so we can get this show on the road and get you some more chips before dark.”
     
    ****
     
    Tamlyn followed him back into the casino at a snail’s pace, her stomach tying itself in knots. She never felt this way after her father told her off. That annoyed her, sure, but this? He’d just made her feel horrible and was that a tinge of guilt as well? What made it different this time? For an instant, she almost told him she’d go back to her room.
    Reaching a table, she pulled out her ID and paid for a hundred dollars’ worth of chips. She turned them over in her hand. “They’re different to the one I bought.”
    Martin nodded. “Each player receives different color chips. That way you can tell which are yours. These