He watched as Lindsey reached across the table to stack chips on her bets. The action made one of her breasts skim the man’s shoulder next to her. Mark’s spine stiffened as he zoomed in on the man’s eyes: hungry, lustful, and far too potent. The man all but licked his lips. A deep growl rose in Mark’s throat as a wave of jealousy stabbed at him.

Mumbling a curse under his breath, Mark charged forward, fighting a caveman-like urge to scream, Mine, mine, mine. He stopped only when he was directly behind Lindsey. Watching her, he saw her stack a huge pile of chips on the number eight. Digging in his pocket, he found a hundred-dollar bill. Resting his hand on the softness of her bare arm, he was shocked when she didn’t jump. Leaning forward, he put the money on the table.

“Put it on eight,” he said to the dealer.

The dealer gave him an assessing look, then said, “Black inside,” over his shoulder to the pit boss.

* * * * *

Lindsey knew it was Mark who touched her even before she heard his deep, sexy voice. When his hand came down on her arm, her skin sizzled with awareness. Pleasure, sexual awareness, need—you name it, she felt a surge of it.

Her senses raced with his presence, making her spare no time in turning around to face him. The sweet realization that he cared for her danced in her head, making her body’s reaction all the more intense. No man would hop on a plane, and push everything else aside, to track down a woman for simple lust. Mark cared on a deeper level, and her alcohol haze made the fear that realization might otherwise evoke simply nonexistent.

She saw the surprise in his face as she turned and leaned into him, pressing her body into his, thinking of the rippling beauty beneath his shirt. Mark made her want him on a primal, deep level she wasn’t sure she would ever quite understand. It was so instant, so powerful.

“Mark, you’re here,” she said in a voice that cracked with a combination of surprise, emotion, and pure, hot desire.

His arms tightened around her waist as he looked down at her with potent, dark eyes. “Yes, I’m here. I—”

She touched her fingers to his lips. “I’m sorry,” she whispered and then pushed onto her tiptoes and replaced her fingers with her lips. It was a soft caress of a kiss that she longed to make more. But not here.

“You shouldn’t have come here alone.” It was a reprimand that lacked conviction. His eyes, his voice, his very demeanor suggested he too wanted their kiss to last longer.

“I know, I shouldn’t have left. I—” Lindsey lost her words as the dealer called out the winning number.

“Black eight.”

She digested the dealer’s call in stunned silence. Machines clattered around her, and someone’s happy scream ripped through the air. Turning to face the table, she confirmed where the marker was. Her body twisted back to face Mark, excitement in her voice, “Oh my God, Mark! We won! You won a lot!” Covering her mouth with her hand, she mentally calculated Mark’s winnings. “More than a lot!”

He stepped towards her, realigning their bodies, his hand settling on her hip. “Because you’re lucky for me, Lindsey,” he whispered into her ear and felt her shiver in response.

Lindsey looked up at Mark, his words touching her like a soft caress. It felt like a dream to have him by her side. “Mark,” she whispered softly.

Her message was clear. That one word, his name, held so much meaning. For a long moment they stood there, gazes locked, blocking out everything else. The silent message they exchanged was full of mutual longing and sexually-charged hunger. They wanted each other, and there was no doubt how sweet the night to come would prove. But there was more than pure lust between them. The impact of those feelings raced between them, making them both spellbound.

Recognizing how near losing control he was, Mark forcibly pulled them both back to reality. If he didn’t, he would have kissed her, and it wouldn’t have been the kind of kiss that should be made public. With the throbbing awareness in his lower body now making him immensely uncomfortable, it would have been the kind of kiss that would have gotten them thrown out of the casino.

Taking Lindsey’s hand in his, he looked directly at the dealer. “Cash us both out.”

There was no mistaking the disappointment in the other man’s eyes. He had hoped to gain Lindsey’s interest. Too damn bad. He shoved aside his caveman-like feelings and brought Lindsey’s hand to his mouth. She leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder as she let out a sexy, satisfied sigh.

When the dealer slid a five-hundred-dollar chip her way, her head popped up, surprise in her eyes. “It’s more than I thought,” she said, reaching for it, and then smiling at Mark. “I swear, I love winning.” The dealer slid Mark two thousand-dollar chips. She stared at the chips as Mark reached for them. “Two thousand dollars in one hand. That’s amazing. What a high.”

Mark tossed a chip in the air and caught it. “Not bad for five minutes,” he said and winked at her. But money was the last thing on his mind. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

Lindsey gave him a hot look. “Yeah, let’s get out of here.”

Draping his arm around the soft curve of her bare shoulder, he anchored her body to his side as they began walking. Once they were near the restrooms, Mark flattened Lindsey against a wall and planted his hands on either side of her head. Her arms immediately slid to his waist. “You have no idea how mad I was at you.” Unable to resist, he ran his tongue across the sensitive flesh of her earlobe.

Lindsey wet her lips, her eyes searching his, her voice hopeful. “Was?”

“Mmmm, still am,” he said, in a voice that came out a hoarse whisper that echoed how much he wanted to get her alone and naked. Gently grabbing her chin in his thumb and finger, he locked her in a challenging stare. “What are you going to do about it?”

Lindsey swallowed and blinked, a moment of indecision flashing in her eyes. Then her fingers were in his hair, and she pressed to her toes, so that her lips could reach his. He took her invitation, his hands going to her cheeks, and his tongue past her teeth, kissing her with slow, sensual absorption.

He groaned into her mouth, feeling his body harden with the roar of demand. There was so much shared longing in the kiss, so much passion. When their lips parted, she looked up at him, her arms having found their way around his neck. A slow smile turned up the corners of her lips. “Let’s go to my room, and I’ll show you how I plan to make up with you.”

He arched one brow, surprised she wasn’t at least going to fight a little. After all, Lindsey ran from what was between them by coming here. He knew it and so did she. “No resistance tonight? No angry words because I followed you?”

She shook her head from side to side. “Did that feel like resistance?” She didn’t give him time to respond. “You already wore me down.” She paused, and then shocked him by adding, “Why do you think I put distance between us?”

Mark could only stare at her, taken aback by her words. Hearing her admission was more than he had hoped for. “Lindsey—”

She stopped him as she had before, putting two fingers on his lips. “Wait,” she whispered. “One more thing first. I need to say this.” Mark nodded, and she removed her fingers. “As for being mad that you followed me,” she averted her gaze, looking at his chest, “I should be. With anyone else I would be.” Her eyes lifted, and her voice dropped a notch. “With you, I’m not mad at all.”

There was so much to discuss. But right now all he really wanted to do was take her back to the room and make slow love to her. Fighting the haze of his desire, he reasoned with himself. He needed to take advantage of her state of mind and settle some things between them once and for all. If they went straight to the room, there wasn’t going to be any talking. Hell, he could barely think at present.