was almost blank but for the barest glimmer of triumph. As if on cue, Zach flipped over their cards.
A pair of aces.
“Holy shit!” One of the players exclaimed. “Two full houses!”
“Congratulations!” Liam reached his hand across the table to Zach. They’d both had a full house, but Zach’s aces beat Liam’s queens. It sucked, but after years of playing football, Liam was an excellent sport.
“Good game.” Zach offered a firm handshake. “That’s about twenty bucks in nickels, there.” He nodded toward the chips. “You sure you’re good for it?” Liam laughed good-naturedly but grew distracted by Spencer slipping away.
He tossed off a joke about how Zach would get his money and followed Spencer out the door, not caring about the clean up or how freaking obvious it was. She wasn’t getting away this time.
…
The sconces on the walls cast a soft golden light over Spencer’s long blond hair, a little messy from Zach’s shoulder and teasing hands.
“Are you and Zach together?” Liam whispered, mindful of the closed bedroom doors around them.
“The Buchanan boys are like brothers to me.” Spencer’s voice was as quiet as Liam’s. He could hear her perfectly, but he still took a few steps closer.
“So that’s a no.” Liam reached out, brushed a piece of hair from Spencer’s forehead, and tucked it behind her ear.
“Why?” Her expression was a mix of amusement and open curiosity.
“Wondering if anyone’s going to try to beat me up after I take you out on Monday.”
Spencer laughed. “You never know.” Liam liked the sound of her laugh, soft voice, and flirty words.
“You played well tonight,” he said, changing the topic.
“I didn’t play. Zach did.”
“But you still won.”
Her lashes fluttered. “Funny how that works.”
“What’s your secret? You had a pretty good run back there. What do you do? Count odds? Read faces?”
Spencer shook her head. “You just have to know when to hold ‘em, when to fold ‘em, know when to walk away…”
Liam couldn’t help but interrupt. “Know when to run?”
Spencer nodded solemnly. “Every hand’s a winner.”
“And every hand’s a loser,” Liam added. “Wouldn’t have pegged you as a Kenny Rogers fan.”
“Who isn’t?”
“You taught Zach well,” Liam said. “An excellent life lesson.”
Spencer took a half step towards him. “That’s not the life lesson I taught him.”
“What was it?”
Spencer had a cheeky look about her. She was having fun, and so was he. “Don’t play against me.”
Liam pulled her to him and placed a soft, barely there kiss on her lips.
She sighed as their lips brushed. She smelled like lilies. Her lips parted slightly, and he responded, increasing the pressure, teasing her mouth with just the tip of his tongue. Then, to torture the cheeky poker player, he let go and stepped back.
“I’ll see you Monday,” Liam promised.
Spencer frowned in confusion. “You’re leaving?”
“I have to leave early. Closing on my house tomorrow.”
“On Sunday ?”
“’Night, Spencer,” he said in a quiet voice before turning and heading to his bedroom. Not the most gentlemanly thing to do, but, God help him, if he accompanied her to her room, he’d be damned if he could leave her.
Chapter Six
Sunday morning, there was no sign of Liam Connelly. Relieved from the stress of not knowing how to handle the Mystery Man’s reappearance in her life, she said her goodbyes as soon as possible after breakfast, not sure if she wanted to get back to Dallas as much as she wanted to leave the Buchanan ranch.
Rainey and Nora had forced her to come to JT’s to get a break, so why was she more jittery and anxious than before the weekend? Maybe it was because she had dropped her phone in the pool. Maybe she wasn’t the type of woman who should take time off. Maybe it had to do with a certain man who set her on edge every time he locked those baby blues on her.
By the time she hit Fort
A pair of aces.
“Holy shit!” One of the players exclaimed. “Two full houses!”
“Congratulations!” Liam reached his hand across the table to Zach. They’d both had a full house, but Zach’s aces beat Liam’s queens. It sucked, but after years of playing football, Liam was an excellent sport.
“Good game.” Zach offered a firm handshake. “That’s about twenty bucks in nickels, there.” He nodded toward the chips. “You sure you’re good for it?” Liam laughed good-naturedly but grew distracted by Spencer slipping away.
He tossed off a joke about how Zach would get his money and followed Spencer out the door, not caring about the clean up or how freaking obvious it was. She wasn’t getting away this time.
…
The sconces on the walls cast a soft golden light over Spencer’s long blond hair, a little messy from Zach’s shoulder and teasing hands.
“Are you and Zach together?” Liam whispered, mindful of the closed bedroom doors around them.
“The Buchanan boys are like brothers to me.” Spencer’s voice was as quiet as Liam’s. He could hear her perfectly, but he still took a few steps closer.
“So that’s a no.” Liam reached out, brushed a piece of hair from Spencer’s forehead, and tucked it behind her ear.
“Why?” Her expression was a mix of amusement and open curiosity.
“Wondering if anyone’s going to try to beat me up after I take you out on Monday.”
Spencer laughed. “You never know.” Liam liked the sound of her laugh, soft voice, and flirty words.
“You played well tonight,” he said, changing the topic.
“I didn’t play. Zach did.”
“But you still won.”
Her lashes fluttered. “Funny how that works.”
“What’s your secret? You had a pretty good run back there. What do you do? Count odds? Read faces?”
Spencer shook her head. “You just have to know when to hold ‘em, when to fold ‘em, know when to walk away…”
Liam couldn’t help but interrupt. “Know when to run?”
Spencer nodded solemnly. “Every hand’s a winner.”
“And every hand’s a loser,” Liam added. “Wouldn’t have pegged you as a Kenny Rogers fan.”
“Who isn’t?”
“You taught Zach well,” Liam said. “An excellent life lesson.”
Spencer took a half step towards him. “That’s not the life lesson I taught him.”
“What was it?”
Spencer had a cheeky look about her. She was having fun, and so was he. “Don’t play against me.”
Liam pulled her to him and placed a soft, barely there kiss on her lips.
She sighed as their lips brushed. She smelled like lilies. Her lips parted slightly, and he responded, increasing the pressure, teasing her mouth with just the tip of his tongue. Then, to torture the cheeky poker player, he let go and stepped back.
“I’ll see you Monday,” Liam promised.
Spencer frowned in confusion. “You’re leaving?”
“I have to leave early. Closing on my house tomorrow.”
“On Sunday ?”
“’Night, Spencer,” he said in a quiet voice before turning and heading to his bedroom. Not the most gentlemanly thing to do, but, God help him, if he accompanied her to her room, he’d be damned if he could leave her.
Chapter Six
Sunday morning, there was no sign of Liam Connelly. Relieved from the stress of not knowing how to handle the Mystery Man’s reappearance in her life, she said her goodbyes as soon as possible after breakfast, not sure if she wanted to get back to Dallas as much as she wanted to leave the Buchanan ranch.
Rainey and Nora had forced her to come to JT’s to get a break, so why was she more jittery and anxious than before the weekend? Maybe it was because she had dropped her phone in the pool. Maybe she wasn’t the type of woman who should take time off. Maybe it had to do with a certain man who set her on edge every time he locked those baby blues on her.
By the time she hit Fort
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