His hunger drove him deeper and he flicked at the inside of her mouth. Sucking her tongue, he made low, growling noises and his every touch screamed of want and fire and impatience. The kiss became one to annihilate all others from her memory.

“Dammit,” he finally whispered as he snatched a breath.

Any coherent thoughts she’d had turned into a silly muddle of sex-saturated imagery. Her body, entwined with his. Pounding, driving motion that carried her to the highest heights. Finishing what they’d started earlier.

In that moment, she remembered where she was. In his casino. A place she wanted to destroy. And yet she’d agreed to stay, because she was weak and hadn’t been laid in so long.

This was wrong. All of it. She had to forget it, and keep her distance from him.

He stared at her, blinked a few times, and seemed to glean her reticence. She wanted him, she knew it like she knew her own voice, but each interaction only succeeded in making her feel more guilty. And she’d lived with guilt her whole life. Could they do this? Could someone like her actually take someone like him to bed and not wake up ashamed?

Damn, she sure as hell wanted to try.

But with everything that had happened that evening, neither of them seemed ready to take the plunge again. As if to confirm her suspicions, he removed his hands from her body and smiled at her. No longer a happy-go-lucky sort of smile. His expression had darkened with confident sensuality.

“Get some sleep. It’s been a long night.” He reached into his pocket and pressed a business card into her hand, taking time to stroke her palm. “This is my direct contact information. If you need anything, you know where to find me.”

“Thank you.”

He walked to the door in the outer room. As he put his hand on the doorknob, he turned and gave that take-no-prisoners grin once more. “Enjoy the suite while you can. You’ll trade it in for my bed soon enough.”

“Uh, that won’t happen.”

“Oh, it will and you know it. Enjoy your stay, sugar.”

She watched him stride out of the room, unable to say anything that would make him understand why they couldn’t. Before the door closed behind him, she saw him speak to the security guard posted outside.

Riddled with tension, Kate flopped onto her luxurious bed, rolled down the covers and kicked off her shorts and underwear.

Remembering Liam’s velvety voice and naughty smile, she touched herself and imagined him there. Right there. As she visualized his hard body between her legs, she came with a silent scream that did nothing to eradicate her fever for him. After removing her hand, she moaned, turned her face into the pillow and tried to sleep.

Chapter Eight

Liam stormed into Sin, the first casino he’d built on the Strip, ready to bust some heads. He’d been called by John, the head of security there, before he even got twenty winks, let alone forty. They discovered who’d been stealing from him, and he was not impressed.

He’d dealt with theft before. It was a fact of life in the casino world. And each time they’d encountered a shark amongst the ranks, he’d been quick to act. If there was one thing he didn’t tolerate, it was disloyalty. He treated his people well, and expected the same in return. No one fucked with Liam Doyle.

Wade, John’s peer at Vice, accompanied him so he could offer input. He muttered as he tried to keep pace. “Liam, hold on. I can’t keep up with you. It makes me look bad.”

“So walk faster.”

He headed toward the staff elevators behind the casino floor, ignoring the pointed looks from a couple of women in flashy dresses who looked as if they hadn’t gone to bed yet either. They waved at him, clinking their wineglasses together. One of them gave him an unmistakably suggestive wink.

“Have a nice day, ladies,” he said, ignoring their interest.

“Damn,” Wade whispered. “You’re stronger than I am, Liam. Those two are clearly looking for some action. Hell, that might have turned into a Liam sandwich.”

They got to the elevator and Liam hit the button hard. “I’m not interested.”

Wade raised a brow and stared at him. “It’s her, isn’t it? That Callender girl?”

He crossed his arms and glared at the closed door. Why was the elevator taking so long? “We’re here on business, remember?”

Wade let out a hoot, clearly not believing a word he said. “I can’t believe it. You’re fucking Kate. Talk about screwing your rivals.”

The door opened. Finally. He wished he could shut it on Wade and make him take the stairs. When his security head stifled a guffaw, Liam turned to him. “One, don’t talk about her like that. She’s been through a lot. Two, none of your goddamn business. If you weren’t a friend, I’d fire your ass. Bad enough I have to deal with a goddamn thief right now.”

“Excuse me for stating the obvious, boss.” He peered at him through narrowed eyes. “Hang on. You’re not fucking her, are you? That’s why you’re pissed.”

“Wade,” he threatened.

“No wonder you went to so much trouble to make sure your little protestor was tucked away safe at Vice.” He grinned and pinched Liam’s cheek, as he would a child’s. “Well, I hope you get some action soon. It’s been a while.”

The elevator stopped on their floor and he got out. “Are you keeping notes on me or something?”

“As head of security I’m obliged to.” Wade smirked. “Naw. I just know you.” He stopped Liam by putting a hand on his shoulder and changed the subject. “Look, I know you’re in a hurry to pound something, or someone, but I’m trying to make you take a second to breathe. You look ready to kill. Patrick’s a kid. From what I’ve been told, he’s been a model employee up until now. If he’s been stealing from you, there’s a reason. Let’s just talk to him before you give him the axe.”

“I didn’t say I was going to axe him.”

“You look like you wanna axe somebody.”

Liam’s lips pressed together “When did you turn into such a big softie?”

“It’s part of my natural charm.” He offered his boss a sly smile. “So, Kate, huh? She makes good cookies, you know.”

Liam let out a grunt and proceeded to John’s office. “Not now, Wade.” Now he was in the mood to axe someone. A big, nosy, security guard someone.

Inside the security office, John already had Patrick Lester sitting uncomfortably at his desk. The kid stiffened as soon as he entered.

Like Wade said, Patrick was no more than a kid, maybe nineteen. But this kid had quietly pilfered funds from one of the casino counters. He worked as a ticket agent, selling tickets to some of their musical shows. He’d been caught pocketing some of the cash that crossed his desk, to the tune of a couple of thousand dollars.

He glanced at Liam and whispered, “Oh, shit. Oh, shit.”

Liam shook John’s hand and congratulated him on catching their thief. Not exactly Ocean’s Eleven caliber, but frustrating all the same. He sat next to John while Wade leaned against the closed office door, watching.

Liam didn’t know Patrick personally but something in his frightened demeanor was awfully familiar. This wasn’t a hardened criminal of the Hugo Vaughan variety. He got a sense Patrick regretted his bad judgment. Sure, he was shaking like a leaf at being caught but there was a measure of bravery in the thrust of his shoulders, as if he’d accepted he’d have to face the music. This boy reminded him of himself as a younger man, one who made a hell of a lot of mistakes. He rested his elbows on the desk and contemplated a plan of action.

The old Liam wouldn’t have even been here. He would have told his team to call the police and end the matter. But since he’d met Kate, he’d started to read between the lines. Yes, there were people in his life who’d surprised him with their callousness, but others continued to shock him with their hidden depths. Things weren’t always as simple as they appeared.