“I Came Back Because Of You, Hayden.”

Because she’d never really forgotten him. “I can’t move on. Not until I figure out what went wrong between us.”

He looked at her with that electric gaze of his. “Hell, Shelby, that’s an easy one.”

“Please don’t say it again. I wish I had the money to pay your father back.”

He narrowed his eyes and walked toward her. “So what do you say to some sort of reparation? You give me what I paid for.”

“What your father paid for,” she said.

“I paid for it in ways you can never understand.”

But she did and it made her ache to realize it. “A night of sex? Is that what you want? I don’t think I’m worth a million dollars.”

He stood within an inch of her now. “Not a night,” he whispered. “How about a week?”

His Wedding-Night Wager
Katherine Garbera

www.millsandboon.co.uk

KATHERINE GARBERA

One brief trip to Las Vegas and Katherine Garbera was hooked with endless story ideas and a fascination with that playground known as Sin City. She’s written more than twenty books and has been nominated for Romantic Times BOOKclub’s career achievement awards in Series Fantasy and Series Adventure. Katherine recently moved to the Dallas area where she lives with her husband and their two children. The only thing she loves more than writing is talking to readers. Visit Katherine on the Web at www.katherinegarbera.com.

This book is dedicated to Matt! Thanks for a fabulous wedding night and all the nights that have come after!

Acknowledgment

Special thanks to Chris Green who answered all of my Vegas questions and gave me an insider’s perspective.

Thanks also to Natashya Wilson and Debbie Matteucci for their editing insight!

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

One

Long legs, expensive silk hose and the kind of hips that he could sink his fingers into. She had it all. She always had. Hayden still couldn’t believe Shelby Anne Paxton was here in his kingdom. He’d never thought to see her again.

Her calves were well formed, tapering down to trim ankles and a pair of stilettos that sent his libido into overdrive.

The Chimera Hotel and Casino was his life. The 24/7 world of Vegas had always been his home. He wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize the success of the hotel and casino. He’d sacrificed to make it into one of the premier destinations on the Vegas Strip. And he owed it all to this woman who hadn’t believed in him and to his father.

Hayden had made the Chimera the number-one casino in Vegas to prove that their lack of faith wasn’t an obstacle in getting what he wanted from life.

His entire operation was first-class, right down to the hotel’s own shopping wing, which housed only sophisticated retailers. Always expanding and changing, it was about to add Bêcheur d’Or, a high-end lingerie boutique.

Bêcheur d’Or was on the fast track to the top. It’s owners, Paige Williams and Shelby, had been profiled in Entrepreneur magazine earlier this year. Apparently Shelby had made more of his money than he’d ever expected her to.

But it had been Paige with whom he’d spoken to cinch the deal, and Paige with whom he’d met to sign the contract. Funny that Shelby had shown up here and now, especially considering he’d never expected her back in Vegas after she’d left him standing at the altar.

A long, low wolf whistle jolted Hayden back to the present and the hallway outside the newest merchandise location at the Chimera. “Well, well, well. What have we here?”

Hayden turned to see the tall, lean, dark-haired form of his best friend stroll up. Pain tightened in his gut. He didn’t want even Deacon Prescott to know who this woman was. He’d simply referred to her as the gold digger that one time he’d gotten drunk and talked to Deacon about his marriage.

Hayden glanced at Deacon and fought the surge of possessiveness swamping him. “You’re a married man.”

“Definitely. But that doesn’t mean I’m dead. Besides, Kylie knows I’d never stray.”

Deacon and Kylie had been married for almost two years now and things were going well. They were the exception to Hayden’s golden rule that marriage was a business deal.

“No, you wouldn’t,” Hayden said more to himself than to Deacon. Deacon had found something that Hayden would never admit he’d once wanted. His friend had found forever love and happiness. As for Hayden…well, he’d learned his lesson long ago.

Still, Hayden didn’t begrudge his friend. Deacon had come a long way from the man Hayden had first met several years ago. A long way from the mob enforcer who’d wanted to go straight, longing for a better life that he didn’t know how to find. Now Deacon owned the Golden Dream, a very successful resort and casino that was second only to the Chimera in terms of success.

Deacon had also found love and seemed to buy into the whole illusion of it since his marriage. Hayden knew better then to try it himself.

He wished the ending for his own story had been as happy, but reality had a way of making sure the scales were kept firmly balanced. And to Hayden’s way of thinking, if you grew up with every luxury money could buy but a father who couldn’t seem to love you, then something had to give. For Hayden it had always been the softer things.

“Are you going to go inside or just stand in the doorway?” Deacon asked.

Normally he’d walk on by, but not today. “I’m waiting for the right moment.”

“And that would be when?” Deacon asked.

“When you get the hell out of here.”

“You didn’t leave me alone when I went after Kylie.”

“Hey, we had a bet. I had to keep tabs on you,” Hayden said. He’d bet Deacon that Kylie wouldn’t marry him. It was one of the few times that Hayden had lost when he’d gambled, but he hadn’t minded the loss.

“Want to make another wager?” Deacon asked. “Only this time—”

“I’m not looking for Ms. Right like you were.”

“Why aren’t you, Mac?” Deacon asked. His friend always called him by that nickname. It was a holdover from when they’d first met and Deacon had needled Hayden about being the “Mac Daddy.” The big guy with lots of cash.

“You know I already tried marriage and didn’t find it to my liking,” he said, playing off the incident as if it were nothing more than a minor inconvenience, instead of a life-defining moment.

“But you didn’t make it to the finish line, so to speak,” Deacon said.

“I got close enough,” Hayden said. No woman was ever again going to get him to stand in front of a church full of his friends and family and wait for her. There were few feelings he could recall as clearly as the humiliation and anger that had simmered in his gut as he’d faced all of his guests and told them that the bride wasn’t coming.

Was it getting closer to forty that was catching up with him or was it Deacon’s happy union?

“That doesn’t mean it won’t work with another woman. This one looks fine.”

“Deacon, stop staring at her ass or I’m going to send the surveillance video to Kylie.”

Deacon put his hands up and backed away. “I thought you might want a little of the good life.”

“I think I’ve already got it.”

“Yeah, well, if you change your mind, I’m here and I’ve got good advice.”

“On what?”

“Romance.”

“I don’t need advice from you, Prescott.”

Deacon flipped him the finger and walked away. Hayden leaned against the wall opposite the glass storefront, continuing to watch the lady unpack her boxes. Damn it had been a long time since any woman had gotten to him like this. Why did it have to be Shelby?

He couldn’t stand outside her shop forever, so he pushed away from the wall and entered.

She straightened and her auburn hair fell in waves down the middle of her back. She had a phone tucked between her shoulder and ear as she pulled items from the open box.

“I haven’t seen him yet. I’ll check in on Friday like we planned. Please don’t call me again.”

She disconnected the call, turned on her heel and froze. Her jaw dropped and he knew she’d spotted him. Her face went pale as she reached behind her and braced one hand on the countertop, on top of her cell phone.

He walked through the room with a long, easy stride that he strove to keep nonchalant. He schooled his features and forced himself to treat her the way he’d treat any other businessperson who’d leased space from him. He wasn’t a first-rate gambler for nothing. He knew how to bluff with the best and how to keep his emotions under wraps.

But he couldn’t resist slipping his hand deep into his left pocket and rubbing the top of his left thigh where he had a tiny tattoo of a medieval knight’s fist wrapped around a bleeding heart. It was his constant reminder that he no longer allowed his emotions to be a part of his sexual relationships.

It took a lot of guts for Shelby to come back to Vegas after what she’d done. It took the kind of gall of someone who had nothing left to lose. And she’d not only come back to his home turf but taken up residence in his kingdom.

She was still the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. But she’d changed. Before, she’d been kind of wild—more untamed. The kind of woman who’d made his dad crazy because she was obviously eye candy.

God, he’d been an ass when he was younger. He hoped like hell that Shelby hadn’t been aware of that part of him. But he suspected she must’ve been. Otherwise why would she have taken the million dollars his dad offered and left him?

“What are you doing here?” he asked silkily.

“I own this place,” she said.

God, her voice was still soft and sweet. Everything he remembered about her was the same. She still looked twenty-two. It wasn’t fair that time had been so kind to her. He’d be able to handle this reunion a lot better if she’d gained weight, had gray hair, something like that.

“I meant in Vegas,” he said, leaning in closer and putting his hands on either side of her, caging her between his body and the counter. Ten years had passed, but right now it felt as if she’d just left him. That had been more than enough time to get rid of any lingering anger, but seeing her again had brought it all to the fore. He wasn’t ready to let her go.

He’d never forgotten Shelby’s voice. The way it sounded when she was happy. The way it deepened when she came in his arms. Or the way she’d sounded on the phone during that hurried conversation when she’d explained that she had to leave.

“I’m working,” she said now.

“I remember a girl who used to say she’d never work a day in her life.”

“I changed my mind. Money has a way of running out.”

“Even the cool million you took from my dad?” he asked.

But when he saw the color leave her face and watched her pupils dilate, he didn’t have the rush of adrenaline that he’d thought he’d feel. Instead he felt big and mean, like the bully his father had always been.

“Of course it did,” she said. But inside, a part of her was aching. It had been easy to forget the implications of what she’d done while she’d lived on the East Coast. Distance had provided a kind of barrier for her.

Shelby Anne Paxton stared at the man she’d almost married for his money. She’d been looking for a rich boy to marry and Hayden had been looking for a nice-looking girl to annoy his dad. She couldn’t explain it even now, but there’d been a connection between the two of them that she’d always thought went deeper than his money and her looks.

He’d changed in the last ten years but not nearly enough. He still had a thick head of dark hair that curled rakishly over one eye. He had bright blue eyes that had always been able to see past her defenses, and thick lips that made her remember how they’d felt on hers.

Damn, where had that come from?

“Did you know this was my hotel?” he asked.

“Yes, I did,” she said softly. There was no way she was going to tell him that his father had flown to Atlanta and suggested she bid for this location. Suggested was really too nice a term for what he’d done. Alan MacKenzie had practically blackmailed her into coming back here. He’d threatened to leak the information about her gold-digging past to several magazines. Bêcheur d’Or was gaining an international reputation for class, and the last thing she needed was negative exposure. But Alan had also dangled a carrot—he’d offered her anything she wanted, within reason, if she agreed. Shelby knew he expected her to ask for money.

Yes, Alan had pushed her to come back, and she had. But now that she was here, she wasn’t sure she should have listened to him. The problem was, she still had an obsession with Hayden. He was the man she thought of late at night when she was alone.

“Then why are you here?”

“Um…” She couldn’t tell him the truth. Would he believe a part of it—that she needed some closure and to pay him back for what he’d unknowingly given her by asking her to marry him? If he hadn’t done that, Alan would never have paid her the money she’d needed to get started in business. Her exclusive line of boutiques turned a huge profit and were considered a value-added chain to many luxury resorts around the world. All of that was thanks to this man.

“I’m waiting, Shelby. Tell me why you’re here. Are you hoping to strike it rich again in Vegas?”

In ways he’d never understand.

He stood before her, seething with anger. But she couldn’t explain why she was back. Or that she couldn’t stay away once Alan had approached her.

She’d forgotten about the anger. Maybe because of the way she’d left. Their last meeting had been a joyous one. The night before their wedding. She swallowed hard. She’d forgotten about her own emotions and how hard they could be to deal with.

“When you say it like that—”

“You sound like the gold digger you are,” he finished for her.

“Not anymore, Hayden. I’m here because it’s a smart business move.” She’d left him at the altar. Called him from the airport with his father’s check in her hand. How was he ever going to forgive that?

“Nice touch with the boutique name,” he said after a few moments had passed.

A brief smile played at her lips. Naming the shop with the French word for “gold digger” had been her idea. After all, she’d always been unflinchingly honest when it came to what she was. She’d grown up too poor to pretend that money meant nothing to her. “At the time it seemed kind of tongue in cheek,” she explained. “I mean, you know how I started out.”

“With nothing,” he said. She realized some of the anger had faded from his eyes and he was looking at her with something akin to lust.

Passion had never been the problem between them. She’d always been the biggest obstacle in their relationship. Only after a few years of therapy was she able to see that they probably wouldn’t have lasted together even if she hadn’t taken the payoff his father had offered. Hayden had been more interested in having the most attractive woman on his arm, and she’d been too interested in having financial security. Their relationship had been very shallow.

“And now you have this,” he said.

His aftershave hadn’t changed in all the years they’d been apart. Still a spicy, masculine scent that she knew he had custom blended in France.

“What do you want from me, Hayden?” she asked when she realized he was staring down at her.

He lifted one of his hands and stroked down the side of her face. His touch was gentle. She stood still, fighting the urge to close her eyes and lean into that hand. Hayden had always been so gentle with her.

Something few other men ever had been.

He’d wanted a wife and she’d left him to deal with their friends. She’d always felt guilty about that. She doubted that Hayden wanted her back in his life. Though now that they were face to face, she was beginning to realize that was something she wanted.

“The wedding night we never had.”

“Sex?”

He nodded.

Shocked, she didn’t know what to say. The same sensual spell he’d always cast around her surrounded her now. She felt the force of his will and his desire. She closed her eyes and opened her mouth, leaning toward him before she realized what she was doing.

In Alan’s words she was supposed to bring some closure to Hayden and get him ready to find a nice girl and settle down. Now that he was feeling his age, Alan wanted grandkids and for his son to be happy. But Shelby knew Alan didn’t have her in mind.

She scooted away from Hayden but he reached out for her again. The years fell away and she was suddenly that trailer-park girl wanting the golden boy once again. And there was a part of her who still wanted that man.

Since leaving Hayden she’d had two other relationships—both with wealthy men—but things had never really heated up. Her fault. She was the first to admit she didn’t trust her passionate side. Because the one time she had, she’d lost her heart.

“Are you really looking for sex?”

He cocked his head to the side. “Yeah.”

“Is this only a revenge thing?” she asked. Because she realized she wanted to say yes. She’d like nothing better than to go to bed with Hayden, even with all the years and anger between them.

“I’m not sure.”

“Thanks for not lying.” But then Hayden never had. From the beginning he’d said he was the spoiled son of a wealthy man. He’d been kind of immature in those days but so had she. Hayden had also seemed like a knight in shining armor. Shelby had known that eventually he’d wake up and realize he’d made a mistake in marrying her.

“I’ll save that for you.”

This was more what she expected. She wrapped her arms around her waist and backed farther away from him. She bumped into one of the packing crates and almost lost her balance.

Hayden grabbed her arm and held her until she was steady on her feet. She swallowed hard and tried not to flinch from his touch. But there was nothing harsh in his touch. Just a gentle hold.

“Okay?” he asked in that low, raspy voice of his that never failed to send shivers down her spine.

“Yes. Thanks.”

They said nothing for a few minutes. Shelby tried to marshal her thoughts. Tried to find her balance in a world that was suddenly out of whack. She glanced around her boutique, her gaze falling on the poster advertising Puccini’s Madame Butterfly at the Met. Slowly she let the familiar world she’d created soothe her troubled soul.

She took a deep breath and stepped away from Hayden. As tempting as it was to fall into bed with the one man who’d made her feel really feminine, really alive, she knew she couldn’t. She’d changed from the girl she was. No MacKenzie man was ever again going to make her feel embarrassed about who she’d been.

She’d been afraid of being like her mom and in the end that was exactly what she’d become. Someone who traded on her looks for money…for security. But she was a different woman now. She made her own way in the world. She was Hayden’s equal in every way that mattered.

“We can’t be together if you treat me, like…well, like I suppose you have a right to. I’m really not into that kind of pain.”

“I don’t want to hurt you, Shelby. I never wanted that.”

She believed him. Despite his seemingly shallow playboy attitude back then, he’d always treated her like a lady. She couldn’t really explain it to anyone who hadn’t grown up the way she had, but when your mother dressed like a tramp and you had a rotating stable of “uncles” in and out of your life, people treated you like trash. But Hayden never had.

“It’s been ten years, Hayden. Why do we both still feel like this?” she asked, realizing that Alan had done her a huge favor by sending her back here.

“Honestly, I don’t know.”

She tipped her head to the side and acknowledged that despite the years she’d never really forgotten him. “I came back because of you.”

He tipped his head to the side, not saying a word, just watching her with that electric gaze of his.

She spoke again. “I can’t…move on until I figure out what went wrong between us.”

“Hell, Shelby, that’s an easy one.”

“Please, don’t say it again. I wish I had the money to pay your dad back so that it wouldn’t be an issue between us.”

He narrowed his eyes and walked toward her. “So what do you say to some sort of compromise? You give me what I paid for.”

“What your father paid for,” she said.

“I paid for it in ways you can never understand.”

But she did and it made her ache to realize it.

“A night of sex? I don’t think I’m worth a million dollars.”

“What about a week?” he asked.

“Sex and money. They were my mom’s downfall. I— I couldn’t do that. If we’re going to try this again, I want it to be a real relationship.”

He nodded. She saw understanding in his eyes and she realized that if she was going to find any kind of peace with him, it was going to be through bonds of friendship. She wasn’t sure she could risk her emotions with him. He’d made her feel so vulnerable. And she didn’t want to be that woman again.

“Have dinner with me, Shel. Let’s figure this thing out.”

“I…”

“It’s just a meal.”

“I have a lot of work to do here and a short time to do it. I need to hire staff, finish unpacking.” The words sounded like an excuse to her and she knew they were. It was just that even though she’d planned to come back to resolve the past, now that the moment was at hand, she was afraid.

But her running days were over. And at the end of the day, Hayden MacKenzie was still just a man.

Yeah, right.

Hayden entered his office in the casino nearly an hour later. Kathy, his assistant, was gone for the day. The small desk lamp glowed at her workstation. She always left it on for him because she knew he kept late hours. There were two messages from his dad, and one from the star of his European-style revue, Roxy O’Malley.

He dialed the backstage number for the revue venue and got the director. “Roxy called me.”

“She’s onstage right now. Want me to have her call you back?”

“I’ll stop by after the show. Let her know.”

“I will.”

“Any problems?”

“A few guys were hanging around after the first show but security took care of them.”

“Keep me posted.”

He hung up the phone, leaning back in his chair. His office had windows on two sides that showed the Strip out of one, and the Chimera’s hotel building out of the other. One wall held a bank of security monitors and Hayden crossed to them.

He took the access remote and keyed in Shelby’s store. The lights were on but the place was empty. Had she run? But then he saw her. Standing in the shadows staring at something in her hands that he couldn’t make out.

He reached for his phone and dialed her shop. He saw her move from the shadows to the counter near the register and pick up the phone.

“Bêcheur d’Or.”

“It’s me.”

“Hayden.”

Just his name softly whispered. He saw her hand go to her throat and her eyes close. What was he doing?

“Are you okay?” he asked at long last. No matter what he wanted from her, no matter that he intended to find some closure from their relationship whatever the price to her, he really didn’t want to hurt Shelby.

She put her hand on the counter and straightened up. “Yes, why do you ask?”

“I’m watching you.”

“How?” she asked, pivoting to see if he was standing nearby.

“On video surveillance.”

“I’d forgotten that part of Vegas. So, am I on closed circuit?”

“Why?”

“No reason. I just want to know who’s watching.”

He hit a switch and turned off access to her shop at every other monitor except his. “Just me.”

“Why are you watching me?” she asked. Wrapping one arm around herself, she looked small, vulnerable. Not a bit like the schemer his dad had called her.

“I was debating something.”

“What?”

“What would happen if I took what I want from you,” he said.

“What is it you want, Hayden?”

“I thought I told you. Revenge.”

He saw her bow her head. Even though he was several floors above her and in a different wing of the hotel, he felt the sadness that swamped her at his words. “I want to give you that.”

He was surprised. “Masochism your new thing?”

“No, but reparation is.”

“Shelby—”

“Don’t say anything else, Hayden. Let’s have dinner and talk terms.”

Two

Shelby wasn’t sure she could do it. She stood in the suite of rooms she’d been given in the Chimera to use until the shop was open. She was only here temporarily until the boutique opened in three weeks, and then she’d be returning to headquarters in Atlanta, where Paige was holding down the fort, until their next shop opened in the fall. Right now she wished she was back in her safe little condo in Buckhead, watching television and eating fat-free microwave popcorn. Safe but boring. Those words described her life and she had to admit she was ready for a change.

So, here she was in Sin City with the one man who’d never been safe or boring. And she was hesitating in front of her closet as if it was her first date. The last time her choices had been simpler. She’d set out to catch herself a wealthy husband. But this time she had no idea what role she was in.

She closed her eyes and tried to find the confident woman she’d been until she’d glanced up and seen Hayden MacKenzie staring straight back at her with anger, lust and pain in his eyes. She’d known then that the dreams that had been haunting her had led her back to this place to do one thing. To find a way to give this man peace in exchange for what he’d unwittingly given her.

She had a successful career and the life she’d always dreamed of. But did Hayden? Seeing how deeply her choice still affected him made her want—no, need—to make up for it in some way. If parts of her dream life weren’t exactly perfect, well, that was a price she’d happily pay.

She pulled a brightly colored wraparound silk skirt from the hanger and shed her business skirt and thigh-high hose. The fabric was cool against her legs as she fastened it just below her waist. She shrugged out of her suit jacket and tossed it on the chair in the corner.

She had firm breasts so she scarcely ever bothered with a bra. Tonight was no exception. She paired the skirt with a soft white camisole. She took a quick glimpse of herself in the mirror. She looked the way she always did, cool and polished. She tried to fluff her hair up and then realized what she was doing.

Hayden wasn’t really dating her. She closed her eyes, leaning her forehead against the mirror. Then she took a shuddering breath. She was strong, capable, and this was the only penance available to her.

Over the years she’d tried to pay Alan MacKenzie back the money she’d taken. Not in one lump sum, as she’d never had that much disposable cash on hand. But in chunks. And he’d always refused, saying that he didn’t want her money; he only wanted his son to be happy.

She didn’t doubt that. Alan and Hayden had a complex relationship that she’d never taken the time to understand until it had been too late. She’d realized that Hayden had only dated her to needle his father. But she’d been dating him for his money, so she hadn’t quibbled.

She was exactly the wrong type of woman for a man with Hayden’s future back then. Hayden would never know how right his father had been. Alan had made it clear that he’d tell Hayden every detail of the life she’d hidden from him if she hadn’t taken the money he’d offered.

But now… A lot had changed in ten years. Now apparently Alan thought that she could help Hayden. And in order to pull this off she’d have to keep that secret from the man she’d betrayed.

She was dithering and that didn’t fit with who she was, so she pushed away from the wall, put on her strappy gold sandals and left the room.

She didn’t look back or hesitate. She’d made a conscious decision when she’d come to Vegas. Facing the past had never been an easy thing. She’d always looked forward because the past— She didn’t want to go there. Not now.

She exited the elevator in the lobby and glanced around for Hayden. She didn’t see him at first but then found him standing off to one side talking with an extremely attractive blonde.

Shelby realized that for all she knew, Hayden was involved with another woman and really was just using her for revenge. It didn’t matter that she’d said she was doing whatever it took to bring Hayden some peace; she knew in her heart she still wanted him.

Hayden had changed clothes as well, wearing a button-down shirt in midnight blue and a pair of faded jeans. On anyone else the outfit would have seemed casual, but the way he carried himself belied that impression.

He glanced up and caught her gaze, motioning her over. The woman he was talking to had the kind of beauty that made Shelby feel like an ugly duckling. Her long blond hair fell past her shoulders and her makeup, though a little heavy, accentuated her classic bone structure.

Hayden gestured for her to join them. The woman glanced over at her and smiled. It was a sweet, welcoming smile and Shelby felt warmed by it.

“Roxy, this is Shelby Paxton. She owns a boutique that’s opening here in the Chimera in the next few weeks. Shelby, this is Roxy O’Malley, the star of the Chimera’s top-rated revue.”

“Nice to meet you,” Shelby said.

“Same here. What kind of shop do you own?”

“Lingerie.”

“My favorite kind. I’ll have to check it out.”

Shelby reached into her purse and pulled out an invitation to the grand-opening party. “We’re having a little party to celebrate.”

“I’ll be there,” Roxy said. She glanced over at Hayden.

“I’ll look into that matter we discussed,” Hayden said.

“I’d appreciate it, Hay. I know he could be harmless, but something about him made me leery.”

“No problem, Roxy. I’ll let you know what I find out.”

When Roxy left them, he turned his attention to Shelby. She felt his hot gaze on her, taking in the length of her bare arms, lingering on the scooped curve of her neckline and then skimming down to her feet in the tiny sandals.

She crossed her arms around her waist but then realized she was projecting her vulnerability for him to see. And Hayden was intimately acquainted with some of her weaknesses. She didn’t need for him to know that he rattled her.

“Thanks for joining me for dinner,” he said. “Can you walk in those shoes?”

“Yes. They’re surprisingly comfortable. What were you two discussing?”

“Jealous?”

She tipped her head to the side. “Yes, I think I am.”

He laughed. “Don’t be. It was only business.”

“She didn’t seem like just an employee.”

“You’re right, she’s not.”

“Is she your lover?” Shelby asked, though she hadn’t gotten that intimate vibe from the two of them.

“No. More like a kid sister. I really try to make the Chimera like a family. So many people come here alone and…”

Hayden knew loneliness. It was one of the things they’d both had in common. Something Shelby hadn’t had to lie about when they’d been dating long ago. Her mother had always been working, just like Hayden’s dad. It had given them some unexpected common ground.

She tucked her hand under his elbow. “You’re a nice man.”

“Sometimes.”

He escorted her out of the main lobby to the escalators that led to the mezzanine level. “Where are we going?” she asked.

“To the stars.”

“We’re going flying?” This was the man who’d swept her off her feet years ago. He’d offered her the fantasy of romance and she’d lapped it up without thinking of the consequences. Like those sunset airplane rides in his Cessna. He’d taken things that she’d never imagined she would do and made them happen.

“Not tonight. Last year I had a planetarium built. Well, Deacon and I did.”

“Who’s Deacon?”

“Deacon Prescott. He owns the Golden Dream. We work together on a lot of projects. I thought we’d have a drink under the stars before dinner.”

“Isn’t that going to be a little awkward with all your other guests?”

“No, Shel. I closed down one of the theaters. I’d rather my guests stay in the casino anyway.”

“More money to be made that way, right?”

“You know that money makes the world go round.”

“Yes, I do.”

He slipped his hand under her elbow and led her through the mezzanine. He was stopped twice by his employees with questions that he had to take. Owning Bêcheur d’Or made her understand how demanding running any kind of business could be. She’d checked in with Paige early this morning and had a conference call scheduled for tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. with the builders of the next boutique in Washington, D.C.

Finally they entered a long corridor that was sparsely occupied. The piped-in music wasn’t some generic Muzak but the sophisticated beauty of Wynton Marsalis playing the trumpet.

Shelby closed her eyes and wondered for a moment if this might have been her life had she made a different choice all those years ago.

“Vegas has changed in the last ten years,” she said, though she suspected it was the changes inside herself that made the city seem so different.

“Yes, it has.”

“Did you have anything to do with that?” she asked to fill the silence and keep her mind off the uncomfortable feeling that maybe she hadn’t changed as much as she wished she had.

“What do you think?” he asked.

She paused and tilted her head to the side to study him. She knew without a doubt that he was on the image committee and the development committees for the Strip. Hayden wouldn’t chance leaving any detail that could affect his business to someone else.

“Yes. I like how sophisticated your hotel is, but that doesn’t change the fact that one block over, the area is still a little sleazy.”

“Everyone is looking for something different in Vegas and we like to say we can accommodate any type of poison.”

“What about me?” she asked, wondering what he thought about her was dangerous. What you think of yourself is the only thing that matters. But she’d never held herself in high regard.

“What about you?” he asked. He pulled her into a small alcove.

She felt secluded from the rest of the world with the wall at her back and Hayden blocking her front. He stared down at her with an unreadable expression and she shivered deep inside, realizing how much of life she’d been missing since she left this man.

Because she’d never been able to really trust a man enough to let him affect her the way Hayden always had. She swallowed against a dry throat and said, “What’s my poison?”

“Only you can say. I suspect that it’s a mix between the gritty reality of where you grew up and this.” He gestured to the ornately decorated hallway.

“What about you?” she asked, not willing to dwell too much on how gritty her reality had been.

“I’m the center ring, master of ceremonies. Making sure that whatever reason—fantasy or desire—you brought with you gets fulfilled.”

There was a husky sensuality in his voice. She looked up at Hayden, into his deep blue eyes, and realized that he wasn’t all show and both of them knew it.

Hayden liked the feel of Shelby’s arm under his hand. The lobby of the planetarium was actually between his hotel and Deacon’s Golden Dream. They’d funded a wing together last year that would enhance the experience for their guests. He also had a traveling Impressionists exhibit down the hall in the art museum.

Most people came to Vegas for a reason and Shelby’s was probably just profit motivated, but his gut said there was more. He wanted to know more about those reasons.

Hayden had asked the head chef, Louis Patin, to send up champagne and strawberries for a predinner snack, and one of the hostesses handed a wicker basket to Hayden as they entered. He took Shelby up the back stairs into one of the VIP rooms.

“Give me a minute to get everything set up,” he said.

“Can I help?” she asked.

“No. I’ve got it.” He gestured toward the plush velvet covered seats positioned in front of the low wall. “Enjoy the show.”

She sat down and Hayden watched her carefully cross her legs, then shift to find a more comfortable position on the chair. The slit in her skirt widened and he realized it was a wraparound type and that only one or two buttons were keeping that silky fabric in place.

He caught a glimpse of her thigh before she pulled the fabric over her leg, covering it up. He sighed and then turned to open their champagne.

She was watching him as he poured the liquid and handed her a glass. The material from her skirt slipped free of her fingers. It slid down her leg. The woman had great legs.

“Why are we playing these games, Hayden?” she asked, running her fingers along the length of exposed skin. The stars had begun to appear on the planetarium ceiling, and soft classical music began to play.

“I wasn’t aware we were. We both like to flirt,” he said, lightly touching his glass to hers then moving back to regard her. Her flesh looked so soft and tempting in the muted lighting in the room. His own fingers tingled with the need to caress her. He clenched them and sipped the bubbling drink.

“I thought you were the master of ceremonies. Flirting is where we both try to pretend that we’re not still attracted to each other.”

“Is that what you’ve been doing?” he asked. Already his blood was flowing heavy and every nerve in his body said screw talking and take her. She didn’t want the niceties he put on when he was trying to be a gentleman instead of the gambler he essentially was.

“I’ve been trying. And not successfully I might add,” she said, twisting her fingers together in a nervous gesture that made him realize that it might not be real desire that motivated Shelby. It was the waiting. Not knowing which way things were going to fall between them.

“Why?” he asked, needing to know more.

“I can’t figure it out. There’s always been something about you that makes me feel…I don’t know, like I’m about to jump off a cliff. I know that it’s going to be an exhilarating ride but I’m not sure my parachute is going to open in time.”

It was different for him. He’d spent the last ten years protecting his emotions from the women with whom he got involved. It hadn’t even been conscious at first, but the last woman he’d broken up with had said that he was the coldest man she’d ever slept with. White-hot in bed but stone-cold out. And Hayden had realized the truth about himself. The truth that had probably been there the entire time. He couldn’t do things by half measures.

“We agreed to dinner,” he said.

“I know. But I got nervous when I saw you watching me.”

“Wanting you,” he said.

He closed the distance between them and bent down on one knee. Up close he could see the smooth, lightly tanned skin.

“Do you want me to want you that way?”

“Yes,” she said. “Yes, because that gives me something real to cling to.”

He shouldn’t touch her. Not now. Yet he couldn’t help himself. He reached out, scraping one nail along the edge of the material that covered her leg. She shivered, but didn’t pull away.

Her hand fell to his shoulder, holding on to him while he touched her. Stroking her was addictive. Her skin was softer than anything he’d touched in a long time. Her muscles weren’t hardened by hours in the gym, but softer. It was a very feminine thigh.

Taking the fabric in his hand, he drew it up over her leg and uncovered her. She dropped her hand to the top of her thigh, lightly resting it on top of his.

“Sit with me, Hayden. Let’s talk.”

He didn’t ask why. He knew that she wanted that sweet feeling that had always been between them. The real reason he could never forgive Shelby wasn’t so much because of the money she’d taken. It was because of the lesson she’d taught him.

He’d never been the kind of man who had let anyone inside him. Never let anyone see the real man behind the trappings of the spoiled rich-boy facade. But he’d been tempted to let her in and she’d walked away.

“Why’d you do it, Shel?”

She trembled and lifted her hand from his. She pushed away from the chair and walked a few steps from him, looking out over the railing up toward the stars that were playing across the wide ceiling.

He stood but kept the distance between them. When she spoke it was almost too soft for him to hear, but he could make out the words.

“I needed security.”

“That’s it?” he asked, sensing she was hiding something. He knew then that subterfuge was a big part of what was going on here and it had little to do with sex. It was all about who they both were and who they didn’t want the other to see. “Lay it out for me, babe. Because that just sounds like a line.”

“I left because I knew that you were twenty-four-carat solid gold and I was that spray-on stuff they use at fairs that wears off after a few days and leaves a green mark.”

She turned her head away from him. “I wanted to leave before I left a mark on you that you’d have a hard time getting rid of.”

Hayden led Shelby out of the planetarium to a very exclusive restaurant on the fifty-fifth floor of the Chimera. They were led to a private booth that faced the floor-to-ceiling plate-glass windows overlooking Las Vegas. The view was breathtaking. She slid onto the bench and straightened her skirt, looking casual and at ease.

But Hayden wasn’t. Tension rode him like a gambler trying to find a winning streak.

Knowing it tightened the knot in his gut. Why did this woman still have a hold on him? And would revenge be enough to loosen her hold?

His mind warned that logic didn’t play a part in his actions here and now, but he wasn’t really listening with his mind.

The curve of her neck was looking fragile and vulnerable, and he realized that talking about her past was one of her weak points. They’d never really talked about where she’d come from. Perhaps he’d been too shallow to care or too arrogant to think any of that mattered. But now, with the years between them, he realized that her past very much shaped the kind of relationship they’d had.

“Thanks for showing me the stars tonight,” she said.

“You’re welcome. Would you like some more wine?” he asked.

She shook her head. “Let’s get down to business. I believe you said you want to get what you paid for, right?”

When she said it like that he sounded like a bastard. It didn’t matter that they both had been acting true to form in those days. He had been a spoiled young man who’d picked a pretty, shy girl who needed him. He’d liked the way she’d clung to his arm, let him pay for everything and make all the decisions. That wasn’t politically correct but he wasn’t really a PC kind of guy. Despite the money he’d always had, sophistication had always eluded him.

“Yes. That’s what I want.”

He saw in her eyes that she knew it as well. Knew that she was sitting across from a man who wasn’t quite the gentleman he pretended to be.

“You make me feel very feminine when you look at me that way. And I’m not at all used to it. Most men I date are intimidated by me.”

“Why?”

“Who knows,” she said, but bit her bottom lip.

She knew. Shelby always knew why people acted the way they did. She made it her business to pay attention to those details. “Just guess.”

“Because I’m driven to make my company a success. I made too many mistakes when I was young.”

“Like you’re old now?” he asked.

“You know what I mean. Sometimes I’m amazed at how immature I was when we were together.”

He leaned back, resting his arm on the seat behind her. He wanted to pull her closer to him, to cradle her against his body and protect her. But Shelby didn’t need him to do that. He imagined that was what she’d been talking about. That men realized that Shelby was an independent woman who made her own way. It was a bit intimidating.

“You’ve done really well. I read an article about your company in Entrepreneur. The reporter said you were one of the savviest business minds he’d ever encountered.”

She shrugged the comment aside. “I think he was just being nice.”

“Reporters are never nice. He respected what you’d done.” Hayden realized he did, too. She’d taken the hand that life had dealt her and rolled with it.

“Well…” She shrugged. It was clear to him that Shelby wasn’t there yet. She didn’t really respect herself. Had he played any part in that?

“Let’s get back to us. I think your dad paid me off so—”

“No, Shelby. I paid that money to you.” He hadn’t meant to say it but it was best she knew the facts. He wasn’t playing around this game—the stakes were high and he wanted to be damn sure Shelby realized it.

“What?”

“Old Alan wanted to make sure I never forgot the lesson he was teaching. He gave you the money, then made me pay him back every cent.” His father had always been real fond of that kind of demonstration—one where the lesson was reinforced by humiliation. It didn’t help that Hayden had played on his father’s biggest weakness: a woman with big soul-filled eyes and an empty bank account.

“Hayden… I had no idea. I’m so sorry. I took the money…well, I didn’t mind taking it from your dad because I knew it was how he kept score.”

He said nothing. She’d pegged his father easily. It was how Alan kept score and he’d paid off three wives of his own, so Shelby knew that it didn’t bother him. Hayden didn’t say anything else but he knew that he’d paid for Shelby with more than just money. He’d paid for her with his soul and now he wanted hers.

Shelby couldn’t have been more shocked. She’d never imagined that Hayden had ultimately paid for her giving up their relationship. But then she’d allowed Alan to push a wedge between them. Let him threaten her with revealing the secret she’d kept from Hayden. The one she still didn’t really want him to know. She wished there were some way to escape the intimacy that he’d created around them. She didn’t want to be sitting so close to him while hashing out the past.

In her mind it was easy to pretend that she was noble and wanted to pay him back—whatever the cost—so that he could find some peace from the past. But the reality was, it hurt. She didn’t want to flirt with the only man with whom she’d ever really been honest emotionally.

She didn’t want to open up herself and him to the kind of hurt that would undoubtedly come. Because she knew that she wasn’t going to be able to just give him a week of sex and then watch him walk away.

Hayden put his arm around her and pulled her against his side. She closed her eyes and pretended that this was something else. Something that she’d done without for a long time. Comfort was easy to take from Hayden. He had big shoulders and a solid chest, and he was more than capable of carrying any burdens.

But that didn’t mean that eventually the burdens wouldn’t be too heavy for him. She turned in his embrace, put her arms around his waist and rested her head over his heart. His hands moved up and down her back, before settling on her hips, holding her close.

His breathing changed, grew heavier. She felt his body changing under hers as well. There was no getting around the fact that sexually they were like kindling and flame. But was that the kind of fire that could be tamed or would it once again consume them?

He brought one hand up under her chin, tipping her head back. “What are you thinking?”

She struggled against telling him the truth. He already saw more of her than anyone else except Paige. Most people she met were content to see only the surface of who she was—a driven, competent business-woman. But Hayden…he’d known the vulnerable woman underneath. The one who still wasn’t sure of her place in the world.

“I’m thinking this is a mess that I made and it’s past time I cleaned it up.”

“I think we can both carry the blame,” he said, stroking her cheek with a gentleness that made her heart beat a little faster.

“Do you ever feel like life is really a great tragedy? Like the ones in operas?”

He didn’t say anything, only continued stroking her back. Shelby wondered if she’d said too much. Her life had never been ideal, but comparing it to a tragedy… She wasn’t some scared little miss. She needed to stop acting like one.

“I think that in some ways much of our lives is like opera, how operas show the intense emotions that sometimes influence our decisions. Why?”

This was the man who’d convinced her to take a chance and marry him. This soft poet’s soul that she’d scarcely glimpsed since her return to Vegas.

“I thought maybe we were caught at the end of the second act. You know, where all seems doomed.”

“And that maybe it was time to move on to the third act?”

She couldn’t answer. In one of her favorite operas, Tristan und Isolde, the third act had them both dying. But for a love that was so true and right that it captured both of their souls, uniting them even in death. Maybe that was the trailer-park girl deep inside her, but she wanted a man to love her that much.

“What do you want from me?” he asked.

That was the million-dollar question. Alan wanted his son happy and expected her to fix whatever she’d broken when she left. Hayden wanted closure and revenge. But what did she want? Shelby had never really figured that out and it was time to. “I guess a chance to make this real.”

Hayden could tempt her into believing that if she showed him her soul he’d reward her with his heart. But she suspected if she did that, he’d take the revenge he so richly deserved. She felt the Sword of Damocles hanging over her. Knew that at any minute the hair might snap.

“How could it not be?” he asked in that deep voice of his.

He was right. There was nothing subtle about the man holding her and nothing tentative in him. He was going to pursue her for his own reasons and she had to decide what she was going to do. She knew with bone-deep certainty that she wasn’t going to resist him. He was her secret longing and she’d never forgotten him. So now she had to decide. Was she really going to meekly let him take charge of this? Or was she going to meet him on a level playing field?

“I want you, too, Hayden. And I have an offer for you.”

“I’m listening.” He traced the line of her spine up her back. His finger circled her neck and toyed with the strap of her camisole.

“Let’s make this real. Let’s say what this really is. I want a chance to get to know each other the way we never did before.”

He pulled the strap of her camisole toward her shoulder and then lowered his head, blowing on the exposed skin. As shivers moved down her arm and back, she undulated in his arms, holding more tightly to his waist.

“Okay,” he said.

“Okay?”

She couldn’t think when he was this close to her. When he surrounded her with his heat, his touch and his scent. She just wanted to close her eyes and pretend that they didn’t have the past between them. Close her eyes and imagine that Hayden MacKenzie really could want Shelby Paxton just for who she was.

“I’ll let you try to make me fall in love with you. But honestly, Shelby, I don’t have a heart.”

“Yes, you do. And I’m just the woman to find it.” She promised herself she would. There was no problem she couldn’t solve once she put her mind to it. She’d figure Hayden out—find out what made him tick—and slowly work her way into his heart, because she knew from hearing him speak of her betrayed that he still had one.

“You might be right. After all, you were the last one to see it.”

She shivered and this time it wasn’t from his touch. It was from the coolness beneath his words. She realized this time she may have risked more than she’d anticipated.

“Double or nothing,” she murmured, realizing that was exactly the bet she’d made. Both of their hearts united and at peace or once again broken.

“That’s the kind of gamble I make every day in business, but this…”

“I’m in if you are, Hayden,” she said, unable to keep the challenge from her voice.

“Oh, I’m in.”

Three

“The only way to do this is to live together,” Hayden said while they were eating dessert.

Shelby choked on a bite of her tiramisu. “What?”

He patted her back and handed her a glass of water. He liked the thought of it now. Her living in his home. Shelby there when he woke up and there when he went to sleep. She said she wanted a chance to know him, to seduce him this time. Living together made the most sense.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah. No. I can’t think this late at night. I’ve had too much rich food.”

He smiled at the way she said it, but he knew the truth. She wasn’t ready to make a decision. Once she saw his home, though, she’d capitulate.

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