LIVE 

Excerpt

 

     He swung around to face her, but looked at the floor.

     She saw his cheeks flush. Cute. She hadn't seen a guy blush since high school.

     "Shucks, ma'am. I was going to enjoy the company of one of the ladies of the evening."

     Do I dare proposition this stranger?  Maybe this dude was part of the motel offering. What the hell. Why not?  "I don't see any reason why that can't happen."

     His head snapped up and he looked at her, his brown eyes gleaming intently. "Aw, shucks, ma'am. That would be real nice."

     It wasn't as though she had come here expecting a lover. She took a deep breath. "Okay, game on."

     "I think we should play a round or two of strip poker," she suggested.     "Get to know each other. Get us in the mood." As if she wasn't already there, but she wasn't ready to admit to some guy she'd know for less than half an hour she was hot to get naked with him. I'm easy, but not that easy. Besides, he might need a while to adjust to the time change.

     "I've never played that. Is it like five-card stud?"

     His soft drawl charmed her as much as his good looks. Hazel eyes with flecks of gold and green, and coffee brown hair, at least what she could see curling from under his Stetson. His white cotton shirt stretched over biceps, and she hoped the rest of him was equally fit.

   "It's certainly a studly game." She giggled at her own joke. Since it was just the two of them and not even a real game, she could make up any rules she wanted. "The way it works is, we have one chance to win on each hand. We get three cards face down and two face up. Whoever figures they have the strongest hand can call. The loser has to take off whatever piece of clothing the winner chooses."

     His eyes gleamed as he looked her over, his gaze focusing on the cleavage showing above the top of her dress. "I'm going to like this game." He pulled out a chair, turned it around and straddled the seat.

     Miranda expelled the breath she'd been holding. At least he didn't seem to be anxious to leave. And she very much wanted him to stay. She gathered up the cards and shuffled them, using her best card-shark riff. She didn't want him to think it was going to be easy to beat her. She slapped the cards on the table. "Cut."

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