Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 72056 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 360(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72056 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 360(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
“Some lady won a progressive on the slots. Four million dollars.”
“Oh. Nice.” I raise my glass. “Cheers!”
He smiles a pretty damned dazzling smile. I inhale. Fuck. He smells good too. Musky and manly. My gums itch, but I will the lust away. Not the time to produce fangs in this crowd.
I take a sip. A little sweet for my tastes, and the bubbles tickle my nose. Still, I down the glass and set it on the bar. I signal to a bartender. “Syrah, please.”
“California or Australia?”
“California.”
A minute later he sets a goblet of dark red wine in front of me. I take a long sip, letting the tannins coat my tongue.
There. That helps.
Another sip. Then another.
And it’s gone. I set the glass back down, my blood lust under control. I’m here for some reason. Time to find out what it is.
The crowds haven’t dissipated a bit.
Maybe best to stay put. I have a place at the bar.
“You want another?” The barkeep nods at my empty glass.
“No, thanks.” I turn to face the milling people.
“Pretty cool, huh?”
I turn back to the bar. “Sorry, are you talking to me?”
“Yeah.” He gives me a smile. “Pretty cool. I hear the winner is a grandmother living on a fixed income. Nice for her.”
“If she’s on a fixed income, what’s she doing at a casino?” I can’t help asking.
“Beats me.” He takes my empty glass away.
I turn back around.
And sit.
For a half hour, I sit there, checking the time every five minutes on my phone.
In this time, the crowd hardly dissipates.
“Enough of this,” I say under my breath.
Even my intuition makes mistakes sometimes.
I stand and push my way through the crowds back through the lobby and to the elevators. The good thing about the crowds in the casino is no one is waiting for the elevator. I press the up button and wait.
When the bell dings, I head to the elevator in question.
The doors part, and—
My heart nearly stops in my chest.
Dark hair piled in a manbun. Searing emerald eyes. Tan skin and full lips.
Victor Rogan.
Never doubt your intuition again, Hannah. Never.
4
His gaze sears into mine. Should I say something?
Since when am I at a loss for words?
Since the most handsome man in the free world— a man I came here to seduce—is staring at me. No hardship there.
Of course, to seduce him, I’m going to have to actually speak to him.
My whole body is on alert—lusty alert. My nipples harden and become visible protrusions behind the soft fabric of my T-shirt.
He lowers his eyelids, parts his lips—
“Vic, there you are!” A burly man dressed in black cuts in front of me and grabs Victor. “We’ve been waiting for you.”
He rips his gaze away from me. “I got here as quickly as I could.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever. You need to congratulate the winner.”
He wrinkles his forehead. “I need to congratulate someone when I just lost four mil?”
“You net more than that in a week. Who the fuck cares?”
Victor walks away with the burly guy, not giving me a second look.
So much for him jumping through any hoops.
This is going to take more work than my father anticipated. The vampire king may be a master of seduction, but I’m not. I’ve had my share of men, but usually they pursue me. I don’t know the first thing about luring a man into my bed.
I sigh. Guess I better brush up on the art of seduction. I step into the elevator and head back to my suite.
AH…
Back in the tub, and the aromatherapy fragrance is even better this time. I add some lavender to help me relax. I don’t normally sleep at night, but traveling exhausts me. I want to float away on some alpha waves…
Fuck.
Alpha.
Victor Rogan.
Can I just have one hot bath without remembering why I’m here?
I close my eyes and slide down in the tub, letting the soothing water cover me up to my neck. Yeah, that’s it. Relax. Think happy thoughts. Nice thoughts.
A moonlit path. A star-strewn sky.
A beating heart.
Fuck.
So much for relaxing. A glass of Syrah only lasts for so long.
I sit up.
I jerk as someone knocks at my door.
It’s late, and I haven’t ordered anything. Who even knows I’m here?
“Just a minute!” I yell, knowing whoever it is won’t hear me this far away. Vamps have a much more acute sense of hearing than humans.
I wrap a plush white robe around my wet body and pad out of the bathroom.
Again, a knock. This time louder.
“I said I’m coming!” Without checking the peephole, I open the door.
And gasp.
Victor Rogan.
“Good evening, princess,” he says.
“Excuse me?”
“You are the daughter of the vampire king, aren’t you?”
Not something I advertise. “Yeah. But he’s not really a king, and I’m not called a princess.”
He strides into my room.
“Come in,” I say sarcastically.
He inhales and seems to deliberately step away from me. “What are you doing here?”