Playing Against Type: Soulgirls, Book 4 Read Online Free PDF Page B

together in her hand, she mulled the game over some more. “Your turn. Tell me two truths and a lie.”
    “You haven’t won that yet.” He stroked one finger down her cheek, the contact muddying her thoughts.
    “But I told you one.”  
    “Yes, but that was your choice. You were clarifying and I didn’t ask for it. Are we going to play?”
    We already are. “So we play till one of us hits a jackpot.”
    He scooted his stool closer to the machine and propped a coin at the slot opening and waited. “Yes.”
    “Okay.” Squaring her shoulders, she faced the machine. Okay, if the Overseers want to keep this from getting out of hand, they’ll let me win. “Ready?”
    “Go.” He pushed the coin inside and she mirrored his action. They pulled the arms on their respective machines at the same time. The slots spun and she barely noticed the flying colors, every nerve in her body alive instead with awareness of the man seated next to her.
    It went simply enough—they each scored points, but no jackpots. When she suggested new machines, he let her lead the way. They had so many to choose from—DaVinci’s Diamonds, Jackpot House Party—and then a tall set of green machines caught her eye and she pointed to them. Monster House.  
    “Seems appropriate,” Finn said. She tried not to read too much into his statement.  
    He pulled out the chair for her and they settled in at side-by-side machines. The play this time went much swifter. Pepper scowled at the machine. Five columns with six rows and so many possible combinations. “I really don’t understand how you’re supposed to win at this.” The oddest things seemed to give her points.
    “It’s all algorithms, but you really just have to worry about the first three columns. The last two are bonuses.” He tried to explain more on her next play, but was cut off by a woman’s scream.  
    The Bride of Frankenstein popped out on the screen and swept across it, turning all of the Frankenstein’s monsters into wild cards. Heart racing from the shock of sound and coins falling, she caught Finn watching her with amusement. “It scared me.”
    “I see that.”
    His screen now made a shrieking sound and Dracula turned into a bunch of bats. Intrigued, Pepper kept hitting the button for the next play. Despite his laid back attitude, Finn perked up every time a new bonus type played out—they got to see the wolfman turn under the moon, Frankenstein’s Bride returned a couple more times, the Mummy stalked across the screen, and a series of wilds filled their buckets.  
    When three bonuses appeared on Pepper’s screen, she bolted up and the screen challenged her to twelve bonus spins. Finn leaned in close and they watched. A second game played out on the overhead window, and to Pepper’s utter delight, she kept finding the bonus keys and she went up, and up, and up—and then the jackpot lit up and the music blared.
    “I did it!” She clapped her hands and Finn gave her a squeeze, laughter in his eyes.  
    “You did.” He barely got the bucket into place to catch the coins as they began to spill over.  
    Excitement vibrated through her. Winning was fun. Her bucket was damn near overflowing by the time the machine finished. “So I get two lies and a truth now? Or no wait, two truths and a lie.”  
    “I think you’re a beautiful woman,” Finn told her. “I haven’t had fun like this in longer than I can remember, and I’ll be sad to leave Las Vegas.”  
    Pepper frowned. He’d said all three statements with the same indulgent expression on his face. “Well, of course the first one is true or you’re being a jerk. Vegas is fun for most people, but I can’t imagine this is that much fun…” Even if it was for her. Why had she never played all the slot machines before? She had once—years ago when she first arrived at the casino, but that thrill had worn off after a while. But now… “So which is the lie?” Finn wasn’t biting as she fished around