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away from the cashier with two buckets of change and didn’t make it ten feet before he started feeding quarters into a slot machine, his movements smooth and practiced. Kennie shook her head in disapproval. “I do believe that Christopher Quincy Abbott developed his grip on something other than a tennis racket.”
    Alex sighed. “I’d hoped that this time I’d get him out of Nevada without a binge on the bandits.”
    “Oh, dear. He has...a problem?”
    “Not exactly. Just a weakness. Chris could pour money into the machines for a month and his bank account wouldn’t know the difference.” He shrugged, digging his hands deep into his pockets. “It’s the principle of the thing that bothers me.”
    “I take it you don’t gamble.”
    “I didn’t say that. Life’s a gamble, darlin’, but nowhere are the odds more against you than in a casino.”
    Kennie watched Chris playing the machines. His brow smooth and unbothered, he whistled a lilting tune under his breath. She remarked, “If it weren’t for me, you’d have been gone hours ago.”
    “Don’t blame yourself. It’s his money. And we don’t end up in Nevada very often, thank God.”
    “I still feel responsible. Maybe we should go back to the airport,” Kennie offered, her attention lingering longingly on the bright lights and raucous noises of the casino.
    Alex curled a strong finger, placed it under her chin and raised her face to his. “And cut your vacation short by four hours? Never.”
    “What about the slot machines?” Kennie queried breathlessly.
    “I’m afraid,” Alex murmured, “that if I don’t allow him to use your lips for luck, I’m going to find a use for them myself.”
    A bone-melting lethargy oozed through her body. “And I’m afraid I might let you.”
    Alex lowered his hand from her face. “Don’t tempt me, Kennie Sue.”
    “Of course not. We mustn’t take any chances on ruining the most beautiful night of my life with—”
    “Ruining?” His lips curled in a sly smile that told her he knew very well what direction her thoughts were wandering in. “I told you once, don’t try to con me. You’re destined to failure if you do. So, what’s next, pretty lady?”
    “I believe I left that entirely up to you.”
    “Well,” he sighed, pulling her under his protective wing, “I do believe we owe Chris a turn at the one-armed bandits.”
    “Owe?”
    “If it hadn’t been for his insatiable desire and devious mind, we never would have left the airport.”
    “I see your point. And besides, my lips haven’t anything better to do....”
    “Look, lady, don’t tempt me....” Alex growled, and Kennie broke away and strode toward Chris.  
    “Let’s go win a fortune,” she giggled, hefting a bucket of coins from the floor beside him. But strangely, she felt as if she’d left part of her breathlessly behind—that fluttering part that she couldn’t keep from responding to Alex Carruthers’s devilish charm.
    “Happy to oblige.” Chris led her toward the shining banks of slot machines. After bypassing several rows, he headed straight for the monster machine in the middle of the room.
    She watched Chris absentmindedly take a cola from a barmaid, his attention riveted on the mesmerizing gold bars and cherries and bells.
    Chris set the buckets at his feet, rubbed his hands together, then plucked a silver dollar from the top. “Your move, lady.” He held it out, and Kennie obliged him with a strong puff of air.
    Fascinated, she watched him deposit it, then yank the massive arm down. The windows revealed spinning images that gradually slowed to a stop. A row of dollar signs and cherries caused a slow kerplunking of coins to land in the tray. Chris beamed his satisfaction. “I told you we’d be great together.” He reached for another coin.
    Feeling a sizzling sensation on the back of her neck, Kennie glanced behind her. Alex was watching her from a few feet away, leaning against a deserted bank of