Free All In by Aleah Barley

in.
    “You’re going to lose,” Daisy chortled happily. “Take off the panties.”
    “Men don’t wear panties. They wear briefs.” Ryan grinned. “You’ve got to let me bet something else.”
    “Fine.” Daisy finished off her beer. She dropped the bottle to join Ryan’s empties on the floor beside the bed. Then she leaned forward. “I want a kiss.”
    Clearly, he’d created a monster.
    “Deal,” Ryan said.
    He picked his cards up off the bed. He looked at his hand. It was okay, but not great. There was a pair of fours. Nothing else. He frowned and looked up at Daisy.
    Her face was smooth. She was completely unreadable.
    The woman really was a good student.
    Ryan had a second to thank God Daisy had decided to focus on math instead of something more dangerous. If she’d brought that much focus and brain power to something like political science, world domination would have been just a few steps away.
    “I want to up my bet.” Daisy pushed two pieces of clothing across the bed: Ryan’s shirt and pants. With those, he could get up and go before either of them did something they’d regret.
    “And if I lose?” he asked.
    Her eyebrow quirked upward. For a moment, it looked like she was going to suggest something. Then her blank expression faltered. She may have learned how to bluff at poker, but the woman still couldn’t lie to save her life.
    Good.
    “Three kisses,” she finally said.
    Three kisses was definitely something Ryan could handle. He took the draw, trading in three cards for a chance at victory. No such luck. He had to hope Daisy’s hand was as bad as his.
    She didn’t even take the freaking draw. “Drop ’em.”
    “I’ve got a pair.” He put the cards down. “You?”
    “Straight.” Daisy flipped over her cards. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. The little paper rectangles covered the comforter. “Ready to pay up?”
    The urge to throw his body across the bed was strong. He could take her hard, pushing her back against the fluffy hotel pillows in a shower of clothes and cards.
    No sense making a mess. He picked up the cards and placed them carefully on the bedside table. Then he dropped the collection of mini-bar goodies beside the empties on the ground. The clothes got tossed over onto the couch. When the bed was finally clear, it seemed bigger. He slid off, standing carefully on the floor.
    If he was going to do this, he wanted it to be right. He wanted it to be special.
    Fuck, he wanted to take her right there on the bed, making her moan as he pulled her panties to the side and slid into her depths without so much as a how’s-your-daddy.
    He needed to cling to whatever life raft of self-control he had left.
    That meant getting as far away from the bed as possible.
    Ryan dragged Daisy up onto her feet, pulling her toward the room’s big picture window and its view of the strip. His hand slid up to her neck, cupping the back of her head and drawing her in close. The scent of oranges, mixed with want and need, was overpowering.
    Daisy’s brow furrowed. Her breath came faster. She was wound so tight, her entire body felt like it was vibrating.
    Fuck. Ryan wanted to reassure her. He reached up with a free hand to tuck a lock of pitch-black hair safely behind her ear. “Three kisses?”
    “Better make them count.”
    Angry bunny. He bit back a laugh, knowing she wouldn’t appreciate it. “I thought counting was your thing.”
    Then he bent down and pressed his mouth to hers.
    Fireworks sounded in the distance. One of the nightly shows up and down the strip or something closer? More intimate ? His mouth never left hers. His lips molded to hers, his tongue darting forward.
    Daisy kissed like she was fighting. Like she was playing poker. All her energy—her vast intellect—focused on his mouth. It was nice, better than nice, but Ryan wanted to shake things up a little.
    His free hand lifted to press against her bare back, his fingers rubbing against bare skin as he drew her in tight.