using his pilot so we can go over paperwork during the flight. Did you both learn at the same time? Do you have your own plane? Oh, Jack, this is so exciting I can hardly wait!”
He chuckled at her childlike exuberance. “Yes, we learned at the same time and yes, I have my own plane, but it’s back at a private airport just outside Malibu. We’re borrowing one from Devlin Shipping.” Leaning down, he gave her a brief kiss then hopped up and pulled her to her feet. “If we hurry, we can still be there in time for lunch and an early show. Then we can gamble half the night away.” He gathered her closer. “I fully expect you to spend the remaining half of the night making up for running off on me.”
Miranda’s hands inched up his chest. “Maybe I could make it up to you a little at a time.”
Heat coursed through his veins when she smiled up at him. “What did you have in mind?”
Emboldened by the huskiness in his voice, she stood on her toes and whispered in Jack’s ear. She was quite creative and explained in great detail just exactly how she planned to atone for what she’d done. When she was finished, he let out a low, anguished groan then chastised her for torturing him with fantasies she wouldn’t be able to fulfill for several hours. Apparently, turn about was fair play, because he returned the favor on the walk back by embellishing on the erotic fantasy until they were both practically running in their eagerness to reach the beach house. Needless to say, they didn’t make it to Vegas in time for lunch.
***
Miranda watched him lay down his cards, a triumphant smile on his handsome face. “Four of a kind, Aces high,” she sounded impressed. “Very nice, Jack.” Fanning her cards out on the bed, she giggled when he swore under his breath. “Straight flush, darling, you lose…again.”
Jack stood up and shoved his jeans down, grumbling the entire time. “I never would have agreed to strip poker if I’d known you were any good at it. You told me you’d never been to Vegas, so how is it that I’m down to my boxers and the only thing you’ve had to remove is your shoes?”
“I never said I didn’t know how to play poker or blackjack or any other gambling game for that matter. You just assumed if I hadn’t been to Vegas I didn’t know how to play.”
Jack settled back on the bed and waited for her to deal the next hand. “How did you get so good at it then?”
“Bri loves to gamble. We usually take a couple of long weekends during the year and vacation in Aruba or St. Maarten. Last year we went to Monaco and loved it so much that’s probably where we’ll go next time.”
“And here I thought you were a shy little wallflower,” he shook his head. “What other fascinating tidbits are you hiding from me? Do you skydive or race cars in your spare time?”
“Not hardly,” she snorted as she dealt the cards. “If it weren’t for Bri, I’d probably never do anything adventurous. She has the most annoying knack for talking me into things I don’t particularly want to do, but somehow we always seem to have a great time.”
Jack eyed his hand then held up three fingers. “You’re very close to your sister aren’t you?”
“I love her to death in spite of how pushy she is. What about your family?”
He refrained from grimacing when she only took one card for herself. “My father retired five years ago and is living out his golden years with a wife twenty-two years his junior.”
“So your parents are divorced. How does your mother feel about him marrying a younger woman?”
He tossed a couple of chips on the pile. “They’ve been divorced longer than the most recent Mrs. Devlin has been alive. Actually, my mother and father get along very well. I think they discovered they were much more
He chuckled at her childlike exuberance. “Yes, we learned at the same time and yes, I have my own plane, but it’s back at a private airport just outside Malibu. We’re borrowing one from Devlin Shipping.” Leaning down, he gave her a brief kiss then hopped up and pulled her to her feet. “If we hurry, we can still be there in time for lunch and an early show. Then we can gamble half the night away.” He gathered her closer. “I fully expect you to spend the remaining half of the night making up for running off on me.”
Miranda’s hands inched up his chest. “Maybe I could make it up to you a little at a time.”
Heat coursed through his veins when she smiled up at him. “What did you have in mind?”
Emboldened by the huskiness in his voice, she stood on her toes and whispered in Jack’s ear. She was quite creative and explained in great detail just exactly how she planned to atone for what she’d done. When she was finished, he let out a low, anguished groan then chastised her for torturing him with fantasies she wouldn’t be able to fulfill for several hours. Apparently, turn about was fair play, because he returned the favor on the walk back by embellishing on the erotic fantasy until they were both practically running in their eagerness to reach the beach house. Needless to say, they didn’t make it to Vegas in time for lunch.
***
Miranda watched him lay down his cards, a triumphant smile on his handsome face. “Four of a kind, Aces high,” she sounded impressed. “Very nice, Jack.” Fanning her cards out on the bed, she giggled when he swore under his breath. “Straight flush, darling, you lose…again.”
Jack stood up and shoved his jeans down, grumbling the entire time. “I never would have agreed to strip poker if I’d known you were any good at it. You told me you’d never been to Vegas, so how is it that I’m down to my boxers and the only thing you’ve had to remove is your shoes?”
“I never said I didn’t know how to play poker or blackjack or any other gambling game for that matter. You just assumed if I hadn’t been to Vegas I didn’t know how to play.”
Jack settled back on the bed and waited for her to deal the next hand. “How did you get so good at it then?”
“Bri loves to gamble. We usually take a couple of long weekends during the year and vacation in Aruba or St. Maarten. Last year we went to Monaco and loved it so much that’s probably where we’ll go next time.”
“And here I thought you were a shy little wallflower,” he shook his head. “What other fascinating tidbits are you hiding from me? Do you skydive or race cars in your spare time?”
“Not hardly,” she snorted as she dealt the cards. “If it weren’t for Bri, I’d probably never do anything adventurous. She has the most annoying knack for talking me into things I don’t particularly want to do, but somehow we always seem to have a great time.”
Jack eyed his hand then held up three fingers. “You’re very close to your sister aren’t you?”
“I love her to death in spite of how pushy she is. What about your family?”
He refrained from grimacing when she only took one card for herself. “My father retired five years ago and is living out his golden years with a wife twenty-two years his junior.”
“So your parents are divorced. How does your mother feel about him marrying a younger woman?”
He tossed a couple of chips on the pile. “They’ve been divorced longer than the most recent Mrs. Devlin has been alive. Actually, my mother and father get along very well. I think they discovered they were much more
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