for breakfast. Instead, he wisely motioned for her to sit down.
“Experts say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”
“Those so-called experts are no doubt morning people that the rest of us would like to string up by their toes,” she groused, sinking into one of the chairs. “At least, until after we’ve consumed several cups of coffee.”
He laughed as he poured them both a mug of the rich, dark brew. “Please, drink up. I’d like to keep my toes safe.”
To his satisfaction, she picked up the cup, held it up to appreciate the aroma, then closing her eyes, smiled. “Mmm. How did you know I love mocha-flavored coffee?”
He seated himself in the chair across from her. “I haven’t met a woman yet who doesn’t think that anything chocolate is almost as good as making love.”
Opening her eyes, she stared at him over the rim of the cup as she took a sip of the rich brew. “Oh, really. And what do you prefer?”
He grinned. “Sex, of course.”
Clearly embarrassed, she shook her head. “I meant what flavor of coffee.”
“I know, but you didn’t phrase it that way.” Changing the subject before he said something that got him into deeper trouble with her than he was already in, he removed the covers from their plates. “I didn’t know how you like your eggs. I hope scrambled is to your liking.”
“That’s fine, and I do appreciate your thoughtfulness, but—”
Before she could protest further, Blake picked up her fork, speared some of the fluffy eggs and put it into her mouth. “Now, isn’t that good?”
She glared at him as she chewed, then swallowing, she nodded as she reached for the fork. “Yes.”
He held the utensil away. “You want more?”
“Yes.”
She said the word grudgingly and from the look on her face, he decided it wouldn’t move them any closer to the physical relationship he wanted if he seized the opportunity to gloat. Handing her the fork, he picked up his own and for the next few minutes they ate in companionable silence.
“When do you want me to present my proposal for your ad campaign?” she asked as she poured herself another cup of coffee.
“You’ve already worked it up?” He didn’t particularly want to discuss business. He had other, more enjoyable pursuits in mind.
To his relief, she shook her head. “I have a few more things to go over, but I should have it ready by this afternoon.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Excuse me?”
“Today is your day off.” He reached out to take her hand in his. “I promised you a day of fun and that’s exactly what we’re going to have.” He raised her palm to his lips and kissed her tender skin. “Now, go get dressed so we can get started.”
“Wh-what on earth could we possibly do at this hour of the morning?” Her voice sounded a little shaky. “The museums won’t open for several more hours.”
It was all he could do to keep from telling her what he wanted to do and how he’d like to spend the day with her in bed. “Sweetheart, casinos are open 24/7.”
As if she suddenly realized that he still held her hand, she extricated it from his. “I’ve never gambled before and wouldn’t even begin to know how to play any of the games.”
He smiled. “It’s pretty simple and it will be my pleasure to teach you.” He rose to his feet, walked over to the phone on the desk and dialed room service. While he waited for one of the staff to pick up, he motioned toward the bedroom. “Get dressed while I get someone up here to clear the table.”
“Is that an order or a suggestion?”
From the look on her face, he could tell that he’d better watch the way he phrased things. “I was merely suggesting that you might want to put something on.” He grinned. “I love the hell out of the way you look in that little silk robe, but you might give one of my waiters a coronary when he sees your long, sexy bare legs.”
Sasha’s heart raced as she glanced down at her robe. She hadn’t considered its length when she’d packed yesterday morning and the only male that had ever seen her in it was Melvin. Of course, besides being a big yellow cat, Melvin had been neutered several years ago and couldn’t care less about females, feline or human.
But Blake was an entirely different matter. He was a virile, twenty-nine-year-old man who exuded sexual charm from every pore of his skin. Unfortunately, she’d been so irritated by being awakened at what she considered to be an ungodly hour, she hadn’t given the length of her robe a second thought. But from the look on his face, he’d definitely been thinking about it. A lot.
Giving the hem a little tug in a futile effort to make it longer, she edged her way to the bedroom door. “I think I’ll … uh, go change.”
Her heart-rate accelerated even more when Blake winked and gave her a wicked smile. “Good idea. And make sure it’s something casual and comfortable.”
Nodding, she slipped into the bedroom and closing the doors, made a beeline for her suitcase. As she gathered her things for a quick shower, she tried not to put much stock in Blake’s flirting. She had a feeling the man wasn’t above using whatever means it took to get what he wanted. The only problem was she had no idea what Blake could possibly want from her beyond her proposal for the ad campaign.
Could it really be as he’d said? Did he really just want to get to know her better?
As she toweled herself off and dressed, she came to the conclusion that Creed’s warnings about Blake had stemmed from the hard feelings between the two brothers and weren’t really a reflection of Blake’s character. From everything she’d seen, Blake was just as he appeared—a highly successful businessman who not only wanted her to design a promotional campaign for his casinos, he was interested in getting to know her on a more personal level.
“The man you’ve dreamed about half of your life has finally discovered that you exist and you’re having second thoughts about becoming involved with him?” she asked herself as she twisted her unruly hair into a tight knot at the back of her head. “Are you insane?”
But as she put on her mascara, gathered her jacket and prepared to join Blake in the suite’s living room, she decided that her mind wasn’t what worried her. If she let herself go and gave in to his charismatic charm, it was her heart that could very well be in danger of being lost.
“Blake, this is ridiculous,” Sasha laughed when he motioned for her to push a stack of poker chips into the middle of a circle on the green felted table.
After touring the town’s museums chronicling Deadwood’s colorful history and having a scrumptious lunch at Blake’s other hotel and casino, the Lucky Fortune, they had returned to the Belle of Fortune for her to try her hand at a few games of chance. Blake had a man he’d called the pit boss set up a private table for him to teach her the various card games and she was finding that although they were fun, she’d starve to death if she had to make a
