Cowboy Jackpot: St. Patrick's Day (2 page)

“For four thousand? Seems like overkill.”
Something wasn’t adding up.

A young man in a white suit grinned widely.
“I’m your casino host, Aaron, and I want to congratulate you on
your win, and offer you a glass of complimentary champagne.”

“Yummy.” Stormie did her usual sparkly thing.
“Thank you.”

They were handed glasses of bubbly as a
photographer stepped forward.

Aaron shooed Stormie and Jayden backward
toward the machine. “Time for pictures.”

“You must not give away many jackpots, huh?”
Jayden lifted a brow. “If you make this much ruckus over four
thousand bucks.”

Aaron seemed to choke. “Four thousand?” He
stepped toward them, grasped their arms, and turned them to face
the machine. He pointed to the screen. “See how these cards are
lined up? Ace. Pow.” He made a gun with his hand and shot the card.
“King. Pow. Queen. Pow. Jack. Pow. Ten. Pow.”

Jayden held back laughter. “So, what do all
those pows add up to?”

Aaron pointed his gun hand up above the
machine. “Bang!”

Jayden was almost afraid to look.

Stormie squealed. “Jayden, we’re rich!” She
jumped up and down in circles, sloshing champagne everywhere.

He felt dizzy. He hung onto the chair and
looked up. Three hundred sixty two thousand and some loose change.
“Oh man. Is this for real?”

“It is.” Aaron seemed to catch Stormie’s
bounciness and started giggling. When the outburst ended, he
arranged the two of them in front of the machine again, refilled
her champagne glass, and had the photographer start snapping
pictures.

“Hey, can you smile, cowboy?” Aaron pointed
his finger-gun at Jayden.

Jayden had to look like a scared rabbit
because he sure felt like one. Turning to look at Stormie, he saw
her happy grin.

Another man, older, wearing a dark suit and
lacking Aaron’s giddiness, walked up to them. “I’m the shift
manager and I will be handling the legal arrangements for the
payout. So, who’s the lucky winner?”

Jayden opened his mouth to say something
about splitting it, but quickly snapped it shut. He wasn’t legal to
win it. His stomach roiled. This might be a real problem.

“Both of us.” Stormie smooched Jayden on the
cheek. “‘Cause we’re married!” She laughed joyfully.

He was going to throw up.

Standing in front of the blinking, dinging
slot machine, Stormie couldn’t think of any way to get the jackpot
paid out in only her name, so she’d blurted out their marital
status. Then hysteria at the situation bubbled out of her in a
crazy laugh.

Beside her, Jayden looked like ten miles of
bad road. His face went pale and he started breathing hard. Was he
going to pass out? Not her big, tough bronc rider.

She pinched the back of his arm.

“What’d you do that for?” Over his inky blue
eyes, his dark blond brows drew together. He was handsome even when
riled up.

“Don’t black out on me,” she whispered,
forcing a smile. “I’m counting on you to keep
me
from
keeling over.”

Jayden immediately set down his glass and
wrapped an arm around her. “Hang on, Storm. We’ll get through this
together.”

There he was; the man she’d fallen for a
month ago. All macho and considerate and sexy as sin. The warmth of
his body close to hers brought back the tingling low in her belly,
down between her legs, the same feeling she’d experienced when
she’d sat on his lap a few minutes ago.

“‘Cause we’re married.” He winked. A lopsided
grin curved his mouth and humor sparkled in his eyes.

She could get so accustomed to that charming
smile, that cute personality. She’d done the right thing, coming to
Vegas to talk to him about getting their marriage annulled, or, if
things worked out the way she hoped, they’d have to divorce. Her
plan to seduce Jayden seemed selfish and uncaring now that she was
in his arms. His pine and sandalwood scent brought back memories of
the fantasy night they’d spent together in February. Could she go
through with her scheme?

“Follow me, please.” The man in the dark suit
gestured toward the back of the casino.

Aaron stepped in. “I’m going to find a suite
for you two lovebirds. How does two nights sound?”

Jayden glanced at Stormie, and his eyes took
on a look she’d swear was desire. “Sounds perfect, doesn’t it,
wife?”

She nodded as her belly warmed and longing
jiggled deep inside. Forty-eight hours alone with Jayden? Playing
‘husband and wife’? “Heaven.” Her voice came out a whisper.

Aaron laughed and went off with his crew.

The shift manager wound his way through the
rows of slot machines with Stormie and Jayden in tow.

“How do you want to handle this?” Jayden
whispered in her ear.

The warmth of his breath sent a delighted
shiver through her. She’d like to handle it in a big, soft bed with
the two of them rattling the headboard.

Jayden chuckled. “Get that sexy look out of
your eyes, cutie. I meant handle the payment.”

How could he read her so well? She thought
for a moment. “Let’s say you lost your driver’s license at the
airport, and we want the check made out to me so we can cash
it.”

He tugged her closer. “You’re clever, aren’t
you.”

Clever, and this weekend, a whole bunch of
devious. Telling her parents she was going to Amarillo, then
driving straight through to Vegas. Laughing off her cousin Kira’s
attempts to get at the truth about the marriage rumor Jayden had
leaked. Planning to sleep with Jayden… If she was looking for a
sign from above as to whether she should go ahead with that idea or
not, the jackpot—and especially the suite she’d share with this
hunky cowboy—told her she should go for it, full throttle.

Stormie’s imagination flitted to that suite.
Would he take her slowly? Stripping her a little bit at a time, or
would he be ravenous, and rip her clothes to get to her bare flesh?
Tingling started in her spine and by the time it hit her core, it
had grown into prickling lust.

“This is where Dallas and Kira went to get
their jackpot.” Jayden pointed to a nearly invisible door.

As she brought herself back to the present,
the manager escorted them through the door. Her cheeks had to be
bright red. She needed to rein in her wicked thoughts. At least
until she was alone with Jayden.

“I’m Ray Truman, by the way.” He stopped
halfway through the long, bright hallway and held out his hand to
Stormie.

“Stormie Thompson.” She gripped his hand for
a few seconds.

“Jayden Hancock.” The two men shook
hands.

Ray gave them a quizzical look and started
walking again. “Where are you from?”

At the exact same time, Stormie said,
“Oklahoma,” and Jayden said, “Reno.”

The man looked at their faces for a few tense
seconds. People always said she barely looked twenty, and Jayden,
with his baby face, could actually pass for fourteen. Her nerves
kicked up and her chest tightened. Could they pull this off?

Ray led them into an office and gestured to
two chairs in front of a desk. “And you say you’re married?” He
didn’t look or sound like he believed them.

Stormie dug in her purse. “I have the
marriage certificate right here.” She pulled out the paper and held
it out to him. Taking a deep breath, she concentrated on
relaxing.

Ray held up his hands. “No, I believe you. I
don’t need to see it unless you want one check instead of two
separate checks.”

“Hm.” Jayden ran a finger over his chin.
“Hadn’t thought about it, but one check might be best.” He made a
disgusted face. “Especially since—”

Stormie caught on. She sucked in a breath and
opened her eyes wide. “Oh gosh, your driver’s license.” She turned
to Ray. “He lost it in the airport in OKC.”

Ray’s eyes narrowed on Jayden. “Thought you
said you were from Reno?”

“We’re going back and forth between our
places.” He was as cool as ice cream.

Stormie was as hot and stingy as a cactus in
August. She did not like lying. Her mouth went dry. She set the
marriage certificate on Ray’s desk, pulled her wallet out of her
purse, and found her driver’s license. “Here you go. Just make the
check out to me so I can deposit it.” Her voice cracked a few
times, but she was proud of her performance. Proud? She hated to
think she was getting good at dishonesty.

Picking up the license and certificate, Ray
stared for long moments. “All right. That’s fine.” Ray put a form
in front of Stormie.

She blinked to bring the typed page into
focus. Damn, she hated telling untruths, and she’d been doing far
too much of that since meeting Jayden in February.

She’d recognized him instantly when her
cousin Kira introduced them. Her family’s ranch specialized in
bucking horses, and she’d followed Jayden’s career on the rodeo
circuit for over a year. Recently, she’d been disappointed in his
rides, and wished she could offer him advice. But while she knew
the rodeo from horses’ point of view, she knew very little about
what went on in a rider’s head.

Ray stood. “I’ll be right back.” He left the
office carrying her documents.

Jayden leaned close. “How come I didn’t get a
copy of the marriage certificate?”

“We put my address on the form.”

“Oh yeah? So what do your parents think about
this? And about you being here with me?”

She tried to stop the grimace. “Well, not my
home address. My PO box at school.” She needed to confess. “And
they don’t know I’m here.”

He jerked back. “What the hey? Where do they
think you are?”

“It’s a long story.”

The look of uncertainty on his face gave her
a pang of guilt.

“I know.” She shrugged. “You think
I’m
the fourteen-year-old, but it’s really complicated.” She looked out
the door into the hallway. “I wish we could get out of here. I’m
getting nervous.”

Jayden took her hand. “You’re doing great,
Storm.” He spoke quietly. “Just a couple more minutes.”

She couldn’t meet his gaze. “I’m getting to
be a good little liar.” The statement went against all her beliefs.
Heaviness settled over her chest.

Jayden touched her chin and tilted her head,
meeting her gaze straight on with his intense blue eyes. “If you’re
doing something you don’t want to do, let’s not do it.” He set his
hand on her shoulder.

A laugh burst from her chest. He was joking.
Wasn’t he? “Just give up the jackpot and walk away?”

“No.” He shook his head. “You keep the money.
All of it. You won it, even if it was my cash in the machine.” He
glanced toward the door then back at her and leaned closer. “If you
feel it’s wrong to give me half ‘cause I’m not twenty-one, then I
don’t want to compromise your integrity.”

She stared and her mind blanked. She’d known
Jayden was a good man when they’d snuck away from the bachelor and
bachelorette parties early Valentine’s Day morning. But to give up
his half of three hundred sixty thousand dollars? Just to appease
her moral code? That was too hard to believe.

“You’re not going to go home with empty
pockets just because I’m feeling uncomfortable.” Her mind worked
until she found a solution that would ease her conscience. She
shifted closer. “Let’s think of it this way. The money is mine
because I won it, right?”

He nodded and his thumb traced patterns on
her shoulder, distracting her from thoughts of money to thoughts of
soft sheets and warm flesh. When she stayed silent for a minute, he
lifted his brows. “Is there more?”

“Um…” It took all her willpower to snap her
mind out of the bedroom. “So, I’ll take the money because I can
receive it legally. Then I’ll give you half ’cause we’re
married.”

“I’m starting to like this being married
stuff.” His gaze searched her face as his eyes darkened. “Lots of
benefits.”

A blast of desire flared in her core and she
pressed her thighs together to relieve the lovely ache. “Yeah.” It
was the only word she could come up with through the sensual haze
overrunning her brain.

Ray’s voice came from outside the office.

Jayden glanced toward the sound then leaned
close to her. “You’re sure about the money, now?”

“I’m sure. I’ll see this through and hope I
don’t have to tell any more fibs.”

“Fibs?” He laughed. “Okay. No more fibbin’.”
He held up his little finger. “Pinkie swear.”

She rolled her eyes but linked her little
finger with his. “You
are
fourteen, aren’t you.”

Jayden slid his hand to the nape of her neck.
“Cutie, you tell me if any fourteen year old ever kissed you like
this.” He moved in and pressed his firm, full lips against
hers.

She sighed and closed her eyes, letting the
kiss reverberate through her body, exactly the way she remembered
his lips affecting her a month ago. Lust shimmied through her bones
and heat spread along her bloodstream.

His tongue flicked against her closed lips
and she parted them for him, sneaking her tongue past her teeth to
meet his.

With a groan, he tangled his tongue with
hers, traced her lips, and tasted her, running his tongue along the
roof of her mouth.

Her nipples perked and sent an ache down
through her stomach to her core. Her opening contracted, wanting
more of him, wanting to know what it was like for a woman to submit
to her man, for a man to take his woman.

Jayden slowed the kiss and nibbled at her
with his lips. “God, I want you.”

This is how he’d been in February, sweet and
sexy and seductive. They’d gone dancing, drinking, rubbing their
bodies together for hours, but as the sun rose above the mountains,
things had gotten way out of hand.

“
You want me?
Or you want my money?”
She was teasing, but her words must have hurt him.

He pulled away, his gaze locking with hers.
“Honestly? I’d love to have that cash. Boone and Dallas are
starting the rodeo school, they want me as a partner, but I have
nothing to offer.”