His Queen of Hearts

Dev got to his feet, turning to hide his smile. It would’ve served J.R. right if the wedding had occurred. In addition to his questionable real estate practices and other business ventures, the man owed a small fortune to enough casinos and money sharks across the country to keep him running for years. He was obviously hoping he could get his hands on the Albright’s money and family name to hold off some of his debtors until he could find a way to pay them off, if not have enough money from the marriage to do it all. People were on to his oil schemes in Oklahoma and Texas. Probably Louisiana, too. Dev knew J.R. had tried his marriage scheme on at least one other unsuspecting woman. Carly didn’t know how lucky she was that her prospective groom had committed his indiscretion.

That wasn’t the problem now. Dev was convinced J.R. still didn’t know the truth and would come looking for Carly. But Dev couldn’t keep her here against her will. If she stayed of her own free will—and he would see that it was—all he had to do was wait and play out the hand to the last card. Even if she moved on, J.R. would still come looking for her at the casino.

Carly pushed away from the table and stood to walk to the windows. “Would you tell me about James?” she asked, turning back to look at Dev. “You seem to know him well.”

Dev wasn’t sure if it would be better or worse for her to hear the truth. He didn’t know her well enough to assess how much damage it could cause. But she deserved to know as much as he felt he could reveal.

“You’re not the only woman he’s conned,” he admitted. “My older brother’s wife, Ellie, had a similar experience with him.”

Carly’s eyes widened. “Did she marry him?”

“No, it didn’t come to that. But he had learned there was oil on land that she and her brothers owned. He was trying to buy it, and when he couldn’t, because her brothers refused to sell, proposing marriage was his next step. As it turned out, Ellie didn’t fall for it. But from what I know, it was a close call for her.”

“Oh, my!” she whispered, her face pale.

Dev hurried to her side and reached out to steady her, afraid she was going to faint. “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” she said, her voice breathless, “but I had no idea…” She looked up at him, adding a smile. “I can’t thank you enough for telling me.”

Fearing he might have caused more damage, he decided to change the subject, hoping that doing so, she might have time to come to terms with all that had happened. “What size do you wear?”

Surprised by his question, Carly forgot her own questions. When his one-eyed gaze roamed from the tips of her toes to the top of her head, she shivered. Mercy goodness! If he could make her feel that warm by looking at her with one eye, how hot would she get if he had two?

“Eight,” she managed to answer. “Why?”

When he released her but didn’t answer, she watched him cross the room and pick up the phone. He punched a number on the keypad and waited. “Janet, can you bring me up a size eight swimsuit? No, just pick a pretty one and have it sent up to my quarters. Thanks.”

Carly wondered just who this man was who had come to her aid when she had needed it the most. “Are you going to tell me where we are?” she asked when he had finished the call.

“You’re in Shreveport, sugar. And this is The Devil’s Den, the biggest hotel and casino in the area.”

“And we’re in your…?” she asked.

“My suite.”

“And I suppose you own this place?”

“All seventy-five-thousand square feet of it. How old are you?”

“I’m old enough to gamble, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

Her warmth went up another notch when he smiled at her. “You won’t mind not participating, will you?” he asked.

“I’ve never been in a casino, but—”

They were interrupted by the door buzzer, and he went to answer it. He didn’t open the door wide enough for her to see anything, but she heard him thank whoever it was, and then he turned to her with a beautiful aqua swimsuit on a hanger.

“There’s a nice pool downstairs,” he said, walking back to the table. “I thought you might enjoy a swim. While you’re doing that, I’ll find something else for you to wear. Anything more you need?”

The consequences of her actions the day before were quickly catching up with her. Now that he had told her about James, she was ashamed to admit that she didn’t have a penny on her. She had somehow managed to lose even the one tucked in her shoe for good luck.

“What?” he asked. “You don’t like to swim?”

She shook her head and then took a deep breath. “I can’t pay you.”

“So?”

“You’ve already been too kind to get me out of the scrape I was in. If it hadn’t been for you, well, I don’t know what would’ve happened at the church. As it is, I don’t know how I’ll repay you for your kindness, much less the swimsuit.”

“Forget it,” he said, with a wave of his hand. “We all get in a scrape from time to time.”

“But if I had just one nice outfit, I could look for a job, and I could pay you back with my first check.”

His mouth drew down in a frown. “Don’t worry about a job right now. You’ve been through a lot. You’re probably worn out. I hear planning a wedding can do that.”

“Well, yes,” she admitted. And so could planning how to dump the groom.

“We’ll find a way to work it out.”

“But I can’t stay here.”

His frown deepened. “Why not?”

“Why, because it…because I…” She stood and planted her hands on her hips, glaring at him. “Well, think about it. How would it look?”

He reached out, taking her hand, his smile slanted and his eye twinkling. “For you or for me?”

She had to force herself to swallow to kick-start her heart. “For either of us.”

Holding her hand, he gently guided her toward the bedroom. “Believe me, sugar, there isn’t much left of my reputation.”

What was he thinking of? Surely she hadn’t led him to think she was the kind of woman who would repay a man with sex. Mercy sakes! Hadn’t she just made the mistake of her life with one man? Had she made an even worse one by trusting this man?

She pulled away. “But—”

“But nothing. I’ll sleep on the sofa and you can have the bed.”

“But—”

He stopped in the doorway, silencing her with a shake of his head and handed her the swimsuit. “Get changed. I’ll meet you at the elevator on the ground floor and take you to the pool. As long as you stay out of the casino, you don’t have to worry about your reputation.”

“Oh. Okay.” The sudden disappointment she felt surprised her. Mercy goodness, she couldn’t have been hoping he had something else in mind.

As she walked into the bedroom, she heard him leave the suite, and she breathed a sigh of relief. What had come over her? For the past few days she had hardly known herself. She had always been a good daughter, but when she learned James had slept with Prissy, her impulse had been to run, and she had grabbed the chance. She hadn’t thought of her mama, only of herself. But even knowing deep in her heart how selfish that was, she simply couldn’t be sorry.

She definitely needed some time to sort through things. Maybe time would improve her bad judgment, and she would learn to be more cautious.

But here she was, practically living with a strange man. Even worse, she couldn’t take her eyes off him. What had come over her, indeed?