The Wild Card #5
Seth looked across the room and discovered her tub full of clean water. “You’ve not bathed.”
“No.”
He placed her on the bed and tested the water. It was still warm. “We shall remedy that.”
He took the soap from her hands and placed the candle on the bedside table. He wanted this night to be perfect. He didn’t think there’d be another.
Coming to stand before her, he drew her to her feet. He pulled the pins from her hair and spiked his fingers though the silky tangle of waves. “I’ve been longing to do this since the dress shop.”
“Seth?”
He nipped lightly at her earlobe and she shuddered. “Umm?” He placed feather-light kisses on her neck and then drew her chemise over her head.
“I am a little . . . lost.”
Seth stroked the curve of her back, down to the first hint of her buttocks. “I know, my sweet. I’ll help you find your way.”
“No, I mean really lost. Like as in from another time, another place.”
He planted a searing kiss on her mouth, gently sucking her lower lip, and then pulled the string on her pantaloons. They fell to the floor.
“I know so little of you, my mysterious traveller. Yet I know you’ve changed my life.”
She caressed his face, tracing his cheek with her velvet-soft fingertips. “As you’ve changed mine.”
Seth lifted Cami in his arms and carried her to the tub. “I’ve only just begun.”
He set her gently in the water. She closed her eyes.
He knelt beside the tub, dipped the soap into the water and rubbed, producing a thick lather. His brain faltered when her scent enveloped him. Desire twisted in his groin, making him hard.
Seth gathered her thick, silky hair and drew it over one shoulder. He placed a last wet kiss along her neck. Scooping warm water over her bare shoulders, he gently rubbed the bar in languid, swirling circles on her back.
At his first slow caresses Cami relaxed, bending forwards, bracing her forehead on her knees.
At some point the hard bar disappeared, and Cami felt his soapy palms and fingers run up the muscles on either side of her spine, creating the most delicious sensations of her life.
Oh God, this was her fantasy. She’d stopped dreaming of a happy-ever-after.
She gave another sigh, this one coming from deep within her throat.
“Feel good?” His voice was low and thick.
“Oh God, yes.”
“Your skin is so soft.”
His slippery thumbs dipped lower in the water, massaging the small of her back. Chills of pleasure caused gooseflesh to appear.
“I want to touch you here.”
From behind, Seth’s warm hands cupped her breasts and her breath caught in her throat. Cami felt a gush of heat.
“And here.”
His hands smoothed down her abdomen. She quivered with pleasure from his strokes.
With a low, harsh groan, Seth raised her from the tub and carried her to the canopied bed.
Seven
Cami awoke in her bed alone, the sun higher than usual. She stretched, feeling her muscles flex, remembering the workout they’d received the night before. Sounds from the room next door alerted her to Seth’s whereabouts. She actually heard whistling.
Cami’s stomach growled. She hadn’t eaten much yesterday, substituting lovemaking for dinner. What she wouldn’t give to have the luxury of breakfast via room service. Cami swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood, wrapping the sheet around her naked body while she searched for her clothes.
Cami found her blouse draped neatly over the chair and smiled when she saw the silken cord hanging above the desk labelled SERVICE BELL. Dressing quickly in her jeans and shirt, she pulled the cord, excited at the prospect of surprising Seth with breakfast in her room.
Cami reached in the pocket of her jeans for the coin, but instead drew out the white gaming chip.
Her vision wavered. Oh no, not now! What about Seth? Everything in the room spun and then went dark.
Flashing lights slowly came into focus. Cami once again stood in Caesars casino in front of the modern roulette table. A pang of disappointment shot through her elation. She was home.
The man in the white shirt and black vest stood inches from her, his gaze making her body tingle. He had Seth’s gorgeous eyes, but they now seemed a lighter green. Cami also noticed his hair was shorter and his face leaner, less angular than Seth’s.
“Your wildest dreams will come true.” He smiled, no dimples forming. “It’s written on the chip, so it must be true.”
Cami scanned the casino. All seemed normal. No time appeared to have passed in this place. Cami held up the white chip. “You knew this chip wasn’t mine. Why me?”
He shifted on his feet. “I saw you standing there, beautiful, yet lost. I wanted to meet you. I guess you could say the men in my family have a thing for redheads.”
There was vulnerability in his tone that touched a place inside her.
He held out his hand. “I’m Shaun Warner.”
Warner? Hope swelled her heart. Because of Seth, for the first time in a long time, she felt there were possibilities to be explored.
Cami took his hand in hers. “Cami Desmond.”
When their hands touched, she had a brief flash of déjà vu, but it passed. This time was for her.
“My wildest dreams have already come true.”