Pulled Within by Marni Mann Page B

pulled me a few feet away so he couldn’t hear us. “There’s a blackjack dealer that works in pit two, the one right across from the buffet. She’s been after me for weeks. Typical girly stuff, you know, sending me texts, flirting with her eyes and her tits. She hasn’t let me touch her yet — we’ve kissed and shit like that, but nothing else, really.”
    I recalled the woman Christy had winked at when we’d passed by her table yesterday…the one with pink streaks in her hair. “What’s your point?”
    “That girl’s got me crazy about her because she’s playing hard to get,” she said. “It’ll work for you, too. It’s obvious he wants you…and of course he does; you’re fucking hot.”
    She didn’t know about my difficult connection to Hart. She thought she was helping me out, but she was only making me angry. “You’re reading this all wrong — there’s nothing to chase. He’s not trying to get with me, and I’m definitely not pursuing him. We have a history. That’s it.” I stepped back to the bar and grabbed the bottles that had been placed there for me, twisting off the caps before setting them on my tray.
    Christy’s eyes widened. “Wow. I pushed too hard…I’m sorry,” she said softly. “And you’re right: I must have read you both all wrong.”
    I lifted the tray and held it above my shoulder. The tone of my voice had been snappy. She hadn’t deserved that, and I didn’t want to make her feel bad for sharing her opinion. With Hart, things just weren’t simple. “I’m sorry, too.”
    She gave me a warm, sultry smile and a wink. “Forgiven. Now get back to work.”
    Back in the main room, I passed out each of the bottles that were on my tray and took orders for several more. Just like it had last night, the front of my apron was filling with bills and chips. It seemed like the faster I moved, the more I earned. Knowing the amount I would probably make didn’t stop my feet from hurting in the high heels, or my nipples from aching in that bra. It just made the pain more tolerable. It also helped energize me, which I needed since I really hadn’t gotten more than a few hours of sleep.
    Heading back to refill, I dropped the tray to my side and stepped away from the table. A hand stopped me from moving any farther. A hand that came from behind me and rested flat against my navel. Fingers that were full of strength and power…and lust. “I forgot to ask for your number this morning,” Hart said.
    The heat from his breath trickled to my neck and down the back of my tank top. I tried to calm the fluttering inside my throat. “I wouldn’t have given it to you.”
    His hand tightened against me. “How can I get you to change your mind?”
    “You can start by telling me why you think you need it.”
    His lips dipped to the base of my ear. “So I can call you whenever I’m thinking about you.” The pad of his thumb grazed over the little ball that sat at the top of my belly button. It was connected to a curved rod and a small purple star that hung at the base of the hole. He knew the piercing was there…he was the one who’d paid for it. “Despite what you think, I’m actually a good guy.” His other hand moved to my apron where I saw him drop something in. Then his fingers left my body, and I spun around.
    A sudden coldness filled me, and I met his silvery eyes and half smile. “What did you just put in there?”
    “I had a feeling you wouldn’t give me yours,” he said, his stare dipping toward my waist. “So I gave you mine instead.”
    Maybe he was a good guy and had just made some bad decisions when he was young. Or maybe he was an asshole. All I knew was I couldn’t get hurt again, especially not by him.
    “I’m not going to need it,” I said.
    “You never know…you might change your mind. In fact, I hope you use it tonight, to call me on your way home to let me know you’re safe and that your car is acting all right.”
    My fingers drifted inside my