Betting the Moon: Cannon Pack, Book 4 Read Free Page A

peeked out. Seeing no one lingering in the hall, she let out a pent-up breath and stepped into the hallway.
    Even now she couldn’t understand her reaction to Tucker. Sure, he was hot, but she’d been around handsome men. Plenty of them. None had affected her like Tucker had.
    Although he’d done nothing to her, said nothing to her, she’d still reacted like a trapped victim under the unblinking stare of a predator. Hell, she’d taken off as fast as a frightened bunny. Then he’d rushed after her and rattled her even more.
    She frowned, irritated by the way she’d handled the situation. She’d sensed something different about him, and it had unsettled her, but to respond the way she had? So not cool. She prided herself on keeping her emotions in check during a tournament, and when she’d lost her composure, she’d had no option except to get away from him.
    But why had he chased her? She nibbled at her lower lip, then forced herself to stop, rubbing her lip as though to rid herself of the nervous tell once and for all.
    She paused, needing a couple of deep breaths before she dared to head down the hallway. If she was lucky—and she was always very lucky—he’d given up and gone back to the tables. Mari listened to the quiet, straining her ears to pick up any sound, but heard nothing. The coast was clear, and she was through acting like a silly girl. Taking a steadying breath, she strode forward, her game face firmly in place, determined to be ready the next time she saw him. Smiling with a confidence she didn’t quite command, she turned the corner and ran into a wall of testosterone.
    “Finally.”
    Mari jumped away from Tucker, but recovered quickly and tried to step past him. “Excuse me, but—”
    “Not so fast.” He sidestepped and blocked her path, causing her to bump into him again.
    “Holy hell.” Shaken, Mari shuffled back a foot, lifted her gaze to his mesmerizing blue eyes, then struggled to look away.
    “Hang on a sec, will ya?” He took her by the arms, steadying her, and pulled her closer.
    “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Mari pushed away from him, but he held on to her. An intoxicating scent of aftershave and a unique masculinity drifted to her, sending an unfamiliar but oh-so-wonderful feeling through her entire body. Tingling from her head to her toes, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, for a moment unconcerned that he’d cornered her.
    “I just want to introduce myself.”
    She opened her eyes to find him scrutinizing her. His eyes reminded her of the eyes of a Siberian husky, soft yet mesmerizing. Her breathing grew shallow, her throat constricting.
    Relax. Poker players studied each other all the time, in and out of the game. This was no different. In the same second she’d had the thought, she knew she was fooling herself. The way he studied her was different. Deeper. More intense. Sexual.
    “Okay. Fine. Do it, but let me go.” She cast a pointed look at the hand still clutching her arm.
    “Sorry.” He released her but didn’t step away. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
    Did he mean in the ballroom, when he’d chased her down the hallway, or when she’d slammed into him?Probably when she’d slammed into his big, strong, masculine, virile… Stop!
    “You didn’t startle me.”
    The flash in his eyes told her he recognized her lie.
    When the time is right, go all in. Heeding another of Tommy’s lessons, she stuck out her hand. “I’m Mari Thornton.”
    Unlike a lot of the male poker players who often tried to intimidate her with an overly strong handshake, Tucker took her palm in his and gently but firmly squeezed her hand.
    “Hi, darlin’.” He gave her a crooked smile and out came the adorable dimples again. “I’m Tucker Manning.”
    “It’s nice to meet you, Tucker.” Damn, why was her voice trembling? “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back.”
    Again he stepped in front of her, but this time he knew better than to