Long legs, expensive silk hose and the kind of hips that he could sink his fingers into.   She had it all.   She always had.   Shelby Anne Paxton, he still couldn't believe she was here in his kingdom.   He'd never thought to see her again.  

Her calves were well formed tapering down to trim ankles and a pair of stilettos that sent his libido into over-drive.

The Chimera Casino was his life. The 24/7 world of Vegas had always been his home. He wouldn't do anything to jeopardize the success of the hotel and casino. He'd sacrificed to make it into one of the premiere destinations on the Vegas strip.   And he owed it all to this woman who hadn't believed in him and to his father.

He'd made the Chimera the number one casino in Vegas to prove to that their lack of faith wasn't an obstacle in getting what he wanted from life. The shopping wing of his hotel was always expanding and changing. He'd invited Bêcheur D'Or to be part of the latest expansion. The Chimera was full of sophisticated shopping retailers and the high-end lingerie boutique would appeal to women.

Bêcheur D'Or was on the fast track to the top. Shelby and her partner Paige Williams had been profiled in Entrepreneur magazine earlier this year. Paige had been the partner he'd spoken with several times and he was surprised to see Shelby. She had made more of his money than he'd ever expected her to.

Hayden MacKenzie pushed away from the wall and entered the shop.

She straightened and her auburn hair fell in waves down the middle of her back. She had a phone tucked between her shoulder and ear as she pulled items from the open box.

She turned on her heel and froze.   Her jaw dropped and he knew she'd spotted him. Her face went pale as she reached behind her and braced one hand on the countertop, on top of her cell phone.

He walked through the room with a long easy moving stride that he strove to keep nonchalant.   He schooled his features and forced himself to treat her the way he'd treat any other businessperson who'd leased space from him. He wasn't a first-rate gambler for nothing. He knew how to bluff with the best and how to keep his emotions under wraps.

But he couldn't resist slipping his hand deep into his left pocket and rubbing at the top of his thigh he had a tiny tattoo of a medieval knight's fist wrapped around a bleeding heart. It was his constant reminder that he no longer allowed his emotions to be a part of his sexual relationships.  

It took a lot of guts for her to come back to Vegas after what she'd done. It took the kind of gall that only someone who had nothing left to lose had. To not only come back to his home turf but to take up residence in his kingdom.  

She was still the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. But she'd changed. Before she'd been kind of wild--more untamed.   The kind of woman who'd made his dad crazy because she was obviously arm candy.  

God, he'd been an ass when he was younger. He hoped like hell that Shelby hadn't been aware of that part of him. But he suspected she must've been.   Otherwise why else would she have taken the million his dad offered and left him?

"What are you doing here?" he asked, silkily.  

"I own this place," she said.

God, her voice was still soft and sweet.   Everything he remembered about her. It wasn't fair that time had been so kind to her.   He'd be able to handle this reunion a lot better if she'd gained weight, had gray hair, something like that.

"I meant in Vegas," he said, leaning in closer and put his hands on either side of her, caging her between his body and the counter.   Many years had passed, but right now it felt as if she'd just left him.   More than enough time to get rid of any lingering anger but seeing her again had brought it all to the fore.   He wasn't ready to let her go.  

He'd never forgotten Shelby's voice. The way it sounded when she was happy. The way it changed, deepened when she came in his arms. The way...she'd sounded on the phone during that hurried payphone conversation when she'd explained that she had to leave.

"Working," she said.

"I remember a girl who used to say she'd never work a day in her life."

"I changed my mind.   Money has a way of running out."

"Even the cool million you took from my dad?" he asked.

But when he saw the color leave her face and watched her pupils dilated he didn't have the rush of adrenaline that he'd thought he'd feel. Instead it made him feel big and mean and like the bully his father had always been.

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