Read Online The Gambler by Lily Graison - Free Book Online Page B

dress he’d
purchased or was he admiring her? She scoffed at the idea. Tristan
Avery was a lot of things, but being attracted to her wasn’t one of
them, regardless of the fact she'd given herself to him the night
before.
     
    Emmaline ignored him and spent the next two
hours watching the landscape pass by her window, alternately dozing
and being jostled awake by a bump in the road. Her bladder was
aching by the time she saw a town shimmering in the distance and
she blinked the sleep out of her eyes, watching while the
excitement built as they ambled closer.
     
    They reached the outskirts of town and she
sat back, looking at Tristan. “Will we stop?”
     
    He nodded. “Yes. We’ll stay over for the
night and resume the journey first thing in the morning.”
     
    A bubble of excitement filled her and
Emmaline turned to peer back out the window. They arrived in town
amongst a cloud of dust and when the stagecoach pulled to a stop,
she could only stare in wonder.
     
    “Let’s go, Emmaline.”
     
    Tristan exited the stagecoach and stood
looking in, his arm outstretched to help her down. She slid across
the seat, the fabric of her traveling dress making a delicious
swishing sound as she did. When she stood and bent over to get out
of the stagecoach, she tripped on the hem of her dress and squealed
as she fell head first out the door. Tristan caught her, stumbled,
then caught himself, his arms banding around her waist to keep them
from falling.
     
    When her feet were on the ground, she stared
at Tristan’s chest, embarrassed. “Thanks.”
     
    “Bound to happen eventually,” he said,
smiling. “Most women fall for me but you’re the only one to make it
so obvious.”
     
    Glancing up at him, Emmaline saw the devilish
smile on his face and knew he was right. Women probably did fall
for him. She wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t have a woman in
every town he visited. Scores of them waiting for him to return. To
lavish them with gifts and kisses and nights so sinful she felt her
face heat just thinking about it.
     
    She let go of him and took a step back,
avoiding eye contact. As nice as it felt having his arms around
her, she couldn’t let her silly feelings get in the way of her
goal.
     
    The stagecoach driver handed down their
packages and bags and Emmaline knew, somewhere amongst those
things, was the land deed. And Tristan’s leather pouch full of
money. She needed both and would get them if it took her months to
do so.
     
    They made their way to the hotel in town and
Emmaline noticed there was several to choose from. Unlike the town
she came from, this place was several streets wide with
intersecting roads that ran left to right. The noise in town was a
riot of voices, the clip-clop of horses trampling down the street
and bawdy music from the two saloons she could see.
     
    Entering the hotel, her eyes widened as she
took in the opulence. The furniture looked new and store-bought
with plush coverings in deep reds and gold. A rug in the same color
ran the entire length of the lobby and the lamps were decorated
with small crystals that made a small tinkling sound as the breeze
coming from the open door hit them.
     
    She followed Tristan blindly, her gaze
devouring everything in sight and only stopped when she ran into
him, the front of her hat crushing against his back. He turned, an
amused look on his face. “Don’t say a word,” she threatened. “If
you didn’t dawdle so, I wouldn’t be bumping into you.”
     
    He laughed and turned to the counter,
speaking with the gentleman behind it and Emmaline turned to gaze
about the room. Minutes stretched by as Tristan secured them a room
and it wasn’t until he turned and placed his hand on her lower back
that she wondered if he’d taken one room or two.
     
    Leading her up the stairs, those butterflies
that were prone to appear whenever she thought of Tristan took
flight, dancing in erratic patterns as they ascended to the second
floor and down the