“How about coffee then?”
Jordan wanted to just go back to her room, but how could she say no to a beautiful woman? She finally nodded her consent and they made their way to the cashier so she could turn her chips in. While she waited for the woman to count it all, she saw another woman in a tailored suit enter the caged area with the cashiers. She felt her heart stop. Or maybe it dropped. She never did understand those old clichés. She felt as though she might actually pass out and had to grip the edge of the counter to ensure she stayed on her feet. The woman turned and their eyes met briefly before they both looked away.
Ashley.
Jordan thought they’d never run into each other again, but apparently it really was a small world after all. She’d told Matt she probably wouldn’t even recognize her, but there was no mistaking those deep blue eyes and the curves. And the blond hair that hung just past her shoulders.
All Jordan could hear was the pulse pounding in her ears. When she was finally able to look again, Ashley was walking away. Jordan watched as she walked out to the casino floor and then disappeared into the crowd without so much as another glance in her direction. When the woman on the other side of the glass was done counting out her money, Jordan looked at her.
“The woman who was just in there,” she said, surprised her voice was steady. “Is her name Ashley Green?”
“No,” she replied with a shake of her head. “Her name is Ashley Noble. She’s head of security here.”
Jordan nodded absently as she pocketed her winnings and turned to walk away. Noble? She wondered at the name change. Had Ashley and her husband split, and perhaps Ash remarried? Or maybe it was her maiden name. And why was a Los Angeles cop working as head of security for a casino in Las Vegas?
Jordan was halfway to the elevators that would have taken her to her room when she felt a hand on her forearm. She turned to find Tara, a concerned look on her face.
“I thought we were having a cup of coffee? Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.” But not really, she thought. Fuck, one glimpse of Ash and she forgot what she was doing. They headed away from the elevators and toward the Starbucks. Ashley had completely derailed Jordan’s life fifteen years ago, and it was obvious she still had the ability to do it now.
*
Shit, shit, shit, Ashley thought as she walked at a brisk pace out of the cashier’s area. She concentrated on her job and tried not to think about how affected she was by seeing Jordan again. Out of all the casinos in Las Vegas, why in the world did Jordan have to choose hers? They weren’t even on the strip, for God’s sake. She didn’t stop walking until she made it back to her office. After closing the door, she went to sit behind her desk and worked on slowing down her breathing.
There was some gray in Jordan’s dark brown hair, but otherwise she looked much the same as she had when they’d been in Los Angeles. She was still fit and trim, and still looked like she could have walked off the pages of a magazine. And those green eyes. Jesus, they were more intense than she remembered.
There was a knock on the door a fraction of a second before it opened and one of her employees stuck her head inside.
“Ash, there’s a guy at the blackjack tables who isn’t very happy he lost all his money,” Janine Price said. “He’s being rather vocal about it. I know how much you like throwing people out, so…”
“Send Lars,” Ash told her without any hesitation. Jan looked at her like she was crazy but just nodded once and disappeared again.
Her head was spinning. She’d seriously thought she would never see Jordan again. When Oz called her that morning, she vowed she’d do everything she could to avoid running into her. What she couldn’t avoid was doing her job. She couldn’t deny there was a part of her that was thrilled to know they were in the same building. She’d never been happy with the way they’d parted fifteen years ago.
Without thinking too much about what she was doing, she accessed the database that listed all the guests and their room numbers. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do with the information she’d told Oz she didn’t want. She quickly scribbled down the room number and closed the program on her computer. She stuffed the piece of paper in her suit jacket pocket just as her door opened again.
“Lars is on his way to deal with the belligerent customer,” Jan said as she took a seat across the desk from her. “You want to tell me what’s bothering you?”
Ashley leaned back in her chair and studied her face. Jan had been the first person she met when she’d moved to Vegas what seemed like a lifetime ago. She’d helped her to get a job at the Mirage and seemed to take it upon herself to take care of her. When Ash had been offered her current position as head of security at the Rio, she’d brought Jan and Oz both with her from the Mirage. They’d grown close over the years, and Jan and Oz were the only people she’d confided in about her reasons for leaving Los Angeles.
“Jordan is here,” Ash finally said, trying her damnedest to sound as though it didn’t affect her one way or the other.
“Jordan?” Jan asked, leaning forward and looking very interested. “The Jordan? What do you mean she’s here ?”
“She’s here, in this casino.”
“Have you talked to her? What did she say?”
“I didn’t speak to her. We saw each other and I walked away.” Ash ran a hand through her hair and looked at the ceiling. “Christ, Jan, I don’t even know what I’d say to her if we did talk.”
“Has she changed? It’s been a long time. She’s probably overweight and lost her looks, right?”
Ash had to laugh. Jan was trying so hard to make her feel better about running into Jordan again, but her assessment was way off.
“No, she looks like she hasn’t aged much at all, if you want to know the truth.” Her body’s reaction to seeing her embarrassed Ash, but she wasn’t about to tell Jan she’d been instantly aroused. “She looks really good.”
“I think that might be a good place to start a conversation.”
“What?” Ash was indignant. It would definitely not be a good place to start a conversation. Not after the way things ended. So much had changed, and she wasn’t even sure now Jordan would be willing to talk to her. “No.”
“Ash—”
“I said no, Jan.” She stood and avoided looking at her. She knew Jan was attracted to her—it was something Jan admitted to her one night when they ran into each other in a local bar. But Ash’s rule of not getting involved with anyone who actually lived in Vegas wasn’t something she was going to break, especially for someone she worked with. It wasn’t that Jan wasn’t attractive. Hell, she was gorgeous, but Ash knew it could only lead to trouble. She didn’t want to risk losing their friendship. “It’s time to get back to work. She can’t be here forever, so I just need to keep my eyes open and steer clear of her until she’s gone.”
“Keep telling yourself that, Ash. Maybe you can fool yourself into believing it.” Jan left without another word and Ash fell back into her chair.
Jan could be a bit of a flake sometimes, but she’d always been a good friend. Her personal life was more than a little suspect since she played the field even more than Ash did, and Jan didn’t care if the women she hooked up with lived in Vegas, or even if they were staying at the Rio. It had made for a couple of interesting encounters when a woman Jan had dumped confronted her on the floor, but Ash had bailed her out more than once. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could do it though.
And if Jan were to set her sights on Jordan, well, Ash didn’t know what she’d do. All she knew for sure was the jealousy that gripped her at the mere thought of Jan’s hands on Jordan scared the crap out of her. She’d never been jealous before. But then again, Jordan always had made her feel things she wasn’t used to feeling.
Chapter Five
This was a really bad idea. Jordan’s head knew it, but her body seemed to be having other ideas. Tara made no bones about what she wanted from her. The frequent touches on Jordan’s arm
and the way she’d lean into her while they were talking made it obvious. Maybe she could feign a headache. No, not until after they’d gotten their coffee, because that would just be rude, wouldn’t it? Jordan ordered, but when Tara reached into her pocket to get money, she stopped her.
“No, I’ve got it,” Jordan said.
“I invited you for coffee,” Tara reminded her.
“It’s the least I can do since I took all your money at the poker table.”
“Well, since you put it that way…” Tara smiled and ran a hand down Jordan’s back.
When the barista gave her their cups, they made their way to a small table in the corner. Jordan sat and automatically added cream and sugar to hers as her mind wandered. She’d managed to not think about Ash for months now until she’d told Matt about her the day before. And now she couldn’t believe she’d run into her again. How could it be at all possible for the mere sight of Ash to affect her like this?
“So, are you here alone?” Tara asked, pulling Jordan back from her introspective moment.
“Yes, I am. You?”
“I’m here with my sister. I’m sure she’s found some man to hang out with by now. We’ve been in town for a whole six hours.” Tara took a sip of her coffee but held Jordan’s gaze. “How long are you here for?”
“I’m not sure. I’m registered for a couple of tournaments, but I wanted to see how I did before deciding whether to register for the Main Event.”
“The Main Event?”
“The World Series of Poker,” Jordan said. “That’s why I’m here.”
“Then you’re a pro? No wonder you cleaned us all out.”
“Not hardly.” Jordan chuckled and took a moment to think how odd it was to be having a normal conversation with someone who wasn’t Ash when all she could think about was Ash. “I’ve only been playing for a few years but wanted to give it a try.”
“Maybe we could go up to your room and you could show me how good you are.” Tara reached across the table and covered her hand. Jordan allowed the touch for a second before slowly pulling her hand away.
“We aren’t talking about poker anymore, are we?” Jordan asked as Tara shook her head. “I’m flattered, but I can’t.”
“God, please don’t tell me you’re straight.”
“Definitely not.”
“Then you have a girlfriend?”
“No.”
“So what’s the problem?”
Jordan took a deep breath. What was the problem? Tara was attractive enough, and she’d never had a problem with one-nighters in the past. In fact, since being diagnosed, it was all she’d been interested in. She didn’t want to examine the reason too closely because she knew the answer—Ash.
But Ash didn’t want her. She’d made that perfectly clear the last time they’d seen each other. Maybe Ash didn’t want her, but Tara clearly did, so why not? Just go with it, a voice in her head said.
“What about your sister?”
“She won’t care. Like I said, she’s probably found a guy to hang with.”
Jordan ignored the part of her brain consumed with Ash and stood. She motioned for Tara to follow her and then headed toward the elevators again. If she could manage to keep Ash out of her thoughts, she might just be able to salvage the night.
*
Ash walked out to the parking garage with Jan when their shift was over, but once Jan drove away she pulled the piece of paper out of her pocket and stared at the room number she’d written down.
What the fuck was she thinking? She wouldn’t blame Jordan if she didn’t want to talk to her. She should just do what she told Jan she was going to do. Avoid her at all costs, and she’d be gone again soon enough. She crumpled the paper and tossed it onto the floor before turning the key in the ignition.
She put the car in reverse and started to back out, but the car stalled. She sat there for a moment in stunned silence. Maybe it was a sign. The car was an automatic, for God’s sake. It had never stalled before. She took a deep breath and pulled the key out, knowing it was inevitable. She had to talk to Jordan and explain her reasoning for ending their short-lived affair. It was something she’d wanted to do years ago, but she’d never had the guts to call her. She put her name tag into the glove box and got out before she could change her mind.
*
It took Ash an unprecedented twenty minutes to make it to Jordan’s door. She’d started to leave no less than four times before finally making it onto the elevator. Now that she was standing outside her room, she told herself how stupid this was. Her heart was racing with the anticipation of coming face-to-face with Jordan after so many years. How would Jordan react to seeing her again? Ash wouldn’t blame her if Jordan didn’t want to talk to her. Before she lost her nerve, she knocked and then took a step back from the door.
“Can you get that for me?” she heard Jordan say from inside.
Shit, she isn’t alone.
But of course she wouldn’t be alone. Ash was sure there wasn’t any length of time in the past fifteen years Jordan would have been alone. She convinced herself to run away just as the door opened. A rather attractive woman with short dark hair was smiling at her.
“Can I help you?” she asked.
“I’m looking for Jordan,” Ash said, thankful the woman was fully dressed.
“Who is it?” Jordan asked as she came out of the bathroom and stopped dead in her tracks when their eyes met. “Ash.”
“Stryker,” Ash said, using the name she’d gone by when they were working together. She felt as if she might pass out. She felt a smile trying to form on her lips and silently cursed herself. She didn’t look away from Jordan, but could see the other woman looking back and forth between the two of them in her peripheral vision. “I wanted to talk to you, but I can see you’re busy. I’ll catch up with you later.”
She turned and hurried back down the hallway but stopped when she heard Jordan’s voice.
“Ash, wait.”
She looked back at her and did as she asked. She waited. Jordan said something to the woman in her room, but Ash was far enough away she couldn’t hear. The woman looked less than happy as she disappeared back into the room to presumably get her purse and then walked quickly past Ash, bumping into her as she did. Ash slowly walked toward Jordan, who was still standing in the doorway.
“You didn’t have to make your girlfriend leave.” Ash stopped outside the door.
“Not my girlfriend. I just met her.” Jordan appeared flustered, and Ash experienced an uncharacteristic bout of satisfaction to know she wasn’t the only one affected by their meeting again. “Please, come in.”
Ash hesitated for only a second. Jordan moved aside to allow her access. She walked past her and went right to the sofa, sitting without being invited to. She put her hands under her thighs so Jordan wouldn’t see how badly they were trembling.
“So how did you find me, Ashley Noble?”
Ash whipped her head up and looked at her. She’d never told Jordan her maiden name, so how had she found out? Her emotions warred inside her. She was perturbed Jordan knew her maiden name and she wanted to confront her on it, but when she saw Jordan wince as she sat on the other end of the sofa, she worried about what would make her do so. She scanned the room and noticed a cane against the wall next to the bed.
“You’re hurt.” Not a question. It was obvious to Ash that Jordan was in pain. “What happened? Were you shot?”
“No,” Jordan said without looking at her. “And don’t think you can deflect my question. How did you find out what room I was in?”
“I’m head of security for the hotel. It wasn’t really very hard to find the information.”
“Then I’m guessing it probably wouldn’t be good for anyone to find out you used your position to obtain a guest’s room number, am I right?”
“Obviously, this was a mistake.” Ash stood and walked toward the door. What the hell had she been thinking, showing up at Jordan’s room? “I won’t bothe
r you again.”
“Ash, wait.” Jordan struggled to stand but managed to do it before Ash turned around. “I’m sorry. When I’m nervous I tend to be an ass.”
“Just when you’re nervous?”
Jordan couldn’t help but laugh. Ash was right. She managed to be an ass most of the time. A trait she blamed solely on her father because he had perfected the art of being an ass. She could see Ash fighting not to smile, but at least she was walking back to the sofa. They sat again, and Jordan could tell Ash was nervous too. She wondered what it had cost her emotionally to show up at her room. She sent a silent thank you to whoever might be listening that she and Tara hadn’t been in the middle of something.
“Why are you here?” Jordan asked.
“How did you know my last name?”
“Why are you head of security at a Las Vegas hotel? What happened to your career as a police officer?”
“Why are you trying to hide the fact you’re in pain?”
Jordan sat back and looked at the ceiling. Rapid-fire questions were getting them nowhere. There was no way she was going to tell Ash about her MS. She’d wanted many things from Ash, but sympathy had never been one of them.
“How about we try answering some of the questions we’ve already asked instead of adding more to the mix?”
“Fine. How did you know my last name?”
“I’m a former FBI agent. I have my ways of finding things like that out.”
“Former FBI agent?” Ash’s expression and tone told Jordan she should have kept her mouth shut. “What the hell’s going on, Stryker?”
“I love it when you say my name like that.”
“Damn it, Jordan, I’m serious.”
“So am I,” Jordan said. When she’d left Flagstaff that afternoon she’d never dreamed she’d be sitting in her hotel room talking to Ashley Green. No, it’s Noble now. She couldn’t help herself around Ash—flirting seemed to be the normal thing to do.
“You’re obviously in pain,” Ash said. Jordan wasn’t sure if she was relieved or not that Ash wasn’t going to be easily deterred from her line of questioning. “And you’re a former FBI agent. Not retired. Were you shot?”
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