Giving Chase (A Racing Romance) (Aspen Valley Series #2) by Hannah Hooton Read Free Book Online Page B

cards.’
    Frankie’s breath caught in her throat. Lounging in his chair, his dark hair curling over his forehead, Rhys looked up in surprise.
    Feeling conspicuous, Frankie wrung her hands then suddenly aware of the image she was projecting, she whipped them down by her sides. Stay cool, she told herself.
    ‘Hello, Rhys,’ she said.
    ‘Frankie,’ he nodded in solemn greeting. He looked her up and down. ‘No need to stand to attention. Take a seat.’ Hooking his foot around the chair leg, he pushed it out for her to sit down.
    Frankie swallowed and took her place next to him. Where was Tom? She could really do with his moral support right now. Craning her neck to see over the restaurant-bar partition, she could see him chatting to a bored-looking Joey.
    Rhys shuffled the cards as Donnie counted out some chips for her.
    ‘I take it you know how to play Hold ’Em?’ Rhys asked, raising a flyaway eyebrow.
    Frankie smiled sweetly and wiped the sweat from her palms onto her jeans beneath the table.
    ‘You bet.’
    Rhys gave a half smile (either that or he had wind).
    ‘Oh, I do.’
    Frankie tried not to admire his long strong fingers and toned forearm as he deftly dealt the cards to her, Donnie and the two other men at the table. She was about to pick up her cards when she noticed the others only bend theirs to peek at them. Damn, she hated it when they did that. She could never remember what her cards were if they were always faced down. She took a quick look. Okay, maybe this time it wouldn’t matter. She wouldn’t get far with a two of spades and seven of diamonds anyway.
    *
    Three hands, two folds and a failed bluff later Frankie was regretting her decision to play. With Rhys to her left, she was very aware of him methodically collecting the pot on each occasion. Each time he reached forward to take his winnings the scent of seductive cologne tickled her nostrils. This was not conducive to her game concentration.
    As Donnie dealt the next hand, Frankie’s heart gave a flutter when she bent her cards back. Two queens! Much the best hand she’d had so far. She glanced up to see how the rest of the table were receiving their cards. The man sitting opposite her, named Carl, pushed out his lower lip sceptically. The other man, Richard, looked preoccupied with snuffling into his handkerchief. On her right, Donnie was smiling coyly. She looked at Rhys. His deadpan expression altered a fraction as he raised an eyebrow at her.
    When the betting reached Donnie, he raised the stakes. The crooked smile was still there but Frankie noticed his foot wasn’t tapping like it had on the two other occasions he’d had good hands. She decided to take a chance. She re-raised. One by one, each of the players matched her bet. She didn’t know whether to be glad or not yet. The first three community cards were turned over and Frankie held her breath. Two threes and a five, giving her two pair. It wasn’t the strongest hand but it had potential. Her focus turned to Rhys once more. Was it because she felt he was her most likely opposition or was it because she was finding some bizarre satisfaction in being allowed to study him without coming across as a weirdo? Rhys’s eyes, black as coal pits, flitted over each of the players as he made his own assessments. The shadows beneath them and the cheekbones one could base-jump off made him attractive in a haunted-by-demons kind of way. Considering he was a jump jockey, his nose was surprisingly straight in comparison to Donnie’s mangled features. His eyes came to rest on her and Frankie felt like she’d been zapped by a live wire.
    ‘Frankie, are you still playing this round?’ he asked.
    Her attention snapped back to the game, realising that they were waiting on her. Embarrassed, she pushed forward her raised bet.
    The fourth community card was turned, revealing a six of clubs. Frankie felt her throat contract and she tried not to swallow. Her two pair was looking vulnerable now. She