I can't believe it's almost Thanksgiving Day. And I really can't believe that Christmas will be here in four weeks. I say this every year but this year has flown!
One thing I am thankful for every year is how the holiday season tends to slow us all down. We notice our surroundings - family and friends at the dinner table, light displays, an afternoon to build a snowman. I like that we're nicer to one another, even the strangers, this time of year. I'm also thankful that I started taking part in the #30DaysOfThanks meme that starts going around Facebook and Twitter November 1...it's fun to think of one thing each day for which I'm thankful.
Today, I am thankful for video games - I loved PacMan as a kid (and still do), but I'm definitely a Wii convert. I love playing Just Dance with bebe, any of the LEGO games and the Wii Fit things, too...mostly, though, I like the time that we spending playing together as a family. Those are minutes I wouldn't trade for anything.
What are you thankful for?
Title: What the Gambler Risks
Series: Billionaire Cowboys, Book 3
Sensuality Level: Sensual
Release Date: September 28, 2016
Blurb:
Best-selling author Kristina
Knight's Billionaire Cowboys are back for one final ride with this seductive
story of long-simmering feelings and hot Vegas nights.
Twenty-something ice queen Sabrina Smith enjoys the fame and fortune
she's found writing self-help books for a largely female audience. Her readers
hang on every word of how the Vegas Virgin - an unflattering and inaccurate
moniker given to her by a local shock jock - juggles dating, working, and
friendships in Sin City.
And that's why Jase Reeves spells trouble.
Jase knows Sabrina's secret - that she's not nearly as cold as she
would like people to think - and he's through keeping it. He didn't intend to
have a one-night stand with the Vegas Virgin, but now he can't get her out of
his head. And he can't keep living this lie.
With Jase back at the tables in Vegas, Sabrina has one goal: stay away
from the handsome gambler before he melts her career - and her heart.
“One more hand. Winner buys the loser a drink?”
She tilted
her water bottle toward him. “I already have a drink.”
Jase
snickered but was careful to keep the sound light and friendly. “That’s not a
drink.” He lifted his glass of soda water with lime to his mouth. Most people
wouldn’t consider the contents of his glass a real drink, either, but he rarely
drank when he played. Alcohol and cards did not mix well in Jase’s opinion.
“What do you have to lose?” he pressed.
“We’ll
see,” she said, not meeting his gaze directly, and he was 75 percent positive
she was on her way to a yes.
The dealer
switched decks and then dealt the cards. Jase had random cards in his hands,
but he didn’t care. The woman studied her hand, one manicured nail tapping
against the cards. Considering.
“Twenty,”
she said, throwing a chip on the table.
“Raise to
forty,” Jase said, tossing two chips on the table. The best plan of attack when
the cards in his hand were useless was to make her think he held something
amazing. He didn’t bluff in real card games, but despite her two wins, he
didn’t peg this woman as a true card player. If she were a regular player, she
wouldn’t be so transparent about what she held in her hands.
The woman
blinked, and her teeth began nibbling at her lower lip.
“Are you
in?” he asked, a bit more forcefully than was necessary.
Her finger
tapped faster against the cards in her hand. “I’ll take three,” she said and
slid three cards to the dealer.
As soon as
her new cards were in her hands, Jase said, “I’ll stand.” And he stacked his
worthless cards with all the careless confidence he used in high-stakes games
around the globe. The kind of confidence that made big-time, big-money gamblers
think twice about going against him in the second betting round.
The woman
circled her index finger around her remaining green chip, considering her
options. Call, take the gamble, lose, and have a drink with him. Of course, it
would take a truly pitiful hand to lose to what he held. She could fold and
have a drink with him. She could also call his bluff and, depending on the
cards in her own hand, win. He didn’t like the thought of her winning, but if
her winning at the table landed the two of them at the bar, was it really a
loss for him?
“Call,” she
said, and Jase felt a wave of admiration for his opponent. Which was not good,
because if she was calling she had to have something in her hand, and he had a
big, fat zero. Which meant she would win. Jase didn’t like to lose, especially
at poker, not even when it was a friendly game instead of a high-stakes match
with thousands of dollars to lose.
She laid
down her cards: three queens, a two, and a ten.
“Three of a
kind. Nice.”
“I was
hoping for a full house.”
“I was
hoping you’d fold, so I could buy you that drink,” he said and laid his
cards—all four suits, random order—on the table.
“Nice
bluff, I almost folded.”
“If it had
been a better bluff, you would have folded.” He watched her for a moment across
the table. “Now you have to buy me the drink; all in all, not a bad night at
the table.”
The woman
pushed back from the table, pulling the pot in the middle to her side. Jase
pocketed the chips he had left in his stack. “I never agreed to that bed,” she
said, and her hands stilled over the chips. Her gaze flicked to his, and
despite the dim light, he saw the flush that crept over her cheeks.
“And here I
thought we were just talking about a drink. I have to tell you, I’m not the
kind of guy to go off to a strange woman’s hotel room after a lousy hand of
poker,” he said with mock outrage.
“Bet. I
meant bet.”
Buy Links:
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Author Endorsement:
“Kristina Knight does it again! If you like relatable characters that you fall in love with from page one, amazing sexual tension, a story line that keeps you turning the pages, and snappy dialogue then you’ll love What the Gambler Risks. Ms. Knight is one of my favorite authors and her stories never disappoint, making it hard for me to pick a favorite from all her titles. If you haven’t read one of her books, you definitely need to.” ~ Christine Warner – author of The Friends First series with Entangled Publishing
"Kristina Knight gets me hooked- What a great start to a sexy new series! I felt right at home with these characters. Gage and Callie (What the Bachelor Gets) kept me on my toes!" ~ USA Today Bestselling Author Nikki Lynn Barrett
"In What the Heiress Wants, Kristina Knight writes a riveting story of corporate espionage and spying with delightful characters you find yourself rooting for and falling in love with." ~ Sharon Cullen, USA Today Bestselling Author
Author Bio:
Once
upon a time, Kristina Knight spent her days running from car crash to fire to
meetings with local police--no, she wasn't a troublemaker, she was a
journalist. Her career took her all over the United States, writing about everything
from a serial killer's capture to the National Finals Rodeo. Along the way, she
found her very own Knight in Shining Cowboy Boots and an abiding love for
romance novels. And just like the characters from her favorite books, she's
living her own happily ever after.
Kristina
writes sassy contemporary romance novels; her books have appeared on Kindle
Best Seller Lists. She loves hearing from readers, so drop her a line!
Author Links:
Website:
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Amazon Author Page:
Hi Kristina. I'm not a gamer but I definitely get what you mean about spending lovely days with family during the holiday season. Especially those long lunches—they're my best! xx
ReplyDeleteUnique characters and fun excerpt! Good luck with sales and promotion of "What the Gambler Risks."
ReplyDeleteKristina, Like you, I'm grateful that people seem to be a little kinder to one another during the holidays. We exchange smiles and, I think, have lighter hearts. I love that feeling!
ReplyDeleteLovely post, Kristina. Though the holidays can be hectic, I tend to slow down, too. A time of reflection... All the best!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! With our family it was board games like Monopoly, Sorry, Scrabble, etc. That was way back in the 80s so we didn't have video games as yet.
ReplyDeleteI'm thankful for board games like Settlers of Cataan, Dominion, and Small World that allow to spend hours around the table as a family with my college-aged kids. I'm not into video games, but I did love butchering Guitar Hero songs with my middle son. Thanks for the reminder!
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed your excerpt. We love playing games -especially cards and drinking games. Although we love having family and friends I've never thought the holidays slow us down. Now January is another story.
ReplyDelete