Their chemistry is instant, undeniable, but as the night unfolds, Robyn realizes that Michael is playing a game. One with risks and consequences far beyond anything she's encountered.
-☆ mjprint
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Neon signs buzzed overhead while cigarette smoke hung thick across the casino. Slot machines chimed their endless chorus, punctuated by ice rattling in tumblers. I needed a drink - hell, several drinks - to wash away this fucked up day. And that's when I spotted the bastard who would start all this mess.
The guy was straight-up ridiculous - like some brooding French cinema star dropped into our trashy casino. His dark curls caught every light, and that face? Pure perfection. But Jesus, those eyes got me. Dark and sharp, scanning everything while giving zero fucks about the wasted tourists stumbling around him.
The suit was something else - charcoal gray, clearly cost more than my yearly rent, hugging his body like it was made for him. Which it probably was. Everything about him screamed money and danger, totally out of place in this neon-lit shithole. I kept trying to look away, but fuck me if I could. Made everyone else look like drunk idiots playing dress-up in comparison.
Then, like some cosmic bullshit timing, his gaze shot straight at me - BAM! Instant connection. The whole damn place melted away, leaving just us in this weird bubble of whatever-the-fuck this was. The sound of drunk gamblers and that mind-numbing casino chaos? Gone. Poof. My chest went into overdrive, pounding so hard I swear the cocktail waitress three tables over could hear it.
Something electric sparked between us, making my skin tingle like I'd grabbed a live wire. Couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't do anything but stand there like a deer caught in the world's sexiest headlights. And you know what? In that moment, the rest of these lowlifes could've been recording this shit for WorldStar - I wouldn't have given two fucks. Something bigger was happening here, something that made everything else feel like static on an old TV.
His gaze pierced through me like some kinda truth serum, hot and dangerous all at once. A shiver crawled down my spine - that nagging feeling you get when something's familiar but you can't place it for shit. Like déjà vu on steroids.
Each second we stayed locked in this stare-down felt like old memories scratching at the back of my brain, teasing me with shadows of something that never actually happened. And yet... fuck me if it didn't feel real as hell. Standing there, trapped in his stare, my mind played tricks - spinning up fake memories of conversations we'd never had, places we'd never been. Pure insanity, but damn if it didn't feel right somehow.
His lips quirked up in that cocky half-smile and my heart went absolutely haywire. My face burned hot enough to light a cigarette, but no way in hell was I backing down. I locked eyes with him, matching that intensity beat for beat.
This felt heavy, different - like we'd been here before, you know? My logical side was calling major BS, screaming that this was just another night at this shit casino. But deep down? Something else was stirring, whispering that maybe we'd played this game before, in some other time, some other place. And fuck if that didn't scare me more than anything.
