Taking a Chance

Chapter 10

Daryl looked down at the slender hand on his arm and then back up into Gabrielle's troubled eyes. The coldness she saw in them scared her. She removed the hand that was touching him and watched him slowly finish his beer.

"Daryl, we need to talk," she said again.

"Heard ya the first time, Princess. Hadda finish my beer," he told her in that slow raspy Georgia drawl of his.

Gabrielle shook her head. "After last night you haven't had enough to drink?"

Daryl looked over at Joe, who has a slight smirk on his face. "She's nagging me already, man."

Joe laughed and slid him his check for the burger and beer. Daryl looked at the amount and was shocked at the prices. Vegas was one expensive place to be, but with the extra money he had won at the casino, it wasn't that bad. He threw a couple of twenties down and stood up.

"Let's go," he said to Gabrielle, His voice was flat and unemotional. He got up and headed out the door not even looking back to see if she was following him.

Daryl stopped once he was almost at the hotel lobby. It was full of people. He turned to Gabrielle, "Where?"

Gabrielle hadn't thought that far ahead. She had spent half the night looking for him and now that she did find him she didn't know what to do. The lobby was way too crowded for what they needed to talk about, they needed a private area. She suggested the first thing that came to her mind, "My suite?"

Daryl's stone cold expression lightened just a bit. "Trying to get me in bed again, Princess?" It was almost more a suggestion, than a question.

Her face instantly flushed red in embarrassment. No, she was not thinking that, at least when she suggested the room she hadn't been, but why did he have to go and say it, because now she was definitely thinking about it. "No, I'm not," she lied. "It was the first place I can think of that's private. We can talk in the sitting room. That's far from the bed."

Together they headed to the bank of elevators that solely brought guests up and down to their rooms. Neither said a word as they waited for one to arrive. Once the door closed, Gabrielle glanced over at Daryl and saw he leaning up against the elevator wall with that smirk still on his face. "Get over yourself," she snapped at him.

Daryl didn't answer her. He continued to lean one shoulder against the elevator wall as they waited to arrive at her floor. Once again she was dressed to kill. She wore an off the shoulder ivory colored blouse that had enough buttons undone to make a man beg for more. Her long legs were showcased in tight black jeans and the black stilettos she wore brought her up to his height. He was greatly enjoying the view.

He was watching Gabrielle stare straight ahead, not daring to look at him at all. He loved knowing she was on edge. For him to survive this with a little dignity, he had to try to keep the upper hand.

When the elevator finally stopped, Gabrielle exited first and Daryl followed her until they arrived in front of a set of double doors. It did not get by him that her ass looked perfect in those jeans. She swiped the key card and pushed inside. Daryl subtlety adjusted himself as his body was reacting to her more than he liked.

The room was twice as big as his, maybe more. Daryl walked down a short hall that opened up into a large spacious living room. Modern couches and chairs took up the room with brown leather and stainless steel the color palate throughout. Blue accents scattered about brought a vibrancy to the space. Gabrielle had a fully stocked bar over to the left with large floor to ceiling windows that looked out over the Strip. The flashing lights from the city threw bright spots of color all over the room. To the right, he saw the open door that led to the bedroom. He had no plans on going in there tonight.