He was about to get played . . . He was her trump card. When failed actress Laurel Hall comes home for Christmas, she thinks the worst thing she'll have to do is explain her lackluster career. Then she learns that her family has another job for her-and this one's going to be toughest role yet. The part? To lure the man who ruined her father into a high-stakes poker game and then take him down. But to do that, Laurel will need a coach. That's where gorgeous Jack Hartman, a former world-class gambler, comes in. Only Laurel quickly discovers she'd like more from Jack than poker tips. Okay, so Jack has a bit of a shady past with cards. But he's over that now. Still, there's no way he can resist Laurel's request. And as he teaches her the tricks of the trade, he and Laurel get close. Very close. But it soon becomes evident that Laurel doesn't need a coach-she needs Jack to play the game in her stead. But if he wins, will lovely Laurel be part of the spoils?