This chapter gives a little insight on Meredith's mysterious calls from Alex. As well as some conversation with Derek & Mark, and some barely suppressed heat between MerDer. All leading up to the game...poker game that is...LOL

And a piece of trivia as well - Eric Dane (our favorite McSteamy) had a small part on Las Vegas once, only a couple of episodes. He didn't have the beard and moustache, and I almost didn't recognize him when I saw him. Just not the same without it!

Chapter 7 – The Fire Inside

Filled with desire
I can't stand the heat
And my heart's on fire
I can't get enough
It's down to the wire
I'm making my move, I'm looking for you
I'm burning for love

You can run but you can't hide
You're the only one I need
To feel the fire inside

Meredith dressed carefully for this last round of play. She felt relaxed and ready, confident she was going to win. Despite what Cristina thought, she knew she could keep it together. The sexual tension with Derek had been dissipated, and it wouldn't be a problem this time. She turned and checked her dress from all angles, finally giving her hair a last shake, and spritzing perfume at her wrists and throat. It gave her a sudden jolt, thinking of Derek's lips on her there. Not helping…she thought, shaking her head at the mirror. Think ice, blizzards, snow…not the languid heat that infused her at his touch…

With a soft sigh, she turned from the mirror and went to gather her purse and jacket. Making sure she had her glasses, her lucky poker chip and her cell phone and keycard, before she headed out the door. The plush carpet along the corridor swallowed her footsteps, as she walked, wrapped up in her thoughts. Thinking of game strategies, envisioning the cards, the feel of the chips, the winning attitude that was so mentally necessary. Derek was certainly a good player, one of the best she'd encountered. And just because he was so damn good in bed, didn't mean he was going to win.

Her cell phone chirped softly in her purse, and she opened it quickly as she pushed the button for the elevator. "Derek…miss me already?" she said quietly, without checking the display, a bad move she realized as soon as she heard the voice in her ear.

"Who the fuck is Derek?"

"Shit…Alex…" Meredith hissed. "Leave me the hell alone. It's over – don't you get it? It was over the moment you fucked Izzie, in my bed…"

"Aw…c'mon dollface…give me a break. You knew we weren't exclusive."

"Fine! That's all well and good, but it was still MY bed…you couldn't take her home to her place? You just can't keep your cock in your pants…" Meredith kept her voice low, as she stepped into the elevator. "You can have her, Alex, just leave me alone. I never expected a long term relationship with you or anyone, but I at least expected you to be honest with me."

"Mer, baby…don't be like this…you know how good we were together. Don't you want old Alex to make you feel like that again?"

"No, I don't," Meredith said with a small laugh. "I'm having fun without you – hard as it may be for you to understand. And don't call me BABY!" And she clicked the phone shut, leaning back against the cool elevator wall. Alex had been a mistake from the beginning, she never should have gotten involved with him. Her phone began to ring again, and she ignored it this time.

"So, you made it with the lovely Miss Grey…" Mark commented, sitting on the sofa, his feet up on the coffee table in Derek's suite.

"I'd rather not put it quite like that, but yes, I was with her last night." Derek straightened his shirt cuffs, and smoothed his unruly hair into place. "She's not exactly what I expected, to be honest." He laid his jacket over the back of the sofa, checking his watch.

"Is that good?" Mark smirked, taking a sip of his drink.

Derek considered for a moment, picturing Meredith's fey green eyes, her cute little giggle and her warm body winding around his. "Very good," he replied firmly. "I haven't been fascinated by a woman like this before. She's very confident and sexy as hell…" He touched the little bruises along his throat before doing up the shirt, and slinging his tie around his neck.

"Damn, that's a hell of a compliment coming from you."

"Am I that hard to please?" Derek laughed.

"Usually," Mark replied dryly, earning a scowl from Derek.

"Unlike you, who falls in love with every pretty girl you fuck."

"What's wrong with that? I like being in love."

Derek shrugged as he slipped his jacket on. "I just don't feel the need to give my heart away unless I think it's going to last."

"And therefore you've never been in love. You should try it sometime." Mark jumped up and checked his watch too. "Gotta run, buddy. Speaking of hot sexy women, I have a date. Good luck- I'll come by later and catch you winning."

"Who?"

"Who what?"

"Who are you meeting?" Derek asked patiently, grabbing his keycard.

"Just someone I met last night. Tall, sexy, legs that never end…" He winked and was out the door before Derek could say anything else.

Derek shook his head - trust Mark to give a description of nearly all the women staying here at the casino.

Derek stepped out of the elevator at the main lobby, his thoughts drifting to Meredith. She was proving to be a true opponent at the poker table, and a passionate woman in bed. He was looking forward to tonight, for both reasons, he thought with a grin. Then he spotted the object of his thoughts standing outside the poker room, a look of irritation on her face as she glared at her cell phone. Moving silently behind her, he placed his hand against the small of her back. "Hello, Meredith…" he murmured, and she jumped in surprise.

"Derek!" Meredith gasped, spinning around, her eyes wide. "Damnit…do you have to appear out of thin air like that? You scared the crap out of me!"

"Just one of my many talents." He gave her a devastating smile. "I told you that last night, remember?"

"Um…no…" she admitted. Their eyes met again, his full of heat and remembered passion from the previous night.

"And here I remember everything you tell me," he laughed, resisting the urge to lean down and kiss her, right there in front of everyone milling around.

"Sorry…" she giggled, relaxing a little, still feeling the possessive imprint of his hand against her back. The length of his lean body was close beside her, his pure masculine scent wrapping around her.

"You seemed a little preoccupied with your phone."

"Oh that…well, yeah…just some asshole I'd rather not talk to."

Derek's eyebrow raised. "Some asshole?"

"Very much so." Meredith turned the phone off, and snapped it shut decisively, before slipping it into her purse. "There, no distractions now, right?" She looked up at him again, getting lost in those killer blue eyes, licking her lip unconsciously.

"No distractions…" But his focus was riveted on her mouth again, and the pulse he could see at the base of her throat. The place where he wanted to put his lips and make the pulse speed up, and the sight of the tip of her pink tongue along her lip made him want to grab her right then and there. He cleared his throat, and took her elbow, leading her away from the crowd.

"Derek…the game is starting soon…what are you…" Meredith followed along in his wake, as he easily maneuvered through the throng of people. He finally pulled her in behind a huge potted palm, whose low spreading fronds provided a sense of privacy.

"This is what I'm doing…" Derek whispered in her ear, his hands hot on her bare shoulders, before he claimed her mouth. Hot, hungry and oh so demanding, his tongue met hers in an instant, finding she was just as eager as he was. Mouths open and tongues searching, Meredith found herself kissing him back so fiercely, they almost seemed to melt into each other. When they finally broke apart, they stared at each other for a moment, breathing heavily.

"This is crazy…" Meredith murmured, her eyes darting around to see if anyone spotted them.

"Crazy," he agreed, kissing her again, his teeth catching her bottom lip, sending a little shock of pain shooting through her, mingling with the sudden throb of desire that made her ache. His firm body pressed against her, and she was very aware of his cock, bumping intimately over her, and her whole thought process short circuited. His mouth tracked over her throat, and along her collarbone, sending her pulse skyrocketing.

"Derek…god…" she managed to whisper, lost in a fog of heat.

"Damn…I'm sorry…" he muttered, lifting his head, and catching his breath. "I couldn't resist…I want to be inside of you right now so badly, Meredith. I want to have those legs wrapped around my back, and your breasts against my chest…I want to hear your soft moans of surrender, as we make slow sweet love, and your sigh of satisfaction when I make you come…"

"Are you trying to distract me…?" Meredith's thoughts dissolved with the images he was spinning with his words.

"What?" he murmured seductively, leaning in again, his mouth at her earlobe, his tongue just tracing the delicate edge. "Is it working?" His hand moved along the small of her back again, sending arrows of erotic need zinging along her spine.

"Yes…" Meredith sighed, "definitely distracting me…"

"So I should let you go, then." His breath tickled her cheek as he moved away, releasing her from his embrace. "I can wait…if you can…"

Meredith swallowed, trying to remember where she was, and that was so not the place to be thinking about sex. Glaciers, snowdrifts…

"The game is starting soon…" Derek said, glancing at his watch. Despite his lighter tone, he was still burning up inside, aroused to the edge of his self control.

"I think the game has already begun," she replied sweetly, running her hand along the bulge at the front of his pants. "Don't you, Derek?"

"Absolutely, sweetheart…" he replied, his voice dark and sensual. He backed away further, and adjusted his tie, before holding his hand out to her. "Let's go do this...but later…we're going to finish what we started, and we will do everything I just said to you…and more…"

"After you lose to me, you mean," Meredith said quietly, before taking his hand, and letting him escort her away to the poker table.

Derek squeezed her hand a little tighter. "We'll see about that…"

Song lyrics from "Burning for Love" by Bon Jovi