Total pages in book: 200
Estimated words: 189898 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 949(@200wpm)___ 760(@250wpm)___ 633(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 189898 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 949(@200wpm)___ 760(@250wpm)___ 633(@300wpm)
“Are you sure this okay? I can—”
“For a quarter-million buy-in, it damn well better be,” he grumbled like the spoiled brat he was. I was still reeling over the dollar amount when he wrapped his arm around my waist and nodded at a bearded gentleman wearing a fedora across from us. Based on the look the guy gave Loren in return, they knew each other, but it didn’t go further from there.
Once Loren was settled, the cards were dealt, and the game began. I didn’t understand any of it, and Loren didn’t bother to explain. He promptly withdrew into himself as he concentrated on his hand and the cards on the table.
I was so on edge by the time the first game ended that I didn’t object when he placed his hand on my bare thigh and swept this thumb back and forth. He’d won the entire pot.
“Relax,” he whispered.
“This is a lot of money,” I whispered back. I didn’t want to embarrass him by acting like an amateur, but I couldn’t seem to keep anything in around him. “Are you sure you should bet so much? What if you lose?”
“After living both sides of the tracks, baby fawn, I’ve learned that I’m no happier with money than I am without.”
I sighed as my shoulders deflated. “Was there a time when you ever gave a fuck?” I sounded utterly drained.
“Once.” I turned just enough to catch the faraway look in his eyes. “It was a waste of time, so I wouldn’t recommend it.”
Still deep in thought, his hand drifted up, and then his fingers slipped just underneath my dress before resting there. I didn’t exhale until it was clear he wouldn’t try to finger-bang me underneath the table.
“How are you going to play if you’re groping me?”
“Easy,” he whispered back. “You’re going to play this hand for me.” As if it weren’t insane, he laid the two cards he’d just been dealt facedown on the table.
No way I was touching those cards.
“I’ll lose.” It was taking all my self-control, which was slipping out the window with him gripping my thigh like he owned me, not to yell. I didn’t want to unintentionally alert the others before I could talk him out of his asinine plan.
“So lose.” Holding me with his black gaze, his hand resumed its ascent, my leg twitching when his fingers brushed the edge of my thong. “It’s worth every penny.”
“Are you implying that I’m for sale?”
He snorted. “I know you’re not.”
“Are we playing poker, or are we watching James sniff after this girl’s panties?” snapped the guy Loren had acknowledged earlier. As soon as he was done speaking, he lifted his fedora with an apologetic tilt of his lips and revealed a bald head underneath. Shame didn’t come as easily to me these days, but I still caught the faint scent of Father Moore’s holy oil.
I started to push Loren’s hand away until I realized I wasn’t that girl anymore, and I’d miss his touch too much.
“You lose any more money, Vince, and I’ll have to take your house as collateral. I’m just giving you time to come to your senses since we both know your wife isn’t with you for your charm.” The men around the table laughed at Vince’s expense, who didn’t seem to find it as funny as they did. Without warning, Loren lifted me on my feet before standing. “Give me two minutes.”
No one said anything, and he didn’t wait for permission.
“Loren, I’m serious,” I said the moment we were alone in the hall. “I can’t do this. I can’t lose your money.”
“It’s okay. I have more.”
“That’s not the point.”
“Then, how about this? I play this hand.” I was already eagerly nodding before he finished. Smiling like he was indulging me, he rested his forearm on the wall next to my head. “But if I win, I make you come. That’s the deal.”
My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach, but my vagina had a different reaction. If we had still been sitting with his hand on my thigh, I wouldn’t have been able to hide my reaction.
“What?”
“You said no one hurt you.” It was then I realized he was still obsessing over my confession. “There’s only one other thing that makes sense.”
“Do tell.” I rolled my eyes, but he never lost his serious expression.
“No one ever made it good for you. You can’t miss something you never enjoyed.”
He patiently waited for me to admit that he was right. And he was…just not about me. Needing something to do with my hands, I placed them on his chest and toyed with the sterling silver clip on his tie. It’s where I kept my gaze when I whispered as low as I could, “I do enjoy sex, Loren. I like it very much.”
I felt his muscles tense underneath my hand, and when I looked up, I found his brows dipped and his beautiful face twisted in confusion. “Then why—”