Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 44788 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 224(@200wpm)___ 179(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44788 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 224(@200wpm)___ 179(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
She gave me a surprised look over her shoulder .
“Huh ?”
“Dev has a lot of board games up here. And we used to play poker once a month .”
I tried to sound casual and nonchalant, but my heart was pounding .
“There are chips and everything .”
She shrugged again. She was being agreeable enough, but I could tell she wasn’t happy about this. She was just too polite to tell me to go to hell .
Of course, I was going to get that out of her before the night was over. Come hell or high water .
She reached to pour herself another shot and I swooped in .
“Let’s stick to beer for now. I don’t want an unfair advantage .”
Again, the sad little shrug. It broke my heart a little. She used to care about everything. Now, she didn’t seem to care about anything .
I grabbed the cards and the poker spinner filled with brightly colored chips. But not before turning the fireplace on. I was no dummy. I knew it added ambiance to the room. She almost smiled at that. Almost, but not quite .
“ That’s nice .”
“You cold? There are blankets. It does get chilly up here at night .”
“I’m okay, thank you .”
I sat next to her on the sofa and held up the deck .
“Mind if I deal ?”
She shook her head, and leaned back on the couch to look at her hand. She closed her eyes and sighed .
She was making it awfully easy to cheat .
So I did .
Chapter Twenty
Becky
“W hat are the stakes ?”
I crossed my arms, noticing how his eyes slid down to my chest when I did that. Ugh, the man was smoldering hot already, even without any encouragement. I wondered if he looked at the club girls like that. If he did, well, no wonder he’d had two on his lap that night .
I knew it didn’t mean anything but I started to flush. I felt tingles all over my skin, especially where his eyes landed. I wish I could say his attention didn’t affect me, but it did .
Dammit, it did .
“What do you want to play for ?”
His voice was suggestive, making me crack my eye a bit .
“Not strip poker, so you can get your mind right out of the gutter .”
He smiled ruefully .
“That didn’t even cross my mind .”
“Yeah, right .”
I shut my eyes again, listening to him deal .
“How about questions? I know I have a few .”
“What ?”
I sat up, suddenly awake .
“Nothing too challenging, I promise .”
“I don’t have any questions .”
“Fine, you can play for something else. Money ?”
I shook my head, frowning. I wasn’t going to take his money, even though the truth was, I could use it. Being a single mom was not cheap .
“Favors? I could do anything you want. Paint Mae’s house. Mow the lawn .”
I stared at him. It was tempting, but it would never work. If he was at the house, he would notice Eliza sooner or later .
I groaned when he wiggled his eyebrows at me .
“Sexual favors ?”
“Don’t be a pig .”
“I can’t help it around you .”
I exhaled, trying to ignore the rush of warmth I felt at his words. He’d said it. It was out there .
No more hiding from the fact that he still wanted me .
“Okay, what if I remove an item of clothing every time I lose, and you answer a question ?”
“Kind of like …”
“Truth or strip .”
He grinned. He looked thrilled. Of course he was. If I looked like him, I’d look for excuses to take my clothes off too. And he knew how his muscles always drove me crazy. I certainly wasn’t subtle about it .
I groaned, remembering all the times I’d kissed his chest. His shoulders. I’d even bitten him a few times .
I knew I was going to regret it the moment I nodded my head ‘yes .’
“Truth or strip it is .”
He held up his cards with a grin .
“Let’s do this, Rebecca .”
* * *
I won the first two hands, which I hadn’t expected .
He pulled off his button down slowly, giving me a determined look as he shrugged it off his shoulders. As a result, I was sitting facing a half-naked, very sexy, Whiskey Beard. He’d gotten a few tats since I left town. The club tat on his back was standard issue, and he’d had that before .
The two new ones on his chest… well, those did not make me happy. Especially the second one .
Live Free Or Die
Better Off Alone
I couldn’t lie. The ink about being alone made me wince. Maybe he’d been more effected by my absence than I thought. Kaylie had said he was a mess …
Or maybe it has nothing to do with you, Becks .
I wasn’t surprised when I lost the next hand. I wasn’t paying attention. He’d lost weight since the last time I saw him, making his stomach even flatter. How was that fair? I had a baby belly and he was… freaking flawless. The man couldn’t have been more perfect looking if he had been carved out of marble .