Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 67644 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67644 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
Still, if anyone other than Becket had been the dealer, I would’ve gotten up and found a different table. But that damn chemistry between us kept me in my seat and playing. It hadn’t stopped me from giving him the evil eye whenever his displays of possessiveness scared off another player, though. I knew exactly when he finally realized I was irritated with him. He flashed me an apologetic grin and behaved for the next few hands—right up until another male player sat down next to me and got treated to Becket’s surliness.
It was hell on his tips too because all of the guys he scared off were in too much of a hurry to slide any chips his way. Not that it mattered much to him since he was a part owner in a hotel and casino with his brother. This job was for shits and giggles more than anything else. Which was a good thing considering the look on Drew Lennox’s face when he prowled towards our table near the end of Becket’s shift. I’d played in enough tournaments at his casino to recognize him, but I hadn’t really talked to him except when he’d congratulated me for winning a couple of times.
“Uh oh, it looks like you’re in trouble with more than me,” I warned Becket in a soft voice before Drew got too close.
Becket looked over his shoulder and shrugged. “Eh, he’ll get over it.”
Judging by how quickly Drew’s frown was replaced by a sly grin when he reached the table and his gaze landed on me, it wasn’t hard to figure out that Becket was right.
“Now I understand why the pit boss on duty keeps grumbling about you scaring off the customers,” Drew chuckled. “I guess I should be thankful you didn’t piss on my floor to mark your territory. I’d hate to have to replace the carpeting in here again and there’s only so much a steam cleaner can do.”
A burst of startled laughter bubbled up my throat as Becket glared up at his friend and boss. “Seriously? It’s not like you’ve got much room to talk considering how you acted when you met Autumn.”
“True.” Drew shrugged his broad shoulders and rolled a poker chip back and forth over his knuckles. “But I don’t think it’s me you’ve got to worry about giving you a hard time over this. Your woman looks like she’s about ready to wring your neck, and not because she wants to wrap her legs around it and—”
Becket jumped out of his seat and took a threatening step towards Drew, who didn’t look even the tiniest bit worried as he smirked. “Turnabout is fair play, man. That’s what you get for using the word pussy and my wife’s name in the same sentence earlier.”
The smile wiped from my face, and I flashed a death glare Becket’s way. He quickly moved around the table and pulled me up and into his body. “It’s not like he made it sound. All I did was ask if Autumn knows that he’s turned into a pussy.”
My anger left me, and my cheeks filled with heat as I melted into his embrace. “Oh.”
“Don’t be embarrassed, sweetheart. You can be as territorial about me as you’d like.” His lips titled up into a satisfied smirk. “Especially since it means you can’t be too pissed at me over scaring off a few men who were too busy checking out your legs and tits to pay attention to their cards.”
“A few?” Drew sputtered. “From what I heard it was every guy who dared to sit at your table while your woman was there, including one who was old enough to be her grandfather.”
“He sure did,” I confirmed with a giggle.
Becket’s arms tightened around me. “Hey! That grandpa had some smooth lines.”
“He really did,” I confirmed.
“I can see why the two of you hit it off so quickly.” Drew moved closer to us and held his right hand out to me. “I’m Drew Lennox, Becket’s friend who, for some crazy reason, lets him deal here instead of making him work in his own damn casino.”
I reached out to shake his hand and smiled when Becket tugged it away after about a millisecond. “Nice to see you, Drew. I’m Lia Carrington.”
“Ahh, now I know why you looked so familiar. You’re the Cornelia Carrington. The queen bee of the poker circuit everyone’s been talking about the past few years.”
“Like Knox didn’t already tell you exactly who she was,” Becket muttered. “You just introduced yourself like that because you were trying to give me a hard time.”
Drew shrugged. “What are friends for?”
Becket pointed at his uniform and swept his hand towards the table where he’d been dealing. “I’m working, which makes me your employee right now.”
Drew pointed his thumb over his shoulder. “Fine, then I’ll be friendly while acting like your boss. Go on. Get out of here and spend some time somewhere else with your woman before all my customers end up playing at your casino instead of mine. Your brother would never let me hear the end of it.”