As if that’s not what she’s been doing since the first day she stumbled into it.
“Graham?” Heels click on the marble entryway. “My god, this place is so huge,” she grumbles under her breath, and I let out a laugh.
“In here,” I call from the living area, closing my laptop and moving toward where her voice is coming from. I stop when she comes into sight.
“Jesus,” I breathe, taking her in—the electric blue dress hugging her curves, high silver heels on her feet. Her dark hair is down and straightened down her back, her makeup bold and sexy, a nervous smile on her red-painted lips.
“Is it too much?” she says, a bit of nerves in her voice. “I told Claire it was too much, but she insisted. The dress is her gift to me.”
I remind myself to send a huge thank you to Claire for this.
“No, no. It’s perfect.” I take her hand, letting her spin beneath my arm and watch in fascination as the shiny material glimmers in the low light, showing off all of her delectable curves. “Fuck, June.”
I fight every urge to strip it off her, throw her on the giant bed, and fuck her senseless. Who needs to gamble when I have my own lady luck in my bed?
I check my watch, trying to gauge how much time until we have to be downstairs for our dinner reservation with the crew.
Not nearly enough, so instead, I lead her out for our night of fun.
After dinner, we stand together outside. The entire crew is here: Claire, Miles, and Sutton, Decker, Lainey, and Grant, all managing to get the time needed off. June is completely ecstatic to have all of her people with her, celebrating, having a good time without the pressure of work hanging over them.
“What’s next?” I ask, pulling her into my side. She wobbles, either from the two drinks she had or the high heels, but I hold her steady.
“Let’s gamble!” Claire yells, putting her arm into the air and cheering. “Test our luck!”
“I don’t know,” Lainey says, looking a bit nervously toward the tables. “I don’t even know how any of these games work. It sounds like a lot of counting and math, which is my nightmare.”
“We’ll hang out on the slots like little old ladies,” Claire says with a grin, hip-checking Lainey, who smiles.
“Slots are a money suck,” Grant says. Lainey glares at him, irritated, seemingly her normal response to him.
“Not if you have luck on your side,” June says, hooking her arms through her friends and moving toward the casino.
That’s when, for the first time, it hits me that maybe taking June to a casino wasn’t my best plan, especially when I’ve spent the last few months making her think her lucky stars just always happen to be aligned.
The slot machines last a total of thirty minutes, Claire losing five dollars, and June making a hundred before they decide to try their hand at something new. They end up at the craps table,a game that none of them know and need Deck to explain before get going.
And going.
And going.
Somehow, June starts winning and winning, a small crowd gathering around her until she’s turned a hundred dollars into a thousand.
“Maybe we should go to the club,” Sutton says nervously, looking at June, who is nearly jumping with excitement.
“A thousand!” she yells, throwing her hands into the air. “Bet it all!”
“Hell yeah!” Claire yells, cheering her on, the biggest instigator of them all.
“Uh, June—” Grant starts with the same hesitation brewing my chest.
“I can’t lose. I’m lucky! Everything works out for me!”
Guilt swirls in my chest, knowing the truth of her lucky streak has a lot more to do with my incessant need to make her happy than her inherent luck. I didn’t think it would be a problem, but a birthday gambling tripmightjust be the stupidest idea I’ve ever had.
“Yeah, but—” I start.
“Let her live!” Claire yells, cutting me off as June slides all her chips in before grabbing the dice, shaking them, and throwing. Panic moves through me as the small dice moves along the felt. It’s not a panic of her losing money, because I would happily replace every penny.
