She counted out some more and placed them next to the other pile she’d made. Carter Rice and Huck Sands folded, Tate threw in twenty as did the rest of the guys, except Felix who raised his by another twenty.
I watched him roll his lips, hiding a smirk. He was a shit liar, and definitely up to something.
The dealer turned another card. King of Clubs.
I lifted her hair away from her shoulder so I could lean in closer to her ear, brushing her neck as I did, finding any excuse I could to touch her. She shuddered against me, which in turn shot quivers across my skin. “Luck, do you remember all the cards we had?”
She nodded.
“See the cards the dealer has put down, that heart means we have a flush. It’s one of the best hands.” I still had her hair between my fingers; I was enjoying the silky feel of it slipping through far too much to let go.
The next two rounds saw a couple more of the guys fold. Felix still had that stupid twitch on his face, making me certain he was bluffing. I was getting impatient. The sooner we won this round, the sooner we could lose the next one.
“Luck, throw all the chips in.”
Tate, Dante Manners, and Brogan Bartlett threw their cards in, leaving only Felix holding fast.
“Show me your cards, dickhead.” My eyes narrowed while his glinted deviously, and he slowly turned them over.
Ace, Queen, Jack, Ten. All Clubs.
The fucker had a Royal Flush.
Carter smacked his palm on the table. “Oh, fucking snap.”
Everyone else was laughing. I wasn’t often beaten, but I’d clearly been distracted by the goddess sitting in my lap, and I gave zero fucks about it.
A massive grin split my face. Way bigger than it should have been seeing as I just lost a hundred and fifty grand, but I’d win it back at our next game.
Felix leaned over the table and started gathering in his chips, counting them pointedly as he did, unable and unwilling to hide his blatant smugness. But I merely met his stupid grin with a bigger one of my own, because I’d actually won the greater prize. He just didn’t realize.
And now it was time to claim mine, my Lucky Charm.
“Well, would you look at that.” I whispered against her ear.
She turned to me, horrified. “Oh my god, you lost all that money.”
I kissed her nose, followed by her still open and shocked mouth, “But I won you sweetheart, and you’re going to make it better. Starting now.” I stood up, setting her down on the floor before looking round at the sea of highly amused faces. “Boys, see you in the morning.”
I took her hand, practically dragging her off the casino floor toward the elevator because ever since I’d first laid eyes on her I’d wanted her alone. And I couldn’t make it happen quick enough.
While we were waiting for the one that would take us straight up to my suite on the penthouse floor, I took my phone out and held it in front of us. For some reason I wanted to remember this moment. I didn’t know what was happening to me, but I seemed to be in some kind of Freaky Friday situation where I’d swapped my personality for Jasper’s. Except it was Wednesday, and I was in total control of all my faculties.
“Look at the camera, Lucky Charm.”
She laughed at our reflection on the screen, and I captured it just before my phone died. Least it died happy.
Then the elevator door pinged, and we walked in.
Alone, at last.
An uncharacteristic pang of unease hit me, thinking I might have forced her into this situation. Something I would never do. But then our eyes met, and there was no forcing the chemistry between us hanging thick and heavy, like a warning before a storm.
There was a split second between the doors closing and my heart jumpstarting, before she launched herself at me. Her lips crashed onto mine, setting off a shockwave of electricity which surged across both our bodies, and I knew I’d never felt anything resembling it before. Full and soft as a cloud, they fitted perfectly against me.
And I wanted more.
I threaded my fingers through the copper strands of her hair, cupping her head, needing to take control. Stroking along the seam of her lips, she opened up, letting me in with a low moan that shot straight to my dick. The taste of fresh lime from the margaritas she’d been drinking was still strong on the tip of her tongue as she caressed it against mine.
