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“I was hungry, and that was delicious. I can’t believe you didn’t eat the entire thing.”
He scrunches his face in disgust. “It was a pile of grease. We will probably both be sick tomorrow because of it.”
I laugh. He’s way too serious to relax. I bet he eats every nutrient his body needs and nothing more.
“What are we doing here?” I ask.
But I’m too late. The door opens, and a man slaps Killian on the back.
“Kill, you made it!” The man looks quickly to me and then back to Killian. “Who is this?” he asks Killian while staring at me.
“This is my date for tonight, Kinsley.”
I notice that Killian intentionally leaves off my last name.
I appreciate it. Enough people in this town know my name that I don’t want to be stereotyped before this person even gets to know me.
“Kinsley, this is Grant Brampton, my best friend and one of the best poker players west of the Mississippi.”
Grant tips his hat as Killian talks, making me giggle. He takes my hand and softly kisses it, eyeing Killian. I laugh harder as I notice Killian glaring at Grant. He knows exactly what he is doing—pissing Killian off. I like Grant already.
“Come in. The game is about to start,” Grant says.
I follow Killian into the hotel room, except this room has been turned into a makeshift poker room. There is a large circular table in the center with decks of cards and chips stacked perfectly on one end. The kitchen has been turned into a mini bar. I notice three other men standing around with drinks in their hands.
“Everyone, this is Kinsley,” Killian says.
Everyone says, “Hey,” back with obvious curious stares as to why Killian has brought a date to a boys’ night.
I’m curious of that myself. My hands are shaking slightly. I’m beginning to feel more confident around Killian, but a roomful of guys I don’t know makes me uneasy.
“Killian, I can go home. I didn’t mean to intrude on boys’ night.”
“Nah, they don’t care. They’ll be happy to have someone good-looking to look at while I take all their money. Plus, if we didn’t go out tonight, I’m not sure of the next night that I’m available to go out.”
My heart sinks a little at his words. There’s not going to be a second date. Or if there is, it’s going to be a long time from now.
“This is Stephen Mann. He’s my brother-in-law.”
I shake Stephen’s hand. I didn’t know Killian had a sister.
“And that’s Marvin and Benny. They both suck at poker.”
Marvin throws popcorn at Killian. Killian runs over and pretends to tackle Marvin. It’s strange, seeing Killian like this—relaxed and playful. I know he’s called me a walking contradiction, but I’m beginning to see him the same way. He’s serious and stern, one minute, and then playful and joking, the next.
“All right, settle, you two,” Grant says. “It’s time for you to lose some money.” He pulls up another seat. “You can sit here,” he says to me, holding on to the chair he just pulled up to the table.
“Thanks,” I say, smiling, as I take a seat. I fold my hands in my lap to keep them from shaking.
Grant takes a seat on my left as Killian takes a seat on my right. All of the other men take their seats in the remaining chairs.
Marvin starts distributing chips to everyone in equal measure. When he gets to me, he asks, “You in?”
I glance to Killian, but he doesn’t say anything. I notice his shoulders tense a little, but I think he would have said something if he didn’t want me to play.
“Sure,” I say.
“It’s a hundred dollar minimum bet. Are you sure?” Marvin says.
