Page 17 of The Devil's Playground

I do. Why does he think I’ve gone to all of this trouble?

“I know,” I say simply before raising my voice. “You bought a night with one of our girls. Play me for it.”

When I hear the gasp, I know instinctively it belongs to Nicolette. I slide my gaze over, finding her by the table, holding onto her empty server tray. I’m not surprised she’s there. I told her to have Jessie put her in the casino on purpose, just so she could witness this game.

Witness it, and refuse to be the prize if that’s what she wanted.

I wait. I wait for Haines to refuse, or for Nicolette to say that she’s changed her mind. When neither of them do, I cock my head at my opponent.

“Here’s how it goes. I win this hand, I get the night with Nicolette. You win, you do—and this stack of cash. Deal? Or you can fold and gave’s over. It’s almost midnight. You call?”

Haines looks at his cards. He must really think he has something because, after only a moment’s hesitation, he retrieves the briefcase from under the table, tossing it haphazardly, knocking over the stacks of Sinners cash Killian lined up for me.

“I’m in.”

“Show ‘em.”

Haines does. Not bad. He has a pair of aces, ten high after that.

My turn.

I reveal four of my cards. “I have a king, a queen, two sixes?—”

Haines hand shoots out, aiming for the nearest stack in the middle of the table, greed making him a little too hasty.

“Hang on a second.” I flip my last card, pausing for dramatic effect. “Six of clubs. Three of a kind, Haines. Looks like I beat your pair of aces.”

I nod at Julio. He moves away from the table, signaling to Killian. Killian grabs Matt, the larger soldier coming between Killian and Haines so that they can gather that stacks of cash back up.

Haines is sputtering. Something about that not counting, that I cheated, that the money is his. That he needs it, that he’s talking the girl with him anyway?—-

Blah. Blah. Blah.

I won, and I have an entire crowd to back me up on that.

Ignoring the blustering wallet, I rise up from my seat. Leaning over the table, I wipe aside the cards, then grab the briefcase he placed when he made his bet.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see him lunge for me. He still hasn’t noticed Julio behind him, so when he moves, my enforcer tackles him to the table.

I grin.

Nicolette is watching the entire scene with the most adorable look on her face. If I found her and she looked terrified at the prospect of spending a night with me, I would have dropped it. Given her the case, told her not to worry about any agreement she made with that asshole—or the bet I most definitely manipulated her into—and walked away while Julio and the other fellas handled Haines.

But then our eyes meet. She swallows, and I watch the motion down the slender column of her throat without any shield to the heat in my expression.

The heights of her tanned cheeks turn pink and I know in that moment that my life will never be the same.

Approaching Nicolette, I gingerly remove the empty serving tray from her grasp. Once I toss that to the poker table behind me, I heft up the heavy case, offering it to her.

“Go on. Take it.”

She doesn’t. Instead, she moves a small step away from me. “What? Why are you giving me this?”

I’d honestly second-guess what I was about to do if I really thought she wanted to put space between us. If I really believed that she would agree to a night with Miles Haines, then flinch at the idea of joining me in my bed.

But when she recovers her footing, leaning into me as though part of her recognizes that she belongs in my arms? That it isn’t me she’s unsure of, but the ten grand in my hand?

I make the biggest bet of my life: that Nicolette will be mine.

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