Page 69 of Tell Me All Your Lies

Grant smirks.

“Fine, all your shots are good.”

“That’s better.”

“And funny.”

“Wow, maybe I’ll have to make you my real husband.”

Grant’s jaw ticks as he looks away.

“Kidding. Don’t worry, I’m a professional,” I tease.

Grant’s eyes find mine, and there’s a hint of something in them that I can’t quite make out. I’m meant to be reading people and situations at an expert level, but I suppose Grant is used to masking the real him.

“Hey, Grant?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you. All of that was really nice to hear.”

“It’s true.”

“You know, you aren’t so bad yourself.”

He laughs.

“I don’t know about that.”

“Fishing for a compliment?”

“No, I’ve just lived a lot of life. Not sure how I ended up here, but I’m glad I get to pretend to have a life like this with you.”

My heart flutters.

“Where you get involved with the mafia?” I joke.

“Exactly.”

We’re both smiling from ear to ear now, and suddenly, I realize that maybe Grant likes spending time with me too.

“Ready to learn how to play poker first?”

“Ready,” I say with a salute.

“Okay, let’s get started.”

Grant picks up the cards and shuffles them before passing them out. He gives me a quick reminder of the rules, and before long, we’re in our first game.

“I want to start with the basics tonight. Tomorrow, we can go over some of my tricks.”

“I thought we were doing that tonight?”

Grant looks up from his cards and grins.

“I think I want another night alone with my wife.”

I findmyself once again standing in front of my full-length mirror, about to go downstairs to spend another intimate evening with Grant. One where I’ll get to know more about his background through little tidbits he’ll share.

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