Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 64885 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64885 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
She wore her makeup the way she wanted to, which included a bold red lipstick that turned my blood to lava. Those red lips would look like perfection around my cock, and the memory of her on her knees before me nearly brought me to mine.
I extended my hand, and she immediately intertwined our fingers, falling into step at my side.
“Are you ready for this?” I asked.
She took a steadying breath before nodding. “I can't hide from him,” she said matter-of-factly.
Such a bold, courageous little thing.
I knew grown men who would cower in the face of the king of the Irish mafia, and she had more reason to fear him than anyone. But here she was, walking at my side with her head held high, my guards shadowing us in the distance as we made our way to the poker game. If we didn't have serious business to attend to, I would’ve thrown her over my shoulder and taken her back to our villa, where I’d properly worship her as the goddess she was.
Later.
I would absolutely make good on that later.
The air in the room where our poker table had been set up was thick. Doyle was already in his established seat, my friends and their girls walking in ahead of Serenity and me. I lingered just outside the doorway, silently conveying we could turn around if she wanted to.
She squeezed my hand and took the first step into the room, directly revealing herself to her father. I followed her like the helpless man I was, totally at her disposal.
Doyle did a double take from where he sat, almost as if he didn't recognize his own daughter. Which totally made sense, seeing as he had never met the real Serenity. The one who hadn't been beaten down by him, or cloistered and molded into something he wanted as opposed to who she actually was.
The siphoned adrenaline from the base jump came back in full force as I watched flickers of disgust roll over his face as he eyed Serenity's outfit and makeup.
I tugged our intertwined hands to my mouth, planting a soft kiss on the back of hers before releasing her. She smiled up at me like I was the only man in the room that mattered and then headed over to where the girls were already ordering drinks from the pop-up bar across the room.
I took my seat between Ethan and Crossland, but my eyes met Doyle’s across the table.
It was awkwardly silent, nothing at all like our usual games where we were already mid-conversation before the hands were even dealt.
Now it was so quiet, all we could hear was the soft chatter of the girls across the room, and the cards being shuffled.
The first few hands went by without Doyle so much as reacting to the bets for his seat that we made, but after a few more, a lightbulb clicked behind his eyes.
“You're all being bastards,” he grumbled, folding yet another hand. “Making those bets.”
“They're just bets,” Crossland said. “If you're too cowardly to call them, maybe you're in the wrong game.”
I stifled my laugh. Leave it to Crossland to poke an already angry mob boss. I appreciated his aloofness, severely struggling with the temptation to return every blow Doyle had given Serenity and be done with him.
After Doyle had folded another few hands, I was starting to worry the plan I'd concocted wasn't going to work. There was nothing in our contract saying he had to call any of our bets, but I just needed him to take the bait so I could get him the fuck out of here.
Serenity headed over to me and laid her hand gently on my shoulder like she was afraid of interrupting me. I was mid-hand, but I didn't give a shit. I gave her all of my attention, shifting toward her, smoothing my hand across her lower back.
“The girls want to check out the shops on the other side of the resort,” she said, her voice automatically adapting that low, almost demure tone that she was used to using here. “Is it okay if I go with them?”
Anger snapped through my chest—never at her, but at the way she’d just asked me if she could go shopping. This was ingrained in her, no doubt those emotional and muscle memories switching on the moment she entered our billionaire’s game.
I tugged her into my lap, needing her closer. “You never have to ask, angel,” I said, my eyes only on her. “You tell me, and that's enough. You know the guys will shadow you, and you're comfortable with that, right?”
She nodded, a smile shaping those bold red lips.
“Then go have fun,” I said, bringing my lips to the shell of her ear, lowering my voice so only she would hear. “Buy something I can take off of you later.”