Chapter 13
Thirteen
WILLOW
My jaw dropped when the elevator opened.
I had never been to a casino before, but I’d seen them in movies.
The entrance opened like the maw of a cave, revealing something more marvelous than I had imagined.
Exposed brick mingled with polished mahogany.
Emerald, velvet-lined, bespoke card tables, each guest seated there more lavishly dressed than the last.
Brass lamps illuminated the colorful space, casting shadows along the vaulted ceilings, making it impossible to tell where the game started and ended.
Waitresses in glittering gowns, draped with diamonds, moved effortlessly through the crowds, handing out champagne. When we left, I worried I might have been overdressed, but nothing had been further from the truth.
Guests wore Dior and Chanel, their jewelry more expensive than most people’s mortgages. Familiar faces of actors and athletes filled the space. The sound of chips clinked in the distance as Kaelen whispered something to Aidan before he disappeared into the crowd, leaving Torin with us.
“Where’d you two come from?” I asked Torin, trying to calm my racing heart.
They followed us into the pub, but I hadn’t seen them after Kaelen took us through the fingerprint door.
“Industry secret, Miss Willow,” Torin winked, and I rolled my eyes.
“Mr. Finnegan. What can I get for you and your guest this evening?”
A pretty server blinked at us.
“I’ll take a Macallan. Neat. What would you like, mo chroí?” he asked, his hand drifting to my neck and curling around it possessively.
I nibbled my lip. I rarely drank. Tonight, however, I wanted to indulge, to let go and enjoy myself. Other than going to the farm or the animal shelter, I didn’t go out. Not to clubs and certainly not illegal casinos. I couldn’t risk damaging William Sterling’s glittering reputation.
“Something fruity. I don’t really want to taste the alcohol,” I said, feeling like a child at the request.
“Whatever you want,” he whispered, his breath lingering on my skin. “A strawberry daiquiri with half a shot.”
The woman nodded, disappearing into the crowd. Aidan returned, passing Kaelen an obsidian, velvet pouch, which he tucked away in the pocket of his suit pants. As Kaelen steered me through the crowds, the sea of people parted to make way for us. Whether out of fear or respect, I wasn’t sure.
“What would you like to play?” he asked, the backs of his knuckles ghosting over my arm.
Outside of the slot machines, I had no idea how any of the games worked. People sat around tables while dealers dressed in custom suits slung cards and took bets. Electronic tables lit up as people cheered and booed at a ball skittering around a wheel.
Large stacks of chips filled the tables, some towering dangerously tall. Sweat slid down my back, reminding me how out of place I felt.
“I don’t have any money,” I said, only expecting to wander around with him and take in the ambience.
A laugh whispered over my skin as he cupped my chin, pulling me in for an unexpected kiss. My body relaxed at his touch almost instantly, my lips parting for him. His tongue slid along mine, taking more and more until I almost forgot where we were.
“Don’t worry about the chips, mo chroí. I will handle that part. What game looks fun? What do you want to try?”
“Blackjack,” I said, regurgitating the name of the one game I knew. “But I don’t know how to play. I don’t want to embarrass you.”
A shyness burned my cheeks, the blush getting worse when Kaelen flashed a brilliant white smile at me. His fingers tracked a tantalizing trail under my freckles.
“This is my casino. You could never embarrass me. I could shut down this entire floor this instant and have the dealers walk you through every game while I kicked everyone else out.”
“Please don’t,” I blurted, panicking.
“I won’t. Instead, I’ll show you how to play.”
Kaelen led me to a large oak table draped in lush velvet.
Everything down to the seating was decadent, catering to the obscenely wealthy.
A small sign on the right side of the table noted the minimum bet as $100.
I paled, my fight-or-flight instinct taking over.
I couldn’t lose that much money on one hand.
“Kaelen,” I hissed. “You have to be joking. Is there a beginner’s table or something?”
“This is the beginner’s table,” he smirked. “All the others have minimum bets starting at $500 or more.”
My eyes widened at the stupid, smug expression on his lips. His beautiful lips that I wanted to drag my tongue over. I internally cursed my omega and her horny thoughts.
Now was not the time, not when I could lose thousands of dollars in minutes.
I ignored the feeling of cotton in my mouth, irritated by the equally amused looks on Aidan and Torin’s faces. I glowered at them, and they at least had the decency to look abashed.
“Fine. I’ll play one hand.”
“No,” Kaelen said, his voice a silken demand that did terrible things to my panties. “You’ll play as much as you want. Come.”
Like some sort of king lounging over his subjects, Kaelen lowered himself into the empty chair at the center of the blackjack table, pulling me into his lap. I squeaked, squirming against his hold for only a second before I gave up my frivolous assault.
I went limp in his hold. A strong hand slid along my navel, palming my belly as his other hand pushed my hair aside, nipping at the sensitive skin there.
Fine.
If he wanted to play king, then I’d be the queen on my sexy alpha throne.
“That’s my good omega.” I wiggled slightly, and he groaned, his nails digging into my flesh. “Don’t,” he warned.
A queen with a praise kink and soaked panties.
His hardening length poked at the seam of my ass. I debated teasing him further when the waitress from earlier appeared, handing a lowball glass with crystal amber liquid to Kaelen, and a pretty pink drink to me.
A mix of lime and strawberries danced over my tongue as I took a sip, a quiet moan falling from my lips. Kaelen grinned, enjoying my noises. I wriggled happily, thrilled that I couldn’t taste any hint of the rum that hid in the drink.
With a thud, Kaelen deposited the black velvet pouch on the table, fishing out an equally dark chip and sliding it into my palm. My hands felt so small when dwarfed by his.
“If you want to play in the hand, you’ll need to place your chip here.” He pointed to a small betting circle marked on the table.
Deciding not to argue with him, I placed the dark chip in the spot, grinning up at the stone-faced dealer. Creases formed around his mouth, giving away his hardened facade. The dealer handed out two cards to everyone, including himself, showing one and hiding the other.
“The goal is simple, get closer to twenty-one than the dealer without going over and you win,” he said, drawing aimless circles over my navel, distracting me.
Everything about him was distracting. His scent, his voice, his taste—how could I possibly concentrate? The dealer’s exposed card was a seven and mine was a nine, putting the odds more in my favor. I sneaked a peek at the hidden card, my nose twitching when I saw an eight.
Kaelen’s teeth grazed over my pulse point, his murmur vibrating the spot and sending a thrill through me.
“Now you can ask for additional cards as much as you want, but if you go over, you lose. What do you think, mo chroí? Do you want to hit or hold?”
I liked that he didn’t tell me what to do, that he gave me the opportunity to make my decision.
If I asked for advice, he’d give it to me, but I wanted to try on my own first. I had a seventeen as it was.
If I got another card, I’d probably go over, and the chances of the dealer having a better hand than me were slim.
“I’ll stay,” I said, shifting slightly and taking another sip of the sweet pink drink.
A few people around the table went over, while the dealer held too. When he flipped the cards, I shrieked, jumping out of Kaelen’s lap and giggling when I won. The dealer smiled, pushing me my winnings.
“Well done, Miss.”
I turned, beaming up at Kaelen, who stared at me like I was a rare painting to be admired. My cheeks burned, my stomach doing a weird swooping thing.
“Look at you,” he cooed, brushing his thumb over the swell of my lower lip, and I debated sucking it. “My brilliant girl.”
“Can we do it again?”
“As many as you want, mo chroí,” he said, his Irish brogue thicker than usual. “We never close.”
I lost count of how many hands I played, growing ever more aware of Kaelen’s knot nudging at me. He refused to let me out of his lap, getting me a virgin Shirley Temple after I finished the daiquiri.
It didn’t take much to get me tipsy, and I felt it after that drink. I wanted to keep my wits about me. As much as was possible with Kaelen’s dizzying touches driving me to the brink of madness. My core burned with need, my thighs sticky with slick by the time we made it to the roulette wheel.
Apparently, I had won more than I lost, because Kaelen kept mentioning how he was going to reward me when we got home. Even if it was nothing more than beginner’s luck.
“You are doing so well, Willow,” he murmured, his chest against mine, caging me in against the roulette table. “My omega deserves to reap in the spoils of her victory.”
“If you don’t say yes to him, honey, I will.” A drunk redhead winked beside me.
An unfamiliar emotion curled behind my sternum, boiling over until I let out a threatening snarl, my omega at the forefront. I spun on the woman, batting away Kaelen’s tattooed forearm like it was a bothersome gnat.
“Don’t,” I whispered in a voice I didn’t recognize. “He is my alpha. Do not dare think about what’s mine.”
A struggled sound choked her as she sputtered on her wine, spilling some onto her Chanel dress that washed her out. Her muddy eyes got too wide for her face before she threw her hands up, slowly backing away. The faint scent of lemon tinged the air, making her smell like a burned tart.
“Apologies. I was only joking.”
“Leave,” I hissed, vaguely aware of Kaelen’s hand on my hip.
He waved the woman off without a word, jutting his chin in Torin’s direction.
Torin stepped between us, escorting the woman out of the casino. The people nearby were oddly quiet, everyone watching the scene unfold. My chest heaved with labored breaths, my body shaking with a surge of jealousy.
It felt good.
Good to want something so much. To crave him and claim him.
Those dark emerald eyes focused on me, and only me. Kaelen urged me closer, his warm palms ghosting over my ribs before landing on my hips.
“What a good girl, making sure everyone knew I was your alpha,” he soothed. “Let me take you home, mo chroí. Let me take care of you like you deserve.”
It almost sounded like he was begging, pleading with me as I had with him a few nights ago.
My fingers dug into the lapels of his suit jacket, yanking him close enough to taste the remnants of whisky and something sweet on his breath. His tongue swept over the points of his teeth as he disarmed the last of my defenses.
“Alpha,” I said, not caring who heard us. “I need you.”