7. Poker
CHAPTER 7
POKER
The hardest thing I’ve ever had to do is walk away from her.
“Why are you still here?”
Leaning against the building, I watch Conrad out of the corner of my eye. I’m sticking to the shadows, more comfortable in the dark than the light. It serves me well because as players filter out of the warehouse, they don’t even notice I’m standing here.
“I need to talk to Meri,” I say, easily falling back on her real name.
Conrad tenses. “Mistress Green,” he snaps.
I huff out a laugh. “Cut the shit.”
“You’re not needed here.”
“Maybe.” I shrug. “But the only way I’m leaving is if Mistress Green demands it of me.”
“I could make you if I wanted to,” he counters, the threat clear.
Slowly, I lean down and slide the knife he missed out of my boot. Then, so fast he doesn’t know what hit him, I press the blade to his throat.
“Sure about that?” I taunt.
Conrad’s eyes widen, and if I didn’t actually like the man, I’d really show him what I’m capable of.
“Fuck,” he mutters.
“Don’t worry. I won’t tell her you missed it.”
When I lower the knife, his shoulders deflate. “Thanks.”
“So, how’s the family?” I ask him conversationally.
“How do you know I have a family?” he asks, his eyes narrowing.
“Seriously? Did you think I wouldn’t do my homework?”
“But…”
“But what?”
“Why?”
Again, I shrug. “I needed to know that Meri was safe, that whoever she hired to have her back would actually have her back and not stab her in it.”
He’s quiet for a minute, his stare assessing. “You like her.”
“And you don’t?” I counter.
“Not like that, no. I’m married… happily.”
“Meri’s good people, and she’s running a business in Soulless Kings’ territory. Chalk it up to protecting my club.”
“Right.”
Before I can respond, the door opens, and the woman in question steps out. “Any trouble with Neero when he left, Conrad?” she asks, not seeing me at first.
His entire demeanor relaxes. “No, ma’am.”
She nods. “Good. Don’t worry about cleaning up. I’ll come by tomorrow and handle it. Go home to the wife and kids.”
“Are you sure? I don’t mind staying a little longer.”
“She’s sure,” I say, startling Meri.
When she levels her gaze on me, a blush creeps up her chest, bright in the security light. “What are you still doing here?”
“I asked the same thing,” Conrad mutters.
“Just wanted to make sure you were okay after Neero’s little outburst.”
Her expression softens. “Oh, well, thanks. I’m fine.”
“Can we talk for a minute?” I ask.
“Sure.”
I gently grab her wrist and lead her away from Conrad. When I stop, I don’t remove my hand, instead keeping light pressure on her pulse point, loving the way it leaps beneath my fingertips.
Careful, Poker.
“You, uh, wanted to talk about something,” she says, almost breathlessly, when the silence stretches.
For a moment, I forget what I wanted to talk about. I’ve got Meri alone, sort of, and all I want to do is lean in and capture her lips in a bruising kiss. Forcing myself to release her and step back, I shove my hands in my pockets.
“Is me coming to the games a problem for you?”
“What? No.”
“Are you sure because tonight seemed to suggest otherwise.”
“Neero?” she asks, her lips pursing for a second. “He’s a dick, but I can handle him.” She waves her hand dismissively. “Besides, I suspended him for a month, and it’s his second strike. He knows he’s walking on thin ice.”
Relief washes through me, knowing she doesn’t want me to stop participating. Then it’s replaced by another, more sinister thought.
“Thin ice won’t stop a man like that.”
“I know what I’m doing, Poker,” she insists.
Deciding to back off, I nod and let it go. “So, are you hungry?” I ask.
“Starved, but I’m more exhausted than anything else.”
Unable to resist, I brush a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. She shivers at the contract. “Then you should go home and get some sleep.”
Meri swallows. “I… Yeah.”
“I’ll come by tomorrow to help you clean up.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I know I don’t.” I shrug. “But I’ll be here. Go get some sleep.”
The hardest thing I’ve ever had to do is walk away from her. Meri is intoxicating and if I didn’t, I was going to shove her against the wall, hike up her skirt, and fuck her like my life depends on it.
The ride to the clubhouse goes by in a blur. My mind races with what happened at the warehouse, with all the ways things could’ve played out differently. When I’m not dwelling on the what ifs, my brain conjures up images of all the things I want to do with Meri.
When I walk into the clubhouse, it’s quiet, but Crow is sitting at the bar sipping a drink. I make my way to him and slip onto a stool.
“How was the game?” he asks.
“Shitty.”
He turns to face me and arches a brow. As he takes in my expression, he grins. “She’s getting to you, isn’t she?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Brother, it’s obvious you like her. You spend more time at Ballinger’s than you do here, you haven’t fucked a Bangin’ Betty in I don’t know how long, and we’ve donated to so many charities since you started playing in her games that the good people of Marble Falls are going to start thinking we’re saints instead of sinners.”
“Shut up,” I snap, but then I heave a sigh. “Meri’s…”
“She’s what?”
I take a deep breath, fully intending to answer his question, but the one word—everything—on the tip of my tongue isn’t what comes out.
“Call church for the morning, would ya?”