Page 47 of Worth Every Game
His eyelids flicker as if to dismiss my question. “Do you know how to play poker?”
“Yes.”
He nods. “Okay.” He blows out a breath, his shoulders sink, and his features take on a new softness. “You look good. Your eyes…”
So it is the make-up.
His voice is full of admiration. It coats me like warm honey, and I let out a small laugh as I step towards him. In my ridiculous heels I’m much nearer his height than I am normally, and I can’t help glancing at his lips. As if he knows what I’m thinking, his tongue slips out and wets the bottom one.
“El?” he breathes, and the sound ripples all the way down my body.I want to kiss him, and he knows it. But that’s not how to win the game, is it?
“Shh,” I say, reaching up for his tie. He doesn’t stop me, and I undo it, easing it out from under the collar of his shirt. A burst of his cologne wafts towards me, unravelling a little coil of arousal low in my hips, which I ignore. “Just remember,” I whisper into his ear. “I play to win.”
I pull back to see his blue eyes a shade darker, his jaw tight, a muscle standing out along the edge.
“So do I.” He takes his tie from me, rolls it up neatly and tucks it into the pocket of his coat. For a few seconds we stand there, a fraction too close, holding eye contact that scorches in ways it shouldn’t, before he says, “Let’s get those drinks then, shall we?”
The rest of the night passes without a hitch. I play some fantastic poker, and although I don’t win much, I don’t lose either, which is just as well seeing as I’m playing with Seb Hawkston’s money.
Seb is so much fun. He’s a joker, making us laugh, teasing me about my cards, pretending to lean over and see my hand. Not to mention he’s gorgeous, but so is Matt. All the Hawkston brothers are freakishly good-looking, but I’ve no interest in either of them that way. Next to Jack, they’re nothing.
We’ve been drinking Scotch all night, and I feel mellow and happy.
Every so often, Seb’s arm creeps onto the back of my chair. He’s not coming onto me. I don’t get that vibe at all, but each time he leans towards me, Jack’s eyes flash over at us like a spark of gunfire, setting off a fission of sexual energy deep in my core.
He hasn’t spoken much, and as the game goes on, his expression fixes into a furious frown. He’s losing. Badly.
Part of me wonders if that has anything to do with the way Seb is being with me. If Jack and I weren’t playing the game, and if Jack was seriously interested in me, I’d think what I was doing was cruel. Teasing him this way. Making him jealous. But none of it’s real. I might be flirting with Seb, but it’s Jack’s attention I crave.And even that’s only for the game. Right?
The money, think of the money.A hundred thousand pounds.
Finally, the poker game ends, and the men say their goodbyes. Jack merely grunts from his seat at the table. He’s lost a shit load of cash. But if he will play poker with billionaires…
Seb stands and looks at me. “Grumps might need a shoulder to cry on.” He indicates Jack.
“Fuck off,” Jack mumbles.
Seb tips his chin. “Sleep well, Lansen.”
“I’ll see you out,” I say, rising to my feet to escort Seb and Matt to the door. We head into the hall, where Matt bids megoodnight and lets himself out, but Seb lingers a moment until we’re alone.
“I had fun tonight,” he says, and my heart skips a beat. I’ve been so fixated on Jack that I hadn’t stopped to worry about Seb, other than to assume he couldn’t possibly be truly interested in me.Have I led him on?He pulls a business card from his wallet and hands it to me. “I’d like to take you out sometime. Call me.”
My blood turns cold. “Oh.” I stare at the card, but don’t take it. “I don’t…I…”
Seb gauges my reaction, his eyes narrowing slightly. He flicks the card back into his wallet, but he doesn’t look annoyed. “You and Lansen, eh?” He chuckles. “Thought so.”
My chest tightens. Jack and I barely spoke to one another all night.How did Seb know?“There’s nothing going on.”
The smile that curls his lips is all scepticism. “Not yet, maybe. But Jack never loses at poker.” He leans in to kiss my cheek. “Thanks for helping me distract him. Don’t stay up too late.” He turns and trots down the steps, waving the back of his hand at me as he goes.
I linger in the hall for several minutes after they’ve left, but Jack doesn’t emerge.
I could go upstairs, call it a night, but nervous energy is pumping through me, especially after what Seb just said.Did Jack really lose tonight because of me?The idea that I affect him that way is thrilling. Guilt tussles with the thrill, but I’m not going to let it stop me focusing on our game and what I set out to achieve this evening. I spent a fortune on the outfit still concealed beneath my regular clothes, and I’m damned if I’m going to let it go to waste. Plus, if I don’t do this now, I’ll lose my nerve.
Swallowing down my hesitation, I totter down the hall on my heels and enter the dining room, where the debris from the poker is still laid out on the table. I hadn’t noticed how low thelights are in here, and the room is almost smoky, as if we’d been indulging in cigars. But there’s no smell of smoke, and only the scent of Jack’s cologne hangs in the air.
He’s seated at the head of the table, hunched over, a furious energy emanating from him, penetrating every inch of the shadowed room.