Page 3 of Salvatore

I shift in my seat and push my chips on the number ten, and she claims lucky number seven. She bites her lower lip as she fidgets uncertainly on the spot and doesn’t tear her gaze away from the wheel.

I stare at her unashamedly as she hyperventilates before my eyes, and I note her pale blonde hair pulled tightly back in a bun. Her red-painted lips quiver with fear and her chest heaves as she struggles to breathe. A simple black dress clings to her ample breast and her slender waist dips in as her hips swell in all the right places.

She is a work of art. A tragic painting of a goddess who has fallen from a great height and I wonder how much further I can pull her down.

My cock throbs as it senses a game about to start and it’s not the one about to happen before her fearful eyes. She is right to be afraid, but not of losing. She is about to discover that ruin takes on many forms and gambling is the least of her problems. She has fallen into my sight and I’m a hunter who enjoys the chase, so I sip my whiskey with my eyes fixed firmly on her, studying every reaction to the game that is about to ruin her life.

“Nine wins.” The croupier announces, and the man to my right yells in victory.

The croupier pushes the chips his way, and I’m fascinated by the stricken expression on the intriguing woman’s face.

As the game resumes, I can tell she is thinking hard and she removes a smaller pile of chips from her purse and places them against number seven with shaking hands.

She’s all out. This is make or break and I wonder what her story is.

Once the bets are set, the wheel spins, and the bastard in me hopes she loses. She will be easier to exploit when she has nothing, and I find myself holding my breath as the wheel makes its journey.

“Number three wins.” The croupier announces, and the woman staggers away from the table, her fingers brushing the tears from her eyes.

I nod to Sinclair, my consigliere, who takes my place and as she walks away, I am firmly behind her.

CHAPTER 3

ASHLEY

Ilost it all, our entire savings. What came over me? I was so hurt, so angry, and now I feel incredibly stupid because, in a split second of anger, I drained our savings account and blew the lot on a chance that was never going to work out for me.

I’ve lost everything.

My future, my rose-colored new life, and my dream house. I have nothing left, and it’s all because I caught my fiancé cheating on me with another man.

A sob catches in my throat as I struggle to breathe. I’m such a fool. What will I do now? Edward will be angry; my parents will be upset, and I will never recover from the humiliation.

“Excuse me.”

A husky whisper in my ear drags my attention back into the room and I turn toward the voice and almost choke on my tears when I see a man staring at me through the eyes of the devil.

Something is warning me about this man, and I swallow hard.

Tall, dark, and handsome doesn’t do him justice. His dark hair is styled slightly long on top and cut short on the sides. His eyes appear almost black as they glitter with wicked depravityand his muscles strain against the fabric of the crisp black shirt he is wearing that is open at his chest, revealing a deep script that mesmerizes me. He is something else and is definitely a man I should walk away from, but it’s as if I’ve been hypnotized.

I blink in astonishment as he places his hand on my arm and says in a deep, husky whisper, “Come with me.”

I stumble as he moves and say quickly, “I’m sorry, um, I need to find my fiancé.”

If I thought that was going to cut it, I was wrong because he laughs softly and his eyes flash as he whispers in my ear, “I don’t think so, angel. You are coming with me whether you like it or not.”

I stare at him in shock as he grips my arm hard and propels me toward the elevator and as I open my mouth to object, he clamps a strong hand across my mouth. Then he leans down and whispers, “Trust me, angel. I’m not the big bad wolf here. Consider me as your knight in shining armor instead.”

He chuckles softly. “Did I mention that some knights hide the darkest souls and I have a feeling that is exactly what you need right now?”

As the elevator doors open, he pushes me inside, and as several others attempt to join us, he growls, “Take the next one.”

There is something in his tone that makes them step back and, as the doors close, he releases his hold and leans back against the wall of the elevator and says in a husky whisper, “Now, this is where it gets interesting.”

I stare at him in shock and my voice trembles as I attempt to speak.

“Please. I just want to go home.”